The Returned captive. A poem. Founded on a late fact. : [Six lines of verse]

The Returned captive. A poem. Founded on a late fact. : [Six lines of verse]

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Title page

THE Returned Captive.

William welcomes his friend John on his return from nine years captivity with his child. John relates his wife's late marriage with another; her great perplexity, fondness of the child, affection for him, and preference of him.

John relates the bloody fight in which he was taken. The following massacre and sufferings of the prisoners.

John continues his narration. The British resign him to torturers. His escape. His capture by other Indians. Led to their country. Run• •he gantlet. Escapes again.

John's relation continued. His third capture and long servitude in a foreign wilderness.

John's story continued. His final escape. Finds his only child and his friend in slavery. They return home with him. He ends his narration.

John recovers his wife. Conclusion.

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THE RETURNED CAPTIVE. A POEM FOUNDED ON A LATE-FACT.

Among the free, aerial, warbling Race,

The artless Robin holds a humble [...]:

Unskill'd to pour the soul encha [...] Lay,

[...]et aids the Chorus, from his [...] Spray,

And claims as well the Music of the Shade

As shriller Birds, in gayer Plumes arrayed.

HUDSON. Printed by ASHBEL STODDARD. M.DCC.LXXXVII.

THE Returned Captive.

[Page]

William welcomes his friend John on his return from nine years captivity with his child. John relates his wife's late marriage with another; her great perplexity, fondness of the child, affection for him, and preference of him.

FAR in the winding vallies calm retreat

Industrious William holds his tranquil seat;

Despising pomp; of needful store possess'd:

In wife, in children, friends, and neighbours blest.

When Sirius last exerted all his force,

And Sol had journey'd half his da [...]ly course,

For noon repast his table they prepa [...]e,

A dainty meal of summer's choicest fare:

Then Watch, his [...]aithful centry at the door,

Prick'd up his ears, and loud began to roar.

Cries William, lo! what wonder strikes my eyes!

From shades of death does neighbour John arise?

Ingenious John! whose death we vainly mourn'd,

From nine long years captivity return'd!

Thrice welcome John! while joy his voice surpress'd,

He said; and ardent seiz'd him to his breast;

[Page] To break the silence each essay'd in vain,

And tears of joy descend like show'rs of rain.

Then to salute him each in turn came nigh;

The briny dew descends from ev'ry eye;

(More grateful welcome, to a generous mind

Than all the forms of complaisance refin'd!)

Affecting scene! a pause of silence reigns,

That sympathetic feeling best explains.

William at length with feeble utt'rance cries,

And dost thou live! and dost thou bless my eyes!

We, since the bloody fight, have thought thee dead,

And for thee many bitter tears have shed.

Compose your throbbing bosom and relate

If ought you know of little Nelly's fate:

And how your presence operates at home,

For, by your course, from there you seem'd to come.

John slowly then his answer thus address'd;

What various passions labour in my breast!

To see you I dissolve in joys excess;

But my domestic woes you well may guess!

My Nelly is return'd, from regions wild:

I savage hands, I found my darling child:

I, with emotions quite unknown before,

With her this morning enter'd at my door:

My extacy improv'd my Phebe's charms,

Who, screeching, threw herself into my arms;

We eagerly prolong the fond embrace,

And silent tears descend from either face:

The dear extatic scene no words can show,

And none but by experiment can know.

Then I present her Nelly to her view,

Who now by certain marks alone she knew;

The child with melting ardour she caress'd;

Dissolv'd in transport held her to her breast.

[Page] And yet it seem'd my eye could plainly trace

Some bitter agitation in her face.

Now to my neighbour Charles I gave my hand,

Who seem'd in discomposure strange to stand;

But when his lips declare the dreadful tale

With horror chill'd my feeble sinews fail!

My charming fair! my soul's delight and pride!

No longer mine; but Charles's wedded bride!

Inur'd to woes of almost every kind,

Nought else methought could have depress'd my mind;

My fundamental comfort from me torn,

The world appear'd a wilderness forlorn!

I sat me down, with dumb amazement press'd,

Contending passions boiling in my breast;

My wife's inconstancy at length reprove,

And angrily upbraid the fair I love.

Then she, pale, trembling, with a piteous air,

My dearest spouse awhile your censure spare!

Hear my defence (I sink with woe oppress'd)

Nor more, but fainting, lean'd upon my breast:

In livid paleness cold, and void of breath,

Her eyes were fix'd, as in the sleep of death:

Remorse, love, pity, all my bosom tear.

While on her couch I place the breathless fair:

For her recov'ry ev'ry measure try'd;

While deedless Charles remain'd as petrify'd.

And now she almost seem'd to gain her breath:

Now seem'd declining, near the verge of death:

But when her vital warmth return'd apace,

From sweat profuse, I gently wip'd her face.

Then she at length reviving, turn'd her head

And with a melting look, she sweetly said:

Was it, my John, your kind officious care,

Recall'd my spirit to the vital air:

[Page] With joy I see you still regard your wife;

Who cannot cease to love you more than life.

When William came, your fate to let me know,

And though in tears, yet strove to soothe my woe:

How could I doubt? for to confirm the news,

He bro't your stockings, writings, coat, and shoes;

Bought by Skenevus, in the fatal wood;

From him who boasted he had shed your blood.

Each foll'wing circumstance confirm'd the same:

Letters, returns of war, and common fame,

By all with utmost confidence believ'd,

Till I this morning your approach perceiv'd.

My woes to tell, would be a grievous tale!

My spirits at the recollection fail!

A pause ensues, and tears of silence flow:

Then she again resumes her strain of woe.

My sorrow pierc'd my soul with deadly smart:

I mourn'd in bitter anguish of my heart:

My spouse no more, and ev'ry comfort [...]led:

My tears bedew'd my solitary bed:

Your cruel slaughter on my spirit preys,

Long wakeful nights, and melancholy days.

At length the foe, by frequent inroads wide,

Spread fire and slaughter round, on ev'ry side,

When by their flight I lose my choicest friends,

Each to his own his whole attention bends;

Forlorn, abandon'd, wretched, was my case!

Destruction yawning, star'd me in the face!

No sustenance to take! nor pow'r to fly!

My own, and tender daughter's fa [...]e seem'd nigh!

Now haply did our neighbour James appear;

With wife and family he shelter'd here;

Too poor to journey from his native place,

'Mong strangers to support his num'rous race;

[Page] Together long in safety we abide,

By slaught'ring bands alarm'd on ev'ry side.

But when I lost my dear, my only child,

With sorrow stung, with dire distraction wild,

I bid adieu to ev'ry comfort here:

No hope remain'd, nor ought remain'd to fear:

My spirits fail'd: my wa [...]sting frame decay'd:

While death invok'd in vain, withheld his aid▪

But fortitude at length on mis'ry grows,

And ours abate by seeing others woes:

So time in part assuag'd my grief again;

As reason reasum'd her wonted reign:

And num'rous instances around the land,

Of neighbours murder'd by the vengeful hand;

Where children, matron, husband, aged sire,

By unrelenting slaughterers expire,

Made me forget my private grief in part;

While sympathetic horror fill'd my heart:

Such was my case while circling seasons roll,

The recollection rankles in my soul.

And now at length the bloody contest ends:

Again I see my dear returning friends;

James, and his family recross the plain;

In solitude I sit me down again;

No husband, friend, nor sire, to till my land,

'Till Charles atlength extends the helping hand.

To hymenial bands he woo'd me long,

With tender care and importuning tongue:

Long time his suit I firmly did withstand,

But through advice I lately gave my hand:

William advis'd the deed; of him inquire:

Your heart with love and pity, he'll inspire;

As your return my melting soul does move,

And lights up more than all my former love.

[Page]

Charles interrupting angrily replies,

Ungrateful woman! fickle, and unwise!

Does his return your love of me destroy?

And must my absence then complete your joy?

Know John you cannot hunt me from the place,

Like guilty fugitive, or fellon base;

But if my presence much offend your eyes;

As none a rival's company can prize,

Go visit William, once your dearest friend;

This afternoon I'll also there attend;

In him no partiality has place:

On his arbitrament I'll risk the case.

When with returning strength my Phebe rose,

To shun his presence, with his terms I close:

For though my soul adores the blameless fair;

What husband can a rival husband bear?

You know the case, then William frank replies,

None was to blame, none need apologize;

Though for this sad event, your grief I share;

Your faithful spouse the error will repair,

And though your rival's lot must galling be,

Her choice is final, and her will is free.

And now they dine, the table richly stor'd;

Their guest partakes the dainties of their board,

His soul revived, his failing strength increas'd,

And social conversation crowns the feast.

They sated rose when Sol, with potent ray,

Two hours had journey'd on his evening way;

Then William, smiling on his welcome guest,

These words with free benevolence expres'd;

Since we, beyond our utmost hope, obtain

The happiness of seeing you again,

We yield this evening, with attentive ear,

Your interesting narative to hear;

[Page] Nor will it your tranquillity destroy,

For mis'ries wholly past are present joy.

Says John, tho' pleasant 'tis to know them past,

The dread ideas will forever last;

When silent night her sable curtain spreads,

And balmy sleep his kind oblivion sheds,

Their images horrific rise in view,

And all the frightful tragedy renew;

To shun the tort'ring hand I screeching rise;

In terror wake, and sleep forsakes my eyes.

Yet, as my case in circumstanc'd to day▪

The tale may urge the troubled hours away.

John relates the bloody fight in which he was taken. The following massacre and sufferings of the prisoners.

THE time, and place of our unhappy fight,

To you at large were needless to recite:

When in the wood our fierce inhuman foes,

With piercing yell from circling ambush rose:

A sudden volley rends the vaulted sky;

Their painted bodies hideous to the eye;

They rush, like hellish furies on our bands,

Their slaughter weapons brandish'd in their hands.

Then we with equal fury join th [...] fight,

E'er Phebus gain'd his full meridian height:

Nor ceas'd the horrors of the bloody fray,

Till he had journey'd half his evening way.

Now hand to hand, the contest is for life,

With bay'net, tom'kawk, sword, and scalping knife:

Now more remote the work of death we ply,

And thick as ha [...]l the show'ring bullets fly:

[Page] Full many a hardy warrior sinks supine,

Yells, shrieks, groans, shouts, and thund'ring vollies join;

The dismal din the ringing forest fills,

The sounding echo roars along the hills.

Our friends and foes lie struggling in their blood,

An undistinguish'd carnage strews the wood;

And ev'ry streamlet drinks the crimson flood.

True valour, stubbornness, and fury here,

There fell revenge, despair and spite appear;

Long rag'd surrounding death, and no deliv'rance near,

While mangled friends, nor fated yet to die,

Implore our aid in vain with feeble cry.

Of two departments were the assailing fo [...]

Wild savage natives lead the first of those;

Their almost naked frames, of various dies,

And rings of black, and red, surround their eyes:

On one side they present a shaven head;

The naked half of the vermillion red;

In spots the party-colour'd face they drew,

Beyond description horrible to view;

Their ebon looks in braid, with paint o'er spread;

The sliver'd ears depending from the head;

Their gaudry my descriptive pow'r exceeds,

In plumes of feathers, glitt'ring plates, and beeds.

With them of parricides a bloody band,

Assist the ravage of their parent land:

With equal dress, and arms, and savage arts;

But more than savage rancour in their hearts.

These for the first attack their force unite;

And most sustain the fury of the sight;

Their rule of warfare, devastation dire,

By undistinguish'd plunder, death, and fire;

[Page] They torture man and beast, with barb'rous rage,

Nor tender infant spare, nor rev'rend sage.

O'er them a horrid monster bore command,

Whose inauspicious birth disgrac'd our land,

By malice urg'd to ev'ry barb'rous art;

Of cruel temper; but of coward heart.

The second was a reneg [...] crew,

Who arm, and dress as Christian nations do,

Led by a chief who bore the first command;

A bold invader of his native land.

Such was the bloody fight: and such the foe:

Our smaller force return'd them blow for blow,

By turns successfully their force defy'd;

And conquest wav'ring seem'd from side to side.

But on the horrid fight I dwell no more,

Which from returning friends you've heard before,

At length too far advent'ring from the ground,

The savages encircled me around:

Each grisly monster drew his bloody dart;

My hair stood up and terror froze my heart:

To one I yield, a chief of vissage mild;

The aged chief receives me as his child,

Repress'd the fury of the circling band,

And warded ev'ry blow with guardian hand:

While I, aghast, and shiv'ring at their sight,

To my deliv'rer clung with mortal fright.

[...] neighbours gasping lay;

Their [...], and scalps, with fury torn away;

[...] whose [...] the ground▪

[...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[Page] There woven boughs repel the scorching ray;

A hemlock shade impervious to the day;

To them the gen'rous fire resign'd me o'er,

Nor took my arms, nor plunder'd ought I wore.

(And when a monster of the associate band,

To shed my blood had rais'd his cruel hand,

He rais'd his tomax at the barb'rous foe,

The dastard fled, to shun the threat'ned blow.)

Then tenderly he shook me by the hand;

Nor longer chose to leave his subject band;

His face, that spoke benignity unfeign'd,

Unlike the rest, its native hue retain'd.

To him my watch and ri [...]e, I bestow,

While tears of gratitude in silence flow;

And now with nimble hands my clothes they share;

My drawers and my shirt alone they spare;

They bind my hands and triumph in my woes,

With imprecations, taunts, and cruel blows.

A number more of naked pris'ners came,

Their stripes and cruel treatment was the same.

Soon came a savage troop, with horrid cries;

With bleeding wounds, and vengeance in their eyes,

Like panthers on the helpless pris'ners fly,

Regardless of their agonizing cry.

Just then an officer rejoic'd my eyes,

Of whom I begg'd my life with fervent cries;

He sent his serjeant, who unbound my hands,

And safely led me through the hostile bands.

Towards the British camp we took our way

And heard, with growing din, the battle bray.

A silver current down the valley strays,

Where late the feather'd warblers tun'd their lays;

But now in silence took their air [...] flight,

To shun the clamour of the coming [...]ight.

[Page] As this we pass'd, along the shady brink,

A panting motley crew reclin'd to drink;

There underneath an aged trunk of pine,

Where clust'ring ivies in [...]erweaving twine,

A wounded pris'ner who had stole away.

In silent safety undiscover'd lay;

But seeing, now the bloody foe so nigh,

He frighted supplicates the pow'rs on high:

His pray'rs too loud, his hiding place betray;

With hideous yell they tear his scalp away.

They left him and return'd to join the fight,

He struggled long, then rose at length upright;

I slowly walk'd before my guardian guide,

The bloody victim halting at my side;

At length he faintly realing to and fro,

A passing savage gave the final blow.

Then next we pass a gloomy thicket near,

(The distant battle sounding in the ear)

There sat the premier of the scalping bands,

His head reclining on his trembling hands;

He fierce menaces vents, with brow severe,

And villain, dog and rebel, fill my ear;

But I proceeded with my friendly guide,

Nor answer'd aught, nor turn'd my head aside.

Soon we o'ertook a herd of black, and white,

Who bore a wounded officer from fight:

Another guard, with pris'ners I espy,

Of piteous aspect, shocking to the eye;

The wounded chief with vengeful threats severe,

Decreed the slaughter of the pris'ners near:

Our guards who scarce prevent [...] horrid deed,

Advancing left the motley herd with speed.

And now the British camp appears at last!

Our souls exult to think our dangers past;

[Page] With sullen strut, a tow'ring chief appears;

His bitter imprecations stu [...] our ears:

We pass whole crowds of officers among,

Infernal rebel! sounds from every tongue.

The guard receiv'd us in the open wood;

With toil exhausted, faint for lack of food;

The briars my painful, naked limbs had torn;

My bleeding feet the rugged way had worn.

Pro [...] on the earth, my misery I deplore,

The tragic scene at leisure ponder o'er;

Then recollect with agitation wild,

My dear unhappy spouse, and darling child,

In tho't my peaceful home, and neighbours rise,

The briny current trickling from my eyes.

Descending Phebus now with milder blaze,

Darts through the western wood his evening rays;

The combatants returning, 'camp around;

With yells and shouts, the ringing woods resound.

Not half the savages return'd from fight;

They to their native wilds had sped their flight;

Those that remain'd a long encampment made,

And rising fires illumin'd all the shade:

In vengeance for their num'rous brothers slain,

For torture sundry pris'ners they retain;

And three fell monsters, horrible to view,

A fellow pris'ner from the centries drew:

The guards before receiv'd their chief's comm [...]nd,

To not withhold us from the slaughtering band;

But now the sufferer's fate they sympathize,

And for him supplicate with earnest cries.

I saw the Gen'ral slowly passing by,

The serjeant on his knees, with tearful eye,

Implor'd the guards might wrest him for their hands,

Since now the troops could awe their lessen'd bands;

[Page] With lifted cane the Gen'ral thus replies,

(While indignation sparkles from his eyes)

" Go, sirrah! mind your orders giv'n before!

And for infernal rebels plead no more!"

For help the wretched victim vainly cries,

With supplicating voice and ardent eyes;

With horror chill'd, I turn away my face,

While instantly they bear him from the place.

Dread scene! with anguish stung [...]iely groan,

To think the next hard lot may be my own:

And now I poring [...] now sudden start,

Through anxious agitation of my heart;

In ev'ry bush the coming foe appear,

Their sound in ev'ry breeze I seem to hear.

Nocturnal shades at length involve the sky,

The planets faintly glimmer from on high;

When through the grove the flaming fires arise,

And loud resound the tortur'd pris'ners cries;

Still as their pangs are more or less extreme,

The bitter groan is heard, or sudden scream:

But when their natures fail'd, and death drew near,

Their screeches faintly sounded in the ear.

Tremendous night of woe beyond compare!

I beg for death, in anguish of despair;

No gleam of hope! no rest my soul could find;

Approaching torture gnawing on my mind;

Until Aurora purpled o'er the skies,

Then gentle slumber seal'd awhile my eyes;

But troubled dreams arising in my head,

My fancy to the scene of battle led;

The fatal wood, my weeping eyes survey,

Where pale in death my slaughter'd neighbours lay:

A long adieu, I cry'd, my brethren slain!

No more to joy my longing soul again!

[Page] Who shall protect your wives, with guardian care,

And babes abandon'd to the rage of war?

Decrepit parents, with the feeble groan,

Shall wail your fate, their country's, and their own;

While, lost to all, you here unburied lay,

To feast the ravens and the beasts of prey;

Yet, by your slaughter, safe arriv'd on shore,

The storms of war shall break your peace no more;

Each honest soul your mem'ry shall revere;

And pay the tribute of a tender tear:

O had I too partook your calm repose!

In safe retreat, beyond the pow'r of foes,

I had avoided, by a milder fate,

Dread horrors past! and tortures that await.

Now from this awful region of the dead

To shores unknown, my vagrant fancy led,

Beside a flood profound I seem'd to lie,

Whose raging waters were of sable die;

Far on the other shore my Phebe rose,

In garments white as hyperborean snows,

Divinely fair, with looks of melting love,

Her lilly hand she beck'ning seem'd to move,

With open arms, and heav'nly smiles of face,

As to anticipate the dear embrace.

There smiling nature shone in vernal bloom,

And zephyrs hither wafted sweet perfume,

My spirit wings its flight to yonder shore!

Some friendly shallop thither waft me o'er!

Methought a rugged hilloc was my bed;

A rocky fragment underneath my head;

A bloody savage crew beside me stood;

Behind me lay a howling desert wood;

There hollow winds, in lamentable strain,

Along the naked wilderness complain;

[Page] And waves with dismal roarings never sleep

Along the dreary margin of the deep.

As tow'rd the savages I turn my eye,

My little Nelly slaughter'd I espy,

And as the hand is rais'd my life to take,

With sudden start from slumber I awake.

Is then, I cry'd, my charming spouse no more?

I come, my love, to yonder peaceful shore!

But shall my child be slain by bloody bands?

And must I thither go through slaught'ring hands?

Assist me heav'n to leave this dreary shore,

The fable flood in peace conduct me o'er.

Thus, while I muse, the tears began to flow;

The friendly current seem'd to soothe my woe.

The clam'rous drums now unregarded roll;

But soon the savage howlings pierce my soul:

From lethargy of grief I starting rise;

On ev'ry side with terror turn my eyes.

So pass'd each tedious day and watchful night▪

My soul exhausted with continual fright;

No sign of safety to abate my fears,

And frequent cries of torture in my ears;

Our naked frames no clothing were allow'd,

Musquetoes, gnats, and flies in millions crowd;

By parricides menac'd in bitter strain;

And often drench'd by sudden show'rs of rain:

The heav'n our canopy; the earth our bed;

Four days and nights, on leaves and roots we fed.

Through famine now all tender feelings fly;

Benevolence forsakes the failing eye;

With hunger wild; by social love forsook;

We from each other turn, with savage look;

At length a scant allowance we obtain;

Our failing strength in part returns again.

[Page] Long days and nights, thus wretched, we abide;

By famine pinch'd; by danger terrify'd;

Impending torture gnawing on our hearts;

Our prospect still no ray of hope imparts.

Yet oft my winged soul excursive flew,

And brought my charming Phebe to my view;

My blooming child, and friends, in fancy rise,

Now ever banish'd from my longing eyes,

This sighs heartrending, from my bosom drew,

And from my eyes distill'd the briny dew.

Now, taught by hunger, wooden spoons I made,

And sold them to the guards for bits of bread;

This failing oftentimes, I sought supply,

By supplication, from he passers by,

Nor can I e'er that soldier cease to bless,

Who with me often shar'd his scanty mefs.

What rests untold I banish from my mind;

In human stripes, and ills of various kind,

While days of woe [...]ng tedious on my soul,

And through the long, long nights, the anxious moments roll.

John continues his narration. The British resign him to torturers. His escape. His capture by other Indians. Led to their country. Run [...] [...]he gantlet. Escapes again.

NOW did the dreadful morn at length arise,

And Sol through mists reluctant climb'd the skies,

When savages, for horrid sport prepar'd,

Demand another pris'ner from the guard.

We saw their fear'd approach, with mortal fright,

Their scalping-knives they sharpen'd in our sight,

[Page] [...]eside the guard they sat them on the ground,

[...]nd view'd, with piercing eyes, the pris'ners round;

when a panther grim, with furious eye,

[...]rveys the tender lad he dooms to die;

[...] lad beholds him, shiv'ring with affright,

[...] all resistance vain; despairs of flight:

They on me their glaring eye-balls roll:

such the feelings of my shudd'ring soul.

[...]ength one rising seiz'd me by the hand;

[...]im drawn forth, on trembling knees I stand;

[...] my fellows all a long adieu,

[...] answ'ring grief, my wretched case they view.

They led me bound, along the winding flood,

[...] in the gloomy bosom of the wood,

[...]ere (horrid sight!) a pris'ner roasted lay,

[...] carving-knife had cut his flesh away.

Against a tree erect I there was bound,

While they regal'd themselves upon the ground;

Their shell of spirits went from hand to hand,

Their friends collecting still, a num'rous band,

[...]o pass'd thy day: What terrors in me reign!

[...]pplicate for instant death in vain.

[...]ink upon this breach of nature's laws,

[...] family, my friends, my country's cause;

[...]und me still collect my bloody foes:

[...] in my mind approaching torture rose;

[...] skeleton in open prospect lay:

[...] of woeful thought employ'd my wretched day.

[...] on a neighbh [...]ring green, high jutting o'er,

[...]ere underneath the rapid waters roar,

[...] round a fire, their heaps of fuel rise,

[...]urnal shadows thick'ning in the skies,

[...] the fire I tremble at the stake,

[...] num'rous herd a spacious circle make;

[Page] And as the flames advancing rise in air,

Within the ring my torturers repair;

With whoop, and dance, they tune the deathful song;

Along the margin crowd the sportive throng;

When lo! the failing bank beneath the load,

Broke short and plung'd us headlong in the flood:

In transport down the stream my course I made;

With dismal cries resounds the gloomy shade:

The floating stake adhering by a thong,

With nose above the stream I steal along.

Through all the vale a fruitless search they made,

And fearful howlings [...]ung along the shade.

When to the camp again their way they steer,

Their distant clamour murm'ring in my ear,

Far down the stream, where lies a naked strand,

With shiv'ring limbs, I softly crept to land:

The stake upon the shore I trail'd along;

Then joyfully unbound each fett'ring thong

And for the neighb'ring road in haste depart;

The hope of freedom dawning in my heart.

Through gloomy thickets far, I grope my way,

And bri'ry heaths, where pines extended lay;

Now thoughts of home my ravish'd soul delight;

Now distant savage yells my mind affright;

Still I my way with all my pow'r pur [...]u'd;

Still did the road my anxious search elude.

Long time I grop'd the rough uncertain way,

Through erring course, I wand [...]r'd far astray,

Nor moon, nor star, would lend a friendly ray;

Then laid me down, dejected and forlorn,

To rest my weary limbs, and wait the morn,

E'er long my leafy couch I there had pre [...]d,

Exhausted nature sunk to quiet rest.

Long on the earth, in sleep profound, I lay,

Unknowing of the wish'd return of day,

[Page] Till in my ear loud savage voices sound,

[...] starting, see myself encircled round;

Tremendous sight! all hope now fled in air!

[...] wring my hands in anguish of despair.

They led me o'er a hill, with friendly face,

And seem'd of savages a gentle race.

There at their fire, my dripping locks I drain,

And warm my limbs, benumb'd with falling rain.

A chief, who kept me, knew our tongue in part;

With food and gentle speech he sooth'd my heart.

The night before from camp, this little band,

Were now returning to their native land,

Well pleas'd a pris'ner to conduct me there,

An honourable trophy of the war.

Now western breezes purge the fields on high,

And Sol splendor journies up the sky;

His glad return the silvan chorus sings;

With melody the lonely desert rings;

A shell of spirits, lib'rally they share,

Then pack our burthens, and for march prepare;

Lest I should make escape, my hands they bind,

And he who was my keeper, walk'd behind.

We travers'd spacious, fertile, woody plains;

And streams, and vales, and heaths, where nature reigns:

And deep morasses, thickets, lawns, and hills,

And savage dwellings, glades, and purling rills.

My weary knees, my burden scarce sustain,

And long for rest I supplicate in vain:

My bleeding feet distain the path I go:

And show'rs of sweat from all my members flow:

My frame before impair'd, by hunger, pain and woe.

Though eas'd from [...]rors of the tort'ring hand,

[...]griev'd at parting from my native land,

[Page] To bid adieu to country, spouse, and child;

And live a slave in savage lands exil'd.

Now from an airy summit we espy,

The sun descending in the western sky;

His se [...]ting orb, with gentle radience shone,

O'er subject wilds, and regions far unknown;

When they, at length, regard my earnest pray'r,

Unload our burthens, and for rest prepare.

The margin of the summit high they chose,

Where underneath a chrystal fountain flows,

A sire they build and full repast prepare;

With arms unbound the welcome food I share.

Long they regale themselves upon the ground,

With lib'ral hand, the shell is given round:

By full repeated draughts they drown their care,

Then to the leafy couch for rest repair.

With left hand firmly to my keeper ty'd,

I took my quiet lodging at his side;

Where on the verge an oak his branches spread,

And tender boughs of hemlock were our bed;

Exhausted nature, to repose did yield,

And sleep profound my weary eye-lids seal'd,

Long had I rested on my silvan bed,

When frightful visions labour'd in my head,

The horrors lately past my dreams renew;

The dreadful stake, and rising flames I view,

And when the tort'rers ply their cruel art,

All trembling I awake with sudden start:

I shiv'ring sat, nor mov'd my fetter'd hand,

No fire was seen but one remaining brand,

Nor rose the nightly empress of the sky,

But stars unnumber'd twinkle from on high.

All nature seem'd to lie in calm repose,

And now my distant home in fancy rose:

[Page] O could I but divide this fett'ring thong,

I'd speed my flight the savage wilds along.

No knife I had, to cut the band away,

But near his head, my keeper's tomax lay;

Its edge obtuse I ply, with anxious pains,

In vain, the sett'ring band uncut remains!

And shall this string, I cry'd, detain me here,

From native country, friends, and kindred, dear?

The weapon first shall pierce the owner's head:

This blow, at once, shall stretch him with the dead:

Then, by a sudden jerk, my band I'll break,

And down the steep unheard my journey take.

But stay my hand! the fatal stroke forbear!

A moment yet the guiltless victim spare!

Can I thus murder him who spar'd my breath?

And shall humanity's reward be death?

Shall I, with cruel weapon, pierce his head,

By whose indulgence I partake his bed?

I love my family and country dear;

Their recollection moves this falling tear:

He too may love his wife, and native wild,

And long to meet his little prattling child;

By nature's glimm'ring light, to good inclin'd,

Methinks he seems the gentlest of his kind.

I question'd long, then laid the weapon by;

And now the waning moon ascends the sky,

O'er eastern hills, serene in brightness smil'd,

And glanc'd along the solitary wild,

Far down the silent vale, in shadows drear,

The owl alone with hooting sound I hear.

I trembling lie, and sleep in vain desire,

But now a savage soon renews the fire,

Warm'd by the rising blaze, I quiet lay,

And calmly rested till the dawn of day.

[Page]

When now Aurora spangled o'er the skies,

From gentle sleep we hastily arise;

The blazing fire again prepare with haste,

And each again partakes a full repast:

Bright Phebus climbs, along his morning way;

And darts across the wood his genial ray;

The birds, with songs, awake the sounding plains,

And chant along the hill, melodious strains.

Then on we journey, as the day before,

Fair winding streams, and spacious deserts o'er,

Nor e'er the lengthy, weary journey close,

Till flaming Sol had three times set and rose;

Inflam'd by sultry heat each tedious day,

And chill'd in open air each night we lay.

Extended swamps we pass, and thickets drear;

And flow'ry lawns where savage huts appear;

And plains, and heaths, and fertile vallies wide,

Where deep, majestic rivers gentle glide,

Thro' groves of pine we go, and hemlock shades,

O'er bogs, and sable rills, and grassy glades;

Meandring brooks, by willows overhung,

Where little warblers tune the charming song;

And now a path obscure describ'd our way;

And now o'er trackless heights our journey lay;

At length we from a hill their village spy,

A rising green, delightful to the eye:

An ample lake before in prospect lays,

Beside a silver stream meandring strays,

There spacious fields of corn the eye delight,

And fair extensive meadows charm the sight.

Soon to their dwelling place approaching nigh,

They warn'd the village by a hideous cry,

Their pris'ner, and their plunder, they express,

By shouts significant of their success,

[Page] [...]eet them, issued forth a num'rous train,

[...] meeting long confer'd upon the plain,

[...]ow with tears their mournful howls arise:

[...]ow triumphant shouts ascend the skies!

[...] feather'd quiristers had gone to rest;

[...]ing day yet dappled o'er the west;

[...]ark of dogs was heard resounding far,

[...]'er the forest shone the evening star;

[...] they dispersing to their dwellings hied,

[...] the green and up the river side,

[...] we for lodging in the wood remain,

[...] their sacred forms of war ordain.

[...] glad return through all the place was told;

[...] morning they convene both young and old:

[...] and equipt in all their war parade,

[...]he town a formal entry made,

[...] led me up, triumphing with delight,

[...] all their spoils and trophies of the fight,

[...] the scalps, for these they had their pay,

British agents e'er they came away.

[...] end their march, where high upon the green,

[...]'rous crowd of every age was seen:

[...] [...]ary parent bowing down with years,

[...]other and her tender train appears,

[...]outhful archer bends his little bow,

[...]ortive striplings gambol in the row,

[...]ors, and hunters trick'd in best array,

[...]outhful maids their tawny charms display,

[...]carlet cloth, rings, beads, and ribbons gay.

[...]embled when I to the crowd was brought,

[...]ake, and flames arising in my thought;

[...]n my guard approaching to my ear;

[...] confide in him, and nothing fear.

[Page]

There in a spacious hut, on either hand,

Two lengthy rows with sticks and weapons stand,

Then strip'd I was to pass between the rows,

And each inflict at pleasure wounds and blows;

My keeper gently struck, then urg'd my flight,

Between the ranks I fled with all my might.

As when some farmer blest with plenteous yield,

His crop of buck-wheat threshes in the field,

The men and boys with flail in hand around,

Clap after clap loud constant clatt'rings sound,

The straws all crush'd in broken pieces lie;

The grains around the threshers faces fly:

So as with naked frame I pass along,

Resound the strokes of all the furious throng;

So by their blows my mangled skin in broke.

And so the sputt'ring blood pursues the stroke.

Two female furies at the further end,

Their brother slain in fight, my death intend;

Enrag'd, they maul with clubs my bleeding head,

And doubtless would e'er long have laid me dead,

But quickly did their father interpose,

And then my keeper fended off their blows;

I blest the thought that once his death withstood;

And check'd my hand, when rais'd to shed his blood.

The aged sire adopts me for his son;

Rejoic'd I put the savage habit on;

With honorary paint, in blanket dress'd;

I stand install'd an Indian with the rest.

The sire in gayest fashion shav'd my head,

Then to his home, rejoicing I was led,

They us'd me tenderly, my wounds they heal'd,

But deeper wounds within remain conceal'd;

My wife, my country, friends and blooming child;

Exchang'd for captive bands in regions wild;

[Page] These thoughts incessant did my bosom rend,

And often did the painful tear descend.

One morning, with Aurora streak'd the skies,

By hunger pinch'd, from slumber I arise;

With musket walking forth, a fawn I slew,

With joy the spotted victim home I drew,

They quickly dress it, and a part they boil,

And all approve my conduct with a smile,

Then when our plentiful repast was o'er,

By words and signs they bid me seek for more;

I took my gun and cross'd the narrow plain,

Determining to not return again,

The down along the grassy bank I go,

Where bending willows fringe the lake below;

I view as on the verdant walk I pass,

The landscape varying in the wat'ry glass.

But now I soon the pleasant walk forsake,

And o'er the hill my speedy journey take,

Still looking back and trembling still with fear,

In every stump the savages appear.

With eager haste I journey'd all the day;

Hope urg'd my flight, and terror wing'd my way:

For should they overtake me in the wood,

I doubted not they there would shed my blood;

I sweat like rain, with burning heat oppress'd,

With palpitation heav'd my panting breast.

At length departing Sol with milder blaze,

Darts through the wood his horizontal rays;

A porcupine I happen'd now to slay,

To one with hunger spent, a welcome prey.

Beneath the covert of a woody hill,

Where through the herbage creeps a silent [...]ill,

My quiet lodging I prepare to take,

Of barks and broken limbs a fire I make;

[Page] With eager haste my bleeding prey I dress'd,

Then part I roasted and reserv'd the rest;

The wholesome meat prepar'd, I eat my fill,

And drank the water of the neighb'ring [...]ill.

Now gloomy shadows had involv'd the sky;

On bed prepar'd of leaves for rest I lie;

The savages pursuit no more I fear,

No sound along the gloomy wood I hear;

The bat in airy circles wings his way;

A while in meditation calm I lay,

The thoughts of home and freedom sweetly rise,

When pleasant slumber seals at length my eyes.

But thinly clad, in dewy damps of night,

I shiv'ring woke before the morning light,

My fuel spent, I grope about for more,

With stiff unweildy limbs and body sore;

With barks and broken limbs again supply'd,

I build a fire, and seat me at its side,

And as the genial fire increasing burn'd,

I musing sat, and warmth again return'd;

The lofty branches interweaving spread,

And form a solemn arch above my head,

The foliage rustles in the hollow gale,

The screaming owl is heard along the vale;

In fearful shades remo [...]e I seem to hear,

The founding torrent [...]oaring in my ear;

Lo [...]d howl the wolves on savage hills afar,

No [...] through the wood appears a twinkling star.

[...]ow awful is, said I [...] this lonely spot,

This scene adapted well to serious thought;

As now, may quietude be ever near,

And distant danger only threat my ear,

Enough I've drank the bitter cup of woe,

May peace attend the future path I go.

[Page]

I go to lovely wife, and parent land,

Though toils and dangers intervening stand,

I go to tell my friends the horrid tale,

At which their sympathyzing hearts will fail,

Which sires unborn shall utter with a tear,

Their tender offspring weeping stand to hear.

O dread chastisement of a parent's hand!

Her children tortur'd in their native land!

For standing forth in arms to save our lives!

Our little all! our parents, children, wives!

From death and devastation! by the hands

Of bloody parricides and slaught'ring bands!

But there's a pow'r, that dwells enthron'd sublime

Where human comprehension cannot climb,

He eyes the works of all the mortal race,

His presence fills this solitary place!

John's relation continued. His third capture and long servitude in a foreign wilderness.

THUS while I muse, a rustling noise I hear,

And lo! four rushing savages appear!

A sudden horror thrill'd through every vein,

A while in fix'd attention they remain,

Somewhat they speak, and seem to wait reply,

Then shortly seizing me, my arms they tie.

They led me groping far along the [...]ill,

Then clamber'd to the summit of a hill;

My spirit bid adieu to every joy,

And fears of torture now my soul employ,

For one of these I knew to be the same,

Who ty'd me to the stake beside the flame,

[Page] He knew me not in this my new disguise;

And now their blazing fire directs our eyes;

Their piercing yell runs echoing down the dale,

An answering yell is heard along the gale.

A gazing row around the fire there stood;

The rising flame illumin'd all the wood:

They with attention mutt'ring view'd me round,

Then by a pris'ner sat me on the ground.

This pris'ner, who well understood their tongue,

Had often pass'd the savage tribes among,

This country born, had rov'd to every part,

Deprav'd in manners, of ignoble heart.

He said, one ranging fuel to provide,

My glim'ring fire had through the thicket spy'd.

They dwelt, he said, in the remotest wood,

And took delight in shedding human blood.

And now of my return no hopes remain,

So lately rais'd, so sadly crush'd again!

Adieu, I cry, to every joy of life!

My charming little one, and lovely wife!

May happiness attend my peaceful home,

While I a slave in foreign deserts roam!

Fairwel, my darling friends, my neighbours true,

And every social happiness adieu!

I bow my head, and sink with piercing woe,

While from my eyes the streaming sorrows flow.

My fellow-pris'ner bid me check my woes,

Such conduct might enrage our furious foes;

At his reproof my fruitless tears I dry,

And view the barb'rous herd with anxious eye;

For him who took me on the battle day,

My searching eyes the tawny row s [...]vey,

For since the fight that gen'rous chief humane,

Through all the savage bands I'd sought in vain.

[Page]

Now morning saffron'd o'er the fields of air,

A short repast they hastily prepare,

There fourths remaining of my evening prey,

Which they had not forgot to bear away,

With sundry pheasants, and a duck and teal,

Broil'd slightly on the coals supply'd their meal,

They greedily devour their tasty fare,

And we partake proportionable share;

With heavy heart I sit me down to eat,

My spirit loaths my necessary meat.

Then with a silver band my arm they grac'd,

And on my back a weighty burden plac'd:

When rang'd in file, they journey down the hill,

And by their orders we the centre fill.

I tread the pathless wilderness once more,

And retrograde my steps the day before;

We travell'd on through all the weary day,

At night beside the well known lake we lay,

[...] azure flood I send my wishes o'er,

And long to tread again its peopled shore,

From these we pass through fertile woods forlorn,

Till Luna fill'd again her sharp'ned horn;

With pinion'd arms, we journey'd thro' each day,

And bound to trees supine each night we lay,

Confinement hard amid this season warm,

When winged insects round our bodies swarm;

Their food we still in just proportion share,

[...]recarious food and often scanty fare.

Their language I began to understand,

And now more sociable appear'd the band;

[...]ut thoughts of home lay cank'ring in my breast,

While terrifying dreams disturb'd my rest;

And at the frequent yell I still would start,

Still seem'd the hateful sound to pierce my heart,

[Page]

And now a lake to northward we espy;

A boundless prospect opening to the eye,

Extensive meadows stretch along its side,

And grassy banks array'd in flow'ry pride,

We found a savage village on the plain,

And fish, and fruits, and corn, and beans obtain;

One night we took our lodging in the place,

They seem'd to be a hospitable race.

Then through the wilderness we pass again,

O'er spacious valley, hill, and sylvan plain,

Nor cease our weary journey till the fun,

Had six times his diurnal journey run.

Now did a lake again the eye delight,

Its azure surface stretch'd beyond the sight;

Here too we savage habitations found,

And fields of corn and trees of fruit around;

And sylvan game, and sowl and fish abound.

They lib'rally bestow'd their country fare,

But at us pris'ners wildly seem'd t [...]stare;

Three nights we here abode, detain'd by rain,

Then on we journey o'er the woody plain;

O'er streams, and fertile vales and rugged ways,

Our way pursue, for sev'n long tedious days,

And now declining Phebus scorch'd no more,

At eve the chilly blast began to roar,

And driving rains their frequent torrents pour.

Inur'd to toil; all hopes of freedom flown;

And with their language more acquainted grown;

Unbound▪ nor as a pris'ner now confin'd,

I strove to cheer again my drooping mind;

Yet oft the thought of distant home would rise,

And draw the briny current from my eyes,

At savage dwellings we arrive again;

There resting through a tedious storm of rain;

[Page] With consternation here they ey'd us o'er,

The race of white they ne'er had seen before.

They gave us bread of corn, and fruits to eat,

And soup of entrails dry'd, and stinking meat;

Again through trackless wilds we take our way,

Where uninhabitable deserts lay;

Three days we journey through the dreary waste,

Then at a river's side arrive at last;

Along the rocky stream the current roars,

And foams, and lashes the resounding shores;

Fa [...] up the raging stream our journey lies,

Where rugged hills and craggy mountains rise;

Along our path the crimson foliage lay,

For now we journey'd in a beaten way!

The chilling wind across the mountain roars,

Between the hills the rushings torrent pours,

Resounding far along the winding shores.

At length a pleasant vale delights the eye,

Their village on its border we espy;

A rocky summit overlooks the vale,

With piny forests howling in the gale;

A river thence its foamy current pours,

From rock, to rock, loud thund'ring down it roars;

Beneath, a gentle silver stream displays,

And through the smiling vale meand'ring strays▪

Thence winding far along the pleasant fields,

Its tribute to the rapid river yields;

Along this pleasant stream their village lies;

They view their dwelling place with joyful eyes

Their hideous cries are heard resounding shrill▪

An answering yell re-echoes from the hill.

And now we to their smoky huts drew nigh

Of form uncouth and wretched to the eye;

[Page] A num'rous herd came forth upon the plain,

In extacy to see their friends again,

But wildly stare at us with furious eyes;

What terrors in my throbbing bosom rise!

My fellow pris'ner ridicul'd my woes,

While both of us endur'd their frequent blows▪

But here not long the noisy crowd remain,

For not a man of all their band was slain.

Then on the village-green in form took place,

A convocation of their barb'rous race;

When led to the assembly, we behold

A swarm of males and females, young and old;

Their horrid looks and dress my soul affright!

Their grisly aspect dreadful to the fight!

My fellow, blythe and confident of face,

Demanded first to run the painful race;

With dance and caper, shouts and whoopings loud,

He gains the favour of the laughing crowd,

He runs unhurt beneath their num'rous hands,

And by a sonless chief adopted stands

Then I direct my flight between the rows,

On either side I scarcely feel their blows;

For me the owner of my band appears,

A bending matron silver'd o'er by years,

Of her domestic cares she gave me trust;

Her family all slumb'ring in the dust.

With her nine tedious winters I remain,

While melancholy thoughts within me reign;

Oft would my home in dear remembrance rise,

And draw the wonted tribute from my eyes

My loat [...] some food, my way of life unbless'd,

And crawling vermin long disturb my rest,

No book to entertain my lonely day,

No friend to cheer my solitary way;

[Page] Had not my fellow pris'ner nigh remain'd,

My native tongue I scarcely had retain'd.

With him once walking forth at early day,

O'er savage hills to hunt the savage prey,

Through craggy ways our leisure walk we take,

Where on the mountain lies a chrystal lake;

Loud winds of autumn sweep the dreary skies,

Beneath the blast the raging billows rise,

With broken surge the roaring water toils,

On lonely shores and solitary isles;

The vapours grimly gather in the skies,

Along the wood the snowy tempest flies;

The chilling gale, inclement, loud and strong,

The naked forest lashing howls along;

But we array'd in savage garments warm,

With ease sustain the sury of the storm.

And now the snowy clouds, o'erblown at last,

Frown in the east before the driving blast;

Serene and mild appears the face of day;

And Sol in splendor journeys on his way.

Then we the mountain's head sublime ascend,

And far o'er subject wilds our eyes extend;

Here intermingled lakes and deserts lay;

There huge majestic rivers winding stray;

Here smiling plains interminable lie;

And craggy mountains yonder shock the eye;

Stupendous columns, glitt'ring white airse,

High tow'ring in the hyperborean skies;

Along the frozen wild their branches send,

Far as the sight their shining heads extend:

Blue mountains rose to bound my homeward view,

Yet home my winged soul unbounded flew.

And now I ask'd my fellow pris'ner's mind,

If we for our escape no way could find:

[Page] He answer'd, our returning round the lake,

Were desp'rate folly now to undertake;

Our Indian guards had took that tedious road,

To see their fiends, and shun the billowy flood;

That should we 'scape their hands the other way,

To death or Britons we must fall a prey.

Beside, he here would marry and remain,

And did not choose his native land again;

Where tight restrictions all our ways controul,

And laws and regulations cramp the soul,

Where jails and flagellations are decreed,

For trifling debts and taking what we need;

Where merry fellows still are in disgrace,

And formal hypocrites prefer'd in place▪

Descending then a wolf we chanc'd to slay,

With it we homeward took our evening way.

And now I thought to flee the savage lands,

And throw myself into the Britons hands;

When I the horrid treatment ponder o'er,

Which from the British officers I bore;

My pinching hunger while among their bands,

Who yielded me at last to tort'ring hands;

Of many thousand prisoners beside,

Who in their loathsome ships and prisons dy'd,

For want of food where ample stores abound;

For want of drink where water flow'd around;

Forc'd their own urine for their drink to try,

And eat their brothers or of hunger die:

These dreadful tho'ts my trembling soul affright,

A while I yet suspend my vent'rous flight,

To wait the issue of the bloody war,

Which now I fondly hop'd not distant far;

But, O how tedious did the time appear!

Each day a week! and ev'ry month a year!

[Page]

My ancient matron was accounted sage,

Yet oft would yield to petulence of age;

She'd tax the present race with various crimes,

And loud lament the loss of better times;

She'd oft relate how in her blooming days,

For dress she bore the noblest palm of praise:

When glit'ring shells and beads were seen in rows,

Extending from the crown to near the toes;

When ornamented face of sooty die,

Attracted forcibly the lover's eye;

When matchless warriors bore to war their bows,

And fed the nation with their slaughter'd foes;

Who hew'd the flint, the arrow's point to edge,

And for the tomax bore the flinty wedge;

Who tortur'd many a formidable band

Or captive sung beneath the tort'ring hand;

When graceful skins their only clothing were,

And flesh uncook'd esteem'd the daintiest fare;

Now foolish ways, said she, the age delights,

And many barb'rous customs of the whites.

This nation, while I stay'd, to battle bred,

To distant wilds their martial forces led;

And by their wily arts and sudden blows,

Harrass'd the nations of their country's foes;

Destroy their dwellings, bear the spoil away,

And captives oft by cruel tortures slay.

But of their deeds, my sufferings, woes and fears,

And all that pass'd in these long tedious years,

Their dreams*, domestic life, and forms of state,

Some leisure day at large I will relate.

[Page]

John's story continued. His final escape. Finds his only child and his friend in slavery. They return home with him. He ends his narration.

WHEN winter yielded last to vernal rains,

And early verdure clad the silvan plains;

Their youth in military pomp appear;

Far to their southern foes their course they steer;

And on the thirtieth day complete their toils,

Returning home with pris'ners and with spoils;

But these their trophies dearly they obtain,

For seven of their bravest youths were slain.

It chanc'd, in quest of silvan game, that day,

Across the rapid stream I took my way;

Then scrambling fearch'd the craggy hills above,

And till the setting sun successless rove;

Returning now, when first the stream appears,

A horrid cry of howling, strikes my ears;

I guess'd the cause, the stream I paddled past,

And to the martial band advanc'd in haste;

The num'rous crowd had chiefly took their way;

But in a spacious hut two pris'ners lay,

Design'd for torture on the following day,

With wide extended limbs supine they lie;

And guards surround them with attentive eye;

When, by assistance of the rising light,

Surpris'd I saw that one of them was white;

But O! what pangs through all my vitals thrill!

'Twas honest George who dwells on yonder hill!

In consternation fix'd, I trembling stand;

Nor dar'd approach him 'mongst the jealous band;

He knew me not in this my strange disguise;

And now at length recov'r [...] my surprise,

[Page] Not understood, nor heeded by the foe,

With voice compos'd, my name I let him know;

Inquir'd about my family and home,

And by what sad mishap he thither come.

My well known voice, with glad surprise, he hears;

Then feebly answers with a flood of tears;

He tenderly confess'd his fond surprise,

To see me e'er he clos'd in death his eyes:

He said my hapless wife, in deep despair,

Believ'd no more, I breath'd the vital air;

The fierce invading foe, with slaught'ring hand,

By frequent inroads, had distress'd our land;

That, six years since, they made a bold descent,

And he to reconnoitre them was sent;

That haplessly they took him by a chase;

And devastation spread around the place;

That he was; captive led to regions wild,

With sundry more, and 'mongst the rest my child,

Who happ'ning at her kinsman's house to stay,

The rest were slain, and she was led away:

That she was yet detain'd in captive lands;

But liv'd beneath a gentle master's hands;

That when he left the land, my spouse was well,

Nor harm had to that neighbourhood befel;

That perfect peace with Britain now prevail'd,

But scalpers still the southern states assail'd;

That this his suff'ring mate, with friendly hand,

Had sav'd him from a cruel tort'ring band;

That faithfully he'd serv'd him ever since,

And risk'd this fatal fight in his defence;

That with him now his lot must be the same,

A fellow suff'rer at the tort'ring flame.

While thus his narrative I stand to hear,

With trembling heart, and with attentive ear,

[Page] Among the guards, my rifle greets my sight,

Prize once to him who took me in the fight:

My anxious eye then hastily surveys,

The savage captive, by the rising blaze;

In him, with agitation, lo I trace,

The features of that gen'rous warrior's face!

What various grief at once my bosom rends!

My country, consort, child, and suff'ring friends!

My agitation kindles in my face,

The guard with fury spurn me from the place.

The shades of night had now involv'd the sky,

I [...]o my neighb'ring hut all trembling fly;

Shall I, I cry'd, a wretched slave remain?

My child unfoster'd wear the captive chain?

My spouse bewail our fate with wringing hands?

And these, my friends, be slain by tort'ring bands!

One desp'rate stratagem, I dare to try,

Retrieve our fortune, or in tortures die.

Adjoining mine a spacious hut there lay,

Where they had stow'd their choicest spoils away;

The sides were wood the roof was thatch'd with hay;

With throbbing bosom, and with trembling hand,

Upon its roof I plac'd a flaming brand;

With growing force, the curling flames arise;

The savages collect, with wild surprise;

The pris'ners safe, the guards assisting came,

To save their precious plunder from the flame.

With nimble hand I cut the pris'ners free;

Then running forth, I bade them follow me;

Toward the river, we direct our flight;

The rising flame affords a friendly light;

We quickly reach the rapid river's shore;

Where my canoe I'd fast'ned just before;

[Page] A lengthy paddle in its bottom lay;

The knot too tight, we jerk the stake away;

We hurry in, and shoot along the stream;

Our heaving bosoms swell with joy extreme.

The aged chief, in transport of his joys,

Triumphant rais'd aloud his shouting voice,

Through all the vale the ringing echo flew;

The foe attend, they answer and pursue:

In vain along the shore a search they made:

In vain they shot amid the sable shade;

Along the raging stream we silent steer,

Their distant clamour dying in the ear;

Congratulate each other with delight,

And urge, with ev'ry limb, our rapid flight.

The thankful chief caress'd me, though unknown;

Then I to him my obligation own;

My gifts and me he recollects with joy,

And mutual gratitude our tongues employ.

Gay shone the starry pavement of the sky,

No other light, as yet, inform'd the eye:

On either side we just descry the shore,

The precipices seem'd high jutting o'er;

Through all the pass the raging torrent roars,

The stormy current thunders on the shores.

The chief the dang'rous pass well understood,

And kept, with artful hand, the middle flood;

While with the paddle he directs our course,

We ply by turns the stake with all our force.

And now, no more the rocky shores arise,

The moon, with ample orb, salutes our eyes;

Along a smoother stream we take our way,

The little billows glitt'ring in the ray.

Our late escape we fondly mention o'er,

Our sorrows past and better days in store;

[Page] Then our adventures we by turns recite,

And pleasing conversation cheers the [...]ight▪

The less'ning hills with joyful eyes I view,

And all the gay creation shines; anew.

Dark woods we pass, and rocks, and dang'rous ways,

And isles, through which the winding current strays:

Withall our force we safely urge our way,

Through all the night, and all the following day;

But when the setting sun again appear'd,

Into a little creek our course we steer'd;

A turtle we had caught supply'd our food;

We slept securely in the neighb'ring wood.

But soon as early dawn began to rise,

(Pale Luna fading in the western skies)

We tread the plain, the bending stream forsake,

And through the wood our course directly take.

Five days our toilsome journey we pursue;

A hostile settlement we venture through;

Alternate we would sleep and watch by day,

When night return'd again pursue our way;

This danger past, by day our march we ply'd,

O'er pleasant streams and fertile regions wide.

Thro' toils, thro' chilly nights, and scanty fare,

The aged chief seem'd almost to despair.

At length his home enraptur'd we espy'd,

Low on a gentle, murm'ring river's side,

A neighb'ring mead with pleasure we survey'd,

Where beavers once their habitation made;

Here piny plains in ample prospect lie,

Aerial summits there invade the sky.

So lately fled, they all were now return'd,

Their village built again, so lately burn'd.

The fire extended loud his joyful voice:

To hear the well known cry they all rejoice:

[Page] With answ'ring shout, they issue on the plain,

Of ev'ry age and size, a lengthy train.

With eager joy advanc'd his aged wife,

Her sannap to behold again in life▪

The raptur'd train advanc'd with joyful cries,

And tears of joy bedew the senior's eyes.

A while in fond care [...]ses they remain,

Then silent seat themselves upon the plain.

The chief inform'd what had befel in brief,

His journey, suff'rings, danger, and relief:

Presents me to the crowd with grateful tears,

And magnifies my merit in their ears:

The rising crowd extend the friendly hand;

To meet the kind salute elate I stand,

Though yet at times the dread reflection rose,

That these were once in fight my bloody foes.

Now ev'ry one triumphant lifts his voice,

(The hills resound their loud tumultuous joys:)

Then to the village, in procession come,

Elate the sachem leads us to his home.

And now the splendid regent of the day,

Three hours had pass'd along his evening way;

The earthy table soon was richly stor'd,

With what the joyful village could afford,

The rage of hunger quickly we appease,

Then on the open green recline at ease.

Yet could my soul no satisfaction find;

But heavy cares depress my troubled mind;

My spirit long'd to see again my child,

Who dwelt at distance in a neighb'ring wild:

My lovely spouse, and friends uncertain fate;

The devastation of my native state;

Fears lest the foe pursuing might once more

Attack this place they'd pillag'd just before;

[Page] My lengthy journey to my native land;

Through many a hostile, bloody, savage band;

These and the like reflections wound my breast;

To George my anxious feelings I confess'd;

He answ'red in his wonted cheerful strain,

But sigh'd to see his native place again.

So pass'd the day; when shades of night arose,

Within the regal hut we took repose,

While feasts and dance prevail among the throng,

And whoops, and shouts, and yells, their sport prolong.

When rising morn, with fair returning reign,

Had chas'd the shadows to the western main,

I rose, with anxious thoughts of home possess'd,

When thus the chief beneficent address'd;

Now freely ask what e'er your soul requires,

My utmost pow'r shall second your desires,

Said I, from mis'ry of the captive chain,

My spirit joys to see you free again;

Releas'd from terrors of the tort'ring hand,

And safe restor'd to spouse and native land:

I too, my spouse and native country prize,

And tow'rd them often turn my longing eyes.

Since then, my happiness appears your choice,

Detain me not a moment from my joys;

Assist me to obtain my captive child;

And homeward safely pass the dang'rous wild;

Restore again to freedom George, my friend,

And let him home my joyful way attend.

All this I freely grant, the chief reply'd,

And ev'ry necessary aid beside:

I to my neighbour chief, this very day,

Will lead you safe on your desired way:

[Page] Just at his door your little daughter dwells,

And [...]e for ev'ry friendly deed excels:

To him in haste I supplicating go,

For needful aid against the bloody foe.

The [...], employ'd in necessary cares,

For our departure hastily prepares;

Now, feate [...] on the earth, our fast we break,

A roasted hare we hastily partake;

Then rise; and now the gen'rous chief humane,

Presents to me my well known watch again:

When taking leave we hastily depart:

George quits his bonds in extacy of heart.

Bright Sol o'erlooks the hill, with gentle beams,

Far gleaming on the floods and wand'ring streams.

Along a beaten path our journey lay;

The aged chieftain led our hasty way;

And first we pass beside their fields of corn;

Then cross a spacious piny wood forlorn:

Nor ceas'd till splendid Sol, with fervent ray,

From his meridian took his downward way:

Then we beside a fountain stop to dine,

And on its mossy bank a while recline.

An eminence arose on either side,

Where lengthy mounds with wonder I espy'd;

They seem'd the mighty works of ancient days,

Which none, unskill'd in arts of war, could raise.

" These," said the chief, "were rais'd by bands of white,

A barb'rous race, inur'd to cruel fight,

Their spacious kingdom stretch'd along the flood:

A hairy Indian tribe possess'd the wood.

Our num'rous fathers, from the unknown west,

The little hairy nation dispossess'd;

The feeble swarm was easily exil'd,

To distant regions of the frozen wild.

[Page] The tribe of white our honest sires oppress'd;

Now wrong'd by art; now rudely dispossess'd;

The cruel, slavish race, of prudence void,

Themselves and neighbours wantonly destroy'd:

By horrid arms whole floods of gore they drain'd;

And by huge beasts to human slaughter train'd:

Of law and worship great profession made;

Yet turn'd them both to mean dishonest trade:

For [...]oolish pride and wealth, themselves they vex'd

With little childish arts, their minds perplex'd.

In vain an honest race they long annoy'd;

Our sires, at length, the faithless tribe destroy'd;

In long and bloody fight, on yonder plain,

The chiefest of their warring bands were slain:

Their lessen'd army here their arts employ'd,

But this, their last retreat, our sires destroy'd.

" My grandsire's sire, did, in my early years,

Relate this old tradition in my ears;

And had a stone, bright as the solar blaze,

The eye could scarce endure its sparkling rays;

Which down from son to son, through ages came,

In confirmation of this tale of fame,

Worn by a woman, who that nation sway'd

And at too dear a price its purchase pay'd,

She, for this toy, had giv'n a store of grain,

That might her vassal host a moon sustain:

Which stone now bury'd in the earth does lie,

As void of use and hurtful to the eye.

" And when we heard such bands of white once more,

Advanc'd their settlements along the shore,

This aged ancestor, a rev'rend sage,

Through honest prudence of experienc'd age,

Of all our race with dying accents prays,

To shun their wars and to avoid their ways,

[Page] Which you and I may wish they had observ'd,

These wasting tribes their peace had then preserv'd,

Great George in vain had wheed [...]ed us from far,

By gifts and lies, to aid his foolish war."

And now again we took our hasty way;

Again along a path our journey lay;

A tedious plain we tread with toil oppress'd,

Till Phebus low descended in the west;

At length the village greets our longing eyes,

Beside a spacious, fertile mead it lies;

A river winds along the flow'ry vale,

With bord'ring willows waving in the gale.

As near the town, the pleasant path we go,

Along the shore, with weary steps and slow;

The chief we seek perchance toward us stalks,

And sundry little ones attend his walks;

His stature huge, and as in thought profound,

His jetty eyes were turn'd toward the ground.

But when he cast his eyes along the shore,

And saw his friend he thought to see no more,

With shouts of joy he leaps along the strand;

With answ'ring joy his friend extends the hand.

Our leader now again relates in brief,

His journey, suff'rings, danger, and relief:

And then, his interesting tale to close,

His fellow suff'rer and deliv'rer shows:

The stranger view'd us, with attentive face,

And shook us by the hand, with friendly grace.

I view his little train, with strange surprise,

A girl surpassing fair attracts my eyes;

Her pretty mein, and open vissage mild,

Awoke the dear remembrance of my child;

The scar upon her wrist I then survey'd,

And mark beneath her chin, by nature made;

[Page] George to behold my consternation smil'd,

Confirming her indeed to be my child,

Through all my soul what melting passions reign!

Paternal fondness glows in ev'ry vein;

I seize my lovely child in strict embrace;

With tears of joy bedew her blooming face;

When she by struggles, trembling with surprise,

Escapes my arms, and to the village flies.

The stranger at my conduct seem'd to stare:

Our chief inform'd him of my errand there:

My purpos'd journey homeward through the wild:

My spouse at home, and this my only child:

Relates my captivation by his hands:

My tedious servitude in foreign lands:

His obligations to me for his life:

And wish to help me to my child and wife.

Then he shall have his child, the chief reply'd,

And all assistance I can give beside:

Her captivator lives not far away,

To him her ransom I will freely pay.

Now 'parting Phebus glances o'er the meads;

The tow'ring chieftain to his cottage leads;

A cake of chesnuts, corn and beans prepar'd,

And soup of venison and beans we shar'd.

The following day conven'd in council sat,

The fathers and the warriors of the state;

With lengthy pipes: in grave extended rows:

The smoky cloud emitted through the nose:

Long they delib'rate; and at length decree,

To aid the aged sire and [...]orward me.

In cheerfulness the moments lighter roll,

And dawning happiness revives my soul.

My fearful child I fondly strove to gain,

But ev'ry gentle measure try'd in vain.

[Page] Next morn three warriors came to guard our way,

[...] whom an artful senior bore the sway;

[...]gether all partake a full repast,

[...]en for departure we arose in haste:

[...] all I now the parting hand extend,

[...] wept at parting with my aged friend.

With tearful eye the venerable man,

[...]ith air of fond benevolence began:

You'll taste, said he, far hence the joys of life,

[...] native country, friends, and tender wife;

While worn with age and wars, I here remain,

[...] life we never more shall meet again;

Through failing nature, very soon I must

With all my fathers, slumber in the dust:

[...]ut far in unknown regions of the west,

Whence came our fathers generations past,

[...]'er shining mountains tow'ring in the air,

[...]ur frames renew'd, we shall for rest repair;

[...]here day and spring uninterrupted run,

[...]or ev'ry little star is there a sun:

[...]or show'rs, nor stormy rains we there shall know,

[...]ut waters pure from living fountains flow;

[...]hose who have for their native country dy'd;

Their parents and the poor with food supply'd;

Who faithful to their families at home,

With idle feet in mischief never roam,

Who slaughter, many dangerous beasts of prey,

[...]nd deer, and buffaloes, and beavers slay:

[...]ch, in eternal happiness serene,

[...]all dwell in booths of never fading green;

[...] them shall fertile vallies spread around:

[...]bacco, corn, and beans and fruits abound;

[...]eir groves, and lakes, and rivers richly stor'd,

[...]ll plenteous game, and fowl and fish afford:

[Page] Each have his faithful wife and friend again;

And love, and friendship never ending reign;

There ev'ry hero shall his own enjoy;

And games, and sports, the happy hours employ;

The bad shall serve as slaves at their command;

Nor hostile deity infest the land,

This happy place your rifle shall restore,

Here you and I shall meet to part no more."

Now George took leave, and now my fearful child,

Refus'd to leave with us her wonted wild;

To move her all my kind endeavours fail'd;

Atlength by art my senior guard prevail'd.

With joy I from their dwellings turn'd my eyes,

Yet could I not the artless race despise:

Though they from childhood fortify their hearts,

Their country's foes to slay by horrid arts;

For this their srank benevolence to friends;

And lowly virtues partly make amends:

'Mongst their associates, generously inclin'd,

Chaste, charitable, dutiful and kind,

To avarice estrang'd, uncurss'd with wealth,

In tranquil peace of mind and vig'rous health,

They us'd the fleeting moments they possess'd,

In healthful toil, and necessary rest:

Their governments in awkward dullness free,

Corruption or oppression seldom see;

We many ills avoid, which there prevail,

Yet oft our grievous cure exceeds the ail:

Each to the dictates of his mind they leave;

Yet most these gen'ral doctrines do receive,

(A creed not only known among their tribes,

But which the world in general subscribes,)

That God unsearchable by human pains,

O'er universal nature justly reigns,

[Page] Rewarding what we do through good intent,

On bad designs inflicting punishment;

A daemon counteracts his gracious will,

Perverting good and working human ill.

Two days we journey'd through a fertile wild,

But travell'd slow, in favour of my child;

When weary now, I lead her by the hand;

With frequent tears she left the savage land.

The second day when Sol forsakes our eyes,

Along a little stream our journey lies;

Surrounding lawns and trees for fruit declare,

Some savage tribe did once inhabit there;

A lofty pile of stones engag'd our view,

Our guards each one a stone upon it threw:

It seem'd a tomb had there of old been rear'd;

And on a stone of state these lines appear'd,

" Beneath this earthy mound, in solemn shade,

The lovliest form of nature's work is laid:

Of open soul, estrang'd to specious rule:

Of simple manners, learn'd in nature's school:

Who by the hand of murder lost her breath,

To save a wretched captive slave from death:

" The slave detain'd in savage wilds unknown,

Through gratitude and love, inscrib'd this stone;

Dissolv'd in tears, erects it o'er her head,

With longings to partake her lowly bed:

Some future bard may weep these lines to read;

And to succeeding ages tell the deed."

Not far from there a cooling fountain flows,

Where we prepare to take our night's repose:

I ask'd the senior if the cause was known,

Of this huge pile and monumental stone.

" His venerable father, he reply'd,

A gallant warrior knew these regions wide;

[Page] And often said that in his younger days,

A sachem this huge monument did raise:

That when this sachem and his warring band,

Had fought the whites, far in the southern land,

A beauteous youth they captive hither led,

Intent to sacrifice him to their dead:

The sachem's wife was of the christian race;

But took when young and foster'd in this place;

Their blooming daughter lov'd the captive swain,

And tenderly releas'd him from his chain;

Her treachery the warriors quickly found;

And shed her blood in vengeance on the ground:

The warriors took the beauteous youth again;

The chief with cost his respite did obtain:

The lovely virgin in the dust was laid,

And o'er her head a mound of earth was made;

The captive youth, with many a tear and groan,

Upon her tomb erects this sable stone;

Then leaning o'er her grave, with flowing tears,

The brother of the warrior slain appears;*

The youth beneath his vengeful weapon bled,

And on the tomb reclin'd his dying head;

The chief the youth beside his daughter laid,

And o'er them both a common tomb he made;

Then plac'd the sable stone above her head,

That future ages might revere the dead."

Through pathless woods from here we took our way,

Until the evening of the second day;

When now a narrow lake salutes our eyes,

And fires along its further shore arise;

Across the glossy flood our eyes survey,

The purple west reflects departing day;

[Page] Pale Cynthia smiling shows her silver horn,

Far o'er the western gloomy wood forlorn:

Our lodging here, in usual form, we take,

High on a bank that overlooks the lake.

Next morn o'er rising ground we took our way;

A savage town in distant prospect lay;

Nor human tracts, nor dwellings more appear,

While through a spacious wilderness we steer:

At length, with inexpressible delight,

We view the habitations of the white.

Our guards departed, from their charge reliev'd,

With hospitality we were receiv'd;

Their little houses palaces appear'd;

And dainty fare exhausted nature cheer'd.

In christian garments they my Nelly clad,

Who seem'd abash'd, disconsolate and sad;

Unwilling still she left the savage wood;

And but in part our language understood.

Though urg'd to tarry, on the following day,

Impatient we pursue our homeward way;

Humanely entertain'd where e'er we went,

Their gen'rous favours all our wants prevent.

Of various illnesses we now complain'd;

A gen'ral want of health among us reign'd;

Disorders from unwonted lux'ry grew,

That in the savage land we never knew.

We slowly on our journey pass'd,

And safely at the port arriv'd at last;

Where, though remote from home and quite unknown,

We readily obtain a sum on loan;

To purchase clothes and charges to defray,

Along our tedious, lengthy, homeward way:

Then we to christian dress and lodging change,

Which yet uncomfortable seems and strange.

[Page]

For passage we embark, without delay▪

On board a little vessel bound this way;

Loud howling tempests inauspicious sweep,

The raging surface of the roaring deep:

Along the coast we plow our foamy way,

Through storms and dangers many a weary day▪

But yesterday we safely came on shore;

Elate I view my native hill once more,

George tow'rd his dwelling steer'd without delay;

With Nelly I pursue my hasty way:

I journey'd on, with thoughts of home possess'd,

Till day departing streak'd the yellow west:

Unus'd to walk, new from the liquid plain,

Our weary limbs the journey ill sustain.

At Henry's now my evening way I end;

Henry, my former host, and faithful friend;

The good man welcom'd us with joy sincere,

While kind Rebecca drop'd a tender tear,

Their num'rous children greet my joyful eyes;

And John their son now grown to manly size.

A supper soon prepar'd they sat to eat;

We cheerfully partake their dainty treat▪

Just then two hunting savages came there,

To market journeying with their peltry ware,

And lo! the hindmost of the two appear'd,

He who for torture drew me from the guard:

Short nose, projected chin, and baleful eye,

His grisly length of face identify:

What horror labour'd in my throbbing breast!

I shiv'ring sat, with indignation press'd,

With trembling hand I drop my fork and knife,

Upbraid him with the deed, and threat his life:

Impell'd by fury suddenly I rise;

He, with his mate precipitately flies:

[Page] In agitation, shaking I remain;

And social joys to relish strive in vain;

But when the moon o'erlook'd the mountain's head,

With one consent, we all retire to bed.

The lonely way betimes this morn we come:

Nor late intelligence had heard from home:

I view'd my dwelling place with joy extreme,

All seem'd unreal as a pleasing dream.

John recovers his wife. Conclusion.

THUS while he spake, a cloud was seen to rise;

Unusual darkness overspread the skies;

Across the gloom the flashy light'nings fly;

Loud thunder growls along the sable sky:

In dumb amazement fix'd, they all attend,

Till winds arise, and driving rains descend;

When Charles at once came rushing in amain;

Aw'd by the storm; and drench'd with driving rain.

William propos'd that, as their common friend,

He would the rivals to the fair attend,

There fully know the purpose of her mind,

No strife could bend, no arbiter could bind.

They waited long, but still the copious rain,

Incessant pouring did their steps detain;

Nor ceas'd till Luna, from meridian height,

With ample orb declar'd the noon of night.

When evening shades involve the fields of air,

They sup'on milk and plainest rural fare;

New rising gayety expands their hearts;

Free conversation social joy imparts;

[Page] But Charles in silence sat, as press'd with care,

Nor join'd discourse, nor would partake their fare.

Old friends, and various themes their talk invite;

And pleasing questions entertain their night;

But when the watch declar'd the eleventh hour,

While yet prevail'd the unabating show'r

(With growing force the stream was heard to roar,

The rising deluge spread along the shore)

They to the sev'ral beds retire for rest;

The rivals minds with Phebe's absence press'd:

But e'er Aurora did the heav'n ascend,

John rose, and hastily awoke his friend:

A solemn calm the value seem'd to lu [...]:

The bell was heard afar with tinklings dull:

Bright Cynthia smil'd across the western wo [...]:

White lay the fog along the winding flood:

The dripping herbage glitter'd in the ray:

Far howl'd the torrent down its lonely way:

And chanticleer proclaim'd the coming day:

William and Charles arose, the [...] they dress'd

John for departure with vehemence press'd;

But William rous'd his family in haste,

Nor would depart till they had broke their fast.

Then on their way they three together steer'd;

When Sol refulgent o'er the hi [...] appear'd;

They pass the bridge, the river sweeps along,

By fringing willows gayly over-hung,

With silken foliage waving to and fro,

As t [...]pid gales and gentle zephyrs blow;

Along the winding vale they take their way,

Melodious warblers tune the morning lay.

William the conduct of the war relates,

The present situation of the states;

[Page] [...]nts that plain industry greatly fails,

[...] pomp, and pedantry, and vice prevails;

[...] simple independence in disgrace,

[...]inous extravagance gives place:

[...] wretchedness o'erspreads our land amain,

[...] shake the props of freedom's sacred fane,

[...] and blood by modest heroes laid,

Foreign realms with wond'ring eyes survey'd!

With nimble step they tread the winding shore;

[...] length arriv'd, they enter at the door;

[...]here sadly pen [...] droop'd the tearful fair,

[...]et with her Nelly, ply'd her morning care!

William accosts the child with winning art;

John flies to greet the charmer of his heart:

Thus spake the dictates of a feeling mind,

While Charles depress'd against the door reclin'd.

" How sad hath been your lonely night my fair!

Yet was my soul oppress'd with equal care!

My spirit hither flew, while pouring rain,

And rising deluges my steps detain;

When solitary I retir'd to bed,

What agitations labour'd in my head!

In tumult bitter long I wakeful laid;

My various grievances of mind survey'd;

Till now in tedious absence doom'd to rove,

And now at home, detain'd from her I love!

My harsh upbraiding tongue, your pangs & tears:

The dreadful nights, your solitude and fears,

To slumber, nature then at length made way,

And long in troubled visions toss'd I lay,

Until a dream distinct my fancy dress'd,

Methought I suddenly arose from [...],

With soul enamour'd, dwelt on all your charms,

Nor longer brook'd my absence from your arms.

[Page]

" I speed my way, by silver Luna's beams,

O'er floating bridges, meads, and turbib streams:

The midnight breeze a fearful whisp'ring made,

Through rustling alders in the dreary shade;

The bord'ring pines beside the lonely vale,

With solemn murmurs load the hollow gale;

I trace the river's solitary shore,

The fire directs me through my open door;

In bed my sleeping Nelly I survey;

Prone on the floor my breathless Phebe lay,

In vain, with tears I shake your lifeless clay!

Through all my soul what sudden horrors dart!

I call my fair in anguish of my heart!

A scream ensues! I shudd'ring stand with fears!

Before my eyes your gliding ghost appears;

Though pale and trembling, lovely to my sight,

In winding-sheet array'd, of purest white!

By terror fix'd, to move, in vain I try'd;

" I come to bid a long farewel," you cry'd,

" A flash of light'ning justly struck me dead,

For having took a rival to your bed;

I well deserv'd your wrath, that caus'd my smart,

Nor was your frown unjust that pierc'd my heart;

Your dear possession is by fate denied,

For which with ever longing soul I sigh'd;

May ev'ry blessing all your days attend,

And guardian powers my tender child befriend;"

Dissolv'd [...] tears, I cry'd with grievous smart,

Forgive my cruel rage that wrung your heart;

My constant fair is blameless in my sight!

How can I thus survive my soul's delight?

" Thus while I spake, you glide to yonder vale;

A tender screech is heard along the gale,

[Page] In bitter grief of heart, aloud I weep,

And steep'd in briny tears awake from sleep.

With boding fears I trembling rose forlorn,

When chanticleer foretold the coming morn."

" In flood of tears," replies his anxious spouse,

(Nor further utterance her grief allows)

" Though 'scap'd the dreadful night! till morning fair!

What pangs of keen regret my bosom tear!

By thoughts of your descease, beguil'd to wed,

Too late, I mourn the honour of my bed:

Nor Charles's grief can I unpitying see;

The heavy [...] he guiltless bears for me!

His tender care! his generous desert!

Have made [...] impression on my heart!

But he return'd who most my soul ador'd!

My ever gentle, ever faithful lord!

Endearing partner of my golden years!

Long mourn'd with bleeding heart and streaming tears!

And with him too my Nelly, wept in vain!

Our common care, our life, our union chain!

The flame anew through all my bosom glows!

My ravish'd soul no other passion knows!

And is my faithful John, long suff'rings past,

So ill requited by his spouse at last!

And have I thus dishonour'd his reward!

And marr'd the future bliss we might have shar'd?"

Then William thus to Charles: "surpr [...]se your care;

You hear the language of the tend [...] pair!

John first her lawful husband was for life;

She cleaves to him a fond and faithful wife!

His tragic death we all with sorrow heard,

Of which it seem'd sufficient proof appear'd,

No doubt remain'd in her, in you nor me;

Yet, since he lives, her choice is wholly free:

[Page] With manly frankness yield the lovely dame!

To [...]foreseen event ascribe the blame."

Charles then responsive, wi [...]h indignant air:

No longer I'll obstruct the fawning pair;

[...] me her faithless passion to regain

Entreaty low and blandishment were vain!

My ills are unforeseen event in part,

But just resentment rises in my heart:

My hared presence, does but give offence,

And wife, and friend, and rival, [...] [...]hence:

My neighb'ring uncle forth' estate I hold

Hath offer'd yesterday the read [...] [...]

[...] foreign lands, I'll fly my [...]

And never trust [...] fickle wom [...] [...]

And now fulfilling what his tongue declares,

[...] for departure hastily prepares,

Though fortify'd by rage, he yields to woe;

At [...] tears of silence flow.

His piercing grief! they sympathizing spy,

The pitying tear distils from ev'ry eye,

John, holding forth his watch, began to say,

" Accept this humble pledge [...] attend your way,

Then let us part renew'd in friendship's flame,

Who hapless rivals guiltlessly became!"

Charles with neglect the offer'd present views,

And silently his hasty way pursues:

Their kind expostulation scorns to hear;

Nor reason's voice would penetrate his ear!

William congratulates the constant pair:

And happiness succeeds their length of care!

THE END.

Notes

*

Their superstitious observance of dreams.

↵

*

The warrior slain in the fight in which he was taken.

↵

Information about this book

Title statement

The Returned captive. A poem. Founded on a late fact. : [Six lines of verse]

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2007-01.

ID [DLPS]

N16130

ID [TCP]

N16130

ID [STC]

Evans 20676

ID [NOTIS]

APX5174

ID [IMAGE-SET]

20676

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99021954

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 20676.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N16130)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 20676)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 20676)

Source

— The Returned captive. A poem. Founded on a late fact. : [Six lines of verse],

Extent

60 p. ; 22 cm. (12mo)

Printed by Ashbel Stoddard.,. Hudson [N.Y.]: :: M.DCC.LXXXVII. [1787].

Creation

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