The native American., 1838-04-21
THE FATAL TEARS.
INTRODUCTION.


THE FATAL TEARS.
INTRODUCTION.
A life spent in the din Of battle, where the
ceaseless cannonade Of flashing artillery reverb
Grated from the mountainous recesses, to which
freedom, patriotism, and the Guerilla chiefains
Of the south of Spain retired for a season, like
Antaus, to be reinvigorated by the very effort
which was made to strangle them, like the hydra,
on the hour Of their birth, has left me worn in
person, indeed, with the marks of military dis
tnction on my brow and the breast OF my surtout
but fresh and vigorous in mind and tender in feel
ing. as when in the hours of my early boyhood
nv young heart palpitated to the tale OF suffer
ing, and my bright eyes furnished torrent OF
tears to every tale of wo. Yes! | am thank
fnl to heaven. which leaves me as ready to weep
as ever; and, oh! is there happiness left to con-
sole us like Pandora box, which contained Hope,
inestimable Hope at the bottom Of it, greater or
more DELIGHTFUL or worther of tender and manly
spirit, than the power of bending the head under
the WEIGHT of afflicton, and soothing the wounded
sn;rit with briny flood! Often have | mourned
over the misaries Of war-often wet my bed
with the excretions Of the lachrymatory duct, to
think what misery existed in the world, and
without chance of being spectator OF it, The
tender-heared reader will enter into my feelings
Il know that his manly eyes will be suffused-
methinks | hear the sobs OF anguish bursting from
his heroic breast-methinks | see the trlcklng
drops coursing each other down his turrowed face
and fancy pictures to me his handkerchief sur
CHARGED with its precious cargo, till, to the eyes of
vuoar contemplation, it might seem to have been
submerged for many a lingering hour beneath the
salt pillows of the glorious and ever resounding
sea. Blest by nature with face and person such
as few men have the happiness to boast of-with
checks that alternately redeemed and paled beneath
the fuctuating influences of an artfuly varied mar
ratiye-and eyes that shot piercing ray OF SYM
n,tbv and coincidence through the darkest clouds
th.t enyeloped in their shady folds the sons and
daughters of misery and Distress form elastic
and graceful in all its movements, and mind re-
plete with all the tenderness OF the sottest ma
ture. vet furnished with all the thunder and light
ninp Of fierce, wild, fiery dlsposltlon-i
look back with regret to the days when wasted
- seekino that bubble reputation even In the can
.s,s :. ,,outh. Oh. that could recall those days,
aI.s, for ever vanished and that thou, my ever
adored-ever lamented-ever beautiful Anna-Ma-
- Matilda! hadst been left to me by envlous late
80 shore the laurels which, without thee, flourish
~ vain on nv ever-gloomy brow; but, alas!
,vander an outcast from the gay haunts OF men
!. sharer only in their griefs, and not their joys
> wasted hopeless, pining frlendless, sad, dis
t,essed. sorrow stricken, and miserable man! The
ro,lou;no narrative, the incidents of which occur
red not many years ago, has been my only So
lace through many years OF solitude and despair.
If Il imparts to one human being the ecstasy OF
Grief which it has bestowed upon myself, my
iabors, my pangs, my sufferings, my agonles, and
NV misfortunes, will be amply and enchantlngly
repaid.
A TALE OF Wo.
T, one of those outrageous valleys which
strotcb their perennial wretchedness in lingering
.exn,nse on the sandy shores OF the vast Atlantic;
where huge forests shake their leay honors over
the barren and shrubless Wilderness inhabited on
Iv bv the jaguar, and the paroquet and the tiger
IN longitude fifty-seven, aud latitude forty-two,
southeast by north--it was once my fortune to
find mvself benghted, unaccompaned and alone!
How nv soul gloried in the awful majesty OF
those hitherto unpenetrated solltudes! looked
down upon the earth, but, as 1t was pltch-dark, |
could see very little of the soil upon which !
trod;-on casting my eyes up to the inhnilude OF
space, nothing met my aching VISION Dut pan o'
tb;cx dark. impenetrable gloom. All around me
ah;ects were invisible. / therefore spread my
olo.,r beneath the branches of a wide-spreadlng,
hossom-covered magnolia, and after sigh over the
memories Of the unhappiness of my young days,
laid me down to sleep. Oh-not to sleep! No,
throughout the watches of that dreary and porten-
tous night my proud breast heaved beneath the
annalling weight Of agonizing recollections From
tbe cradle through the suferngs Of long clothes
short clothes, school, drill, parade, battle, and
advance through the territories of hostile foe,-
IN 10 that hour when made myself a conpan-
ion of the ameless savage of the untrodden wilds,
nv life had been but a succession OF mean-
ohnly adventures and tortured feelings In that
& n;aht Of misery and solitude | recalled every in
n;5ent Of my babyhood, childhood, boyhood
ensning e,ue% dawn Of manhood first flush Of military
oP o1orv down to the last and darkest hour, when,
g,ofgh, ;he serrated mountains Of heroic Spain
clasned to my bosom in an agony OF tears the
a0p vonpg the bright, the beautiiul-but Of this no
yU"es' wore NV eyes were red when on the NOR
row | opened them to a sense OF my situation
Dark piles of rock rose in unapproachable mag
n;6cence to hail with halo-covered SUBMITS inc
advent of the god Of day. never saw Sol look
so pretty! ,o,o.a J.
STOPPING down to lave my burning forehead IN
the cooling waves of secret spring which wellec
its delicious way into the upper air through the