The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-05-18
From Lp-ri' Quaker City.
Thclast Of the Legion.
\ LEG END OF MENICO.
Bg oEoHGE LIrrAaD.

Look through youder tnichci, and see
that face, distorted with all the agonios OF
despair,
4 warrior reiuS III, horse alone in the
shadows of the chapaIg4l near Austa's tent.
/ The white horse, the gorgeous battle array,
, the dark olive check aud the red mu,'acLD,
all tell You his rank and bis name. ItisA.
ris'a, listening tothe carnage shouts Of Res.
aCads Ia Palma. Leaning his ciaSpcd hand.
on the pommel Of his saddle, be bites III,
uciher.lip until the blood starts, aud then
/ da,he> the cold dewS from hi, brow.
| IlSnot death he fears no. the sharp.
est steel or deadHeSt bali were welcome now
A. bridal kiss to him-but it is the disgrace,
the dishonor the loss Of glory. The utter
wreck and ruin Disk Thousand men, alive
teranS ana heroes, by sixteen hundred A.
mcricans, led on by a rough old warrior, in
4 brown coat!
Around that solitary Chicf;aiu roars the
contest. near and nearer, Duucan'S cannon
shouting to RjaGely's, and Mays sabre clat
toring a wild hmrah TO Walkers sword
/ Bigger auiblaclicr, the cloud, came gloom
ing over the waste, every nook and path o
the Chapaual became toe scene Of a b,uldN
contest, aud riding across the ravirC, Zach
any Taylor bchcld his army in Mllchasc af
ter the rCtrca'ing Ncv.cauS, TIVE dust rising
beneath their feet, and the battle cloud roll
ing above their heads.
Il was in this momcu; Of hisVoril, llat L.
rj,n hoJaiCl whether 10 advance or SIS
II wa, bis first imnHls, toGing hlu"elrv ill
hi' white horse, upon the hhvouutS Of o.,
TOE; hut hope, a wild, u miserable hop,
burned in his eyes once more and he suffer
"a the gallant S'eed 10 take bis uwu path, in
10 the ma5os Of the clnuarnl.
Bat think not that the NrXcanS fed wi'a
out fighting. No, ItiS only the part of
hired British libclcr, to deny courage to 8
chvaIlic Zoe: le;uo American be guilty q
the baSeuc,s Of such deuial. The Officer
ut the Generals staff were gunc--sonc O
them prisoners. some cDTSCS. some fugitive,
--Ampudia, look for him yonder hi, hra,
thrown forward, his eyes rolling with fear
aN hc dig, his spurs into the laukS his ly
ing stcei. Yet SIN, there were Mexican
men, common soldiers, who faced the foe
in this sad hour, and wrote their courage OF
the sod, with the last convulsvc momen.
olthoir >tiieuiug hands.
There was an old man. who came rush.
ing from the chaparral into an open space,
some thirty yards square, hcdged in on eve.
~ side by that wall Of pr,clly pear
y His rreeuunirarn hanging about his broad
chest in ribhauds, his dark beard aud mus.
tachc silvcred with the toll Of sixty wears
he toltered forward, while from the th,ckct
crashed some twenty dragons, IN hot pur
suit, every arm welding It's flashing semi
tar.
/ Why pursue this old man, who, fair',ul
from many wounds, S'ill tolters OF, tracking
his COURSE with his blood?
Around his right arm he bears the Inst mo
mortal ofthr veteran band, the Battalion oI
Tampco. It's their banner, emhroidcrC,
by the hands ot beautiful women, aud sane
tilted 10y the prayers Of whutc.rohed nuns
lie received it from the hands Of dym.
commdc, received It, MS his warm bloo,
spouled over his lnre, and sworc, never
while one throh of life remained, toy ield i
into American bands.
Where l. the 1ampiro Battalion NOW
that went forth So steadily 80 the Grht no
lwo hour, Rsng Where arc It's hron2edlh
re,, It's iron iornSg Some are in the raviu
their cold faces washed by the bluudy wO'
ers or the lagoon, some are inthe thapoU1'
SplinIercl into fragments, some have run