Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-04-15

and plains with trumpet call and clarion peal, like
the noise of charots, and the noise Of horses, aud
the noise of great host. Starting from their
couches, they listened; and nearer and more near,
louder and more loud, rose the roll OF wheels, the
reverbation Of cavalry tramp, and the dull clarg
of arms
Panic seized their bewildered and sleep-bedrench-
ed souls. "Ho! the king of Israel hath hired
against us the kings Of the Hittites and the kings
OF the Egyptians, to fall upon us ~ And fear
grew to terror, and madness and delirium, and
away they rushed through the balmy night, arm
less and aimless down the valley Of Jezree to the
Jordan, like ghosts before dawn. an inplorious
rout with imaginary enemies shouting in the
chase.
But those sounds Of martial onset, whence came
they? Those trumpet charges were blown BY no
earthly lips; and viewless coursers and charots ae-
rial, and armor of angelic squadrons supplied the
distant din and rush of attack. 1t was the myrmi-
dons Of shining ones that camp eternaly about the
exied sons of God on earth, who made their celes-
tial evoutious audible to the dull ear of clay, and
poured their awful dread over timorous mortality.
Again the camp was still. A silence as profound
as the sepuchre settled over all that scene where
but afew hours before,
The sheen of their spears was like foam the sea,
Where the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Gslee"
And the city was silent still. No mortal there
had heard the spectral alarm. Overwearied and
overcome, they found relief in sleep from the gnaw
ings of famine and of despair.
But sound is heard at the gates. The porter is
summoned, and brief whispered conference en-
secs. There are suppressed EXPLANATIONS, and vol
ces of eager excitement. Then steps are heard hur-
rying away through the echoing and empty streets
to the place. Attic palacegate, another whispered
conference ensues and the excitement spreads from
post to post, from hall to hall, and chamber to
chamber until it reaches the ear of royalty.
Soon all are awake and trembling with amaze
ment and suspense. And presently four men, le-
pers, ushered into the presence of the king, 10
rehearse their marvellous legend.
ave were by the gate Of the city, and said,
why sit we here until we die! IL We enter the
city we shall die by the famine II we sit still here,
we die also. Now, therefore, let us fail to the.host
of the Syrans. If they save US alive We shall i've
and il they kin US, we shall but die And We rose
up in the twilight, and came into the camp of the
Syrians, even to the uttermost part, and behold,
there was no man there And We went into tent
after tent, and did eat and drink, and carried away
silver and gold and raiment, and hid them. Then
we said, This is day of good tdings and we hold
our peace if we tarry till the morning. watch, some
mischief will come upon Us; therefore we come to
tell it unto our lord the king"
'It is q stratagem!7 cries the King. They know
we are hungry and starving. They have hid in
ambush, expecting to seize US when We come out
and take the city,
So they sent out cOuriers mounted on the heetest
of the few seeds not yet dead by famine, and they
followed on the track of the enemy, marked all the
way by garments and vessels abandoned in their
fight by the Syrians, even to the Jordan, and re-
turned and told the king.
Then was there high tide of joy in that city
Then poured from palace and from hOveNhe throng-
ing population with paid face and famine-gleam-
ing eyes, surging to the gates in quest Of plumber,
and of food more precious than the prey. lll-fared
it then with that superciious lOrdling who had
secuted the vaticnation of the Seer. Appointed
to the command of the gate. he was overwhelmed
by the the rushing crowd, borne down, trampled,
suocated and with the spectacle Of unlimited album
dance before his eyes he died.
GREY.