The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-05-05
But when a bullet sings in the mir

"llomc, Sweet Home" or the sweet "SkJ)
lark"
Sung by Miss pYsr, in cinderella 1"
Songs that remind us of days ofyore,
Curb.stone dittics We loved to hear,
"Breicers yeast!" and "!Straw, oat Straw y
"Liiy-uhite corn, q penny an car |"
Rustic music OF clanticleer.
'Robert, the Devil, by MEyERBEER,
Played ut the "Park" when the WOODS
were here,
Or anything else ths! an echo brings
From those mysterious vibrant strings,
That answer at once, like telegraph line,
10 notes that were written in "Old Lang
Sy.e;"
Nothing, | say, ever played or sung,
Organ painted, or bugle rung,
Not even the horn or the Switzer Alp,
Was half so sweet to the Captains ear,
AS the sound Of the bullet that split bis
scalp, .-..-.a-
And told him scrimmasc was awful near.
Come, o Danger! in any form,
THE earthquakes shock or the ocean
Come, when its century's weight of snow
The avalanche hurls on the Swiss chateau /;
Come with the murderous IIindoo Thug,
Come with the Grizzly's fearful hug,
With the Malay's stab, or the adder's fang,
Or the deadly flight Of the boomerang,
But never come when carbines bang,
That are fired by men who must tight or
hang.
On they came with thunderous shout
That made the rocky canon ring;
c"Canon," in Spanish, means tube or spout,
Gorge, or hollow, or some such thing)
On they come, with thunderous noise.
Captain Davis said, calmly, Boys,
I've been awaiting to see them chaps"
And with that hc examined his pistol.caps
Then long, deep breath he drew,
Put IN his check u tremendous chew,
Stripped OIL his waistcoat and coat, and
threw
Them down, and was ready to die or do.
Had ! liaYAsTs bcliigerent skill,
Wonldn't make this bloody fightp
Or ALfKED TENsysoSs crimson quill,
What laundering, blundering lines I'd
write.
I'd batter, and hack, and cut, and stab,
And gouge, and throttle, and curse, and
lab;
I'd wade to my ears in oaths and slaughter
Pour out blood like brandy and water;
Hit 'em again If they asked for quarter,
And cllnch, and wrsstle, and yell, and
bite.
Bat ] never could WELD a carniyerous pen,
Like either Of those intellectual men.
! love peaceful, pastoral scene,
With drowsy mountains and meadows
green,
Covered with daisies, grass and clover,
Mottled with Dorset or South down sheep,
Better than fields with red turf over,
And men piled up in Waterloo heap.
But, notwithstanding, my fate cries out
"Put Captain DAVIS in song and story!
That children hereafter may read about
His deeds in the Rocky. Canon foray!'
JAMES hcBoSatp, Of Alabama, a.
Fell at the feet Of DR. SPARKS; -
"Doctor," said he, "Pm ns dead as HANK
mcr,
And you have couple of bullet.marks.
This, he gaspcd, 's the end Of my life"
"fcs, said SPARKS, "'tis a mighty SOL
yer;
Excuse me moment-just hold my knife,
And II hit that brigand with my CoLr's
revolver"
Then through the valley the contest rang,
Pistols rattle and carbines bang;
Horrible, terrible, lrigh,ful, dire
Flashed from the vapor the foot-pads fire.
Frequent, as when in sultry night
Twinkes a meadow with insect.light;
But deadlier far, as the Doctor found,
When, crack ball through his frontal
bone
Laid him Hat on his back on the hard. fought
ground,
And left Captain DAVIS to go it alone!
Oh that ROGER Bacon had died
Or SCHWARTZ, the monk, or whoever first
tried
Cold iron TO choke with n mortal load,
To see il saltpetre wouldn't explode.
For now, when you get up sc,immage in
rhyme,
The use Of gunpowdcr so shortens the time.
That just as your Had should have begun,
And the hero for whom you are tuning the
string
Is dead before farms the man" you sing;
To say nothing Of how it will Jar and shock
Your verses with hammer, and rammer, and
stock,
Bullet and wad, trigger and lock,
n'ppie anu gap ana pan ana cock,
hn' s o woulun ,t , like l,ke 10 10 spread few pages,
AL Al oyer WIN a., arms OF tue middle ases'
W ou!un IKE 10 eNpiate
Spur to heel, and plume to crest,
Visor barred, and lance in rest,
Long, cross-hilted brand to WELD,
Curass' eaunilets, mace ana shield;
Ease IN proof himself and horse,
from T., lroht'et'splke 10 outler'ooss;
harness ghs'ch'hg VI the sun,
fieoeiah ioes, ana 'welve to one
l. tell you now lheres beautiful chance
10 make hero oi old romance;
but IN painting ms picture ior aiter-timc,
Ana uoht mean 10 sacrihce truth Tor rhyme.
Cease, DEPRESSION tho fray grows hoti
Never an instant stops the firing.
Two of the conical hats ara shot
And a velvet Jacket is lust exnir;no
Never Yields Captain DAVIS an inch
For he didn't know how, If he wished n
finch, "
Firm he stands in the Rocky Corco