Mower County transcript., 1871-08-17
MISCELLANY.
KIT CARSON'S RIDE.
BT JOAQUIN MILLER.

We loun;cd III the E'"'S'
mine. ,, ,r., hcr hair >r,a cs
Aud her l',n''s ON my A"e~' "' ' '' "'
=, =, 'l,,, nnI its flood. pouring on and all ovor
tIr ,.,..,,n wtuc-rc.l, aud pressed never by one.
And her touch was As warm As the tnge Of tho
clover
Burned brown as 1t reached to the kiss Of the sun
And her wotts were rs low as the ute-throGtcd
And platlsn with love as the heart when 1t boats
In its hot ca""r answer to carlieat love.
Or tho bee hurried home bv its burden Of sweets.
Welay low in the grass on the broad plain levels,
Old kevels and :. md nv s'O on brown bride.
"FdrIy full miles if Il foot 10 ride,
Forty fullmncS If n fnot, and the devils
OF red Camanches arc hot on tho track
When once thcy strike it. Lot ting snn 90 down
Soon. very 1ron,' muttcred bearded old Reves,
As he pccrrl at tn" elln, lying low on his BACK,
Holding fast to his lasso; then he jcrkcd ut his
And spruuy to his feet and glanced swiftly around,
And then dropped. AS if shot with his ear to the
Then ayuin to his feet. aud to me, to Inv bride,
While hi eyes were like bro, his face like a
shrOud,
His form ike king, and his beard like cloud,
And his voice loud and shrill, as If blown from q
"Pull, pull IN your lassos, and hridlo t, stced,
And ride for your liyes-for your lives You must
For the plain is alame. tho prairie on fire,
And feet of wild h"rs = hard hying before,
l hear like a breaking high ON the shorc,
W lilo TIE bni}alo come like a.urEe OF the sea,
Driven fur by The flame. driving fast on us three,
As n hurricane comes, crushi''s palms III MS Ito.
We drew In the lassos. seized saddle and rein,
Threw them on, sinc4ed themi on, snched them
And again drew the yirth. cast aside the machecrs
Cut away tapidaros, lOOsed The sash from its fold
Cast aside the catcuas rcd and 'spanSled with
And gold-mouuted Colts, true companions fol
Cast the ] red eik serapcs to the wind in breath;
And SO hared TO the skin, sprang all haste to the
As bare rs when boru-as when now from the
hand
Turned h. al" to the B1az"s in red race with
Turned head to the Brazo. with breath in the
Blowing not from king leaving death in his
Turned head to the Brazos with sound in the all
Like the ru-h nf an army, and a flash In the eye
OF red wall If fire rcachi''g up to the sky,
Stretching fer c in pursuit Of black rolling sea,
Rushing fast upon liz us thc " ind sweeping free
And afar from the desert, bearing death and des-
pur.
No. word. mt wall. from lip was let fall,
Not a kiss from my bride, not n look or low call
OF ,ove-nO'c or courage, but on o'er the plain
So steady aud still, leaning low to the name,
With tho heel to tho flank and the hand to the
rein.
Rode we on, dc we three, rode we gray nose and
nose,
Reaching long. breathing loud, like creviced
Yet we broke not whisper, We oreathed not a
There was work to be done, there was death in the
And the char CO was as one to a thousand for all.
Cry nose to gray nose, and each steady mustang
And the he foam 10 mt from the flank and the Group and
deck
Twenty miles! thirty mies,....a dim distant
Then long-reaching line and the Brazos in sight,
And rose in my scat with shout of delight
4stood In my s'irrup and looked to my right,
Bnt Rovel. was goLe; glanced by my shoulder
And saw bis horse staSyer; saw his head droop-
ing
Hard on bis breast, and his naked breast stopping
Low down to the name. as 80 switter aud holder
Ran reaching out for ns the red footed fire;
To right and to left the black buffalo came,
In miles and in millions, rolling on in despair,
With their boards to the dust and black tails in the
Al terrible surf on red sea of flame
Rushing hon on in the rear reaching hsh' reaching
And he rode neck to neck with buffalo bull,
or e smoke md q Of duss and it shock With desire
OF battle, with rage and with bellow'ngs loud
And unearthly; and up through its lowering cloud
While his keen crooked horns through the storm
of his mape
Like black lances lifted and lifted again:
through,
And he fell and WAS lost as we rode two and two.
I looked to my left then, and nose, neck, and
Sank slowly, sank surely, till back to my thighs;
And Pp bpp,1 through the black blowing veil Of her
Did beam full in mine her two marvellous eyes
With longing and love, yet lo"k Of despair,
Ana M pity for me as she felt the smoke fold her,
Her sinking steed faltered, his eager ears fell
70 and fro and unsteady, and all the neck's swell
Did subsde and rccede, and the fall dead.
Inen she saw that my own steed still lOrded his
With lock of delight; for this Pache, you see,
Was her fat hers. and once at the South Santafee
down
And 80 when won the true heart Of my BRIDE
My nei:;hbors aud deadlicst enemy child,
And child Of the kin:ly chief of his tribe
She brought me this stced to the border the night
She met Revels and me In her perilons flight
From tho lodge Of the chief to the north Brasos
eide,
And said so hal guessing of ill as she smiled,
As irjesting that I. and only. should ride
The fleet footed Pache, SO II kin should, pursue
should surely escape without other ado
Than to ride. without blood, to the north BrazOs
ride,
And await her-and wait till the next hollow
Hung her horn in the palms, when surely ant
soon
And swift she would join me, and all would DO
we'll.
Without bloodshed or word. And now as she fell
FROM the front, and went down in the ocean of
The last that l saw was look of delight
That should escape-a love- desire
Yet never a word, not look of appeal,
Lest should reach hand, should stay hand or stay
One instant for her in my terrible flight
Then the rushing of fire rose around me and
And the ho 'Yliny Of beas like the sound OF thun
der
Beasts burning and blind, and forced Onward and
As the passionate fame reached around them and
wove her
Hands in their hair, and kissed hot till they died
Till they died with wild and desolate moan,
As a rea heart-broken ON the hard brown stone.
And into the Brazos.. :.Irode all alone
All alone, save only horse long limhed,
And blind and hear and burned to the skin.
Then just as the terrible camein
And tumhl. d its Thousand. hot into the tide,
Till the tide bocke up, and the swift stream hzin,
In cddcs, we struck on the opposite aide.
Sell Pache-blud pache? Now, mister, look
You have slept in my tent and partook Of my
cheer
Many days. many days, on this rugged frontier
For the wa's they were rough, and Camanches
were near.
Gn1 v','d hotter pack up! Curse your d'I ty skin!
Icoul,I't have 'h"u'ht YOU ri"g ,rtiy small
Do you rn'n that make y ,oks think All Old mount
0ineer
On the rough border born has no t,,m tum at all?
Sell Pache! You buy himl A bag full Of ;sold
You show him! Tell Of him the tale have told {!
Why, he bore III: through lire, and is blind, and is
No" pack np your papers, and git up and spir,
And never look back Blast you and your tin
THE STRANsE VISITOR TO W.