The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-21
ExoDUH.-t. Ras4e.
III soAau1s ssILLEs.

A tale half told ana hardly understood.
The tax Of bearded men that Glanced fe Ir,et:
That leaned on long quaint rifles in the wood
That looked in feilow-faces, spoke discreet
And low, as half in doubt aud ia defeat
Of hope; tale Il was Of lands Of gold
That lay toward the sun. Wild winged and feet
It spread absut the Aiissouri's bold.
Ubridled men, and reached to where Oldo rolled
The long chained line Of yoked and patient Rteers
The long white trSins that pointed to the west
Beyond the savage west; the hopes and fears
OF blunt, untutored men, who hardly g,;sseed
Their course; the brave and sjle,ltSSor,en lresse
In homely-spun attire, the boys in bands
The eheery babes that laughed AZ all and blessed
inc douoting hearts with shouts and lifted hands
-Froclalm an exodus for far uutraye-sed lands.
III.
Inc plainsi Tie shouting drivers a. the wheel !;
dne crashof leather Wll5.s; the crash and rod
VI Sheeis the eroan Of yokes and grinding steel
Ana iron chain, and 10. a. la the whole
Nase zine, that reached afar, as if TO touch the
goal,
Began TO stretch and Stre.fr away and ,gind
Iowa d the west, as if with the CONTROL
Then hope loOmed fair, and hproe Law far behind :;
kind.
".
Inc Inc way lay wide and green, aud fresh as seas,
And far away as any reach Of wave;
The sunny streams went by in belt OF trees;
And here and there the ta-scl "a. tawny brave
Swept by on horse, looked back, stretched forth
and gave
A yell of hell aud ;i.sn d;d vhre! and rein
time, and point away. Sark-br0wed and grave,
Into the far, and I'm, and distant plain,
With signs ard proVEerics. and then plunged on
again.
Some streams began to cal Of wood aud tide,
The sonbre Ilau began be;ime to take
hue of weary brown. and Wild and wide
1t stretched its naked Ia. at on every side.
babe was Ecard at aSt t. cry for bread
Amid the deserts; cattle lowed and died,
nd Nvfa rrrrsar4 4yflsrr - "a l-rala Nraa
And left long black serpent-Iine of wreck and
dead.
Strange hungered hir,'s, b,ack-winged and stin as
death,
And crowned of re,i v. th hooled beaks. blew low
Aud close about, tl! cuId touch their breath
Strange. unnamed birds, that seemed to come
In circles now. and now direct aid slow.
Continual, aud never touch ihe earth
Sim foxes shied and shuttled % aud fro
Al times across the dusty, weary dCarih
OF lie, looked back, then SINK Ike crickets IA
hearth.
The dust arose, long diIn line Ike smoke
From out 2 riven earth. The wheels went by,
The tlloufand feet in harness and in yoke,
They tore the ways of asben alkaii.
And desert winds blew sndden, swift, and dry.
The dust ! 1t sat upon and filed The train
II seemed 70 fret and cloud the very sky.
LO J dust upon the beasts, the tent, the plain,
And dust, alas cE breasts that rose up again.
They sat in iesolation and in dust
BY dried-up desert streams; the mothers hands
Hid all her bended face; the cattle thrust
Their tongues, and family called across the lands
The babes, that knew not what the way through
sands
Could mean, would ask if it would end today.
The Tanting wolves slid by, red-eyed, in bands
To streams beyond. The men looked far away,
And silent, saw that all a level desert lay.
They rose by night: they struggled on and on
A. thin and still az ghosts then, here and there
Beside the dusty way before the dawn,
Men, silent, laid them Gewn in their despair,
Aud died. But womanl Woman, frail as fair!
God give men strength to give to you your due
1Ju faltered not, nor murmured anywhere.
You held your babes held to your course, and you
Bore on through burning he'll your double
burdens through.
They stood at last, the decinlated few,
Above land Of running streams and they
Did push aside the bnughs, and pcering through,
Behold afar the cool, refreshing bay;
Then some did curse, and some bend hands to
pray;
But some looked back upon TIE desert wide,
Aud desolate with death, then sll the day
They wept. But one with nothing left beside
His dog to love, crept down among the ferns and
died.