University of Virginia Library


41

TWIN LAKES.

THE YACHT DAUNTLESS.

Far off in the Rocky mountains
And two miles up in the air,
Lie the Twin Lakes, close together,
All rippling, shining and fair.
The mountains wall in the water;
It looks like a great blue cup;
And the sky looks like another
Turned over, bottom side up.
'Tis the sweetest place I know of;
No sweeter one could be planned
For summer and winter pleasure
On the water and the land.
Each sunset and sunrise, glowing
With bright colors, spread the lake,
And along the shore gay blossoms
Even brighter colors make.
But there were only little row-boats
Which crept o'er the water blue,
And every one said, “If only
With a swelling sail we flew!”
“We'll fly with a sail all swelling,
And make light work of the miles!
I'll build with my hands a vessel,”
Cried out the good Captain Stiles.

42

So he hewed him down great fir-trees,
And hewed him logs of the pine,
And the splendid slender balsams,
All full of fragrances fine.
And he sawed and planed and hammered
With tools of good iron and steel,
And he made the deck all shining,
And bent and hollowed the keel.
And he set the mast of balsam
Upright, as it used to grow,
And he sewed a sail of canvas,
And a pennon white as snow.
And I wonder when he launched it
What the birds thought overhead—
If they thought it was another
Great bird with its wings outspread.
Then he christened it “The Dauntless,”
Though why I could never see;
For a ship more free from danger
In the world there could not be.
So long as she holds together,
With her timbers strong and sound,
The lake will but gently rock her,
The mountains will wall her round.
Far off in the Rocky mountains,
And two miles up in the air,
On the lake so blue and shining,
Her light burdens she will bear.
And if you will come some summer
And journey our mountains through,
You can sail in this Yacht Dauntless,
And see I have told you true!