 | The Baroness of New York |  |
XIII.
And still she trusted he would come;
Still stood with hands clasped sad and dumb,
All patient in her trust and hope.
But when she saw the strong ship ride
Through smoke and flame along the tide,
And heard the clank of chain and rope,
Her love gave place to rage once more
And wild she called along the shore.
Still stood with hands clasped sad and dumb,
All patient in her trust and hope.
But when she saw the strong ship ride
Through smoke and flame along the tide,
And heard the clank of chain and rope,
Her love gave place to rage once more
And wild she called along the shore.
Then like a startled deer she stood!
Her high head lifted, and her hair
Blew wild and stormy. Strong and bare
Her two arms stretched across the flood.
Her foot struck hard the solid land,
Her face looked fury and command.
The while the hag crept from the tide,
And cat-like crouched close at her side.
Her high head lifted, and her hair
95
Her two arms stretched across the flood.
Her foot struck hard the solid land,
Her face looked fury and command.
The while the hag crept from the tide,
And cat-like crouched close at her side.
“Betrayed! betrayed, and only you
My tawny, wrinkled creature, true.”
The wrinkled hag with grinning face
Then drew her slim bark from its place,
And bade her enter in and fly
With her beyond the flames, or die.
My tawny, wrinkled creature, true.”
The wrinkled hag with grinning face
Then drew her slim bark from its place,
And bade her enter in and fly
With her beyond the flames, or die.
Curs'd Doughal kept his deck and cried
For her aloud. His wild words died
Amid the awful din. She knew
Not any heart or hand so true
As this last relic of her race,
Who bore her fainting from the place,
And laid her in her slim canoe.
For her aloud. His wild words died
Amid the awful din. She knew
Not any heart or hand so true
As this last relic of her race,
Who bore her fainting from the place,
And laid her in her slim canoe.
Black Mungo strode his deck and swore,
With pike and pistol clutched in hand,
As seamen never swore before.
He saw the hag's bark pass hard by,
He heard Adora's fainting cry.
He saw, but could not understand,
The wrack that rent on every hand.
“That horrid hag!” he cursing cried,
And sent a bullet in her side.
With pike and pistol clutched in hand,
As seamen never swore before.
96
He heard Adora's fainting cry.
He saw, but could not understand,
The wrack that rent on every hand.
“That horrid hag!” he cursing cried,
And sent a bullet in her side.
Yet still she rowed against the flood,
And as she leaned a stream of blood
Fell from her side into the tide.
And all the while Adora lay
As some dead body borne away.
And as she leaned a stream of blood
Fell from her side into the tide.
And all the while Adora lay
As some dead body borne away.
| The Baroness of New York | |