 | [Rifle and bow, in] West Point tic tacs |  |
118
RIFLE AND BOW.
The red man, whom our hardy sires
Found in possession of the land;
Who built in woods his wigwam fires,
And smoked his pipe; or, bow in hand,
Crept on the wild deer, or the bear—
Or tracked the panther to his lair:
Found in possession of the land;
Who built in woods his wigwam fires,
And smoked his pipe; or, bow in hand,
Crept on the wild deer, or the bear—
Or tracked the panther to his lair:
119
Who, grim, and hard of heart at best,
Daubed in his war-paint, stole away,
With twenty devils in his breast,
To where his hated foeman lay,
Whom, if asleep he could not find,
And his strong arms in pinions bind,
Daubed in his war-paint, stole away,
With twenty devils in his breast,
To where his hated foeman lay,
Whom, if asleep he could not find,
And his strong arms in pinions bind,
To burn him at the dreadful stake,
He would devote to sudden death;
As suddenly his scalp would take,
And mock the rattle in his breath:
Then, if pappoose and squaw he saw,
Would massacre pappoose and squaw!
He would devote to sudden death;
As suddenly his scalp would take,
And mock the rattle in his breath:
Then, if pappoose and squaw he saw,
Would massacre pappoose and squaw!
These bronzed barbarians of the Past,
Cast in the moulds of hell, are gone;
Their world was wanted, far and fast
We drove them towards the setting sun.
Ay—and if future need should be,
We'll drown them in the western sea!
Cast in the moulds of hell, are gone;
Their world was wanted, far and fast
We drove them towards the setting sun.
Ay—and if future need should be,
We'll drown them in the western sea!
With iron nets we hold their trail;
They find us wheresoe'er they go;
Though fierce, they cannot make us quail,
Nor match the rifle with the bow.
We'll give them graves, and let them try
The happy hunting grounds on high!
They find us wheresoe'er they go;
Though fierce, they cannot make us quail,
Nor match the rifle with the bow.
We'll give them graves, and let them try
The happy hunting grounds on high!
| [Rifle and bow, in] West Point tic tacs | |