40.-LEGEND OF THE CAÑON.

făth'oms, measures of length,

containing six feet each. mys'tie, wonderful.

eas eādes, small falls of water.

hoard, a stock of any thing laid

up.

em boşʻomed, half hid.
ǎl'ley, a narrow pathway.

Where the sunset's golden gleamings
On the rocky highlands N rest,
'Neath the moonlight's silver beamings
Of the distant, dreamy West,
Once there roamed an Indian lover,
With his fawn-eyed Indian fair,—
Lover blithe as mountain rover,
Maiden rich in flowing hair.

But the sleep that knows no waking
Chilled the gentle maiden's breast,
And the Brave, all hope forsaking,
Laid her in the hill to rest,-
Laid her where the eye may wander
Far o'er slopes and ledges steep,
And the mind on billows ponder-
Billows grand, but locked in sleep.

Then the Brave's bold eye was darkened,
And his hand forgot the bow;
Naught to human speech he hearkened;
Naught but sorrow would he know.
Frozen was his heart of gladness

As the summits capped with snow;
Dark his soul with sullen sadness
As their cavern depths below.

But the Great, Good Spirit sought him-
Sought him in his speechless grief,
And, in kindly promise, brought him
Matchless comfort and relief.

"Come," He said, "and see thy dearest—
See her in her spirit home;

Towards the Southland-'tis the nearest-
We shall journey, hither come!"

And they went-the Spirit leading-
Speeding with unmeasured force;
Neither hill nor valley heeding,

On, straight onward, was their course;
With the whirlwind's footstep striding,
By the smooth and rock-cut ledge,
Hills with earthquake's plow dividing-
Plowshare sharp as lightning's edge.

Such their way through hill and valley,
Cold and narrow, dark and steep,
Oped the rock-embosomed alley,

Cut a thousand fathoms deep.
Carving, piercing, cutting thorough,
Toward the drowsy southern shore,
The Spirit formed the mystic furrow,
And told its sides to meet no more.

But the Spirit, good, all-knowing,

Feared lest man's unresting race;

By the mystic pathway going,

Should mar the spirit-hunter's chase. 'Twas then He gave the torrents headway;

A thousand, thousand streams were poured;—

"Twas then adown its narrow bedway

That first the Colorado N roared.

And still the diamond drops are speeding
Down a million, rippling rills,
The headlong, rushing cascades feeding
From liquid hoard of snow-clad hills.
And still the voices of the river

Within the cañon's depths are heard,
In echoing sounds to speak forever
At the bidding of His word.

JEREMIAH MAHONEY.

Biography.-Jeremiah Mahoney was a frequent contributor to

periodical literature.

under his name.

poetical genius.

Only a few of his poems appeared in print 66 The Legend of the Cañon" fairly exhibits his

Notes and Questions. - Brave is a name given to an Indian

warrior.

The Great Spirit is the Indian expression meaning God.

The rocky highlands referred to in the first stanza are the Rocky Mountains.

Is it true that the summits of the Rocky Mountains are "capped with snow"?

Where is the Colorado River? The word Colorado is Spanish and signifies red. This name was given to this river because of the reddish color of its waters.

What is the depth of its cañons? exaggeration ?

Is "a thousand fathoms" an

Elocution.- What should be the rate in reading this poem? Mark the rhetorical pauses in the first and last stanzas. Point out the emphatic words in the second stanza. Language.

In the last stanza, word is used instead of a number of words-as in a command. The expression is an example of the figure syn ec'do ehe. Another example of the same figure occurs in the use of the words thousand and million, definite numbers for what is indefinite.

Synecdoche is the use of a part for the whole; or a whole for a part; or a definite number for an indefinite number.

Remark.-The figures used thus far in this book are Figures of Rhetoric, and will be so called in the future. They are Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Apostrophe, Hyperbole, Metonymy, and Synecdoche.

Composition.-Select the important events narrated in the poem, and write them out in the form of an analysis.

41. STANLEY'S SEARCH FOR LIVINGSTONE.

ex pǎnse, wide space. lū'çid, clear.

vălʼan çeş, curtains.

em bow'ered, nearly covered. bûrʼnished, smooth and bright. eon grǎt'u lāte, wish him joy.

so nō'rous, loud sounding.
ma jŎr'i ty, greater number.
hu mănʼi ty, mankind.
journals, accounts of daily

events.

for măl'i ties, customary forms.

arrival at the

On the second day after Stanley's capital of Unyanyembe, the Arab magnates of Tabora came to congratulate him. Tabora is the principal Arab settlement in Central Africa, with a population of about five thousand. The Arabs were fine, handsome men, mostly from Oman, and each had a large retinue of servants with him.

After having exchanged the usual stock of congratulations, Stanley accepted an invitation to return the visit at Tabora, and three days afterward, accompanied by eighteen bravely dressed soldiers, he was presented to a group of stately Arabs in long white dresses and jaunty caps of snowy white, and introduced to the hospitalities of Tabora.

On the 20th of September the American flag was again hoisted, and the caravan, consisting of fiftyfour persons, started along the southern route toward Ujiji and Livingstone.N It moved forward through forests of immense extent, that stretched in grand waves beyond the range of vision;-among ridges, forest-clad, rising gently one above another, until they receded through a leafy ocean into the purple blue distance, where was only a dim outline of a hill far away.

Stanley next passed through a grand and noble. expanse of grass-land,-which was one of the finest scenes he had witnessed since leaving the coast. Great herds of buffalo, zebra, giraffe, and antelope course through the plain, and the expedition indulged in a day or two of hunting. While crossing a river at this point, Stanley narrowly escaped being devoured by a crocodile, but cared little for the danger, led on, as he was, by the excitement of stalking wild boars and shooting buffalo cows.

N

Now from time to time, Stanley heard, from passing savages, occasional rumors of the presence of white men at various points. This encouraged him to believe that Livingstone was not far off, and gave him the necessary boldness to traverse the great wilderness beyond Marara, the crossing of which he was warned would occupy nine days. The negroes became exceedingly pleased at the prospect of their journey's end. They therefore boldly turned their faces north and marched for the Malagarazi, a large river flowing from the east to Lake Tanganyika.N

On the 1st of November they arrived at the longlooked-for river, and, after crossing the ferry, they met a caravan coming from the interior, and were told that a white man had just arrived at Ujiji.

66

'A white man?" cried Stanley.

"Yes, an old white man, with white hair on his face, and he was sick."

"Where did he come from?"

"From a very far country indeed."
"Where was he-staying at Ujiji?"
"Yes."

"And was he ever at Ujiji before?"

"Yes; he went away a long time ago."