The road-side on the slope of a wooded hill near Fort Edward . The speakers , two young soldiers ,— Students in arms . 1st Student . These were the evenings last year , when the bell From the old college tower , would find us still Under the shady elms , with sauntering step And book in hand , or on the dark grass stretched , Or lounging on the fence , with skyward gaze Amid the sunset warble . Ah ! that world ,— That world we lived in then — where is it now ? Like earth to the departed dead , methinks . 2nd Stud . Yet oftenest , of that homeward path I think , Amid the deepening twilight slowly trod , And I can hear the click of that old gate , As once again , amid the chirping yard , I see the summer rooms , open and dark , And on the shady step the sister stands , Her merry welcome , in a mock reproach , Of Love 's long childhood breathing . Oh this year , This year of blood hath made me old , and yet , Spite of my manhood now , with all my heart , I could lie down upon this grass and weep For those old blessed times , the times of peace again . 1st Stud . There will be weeping , Frank , from older eyes , Or e'er again that blessed time shall come . Hearts strong and glad now , must be broke ere then : Wild tragedies , that for the days to come Shall faery pastime make , must yet ere then Be acted here ; ay , with the genuine clasp Of anguish , and fierce stabs , not buried in silk robes , But in hot hearts , and sighs from wrung souls ’ depths . And they shall walk in light that we have made , They of the days to come , and sit in shadow Of our blood-reared vines , not counting the wild cost . Thus ‘ tis : among glad ages many ,— one — In garlands lies , bleeding and bound . Times past , And times to come , on ours , as on an altar — Have laid down their griefs , and unto us Is given the burthen of them all . 2nd Stud . And yet , See now , how pleasantly the sun shines there Over the yellow fields , to the brown fence Its hour of golden beauty — giving still . And but for that faint ringing from the fort , That comes just now across the vale to us , And this small band of soldiers planted here , I could think this was peace , so calmly there , The afternoon amid the valley sleeps . 1st Stud . Yet in the bosom of this gentle time , The crisis of an age-long struggle heaves . 2nd Stud . Age-long ?— Why , this land 's history can scarce Be told in ages , yet . 1st Stud . But this war 's can . In that small isle beyond the sea , Francis , Ages , ages ago , its light first blazed . This is the war . Old , foolish , blind prerogative , In ermines wrapped , and sitting on king 's thrones ; Against young reason , in a peasant 's robe His king 's brow hiding . For the infant race Weaves for itself the chains its manhood scorns ,The reverence of humanity , that gold Which makes power 's glittering round , ordained of God But for the lovely majesty of right , Unto a mad usurper , yielding , all , Making the low and lawless will of man Vicegerent of that law and will divine , Whose image only , reason hath , on earth . This is the struggle :— here , we 'll fight it out . ‘ Twas all too narrow and too courtly there ; In sight of that old pageantry of power We were , in truth , the children of the past , Scarce knowing our own time : but here , we stand In nature 's palaces , and we are men ;— Here , grandeur hath no younger dome than this ; And now , the strength which brought us o'er the deep , Hath grown to manhood with its nurture here ,— Now that they heap on us abuses , that Had crimsoned the first William 's cheek , to name ,— We 're ready now — for our last grapple with blind power .DIALOGUE II . The same . A group of ragged soldiers in conference . 1st Soldier . I am flesh and blood myself , as well as the rest of you , but there is no use in talking . What the devil would you do ?— You may talk till dooms-day , but what 's to hinder us from serving our time out ?— and that 's three months yet . Ay , there 's the point . Show me that . 2nd Sol . Three months ! Ha , thank Heaven mine is up to-morrow ; and , I 'll tell you what , boys , before the sun goes down to-morrow night , you will see one Jack Richards trudging home ,— trudging home , Sirs ! None of your bamboozling , your logic , and your figures . A good piece of bread and butter is the figure for me . But you should hear the Colonel , though , as the time draws nigh . Lord ! you 'd think I was the General at least . Humph , says I . 3d Sol . Ay , ay ,— feed you on sugar-candy till they get you to sign , and then comes the old shoes and moccasins .—— 2nd Sol . And that 's true enough , Ned . I 've eaten myself , no less than two very decent pair in the service . I 'll have it out of Congress yet though , I 'll be hanged if I do n't . None of your figures for me ! I say , boys , I am going home . 1st Sol . Well , go home , and — can n't any body else breathe ? Why do n't you answer me , John ?— What would you have us do ?— 4th Sol . Ask Will Wilson there . 1st Sol . Will ?— Where is he ? 4th Sol . There he stands , alongside of the picket there , his hands in his pockets , whistling , and looking as wise as the dragon . Mind you , there 's always something pinching at the bottom of that same whistle , though its such a don'thYpppHeNcare sort of a whistle too . Ask Will , he 'll tell you . 3d Sol . Ay , Will has been to the new quarters to-day . See , he 's coming this way . 5th Sol . And he saw Striker there , fresh from the Jerseys , come up along with that new General there , yesterday . 3d Sol . General Arnold ? 5th Sol . Ay , ay , General Arnold it is . 6th Sol .I say , boys —— 4th Sol . What 's the matter , Will ? 6th Sol . Do you want to know what they say below ? The same . 1st Officer . I cannot conceal it from you , Sir ; there is but one feeling about it , as far as I can judge , and I had some chances in my brief journey — 2nd Off . Were you at head-quarters ? 1st Off . Yes ,— and every step of this retreating army only makes it more desperate . I never knew any thing like the mad , unreasonable terror this army inspires . Burgoyne and his Indians !— “ Burgoyne and the Indians ” — there is not a girl on the banks of the Connecticut that does not expect to see them by her father 's door ere day-break . Colonel Leslie , what were those men concealing so carefully as we approached just now ?— Did you mark them ? 2nd Off . Yes . If I am not mistaken , it was the paper we were speaking of . 1st Off . Ay , ay ,— I thought as much . 2nd Off . General Arnold , I am surprised you should do these honest men the injustice to suppose that such an impudent , flimsy , bombastic tirade as that same proclamation of Burgoyne 's , should have a feather 's weight with any mother 's son of them . A room in the Parsonage ,— an old-fashioned summer parlor .— - On the side a door and windows opening into an orchard , in front , a yard filled with shade trees . The view beyond bounded by a hill partly wooded . A young girl , in the picturesque costume of the time , lies sleeping on the antique sofa . Annie sits by a table , covered with coarse needlework , humming snatches of songs as she works . Annie ,Soft peace spreads her wings and flies weeping away . Soft peace spreads her wings and flies weeping away . And flies weeping away . The red cloud of war o'er our forest is scowling , Soft peace spreads her wings and flies weeping away . Come blow the shrill bugle , the war dogs are howling , Already they eagerly snuff out their prey — The red cloud of war — the red cloud of war — Yes , let me see now ,— with a little plotting this might make two — two , at least ,— and then — The red cloud of war o'er our forest is scowling , Soft peace spreads her wings and flies weeping away , The infants affrighted cling close to their mothers , The youths grasp their swords , and for combat prepare ; While beauty weeps fathers , and lovers , and brothers , Who are gone to defend — — Alas ! what a golden , delicious afternoon is blowing without there , wasting for ever ; and never a glimpse of it . Delicate work this ! Here 's a needle might serve for a genuine stiletto ! No matter ,— it is the cause ,— it is the cause that makes , as my mother says , each stitch in this clumsy fabric a grander thing than the flashing of the bravest lance that brave knight ever won .The brooks are talking in the dell , Tul la lul , tul la lul , The brooks are talking low , and sweet , Under the boughs where th ’ arches meet ; Come to the dell , come to the dell , Oh come , come . The birds are singing in the dell , Wee wee whoo , wee wee whoo ; The birds are singing wild and free , In every bough of the forest tree , Come to the dell , come to the dell , Oh come , come . And there the idle breezes lie , Whispering , whispering , Whispering with the laughing leaves . And nothing says each idle breeze , But come , come , come , O lady come , Come to th ’ dell . A little glen in the woods near Fort Edward . A young British Officer appears , attended by a soldier in the American uniform ; the latter with a small sealed pacquet in his hand . A chamber in the Parsonage . Helen leaning from the open window . The hill — Night — Large fires burning — Sentinels dimly seen in the back-ground . A young Indian steals carefully from the thicket . He examines the ground and the newly-felled trees . Chamber in the Parsonage . Moonlight . Annie sitting by the window , the door open into an adjoining room . The porch . Helen waiting the return of her messenger from the hut . The British camp . Moonlight . A lady in a rich travelling dress , standing in the door of a log-hut . The interior of a tent . Maitland , in travelling equipments , pacing the floor . Lady Ackland 's door . The Hill . The Student 's Night-watch . How beautiful the night , through all these hours Of nothingness , with ceaseless music wakes Among the hills , trying the melodies Of myriad chords on the lone , darkened air , With lavish power , self-gladdened , caring nought That there is none to hear . How beautiful ! That men should live upon a world like this , Uncovered all , left open every night To the broad universe , with vision free To roam the long bright galleries of creation , Yet , to their strange destiny ne'er wake . Yon mighty hunter in his silver vest , That o'er those azure fields walks nightly now , In his bright girdle wears the self-same gems That on the watchers of old Babylon Shone once , and to the soldier on her walls Marked the swift hour , as they do now to me . Prose is the dream , and poetry the truth . That which we call reality , is but Reality 's worn surface , that one thought Into the bright and boundless all might pierce , There 's not a fragment of this weary real That hath not in its lines a story hid Stranger than aught wild chivalry could tell . There 's not a scene of this dim , daily life , But , in the splendor of one truthful thought As from creation 's palette freshly wet , Might make young romance 's loveliest picture dim , And e'en the wonder-land of ancient song ,—— Old Fable 's fairest dream , a nursery rhyme . How calm the night moves on , and yet In the dark morrow , that behind those hills Lies sleeping now , who knows what waits ?— ‘ Tis well . He that made this life , I 'll trust with another . To be ,— there was the risk . We might have waked Amid a wrathful scene , but this ,— with all Its lovely ordinances of calm days , The golden morns , the rosy evenings , Its sweet sabbath hours and holy homes ,—— If the same hidden hand from whence these sprung , That dark gate opens , what need we fear there ?—— Here 's wrath , but none that hath not its sure pathway Upward leading ,— there are tears , but ‘ tis A school-time weariness ; and many a breeze And lovely warble from our native hills , Through the dim casement comes , over the worn And tear-wet page , unto the listening ear Of our home sighing — to the listening ear . Ah , what know we of life ?— of that strange life That this , in many a folded rudiment , With nature 's low , unlying voice , doth point to . Is it not very like what the poor grub Knows of the butterfly 's gay being ?—— With its colors strange , fragrance , and song , And robes of floating gold with gorgeous dyes , And loveliest motion o'er wide , blooming worlds . That dark dream had ne'er imaged !—— Ay , sing on , Sing on , thou bright one , with the news of life , The everlasting , winging o'er our vale . Oh warble on , thy high , strange song . What sayest thou ?— a land o'er these dark cliffs , A land all glory , where the day ne'er setteth —— Where bright creatures , mid the deathless shades , Go singing , shouting evermore ? And yet ‘ Twere vain . That wild tale hath no meaning here , Thou warbler from afar . Like music Of a foreign tongue , on our dull sense , The rich thought wastes .— We have been nursed in tears , Thro ’ all we 've known of life , we have known grief , And is there none in life 's deep essence mixed ? Is sorrow but the young soul 's garment then ?—— A baby mantle , doffed forever here , Within these lowly walls . And we were born Amid a glad creation !— - then why hear we ne'er The silver shout , filling the unmeasured heaven ?—— Why catch we e'er the rich plume 's rustle soft , Or sweep of passing lyre ! Our tearful home Hung ‘ mid a gay , rejoicing universe , And ne'er a glimpse adown its golden paths ?—— Oh are there eyes , soft eyes upon us , In the dark and in the day , shining unseen , And everlasting smiles , brightening unfelt On all our tears : News sweet and strange ye bring . Hither we came from our Creator 's hands , Bright earnest ones , looking for joy , and lo , A stranger met us at the gate of life , A stranger dark , and wrapped us in her robe , And bore us on through a dim vale .— Ah , not The world we looked for ,— for an image in . Our souls was born , of a high home , that yet We have not seen . And were our childhood 's yearnings , Its strange hopes , no dreams then ,— dim revealings Of a land that yet we travel to ?—— But thou , oh foster-mother , mournful nurse , So long upon thy sable vest we 're leaned , Thou art grown dear to us , and when at last At yonder blue and burning gate Thou yieldest up thy trust , and joy at last In her own wild embrace enfolds us once , e'en From the jewelled bosom of that dazzling one , From the young roses of that smiling face , Shall we not turn to thee , for one last glimpse Of that wan cheek , and solemn eye of love , And watch thy stately step , far down This dim world 's fading paths ? Take us , kind sorrow ! We will lean our young head meekly on thee ; Good and holy is thy ministry , Oh handmaid of the Halls thou ne'er mayst tread . And let the darkness gather round that world , Not for the vision of thy glittering walls We ask , nor glimpse of brilliant troops that roam Thine ancient streets , thou sunless city ,— Wrap thy strange pavillions still in clouds , Let the shades slumber round thy many homes , By faith , and not by sight , through lowly paths Of goodness , sorrow-led , to thee we come . PART FOURTH . FULFILMENT . DIALOGUE I . The ground before the fort . Baggage wagons . Cannon dismounted . Confused sounds within . A soldier is seen leaning on his rifle .2nd Sol . It 's morning ! Look in the east there . What are we waiting for ? 1st Sol . Eh ! The devil knows best , I reckon , Sir . 2nd Sol . Hillo , John ! What 's the matter there ? Here 's day-break upon us ! What are we waiting for ?3d Sol . To build a bridge — that is all . 2nd Sol . A bridge ? 3d Sol . We shall be off by to-morrow night , no doubt of it ,— if we do n't chance to get cooked and eaten before that time ,— some little risk of that . 2nd Sol . But what 's the matter below there , I say ? The bridge ? what ails it ? 3d Sol . Just as that last wagon was going over , down comes the bridge , Sirs , or a good piece of it at least .— What else could it do ?— timbers half sawn away ! 2nd Sol . Some of that young jackanape 's work ! Aid-de-camp ! I 'd aid him . He must be ordering and fidgetting , and fuming .— Could not wait till we were over . 1st Sol . All of a piece , boys ! 3d Sol . Humph . I wish it had been ,— the bridge , I mean . 1st Sol . But , I say , do n't you see how every thing , little and great , goes one way , and that , against us ? Chance has no currents like this ! It 's a bad side that Providence frowns on . I think when Heaven deserts a cause , it 's time for us poor mortals to begin to think about it . 3d Sol . Now , if you are going to do so mean a thing as that , do n't talk about Heaven — prythee do n't .4th Sol .Yankee doodle is the tune Americans delight in , ‘ Twill do to whistle , sing , or play , And just the thing for fighting . Yankee doodle , boys , huzza ——I do not like the looks of it , Will . 5th Sol . Of what ? 4th Sol . Of the morning that begins to glimmer in the east there . 5th Sol . No ? Why , I was thinking just now I never saw a handsomer summer 's dawning . That first faint light on the woods and meadows , there is nothing I like better . See , it has reached the river now . 4th Sol . But the mornings we saw two years ago looked on us with another sort of eye than this ,— it is not the glimmer of the long , pleasant harvest day that we see there . 5th Sol . We have looked on mornings that promised better , I 'll own . I would rather be letting down the bars in the old meadow just now , or hawing with my team down the brake ; with the children by my side to pick the ripe blackberries for our morning meal , than standing here in these rags with a gun on my shoulder . Let well alone .— We could not though . 4th Sol .See , they are beginning to form again . It looks for all the world like a funeral train . 5th Sol . What was the Stamp Act to us , or all the acts beyond the sea that ever were acted , so long as they left us our golden fields , our Sabbath days , the quiet of the summer evening door , and the merry winter hearth . The Stamp Act ? It would have been cheaper for us to have written our bills on gold-leaf , and for tea , to have drunk melted jewels , like the queen I read of once ; cheaper and better , a thousand times , than the bloody cost we are paying now . 4th Sol . It was not the money , Will ,— it was not the money , you know . The wrong it was . We could not be trampled on in that way ,— it was not in us — we could not . 5th Sol . Ay , ay . A fine thing to get mad about was that when we sat in the door of a moonlight evening and the day 's toils were done . It was easy talking then . Trampled on ! I will tell you when I was nearest being trampled on , Andros ,— when I lay on the ground below there last winter ,— on the frozen ground , with the blood running out of my side like a river , and a great high-heeled German walking over my shoulder as if I had been a hickory log . I can tell you , Sir , that other was a moon-shiny sort of a trampling to that . I shall bear to be trampled on in figures the better for it , as long as I live . Between ourselves now —— 4th Sol . There 's no one here . 5th Sol . There are voices around that corner , though . Come this way .1st Sol . Then if nothing else happens , we are off now . Hillo , Martin ! Here we go again — skulking away . Hey ? What do you say now ? Hey , Mr. Martin , what do you say now ? 2nd Sol .What I said before . 1st Sol . But where is all this to end , Sir ? Tell us that — tell us that . 3d Sol . Yes , yes ,— tell us that . If you do n't see Burgoyne safe in Albany by Friday night , never trust me , Sirs . 1st Sol . A bad business we 've made of it . 4th Sol . Suppose he gets to Albany ;— do you think that would finish the war ? 3d Sol . Well , indeed , I thought that was settled on all hands , Sir . I believe the General himself makes no secret of that . 4th Sol . And what becomes of us all then ? We shall go back to the old times again , I suppose ;— were n't so very bad though , Sam , were they ? 1st Sol . We have seen worse , I 'll own . 3d Sol . And what becomes of our young nation here , with its congress and its army , and all these presidents , and generals , and colonels , and aide-de-camps ?— wont it look like a great baby-house when the hubbub is over , and the colonies settle quietly down again ? 2nd Sol . Faith , you take it very coolly . Before that can happen , do you know what must happen to you ? 1st Sol . Nothing worse than this , I reckon . 2nd Sol .4th Sol . What would they hang us though ? Do you think they would really hang us , John ? 2nd Sol . Wait and see . 1st Sol . Nonsense ! nonsense ! A few of the ringleaders , Schuyler , and Hancock , and Washington , and a few such , they will hang of course ,— but for the rest ,— we shall have to take the oath anew , and swallow a few duties with our sugar and tea , and —— 2nd Sol . You talk as if the matter were all settled already . 1st Sol . There is no more doubt of it , than that you and I stand here this moment . Why , they are flocking to Skeensborough from all quarters now , and this poor fragment ,— this miserable skeleton of an army , which is the only earthly obstacle between Burgoyne and Albany , why , even this is crumbling to pieces as fast as one can reckon . Two hundred less than we were yesterday at this hour , and to-morrow — how many are off to-morrow ? Ay , and what are we doing the while ? Bowing and retreating , cap in hand , from post to post , from Crown Point to Ticonderoga , from Ticonderoga to Fort Edward , from Fort Edward onward ; just showing them down , as it were , into the heart of the land . Let them get to Albany — Ah , let them once get to Albany , they 'll need no more of our help then , they 'll take care of themselves then and us too . 2nd Sol . They 'll never get to Albany . 1st Sol . Hey ? 2nd Sol . They 'll never get to Albany . 1st Sol . What 's to hinder them ? 2nd Sol . We ,— yes we ,— and such as we , craven-hearted as we are . They 'll never get to Albany until we take them there captives . 3d Sol . Then they 'll wait till next week , I reckon . 1st Sol . Ha ha ha ! Ha ha ha ! How many prisoners shall we have a-piece , John ? How many regiments , I mean ? They 'll open the windows when we get there , wo n't they ? I hope the sun will shine that day . How grandly we shall march down the old hill there , with our train behind us . I shall have to borrow a coat of one of them though , they might be ashamed of their captor else . 3d Sol . When is this great battle to be , John ? This do n't look much like it . 4th Sol . I think myself , if the General would only give us a chance to fight —— 2nd Sol . A chance to throw your life away ,— he will never give you . A chance to fight , you will have ere long ,— doubt it not . Our General might clear his blackened fame , by opposing this force to that ,— this day he might ;— he will not do it . The time has not yet come . But he will spare no pains to strengthen the army , and prepare it for victory , and the glory he will leave to his rival . Recruits will be pouring in ere long . General Burgoyne 's proclamation has weakened us ,— General Schuyler will issue one himself to-day . 1st Sol . Will he ? will he ? What will he proclaim ?— As to the recruits he gets , I 'll eat them all , skin and bone . What will he proclaim ? You see what Burgoyne offers us . On the one hand , money and clothing , and protection for ourselves and our families ; and on the other , the cord , and the tomahawk , and the scalping-knife . Now , what will General Schuyler set down over against these two columns ?— What will he offer us ?— To lend us a gun , maybe ,— leave to follow him from one post to another , barefooted and starving , and for our pains to be cursed and reviled for cowards from one end of the land to the other . And what will he threaten ? Ha , we were cowards indeed , if we feared what he could threaten . What thing in human nature will he speak to ?— say . 2nd Sol . I will tell you . To that spirit in human nature which resists the wrong , the fiendish wrong threatened there . Ay , in the basest nature that power sleeps , and out of the bosom of Omnipotence there is nothing stronger . It has wakened here once , and this war is its fruit . It slumbers now . Let Burgoyne look to it that he rouse it not himself for us . Let him look to it . For every outrage of those fiendish legions , thank God .— It lays a finger on the spring of our only strength . What will he offer us ? I will tell you .— A chance to live , or to die ,— men ,— ay , to leave a sample of manhood on the earth , that shall wring tears from the selfish of unborn ages , as they feel for once the depths of the slumbering and godlike nature within them . And Burgoyne ,— oh ! a coat and a pair of shoes , he offers , and — how many pounds ?— Are you men ? 4th Sol . What do you say , Sam ?— Talks like a minister , do n't he ? 1st Sol . Come , come ,— there 's the drum , boys . You do n't bamboozle me again ! I 've heard all that before . 3d Sol . Nor me .— I do n't intend to have my wife and children tomahawked ,— do n't think I can stand that , refugee or not . 2nd Sol . Here they come .5th Sol . All 's ready , all 's ready . 6th Sol .“ Come blow the shrill bugle , the war dogs are howling , ” —DIALOGUE II . Before the door of the Parsonage . Trunks , boxes , and various articles of furniture , scattered about the yard . Two men coming down the path . A Chamber partly darkened , the morning air steals faintly through the half-open shutters . Helen before the mirror , leaning upon the toilette , her face buried in her hands , her long hair unbound , and flowing on her shoulders . The hill . A young Soldier enters . How gloriously , with what a lonely majesty the morning wastes in that silent valley there ; with its moving shadows , and breeze and sunshine , and its thousand delicious sounds mocking those desolate homes ——This is strange , indeed . This feeling that I cannot analyze , still grows upon me . Presentiment ? Some dark , swift-flying thought , leaves its trace , and the cause-seeking mind , in the range of its own vision finding none , looks to the shadowy future for it .1st Chief . Hoogh ! Hoogh ! Alaska fights to revenge his son ,— we spill our blood to revenge his son , and he thinks to win gifts besides . Hugh ! A brave chief he is ! 2nd Chief . Your talk is not good , Manida . They are our enemies ,— we shall conquer them , we shall see their chestnut locks waving aloft , we shall dance and shout all night around them , and the eyes of the maidens shall meet ours in the merry ring , sparkling with joy , as we shout “ Victory ! victory ! our enemies are slain ,— our foot is on their necks , we have slain our enemies ! ” What more , Manida ? Is it not enough ? 1st Chief . No . I went last night with Alaska to the camp above , to the tent of the young sachem of the lake , and he promised him presents , rich and many , for an errand that a boy might do . I asked Alaska to send me for him , and he would not . 2nd Chief . The young white sachem was Alaska 's friend , many moons ago , when Alaska was wounded and sick .— He must revenge young Siganaw , but he must keep his faith to his white friend , too . 1st Chief . Ah , but I know where the horse is hidden and the paper . When the tomahawks flash here , and the war-cry is loudest , we will steal away . Come , and I will share the prize with you . 2nd Chief . No , I will tell my brother chief that Manida is a treacherous friend . 1st Chief . You cannot . It is too late . Hist ! Quick , lower — lower —“ Then march to the roll of the drum , It summons the brave to the plain , Where heroes contend for the home Which perchance they may ne'er see again . ”Well , we are finely manned here !2nd Sol . How many men do you think we have in all , upon this hill , Edward ? 1st Sol . Hist !— more than you count on , perhaps . 2nd Sol . Why ? What is the matter ? Why do you look among those bushes so earnestly ? 1st Student . It is singular , indeed . I can hardly tell you what it is , but twice before in my round , precisely in this same spot , the same impression has flashed upon me , though the sense that gives it , if sense it is , will not bide an instant 's questioning . There ! Hist ! Did nothing move there then ? 2nd Sol . I see nothing . This comes of star-gazing , when you should have slept . Though as to that , I have nothing to complain of , certainly . I had to thank your taste that way , last night , for an hour of the most delicious slumber . It was like that we used to snatch of old , between the first stroke of the prayer-bell and its dying peal . 1st Sol . I am glad you could sleep . For myself , such a world of troubled thoughts haunted me , I found more repose in waking . 2nd Sol . Then I wish you could have shared my dream with me , as indeed you seemed to , for you were with me through it all . A blessed dream it was , and yet — 1st Sol . Well , let me share it with you now . 2nd Sol . I cannot tell you how it was , that in honor and good conscience we had effected it , but somehow , methought our part in this sickening warfare was accomplished , and we were home again . Oh the joy of it ! oh the joy of it ! Even amid my dream , methought we questioned its reality , so unearthly in its perfectness , it seemed . We stood upon the college-green , and the sun was going down with a strange , darkling splendor ; and from afar , ever and anon came the thunder roll of battle ; but we had nought to do with it ; our part was done ; our time was out ; we were to fight no more . And there we stood , watching the students ’ games ; and there too was poor Hale , merry and full of life as e'er he was , for never a thought of his cruel fate crossed my dream . Suddenly we saw two ladies , arm in arm , come swiftly down the shady street , most strangely beautiful and strangely clad , with long white robes , and garlands in their hair , and such a clear and silvery laugh , and something fearful in their loveliness withal ; and one of them , as she came smiling toward us — do you remember that bright , fair-haired girl we met in yonder lane one noon ?— Just such a smile as hers wore the lady in my dream . Then , into the old chapel we were crowding all ; that long-deferred commencement had come on at last ; we stood upon a stage , and a strange light filled all the house , and suddenly the ceiling swelled unto the skiey dome , and nations filled the galleries ; and I woke , to find myself upon a soldier 's couch , and the reveille beating . 1st Sol . Well , if it cheered you , ‘ twas a good dream most certainly , though , yet — the dream-books might not tell you so . Will you take this glass a moment ? 2nd Sol . What is it ? 1st Sol . That white house by the orchard , in the door — do you see nothing ? 2nd Sol . Yes , a figure , certainly ;— yes , now it moves . I had thought those houses were deserted ,— it is time they were I think , for all the protection we can give them . How long shall we maintain this post , think you , with such a handful ? 1st Sol . Till the preparations below are complete , I trust so at least , for we have watchers in these woods , no doubt , who would speedily report our absence . 2nd Sol . Well , if we all see yonder sun go down , ‘ tis more than I count on . 1st Sol . A chance if we do — a chance if we do . Will the hour come when this infant nation shall forget her bloody baptism ?— the holy name of truth and freedom , that with our hearts ’ blood we seal upon her in these days of fear ? 2nd Sol . Ay , that hour may come . 1st Sol . Then , with tears , and blood if need be , shall she learn it anew ; and not in vain shall the bones of the martyrs moulder in her peopled vales . For human nature , in her loftiest mood , was this beautiful land of old built , and for ages hid . Here — her cradle-dreams behind her flung ; here , on the height of ages past , her solemn eye down their long vistas turned , in a new and nobler life she shall arise here . Ah , who knows but that the book of History may show us at last on its long-marred page — Man himself ,— no longer the partial and deformed developments of his nature , which each successive age hath left as if in mockery of its ideal ,— but , man himself , the creature of thought ,— the high , calm , majestic being , that of old stood unshrinking beneath his Maker 's gaze . Even , as first he woke amid the gardens of the East , in this far western clime at last he shall smile again ,— a perfect thing . 2nd Sol . In your earnestness , you do not mark these strange sounds , Edward . Listen .3d Sol . We are surrounded ! Fly . The Indians are upon us . Fly .4th Sol . God ! They are butchering them above there , do not stand here !2nd Sol . Resistance is vain . Hear those shrieks ! There is death in them . Resistance is vain . 1st Sol . Flight is vain . Look yonder ! Francis ,— the dark hour hath come ! 2nd Sol . Is it so ? Mother and sister I shall see no more .1st Sol . We shall die together . God of Truth and Freedom , unto thee our youthful spirits trust we .DIALOGUE II . The deserted house — the chamber — Helen by the table — her head bowed and motionless . She rises slowly from her drooping posture . British Camp . The interior of a Tent richly furnished . An Officer seated at a table covered with papers and maps . A Servant in waiting . The ground before Maitland 's Tent . The slope of the Hill near Fort Edward . The road-side , shaded with stately pines and hemlocks .1st Off . Yes , here has been wild work upon this hill to-day . They were slaughtered to a man . 2nd Off . I saw a sight above there , just now , that sickened me of warfare . 1st Off . And what was that , pry'thee ? 2nd Off . Oh nothing ,— ‘ twas nothing but a dead soldier ; a common sight enough , indeed ; but this was a mere youth ;— he was lying in a little hollow on the roadside , and as I crossed in haste , I had well-nigh set my foot on his brow . Such a brow it was , so young , so noble , and the dark chesnut curls clustering about it . I think I never saw a more classic set of features , or a look of loftier courage than that which death seemed to have found and marbled in them . Hark — that 's a water-fall we hear . 1st Off . I saw him , there was another though , lying not far thence , the sight of whom moved me more . He was younger yet , or seemed so , and of a softer mould ; and , torn and bloody as they were , I fancied I could see in his garb and appointments , and in every line of his features , the traces of some mother 's tenderness . 2nd Off . Listen , Andre ! This is beautiful ! There 's some cascade not far hence , worth searching for . A little glen , darkly shaded with pines . A fountain issuing from one side , and falling with a curious murmur into the basin below .