Heard the whippoorwill and owl.

Heard the alligator bellow,

Saw him swim the broad bayou,

Saw the egret, crane and heron,

Wading stark and tree-cuckoo.

Trackless miles spread out before him,

Stretching leagues of gama grass

Lay across the course he traveled,

Lay out where he had to pass.

Dangling mosses from the tree tops,