CARVER'S CAVE.
At the bidding of man the beasts of the field
All meekly went and came;
For they feared him not, nor reason had,
But all were harmless and tame.
"Unending spring for winter's blasts
And chills gave never a place;
Each tree and bush bowed low with fruit
So they needed not the chase.
A carpet of flowers covered the earth,
While the air with their perfume
Was laden. The songs of mated birds
Rose ever in sweetest tune.
"The earth was indeed a paradise,
And man was worthy to live
'Mong these delights in tranquil peace
That merit alone can give.
The Indians—sole possession then—
Roamed here and there at will,
O'er plains and lakes and wilderness—
Ah, that it were so still!
"They numbered millions, as nature designed,
Enjoying her many gifts.
The sports of the field were their delight;
Such life the soul uplifts.
They watched the stars with loving gaze,
And thought that they must be
The homes of the good, with the Great Spirit
In the heavens roaming free.
"One night a star shone strangely bright,
Out-shining all the rest.
At first they deemed it far away,
Its nearness never guessed.
Then some declared they believed it stood
Just over the tree-tops tall.
To solve the doubt a council of
The wisest men they call.
"These went one night and found the star
Was something like a bird.
It hovered just above the trees—
They feared, for they had heard
From their forefathers that it might
A bloody war foretell,
And over them a silent dread
Of some disaster fell.