And his blossoms drop to the ground.
He is up the bank in a moment
And, stealing through the sand,
He sees a stream not yet so large
As his slender childish hand.
‘Tis a leak in the dike! He is but a boy,
Unused to fearful scenes;
But young as he is he has learned to know
The dreadful thing that means.
A leak in the dike! The stoutest heart