In the full foam of wrath and dread,
To me the desert-born was led :
They bound me on, that menial throng,
Upon his back with many a thong;
They loosed him with a sudden lash:
Away! away!-and on we dash!-
Torrents less rapid and less rash.

2. Away, away, my steed and I,

jpon the pinions of the wind,
All human dwellings left behind;
we sped like meteors through the sky,
When with its crackling sound, the night
Is checkered with the northern light;
Town,-village,-none were on our track,
But a wild plain of far extent,

And bounded by a forest black;
The sky was dull, and dim, and gray,
And a low breeze crept moaning by;
I could have answered with a sigh;
But fast we fled, away, away,
And I could neither sigh nor pray;
And my cold sweat-drops fell, like rain,
Upon the courser's bristling mane.

3. We neared the wild-wood--'twas so wide,
I saw no bounds on either side:
e;
The boughs gave way, and did not tear
My limbs, and I found strength to bear
My wounds, already scarred with cold-
My bonds forbade to loose my hold.

We rustled through the leaves like wind,
Left shrubs, and trees, and wolves behind.
By night I heard them on my track;
Their troop came hard upon our back,

With their long gallop, which can tiro
The hound's deep hate, and hunter's fire;
Where'er we flew they followed on,

Nor left us with the morning sun.
Oh! how I wished for spear or sword,
At least to die amidst the horde,

And perish, if it must be so,

At bay, destroying many a foe!

My heart turned sick, my brain grew sore,
And throbbed awhile, then beat no more.

4. The skies spun like a mighty wheel;
I saw the trees like drunkards reel,
And a slight flash sprang o'er my eyes,
Which saw no further: he who dies
Can die no more than then I died,
O'ertortured by that ghastly ride.

5. A trampling troop; I see them come!
In one vast squadron they advance !
The sight re-nerved my courser's feet,
A moment staggering, feebly fleet,
A moment with a faint low neigh,
He answered, and then fell ;
With gasps and glazing eyes he lay,
And reeking limbs immovable :

His first and last career is done!
On came the troop-they saw him stoop,
They saw me strangely bound along
His back with many a bloody thong;
They snort-they foam-neigh―swerve aside,
And backward to the forest fly,

By instinct, from a human eye.

They left me there to my despair,

Linked to the dead and stiffening wretch,
Whose lifeless limbs beneath me stretch,-
Relieved from that unwonted weight,
From whence I could not extricate
Nor him nor me; and there we lay,
The dying on the dead.

BYRON.

Pûr'chase, a hold or force by | Cher'ished, loved; cared for.

which bodies are moved.

Ruse, a fraud; stratagem; deceit. Be trayed', made known; exposed.

Do měs'ti ea'tion, the training of wild animals.

The

Ham'pered, restrained; impeded.

Lăr'i at, a lasso; a leather rope. Străn'gu la'tion, the act of choking.

Hob❜ble, to tie the feet together.

THE Comanche warriors are probably the most thorough horsemen in the world. From the earliest infancy, the forest-born boy is taught to look upon the horse as the inseparable companion of his lifewhether it is to swoop with him, like an eagle, through the dust and thunder of the buffalo chase, or bear him gallantly on the trail of war. It is, in fact, their wonderful riding that has made the name of the tribe a terror on the wide plains of the southwest.

2. There is one warlike feat in which all the Comanche warriors are trained from boyhood. As the rider is dashing along with his horse at full speed, he will suddenly drop over the side of the animal, leaving no part

of his person visible, except the sole of one foot, which is fastened over the horse's back as a purchase by which to pull himself to an upright position.

3. In this attitude he can ride for any distance, and, moreover, can use with deadly effect either his bow or his fourteen-foot lance. One of their favorite modes of attack is to gallop toward the enemy at full speed, and

then, just before they come within range, to drop upon the opposite side of their horses, dash by the foe, and pour upon him a shower of arrows directed from under the horses' necks, and sometimes even from under their bodies the warriors themselves being wholly protected by the bodies of their flying steeds.

4. Sometimes the Comanches try to steal upon their

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enemies by leaving their lances behind them, slinging themselves along the sides of their horses, and approaching carelessly, as though it were a troop of wild horses, roaming without riders. A quick eye is needed to detect this ruse, which is generally betrayed by the fact that the horses always keep the same side toward the spectator, which would seldom be the case were they wild and unrestrained in their movements.

5. Every warrior has one favorite horse, which he never mounts except for war or the chase, using inferior animals on ordinary occasions. Swiftness is the chief quality for which the charger is selected, and for no price could the owner be induced to part with him. Like all uncivilized people, he treats his horse with a strange mixture of cruelty and kindness. While engaged in the chase, for example, he spurs and whips him most ruthlessly; but the moment he returns, the horse is handed over to his women, who greet him with caresses and provide for his comfort, as though he were the most cherished member of the family.

6. The mode in which these Indians supply themselves with horses is bold and strange. In various parts of the country large bands of horses have run free for many years, so that they have lost all traces of domestication, and have become as truly wild as the buffalo or antelope-assembling in herds, which are headed by the strongest and swiftest animals.

7. It is from these herds that the warriors supply themselves with the horses which have of late years become absolutely necessary to them; and in most cases they are captured in fair chase. When a Comanche wishes to catch a fresh horse, he mounts his best steed and goes in search of the nearest herd. When he comes as near as he desires without being discovered, he