THROUGH THE METIDJA TO ABD-EL-KADR. As I ride, as I ride, Ne'er has spur my swift horse plied, As I ride, as I ride, Shows where sweat has sprung and dried, -Zebra-footed, ostrich-thighed How has vied stride with stride As I ride, as I ride! V. As I ride, as I ride, Could I loose what Fate has tied, All that's meant me: satisfied THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN; A CHILD'S STORY. (WRITTEN FOR. AND INSCRIBED TO, W. M. THE YOUNGER.) HAMELIN Town 's in Brunswick, By famous Hanover city; The river Weser, deep and wide, A pleasanter spot you never spied; But, when begins my ditty, Almost five hundred years ago, Rats. II. They fought the dogs, and killed the cats, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles, Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women's chats, III. At last the people in a body To the Town Hall came flocking: ""Tis clear," cried they, "our Mayor's a noddy; "And as for our Corporation-shocking "To think we buy gowns lined with erruine 66 Or, sure as fate, we 'll send you packing!” At this the Mayor and Corporation Quaked with a mighty consternation. IV. An hour they sate in council, At length the Mayor broke silence : "It's easy to bid one rack one's brain- Just as he said this, what should hap "Bless us,” cried the Mayor, “what 's that?' (With the Corporation as he sat, Looking little though wondrous fat; Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister Than a too-long-opened oyster, Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous For a plate of turtle green and glutinous) 66 Only a scraping of shoes on the mat? Anything like the sound of a ra 66 Makes my heart `go pit-a-pat ! ” V. "Come in!"-the Mayor cried, looking bigger: The tall man and his quaint attire: Quoth one : "It's as my great-grandsire, 66 Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone, "Had walked this way from his painted tomb-stone VI. He advanced to the council-table: And, "Please your honours," said he, "I'm able, By means of a secret charm, to draw 66 66 All creatures living beneath the sun, "That creep, or swim, or fly, or run, "On creatures that do people harm, "The mole, and toad, and newt, and viper; A scarf of red and yellow stripe, To match with his coat of the self-same cheque; And at the scarf's end hung a pipe; And his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying As if impatient to be playing Upon this pipe, as low it dangled Over his vesture so old-fangled.) "Yet," said he, "poor piper as I am, "In Tartary I freed the Cham, "Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats; "I eased in Asia the Nizam "Of a monstrous brood of vampyre-bats: "Will you give me a thousand guilders?" VII. Into the street the Piper stept, In his quiet pipe the while; Then, like a musical adept, To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails and pricking whiskers, (As he the manuscript he cherished) "And a moving away of pickle-tub-boards, 66 (Sweeter far than by harp or by psalterý 66 “And just as a bulky sugar-puncheon, "All ready staved, like a great sun shone "Glorious scarce an inch before me, "Just as methought it said, Come, bore me! "I found the Weser rolling o'er me." VIII. You should have heard the Hamelin people With a, "First, if you please, my thousand guilders!' IX. A thousand guilders! The Mayor looked blue; For council dinners made rare havock With Cla et, Moselle, Vin-de-Grave, Hock; |