Fire in the Woods; or, The Old Settler's Story

WHEN first I settled in the woods,
There were no neighbours nigh,
And scarce a living thing, save wolves,
And Molly dear, and I.
We had our troubles, ne'er a doubt,
In those wild woods alone ;
But then, sir, I was bound to have
A homestead of my own.

This was my field of battle, and
The forest was my foe,
And here I fought with ne'er a thought,
Save " lay the giants low."
I toiled in hope — got in a crop,
And Molly watched the cattle ;
To keep those " breachy " steers away,
She had a weary battle.

The devil's dears were those two steers,
Ah, they were born fence-breakers !
And sneaked all day, and watched their prey,
Like any salt-sea wreckers.
And gradually, as day by day,
My crop grew golden yellow,
My heart and hope grew with that crop,
I was a happy fellow.

That crop would set me on my feet,
And I'd have done with care ;
I built away, the live-long day,
Such " castles in the air ! "
I'd beaten poverty at last,
And, like a little boy
When he has got his first new coat,
I fairly leapt for joy.

I blush to think upon it yet
That I was such a fool ;
But young folks must learn wisdom, sir,
In old Misfortune's school.
One fatal night, I thought the wind
Gave some unwonted sighs,
Down through the swamp I heard a tramp
Which took me by surprise.

Is this an earthquake drawing near ?
The forest moans and shivers ;
And then I thought that I could hear
The rushing of great rivers ;
And while I looked and listened there,
A herd of deer swept by,
As from a close pursuing foe
They madly seemed to fly.

But still those sounds, in long deep bounds,
Like warning heralds came,
And then I saw, with fear and awe,
The heavens were all aflame.

ALEXANDER M'LACHLAN. in
I knew the woods must be on fire,
I trembled for my crop ;
As I stood there, in mute despair,
It seem'd the death of hope.

On, on it came, a sea of flame,
In long deep rolls of thunder,
And drawing near, it seem'd to tear
The heavens and earth asunder !
How those waves snored, and raged, and roared,
And reared in wild commotion !
On, on they came, like steeds of flame
Upon a burning ocean.

How they did snort, in fiendish sport,
As at the great elms dashing ;
And how they tore 'mong hemlocks hoar,
And through the pines went crashing ;
While serpents wound the trunks around,
Their eyes like demons gleaming,
And wrapped like thongs around the prongs,
And to the crests went screaming !

Ah ! how they swept, and madly leapt,
From shrinking spire to spire,
'Mid hissing hail, and in their trail
A waving lake of fire !
Anon some whirlwind, all aflame,
Growled in the ocean under ;
Then up would reel a fiery wheel
And belch forth smoke and thunder !

And it was all that we could do
To save ourselves by flight,
As from its track we madly flew,
Oh ! 'twas an awful night !
When all was past, I stood aghast,
My crop and shanty gone,
And blackened trunks 'mid smouldering chunks
Like spectres looking on !

A host of skeletons they seemed,
Amid the twilight dim,
All standing there in their despair,
With faces gaunt and grim ;
And I stood like a spectre too,
A ruined man was I,
And nothing left, — what could I do
But sit me down and cry ?

A heavy heart indeed was mine,
For I was ruined wholly,
And I gave way that awful day
To moping melancholy ;
I lost my all, in field and stall,
And nevermore would thrive,
All save those steers, — the devil's dears
Had saved themselves alive.

Nor would I have a farm to-day,
Had it not been for Molly,
She cheered me up, and charmed away
My moping melancholy ;
She schemed and planned to keep the land,
And cultivate it too ;
And how I moiled, and strained, and toiled,
And fought the battle through.

Yes, Molly played her part full well ;
She's plucky, every inch, sir!
It seemed to me the " deil himsel' "
Could not make Molly flinch, sir ;
We wrought and fought, until our star
Got into the ascendant ;
At troubles past we smile at last,
And now we're independent !