Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DESCENT. My mule refreshed—and, let the truth be told, He was nor dull nor contradictory, But patient, diligent, and sure of foot, Shunning the loose stone on the precipice, Snorting suspicion while with sight, smell, touch, Trying, detecting, where the surface smiled; And with deliberate courage sliding down, Where in his sledge the Laplander had turned With looks aghast—my mule refreshed, his bells Gingled once more, the signal to depart, And we set out in the grey light of dawn, Descending rapidly—by waterfalls Fast-frozen, and among huge blocks of ice That in their long career had stopped mid-way. At length, unchecked, unbidden, he stood still; And all his bells were muffled. Then my Guide, Lowering his voice, addressed me : ' Thro' this Gap On and say nothing—lest a word, a breath Bring down a winter's snow—enough to whelm The armed files that, night and day, were seen Winding from cliff to cliff in loose array To conquer at Marengo. Though long since, Well I remember how I met them here, As the sun set far down, purpling the west; And how Napoleon, he himself, no less, Wrapt in his cloak—I could not be deceived— Reined in his horse, and asked me, as I passed, How far 'twas to St. Remi. Where the rock Juts forward, and the road, crumbling away, Narrows almost to nothing at the base, 'Twas there ; and down along the brink he led To Victory!—Desaix , who turned the scale, ' Many able men have Mrvcd under me; but none like him. He loved glory for itself.' Leaving his life-blood in that famous field, (When the clouds break, we may discern the spot In the blue haze) sleeps, as you saw at dawn, Just where we entered, in the Hospital-church.' So saying, for a while he held his peace, Awe-struck beneath that dreadful Canopy ; But soon, the danger passed, launc...