A BARKING sound the shepherd hears, A cry as of a dog or fox; He halts, and searches with his eyes The dog is not of mountain breed; Unusual in its cry: Nor is there any one in sight All round, in hollow or on height; Nor shout, nor whistle strikes his ear: What is the creature doing here? Not free from boding thoughts, a while The shepherd stood; then makes hi way Towards the dog, o'er rocks and stones, As quickly as he may; Nor far had gone before he found A human skeleton on the ground; The appalled discoverer with a sigh Looks round, to learn the history. From those abrupt and perilous rocks The man had fallen, that place of fear! At length upon the shepherd's mind He instantly recalled the name, On which the traveller passed this way. But hear a wonder, for whose sake A lasting monument of words The dog, which still was hovering nigh, Repeating the same timid cry, This dog had been through three months' space A dweller in that savage place. Yes, proof was plain that since the day On which the traveller thus had died The dog had watched about the spot, Or by his master's side: How nourished here through such long time He knows, who gave that love sublime, And gave that strength of feeling, great Above all human estimate. MEN have done brave deeds, In Californian mountains A little Indian boy Followed him everywhere, And when the bird or deer To help with right good-will. Between two mountains steep, Shut in both right and left, Their questing way they keep, They see two grizzly bears, Right down the narrow dell. The boy turned round with screams, |