From the great Gavel*, down by Leeza's Banks,
And down the Enna, far as Egremont,
The day would be a very festival,
And those two bells of ours, which there you sec
Hanging in the open air--but, O good Sir!
This is sad talk-they'll never sound for him
Living or dead—When last we heard of him
He was in slavery among the Moors
Upon the Barbary Coast—'Twas not a little
That would bring down bis spirit, and, no doubt,
Before it ended in his death, the Lad
* The great Gavel, so called I imagine, from its resemblance to the Gable end of a house, is one of the highest of the Cumberland mountains. It stands at the head of the several vales of Ennerdale, Wastdale, and Borrowdale. The Leeza is a River which follows into the Lake of Enner. dale : on issuing from the Lake, it changes its name, and is called the End, Eyne, or Enna. It falls into the sea a little below Egremont.
Was sadly cross'd-Poor Leonard ! when we parted,
He took me by the hand and said to me,
If ever the day came when he was rich,
He would return, and on his Father's Land
He would grow old among us.
If that day Should come, 'twould needs be a glad day for him ; He would himself, no doubt, be as happy then As any that should meet him
You said his kindred all were in their graves,
And that he had one Brother-
A fellow tale of sorrow. From his youth
James, though not sickly, yet was delicate,
And Leonard being always by his side
Had done so many offices about him,
That, though he was not of a timid nature,
Yet still the spirit of a mountain boy
In him was somewhat check’d, and when his Brother
Was gone to sea and he was left alone
The little colour that he had was soon
Stolen from his cheek, he droop'd, and pin'd and pind:
But these are all the graves of full grown men!
Aye, Sir, that pass'd away: we took him to us.
He was the child of all the dale he liv'd
Three months with one, and six months with another :
And wanted neither food, nor clothes, nor love,
And many, many happy days were his,
But, whether blithe or sad, 'tis my belief
His absent Brother still was at his heart.
And, when he liv'd beneath our roof, we found
(A practice till this time unknown to him)
That often, rising from his bed at night,
He in his sleep would walk about, and sleeping
He sought his Brother Leonard—You are mov'd!
Forgive me, Sir : before I spoke to you,
I judg'd you most unkindly.
One sweet May morning, It will be twelve years since, when Spring returns, He had gone forth among the new-dropp'd lambs, With two or three companions whom it chanc'd Some further business summon'd to a house
Which stands at the Dale-head. James, tir'd perhaps,
Or from some other cause remain'd behind.
You see yon precipice-it alınost looks
Like some vast building made of many crags,
And in the midst is one particular rock
That rises like a column from the vale,
Whence by our Shepherds it is call’d, the Pillar.
James, pointing to its suinmit, over which
They all had purpos'd to return together,
Inform'd them that he there would wait for them :
They parted, and his comrades pass'd that way
Some two hours after, but they did not find him
At the appointed place, a circumstance
Of which they took no heed : but one of them,
Going by chance, at night, into the house
Which at this time was James's home, there learn'd
That nobody had seen him all that day:
The morning came, and still, he was unheard of :
The neighbours were alarm’d, and to the Brook
Some went, and some towards the Lake; ere noon
|