But every season carefully observed,
The inconstant winds, the fickle element,
The wise, experienced huntsman soon may find
His subtle, various game, nor waste in vain
His tedious hours, till his impatient hounds,
With disappointment vexed, each springing lark
Babbling pursue, far scattered o'er the fields.

HARE-HUNTING; AUTUMNAL PLENTY AND CHEER; CLASSIC
GAMES; THE DAWN; PREPARATIONS.

Now golden Autumn from her open lap
Her fragrant bounties showers; the fields are shorn:
Inwardly smiling, the proud farmer views
The rising pyramids that grace his yard,

And counts his large increase: his barns are stored;
And groaning staddles bend beneath their load.
All now is free as air, and the gay pack
In the rough, bristly stubble range unblamed.
No widow's tears o'erflow, no secret curse
Swells in the farmer's breast, which his pale lips
Trembling conceal, by his fierce landlord awed;
But courteous now he levels every fence,
Joins in the common ery, and halloos loud,
Charmed with the rattling thunder of the field.
O bear me, some kind power invisible !
To that extended lawn, where the gay court
View the swift racers stretching to the goal;
Games more renowned, and a far nobler train,
Than proud Elean field could boast of old;
O, were a Theban lyre not wanting here,
And Pindar's voice, to do their merit right!

[eye,

Or to those spacious plains where the strained
In the wide prospect lost, beholds at last
Sarum's proud spire,2 that o'er the hills ascends,
And pierces through the clouds or to thy downs,
Fair Cotswold! where the well-breathed beagle
climbs,

With matchless speed, thy green, aspiring brow,
And leaves the lagging multitude behind.

Hail, gentle Dawn! mild blushing goddess, hail !
Rejoiced I see thy purple mantle spread
O'er half the skies; gems pave thy radiant way,
And orient pearls from every shrub depend.

Farewell, Cleora! here, deep sunk in down, Slumber secure, with happy dreams amused, Till grateful steams shall tempt thee to receive Thy early meal; or thy officious maids, The toilet placed, shall urge thee to perform The important work. Me other joys invite ; The horn sonorous calls, the pack awaked Their matins chant, nor brook my long delay; My courser hears their voice: see there! with ears And tail erect, neighing he paws the ground; Fierce rapture kindles in his reddening eyes, And boils in every vein. As captive boys, Cowed by the ruling rod and haughty frowns Of pedagogues severe, from their hard tasks If once dismissed, no limits can contain

The tumult raised within their little breasts,
But give a loose to all their frolic play;
So from their kennel rush the joyous pack;
A thousand wanton gayeties express
Their inward ecstasy, their pleasing sport
Once more indulged, and liberty restored.
The rising sun, that o'er the horizon peeps,
As many colors from their glossy skins
Beaming reflects, as paint the various bow
When April showers descend. Delightful scene!
Where all around is gay men, horses, dogs;
And in each smiling countenance appears
Fresh blooming health, and universal joy.

WHIPPING IN; THROWING OFF THE PACK; PUTTING THEM ON THE SCENT; THEY OPEN IN FULL CRY. GENERAL EXCITEMENT OF THE CHASE; SCHOOL-BOY, TRAVELLER, PLOUGHMAN, SHEPHERD, VILLAGERS.

Huntsman ! lead on; behind the clustering pack Submiss attend, hear with respect thy whip Loud clanging, and thy harsher voice obey. Spare not the straggling cur that wildly roves, But let thy brisk assistant on his back Imprint shy just resentment; let each lash Bite to the quick, till howling he return, And whining creep among the trembling crowd.

Here on thy verdant spot where Nature kind With double blessings crowns the farmer's hopes, Where flowers autumnal spring, and the rank mead Affords the wandering hares a rich repast, Throw off thy ready pack. See where they spread, And range around, and dash the glittering dew! If some staunch hound, with his authentic voice, Avow the recent trail, the jostling tribe Attend his call, then with one mutual cry The welcome news confirm, and echoing hills Repeat the pleasing tale. See how they thread The brakes, and up yon furrow drive along! But quick they back recoil, and wisely check Their eager haste; then o'er the fallowed ground How leisurely they work, and many a pause The harmonious concert breaks; till, more assured, With joy redoubled the low valleys ring. What artful labyrinths perplex their way! [doubts Ah! there she lies; how close! she pants, she If now she lives: she trembles as she sits, With horror seized. The withered grass that clings Around her head, of the same russet hue, Almost deceived my sight, had not her eyes, With life full beaming, her vain wiles betrayed. At distance draw thy pack; let all be hushed; No clamor loud, no frantic joy, be heard ; Lest the wild hound run gadding o'er the plain Untractable, nor hear thy chiding voice. Now gently put her off; see how direct

[bring

To her known mew she flies! Here, huntsman,
(But without hurry) all thy jolly hounds,
And calmly lay them in. How low they stoop
And seem to plough the ground! then all at once
With greedy nostrils snuff the fuming steam [loose
That glads their fluttering hearts. As winds let

From the dark caverns of the blustering god,
They burst away, and sweep the dewy lawn. [fear.
Hope gives them wings, while she's spurred on by
The welkin rings; men, dogs, hills, rocks, and
woods,

In the full concert join. Now, my brave youths !
Stripped for the chase give all your souls to joy.
See how their coursers, than the mountain roe
More fleet, the verdant carpet skim! Thick clouds
Snorting they breathe, their shining hoofs scarce
The grass unbruised; with emulation fired, [print
They strain to lead the field, top the barred gate,
O'er the deep ditch exulting bound, and brush
The thorny-twining hedge: the riders bend
O'er their arched necks; with steady hands by turns
Indulge their speed, or moderate their rage.
Where are their sorrows, disappointments, wrongs,
Vexations, sickness, cares? All, all are gone!
And with the panting winds lag far behind.

Huntsman her gait observe; if in wide rings
She wheel her mazy way, in the same round
Persisting still, she 'll foil the beaten track :
But if she fly, and with the favoring wind
Urge her bold course, less intricate thy task;
Push on thy pack. Like some poor exiled wretch,
The frighted chase leaves late her dear abodes,
O'er plains remote she stretches far away,
Ah, never to return! for greedy Death
Hovering exults, secure to seize his prey.

[oaks

Hark! from yon covert, where those towering Above the humble copse aspiring rise, What glorious triumphs burst in every gale Upon our ravished ears! The hunter's shout, The clanging horns swell their full-winding notes, The pack wide-opening load the trembling air With various melody; from tree to tree The propagated cry redoubling bounds; And wingéd zephyrs waft the floating joy Through all the regions near. Afflictive birch No more the school-boy dreads; his prison broke, Scampering he flies, nor heeds his master's call. The weary traveller forgets his road, And climbs the adjacent hill. The ploughman leaves The unfinished furrow; nor his bleating flocks Are now the shepherd's joy. Men, boys, and girls, Desert the unpeopled village; and wild crowds Spread o'er the plain, by the sweet frenzy seized.

SHIFTS OF THE HARE; KILLED AT LAST; ORPHEUS; THE HOUNDS' PERQUISITE.

Look how she pants! and o'er yon opening glade Slips glancing by: while at the further end The puzzling pack unravel, wile by wile, Maze within maze. The covert's utmost bound Slyly she skirts; behind them cautious creeps, And in that very track so lately stained By all the steaming crowd, seems to pursue The foe she flies. Let cavillers deny

That brutes have reason; sure 't is something more; "Tis Heaven directs, and stratagems inspires Beyond the short extent of human thought.

But hold-I see her from the covert break;
Sad on yon little eminence she sits;
Intent she listens with one ear erect,
Pondering and doubtful what new course to take,
And how to 'scape the fierce, blood-thirsty crew
That still urge on, and still, in volleys loud,
Insult her woes, and mock her sore distress.
As now in louder peals the loaded winds
Bring on the gathering storm, her fears prevail,
And o'er the plain, and o'er the mountain's ridge,
Away she flies; nor ships with wind and tide,
And all their canvas wings, scud half so fast.
Once more, ye jovial train! your courage try,
And each clean courser's speed. We scour along
In pleasing hurry and confusion tossed ;
Oblivion to be wished! The patient pack
Hang on the scent unwearied; up they climb,
And ardent we pursue; our laboring steeds
We press, we gore; till, once the summit gained,
Painfully panting, there we breathe a while;
Then, like a foaming torrent pouring down
Precipitant, we smoke along the vale.
Happy the man, who, with unrivalled speed,
Can pass his fellows, and with pleasure view
The struggling pack! how in the rapid course
Alternate they preside, and jostling push
To guide the dubious scent; how giddy youth
Oft blabbering errs, by wiser age reproved;
How, niggard of his strength, the wise old hound
Hangs in the rear, till some important point
Rouse all his diligence, or till the chase
Sinking he finds; then to the head he springs,
With thirst of glory fired, and wins the prize.

Huntsman take heed; they stop in full career;
Yon crowding flocks, that at a distance gaze,
Have haply foiled the turf. See that old hound,
How busily he works, but dares not trust
His doubtful sense! Draw yet a wider ring.
Hark! now again the chorus fills; as bells,
Sallied a while, at once their peal renew,
And high in air the tuneful thunder rolls.
See how they toss, with animated rage
Recovering all they lost! That eager haste
Some doubling wile foreshows. Ah! yet once more
They're checked hold back with speed

either hand

on

They flourish round - e'en yet persist-'t is right:
Away they spring; the rustling stubble bends
Beneath the driving storm. Now the poor chase
Begins to flag, to her last shifts reduced.
From brake to brake she flies, and visits all [secure
Her well-known haunts, where once she ranged
With love and plenty blest. See! there she goes;
She reels along, and by her gait betrays

Her inward weakness. See how black she looks!
The sweat that clogs the obstructed pores scarce
A languid scent. And now in open view
[leaves
See! see she flies; each eager hound exerts
His utmost speed, and stretches every nerve.
How quick she turns, their gaping jaws eludes,

And yet a moment lives, till, round enclosed
By all the greedy pack, with infant screams
She yields her breath, and there reluctant dies!
So when the furious Bacchanals assailed
Threician Orpheus, poor, ill-fated bard!
Loud was the cry; hills, woods, and Hebrus' banks,
Returned their clamorous rage: distressed he flies,
Shifting from place to place, but flies in vain :
For eager they pursue; till panting, faint,
By noisy multitudes o'erpowered, he sinks
To the relentless crowd a bleeding prey.

The huntsman now, a deep incision made,
Shakes out with hands impure, and dashes down,
Her reeking entrails, and yet quivering heart.
These claim the pack, the bloody perquisite
For all their toils: stretched on the ground she lies
A mangled corse; in her dim-glaring eyes
Cold Death exults, and stiffens every limb.
Awed by the threatening whip, the furious hounds
Around her bay, or at their master's foot
Each happy favorite courts his kind applause,
With humble adulation cowering low.

All now is joy. With cheeks full-blown they wind
Her solemn dirge, while the loud-opening pack
The concert swell, and hills and dales return
The sadly-pleasing sounds. Thus the poor hare,
A puny, dastard animal, but versed

In subtle wiles, diverts the youthful train.

A TARTAR HUNT; AURENGZEBE GOING FORTH IN POMP.
But if thy proud, aspiring soul disdains
So mean a prey, delighted with the pomp,
Magnificence, and grandeur, of the chase;
Hear what the muse from faithful record sings.
Why on the banks of Gemna, Indian stream,
Line within line rise the pavilions proud,
Their silken streamers waving in the wind?
Why neighs the warrior horse? From tent to tent
Why press in crowds the buzzing multitude?
Why shines the polished helm and pointed lance,
This way and that far beaming o'er the plain?
Nor Visapour nor Golconda rebel,

Nor the great Sophy, with his numerous host,
Lays waste the provinces, nor glory fires
To rob and to destroy, beneath the name
And specious guise of war. A nobler cause
Calls Aurengzebe to arms. No cities sacked,
No mother's tears, no helpless orphan's cries,
No violated leagues, with sharp remorse
Shall sting the conscious victor, but mankind
Shall hail him good and just for 't is on beasts
He draws his vengeful sword; on beasts of prey,
Full fed with human gore. See, see, he comes!
Imperial Delhi, opening wide her gates,
Pours out her thronging legions, bright in arms,
And all the pomp of war. Before them sound
Clarions and trumpets, breathing martial airs
And bold defiance. High upon his throne,
Borne on the back of his proud elephant,
Sits the great chief of Timur's glorious race;
Sublime he sits amid the radiant blaze

Of gems and gold. Omrahs about him crowd,
And rein the Arabian steed, and watch his nod,
And potent rajahs, who themselves preside
O'er realms of wide extent; but here submiss
Their homage pay, alternate kings and slaves;
Next these, with prying eunuchs girt around,
The fair sultanas of his court; a troop

Of chosen beauties, but with care concealed
From each intrusive eye; one look is death.
Ah! cruel Eastern law (had kings a power
But equal to their wild tyrannic will) !
To rob us of the sun's all-cheering ray
Were less severe. The vulgar close the march,
Slaves and artificers; and Delhi mourns
Her empty and depopulated streets.

THE GRAND MOGUL'S HUNTING CAMP. PORUS, XERXES.
HUNTING-GROUND MARKED; LAWS OF THE HUNT PROMUL-
GATED. CIRCUIT STATIONED. DESPOTIC ORDER.

Now at the camp arrived, with stern review,
Through groves of spears from file to file he darts
His sharp, experienced eye, their order marks,
Each in his station ranged, exact and firm,
Till in the boundless line his sight is lost.
Not greater multitudes in arms appeared
On these extended plains, when Ammon's son
With mighty Porus in dread battle joined,
The vassal world the prize; nor was that host
More numerous of old which the great king
Poured out on Greece from all the unpeopled East,
That bridged the Hellespont from shore to shore,
And drank the rivers dry. Meanwhile in troops
The busy hunter train mark out the ground,
A wide circumference, full many a league
In compass round; woods, rivers, hills, and plains,
Large provinces, enough to gratify
Ambition's highest aim, could reason bound
Man's erring will. Now sit in close divan
The mighty chiefs of this prodigious host;
He from the throne high eminent presides,
Gives out his mandate proud, laws of the chase,
From ancient records drawn. With reverence low
And prostrate at his feet, the chiefs receive
His irreversible decrees, from which

To vary is to die. Then his brave bands
Each to his station leads, encamping round,
Till the wide circle is completely formed.
Where decent order reigns, what these command
Those execute with speed and punctual care,
In all the strictest discipline of war,

As if some watchful foe, with bold insult,
Hung lowering o'er their camp. The high resolve,
That flies on wings through all the encircling line,
Each motion steers, and animates the whole.
So, by the sun's attractive power controlled,
The planets in their spheres roll round his orb ;
On all he shines, and rules the great machine.

SIGNAL FOR THE HUNTER-MARCH; THE STANDARD. — THE
WILD BEASTS DRIVEN IN AND COWwed.

Ere yet the morn dispels the fleeting mists, The signal given by the loud trumpet's voice,

Now high in air the imperial standard waves,
Emblazoned rich with gold and glittering gems,
And like a sheet of fire through the dim gloom
Streaming meteorous. The soldiers' shouts,
And all the brazen instruments of war,
With mutual clamor and united din

Fill the large concave, while from camp to camp
They catch the varied sounds floating in air.
Round all the wide circumference, tigers fell
Shrink at the noise; deep in his gloomy den
The lion starts, and morsels yet unchewed
Drop from his trembling jaws. Now, all at once,
Onward they march embattled, to the sound
Of martial harmony; fifes, cornets, drums,
That rouse the sleepy soul to arms, and bold
Heroic deeds. In parties here and there
Detached o'er hill and dale, the hunters range
Inquisitive; strong dogs, that match in fight
The boldest brute, around their masters wait,
A faithful guard. No haunt unsearched, they drive
From every covert, and from every den,
The lurking savages. Incessant shouts
Reecho through the woods, and kindling fires
Gleam from the mountain tops; the forest seems
One mingling blaze; like flocks of sheep they fly
Before the flaming brand; fierce lions, pards,
Boars, tigers, bears, and wolves, a dreadful crew
Of grim, bloodthirsty foes! Growling along
They stalk indignant, but fierce vengeance still
Hangs pealing on their rear, and pointed spears
Present immediate death. Soon as the night,
Wrapped in her sable veil, forbids the chase,
They pitch their tents in even ranks around
The circling camp. The guards are placed, and fires
At proper distances ascending rise,

And paint the horizon with their ruddy light.
So round some island's shore of large extent,
Amid the gloomy horrors of the night,
The billows, breaking on the pointed rocks,
Seem all one flame, and the bright circuit wide
Appears a bulwark of surrounding fire.
What dreadful howlings and what hideous roar
Disturb those peaceful shades! where erst the bird
That glads the night had cheered the listening groves
With sweet complainings. Through the silent gloom
Oft they the guards assail; as oft repelled,
They fly reluctant, with hot, boiling rage
Stung to the quick, and mad with wild despair.
Thus, day by day, they still the chase renew,
At night encamp; till now in straiter bounds
The circle lessens, and the beasts perceive
The wall that hems them in on every side.
And now their fury bursts, and knows no mean;
From man they turn, and point their ill-judged rage
Against their fellow-brutes. With teeth and claws
The civil war begins; grappling they tear;
Lions on tigers prey, and bears on wolves;
Horrible discord! till the crowd behind

Shouting pursue, and part the bloody fray.
At once their wrath subsides; tame as the lamb

The lion hangs his head; the furious pard,
Cowed and subdued, flies from the face of man,
Nor bears one glance of his commanding eye :
So abject is a tyrant in distress.

THE AMPHITHEATRE; SLAUGHTER OF THE BEASTS; SOME
SAVED BY THE SULTANAS.-HINT TO TYRANTS.

At last, within the narrow plain confined,
A listed field, marked out for bloody deeds,
An amphitheatre more glorious far

Than ancient Rome could boast, they crowd in heaps,
Dismayed and quite appalled. In meet array,
Sheathed in refulgent arms, a noble band
Advance; great lords of high, imperial blood,
Early resolved to assert the royal race,
And prove by glorious deeds their valor's growth
Mature, ere yet the callow down has spread
Its curling shade. On bold Arabian steeds,
With decent pride, they sit, that fearless hear
The lion's dreadful roar: and down the rock
Swift-shooting plunge, or o'er the mountain's ridge
Stretching along, the greedy tiger leave
Panting behind. On foot their faithful slaves,
With javelins armed, attend; each watchful eye
Fixed on his youthful care, for him alone
He fears; and, to redeem his life, unmoved
Would lose his own. The mighty Aurengzebe
From his high-elevated throne beholds
His blooming race, revolving in his mind
What once he was, in his gay spring of life,
When vigor strung his nerves. Parental joy
Melts in his eyes, and flushes in his cheeks.
Now the loud trumpet sounds a charge. The shouts
Of eager hosts through all the circling line,
And the wild howling of the beasts within,
Rend the [blue] welkin; flights of arrows, winged
With death, and javelins launched from every arm,
Gall sore the brutal bands, with many a wound
Gored through and through. Despair at last prevails,
When fainting nature shrinks, and rouses all
Their drooping courage. Swelled with furious rage,
Their eyes dart fire, and on the youthful band
They rush implacable. They their broad shields
Quick interpose; on each devoted head
Their flaming falchions, as the bolts of Jove,
Descend unerring. Prostrate on the ground
The grinning monsters lie, and their foul gore
Defiles the verdant plain. Nor idle stand
The trusty slaves: with pointed spears they pierce
Through their tough hides, or at their gaping mouths
An easier passage find. The king of brutes
In broken roarings breathes his last; the bear
Grumbles in death; nor can his spotted skin,
Though sleek it shine, with varied beauties gay,
Save the proud pard from unrelenting fate.
The battle bleeds: grim slaughter strides along,
Glutting her greedy jaws, grins o'er her prey—
Men, horses, dogs, fierce beasts of every kind,
A strange promiscuous carnage, drenched in blood,
And heaps on heaps amassed. What yet remain
Alive, with vain assault contend to break

The impenetrable line. Others, whom fear
Inspires, with self-preserving wiles, beneath
The bodies of the slain for shelter creep,
Aghast they fly, or hide their heads dispersed.
And now, perchance (had Heaven but pleased),
the work

Of death had been complete, and Aurengzebe
By one dread frown extinguished half their race;
When, lo! the bright sultanas of his court
Appear, and to his ravished eyes display
Those charms but rarely to the day revealed.
Lowly they bend, and humbly sue to save
The vanquished host. What mortal can deny
When suppliant Beauty begs? At his command,
Opening to right and left, the well-trained troops
Leave a large void for the retreating foes:
Away they fly, on wings of fear upborne,
To seek on distant hills their late abodes.

Ye proud oppressors! whose vain hearts exult
In wantonness of power, - against the brutal race,
Fierce robbers like yourselves, a guiltless war
Wage uncontrolled; here quench your thirst of
blood;

But learn from Aurengzebe to spare mankind. EDGAR'S SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY; HIS TRIBUTE OF WOLVES' HEADS IMPOSED UPON WALES; WOLVES EXTERMINATED.

In Albion's isle when glorious Edgar reigned,
He, wisely provident, from her white cliffs
Launched half her forests, and with numerous fleets
Covered his wide domain; there proudly rode
Lord of the deep, the great prerogative
Of British monarchs: each invader bold,
Dane and Norwegian, at a distance gazed,
And, disappointed, gnashed his teeth in vain.
He scoured his seas, and to remotest shores
With swelling sails the trembling corsair fled.
Rich commerce flourished, and with busy oars
Dashed the resounding surge. Nor less at land
His royal cares; wise, potent, gracious prince!
His subjects from their cruel foes he saved,
And from rapacious savages their flocks.
Cambria's proud kings (though with reluctance) paid
Their tributary wolves, head after head,

In full account; till the woods yield no more,
And all the ravenous race extinct is lost.
In fertile pastures more securely grazed
The social troops, and soon their large increase
With curling fleeces whitened all the plains.

THE FOX'S DEPREDATIONS; CHASE OF THE FOX DESCRIBED ;
UNEARTHED; THE VIEW HALLOO; HEADLONG PURSUIT.

But yet, alas! the wily fox remained,

A subtle, pilfering foe, prowling around

In midnight shades, and wakeful to destroy.
In the full fold the poor defenceless lamb,
Seized by his guileful arts, with sweet, warm blood
Supplies a rich repast. The mournful ewe,
Her dearest treasure lost, through the dun night
Wanders perplexed, and darkling bleats in vain ;
While in the adjacent bush poor Philomel
(Herself a parent once, till wanton churls

Despoiled her nest) joins in her loud laments
With sweeter notes and more melodious woe.

For these nocturnal thieves, huntsman, prepare
Thy sharpest vengeance. O! how glorious 't is
To right the oppressed, and bring the felon vile
To just disgrace! Ere yet the morning peep,
Or stars retire from the first blush of day,
With thy far-echoing voice alarm thy pack,
And rouse thy bold compeers: then to the copse,
Thick with entangling grass or prickly furze,
With silence lead thy many-colored hounds,
In all their beauty's pride. See! how they range,
Dispersed, how busily this way and that

They cross, examining with curious nose
Each likely haunt. Hark! on the drag I hear
Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry
More nobly full, and swelled with every mouth.
As straggling armies at the trumpet's voice
Press to their standard, hither all repair,
And hurry through the woods with hasty step,
Rustling and full of hope; now driven on heaps,
They push, they strive; while from his kennel sneaks
The conscious villain. See! he skulks along
Sleek at the shepherd's cost, and plump with meals
Purloined so thrive the wicked here below.
Though high his brush he bears, though tipped with
It gayly shine, yet ere the sun declined [white
Recall the shades of night, the pampered rogue
Shall rue his fate reversed, and at his heels
Behold the just avenger, swift to seize
His forfeit head, and thirsting for his blood.
Heavens! what melodious strains! how beat our

hearts,

Big with tumultuous joy; the loaded gales
Breathe harmony; and as the tempest drives
From wood to wood, through every dark recess,
The forest thunders, and the mountains shake.
The chorus swells; less various and less sweet
The thrilling notes, when in those very groves
The feathered choristers salute the Spring,
And every bush in concert joins; or when
The master's hand, in modulated air,
Bids the loud organ breathe, and all the powers
Of music in one instrument combine,
An universal minstrelsy. And now

In vain each earth he tries; the doors are barred
Impregnable; nor is the covert safe :

He pants for purer air. Hark! what loud shouts
Reecho through the groves? he breaks away:
Shrill horns proclaim his flight. Each straggling
hound

Strains o'er the lawn to reach the distant pack.
'Tis triumph all and joy. Now, my brave youths!
Now give a loose to the clean, generous steed,
Flourish the whip, nor spare the galling spur;
But in the madness of delight forget
Your fears. Far o'er the rocky hills we range,
And dangerous our course; but in the brave
True courage never fails. In vain the streams
In foaming eddies whirl; in vain the ditch,
Wide-gaping, threatens death. The craggy steep,