Cooling shades of the night were coming apace, The tattoo had beat; the tattoo had beat. The noble one sprang from his dark hiding-place, To make his retreat; to make his retreat. He warily trod on the dry rustling leaves, As he pass'd thro' the wood; as he pass'd thro' the wood; And silently gain'd his rude launch on the shore, As she play'd with the flood; as she play'd with the flood. The guard of the camp, on that dark, dreary night, Had a murderous will; had a murderous will. They took him and bore him afar from the shore, To a hut on the hill; to a hut on the hill. No mother was there, nor a friend who could cheer, In that little stone cell; in that little stone cell. But he trusted in love, from his father above, In his heart all was well; in his heart all was well. An ominous owl with his solemn bass voice, Sat moaning hard by; sat moaning hard by. "The tyrant's proud minions most gladly rejoice, For he must soon die; for he must soon die." The brave fellow told them, no thing he restrain'd, The cruel gen'ral; the cruel gen'ral; His errand from camp, of the ends to be gain'd, And said that was all; and said that was all. They took him and bound him and bore him away, Down the hill's grassy side; down the hill's grassy side. 'Twas there the base hirelings in royal array, His cause did deride; his cause did deride. Five minutes were given, short moments, no more, For him to repent; for him to repent; He pray'd for his mother, he ask'd not another; To Heaven he went; to Heaven he went. The faith of a martyr, the tragedy shew'd, As he trod the last stage; as he trod the last stage. And Britons will shudder at gallant Hale's blood, As his words do presage; as his words do presage. "Thou pale king of terrors, thou life's gloomy foe, Go frighten the slave; go frighten the slave; Tell tyrants, to you, their allegiance they owe. No fears for the brave; no fears for the brave." REFERENCES 1. Johnston, Henry Phelps. _Nathan Hale, 1776--Biography and Memorials._ Yale University Press. New Haven, 1914. 2. Stuart, I. W. _Life of Captain Nathan Hale, the Martyr Spy of the American Revolution,_ F. A. Brown. Hartford, 1856. 3. Hull, General William. _Military and Civil Life._ D. Appleton & Co. New York, 1848. 4. Hale, Enoch. _Diary._ (In Appendix to an address delivered at Groton, Connecticut, September 7, 1881, by E. E. Hale.) 5. Hempstead, Stephen. "Recollections." _Missouri Republican, January 18, 1827_. 6. Bostwick, Elisha. Pension Papers, in _Hartford Courant,_ December 15, 1914. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Once Upon A Time In Connecticut, by Caroline Clifford Newton