A moment more, and, bounding o’er the hedge, A monster trotted tow’rd the mounting flame; Then turned and bayed;--’twere doubtful to allege Dog, fox, or wolf, his aspect best became; Still did he howl, with still increasing rage; And Waban rose and gave his arrow aim, But ere its flight, a whistled signal rang; The hybrid turned, and to the forest sprang. XLIV. “The fell Pawaw! his dog!” red Waban cried, In tone suppressed, and hid himself again; And Williams feared he had too much relied Upon the courage of that dusky man; He took the hatchet from the hunter’s side, And dropt the feebler bludgeon from his span; “Thy sachem,” said he, “will himself essay To aid his warrior in the approaching fray.” XLV. “’Tis good!” said Waban, “so red sachems do-- But there! behold! behold! They come! They come!” And Williams looked, and there, the thickets through, Half in the light, half in the changeful gloom, The forest boughs seemed moving out to view, Branch heaped on branch, a weight most cumbersome For human feet, yet human feet, he knew, That burden bore, and with it dangers new. XLVI. Straight to the blaze they moved, and, dashing down The leafy branches on the mounting flame, Put out the light, and smoke and shadow brown, In total darkness, all the glade o’ercame; The mother shrieked; the father, with a groan, Heard the wild cry, and stayed her sinking frame; And both now felt that, with that smothered ray, The last faint trembling hope had died away. XLVII. A fearful growl, close to the cavern’s vent, First broke the thrall of horror and surprise; And, by the gleam the smouldering embers sent, That canine hybrid, shooting from his eyes A baleful glare, crouched seemingly intent On the scared infants as his famine’s prize; The father drove the hatchet to his brains, One yell he gave, and writhed in dying pains. XLVIII. Seeking the cavern’s mouth along the rock, Some groping hand the vine’s thick foliage stirred; “Where art thou Waban!” and the war-whoop broke; Palsied with fear the trembling mother heard; “Where art thou, Waban!” and, with horrid look, A giant savage through the foliage stared; But, at that moment, from his rocky mound Twanged Waban’s bow with sudden sharpest sound. XLIX. Back reeled the savage with a dismal howl, And on the earth like stricken bullock fell. But still new terrors filled the father’s soul; He heard another and more fearful yell; Across the glade a new assailant stole; The blaze reviving showed his movements well; And Williams sprang his warrior to sustain, Just as he strained the yielding bow again. L.