Identifier: courtshipofmile00long (find matches)
Title: The courtship of Miles Standish
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 Christy, Howard Chandler, 1873-1952, ill
Subjects: Standish, Myles, 1584?-1656
Publisher: Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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rmost haste a message of urgent importance,Humors of danger and war and hostile incursions of Indians!Straightway the Captain paused, and, without further question or parley,Took from the nail on the wall his sword with its scabbard of iron,Buckled the belt round his waist, and, frowning fiercely, departed.Alden was left alone. He heard the clank of the scabbardGrowing fainter and fainter, and dying away in the distance.Then he arose from his seat, and looked forth into the darkness,Pelt the cool air blow on his cheek, that was hot with the insult,Lifted his eyes to the heavens, and, folding his hands as in childhood,Prayed in the silence of night to the Father who seeth in secret. Meanwhile the choleric Captain strode wrathful away to the council,Tound it already assembled, impatiently waiting his coming;Men in the middle of life, austere and grave in deportment,Only one of them old, the hill that was nearest to heaven,Covered with snow, but erect, the excellent Elder of Plymouth. 74
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JOHN ALDEN God had sifted three kingdoms to find the wheat for this planting,Then had sifted the wheat, as the living seed of a nation;So say the chronicles old, and such is the faith of the people!Near them was standing an Indian, in attitude stern and defiant,Naked down to the waist, and grim and ferocious in aspect;While on the table before them was lying unopened a Bible,Ponderous, bound in leather, brass-studded, printed in Holland,And beside it outstretched the skin of a rattlesnake glittered,Filled, like a quiver, with arrows; a signal and challenge of warfare,Brought by the Indian, and speaking with arrowy tongues of defiance.This Miles Standish beheld, as he entered, and heard them debatingWhat were an answer befitting the hostile message and menace,Talking of this and of that, contriving, suggesting, objecting;One voice only for peace, and that the voice of the Elder,Judging it wise and well that some at least were converted,Rather than any were slain, for this was but Chris

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