The league of the Iroquois and other legends : from the Indian muse

THE GREAT SNAKE. 259
Now roaming wide ;
more fleet and free ;
Nor longer beautiful and good ;
But growing, grew accursed, to be
A dragon of tire field and flood.
So great and strong, it fleetly sped
Like winged thing from shore to shore ;
Becoming more a beast of dread
A prowling monster, thriving more.
And still the scaly reptile grew,
Till it to see foreboded ill ;
Till such enormous length
it drew,
It quite encircled all the hill.
And still it
grew, and grew, till vain
It battened for its daily food
On Mosa from the farthest plain,
Skan-o-do from the farthest wood.
And grew, and grew, and grew, until
His food, but not his hunger failed ;
As reaching far from hill to hill,
He splashed the rivers with his tail.
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