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

268 THE GREAT SNAKE OF CANANDAIGVA.
Strong in her heaven-instructed art,
She near approached the dreadful beast ;
Deep pierced the sleeping monster's heart,
Gorged frightful with his horrid feast.
Mad writhing in his mortal pain,
With many a dying roar and wail,
That dragon awful lashed the plain
And farthest hill-side with his tail.
More fierce than tempest-tiding storm,
The lofty pine, the mighty oak,
That demon-like contracted form
Like fragile reeds to splinters broke.
The beasts that, howling, fled the plain
Felt all the earth with terror quake
As, rolling down the slope amain.
He plunged into the foaming lake.
He there his human victims vain
Disgorged along the crimson shore ;
Then with one throe of dying pain
Sank slowly,
and was seen no more.