ggling moonbeam's misty light,
And the lantern dimly burning.

No useless coffin inclosed his breast,
Not in sheet or in shroud we wound him; 10
But he lay like a warrior taking his rest
With his martial cloak around him.

Few and short were the prayers we said,
And we spoke not a word of sorrow;
But we steadfastly gazed on the face of the dead, 15
And we bitterly thought of the morrow.

We thought, as we hollowed his narrow bed
And smoothed down his lonely pillow,
That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head.
And we far away on the billow.

Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone, 5
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him;
But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on,
In the grave where a Briton has laid him.

But half of our heavy task was done
When the bell tolled the hour for retiring; 10
And we heard the distant and random gun
That the foe was sullenly firing.

Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone, 15
But we left him alone with his glory!

1. Give synonyms for: corse, ramparts, martial,
upbraid, tolled, reck, gory, random.

2. Describe this simple burial in your own words.
What are the customary rites at a soldier's burial?
Why did Sir John Moore not receive a military
funeral?

3. Compare this burial with the one described on
page 329.

4. Report briefly on Napoleon: who he was, what he
did, and what finally became of him.

5. Memorize the poem. Time yourself to see how
quickly you can do this.

LEXINGTON AND CONCORD

BY WILLIAM EMERSON

The Reverend William Emerson, grandfather of Ralph
Waldo Emerson, was pastor of the Congregational
Church at Concord. The battle of April 19, 1775,
was fought near his residence. He was called the
"patriot preacher" and died while serving in the
Revolutionary army.

This morning between one and two o'clock we were
alarmed by the ringing of the church bell, and upon
examination found that the troops, to the number of e