The chief’s eye flashed; but presently
  Softened itself, as sheathes
A film the mother-eagle’s eye
  When her bruised eaglet breathes. 
“You’re wounded!” “Nay,” the soldier’s pride
  Touched to the quick, he said: 
“I’m killed, Sire!” And his chief beside,
  Smiling, the boy fell dead. 40

* * * * *

“HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX”

[16—­]

I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he;
I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;
“Good speed!” cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew;
“Speed!” echoed the wall to us galloping through;
Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,
And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right, 10
Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

’Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
Lokeren deg., the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear:  deg.14
At Boom deg., a great yellow star came out to see; deg.15
At Dueffeld deg., ’twas morning as plain as could be; deg.16
And from Mecheln deg. church-steeple we heard the half-chime, deg.17
So, Joris broke silence with, “Yet there is time!”

At Aershot deg. up leaped of a sudden the sun, deg.19
And against him the cattle stood black every one, 20
To stare through the mist at us galloping past,
And I saw my stout galloper Roland, at last,
With resolute shoulders, each butting away
The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray: 

And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back
For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
And one eye’s black intelligence,—­ever that glance
O’er its white edge at me, his own master, askance! 
And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon
His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on. 30

By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, “Stay spur! 
Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault’s not in her,
We’ll remember at Aix”—­for one heard the quick wheeze
Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,
And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,
As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

So, we were left galloping, Joris and I,
Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;
The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,
’Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff; 40
Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,
And “Gallop,” gasped Joris, “for Aix is in sight!”