And shudder;-while, as beautiful as May,
A female child of ten years tried to stoop
And hide her little palpitating breast
Amidst the bodies lull'd in bloody rest. (1)

XCII.

Two villanous Cossacques pursued the child [them, With flashing eyes and weapons: match'd with The rudest brute that roams Siberia's wild,

Has feelings pure and polish'd as a gem,The bear is civilised, the wolf is mild;

And whom for this at last must we condemn ? Their natures? or their sovereigns, who employ All arts to teach their subjects to destroy?

XCIII.

Their sabres glitter'd o'er her little head,
Whence her fair hair rose twining with affright,
Her hidden face was plunged amidst the dead:
When Juan caught a glimpse of this sad sight,
I shall not say exactly what he said,

Because it might not solace "ears polite ;" (2).
But what he did, was to lay on their backs,
The readiest way of reasoning with Cossacques.

(1) ["Je sauvai la vie à une fille de dix ans, dont l'innocence et la candeur formaient un contraste bien frappant avec la rage de tout ce qui m'environnait. En arrivant sur le bastion où le combat cessa et où commença le carnage, j'apperçus un groupe de quatre femmes égorgées, entre lesquelles cet enfant, d'une figure charmante, cherchait un asile contre la fureur de deux Kozaks qui étaient sur le point de la massacrer."-DUC DE RICHELIEU. See Hist. de la Nouv. Russ. tom. iii. p. 217.]

(2) ["But never mention hell to ears polite."-POPE.]

XCIV.

One's hip he slash'd, and split the other's shoulder,
And drove them with their brutal yells to seek
If there might be chirurgeons who could solder
The wounds they richly merited, (1) and shriek
Their baffled rage and pain; while waxing colder
As he turn'd o'er each pale and gory cheek,
Don Juan raised his little captive from
The heap a moment more had made her tomb.

XCV.

And she was chill as they, and on her face

A slender streak of blood announced how near Her fate had been to that of all her race;

For the same blow which laid her mother here Had scarr'd her brow, and left its crimson trace

As the last link which all she had held dear ;(2) But else unhurt, she open'd her large eyes,

And gazed on Juan with a wild surprise.

XCVI.

Just at this instant, while their

eyes were

fix'd

Upon each other, with dilated glance, In Juan's look, pain, pleasure, hope, fear, mix'd With joy to save, and dread of some mischance

(1) ["Ce spectacle m'attira bientôt, et je n'hésitai pas, comme on peut le croire, à prendre entre mes bras cette infortunée, que les barbares voulaient y poursuivre encore. J'eus bien de la peine à me retenir et à ne pas percer ces misérables du sabre que je tenais suspendu sur leur tête : je me contentai cependant de les éloigner, non sans leur prodiguer les coups et les injures qu'ils méritaient. . . ."— RICHELIEU.]

(2) [". . . . J'eus le plaisir d'apperçevoir que ma petite prisonnière n'avait d'autre mal qu'une coupure légère que lui avait faite au visage le même fer qui avait percé sa mère.” — Ibid.]

Unto his protégée; while hers, transfix'd
With infant terrors, glared as from a trance,
A pure, transparent, pale, yet radiant face,
Like to a lighted alabaster vase ;-

XCVII.

-

Up came John Johnson (I will not say " Jack,"
For that were vulgar, cold, and common-place
On great occasions, such as an attack

On cities, as hath been the present case): Up Johnson came, with hundreds at his back, Exclaiming:-"Juan! Juan! On, boy! brace Your arm, and I'll bet Moscow to a dollar That you and I will win St. George's collar. (1)

XCVIII.

"The Seraskier is knock'd upon the head,
But the stone bastion still remains, wherein
The old Pacha sits among some hundreds dead,
Smoking his pipe quite calmly 'midst the din
Of our artillery and his own: 'tis said

Our kill'd, already piled up to the chin,
Lie round the battery; but still it batters,
And grape in volleys, like a vineyard, scatters.

XCIX.

"Then up with me!"-But Juan answer'd, "Look
Upon this child—I saved her -must not leave
Her life to chance; but point me out some nook
Of safety, where she less may shrink and grieve,

(1) A Russian military order.

And I am with you."- Whereon Johnson took A glance around-and shrugg'd-and twitch'd his sleeve

And black silk neckcloth-and replied, "You're right; Poor thing! what's to be done? I'm puzzled quite.”

Done, I'll not quit her till she seems secure Of present life a good deal more than we.”Quoth Johnson-" Neither will I quite ensure; But at the least you may die gloriously."— Juan replied-" At least I will endure Whate'er is to be borne-but not resign This child, who is parentless, and therefore mine."

CI.

Johnson said-" Juan, we've no time to lose;
The child's a pretty child—a very pretty—
I never saw such eyes—but hark! now choose
Between your fame and feelings, pride and pity;-
Hark! how the roar increases!-no excuse
Will serve when there is plunder in a city ;-
I should be loath to march without
you, but,
By God! we'll be too late for the first cut."

CII,

But Juan was immoveable; until

Johnson, who really loved him in his way, Pick'd out amongst his followers with some skill

Such as he thought the least given up to prey;

And swearing if the infant came to ill

That they should all be shot on the next day;
But if she were deliver'd safe and sound,
They should at least have fifty rubles round,

CIII.

And all allowances besides of plunder

In fair proportion with their comrades ;—then Juan consented to march on through thunder, Which thinn'd at every step their ranks of men: And yet the rest rush'd eagerly-no wonder, For they were heated by the hope of gain, A thing which happens every where each dayNo hero trusteth wholly to half pay.

CIV.

And such is victory, and such is man!

At least nine tenths of what we call so;-God
May have another name for half we scan
As human beings, or his ways are odd.

But to our subject: a brave Tartar khan-
Or "sultan," as the author (to whose nod
prose I bend my humble verse) doth call
This chieftain-somehow would not yield at all:

In

CV.

But flank'd by five brave sons, (such is polygamy,
That she spawns warriors by the score, where none
Are prosecuted for that false crime bigamy),
He never would believe the city won