The carriage went bumping along in the dark,
And many a jolt it gave one.
Then a sudden crash, and a wheel came loose
Our plight was distinctly a grave one.

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• note.

•

•

The postillion dismounted and hastened for help
To the village, and lo! I found me
Alone in the wood at the dead of night
With a clamour and howl around me.

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'Tis the famished wolves that so loudly call
With hunger's voice unsleeping;
'Tis their fiery eyes that gleam through the shades,
Like the flicker of torches leaping.

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The beasts, informed of my coming, no doubt,
Have resolved, by way of ovation,
To sing in my honour their choruses loud,
And provide an illumination.

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I see, the song is a serenade—
A very charming notion;
I strike on the instant an attitude,
And reply with deep emotion:

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"I am heartily glad, O brother wolves,
In spite of my demerits,
To hear so much affection howled
From so many noble spirits.

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"What my feelings at this moment are
No words could fitly measure.
The memory of this happy hour
I shall for ever treasure.

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"I thank you for your confidence,
Which I trust is not mistaken:
For that unswerving loyalty
Which has stood each test unshaken.

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"Brother wolves, ye never doubted me,
Were never disconcerted
By the knaves who said that to the dogs
I had secretly deserted:

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"That a renegade, in the sheepfold soon
I'd be winning a councillor's glories.
It was quite beneath my dignity
To contradict such stories.

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"The sheepskin that at times for warmth
I have hung about my shoulders
Has never made me love the sheep,
However it struck beholders.

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"I am neither a sheep, nor a councillor,
Nor a dog, nor a haddock; I never
Was aught but a wolf, my heart and teeth
Are as wolfish and keen as ever.

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• x

"A wolf am I, and shall always be
With the wolves a brother yelper.
Yes, count on me, and shift for yourselves,
And God will be your helper."

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Such the extempore speech I made;
With the usual mutilation,
In the Allgemeine Zeitung, by Kolb,
It was printed for circulation.

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