Page:The Fall of the Alamo.djvu/18

 May yet pass by as harmless as the Norther That will at times sweep over our domain, And only tends to purify the air. E'en now the better class of Mexicans Who honestly aspire their country's weal And wish to see her rise o'er party-strife, Sustain our patient course ; and who can tell, If not, as quickly as the tide recedes, The ruling faction in that changeful Stite, To-morrow e'en, may weaken and succumb?

I cannot share thy faith in Mexicans; Save but a few enlightened of their people, They all behold with eyes of livid envy Our industry and our prosperity. To see this land beneath our stalwart arms Bloom like a rose, to see our flocks increase. To see our towns alive with trade and craft, Our bays and streams with sail, our roads with teams, Excites their selfishness and avarice. Therefore it matters not what faction rules: Our lands and rights will ever be endangered. What if they are? The higher we esteem them. Men only prize what they have gained through peril.