I never craved the morning light, As through that terrifying night, For gentle but erratic Sleep Withheld her respite soft and deep, As in that charnel house I lay, Till twilight ushered in the day.
When daylight had returned again I strove with the relentless chain, Twisted and tugged until at length A more than ordinary strength Possessed my arm, and at one stroke The rivets weakened, bent and broke; One master wrench and from the floor, The ring which held the chain I tore; I dragged the dead men o'er the ground Till forge and anvil I had found; There with the hammer, rasp and file I wrought with diligence the while; At some expense of time and pains, I disengaged the cruel chains, And stood once more erect and free: Thus ended my captivity.
A guard lay prostrate on the sand, His rifle in his lifeless hand; I wrenched it from his rigid clutch, Then played the ghoul in self-defence, For clothing and accoutrements Escaped not my despoiling touch; I breathed the air of liberty, Alone I stood, but armed and free. To mislead any watchful eyes, I donned a militant disguise, And, in the dead man's uniform, Was soon prepared for strife or storm.
Unseen, unhindered, unpursued, I soon was in the solitude, Contending with impediments, Which every wilderness presents. Primeval forests, through which poured Rivers unknown to bridge or ford; Swamps, overgrown with weeds and moss, Almost impossible to cross; A waste of fallen trees and logs, Rank vegetation, stagnant bogs; Decaying leaves, profusely spread, Which rustled at the slightest tread, While underbrush and thicket made A thorny maze or barricade, Through which 'twas difficult to force A passage or retain one's course.
There my experience began, Along the lines of primal man; My fare, as I remember well, Was strictly aboriginal, For stupid grouse and ptarmigan Were easily approached and slain; And, as a relish for such food, I had the berries of the wood.
Through arches of umbrageous shade I journeyed onward undismayed, And undisturbed by man or beast, Made daily progress toward the east, Till viewing the Pacific shore, Northward along the coast I bore. I kept that course for many days, Where none but savage eyes might gaze; Full many a mile my footsteps led Through regions uninhabited, Till where Kamschatka's barren rocks Resist the sea's aggressive shocks, One gloomy afternoon, I stood And watched the wide and trackless flood.