DOTLAN EveMaps

Public Channel: The Intrepid Ones

Full many a weary league
Of hunger, thirst, and pain
Our brave explorer trod,
And traversed o'er again,
Before he reached the goal,
And cooled his burning brow,
And stayed his halting steps
Where the northern waters flow.

Grim silence reigned supreme,
Save alligator's plash,
Or sea-mew's shrilly scream,
Or ocean's restless dash;
Yet flashed that leader's eye,
And triumph filled his soul
As he heard the bird's discordant cry,
And saw the waters roll.

Methinks t'were worth a life
To stand as there he stood-
Forerunner of a dauntless race,
Proud rulers of the flood.
Across the desert waste
He hears their hurrying feet;
He sees the flashing wires
That mighty empires greet.

His dream is all fulfilled,
Responsive echoes ring
Around the circling earth,
Sped on the lightning's wing.
And what hath he? - a distant grave;
Unblazoned is his name;
And what have we? - a beaten path
To honour, wealth, and fame.

~Caroline Carleton on Australian explorer McDouall Stuart~