{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/indian-wars",
 "title": "Indian Wars",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "James McIntyre",
 "poet_slug": "james-mcintyre",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Poems of James McIntyre",
 "book_slug": "poems-of-james-mcintyre",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": null,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1889,
  "venue": "Poems of James McIntyre (1889)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-mcintyre_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36068",
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 48,
  "n_stanzas": 12,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 41,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "We started to march o’er the plain,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And looked for shelter long in vain,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "At last a scout brought in the news,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He found a house to rendezvous.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "A large block house in the valley",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Where the company could rally;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And soon they start a cheerful fire",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With all the comfort they desire.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But when the wind went howling by,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It bore along an infant’s cry;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Men rushed out on the prairie",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For to find the little fairy.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "They found child in arms of mother,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And met its father and its brother,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And a young sister who was quite small,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With kitten wrapped up in a shawl.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "These folks were drawn by an ox team,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And of such storm they did not dream;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "O’er wagon canvas erection,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It gave them but slight protection.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But though this family was in gloom,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The soldiers gave them warm room,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Where they slept till dawn of day,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Then emigrants went on their way.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But soon a soldier gave alarm,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which to us seem’d to bring us harm;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He thought, or was it but a dream,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That he heard the baby scream.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Horror on all it did hefal,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When soldier said ’twas wrapped in shawl;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "We knew not how it should be fed,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And feared that soon it would be dead.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The mess we fixed is historic,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For to feed it milk and paregoric;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Just then we heard Indians yell,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And thick ’mong us their arrows fell.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But they found they could not trifle",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With us, when each seized his rifle;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But so quick they us surrounded,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Several of our men were wounded.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But soon quiet did reign supreme,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Then infant once more was the theme,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Though no more the babe doth squall,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For arrows have transfixed the shawl,",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Each soldier’s heart was grieved sore,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For blood it trickled to the floor;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So much witl, grief they were smitten,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They opened shawl and found dead kitten.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}