On Dyfed's richest valley,
Where herds of kine were browsing,
We made a mighty sally,
To furnish our carousing.
Fierce warriors rushed to meet us;
We met them, and o'erthrew them:
They struggled hard to beat us,
But we conquered them, and slew them.

As we drove our prize at leisure,
The king marched forth to catch us:
His rage surpassed all measure,
But his people could not match us.
He fled to his hall-pillars;
And, ere our force we led off,
Some sacked his house and cellars,
While others cut his head off.

We there, in strife bewildering,
Spilt blood enough to swim in:
We orphaned many children,
And widowed many women.
The eagles and the ravens
We glutted with our foemen;
The heroes and the cravens,
The spearmen and the bowmen.

We brought away from battle,
And much their land bemoaned them,
Two thousand head of cattle,
And the head of him who owned them:
Ednyfed, King of Dyfed,
His head was borne before us;
His wine and beasts supplied our feasts,
And his overthrow, our chorus.
THOMAS LOVE PEACOCK.

CHAPTER IX

BOOK REVIEWS

"A good book is the precious life blood of a master spirit."
JOHN MILTON.

I. Assignments

1. Write a review of a book of travels.
2. Write a review of a biography.
3. Write a review of a novel.

II. Models

I

FRASER, JOHN FOSTER. _The Amazing Argentine._ Pp. 291,
illustrated. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company. $1.50 net.

This volume should go far to dissipate any idea that there is
not much of any consequence south of the Rio Grande besides the
Panama Canal. In the story of his journeyings over the length
and breadth of this enormous country--twice the size of
Mexico--Mr. Fraser paints us a picture of a progressive people,
and a country that is rapidly assuming a position as the
foremost producer of the world's meat-supply. Stretching from
the Atlantic to the Andes Mountains and from north of the Tropic
of Capricorn to the Straits of Magellan, it supports 30,000,000
cattle, over 80,000,000 sheep, and 8,000,000 horses. The
railroads, in which the British have invested L300,000,000, are
among the best equipped in the world, and carry annually
40,000,000 tons of freight, with approximate receipts of
L25,000,000. The export trade is advancing