It wuz a chariot in which stood the Discoverer, a-lookin’ off, fur-sighted, and determined, and prophetic, and everything else that could be expected of that noble Prophet and Martyr, Columbus.

The chariot wuz drawn by four high-headed and likely horses as I ever see.  But alas! for my own sect.

Two noble and beautiful wimmen stood a-walkin’ afoot, barefoot too—­stood right there between the horses, each one a-holdin’ the bits of two of them high-headed beasts, and their huffs ready to kick at ’em.  They didn’t look afraid a mite, so I don’t know as I need to worry about ’em.

But I couldn’t help thinkin’—­that is the way that it has always been, men a-ridin’ the chariots of Power, drawed by satisfied ambition, and enterprise, and social and legal powers, and the wimmen a-walkin’ along afoot by the side of the chariot, and a-leadin’ the horses.

Bringin’ men into the world, nurturin’ ’em, comfortin’ ’em through life, and weepin’ over their tomb.

Yes, she has led the horse, but walked afoot, and the stuns have been sharp and cold under her bare feet, and the dust from the chariot has riz up and blinded her sad eyes time and agin, so’s that she couldn’t look off any distance.  The horses have been hard bitted; their high huffs and heads drawed dretful hard at the bit held in her weak grasp, and she has been kicked a good deal by their sharp huffs.

On the two off horses there wuz two figgers a-holdin’ up high gorgeous banners; of course they wuz men, and of course they wuz ridin’.

Three men a-ridin’ and two wimmen a-walkin’ afoot; it didn’t seem right.

Not that I begretched Columbus—­that noble creeter—­the ease he had; if I’d had my way I’d had a good spring seat fixed onto that chariot, so that he could rid a-settin’ down; or, at any rate, I’d laid a board acrost it, with a buffalo robe on’t.  I wouldn’t had him a-standin’ up.

It hain’t because I’ve got anything aginst Columbus—­no indeed; but I am such a well-wisher of my own sect that I hate to see ’em in such a tryin’ place.

But I wuz glad of one thing, and mebby that wuz one thing that made them poor wimmen look so fearless and sort of riz up.

They wuz in the East—­they wuz in the past; the sun wuz a-movin’ along, they could foller its rays along into the golden day.  Why, right before ’em, on the other side of the basin, with only a little water between ‘em that would soon be crossed, they could see a woman a-towerin’ up a hundred feet, in plain view of all the countries of the assembled world, a-holdin’ in her outstretched hand the emblems of Power and Liberty.

But to resoom:  Josiah and I had a first-rate time there at that Music Hall, and enjoyed ourselves first rate a-hearin’ that most melodious music, though pretty loud, and a-seein’ the Musicianers all dressed up in the gayest colors, as if they wuz officers.

And truly they wuz.  They marshalled the rank and file of that most powerful army on earth, the grand onseen forces of melody, that vanquishes the civilized and savage alike, and charms the very beast and reptile.