Document 333; Page 332
Amid the gardens torch lights glimmering gay
The roses buds like turquoise gems display
With ruby light the opening petals shine
As mantles in the cup the rosy wine
How softly beams the radiant lamp of night
While earths dark Mansion glows with silver light
And swiftly though the sky‘s pavilion move
The airy dancers of the fields above
While from the Ocean of octhereal blue
Celestial divers bring the starry gems to view
In short at sunset the whole caravan went
to rest and the half of the night was spent
when I awoke and without saying a word to any body but myself proceeded to reconnoitier our situation. I come without the lines when I was astonished to see the whole caravan surrounded by an immense wall. What in in the world in [is?] this? said I to myself when we pitched our tents here no such thing was to be seen. What can this be? I approached it and put my hand on the wall. I felt a part of it soft and warm and distinctly perceived the motion of breathing. Lord have mercy thought I if this be not a living creature. To be more certain I held my hand still for some time and observed at last that it was an immense serpent
[which]