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 :^a^@^iE^a 
 
 POISM. 
 
 I' 
 
 > 
 
' 
 

 ^vit<ji(.fMimjiQ ^ s^^iSM'^ 
 
 ' Our outward senso 
 Is but of gradual gras})— and as it is, 
 That what we have of feeling mostintenst*, 
 Outstrips our faint expression. 
 
 " Even who-n |)rcscnt at the Falls, it is probable that the ob- 
 server himself takes correct notice of a small part only, of the ob- 
 jects presented to his view. Those, however, which he does re- 
 mark, straightway suggest, images to his mind, suitable to his own 
 particular character ; and of course, essentially modified by the 
 })eculiar circumstances of his past life. Now, ifwe suppose it pos- 
 sible, that he could describe with what is called perfect or graphic 
 fidelity, both the facts themselves which strike his senses, and the 
 ideas which arise in his mind from a contemplation of them, the 
 chances are still infinitely against these recorded conceptions be- 
 ing found suitable to the minds of his different readers. At the 
 best, the ideas suggested to others by his descriptions, must inevi- 
 tably be feeble arid incomplete, in comparison with his own. His 
 impressions are not produced by the observation of a series of de- 
 tails, considered one after another, — the only method in which a 
 reader can view them,— but are stamped upon his mind and feel- 
 ings at the moment, by the whole in combination." 
 
 7Vcrc/s in North America by Captain Basil Hall, 
 
 I 
 
 --4=:^. .fu ,f-X.>..i'4afev*afJ 
 
 ^S-'- 
 
 S&J 
 
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NlAGAnA. 
 
 -►♦♦■'ii^"»H««- 
 
 QrcixsTo.N, nhilc on thy rar-famed lu-ij^lils 1 rest, 
 What glowing thoughts, invade my thrilling breast! 
 And shall I pass thy scenes, and yon lone tomb, 
 Where all earth clainns of Brock, receives its doom, 
 Nor strive, ere other themes, engross my lay, 
 A grateful tribute, to ihy fame to pay ? 
 Sweet is the view, thy lofty brow commaiuls ; 
 The spacious plain,— the shores of rival lands ; — 
 Between whose bounds, the placid river flows, 
 Smiling serene, as conscious of repose : 
 Nor idly flows ; fur as its waters sweep, 
 Their devious course, towards the distant deep, 
 They on their bosom, bear the rich produce. 
 
 Of fertile fields around, for foreign use. 
 
 Wandering in joy, the chainlcss Zephyrs play, 
 
 And kiss its glas>y cheek, as on they stray. 
 
 To where its waters, like a mirror spread, 
 
 Translucently above, Ontario's bed ; 
 
 In which, Angelic Hosts, might stoop to view, 
 
 Heaven's arch reflected, of celestial blue! 
 Beneath yon mound— but wherefore should I tell, 
 
 Since History's page relates, what there belcll 
 
 Although our Meteor flag, in triumph waved, 
 
 Ths conqueror fell upon the soil he saved. 
 
 Yonder the column stands, by Briton's reared, 
 
 To thee immortal Brock ! whom all revered ! 
 
 " Bright names will hallow song," and verse Uke mine, 
 
 Illustrious Hero ! stands in need of thine ; 
 
 For of the bravo, who fought to guard our land, 
 
 From the incursions of an hostile band ; 
 
o 
 
 U ho can s.'|,-c|, Iroiu lli.' pnnul tlironir, a iiuiik; ; 
 
 As l»rijrhl AH thino,- ol .stjcli rrulurini,^ fanu-.' 
 
 Uravpst. wliore all were hnivo ,~in /enl, nntirc.J ;— 
 
 A soul, with every ,Mlriot virtue fired ; 
 
 Ardent and ^^enerous,— prompt at ^Mory's call ; 
 
 The victors wepi,— ihe vanquished mourned I'l.y fall ! 
 
 I fii!i;l by all rtvered : l)y one youn^' land 
 
 Thou wert adored', thy life's blood dyed her strand. 
 
 Whatever Titles others may confer, 
 
 'Sfie feels thwu werl, a Martyr unto her! 
 
 Kxultingly, she watch'd thy brief career, 
 
 And when fate stretched thee, on an early bier, 
 
 Upon her brow, dark clouds of sadness hung ;' 
 
 And lamentations dwell upon her tongue ! 
 
 VVith deepest woe, her dauntless heart was rife , 
 
 E'en victory cheered not, purchased with t! v liie I 
 
 Thy deathless name, her annals, shall adorn, 
 
 And be extoli'd through ages yet unborn ; 
 
 With deep-fdt awe, hcrsons will view the »rrave 
 
 Of l)im who .lied, their Father's hearths to save •' 
 
 And while her native pines, retain their hue, 
 
 With grateful hearts, will pay the tribute <lue ! 
 
 Yes ! long as thy prourl Monument remains 
 
 Or \hG blood Hows within a Briton's veins, ' 
 
 Thy hallow'd fame, shall be her boast and pride ^ 
 
 And the spot sacred, where \u crim.on tide' ' ( 
 
 1 hy precious 1,/e, gusiied from thy wounded side S 
 
 Queenston, adieu ! I quit thy heights to trace, 
 I he chasm worn by the wild torrents race ; 
 To mark what form, its rugged shores pervade. 
 As they approach Niagara's Cascade. 
 
 Near where Brock led the brave in stern array 
 And ever foreir.ost, perished in the affray • ' ' 
 The Cataract, 'lis said, first rushed sublime • 
 Was It coeval with the birth of time ? 
 Or did some dire convulsion shake this ball 
 And raise the steppe, from whence its waters fall ' 
 i>trrmine ye, whom Geologic bre, 
 
Miiill liitl.er IcaJ, th<; atr.a.i to ercplorfi , 
 
 Kiioui,Hi, il I, ill numbers cnn convey, 
 
 The scenes and tlinughts, which strike me,ns I stray , _^ 
 
 Ah)nf^ thfi shore, Ihe ledi^'c o'er h:in<Ts (he strpani, • 
 
 A\u\ far hcnviilh, the flashini,' billows j^leam ; 
 
 LikGung;ry Titans, o'er a prostrate Ibe, 
 
 The frowning rocks, jjaze on the wnres below ; 
 
 Wiiichundenriine their .«<trenglh, 'till each proud head 
 
 Falls crush'd, and broken, on a wave-worn bed ! 
 
 Such is the scene, to \\here the ra;^inp; tlood, 
 
 Fornns a vast whirlpool midst the shejt'ring wood. 
 
 Fierce daughter of the torrent ! thcu dost ev/eep 
 
 In fearful eddies, rou«d thy verdant steep ; 
 
 And many a ]Monal-ch of the forest, rides, 
 
 Barkless antl branchless, on thy whirling tides ! 
 
 Navell'd amid the woods, thy sudden bend, 
 
 Look;? like (lie goal, where the huge torrents end ; 
 
 But j)as5 the point, lo ! with impetuous gush, 
 
 The ragingra{>ids, onward reckless rush ! 
 
 Fonm crested, bounding- billows! yc are pasj,M, 
 
 And on the Tablit Rock, I stand at last. 
 
 Sublimcst wonder of Almighty might, 
 That evercharm'd with dread the human sijiht. 
 From humbler themes lo (hec ! with awe I turn 
 Thou matchless kingof Hoods,— thou desert born ! 
 Niagara Hail ! oh, how sl.all I impart 
 With words, the feelings, which invade my heart? 
 I rest on rocks, which overhang the abyss, 
 Where thy dire " Ilell of waters, howl and hiss !'' 
 On that worn ledge, from whence with awful bound, 
 The foaming waters plunge with stunning sound ! 
 I gaze; and turn away—then gaze again ; 
 Dread, fear, and joy, perplex my reeling brain ; 
 xMixcd undefinabi sensations, rush 
 Across my mind ; wild as thy torrents gusli ! 
 Imagination, baffled ; strives in vain : 
 The wildest dreams that even poets feign, 
 I hou do«l fi'onsrond ! There is no cower in ?oriP". 
 
Uo ,v.,r,,, „l,„„„d, ,vi„, „,,,„, „,„, ,^,„„^, S ^ 
 h.,,s_K,va»_I,„|,„_n,.c ^,„„,| i„ every Clime • 
 
 TcS,„e_,,,eKI,i„e.-,l,„ Severn, ,„„i,h„ I.;, 
 Al.ke l,r„uo;l, rc„l,m- of cullurM l,e»uly n„„. . 
 
 W, te,„ scene, we n,ee.i„ ever, zone. ' 
 I'..' I. ro ,s nous-M like ,l,cc I-Tl.ou art alone ■ 
 %«(or,„,„,|„>i,„f,|,i,„„f„, ,„^ 
 
 JV „,lr:nv„,e veil o(„„,er,,. from, bv (he... - 
 
 VUosl,alU„cn„,u„,i„g,|,ec.,.„i,„„,o„ 
 Unvcl ,|,e |,i,,,,e„ ,„,.,„,, „, „,^, |^_,^_^. , ""- 
 
 F«.n«.„uM|,„row,:.„,i,i„,,.„,„,^f,; 
 T ...I ru e, .hose ,v„n,lcr,, ,.,„,1 ,n>ec„ „,e ,„„„ 
 O w,n,l. an,l ,v,„er,, „,,,,,, ,,,„e„„, ^Z^'"- 
 -J. . I |v„,,l„.„ro,:l.,,, „,„,,,,„„„, „„;="• 
 
 •".> sticjin, ifs honiiiOT shows 
 
 ^:; -veil, „,,,.„„„,„, „„„„^„^ . 
 
 "ii">n tfiuiH ennir down rill- I... • 
 
 Hen. 1. 1 ; ' ''"^'" «-'l^^anlic fall • 
 
 ^1 i(s HrsJ vcrdui-G • r,|l. U.. n " ^'''''*' 
 
 rnnf^.v,- '*^ a<lupous mass .- 
 
 i/u aojss, Oh, whal a scene ' 
 Jo rea,,f„u-o„flieiKSco,l,ewaic.r;";^ 
 
 •'■.--.^..n,os.o„,,K.„vo.,Hcri4'«ou„., . 
 
 ff ^ 
 
9 
 
 Like rnoHiiingi oftltu damned, my ears astound, 
 An awe inspiring roar ! such as would rise, 
 From hopeless millions, to unpilying skies ! 
 iJehoId ! upshootijit,', from the ('auldron's breast, 
 The boiliuj;' torrent, tortured into yeast ; 
 Rising in billowy piles, qs if to gain, 
 The heights which they can never more attain : 
 Like sheeted ghosts, striving from thy dread deep, 
 To gain a place of rest, thoy upward leap ! 
 Whirhng, like waltzing fiends, thy eddies play, 
 And sport and g»>mbol, midst the dire affray ; 
 The heaving surges too, each other chase, 
 And burst in foam, against thy rocky base ; 
 Then on, like foaming steeds, with fearful force ; 
 The billows, gallop down, thy rapid's course. 
 Serenely floating o'er thy wild cascade ; 
 Spanning the ragged rent, its stream hath made; 
 An Iris glows in its celestial hues, 
 And with a magic charm, the scene imbues. 
 The wild sea-mews, careering in the spray, 
 Amidst its heaven born dyes; delighted, play: 
 And Lo! as down the gulph my restless eyes, 
 Pursue thy course, lo where the rocks arise. 
 Like an embattled wall, curtain'd with foam; 
 Another rainbow seeks, its stormy home! 
 How beautiful its tints' Divinely calm! 
 Over the mingling strife, it sheds a balm, 
 Like " hope on death beds," ore saints sink to rest; 
 Or "beauty sleeping," upon " horrors breast!" 
 A floating shroud, o'er all thy grandeur dwells, 
 Form'd by the spray, thy angry flood repels; 
 And the blue hearens, like a celestial pall, 
 Form one wide canopy, and cover all! 
 Great God! How wonderful thy works, when Thou, 
 'Sports't with thy elements, as Thou dost now! 
 How mean,— how insignificant are all, 
 Man's mightiest ^orks, that decorate this Ball; 
 
 fhev fade, anrl nnce nxx'ov Ut^^ Thl^s" ..^•-»^«:.» 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 fimblems of Thy Dowm- „< . ^ 
 
 Thou s«n,'st to h!! . '""'""'='1' g>Md! 
 
 Who bids (bee ,»1 „ ? "" """"o" P"'"".- 
 
 A»<I . deep aw 1w" ""' l'^ '"^'"S '«'"••■ 
 1' «'ou^h Hfe ;;; TC^' ''^ •^»'°«!»'''d mind, 
 Thee (0 (he Channel nl° d! kt Z"' '""" 
 ""''•cl »»a passage (b ,hv h ,f "^" ' '"«' 
 Rostmin'd bv Him it^ '"yMlowy race! 
 
 Each idle res'io-^ fi. T "PPosin? sweep, 
 
 ^-*;s.':;es'''L'r''''''-''- 
 
 Butwhereare they wh !!' '^^^"^ y°"'' bourse. 
 
 ^hat the Great S^^^r^l^^^T^^ ^* ^^^^^ 
 i^^ hu.nble '.yorship bowed ^n^V v " *''*' '^ot, 
 Who, •' !oekedthrLr ' *^ ^^^f o>er-awcd: 
 
 ^;e-a.het::tyl^^^^^^ 
 
 ^long thy shoroi (^ei|. ; ' "^:^'"^*" ^^a^fare bred. 
 
 Wild as thy flood^ ''^'""* ^"''^^ ^hey led; 
 
11 
 
 Their Icgendi tell, of inaiij , a bloody deed. 
 
 The new world was their own, — its boundless woods, 
 
 Its wide Savannas, and gigantic Floods: 
 
 Till thou Columbus, stecr'd o'er unknown seas, 
 
 VViiere sail had never flutter'd in the breeze. 
 
 Thy daring keel, the first that ever press'd, 
 
 The azure billows, of their virgin breast! 
 
 Onward, like hope, thy streaming pennon piayed, 
 
 Until their shores, thy longing eyes surveyed. 
 
 Soon (lew the tidings, and the white man came, 
 
 Anddisposscss'd, the hunter, and his game: 
 
 Long have the Redmen ceased to throng thy brink, 
 
 Their songs are hushed, iheir council fires extinct. 
 
 The warriors mound will soon alone be all, 
 
 That will remembrance, of their race, recall. 
 
 Ye children of the forest I It was not 
 In open war, that men from Europe, sought 
 Your fertile shores: they came with heartless wile 
 And you rejoiced; suspecting not their guile. 
 Missouri and La Plata/ Rio Grand 
 Indallyc floods that lave their outraged land! 
 Boar witness ye, — for often hath your wave 
 Dyed Vv^ith his b'ood, afforded him a grave, — 
 Bear witness how, the Whiteman hath repaid, 
 The Indian's kindness! how he oft hath laid 
 His dwelling desolate; and made his name, 
 A by-word and a scoff: and Oh! ete'-nal shame! 
 Oppressed and piunder'd him! The murdrr'd iiosts 
 If call'd to life, would tbrongyour spacious coasts. 
 Niagara, the reumant of that race, 
 Which call'd thy verdant shores, thfir dwelling place, 
 Are now protected, and Securely toil, 
 Wh«,»c ever Britain sways the Indian soil. 
 But where the "Patriot's banner," long hath waved. 
 And sable millions still remain enslav'd; 
 The ill-fated Indian, on his own domain, 
 Asks but to live in peace, but asks in vain. 
 
 Is there no place on earth man calls his own, 
 
Where guilt and outrage, hath remain'd unknown ? 
 Is there no spot, his restless foot hath trod. 
 Where blood, hath never stain'd, the guilty «od ? 
 Long,— leng ago, as Indian legends tell. 
 On yonder Isle, victims to vengeance fell. 
 Wild on the blast, all sustenance denied. 
 Their shrieks arose, above thy roaring tide: 
 Tis said their spirits, doonned to know no rest, 
 Amidst the warring floods still dwell unbless'd, 
 And fancy's ear, can catch their mournful groans, 
 Now rising high,— now -iunk to sullen moans; 
 'Twas but of late, invaders sought our land 
 And fought and fled, defeated, from thy strand, 
 Thoujtoo, hast heard, the White man's shouts arise. 
 The din of war— the death struck wretches cries! 
 Seen blood profusely flow, when hand to hand. 
 The crimson'd steel, clash'd, mids't the hostile band; 
 And mimic light'nings flash, the live-long night. 
 While the loud cheer, proclaim'd the lengthen'd fight; 
 And heard the thunders of the cannon's roar, 
 **Vex the dull ear of night," along thy shore. 
 
 Insulted Genius of the spot, expand 
 Each narrow mind— avert each daring hand. 
 That would denude thy shrine, and Oh! defeat, 
 Man's innovations, on thy dread retreat! 
 Could he not count his pence, and leave between 
 Thee, and his plodding deeds, a leafy screen? 
 Could not, a margin of the wild, be spared? 
 No, where thy shore is clothed 'twill soon be bared. 
 And Taverns, Mills, and Groceries will rear 
 Their shingled roofs, o'er thy sublime career! 
 Oh, had I power, how soon tvould I restore, 
 The forest ho hath stripped from thy dread shore; 
 And force, the staring structures of his hand, 
 A proper distance from thy outrag'd strand. 
 Shall gain alone, the soul of man infest— 
 Lead " wrens" to prey, where 'eagles', dare not rest? 
 Rise in thy wrath, thou mighty flood, and sweep 
 The intruders works from thy colossal steep! 
 
 «■ 
 
18 
 
 Man! stay thy hand, — here let ihy mind dilate, 
 
 And strive to grasp, what thou dost contemplate. 
 
 Nature is eloquent — the torrents flow, 
 
 Can teach a lesson it is well to know; 
 
 And thou Niagara, if rightly read, 
 
 Speaks't to the heart, like requienns o'er the dead. 
 
 Here all is change. Mark how Ihe constant shock 
 
 Of falling torrents, frets the solid rock. 
 
 Time like thy flood, incessant onward rolls, 
 
 And with its billows agitates our souls. 
 
 Years, countless years, have heard thy solemn roar; 
 
 It will be heard, when all shall be no more. 
 
 Whose hearts now throb ! When not a trace is left. 
 
 And evejn our graves shall be of us bereft. 
 
 Thou art not wrinkled by the hand of time; 
 
 The lapse of ages, leaves thee in thy prime ! 
 
 Alas ! how diflerent, with the crowds that flock 
 
 From distant lands, to tlirong thy Table Rock ! 
 A few short years, and Lo ! the spark .expires, 
 
 Which gives them life— they moulder ,with their sires: 
 
 But when their tombs are tenantless, thy voice 
 
 Will make the hearts, of other crowds rejoice ; 
 
 They too shall pass away —yet still thy song 
 
 Will hoarsely rise, these wave-worn rocks among. 
 
 Alas ! my soul is dark,— dark as the abyss, 
 
 That yawns beneath ! Hope, whispers, future bliss: 
 
 But even her vivid eye, will oft grow dim : 
 
 Doubts, like thy mists, before its visions swim, 
 
 And fiend-like, whisper to the heart, and say. 
 
 Its hopes shall perish, like thy rising spray ! 
 
 Oh ! Man, thou " pendulum" 'twixt ''smile and tear, 
 
 Now buoyed by hope, and now depress'd by fear, 
 
 Now doubting all things, then believing all, 
 
 That priestcraft hath invented, since thy fall ! 
 
 What is thy lot? disease, a? d death and strife. 
 
 And what thy hope ? bliss, in a future life. 
 
 Shalt thou, like yonder rainbow, pass away, 
 
 And with thy ipirit, share a bed of clay ? 
 
 >> 
 
/ J 
 
 14 
 
 Shall all the elcMiients ot this dull earth, 
 
 Retain the power, Gcxi gave them at their birth ; 
 
 And thou, and thy, all grasping, restless mind 
 
 Become extinct 1 a grave eternal find,— 
 
 In the dark earths embrace ? Oh ! faith impart, 
 • Thy confidence to every doubting heart ; 
 
 As the cool water, from the fountain brought, 
 ■7C To the parched lips, thou art to the thought. 
 On every soul, oh ! let thy full light stream, 
 
 And gild each wayward thought, witli thy bright beam ; 
 
 And should times, adverse storms still ruthless sweep 
 My shatter'd skiflf, across lifes' dreary deep, 
 
 Soul soothing Angel Faith, do thou remain. 
 
 To still the tempest, or, my bark sustain ! 
 
 And when the dreary voyage, of life, is o'er, 
 
 And its worn fragments, strew death's sable shore } 
 
 Let my freed soul, in thy embraces rid«, 
 
 Into Eternity's, **unebbing tide " : 
 
 Where sorrows blight comes not, nor thou despair. 
 
 And find a stormlcss, tranquil haven, there ! 
 
 Yes ! when Niagara, thy voice no more, 
 
 Shall in the ears, of awe-struck listners, roar ; 
 
 When wasted are thy floods, and thy wild waves, 
 
 Have perish 'd with the shores, thy torrent lavts ; 
 
 Then shall the immortal soul, on wings sublime, 
 
 Soar— -daring soar, above the wrecks of time ! 
 
 O'er this crush 'd world, its song of triumph sing, 
 
 "Oh ! grave where is thy victory ! Oh I death, where is thy stmg!\' 
 
 On Queenston heights, Istray'd in lonely guise, 
 This morn, and saw, yon setting sun, arise. 
 Long, ere I stood, where now entranced I gaze. 
 Meridian skies, were glowing with his rays. 
 He will arise, to cheer the land, and main, 
 And scatter gladness, o'er those scenes again : 
 But thousands gaze, on his last lingering ray. 
 On whom, the "precincts of the cheerful day" 
 Shall dawn no more: Time's, ceaseless noiseless wing, 
 No change of night, or day, to them shall bring. 
 
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"Kif 
 
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 16 
 
 Thy fleod. arc ocean bound, bu. .lark and drear, 
 r.he dread grave, w. journey o m «». 
 Vrom the great ^'-^•'^;;S^^^Z eUie» ; 
 
 ^"''*""'':!Su«U>..: final day. 
 
 But man mu" f «l'" "" , ,i p,gs away i 
 
 When earth, and »'»«' °»f '^ ^'(^t hte d.on,, 
 
 B,.„,„„gbef«e,I-e Jog^_^^^^_^^^^^^^^_ 
 Knd:er.l.th«Mn/7--- 
 
 "'»\*C,f^k ry'f«rp<!wL.and dare 
 That I would ta.U my "^ j^ere. 
 
 ''•""^*°r^^b wbere^rtthou. 
 I have essayed to sing, Dui ^ 
 
 ^^fo''c«:^rrrei::-^.-r^""'"' 
 
 "different h.»i.pber«^^^,-r^^ .., 
 
 Th.ughdim *y<>y">'y ^^<„, ,„ thee. 
 
 I-,. n«-f«f'','"^S rvetoven into thyme, 
 Thoughdull the «»'ds we ^ ^^.^^ . 
 
 r\riaT.;aTa« 
 
 Vp skies, and huW, ana vu» . 
 
 1 *gh; of ye I ''»r;::„*r V houV -p^. 
 rrmyprb:*£"i*we-^i»^^ 
 
 ^tU.e«tb.rnat^-^^^^^^ 
 BulIhavesaidfereweH. Yem'gn'y 
 
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16 
 
 Your sights astonish, and your roar appals! 
 Night, from her ebon wings, the darkness throw*, 
 And brooding o'er yonrscenes, demands repose; 
 
 The skies frown heavily , the stars are hid, 
 
 Or gleam, as pass, some cloudy pyramid. 
 Hush'd, are the zephyrs, which I sung of yore, 
 And hollow, moaning blasts, invade the shore! 
 I^iagara ! thy darkling floods appear, 
 To rush with greater force, as if in fear. 
 Methinks I hear, strange voices join thy song, 
 And sounds unearthly float, thy shores along. 
 Huge shadowy forms, on falling torrents ride, 
 Sport over thy abyss, and down thy rapids glide. , 
 Visions, from worlds beyond the grave intrude; 
 Awful, — appalling, as its solitude. liBi': 
 
 All gloomy things are met, with dread oppressed^ 
 Wild trains of thought, invade my troubled breast- 
 Thoughts, of those youthful hopes, of earthly bUs8» 
 Which long have vanish'd; lost in time's abysi: 
 Of Death — the Grave — ^^Eternity — of all. 
 That can exalt, or can the soul enthrall! 
 My task is done! Here will I end my lays, 
 And of thy Great Creator, muse the praise. 
 
 i 
 
 FIKIS. 
 
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