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                  +------------------------------------------+   
                  | "Woes that defy the world's religions -- |   
                  | The Spirit's brooding ills --            |   
                  | We scatter, like a flock of pigeons,     |   
                  |     With pills."                         |   
                  +------------------------------------------+   
      
   > AS>  We scatter like a flock of pigeons when it is startled. But   
   > AS>  how does your reading treat the complement "with pills"?   
   >   
   >            More examples:   
   >   
   >                 The dog retreated with its tail between its hind   
   > legs. The butler absconded with the family silver.   
   >                 The train departed for Montreal with Harriet on   
   > board. John left without saying goodbye.   
      
   I have no objections to your examples, but somehow cannot   
   interpret Bierce's verse in this manner. Do we scatter like a   
   flock of pigeons, with pills stuffed into our pockets by way of   
   a reassuring ballast :-?   
      
   > I would describe "with [...]" as an adverbial phrase,   
   > however....  :-)   
      
   In that sense, yes. It modifes the verb: retreat, abscond, depart,   
   but I can't help but consider "with pills" in an instrumental sense.   
   I trow I shall take a pause, or maybe ask my question otherwhere   
   and compare the answers :-P   
      
   > AS>  And what are "woes" and "ills" if not the objects of   
   > AS>  "scatter"?   
   >   
   >            I interpret these "woes" and "ills"... which may be   
   > psychological or physical or both... as what often motivates   
   > human beings to use pills.  The way Bierce alludes to the former,   
   > however, implies a bit of poetic licence....  :-)   
      
   So do I, but what is their grammatical role in the sentence. We   
   learners are possessed by the grammatical devils, aren't we? Oh   
   yes, we suretainly are... Grammar comes with a second language.   
      
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