^H LIBRARY 01 TIN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. < ;i KT OF" Received CLASSIFIED BIBLE, THE : an Analysis of the Holy Scriptures. By the Rev. JOHN EADIK, D.D., LL.D. Illustrated with Maps. Thirty-second Edition. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; bevelled boards, antique, red edges, 4s. ; whole calf, 8s. ; whole morocco, 10s. 6d., CRUDEN'S CONCORDANCE TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. By the Rev. JOHN EADIB, D.D., LL.D. With an Introduction by the Rev. Dr. KING. This has long and deservedly borne the reputation of being the completest and best edition extant, and the present reduction in price will also cause it to be by far the cheapest published. Thirteenth Edition. Small 8vo., cloth antique, red edges, 2s. 6d. ; gilt back and edges, 3s. ; morocco, 7s. 6d., EADIE'S (DR.) DICTIONARY OF THE HOLY BIBLE ; designed chiefly for the' Use of Young Persons. With numerous Illustrations. Royal 4to., cloth, gilt edges, 21s. , calf, gilt edges, 42s. j Levant morocco, antique, gilt e to sail to Colchis. In the middle of the sea they had to cross floated two huge rocks, as the ice- bergs float in the seas where it is always winter. Now when these rocks knocked together they crushed everything between them to pieces, and when a fish swimming in the water, or a bird flying in the air, passed between them, they killed it, and when a ship sailed through, they crushed it to pieces and killed all the people on board. These rocks had been put there by Jupiter, so that nobody might get to Colchis. "When they came to the rocks they found them floating far asunder, but already beginning to come nearer to each other. The Argonauts sailed right on towards the middle, and when they were close to the rocks, one of the heroes stood in front of the ship, with a dove in his hand, and let her fly. Now when anything living went between the rocks they struck together and then flew wide asunder. But the dove flew fast, and Minerva helped her, because she was a good and kind dove, and she was snow-white, and when the rocks closed, they only pulled out the feather of her tail, which soon grew again. And the rocks flew apart, and the heroes rowed with might and main and got safely through, and the rocks only knocked off a little bit of the ship's stern ; the dove alighted on the ship, and was not angry with the Argonauts ; and afterwards Minerva took her and set her in the sky, where she may still be seen as a living constellation. After the Argonauts had passed safely through the rocks they got into the river Phasis, which flows through Colchis. Some of them stayed in the ship, but Jason and Pollux 8 THE SCHOOL BOARD fiEADEKS. [Stand. and mauy other heroes, went to the city where the king 1. The king's name was ^Etes, and he had a daughter, called Medea. Now ^Etes did not like to lose the fleece, but he could not refuse it to Jason, because it was fated he must give it to him who should come from Greece and ask for it. So he told Jason he should have it, but that IK* must iirst yoke the brazen bulls to a plough, aud plough 11 large field and sow it with the dragon's teeth. Now the brazen bulls lived and moved like real bulls, only they blew flames out of their mouths and nostrils, and were far stronger and fiercer than real bulls ; on that account they were kept in a stable built with iron and huge stones, and chained with great strong iron chains. As for the dragon's teeth, when they were sown like corn in the earth, there grew up men in armour with swords and spears, who killed the person that had sowed them. Thus, you see, the king wanted Jason to be killed, and he thought that if the brazen bulls did not kill him the armed men would. Anjnnauts sailed in a fine ship called the Aryo, to . Many heroes w<>ut in the ship, amongst whom luere ' and Hercules* Th*'!/ h'^ i'itmcrcay to Colchis, out they m- sired safely, for the 4:,.( for fhe d rayon'* teeth, and sEtes gave hint a hrazen li< I met quite full of teeth ; and Jason went and waffered. then'/ irifh hi* h't/i'f all orer the field. And when he had done he a-i;if and /"// down to rest till ecening,for he was very t/'red. [Translated from the German o/* BERTHOLD NIEBUHR lij SARAH AUSTIN.] THE STOEY OF ST. GKEOEGE OE ENGLAND, ONE OF THE SEVEN CHAMPIONS OF CHRISTENDOM. ST. G-EORGE, the patron saint of Merrie England, was carried off, says the story, when a child by a wicked fairy, who took him across the seas and shut him up in her strong cave in the midst of a dark forest. Here she kept him for many years, using him very cruelly; but the boy was patient, and learned to bear pain without complaining, so that the wicked fairy was in truth training him up to be a great man, and making him brave as a hero. Not content with being unkind to him herself, she ordered a dwarf, who also lived in a cave, to beat and tease the boy as much as he could. But St. George would not revenge himself on the poor dwarf ; on the contrary, he did him a kindness as often as he had the chance. At last, one day when the wicked fairy was absent, the dwarf said to the prince : " Know, my good friend, that though I seem to you but a miserable Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAHD BEADEBS. 13 dwarf, I am a fairy in disguise. It is true I am not so powerful as the wicked fairy who keeps us here in prison ; but wait patiently, I shall yet be a*ble to set you free." The young prince thanked the fairy, and his hopes were raised by her promise ; but he had yet many years to wait. These years were spent by the good dwarf in teaching the boy all princely knowledge, to ride, and wield the sword, and poise the lance. Thus it was that, when he was a man, there was no knight to be found equal to St. George. One day the friendly dwarf spoke thus to the prince : " Know, my prince, that our wicked enemy sleeps but once in a hundred years ; but then she sleeps for a whale week. All her power depends on the silver wand she carries ; but when she sleeps she hides this away so carefully, that it is difficult indeed to discover it. However, we must try, for this is our or>ly chance of escape." The young prince's heart beat high with hope as he heard these words, for he pined to escape from this dreary cavern. Day after day they followed the wicked fairy, to see where she would place the silver wand in vain ; for when at last she fell asleep they could nowhere find it. High and low the prince and the dwarf searched in every gloomy passage and dark corner of the cavern, but no silver wand was to be seen. The prince Iwoked among her robes and her jewels, among her gold and silver, and her rich armour ; no wand could he find. The days passed on, and still both searched, and still they searched in vain. Five days had thus passed away ; the sixth day came, and that too ended, and they had not found the wand ; they be- came very anxious, and searched more diligently than ever, for on that day the bad fairy was to awake. As the prince passed along a winding dark passage of the carern, he saw at the end, by the light of his torch, a golden door. "With 14 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. repeated blows he broke it open. A steep flight of rugged stone steps led winding upwards, he knew not where. Up he went, on and on ; sometimes the stair went round and round, then it went straight on. Presently a door would bar his way, and he forced it open ; then a long, long pas- sage would appear, and more stairs, but he never paused even to take breath, and his friend the dwarf was at his heels and urged him on. At last the light of day burst upon him, and he found himself in a magnificent temple of alabaster, on the top of a lofty mountain. From the windows of this temple he could see many miles of lovely country cities and fields, rivers and vineyards, quiet little villages and noble castles. He was so delighted with all that he saw that he forgot the silver wand and the wicked fairy ; but the sound of a church bell rising up from the valley reminded him where he was, and that the hour was fast approaching when the terrible fairy would awake. He turned again to renew his search, when, on a velvet cushion lying on a marble table, he beheld the silver wand for which he had so long sought. Hs seized it at once. " Follow me," said the dwarf, hurrying back ; " no time is to be lost." Down the steps they ran, faster and faster, half leaping down a whole flight at a time. The bottom was reached at last, but the golden door had closed again. In vain they pushed and strove, it remained closely shut. At last the prince touched it with his silver wand. In- atantly it flew open. Along the cavern they ran, and at last they reached the chamber where the fairy lay sleeping. She was just beginning to awake ; her eyes were about to open. "Strike! strike ! " said the dwarf, and the prince struck the bed with his wand. The bed began to sink ; down, down it went, amid fearful shrieks and cries ; the Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABD READERS. 15 room was filled with vapour, the cavern rocked, and when at last all was still, the prince found himself out in the thick forest, and by his side a charming fairy, who said to him, with a smile, " You see I am no longer a dwarf." The prince wes much pleased to see this, but when he turned to look for the cavern it was nowhere to be seen. The good fairy now led him away to a castle of brass where other prisoners lay as unhappy as they had been. Here they found six noble champions with their squires, and they set them all free. They were the champions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland; of Prance, and Italy, and Spain ; and glad indeed were they to mount their horses and ride away in freedom. The fairy brought out a horse for St. G-eorge, and this horse was called Bayard. Then she took him to a room in the castle, and chose him a suit of armour of the purest steel, and gave him a sword that would overcome in every fight. She bade him use his sword to defend his country, to punish the evil doer, to protect the innocent; and with that she sent him forth. St. George and the other knights rode till they came to a wide plain, in the centre of which was a brazen pillar. Here seven roads met, and each of them choosing a different road, they parted company, and went forth in search of adventures. Though cruelly treated, they were, on the whole, patient, and instead of spending the time in useless complainings they searched anxiously for the wand, and in their difficult search they reached a magnificent alabaster palace, from which they had a view of cities, and fields, and vineyards. l(i THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. THE SEVEN CHAMPIONS OP CHEISTENDOM. THE ancient chronicles of kings, E'er since the world begun, Can't boast of such renowned things As these brave knights have done. St. George he was for England, St. Denis was for France, St. James for Spain, his valiant hand Did Christian fame advance. St. Anthony for Italy, Andrew for Scots ne'er fails, Patrick stands for Ireland, St. David was for Wales. ST. GEOEGE AND THE DEAGON. THE COMBAT. MANY and wonderful adventures had the brave St. George as he went on his travels, always mounted on his nobir steed Bayard, and bearing his trusty sword in his hand. Once he found a king full of trouble because a fearful dragon was ravaging his country. So greedy was this terrific monster, that nothing would satisfy him but the body of a young maiden brought daily to his den, When he had devoured it he would remain quiet all day, but un- less it was brought he would ravage the land on all sides. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEliS. 17 Many brave men had fought with him, but he had killed them all, and so many young maidens had been devoured by him that now only the princess was left, and the next morning she must die. When Prince George heard this he resolved to do battle with the dragon; and, accordingly, the next morning he arose and went in search of his fierce enemy. As he went he saw the princess led out to meet her sad fate, but he ap- proached her, and bade her return to her father's court, for he would deliver her from the dragon. Then he rode on to the valley where the dragon lived, and had a fierce battle with him. His spear broke short in the fight, and once he and the noble Bayard, his horse, were both overthrown ; but they rose up again, and St. George drew his faithful sword that never failed him, and at length pierced the dragon to the heart. He then returned to the city, where the king, as a reward, gave him the princess to be his wile. She went with him to England, where she bore him three sons. It would fill a large book to tell of all that St. George did in his lifetime; how often he drew his sword to defend the oppressed ; how many poor prisoners he released ; how many cruel giants and fierce bears he killed. I can only tell you that he never drew his sword in a bad cause, and that his faithful horse was always his companion. And now you must hear the manner of his death. He had been absent from England many years and was returning home with much joy, when he was told a " doleful report, how there ranged up and down an infectious dragon, that so annoyed the country that the inhabitants thereof could not pass by without great danger." Fifteen knights had lost their lives in doing combat with this dragon. St. George no sooner heard thereof than he resolved B 18 THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEES. [Stand. either to free the land from so great a danger, or to finish his days in the attempt. So taking leave of all present he rode forth with a noble and undaunted courage. Coming to the middle of the plain, he there saw his dreadful enemy crouching on the ground in a deep cave. The monster, knowing that his death drew nigh, made a fearful yelling that seemed to shake the earth. Then, bounding from his den, he ran with such fury against the knight, as if he meant to devour him, and his armour, and his steed, in a moment. But the brave St. George, knowing well how to deal with such monsters, quickly wheeled his horse round out of his way. Then the dragon turned, and flapping his huge wings, flew again upon the knight and tried to overthrow him and his horse ; but St. George thrust his spear into his throat. At length, after a long combat, the good knight conquered this last time also, and the dragon lay dead upon the plain. But, alas ! the sting in his tail had more than once pierced through the openings in St. George's armour, so that he was bleeding from many wounds. Still he contrived to ride back to his native city of Coventry, where all the people came out to meet him as if he had been a king. But no sooner had he ridden into the city than he fell back fainting from his horse, and died without a sigh. The king and the people all mourned for him, and the day on which he was buried was named St. George's Day. He was also raised to be the patron saint of England because he had lived a good and useful life, and had fought bravely in many a just cause. And ever since this time, when Englishmen go forth to fight battles, they shout, " for England and St. George ! " or " St. George and Merrie England! " and many a fight have they won to that old and honoured cry. You may find St. George, too, on the back of some of our old coins, Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 19 trampling the dragon under his feet. And whenever men put down a wrong thing in the land, when they overcome evil with good, whether in their own hearts, or in the country where they dwell, or out in the wide world, then they show themselves true followers of St. Greorge, and true sons of merrie England. St. George and his companions showed great courage in delivering the oppressed; and an infectious dragon ravaging the country and annoying the inhabitants was slain by the Champion of England. Whenever men pat down a wrung thing, and overcome evil with good, they are worthy folloioers of St. George. THE STATUE OF JUSTICE. ONCE in an ancient city, whose name I no longer remember, Raised aloft on a column, a brazen statue of justice Stood in the public square, upholding the scales in its left hand, And in its right a sword, as an emblem that justice presided Over the laws of the land and the hearts and the homes of the people. Even the birds had built their nests in the scales of the balance, Having no fear of the sword that flashed in the sunshine above them. But in the course of time the laws of the land were cor- rupted ; Might took the place of right, and the weak were oppressed, and the mighty. 20 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. Buled with an iron rod. Then it chanced in a nobleman's palace That a necklace of pearls was lost, and ere long a suspicion Fell on an orphan girl who lived as maid in the household. She, after form of trial, condemned to die on a scaffold, Patiently met her doom at the foot of the statue of justice. Lo ! o'er the city a tempest rose ; and the bolts of the thunder Smote the statue of bronze, and hurled in wrath from its left hand, Down on the pavement below, the clattering scales of the balance, And in the hollow thereof was found the nest of a magpie, Into whose clay-built walls the necklace of pearls was inwoven. LONGFELLOW. THE BUSTLING- WAY AND THE QUIET WAY. THERE are some children who do very little good, even when they wish to be of assistance to others, because they make so much bustle about everything they undertake. Jane Eiddell is one of these bustling characters. She is always ready and willing to help her mother, whom she loves very much, and to whom she is always obedient, but she makes so much noise and talk about any little thing she has to do, that one would rather do it ten times over than be present while she is doing it. " Mother," said Jane, one morning when she sat reading, "Mother, mother!" calling several times before her mother had time to look Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 21 up. Jane ought not to have interrupted her mother while she was reading, unless on some very important occasion, which in the present case it was not. " Mother, mother ; I want to know whether I may go and pu-t the back parlour to rights ?" " Yes, yes, you may," said her mother, going on with her reading. Well, mother, mother !" " What now, Jane ?" " May I take down all the books from the shelves, and put them up better? I know I can put them up right again. May I, mother ?" " Yes, you may ; but do not talk to me now, because I am engaged." Jane went to work, making a great noise in taking down and putting up the books. Instead of clearing one shelf at a time, and filling each one before she cleared the next, she took down all the books at once ; and as she stood on a chair to replace them, she must needs jump down for each parcel, as she set them up again. " Oh, Jane," her mother would now and then exclaim, as the volumes came tumbling upon the floor, " do be a little more careful, and try to make less noise." But for Jane to have carried on any operation without making a great fuss, or occasioning interruption to other persons, would have been quite out of the question. " There, mother, just come and see how much better that looks," she would say, each time she had filled a shelf. If her mother did not attend at once, she would go on calling, "Mother, mother," until at last becoming quite tired of being interrupted, her mother bade her leave the room as it was, and sit down to her sewing. Jane felt mortified and grieved at the reproof thus conveyed, and 2l> THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. could scarcely repress her tears, as she prepared to obey the direction. " Why, what is the matter, Jane ?" said her mother, laying down her book, and perceiving Jane's sorrowful looks. This question brought the tears at once into Jane's eyes. " Why, mother," she answered, " I was putting the book- shelves to rights as well as I could, when you spoke to me, and, and I was going " " "Well, you did them very well, and I should have been glad had you finished them, but you made so much bustle about it, and talked so much, that I could not go on with my reading. I have never spoken to you particularly about this fault, but :t is one that you can easily overcome- You are a very lively j active, little girl, I should be sorry were you indolent and dull; but when you have anything to do, I wish you to do it with as little noise and bustle as possible. Now, I will show you the difference between the bustling and the quiet way of doing things. Let me see what shall I do ? Oh ! there is the hearth-rug which is out of order." One edge of the rug was turned under, and Jane's mother walked to the fire-place, stooped down to the rug, and, with one or two strokes of her hand, spread it even, and smoothed out the fringe. " There, that is the quiet way of doing the thing; now I will show you the bustling way." Her mother then hurried to the fire-place, pulled away the chairs that stood near, rattled the shovel and tongs, then turned over the rug in such a manner as to cause a great puff of smoke and dust from the fire, and then in the same parading style, spread the rug down again. " That is the bustling way of doing it," said her mother, sweeping up the hearth, and brushing off the ashes that had settled upon the chimney-piece. " Now I will show TOUT.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 31 THE SHIPWRECK OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. NOTHINO can describe the confusion of thought which I felt when I sunk into the water ; for though I swam very well, yet I could not deliver myself from the waves so as to draw breath, till that wave having driven me, or rather carried me, a vast way on towards the shore, and having spent itself, went back, and left me upon the land almost dry, but half dead with the water I took in. I had so much presence of mind, as well as breath left, that, seeing myself nearer the main land than I expected, I got upon my feet, and endeavoured to make on towards the land as fast as I could, before another wave should return and take me up again. But I soon found it was impossible to avoid it ; for I saw the sea come after me as high as a great hill, and as furious as an enemy, which I had no means or strength to contend with : my business was to hold my breath, and raise myself upon the water, if I could : and so, by swimming, to preserve my breathing and pilot myself towards the shore, if possible: my greatest concern now being, that the sea, as it would carry me a great way towards the shore when it came on, might not carry me back again with it when it gave back towards the sea. The wave that came upon me again, buried me at once 20 or 30 feet deep in its own body, and I could feel myself carried with a mighty force and swiftness towards the shore a very great way; but I held my breath, and assisted myself to swim still forward with all my might. I was ready to burst with holding my breath, when, as I felt myself rising up, so, to my immediate relief, I found my head and hands shoot out above the surface of the water ; and though it 32 THE SCHOOL HOARD KEADEKS. [Stand. was not two seconds of time that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me greatly, gave me breath and new courage. I was covered again with water a good while, but not so long but I held it out ; and, finding the water had spent itself and begun to return, I struck forward against the return of the waves, and felt ground again with my feet. I stood still a few moments to recover breath, and still the waters went from me, and then I took to my heels and ran, with what strength I had, further towards the shore. But neither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea, which came pouring in after me again ; and twice more I was lifted up by the waves and carried forwards as before, the shore being very flat. The last time of these two had well-near been fatal to me ; for the sea having hurried me along, as before, landed me, or rather dashed me, against a piece of a rock, and that with such force, as it left me senseless, and indeed helpless, as to my own deliverance ; for the blow taking my side and breast, beat the breath, as it were, quite out of my body ; and had it returned again immediately, I must have been strangled in the water ; but I recovered a little before the return of the waves, and seeing I should be covered again with the water, I resolved to hold fast by a piece of the rock, and so to hold my breath, if possible, till the wave went back. Now, as the waves were not so high as at first, being nearer land, I held my hold till the wave abated, and then fetched another run, which brought me so near the shore, that the next wave, though it went over me, yet did not so swallow me up as to carry me away ; and the next run I took, I got to the main land, where, to my great comfort, I clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me down upon the grass, free from danger and quite out of the reach of the water. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD BEADEBS. 33 I was now landed, and safe on shore, and began to look up and thank Grod that my life was saved, in a case wherein there was, some minutes before, scarce any room to hope. I believe it is impossible to express, to the life, what the ecstasies and transports of the soul are, when it is so saved, as I may say, out of the very grave. I walked about on the shore lifting up my hands, and my whole being, as I may say, wrapt up in a contemplation of my deliverance; making a thousand gestures and motions, which I cannot describe, reflecting upon all my comrades that were drowned, and that there should not be one soul saved but myself; for, as for them, I never saw them after- wards, or any sign of them, except three of their hats, one cap, and two shoes that were not fellows. I cast my eyes to the stranded vessel, when, the breach and froth of the sea being so big, I could hardly see it, it lay so far off ; and considered, Lord ! how was it possible I could get on shore ! After I had solaced my mind with the comfortable part of my condition, I began to look round me, to see what kind of place I was in, and what was next to be done ; and I soon found my comforts abate, and that, in a word, I had a dreadful deliverance: for I was wet, had no clothes to shift me, nor anything either to eat or drink to comfort me ; neither did I see any prospect before me, but that of perishing with hunger, or being devoured by wild beasts ; and that which was particularly afflicting to me was, that 1 had no weapon, either to hunt and kill any creature for my sustenance, or to defend myself against any other creature that might desire to kill me for theirs ; in a word, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and a little tobacco in a box ; this was all my provisions ; and this threw me into terrible agonies of mind, that, for a while, I c 34 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. [Stand. ran about like a madman. Night coming upon me, I began, with a heavy heart, to consider what would be my lot if there were any ravenous beasts in that country, as at night they always come abroad for fcheir prey. All the remedy that offered to my thoughts at that time was to get up into a thick bushy tree like a fir, but thorny, which grew near me, and where I resolved to sit all night, and consider the next day what death I should die, for as yet I saw no prospect of life. I walked about a furlong from the shore, to see if I could find any fresh water to drink, which I did, to my great joy ; and having drank, and put a little tobacco in my mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree, and getting up into it, endeavoured to place myself so that if I should sleep I might not fall; and having cut me a short stick, like a truncheon, for my defence, I took up my lodging, and having been excessively fatigued I fell fast asleep, and slept as comfortably as, I believe, few could have done in my condition, and found myself the most refreshed with it that I think I ever was on such an occasion. "When I waked it was broad day, the weather clear, and the storm abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as before ; but that which surprised me most was, that the ship was lifted off in the night from the sand where she lay, by the swelling of the tide, and was driven up almost as far as the rock which I at first mentioned, where I had been so bruised by the dashing me against it. This being within about a mile from the shore where I was, and the ship seeming to stand upright still, I wished myself on board, that at least I might save some necessary things for my use. "When I came down from my apartment in the tree, 1 looked about me again, and the first thing I found was the boat, which lay as the wind and the sea had tossed her, up Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABD HEADERS. 35 upon the land, about two miles on my right hand ; I walked as far as I could upon the shore to have got to her ; but found a neck or inlet of water between me and the boat which was about half a mile broad ; so I came back for the present, being more intent upon getting at the ship, where I hoped to find something for my present subsistence. A little after noon, I found the sea very calm, and the tide ebbed so far out that T could come within a quarter of a mile of the ship ; and here I found a fresh renewing of my grief; for I saw evidently, that if we had kept on board, we had been all safe, that is to say, we had all got safe on shore, and I had not been so miserable as to be left entirely destitute of all comfort and company as I now was; this forced tears to my eyes again; but as there was little relief in that, I resolved, if possible, to get to the ship ; so I pulled off" my clothes, for the weather was hot to extremity, and took the water ; but when I came to the ship, my difficulty was still greater to know how to get on board, for, as she lay aground, and high out of the water, there was nothing within my reach to lay hold of. I swam round her twice, and the second time I spied a small piece of rope, which I wondered I did not see at first, hang down by the fore- chains so low, as that with great difficulty I got hold of it, and by the help of that rope got up into the forecastle of the ship ; here I found that the ship was bulged, and had a great deal of water in her hold, but that she lay so on the side of a bank of hard sand, or rather earth, that her stern lay lifted up upon the bank, and her head low, almost to the water ; by this means all her quarter was free, and all that was in that part was dry ; for you may be sure my first work was to search, and to see what was spoiled and what was free: and first, I found that all the ship's provisions were dry and untouched by the water> and being very well 36 THE SCHOOL BOARD "READERS. [Stand. disposed to eat, I went to the bread-room and filled my pockets with biscuit, and eat it as I went about other things, for I had no time to lose. I also found some rum in the great cabin, of which I took a large dram, and which I had, indeed, need enough of to spirit me for what was before me. Now I wanted nothing but a boat to furnish myself with many things which I foresaw would be very necessary to me. It was in vain to sit still and wish for what was not to be had ; and this extremity roused my application. We had several spare yards, and two or three large spars of wood, and a spare top-mast or two in the ship : I resolved to fall to work with these, and I flung as many of them overboard as I could manage for their weight, tying every one with a rope, that they might not drive away. When this was done, I went down the ship's side, and pulling them to me, I tied four of them together at both ends, as well as I could, in the form of a raft, and laying two or three short pieces of plank upon them crossways, I found I could walk upon it very well, but that it was not able to bear any great weight, the pieces being too light ; so I went to work, and with a carpenter's saw I cut a spare top-mast into three lengths, and added them to my raft, with a great deal of labour and pains, but the hope of furnishing myself with necessaries encouraged me to go beyond what I should have been able to have done upon another occasion. My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable weight ; my next care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I laid upon it from the surf of the sea : but I was not long considering this : I first laid all the planks or boards upon it that I could get, and having considered well what I most wanted, I first got three of the seamen's chests, which I had broken open and emptied, and lowered Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABD BEADEBS. 37 them down upon my raft ; the first of these I filled with provisions, viz., bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goat's flesh (which we lived much upon), and a little remainder of European corn, which had been laid by for some fowls which we brought to sea with us, but the fowls were killed ; there had been some barley and wheat together, but, to my great disappointment, I found after- wards that the rats had eaten or spoiled it all ; as for liquors, I found several cases of bottles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial wate's; and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack ; these I stowed by them- selves, there being no need to put them into the chest, nor no room for them. "While I was doing this, I found the tide began to flow, though very calm ; and I had the morti- fication to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which I had left on the shore, upon the sand, swim away ; as for my breeches, which were only linen, and open-kneed, I swam on board in them and my stockings ; however, this set me on rummaging for clothes, of which I found enough, but took no more than I wanted for present use, for I had other things which my eye was more upon as, first, tools to work with on shore; and it was after long searching that I found out the carpenter's chest, which was, indeed, a very useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a ship-load of gold would have been at that time : I got it down to my raft, whole as it was, without losing time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained. My next care was for some ammunition and arms : there were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols ; these I secured first, with some powder-horns and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. I knew there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew not where our gunner had stowed them; but with much 38 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. [Stand. search I found them, two of them dry a:;d good, the. third had taken water ; those two I got to my raft, with the arms; and now I thought myself pretty well freighted, and began to think how I should get to shore with them, having neither sail, oar, nor rudder ; and the least capfull of wind would, have overset all my navigation. I had three encouragements : 1st, a smooth, calm sea ; 2ndly, the tide rising, and setting in to the shore ; 3rdly, what little wind there was blew me towards the land : and having found two or three broken oars belonging to the boat and, besides the tools which were in the chest, I found two saws, an axe, and a hammer, with this cargo I put to sea. For a mile, or thereabouts, my raft went very well, only that I found it drive a little distant from the place where I had landed before, by which I perceived that there was some indraft of the water, and consequently, I hoped to find some creek or river there, which I might make use of as a port to get to land with my cargo. As I imagined, so it was ; there appeared before me a little opening of the land, and I found a strong current of the tide set into it, so I guided my raft as well as I could, to keep in the middle of the stream : but here I had like to have suffered a second shipwreck, which, if I had, I think, verily, would have broke my heart ; for, knowing nothing of the coast, my raft ran aground at one end of it upon a shoal, and not being aground at the other end, it wanted but a little that all my cargo had slipped off towards the end that was afloat, and so fallen into the water. I did my utmost, by setting my back against the chests, to keep them in their places, but could not thrust off the raft with all my strength, neither durst I stir from the posture I was in; but holding up the chests with all my might, stood in that manner near half an hour, in which time the rising of the POUT.] THE SCHOOL BOAED READERS. 39 water brought me a little more upon a level ; ana, a little after, the water still rising, my raft floated again, and I thrust her off with the oar I had, into the channel, and then driving up higher, I at length found myself in the mouth of a little river, with land on both sides, and a strong current of tide running up. I looked on both sides for a proper place to get to shore, for I was not willing to be driven too high up the river, hoping, in time, to see some ship at sea, and therefore resolved to place myself as near tho coast as I could. At length I spied a little cove on the right shore of the creek, to which, with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft, and at last got so near, as that, reaching ground with my oar, I could thrust her directly in; but here I had liked to have dipped all my cargo into the sea again ; for that shore lying pretty steep, that is to say, sloping, there was no place to land, but where one end of my float, if it ran on shore, would lie so high, and the other sink lower, as before, that it would endanger my cargo again ; all that I could do, was to wait till the tide was at the highest, keep- ing the raft with my oar like an anchor, to hold the side of it fast to the shore, near a flat piece of ground, which I expected the water would flow over ; and so it did. As soon as I found water enough, for my raft drew about a foot of water, I thrust her on upon that flat piece of ground, and there fastened or moored her, by sticking my two broken oars into the ground, one on one side, near one end, and one on the other side, near the other end; and thus I lay till the water ebbed away, and left my raft and all my cargo safe on shore. It was on the 15th of July that I began to take a more particular survey of the island itself. I went up the creek first, where, as I hinted, I brought my rafts on shore. I 40 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. found, after I came about two miles up, that the tide did not flow any higher, and that it was no more than a little brook of running water, very fresh and good; but this being the dry season, there was hardly any water in some parts of it at least, not enough to run in any stream, so as it could be perceived. On the banks of this brook, I found many pleasant savannahs oc meadows, plain, smooth, and covered with grass ; and on the rising parts of them, next to the higher grounds, where the water, as might be supposed, never overflowed, I found a great deal of tobacco, green, and growing to a great and very strong stalk. There were divers other plants, which I had no notion of or under- standing about, that might, perhaps, have virtues of their own, which I could not find out. I searched for the cassava root, which the Indians, in all that climate, make their bread of, but I could find none. I saw large plants of aloes, but did not understand them. I saw several sugar-canes, but wild, and, for want of cultivation, imperfect. I contented myself with these discoveries for this time, and came back, musing with myself what course I might take to know the virtue and goodness of any of the fruits or plants which I should discover, but could bring it to no conclusion ; for, in short, I had made so little observation while I was in the Brazils, that I knew little of the plants in the field ; at least, very little that might serve me to any purpose now in my distress. The next day, the 16th, I went up the same way again ; and, after going something farther than I had gone the day before, I found the brook and savannahs began to cease, and the country become more woody than before In this part, I found different fruits, and particularly I found melons upon the ground in great abundance, and grapes upon the trees; the vines had spread, indeed, over the trees, Tour.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. 41 and the clusters of grapes were just now in their prime, very ripe and rich. This was a surprising discovery, and I was exceeding glad of them ; but I was warned by my ex- perience to eat sparingly of them, remembering that when I was ashore in Barbary, the eating of grapes killed several of our Englishmen, who were slaves there, by throwing tbem into fevers, but I found an excellent use for these grapes, that was, to cure or dry them in the sun, and keep them as dried grapes or raisins are kept, w.hich I thought would be, as indeed they were, wholesome and agreeable to eat when no grapes could be had. I spent all that evening there, and went not back to my habitation, which, by the way, was the first night, as I might say, I had lain from home. In the night I took my first contrivance, and got up in a tree, where I slept well, and the next morning proceeded upon my discovery, travel- ling nearly four miles, as I might judge by the length of the valley, keeping still due north, with a ridge of hills on the south and north side of me. At the end of this march I came to an opening, where the country seemed to descend to the west ; and a little spring of fresh water, which issued out of the side of the hill by me, ran the other way, that is due east ; and the country appeared so fresh, so green, so flourishing, everything being in a constant verdure or flourish of spring, that it looked like a planted garden, I descended a little on the side of that delicious vale, survey- ing it with a secret kind of pleasure (though mixed with my other afflicting thoughts) to think that this was all my own, that I was king and lord of all this country inde- feasibly, and had a right of possession ; and, if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance as completely as any lord of a manor in England. I saw here abundance of cocoa trees, orange, and lemon, and citron trees, but all ,, 42 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. wild, and very few bearing any fruit, at least not then. However, the green limes that I gathered were not only pleasant to eat, but very wholesome ; and I mixed their juice afterwards with water, which made it very wholesome and very cool and refreshing. I found now I had business enough to gather and carry home ; and I resolved to lay up a store as well of grapes as limes and lemons, to furnish myself for the wet season, which I knew was approaching. In order to do this, I gathered a great heap of grapes in one place, a lesser heap in another place, and a great parcel of limes and lemons in another place ; and taking a few of each with me I travelled homewards, resolving to come again, and bring a bag or sack, or what I could make, to carry the rest home. Accordingly, having spent three days in this journey, I came home (so I must now call my tent and my cave); but before I got thither the grapes were spoiled ; the richness of the fruit and the weight of the juice having broken them and bruised them, they were good for little or nothing : as to the limes, they were good, but I could bring but a few. The next day, being the 19th, I went back, having made me two small bags to bring home my harvest. But I was surprised, when coming to my heap of grapes, which were so rich and fine when I gathered them, to find them all spread about, trod to pieces, and dragged about, some here, some there, and abundance eaten and devoured. By this I concluded there were some wild creatures thereabouts which had done this, but what they were I knew not. However, as I found there was no laying them up on heaps, and no carrying them away in a sack, but that one way they would be destroyed, and the other way they would be crushed with their own weight, I took another course, for I gathered a large quantity of the grapes, and hung them FOUT.J THE SCHOOL BOARD HEA.DEBS. 43 upon the out branches of the trees that they might cure and dry in the sun ; and as for the limes and lemons, I carried as many back as I could well stand under. When I came home from this journey, I contemplated with great pleasure the fruitfulness of that valley, and the pleasantness of the situation, the security from storms on that side the water, and the wood ; and concluded that I nad pitched upon a place to fix my abode, which was by far the worst part of the country. Upon the whole, I began to consider of removing my habitation, and looking out for a place equally safe as where now I was situated, if possible, in that pleasant, fruitful part of the island. This thought ran long in my head, and I was exceeding fond of it for some time, the pleasantness of the place tempting me ; but when I came to a nearer view of it, I considered that I was now by the seaside, where it was at least possible that something might happen to my advan- tage, and, that the same ill-fate that brought me hither might bring some other unhappy wretches to the same place; and though it was scarce probable that any such thing should ever happen, yet to inclose myself among the hills and woods in the centre of the island was to anticipate my bondage, and to render such an affair not only improbable, but impossible; and that therefore I ought not by any means to remove. However, I was so enamoured of this place, that I spent much of my time there for the whole of the remaining part of the month of July ; and though, upon second thoughts, I resolved not to remove, yet I built me a little kind of a bower, and surrounded it at a distance with a strong fence, being a double hedge, as high as I could reach, well staked, and filled between with brushwood ; and here I lay very secure, sometimes two or three nights together, always going over it with a ladder as before ; so tand. 44 THE SCHOOL BOAED BEADEKS. [S that I fancied now I had my country house and my sea- coast house ; and this work took me up to the beginning of August. I had but newly finished my fence, and began to enjoy my labour, but the rains came on, and made me stick close to my first habitation ; for though I made me a tent like the other, with a piece of a sail, and spread it very well, yet I had not the shelter of a hill to keep me from storms, nor a cave behind me to retreat into when the rains were extraordinary. About the beginning of August, as I said, 1 had finished my bower, and began to enjoy myself! The 3rd of August, I found the grapes I had hung up perfectly dried, and indeed excellent raisins of the sun ; so I began to take them down from the trees, and it was very happy that I did so, for the rains which followed would have spoiled them, and I had lost the best part of my winter food, for I had above two hundred large bunches of them. No sooner had I taken them all down, and carried most of them home to my cave, but it began to rain, and from hence, which was the 14th of August, it rained, more or less, every day till the middle of October; and sometimes so violently, that I could not stir out of my cave for several days. In this season I was much surprised with the increase of my family ; I had been concerned for the loss of one of my cats, who ran away from me, or, as I thought, had been dead, and I hesrd no more tidings of her, till, to my astonishment, she came home about the end of August with three kittens. This was the more strange to me, because, though I had killed a wild cat, as I called it, with my gun, yet I thought it was quite a different kind from our Euro- pean cats ; yet the young cats were the same kind of house- breed as the old one ; from these three cats, I afterwards Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. 45 came to be so pestered with cats, that I was forced to kill them like vermin, or wild beasts, and to drive them from my house as much as possible. From the 14th of August to the 26th, incessant rain, so that I could not stir, and was now very careful not to be much wet. In this confinement, I began to be straitened for food, but venturing out twice, I one day killed a goat, and the last day, which was the 26th, found a very large tortoise, which was a treat to me, and my food was regulated thus : I ate a bunch of raisins for my breakfast ; a piece of the goat's flesh, or of the turtle, for my dinner, broiled (for, to my great misfortune, I had no vessel to boil or stew anything), and two or three of the turtle's eggs for my supper. During this confinement in my cover by the rain, I worked daily two or three hours at enlarging my cave, and by degrees worked it on towards one side, till I came to the outside of the hill, and made a door or way out, which came beyond my fence or wall ; and so I came in and out this way. But I was not perfectly easy at lying so open, for, as I had managed myself before, I was in a perfect inclosure, whereas now, I thought I lay exposed ; and yet I could not perceive that there was any living thing to fear, the biggest creature that I had yet seen upon the island being a goat. That which was particularly afflicting tome was, that I had no weapon, either to hunt and Ml any creature for my sus- tenance, or to defend myself against any other creature that might desire to kill me for theirs ; in a word, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and a little tobacco in a l)ox ; this was all my provisions ; and this threw me into terrible agonies of mind, that for a while, I ran about like a madman. Night coming upon me, I began, with a heavy 46 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. heart, to consider what would be my lot if there were any ravenous beasts in that country, as at night they always come abroad for their prey. When I came home from this journey, I contemplated with great pleasure the fruitful-ness of that valley, and the pleasant- ness of the situation ; the security from storms on that side the water, and the wood : and concluded that I had pitched upon a place to fix my abode which was by far the worst part of the country. Upon the whole, I began to consider of re- moving my habitation, and looking out for a place equally safe as where now I was situated, if possible, in that pleasant, fruitful part of the island. CRUSOE'S CIRCUMSTANCES IMPROVE. THE rainy season and the dry season began now to ap- pear regular to me, and I learned to divide them so as to provide for them accordingly ; but I bought all my expe- rience before I had it, and this I am going to relate was one of the most discouraging experiments that I made. I have mentioned that I saved the few ears of barley and rice which I had so surprisingly found spring up, as I thought, of themselves, and I believe there were about thirty stalks of rice, and about twenty of barley ; and now I thought it a proper time to sow it, after the rains, the sun being in its southern position, going from me. Ac- cordingly I dug up a piece of ground as well as I could with my wooden spade, and dividing it into two parts, I sowed my grain. But as I was sowing it casually occurred to my thoughts that I would not sow it all at first, because I did FOUr.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 4ft not know when was the proper time for it, so I sowed about two- thirds of the seed, leaving about a handful of each. It was a great comfort to me afterwards that I did so, for not one grain of what I sowed this time came to any- thing, for the dry months following, the earth having had no rain after the seed was sown, it had no moisture to assist its growth, and never came up at all till the wet season had come again, and then it grew as if it had been but newly sown. Finding my first seed did not grow, which I easily imagined was by the drought, I sought for a moister piece of ground to make another trial in, and I dug up a piece of ground near my new bower, and sowsd the rest of my seed in February, a little before the vernal equinox ; and this having the rainy months of March and April to water it, sprung up very pleasantly, and yielded a very good crop ; but having part of the seed left only, and not daring to sow all that I had, I had but a small quantity at last, my whole crop not amounting to above half a peck of each kind. But by this experiment I was made master of my business, and knew exactly when the proper season was to sow, and that I might expect two seed-times and two harvests every year. "While this corn was growing I made a little discovery which was of use to me afterwards. As soon as the rains were over, and the weather began to settle, which was about the month of November, I made a visit up the country to my bower, where, though I had not been some months, yet I found all things just as I left them. The double hedge that I had made was not only firm and entire, but the stakes which I had cut out of some trees that grew there- abouts, were all shot out and grown with long branches, as much as a willow-tree usually shoots the first year after lopping its head. I could not tell what tree to call it that these stakes were cut from. I was surprised, and yet very 48 THE SCHOOL BOABD HEADERS. [Stand. well pleased, to see the young trees grow, and I pruned them, and led them up to grow as much alike as I could. It is scarce credible how beautiful a figure they grew into in three years ; so that, though the hedge made a circle of about twenty-five yards in diameter, yet the trees, for such I might now call them, soon covered it, and it was a com- plete shade, sufficient to lodge under all the dry season. This made me resolve to cut some more stakes, and make me a hedge like this, in a semicircle, round my wall (I mean that of my first dwelling), which I did ; and placing the trees or stakes in a double row, at about eight yards dis- tance from my first fence, they grew presently, and were at first a fine cover to my habitation, and afterwards served for a defence also, as I shall observe in its order. I found now that the seasons of the year might generally be divided, not into summer and winter, as in Europe, but into the rainy seasons and the dry seasons, which were generally thus : The half of February, the whole of March, and the half of April rainy, the sun being then on or near the equinox. The half of April, the whole of May, June, and July, and the half of August dry, the sun being then to the noith of the Line. The half of August, the whole of September, and the half of October rainy, the sun being then come back. The half of October, the whole of November, De- cember, and Januarv, and the half of February dry, the sun being then to the south of the Line. The rainy season sometimes held longer or shorter as the winds happened to blow, but this was the general observation I made. After I had found, by experience, the ill consequences of being abroad in the rain, I took care to furnish myself with pro- visions beforehand, that I might not be obliged to go out, and I sat within doors as much as possible during the wet Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED BEADEES. 49 months. In this time I found much employment, and very suitable also to the time, for I found great occasion for many things which I had noway to furnish myself with but by hard labour and constant application; particularly I tried to make myself a basket, but all the twigs I could get for the purpose proved so brittle that they would do nothing. It proved of excellent advantage to me now that when I was a boy I used to take great delight in standing at a basket- maker's in the town where my father lived, to see them make their wicker-ware ; and being, as boys usually are, very officious to help, and a great observer of the manner in which they worked those things, and sometimes lending a hand, I had by these means so full knowledge of the methods of it, that I wanted nothing but the materials, when it came into my mind that the twigs of that tree from whence I cut my stakes that grew, might possibly be as tough as the sallows, willows, and osiers in England, and I resolved to try. Accordingly, the next day I went to my country house ? as I called it, and cutting some of the smaller twigs, I found them as much to my purpose as I could desire, whereupon I came the next time prepared with a hatchet to cut down a quantity, which I soon found, for there was great plenty of them ; these I set up to dry within my circle or hedge, and when they were fit for use I carried them to my cave ; and here, during the next season, I employed myself in making, as well as I could, a great many baskets, both to carry earth or to carry or lay up anything, as I had occa- sion. And though I did not finish them very handsomely, yet I made them sufficiently serviceable for my purpose ; and thus, afterwards, I took care never to be without them, and as my wicker-ware decayed, I made more, especially strong deep baskets to place my corn in, instead of sacks, when I should come to have any quantity of it. D 50 THE SCHOOL BOABD HEADERS. [Stand. Having mastered this difficulty, and employed a world of time about it, I bestirred myself to see, if possible, hov/ to supply two wants. I bad no vessels to hold anything thai; was liquid, except two runlets, which were almost full of rum, and some glass bottles, some of the common size, and others which were case bottles, square, for the holding of water, spirits, &c. I had not so much as a pot to boil anything, except a great kettle which I saved out of the ship, and which was too big for such uses as I desired it for., viz., to make broth, and stew a bit of meat by itself. The second thing I fain would have was a tobacco pipe, but it was impossible to me to make one ; however, I found a con- trivance for that too at last. I employed myself in planting my second rows of stakes or piles, and in this wicker- working, all the summer or dry season, when another busi- ness took me up more time than it could be imagined I could spare. I mentioned before that I had a great mind to see the whole island, and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to where I built my bower, and where I had an opening quite to the sea, on the other side of the island. I now re- solved to travel quite across to the sea-shore on that side so taking up my gun, a hatchet, and my dog, and a larger quantity of powder and shot than usual, with two biscuit cakes, and a great bunch of raisins in my pouch, for my store, I began my journey. When I had passed the vale where my bower stood, as above, I came within view of the sea to the west, and it being a very clear day I fairly des- cried land, whether an island or continent I could not tell ; but it lay very high, extending from the W. to the W.S.W- at a very great distance ; by my guess it could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off. I could not tell what part of the world this might be FOTIT.J THE SCHOOL BOABD EEADEBS. 51 otherwise than tliat I knew it must be part of America, and, as I concluded by all my observations, must be near the Spanish dominions. After some thought, I considered that if this land was the Spanish coast, I should certainly, one time or other, see some vessel pass or repass one way or other ; but if not, then it was the savage coast between the Spanish country and Brazils, where are found the worst of savages, for they are cannibals, or men-eaters, and fail not to murder and devour all the human bodies that fall into their hands. With these considerations I walked very leisurely forward. I found that side of the island where I now was much pleasanter than mine, tho open or savannah fields sweet, adorned with flowers and grass, and full of very fine woods. I saw abundance of parrots, and lain I would have caught one, if possible, to have kept it to be tame, and taught it to speak to me. I did, after some painstaking, catch a young parrot, for I knocked it down with a stick, and having re- covered it I brought it home, but it was some years before I could make him speak. However, at last I taught him to call me by my name very familiarly ; but the accident that followed, though it be a trifle, will be very diverting in its place. I was exceedingly diverted with this journey. I found in the low grounds hares (as I thought them to be) and foxes, but they differed greatly from all the other kinds I had met with, n9r could I satisfy myself to eat them, though I killed several. But I had no need to be venturous, for I had no want of food, and of that which was very good, too, especi- cially these three sorts, viz., goats, pigeons, and turtle, or tortoise, which, added to my grapes, Leadenhall Market' could not have furnished a table better than I, in proportion to the company ; and though my case was deplorable 52 THE SCHOOL BOAED BEADEBS. [Stand. enough, yet I had great cause for thankfulness that I was not driven to any extremities for food, but had rather plenty, even to dainties. I never travelled in this journey above two miles outright in a day, or thereabouts ; but I took so many turns and re- turns to see what discoveries I could make, that I came weary enough to the place where I resolved to sit down all night, and then either reposed myself in a tree, or sur- rounded myself with a row of stakes set upright in the ground, either from one tree to another, or so as no wild creature could come at me without waking me. As soon as I came to the sea-shore, I was surprised to see that I had taken up my lot on the worst side of the island . for here, indeed, the shore was covered with innumerable turtles, whereas on the. other side I had found but three in a year and a half. Here was also an infinite number of fowls of many kinds, some which I had not seen before, and many of them very good meat, but such as I knew not the names of, except those called penguins. I could have shot as many as I pleased, but was very sparing of my powder and shot, and therefore had more mind to kill a she-goat, if I could, which I could better feed on ; and though there were many goats here, more than on my side of the island, yet it was with much more difficulty that I could come near them, the country being flat and even, and they saw me much sooner than when I was on the hills. I confess this side of the country was much plaasanter than mine, but yet I had not the least inclination to remove ; for as 1 was fixed in my habitation it became natural to me, and I seemed all the while I was here to be, as it were, upon a journey, and from home. However, I travelled along the shore of the sea towards the east, I suppose about twelve miles, and then setting up a great pole upon the shore for a Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. 53 mark, I concluded I would go home again, and the next journey I took should be on the other side of the island east from my dwelling, and so round till I came to my post again, of which in its place. I took another way to come back than that I went, thinking I could easily keep all the island so much in my view, that I could not miss finding my first dwelling by viewing the country ; but I found myself mistaken, for being come about two or three miles I found myself de. scended into a very large valley, but so surrounded with hills, and those hills covered with wood, that I could not see which was my way by any direction but that of the sun, nor even then, unless I knew very well the position of the sun at that time of the day. It happened, to my further misfortune, that the weather proved hazy for three or four days while I was in the valley ? and not being able to see the sun, I wandered about very uncomfortably, and at last was obliged to find the sea-side, look for my post, and come back the same way as I went : and then, by easy journeys, I turned homeward, the weather being exceeding hot, and my gun, ammunition, hatchet, and other things very heavy. In this journey my dog surprised a young kid, and seized upon it ; and I, running in to take hold of it, caught it, and saved it alive from the dog. I had a great mind to bring it home if I could, for I had often been musing whether it might not be possible to get a kid or two, and so raise a breed of tame goats, which might supply me when my powder and shot should be all spent. I made a collar for this little creature, and with a string which I made from some rope yarn, which I always carried about me, I led him along, though with some difficulty, till I came to my bower, and there I enclosed him and left him, for I was very im- 54 THE SCHOOL BOAED HEADERS. [Stand. patient to be at home, from whence I had been absent above a month. I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come into my old hutch, and lie down in my hammock-bed ; this little wandering journey, without a settled place of abode, had been so unpleasant to me, that my own house as I called it to myself, was a perfect settlement to me com- pared to that; and it rendered everything about me so comfortable, that I resolved I would never go a great way from it again while it should be my lot to stay on the island. The half of February, the ivhole of March, and the half of April, rainy, the sun being then in or near the equinox. The half of April, the whole of May, June, and July, and tin' half of August, dry, the sun being then to the nonlt of the. Line. The half of August, the whole of September, and the half of October rainy, the sun being then come back. The half of October, the ivhole of November, December, and Janu- ary, and the half of February dry, the sun being then to the south of the Line. The rainy season sometimes held longer or shorter as the winds happened to bloiv, but this was the gene- ral observation I made. ONE POUND AND TEN THOUSAND. THE BE was a certain industrious little girl in a small country town who had learned to plait straw for bonnets. Although she was but young she did her work very neatly, and her parents, though poor themselves, allowed her to keep all her earnings to purchase her own clothes with. Rachel enjoyed this independency. It made her work with alacrity and interest, so that she might be seen early and late at her window, her little fingers moving like clock- Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 55 work. And it was thought a good sign by many people, that she was not observed to lift her head from her work whenever any body passed by, which is too often the case with girls who sit at needlework at their windows ; so that, on market days especially, they must lose as many as one stitch in three. But Rachel used to think to herself, what did it signify to her who was taking a walk, or how people were dressed, or who was going to buy a bun at the baker's shop opposite ; whereas, it did signify a great deal, whether her task was finished at the end of the day, and whether she had got her usual week's earnings on Saturday night. There was a young neighbour of Rachel's at next door, who lost as many pence every week by that bun and bis- cuit shop, as if she had been in the habit of treating herself with biscuits and buns ; which, though she would have liked them very much, she could not afford to purchase. It was the case here, as in most other towns, that there were a great many idle people who had nothing to do in the morning but to walk about ; and who, when they were tired, would turn into the pastry-cook's or this biscuit shop to refresh themselves with something good. JNTow this young girl had so much idle curiosity, that she could not refrain, or rather she did not refrain, from looking off her work all the time that any ladies or nurse- maids were there, to observe how they were dressed, how long they stayed, and then to see whether they went up town or down town, or turned into the churchyard. The foolish girl did not consider that as a penny saved is a penny gained, so, a penny not earned is a penny lost. But to return to Each el ; it was not long before she reaped the reward of her diligence. After having been employed about a twelvemonth at her trade, it appeared, besides having furnished herself with decent clothing dur- 56 THE SCHOOL BOABD BEADEBS. [Stand. ing that time, thus relieving her parents of the burden of providing her dress, she had realized no less a sum than nineteen shillings and sixpence sterling. Industrious peo- ple are generally frugal also. This was the case with EacheL Indeed, she would never have been able to save up all this money, if she had spent half as much as most young girls do, in ribbons and bobbin-net and other trifles, which, after all, only give them a tawdry and vulgar ap- pearance. " I should like for once," said Eachel to herself, " to have a real bank note of my own. I have only to earn one six- pence more, and then I will get it changed for a one-pound- note." So she resolved to set to work very diligently; but as she was somewhat too eagerly shuffling the shillings and half-crowns out of her lap into her money-box, her silver thimble rolled off on to the floor, and disappeared. Eachel searched for it in every corner to no purpose, till she was at last obliged to conclude that it had found its way into a well-known mouse hole under the window-seat, which, by the by, ought to have been stopped up long ago. Here Eachel first poked in her scissors, then a fork, and then a skewer, but she found it a fathomless abyss, from which nothing came forth but tufts of cobweb. She now attempted to work without a thimble, but soon found she should lose time by that ; then she borrowed her mother's, winding a piece of paper round her finger to make it fit : but in spite of this, it slipped off continually ; besides, her mother wanted it. So she was obliged to go out, much against her will, and buy a new one, which cost her eighteen- pence; and thus she had to wait much longer before she could make up the desired sum. It was not till old Michaelmas-day that Eachel realized her wishes, and placed a Bank of England one-pound-note Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 57 at the bottom of her money-box. This treasure she sur- veyed with considerable satisfaction, and soon began to calculate how many useful things she might purchase with all that money. ? At first, indeed, she thought of several things that were not useful, but after a little reflection, she resolved not to think of them any more; but deter- mined that her principal purchase should be a warm cloak to go to the Sunday School in the next winter, which she was in the habit of regularly attending through all weathers. This decision, which she knew to be wise and prudent, because she could have pleased her fancy much more by other things, made her feel the pleasantest of all sensations, self- appro val ; and as she took up her work again she began to sing. But in the midst of her song she chanced to cast her eyes on her bank note ; when the large word " ONE," caught her attention. " It is but one pound after all," thought she, and she stopped singing. " Ah, if I am so happy because I have one, what should I be if I had hundreds and thousands, like some people ! Let me see ; if I had ten thousand pounds, for instance, I should be just ten thousand times happier than I am now." And now it appeared to Eachel, that to be ten thousand times less happy than it was possible to be, was scarcely to be happy at all; this thought made her feel a little discon- tented. Some days afterwards she was sitting at her work as usual. The little parlour which her mother allowed her to occupy was neat and pleasant. A bright yellow canary bird, which sang sweetly, together with a fine box of mig- nonette, and some pots of beautiful balsams, ornamented the window where she worked; and she thought it .very pleasant to sit there on a fine day, like this r with these pretty flowers before her, and her canary singing his lively 58 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. tunes. Just as she was thinking so, some ladies came in to look at the different kinds of straw which she used to plait. Eachel displayed specimens of all the various sorts ; but the young lady who wished to choose some was very difficult to please. She seemed dissatisfied with them all, and complained of " the impossibility of getting anything in the world in the country." Eachel could not help thinking that this fine lady looked cross and discontented : she also thought that she must be selfish and inconsiderate ; for she hindered her from her work the best part of half an hour, looking first at one pattern and then at another now seeming inclined to order some, then hesitating again, and at last going away without choosing any, or making the least apology for giving her so much trouble. "When the ladies were gone, Eachel's mother came in to inquire whether they had bespoken any straw. Eachel told her, and added, " Mother, do you know I was think- ing that I had rather sit here all my life plaiting straw, than be that lady that had on the purple velvet pelisse ; for I am sure she cannot be happy." " Child," said her mother, " you don't know what you are talking about ! that young lady has got ten thousand pounds to her fortune/' " Ten thousand pounds ! " exclaimed Eachel : she said no more, but the words struck her. They brought forcibly to her mind what she had lately been thinking about, her one- pound-note ; and she wondered how it could be, that instead of being tea thousand times happier, the lady did not appear to be nearly so happy as she herself was. In the midst of these thoughts, she was interrupted by the entrance of a young lady whom Eachel was always glad to see. It was her teacher at the school who often called in to converse with her most intelligent scholars ; and she was so good and affable, and seemed to take such an interest in her affairs, Four.] THE SCHOOL BO ATI D READEKS. 59 that Eachel was encouraged to communicate to her all the little troubles or pleasures that at any time occupied her mind. It was not long, therefore, before she made her acquainted with the subject of her present thoughts ; she told her, in fact, the history of her one-pound-note ; and requested to know, whether it was really true, that that discontented-looking lady had really ten thousand times as many pound notes as she had ? " Yes, Eachel," replied the teacher, " she has indeed quite as many as that ; but I suspect that this lady and you have fallen into the same mistake about pound notes, by imagining that persons are happy in proportion to the number of them they happen to possess. You, accordingly, were rather discontented be- cause you had only one ; and she, it is said, is very discon- tented because she has only ten thousand." EACHEL. Ten thousand ! Why, is not that enough ? TEACHER. She expected that the relation who bequeathed her this money in his will, would have left her three times as much ; and supposed, that if he had, she should have been three times as happy. So that when he died, and she found it was only ten thousand, she went into hysterics ; and never seems to have recovered the disappointment. EACHEL. Dear me ! but sure ten thousand pounds must be enough to buy every thing that she can want ? TEACHEB. Very true, indeed, Eachel. And now you have yourself answered the question that puzzled you so much. The use of money is to supply our real wants ac- cording to our station ; and it is only in this way that money can effect happiness. Those who have enough for this purpose are rich, however small comparatively, their means may be. You felt pleased and happy as long as you viewed your savings in this just light. You thought of something you really wanted, and found that you could 60 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. now purchase it ; it was not till you began to think of some things that you did not want hundreds and thousands of pounds, for instance, that you felt discontented. Now tell me, if you can, what you really want more than you have ? (EACH EL pauses.} TEACHER. Come now ; do tell me ? RACHEL. I don't know what to mention, particularly, ma'am. Sometimes I see things in the shops that I think I should like very much. . TEACHER. But if those are the things that would not be suitable to your station, which I rather think is generally the case, they would not make you any happier, but quite the contrary; for they would only render you ridiculous. Don't you think so ? RACHEL. Unless I was a lady. TEACHER. Well, but you are not a lady ; but an indus- trious little girl, who is so happy as to have learned an honest trade, and so successful as to be furnished with constant employment ; be assured, then, that there are few ladies more happily circumstanced than you are ; and if you have sense and wisdom enough to believe this, and to be content with such things as you have, you are better oif with this one-pound-note in your box, than most people are who can count their ten thousand. Rachel felt satisfied by this explanation, and she set oif soon after, in good spirits, with her teacher ; who was so kind as to offer to assist her in choosing the cloth for her cloak. Sow e days afterwards she was sitting at her work as usual. The little parlour which her mother allowed her to occupy was neat and pleasant. A bright -yellow canary -bird, which sang sweetly, together with a fine box of mignonette, and some Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READIES. 61 pots of "beautiful balsams, ornamented the window where she tvorked ; and she thought it very pleasant to sit there on a fine day, like this, with these pretty flowers before her, and her canary singing his lively tunes. THE PIED PIPEE OP HAMELIN. HAMELIN'S town s in Brunswick, By famous Hanover city ; The river Weser, deep and wide, Washes its wall on the southern side ; A pleasanter spot you never spied. Buf when begins my ditty ? Almost five hundred years ago, To see the townsfolk suffer so Prom vermin was a pity. ii. Eats! They fought the dogs, and killed the cats, And bit the babies in the cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles ; Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women's chats By drowning their speaking "With shrieking and squeaking In fifty different sharps and flats. 62 THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEBS. [Stand. III. At last the people in a body To the Town Hall carne nocking. " 'Tis clear," said they, "our Mayor's a noddy; And as for our Corporation shocking To think we buy gowns lined with ermine For dolts that can't or won't determine What's best to rid us of our vermin ! You hope, because you're old and obese, To find in the furry civic robe ease. Rouse up, sirs ! Give your brains a racking, To find the remedy we're lacking, Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing!" At this the Mayor and Corporation Quaked with a mighty consternation. IV. An hour they sat in council, At length the Mayor broke silence : " For a guilder I'd nay ermine gown sell ; I wish I were a mile hence ! It's easy to bid one rack one's brain I'm sure my poor head aches again ; I've scratched it so, and all in vain. Oh, for a trap, a trap, a trap !" Just as he s-iid this, what should hap At the chamber door but a gentle tap ? " Bless us !" cried the Mayor ; " what's that ? Only a scraping of shoes on the mat. Anything like the sound of a rat Make? my heart go pit-a-pat. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED BEADEBS. 63 V. " Come in !" the Mayor cried, looking bigger ; And in did come the strangest figure. His queer long coat from heel to head Was half of yellow and half of red ; And he himself was tall and thin, "With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin ; And light loose hair, yet swarthy skin No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin, But lips where smiles went out and in. There was no guessing his kith and kin ; And nobody could enough admire The tall man and his quaint attire. Quoth one : " It's as my great grandsire, Starting up at the trump of doom's tone, Had walked this way from, his painted tombstone !"' VI. He advanced to the council table : And " Please your honours," said he, " I'm able, By means of a secret charm, to draw All creatures living beneath the sun That creep, or swim, or fly, or run, After me so as you never saw ' And I chiefly use my charm On creatures that do people harm The mole, and toad, and newt, and viper; And people call me the Pied Piper." (And here they noticed round his neck A scarf of red and yellow stripe, To match with his coat of the self-s..rne check, THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. And at the scarfs end nung a pipe ; And his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying, As if impatient to be playing Upon this pipe, as low it dangled, Over his vesture so old-fangled.) " Yet," said he, " poor piper as I am, In Tartary I freed the Cham, Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats; I eased in Asia the Nizam Of a monstrous brood of vampire bats : And, as for what your brain bewilders, If I can rid your town of rats, Will you give me a thousand guilders ?" " One ! Fifty thousand !" was the exclamation Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation. VII. Into the street the Piper stept, Smiling first a little smile, As if he knew what magic slept In his quiet pipe the while. Then, like a musical adept, To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled, And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled, Like a candle-flame when salt is sprinkled ; And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered, You heard as if an army muttered ; And the muttering grew to a grumbling, And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling ; And out of the houses the rats came tumbling. Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rate, Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats ; Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEES. 65 Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, .Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails and pricking whiskers, Families by tens and dozens ; Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, Followed the Piper for their lives. From street to street he piped advancing, And step for step they followed dancing. Until they came to the Eiver "Weser, "Wherein all plunged and perished, Save one, who, stout as Julius Caesar, Swam across, and lived to carry (As he the manuscript he cherished) To E/at-land home his commentary, Which was : " At the first shrill note of the pipe I heard a sound as of scraping tripe, And putting apples, wondrous ripe, Into a cider-press's gripe ; And a moving away of pickle-tub-boards, And a leaving ajar of conserve cupboards, And a drawing the corks of train-oil flasks, And a breaking the hoops of butter-casks ; And it seemed as if a voice (Sweeter far than by harp or by psaltery Is breathed) called out, c Oh, rats, rejoice ! The world is grown to one vast drysaltery ! To munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon, Breakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon !' And just as a bulky sugar puncheon, All ready staved, like a great sun shone Glorious scarce an inch before me, Just as methought it said, t Come, bore me P I found the Weser rolling o'er me." E 66 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADERS. [Stand, YIII. You should have heard the Hamelin people Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple. " G-o," cried the Mayor, " and get long poles : Poke out the nests and block up the holes. Consult with carpenters and builders, And leave in our town not even a trace Of the rats ! " when suddenly up the face Of the Piper perked in the market-place, "With a " First, if you please, niy thousand guilder*.' IX. A thousand guilders ! The Mayor looked blue ; So did the Corporation too. To pay this sum to a wandering fellow, With a gipsy coat of red and yellow ! " Beside," quoth the Mayor, with a knowing wink; " Our business was done at the river's brink ; We saw with our eyes the vermin sink, And what's dead can't come to life, I think. So, friend, we're not the folks to shrink From the duty of giving you something to drink, As a matter of money to put in your poke ; But, as for the guilders, what we spoke Of them, as you very well know, was in joke. Beside, our losses have made us thrifty. A thousand guilders ! Come, take fifty.'* x. The Piper's face fell, and he cried, " No trifling ! I can't wait. Beside, I've promised to visit by dinner-time Bagdad, and accept the prime Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD HEADERS. 67 Of the head cook's pottage, all he's rich in, Eor having left in the Caliph's kitchen Of a nest of scorpions no survivor With him I proved no bargain-driver; With you don't think I'll bait a stiver ! And folks who put me in a passion May find me pipe to another fashion." XI. How ? " cried the Mayor, " d'ye think I'll brook Being worse treated than a cook ? Insulted by a lazy ribald, With idle pipe and vesture piebald? You threaten us, fellow ? Do your worst, Blow your pipe then till you burst." XII. Once more he stepped into the street, And to his lips again Laid his long pipe of smooth, straight cane ; And ere he blew three notes (such sweet Soft notes as yet musician's cunning Never gave the enraptured air), There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling; Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering, Like hands clapping, and little tongues chattering ; And, like fowls in a farm-yard when barley is scattering, Out came the children running. All the little boys and girls, With rosy cheeks, and flaxen curls, And sparkling eyes, and teeth like pearls, Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after The wonderful music, with shouting and laughter. 68 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. XIII. The Mayor was dumb, and the Council stood As if they were changed into blocks of wood, Unable to move a step, or cry To the children merrily skipping by ; And could only follow with the eye That joyous crowd at the Piper's back. But how the Mayor was on the rack, And the wretched Council's bosom beat, As the Piper turned from the High Street To where the Weser rolled its waters Eight in the way of their sons and daughters ! However, he turned from north to west, And to Keppleberg Hill his steps addressed, And after him all the children pressed, Great was the joy in every breast. " He never can cross that mighty top ! He's forced to let the piping drop, And we shall see our children stop." "When lo ! as they reached the mountain's side, A wondrous portal opened wide, As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed, And the Piper advanced and the children followed And when all were in, to the very last, The door in the mountain side shut fast. Did I say all ? No ! one was lame, And could not dance the whole of the way ; And in after years, if you would blame His sadness, he used to say, It's dull in our town since my playmates left. I can't forget that I am bereft Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 69 Of all the pleasant sights they see, Which the Piper also promised me ; For he led us, he said, to a joyous land, Joining the town, and just at hand, "Where waters gushed, and fruit trees grew And flowers put forth a fairer hue, And everything was strange and new. The sparrows were brighter than peacocks here, And their dogs outran our fallow-deer ; And honey-bees had lost their stings, And horses were born with eagles' wings. And just as I became assured My lame foot would be speedily cured, The music stopped, and I stood still, And found myself outside the hill ; Left alone against my will, To go on limping as before, And never hear of that country more." XIV. Alas, alas, for Hamelin 1 There came into many a burgher's pate A text which says that heaven's gate Opes to the rich as at easy rate As the needle's eye takes a camel in. The Mayor sent east, west, north, and south, To offer the Piper by word or mouth, Wherever it was man's lot to find him, Silver and gold to his heart's content, If he'd only return the way he went, And bring the children behind him. 70 THE SCHOOL BOAED READERS. [Stand. But soon they saw 'twas a lost endeavour, For Piper and dancers were gone for ever. And the better in memory to fix The place of the children's last retreat, They called it the Pied Piper's Street ; Where any one playing on pipe or tabor Was sure for the future to lose his labour. Nor suffered they hostelry or tavern To shock with mirth a street so solemn : But opposite the place of the cavern They wrote the story on a column, And on the great church window painted The same, to make the world acquainted How their children were stolen away ; And there it stands to this very day. And I must not omit to say That in Transylvania there's a tribe Of alien people, that ascribe The outlandish ways and dress On which their neighbours lay such stress To their fathers and mothers having risen Out of some subterranean prison, Into which they were trepanned Long ago, in a mighty band, Out of Hamelin town in Brunswick land, But how or why they don't understand. Eats ! They fought the dogs, and killed the cats, And lit the babies in the cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the coolers own ladles ; Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. And even spoiled the women'* chats By drowning their speaking With shrieking and squeaking, In fifty different sharps and fiats. BROWNING. PEESEVEEANCE AGAINST FOETUNE. THEODORE was a boy of lively parts and engaging manners, but he had the failing of being extremely impatient in his temper, and inclined to extremes. He was ardent in all his pursuits, but could bear no disappointment; and if the least thing went wrong he threw up what he was about in a pet, and could not be prevailed upon to resume it. His father (Mr. Carleton) had given him a bed in the garden which he had cultivated with great delight. The borders were set with double daisies of different colours, next to which was a row of auriculas and polyanthuses. Beyond were stocks and other taller flowers and shrubs, and a beau- tiful damask rose graced the centre. The rose was just budding, and Theodore watched its daily progress with great interest. One unfortunate day, the door of the garden being left open, a drove of pigs entered, and began to riot on the herbs and flowers. An alarm being sounded, Theo- dore and the servant boy rushed upon them, smacking their whips. The whole herd in affright took their course across Theodore's flower-bed, on which some of them had before been grazing. Stocks, daisies, and auriculas were all trampled down or torn up ; and, what was worst of all, a sow ran directly over the beautiful rose tree, and broke off its stem level with the ground. When Theodore came up, 72 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. and beheld all the mischief, and especially his favourite roses strewed on the soil, rage and grief choked his utterance. After standing awhile the picture of despair, he snatched up a spade that stood near, and with furious haste dug over the whole bed, and whelmed all the relics of his flowers deep under the soil. This exertion being ended, he burst into tears, and silently left the garden. His father, who had beheld the scene at a distance, though somewhat diverted at the boy's childish violence, yet began seriously to reflect on the future consequences of such a temper, if suffered to grow up without restraint. He said nothing to him at the time, but in the afternoon he took him a walk into a neighbouring parish. There was a large wild common, and at the skirts of it a neat farmhouse, with fields lying round it, all well fenced and cultivated in the best manner. The air was sweetened with the bean flower and clover. An orchard of fine young fruit trees lay be- hind the house, and before it a little garden, gay with all the flowers of the season. A stand of beehives was on the southern side, sheltered by a thick hedge of honeysuckle and sweetbriar. A herd of cows with full udders were just coming home to be milked. Everything wore the aspect of plenty and good management. The charms of the scene struck Theodore very forcibly, and he expressed his pleasure in the warmest terms. This place, said his father, belongs to a man who is the greatest example I know of patient fortitude bearing up against misfortune; and all that you see is the reward of his own perseverance. I am a little acquainted with him, and we will go in and beg a draught of milk, and try if we can prevail upon him to tell us a story. Theodore willingly accompanied his father. They were received by the farmer with cordial frankness. After they were seated, Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEttS. 78 " Mr. Hardman," says Mr. Carleton, " I have often heard part of your adventures, but never had a regular account of the whole. If you will favour me and my little boy with the story of them, we shall think ourselv 7 es much obliged to you." " Lack-a-day, sir ! " said he, " there's little in them worth telling of, as far as I know. I have had my ups and downs in the world, to be sure, but so have many men besides. However, if you wish to hear about them they are at your service ; and I can't say but it gives me pleasure sometimes to talk over old matters, and think how much better things have turned out than might have been expected." " Now I am of opinion," said Mr. C., " that from your spirit of perseverance a good conclusion might always ha^e been expected.." " You are pleased to compliment, sir," replied the farmer ; " but 1 will begin without more words. " You may perhaps have heard that my father was a man of good estate. He thought of nothing, poor man, but how to spend it ; and he had the uncommon luck to spend it twice over. For when he was obliged to sell it the first time it was bought in by a relation, who left it him again in his will. But my poor father was not a man to take warning; he fell to living as he had done before, and just made his estate and his life hold out together. He died at the age of five-and-forty, and left his family beggars. I believe he would not have taken to drink as he did had it not been for his impatient temper, which had made him fret and vex himself for every trifle, and then he had nothing for it but to drown his care in liquor. " It was my lot to be taken by my mother's brother, who was master of a merchant ship. I served him as an appren- tice several years, and underwent a good deal of the usual hardship of a sailor's life. He had just made me his mate in 74 THE SCHOOL EOAED HEADERS. [Stand. a voyage up the Mediterranean, when we had the misfor- tune to be wrecked on the coast of Morocco. The ship struck at some distance from shore, and we lay a long stormy night with the waves dashing over us, expecting every moment to perish. My uncle and several of the crew died of fatigue and want, and by morning but four of us were left alive. My companions were so disheartened, that they thought of nothing but submitting to their fate. For my part I thought life still worth struggling for, and the weather having become calmer, I persuaded them to join me in making a kind of raft, by the help of which, with much toil and danger, we reached the land. Here we were seized by the barbarous inhabitants, and carried up the country for slaves to the emperor. AVe were employed about some public buildings, made to work very hard with the whip at our backs, and allowed nothing but water and a kind of pulse. I have heard persons talk as if there was little in being a slave but the name ; but they who have been slaves themselves, I am sure will never make light of slavery in others. A ransom was set on our heads, but so high that it seemed impossible for poor friendless creatures like us ever to pay it. The thought of perpetual servitude, to- gether with the hard treatment we met with, quite overcame my poor companions. They drooped and died one after another. I still thought it not impossible to mend my con- dition, and perhaps to recover my freedom. "We worked about twelve hours in the day, and had one holiday in the week. I employed my leisure time in learning to make mats and flag-baskets, in which I soon became so expert as to have a good many for sale, and thereby got a little money to purchase better food, and several small conveniences. We were afterwards set to work in the emperor's gardens, and here I showed so much good-will and attention, that I Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 75 got into favour with the overseer. He had a large garden of his own, and he made interest for me to be suffered to work for him alone, on the condition of paying a man to do my duty. I soon became so useful to him that be treated me more like a hired servant than a slave, and gave me regular wages. I learned the language of the country, and might have passed my time comfortably enough, could I have accommodated myself to their manners and religion, and forgot my native land. I saved all I could, in order to purchase my freedom, but the ransom was so high I had little prospect of being able to do it for some years to come. A circumstance, however, happened, which brought it about at once. Some civilians one night laid a plot to murder my master and plunder his house. I slept in a little shed in the garden where the tools lay, and being awakened by a noise, I saw four men break through the fence, and walk up an alley towards the house. I crept out with a spade in my hand, and silently followed them. They made a hole with instruments in the house wall big enough for a m .n to enter in at. Two of them had got in, and the third was beginning to enter, when I rushed forward, and with a blow of my spade clove the skull of one of the robbers, and gave the other such a stroke on the shoulder as disabled him. I then made a loud outcry to alarm the family. My master and his son, who lay in the house, got up, and having let me in, we secured the two others, after a sharp conflict, in which I received a severe wound with a dagger. My master, who looked upon me as his preserver, had all pos- sible care taken of me, and as soon as I was cured made me a present of my liberty. He would fain have kept me with him, but my mind was so much bent on returning to my native country, that I immediately set out to the nearest sea- port, and took my passage in a vessel going to Gibraltar. 76 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. "Erom this place I returned in the first ship for Eng- land. As soon as we arrived in the Downs, and I was re- joicing at the sight of the white cliffs, a man-of-war's boat came on board, andpressed into the king's service all of us who were seamen. I could not but think it hard that this should be my welcome at home after a long slavery, but there was no remedy. I resolved to do my duty in my station, and leave the rest to Providence. I was abroad during the re- mainder of the war and saw many a stout fellow sink under disease and despondence. My knowledge of seamanship got me promoted to the post of a petty officer, and at the peace I was paid off, and received a pretty sum for wages and prize money. With this I set off for London. I had experienced too much distress from want to be inclined to squander away my money, so I put it into a banker's hands, and began to look out for some new way of life. " Unfortunately, there were some things of which I had no more experience than a child, and the tricks of London were among these. An advertisement offering extraordinary advantages to a partner in a commercial concern who would bring a small capital, tempted me to make inquiries about the matter, and I was soon cajoled, by a plausible, artful fellow, to venture my whole stock in it. The business was a manufacture, about which I knew nothing at all ; but as I was not afraid of my labour, set about working as they directed me with great diligence, and thought all was going on prosperously. One morning on coming to the office I found my partners decamped, and the same day I was arrested for a considerable sum due by the partnership. It was in vain for me to think of getting bail, so I was obliged to go to prison. Here I should have been half starved, but for my Moorish trade of mat-making, by the help of which I bet- tered my condition for some months, when the creditors, Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABD HEADERS. ?7 finding nothing could be got out of me, suffered me to be set at liberty. I was now in the wide world without a farthing or a friend, and I thanked God that I had health and limbs left. I did not choose to trust the sea again, but preferred my other new trade of gardening, so I applied to a nurseryman near town, and was received as a day labourer. I set my- self cheerfully to work, taking care to be in the grounds the first man in the morning and the last at night. I ac- quainted my employer with all the practices I had observed in Morocco, and got him, in return, to instruct me in his own. In time I came to be considered as a skilful work- man, and was advanced to higher wages. My affairs were in a flourishing state. I was well fed, and comfortably lodged, and saved money into the bargain. About this time I fell in company with a young woman at service, very notable and well behaved, who seemed well qualified for a wife to a working man. I ventured to make an offer to her, which proved not disagreeable, and after we had calculated a little how we were to live, we married. I took a cottage with an acre or two of land to it, and my wife's savings furnished our house and bought a cow. All my leisure time I spent upon my piece of ground, which I made very productive, and the profits of the cow, with my w r ages, sup- ported us very well. No mortal, I think, could be happier than I was after a hard day's work, by my own fireside, with my wife beside me, and our little infant on my knee. " An advertisement offering extraordinary advantages to a partner in a commercial concern who could bring a small capital, tempted me to make inquiry about the matter, and I iv as soon cajoled, ~by a plausible, artful fellow ', to venture my whole stock in it." 78 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. [Stand. PERSEVERANCE AGAINST FORTUNE. PAET IT. AFTEE this way of life had lasted two or three years, a gentleman who had dealt largely with my master for young plants, asked him if he could recommend an honest, indus- trious man for a tenant upon some land that he had lately taken in from the sea. My master, willing to do me a kindness, mentioned me. I was tempted by the proposal, and going down to view the premises, I took a farm upon a lease at a low rent, and removed my family and goods to it one hundred and fifty miles from London. There was ground enough for the money, but much was left to be done for. it in draining, manuring, and fencing. Then it required more stock than I was able to furnish ; so, though unwilling, I was obliged to borrow some money of my landlord, who let me have it at moderate interest. I began with a good heart, and worked late and early to put things in the best condition. My first misfortune was that the place proved unhealthy to us. I fell into a lingering ague, which pulled me down much, and hindered my business. My wife got a slow fever, and so did our eldest child. The poor child died, and what with grief and illness my wife had much ado to recover. Then the rot got among my sheep, and carried off the best part of my stock. I bors up against distress as well as I could, and, by the kindness of my landlord, was able to bring things tolerably round again. "We regained our health, and began to be seasoned to the climate. As we were cheering ourselves with the prospect of better times, a dreadful storm arose it was one night in February ; I shall never forget it, and drove the spring tide with such fury against our sea-banks that they ga,ve way. The water rushed in with such force that all was presently at sea. Two hours before daylight I was awakened by the noise of Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEKS. 79 the waves dashing against our house, and bursting in at the door. My wife had been ill about a month, and she and I, and the two children, slept on a ground floor. We had just time to carry the children up- stairs before all was afloat in the room. When day appeared we could see nothing from the windows but water. All the out-houses, ricks, and utensils were swept away, and all the cattle and sheep drowned. The sea kept rising, and the force of the current bore so hard against our house, that we thought every moment it must fall. We clasped our babies to our breasts, and expected nothing but present death. At length we spied a boat coming to us. With a good deal of difficulty it got under our window and took us in, with a servant-maid and boy. A few clothes was all the property we saved, and we had not left the house half an hour before it fell, and in a minute nothing was to be seen of it. Not only the farm- house, but the farm itself was gone. " I was now again a ruined man, and, what was worse, I had three partners in my ruin. My wife and I looked at one another, and then at our little ones, and wept. Neither of us had a word of comfort to say. At last, thought I, this country is not Morocco, however. Here are good souls that will pity our case, and perhaps relieve us. Then I have a character and a pair of hands. Things are bad, but they might have been worse. I took my wife by the hand, and knelt down ; she did the same. I thanked G-od for His mercy in saving our lives, and prayed that He would continue to protect us. We rose up with lightened hearts, and were able to talk calmly about our condition. It was my desire to return to my former master, the nurseryman ; but how to convey my family so far without money was the difficulty. Indeed, I was much worse than nothing, for I owed a good deal to my landlord. He came down upon 80 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. the news of the misfortune, and, though his own losses were heavy, he not only forgave my debt and released me from all obligations, but made me a small present. Some cha- ritable neighbours did the like, but I was most of all af- fected by the kindness of our late maidservant, who insisted upon our accepting of a crown, which she had saved out of her wages. Poor soul ! we had always treated her as one of ourselves, and she felt for us like one. " As soon as we had got some necessaries, and the weather was tolerable, we set out on our long march. My wife car- ried her infant in her arms. I took the bigger child on my back, and a bundle of clothes in my hand. We could walk but a few miles a day, but we now and then got a lift in an empty waggon or cart, which was a great help to us. One day we met with a farmer returning with his team from market, who let us ride, and entered into conversation with me. I told him of my adventures, by which he seemed much interested, and learning that I was skilled in managing trees, he acquainted me that a nobleman in his neighbour- hood was making great plantations, and would very likely be glad to engage me, and he offered to carry us to the place. As all I was seeking was a living by my labour, I thought the sooner I got it the better, so I thankfully ac- cepted his offer. He took us to the nobleman's steward, and made known our case. The steward wrote to my old master for a character, and receiving a favourable one, lie hired me as a principal manager of a new plantation, and settled me and my family in a snug cottage near it. He advanced us somewhat for a little furniture and present sustenance, and we had once more a home. O sir ! how many blessings are contained in that word to those who have known the want of it ! "I entered upon my new employment with as much Four.] T1IE SCHOOL BOAED HEADERS. 81 satisfaction as if I was taking possession of an estate. My wife had enough to do in taking care of the house and children, so it lay with me to provide for all, and I may say that I was not idle. Besides my weekly pay from the steward, I contrived to make a little money at leisure times by pruning and dressing gentlemen's fruit trees. I was al- lowed a piece of waste ground behind the house for a garden, and I spent a good deal of labour in bringing it into order. My old master sent me down for a present some choice young trees and flower-roots, which I planted, and they throve wonderfully. Things went on almost as well as I could desire. The situation being dry and healthy, my wife recovered her lost bloom, and the children sprung up like my plants. I began to hope that I was almost out of reach of further misfortune ; but it was not so ordered. " I had been three years in this situation, and increased my family with another child, when my lord died. He was succeeded by a very dissipated young man, deep in debt, who presently put a stop to the planting and improving of the estate, and sent orders to turn off all the workmen. This was a great blow to me ; however, I still hoped to keep my little house and garden, and I thought I could then maintain myself as a nurseryman and gardener. But a new steward was sent down to rack the tenants to the utmost. He asked me as much for the rent of the place as if I had found the garden ready made to my hands ; and when I told him it was impossible for me to pay it, he gave me notice to quit immediately. He would neither suffer me to take away my trees and plants, nor allow me anything for them. His view, I found, was to put in a favourite of his own, and set him up at my expense. I remonstrated against this cruel injustice, but could obtain nothing but hard words. As I saw it would be the ruin of ine to be P 82 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADERS. [Stand. turned one in that manner, I determined, rather hastily, to go up to London, and plead my cause with my new lord. I took a sorrowful leave of my family, and, walking to thu next market town, I got a place on the outside of the stage coach. When we were within thirty or forty miles of Lon- don, the coachman overturned the coach, and I pitched directly on my head, and was taken up senseless. Nobody knew anything about me, so I was carried to the next vil- lage, where the overseer had me taken to the parish work- house. Here I lay a fortnight, much neglected, before I came to my senses. As soon as I became sensible of my con- dition, I was almost distracted in thinking of the distress my poor wife must be under on my account, not hearing anything of me. I lay another fortnight before I was fit to travel, for, besides the hurt in my head, I had a broken collar-bone, and several bruises. My money had somehow all got out of my pocket, and I had no other means of getting away than by being passed to my own parish. I returned in sad plight indeed, and found my wife very ill in bed. My children were crying about her, and almost starving. We should now have been quite lost, had I not raised a little money by selling our furniture ; for I was yet unable to work. As soon as my wife was somewhat re- covered, we were forced to quit our house. I cried like a child on leaving my blooming garden and flourishing planta- tions, and was almost tempted to demolish them, rather than another should unjustly reach the fruit of my labours. But I checked myself, and I am glad I did. We took lodgings in a neighbouring village, and I went round among, the gentlemen of the country to see if I could get a little em- ployment. In the meantime the former steward came down to settle accounts with his successor, and was much con- cerned to find me in such a situation. He was a very able and Four. THE SCHOOL BOAKD HEADERS. 83 honest man, and had been engaged by another nobleman to superintend a large improvable estate in a distant part of the kingdom. He told me if I would try my fortune with him once more, he would endeavour to procure me a new settlement. I had nothing to lose, and therefore was willing enough to run any hazard, but I was destitute of means to convey my family to such a distance. My good friend, who was much provoked at the injustice of the new steward, said so much to him, that he brought him to make me an allowance for my garden ; and with that I was enabled to make another removal. It was to the place I now in- habit. " "When I came here, sir, all this farm was a naked com- mon, and like that you crossed in coming. My lord got an enclosure bill for this part of it, and the steward divided it into different farms, and let it on improving leases to several tenants. A dreary spot to be sure it looked at first, enough to sink a man's heart to sit down upon it. I had a little unfinished cottage given me to live in, and, as I had nothing to stock a farm, I was for many years head labourer and planter about the new enclosures. By very hard work- ing and saving, together with a little help, I was at length enabled to take a small part of the ground I now occupy. I had various discouragements, from bad seasons and other accidents. One year the distemper carried off four out of seven cows that I kept ; another year I lost two of my best horses. A high wind once almost entirely destroyed an orchard I had just planted, and blew down my biggest barn. But I was too much used to misfortunes to be easily dis- heartened, and my way always was to set about repairing them in the best manner I could, and leave the rest to heaven. This method seems to have answered at last. I have now gone on many years in a course of continued 84 THE SCHOOL BOARD HEADERS [Stand prosperity, adding field to field, increasing my stock, and bringing up a numerous family with credit. My dear wife, who was my faithful partner through so much distress, con- tinues to share my prosperous state ; and few couples in the kingdom, I believe, have more cause to be thankful for their lot. This, sir, is my history. You see it contains nothing very extraordinary, but if it impresses on the mind of this young gentleman the maxim that patience and perseverance will scarcely fail of a good issue in the end, the time you have spent in listening to it will not entirely be lost." Mr. Carleton thanked the good farmer very heartily for the amusement and instruction he had afforded them, and took leave with many expressions of regard. Theodore and he walked home, talking by the way of what they had heard. Next morning Mr. C., looking out of the window, saw Theodore hard at work in his garden. He was carefully disinterring his buried flowers, trimming and cleaning them, and planting them anew. He had got the gardener to cut a slip of the broken rose-tree, and set it in the middle to give it a chance for growing. By noon everything was laid smooth and neat, and the bed was well filled. All its splen- dour, indeed, was gone for the present, but it seemed in a hopeful way to revive again. Theodore looked with pleasure over his work ; but his father felt more pleasure in witnessing the first-fruits of Farmer Hardman's story. " This, sir, is my history. You see it contains nothing very extraordinary, but if it impresses on the mind of this young gentleman the maxim that patience and perseverance will scarcely fail of a good issue in the end, the time you have spent in listening to it will not entirely be lost" Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 85 CASABIANCA. [In the battle of the Nile the French ship L? Orient caught fire and exploded. Casabianca was the son of the French Admiral. He remained at his post in obedience to the orders of his father, and so perished.] THE boy stood on the burning deck, Whence all but him had fled ; The flame, that lit the battle's wreck, Shone round him o'er the dead. Yet beautiful and bright he stood, As born to rule the storm ; A creature of heroic blood, . A proud though child-like form! The flames rolled on he would not go Without his father's word ; That father, faint in death below His voice no longer heard. He called aloud : "Say, father! say, If yet my task is done ? " He knew not that the chieftain lay Unconscious of his son. " Speak, father! " once again he cried, " If I may yet he gone ! And " but the booming shots replied, And fast the flames rolled on. Upon his brow he felt their breath, And in his waving hair, And looked from that lone post of death, In still, yet brave despair ; 86 THE SCHOOL BOABD HEADERS. [Stand, And shouted but once more aloud, " My father ! must I stay ? " "While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud, The wreathing fires made way : They wrapped the ship in splendour wild, They caught the flag on high, And streamed above the gallant child, Like banners in the sky. There came a burst of thunder sound, The boy ! oh ! where was he ? Ask of the winds, that far around With fragments strewed the sea ! With mastj and helm, and pennon fair, That well had borne their part But the noblest thing that perished there, Was that young faithful heart! THE LAB DUES OF HEECULES. A GBEEK LEGEND. PAKT I. HEBCTJLES was very big when quite a child ; and he ate a great deal of meat and bread, but no sweet things. He learned to write and to read, and to ride and to drive a chariot, and to shoot with a bow and arrow, and to hurl a javelin ; and to wrestle, and to fight with the cestus ; and a good centaur called Chiron taught him to know the stars, and plants, and herbs, and beasts, and told him all about Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 87 them ; and Hercules liked to listen to all this, and remem- bered it, and learned fast. Hercules was very good-natured, but he had the fault that when he was angry he became quite furious, and did a great deal of mischief ; he was very sorry for it afterwards, and cried bitterly ; but then it was too late, and he could not mend it. # * * # # # At this time [when Hercules was grown up] the Thebans had to give a hundred oxen every year to the king of the Minyans ; now Hercules did not choose his town to be tributary, and when the king of the Minyans sent heralds to demand the oxen, Hercules drove them away. Then King Erginus marched on Thebes with a great army. Now the king of Thebes, whose name was Creon, was cowardly, and had no heart to meet the enemy ; that, indeed, was the reason of his paying the tribute. So he made Hercules commander, at which the Thebans greatly rejoiced, and their courage for the war was very much. And Hercules and the Thebans were victorious over the enemy, and killed King Erginus ; and the Min- yans were obliged in their turn, to give two hundred oxen to the Thebans every year. Then Creon gave Hercules his daughter Megara for a wife, and she bore him three child- ren, and he lived happily at Thebes for a few years. But Juno afflicted him with raving madness, so that he fancied his children were wild beasts, and took his bow and shot them; 'and when he had done it he saw that they were his own children, and would not be comforted, but ran out into the woods. Now, when the ancients did not know what to do they went to the oracles, and asked Apollo for counsel. The oracles were temples inhabited by priests or priestesses, of whom people asked questions, to which Apollo told them the 38 THE SCHOOL BOARD HEADERS. [Stand. answers ; and when a king wished to declare war, he first sent to consult the oracle, and if Apollo told him he would be beaten he let the war alone. The best oracle was at Delphi, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, where a priestess called the Pythia sat in the temple on a tripod, and gave answers to all who came to ask ; and when those who had consulted it were obedient to the oracle, and successful in their undertakings, they gave beautiful things of gold, or silver, or bronze to the temple, which was quite filled with presents of this sort. The unhappy Hercules went to Del- phi, and asked the Pythia what he should do in his great grief at having killed his children : and the Pythia told him to go to the city of Tiryns, and serve King Eurystheus with patience and submission, and do all that he would command him. She said that Eurystheus would order him to en- counter twelve combats, all so terrible that he would be in danger of perishing in each ; but that if he had courage and endurance the gods would help him, and that when he had achieved the twelve labours he would be happy again, and after his death he would become a god. Now King Eurystheus was wicked and cruel, and had no courage, and he hated all who did noble and generous things ; nevertheless, Hercules went patiently to Tiryns, and came before King Eurystheus, and told him that Apollo had commanded him by the Pythia to serve him, and that he was ready to do whatever he should order. Then King Eurystheus told him to go to Nemea and kill the lion. Nemea was a valley filled with thick wood, between high mountains, in the land of Eurystheus ; and in this wood lived a fierce lion, whose skin was so thick and tough that no iron could wound him ; and when the shepherds hurled spears at him, they fell without hurting him, and he flew at the shepherds and tore them to "pieces. Hercules went Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEBS. 89 and stood behind a tree, that the lion might not see him while he took aim ; and the lion came with his mouth and his mane covered with blood, for he had just been eating a bull, and he licked his jaws with his great red tongue and roared ; and when he roared it sounded like thunder, and the earth shook, and he lashed his sides with his tail. Then Hercules shot an arrow at him ; but it rebounded from the lion's hide. He shot again, but with no better success, though he could send an arrow through an armed man. In a minute the lion caught sight of Hercules; then he crouched down close to the earth, and sprang at him ; but Hercules wrapped his mantle round his left arm to keep the lion off, and in his right hand he held a huge club which he had hewed down in the forest. With this he struck the lion on the head. Then Hercules seized him by the neck, and strangled him in his arms, while he stood upon his hinder paws. As soon as the lion was dead he skinned him, and he put the skin round his neck by the fore paws. His club was broken on the lion's head, so he cut another in the forest, and ever after he wore the lion's skin and carried a huge club. Then Hercules went back to Tiryns, and sent the king word that the Nemean lion was dead ; and when Eurystheus heard this, he was excessively afraid of him, and he had a chamber all of brass made underground, in which he shut himself up whenever Hercules was there; and there was a grated window in the chamber, and through this he spoke to Hercules, and commanded him to go to Lerna and kill the hydra. The hydra was a great serpent with nine heads, as long as a ship, and it lived in the marsh at Lerna. So Hercules mounted his chariot, and his friend lolaus drove the horses, and they went to Lerna. When the hydra saw Hercules she crawled away and hid herself in a hole under 90 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. the earth , but Hercules took an arrow, and wound tow round it, and dipped it in pitch and brimstone, and shot it into the hole. Then the hydra rushed out to attack Her- cules, and he sei/ed her with one hand round the neck, just where her nine heads grew, while she twisted her long tail round his leg. Hercules struck her heads with his club ; but for every head he destroyed there instantly grew two fresh one?. There came also a frightful huge lobster, which pinched Hercules and held his legs fast with its claws, for it was a friend of the hydra's, and wanted to help her; but Hercules crushed it with his other foot. And he went on knocking off the hydra's heads, and fresh ones kept con- stantly growing, and he never could have conquered her if it had not been for his friend lolaus, who cut down some trees and made a great fire, and brought burning brands from it, with which he seared the heads as Hercules crushed them, so that no others grew up. When all the heads were destroyed, and the hydra was dead, Hercules dipped his arrows in her blood, which was so poisonous, that if his arrows only scratched the skin of man or beast, they died. This was the second labour. After this, Eurystheus ordered him to catch the Cery- nian stag, and bring it him alive. Now this stag had golden horns, and ran so fast that no horse or hound could over- take it. But Hercules was as swift as he was strong, and he ran after the stag for a whole year, till he caught it. Then he carried it on his back to Tiryns. And this was the third labour. Next Eurystheus commanded Hercules to bring him the wild boar of Erymanthus alive. Erymanthus is a mountain in Arcadia, and this wild boar lived there, and laid waste the gardens and cornfields all round ; and when the people went out to attack him, he rushed upon them and threw them T Y FOUT.J THE SCHOOL BOAKD BEADEES. 91 down, and tore them witn ms great tusks, so that they died. So Hercules went to Erymanthus, and he thought the wild boar would come and attack him as it did all other hunters, and then he could catch it; but the boar was afraid of him, and ran away. Hercules ran after it, and the boar, in its fright, jumped into a deep chasm full of snow; for the deep snow always lies on the mountains of Arcadia as ifc does on the Alps. Then Hercules made a noose of strong rope, and threw it round the wild boar's legs and drew it up, and threw it over his shoulders and carried it to Tiryns. The boar lay on its back with its legs in the air, and grunted, and kicked, and struggled, but could not get away. This was the fourth labour. Then Eurystheus ordered him to cleanse the stable of Augeas in a single day, Now Augeas was king of Elis, and had three thousand oxen, which were driven every evening into a huge court surrounded by a wall and rows of vaulted stalls ; but the servants of King Augeas were lazy, and let the dung lie till it was so deep that the cattle could no longer get into the stalls, and it would have taken a whole year of constant work to dig it up and cart it away. So Hercules dug a deep ditch up to the wall of the courtyard, and broke a large hole in the wall ; then he led the water of two mountain torrents into the ditch, so that it all ran into the court ; next he broke another hole in the wall opposite the ditch, and through that all the water ran out again, and by the end of the day the whole court was quite clean. Now this was the fifth labour. Eurystheus next bade him drive away the birds out of the marsh Stymphalus. Now these birds had beaks and claws of iron like the harpies, and they tore men and beasts to pieces, and when they had eaten them they flew back into the marsh. This marsh looked like a great lake, only 92 THE SCHOOL BOAEP EEADERS. [Stand. that many large trees grew in it : no one could go on it in a boat, because, instead of water, it was all thick mud ; neither could anybody walk there, because the mud was so deep that they would have sunk in it. So you see even Hercules could not have driven away the wicked birds if the good Vulcan had not helped him, and made a brazen rattle and given it to him. Hercules took the rattle and went and stood on a hill by the marsh, and turned it, and it made such a terrible noise that the birds were frightened, and all flew away. Hercules took his bow and arrows and killed several of them, and the rest flew far beyond the sea, and never came back again. And this was the sixth labour. Eurystheus then commanded him to bring the savage bull from Crete. So Hercules went in a ship to Crete, and asked Minos, the king of the island, for leave to catch the bull, which Minos gave him willingly enough, for the bull devastated the country, and no one dared to attack it. But Hercules seized it by the horns and dragged it on board the ship, and sailed back to the Peloponnesus, and took the bull to Tiryns. This was the seventh labour. The Icing tlien commanded Hercules to bring the savage lull from Crete. So lie went in a ship to Crete, and asked Minos, the king of the island, for leave to catch the lull, which Minos gave him willingly enough, for the lull de- vastated the country, and no one dared to attack it. But Hercules seized it ly the horns, and dragged it on board the ship, and sailed lack to the Peloponnesus, and took the lull to Tiryns. This was the seventh labour. Four."] THE SCHOOL BOABD READERS. 93 THE LABOUES OP HEECULES. PART II. AFTER this Eurystheus ordered him to fetch the horses of Diomedes, king of Thrace. So Hercules again embarked in a ship and sailed to Thrace. Now these horses were very savage, and ate men ; and King Diomedes was so wicked and cruel that he threw all strangers that came to his country to his horses, who tore them to pieces and ate them up like tigers or fierce wolves. Hercules demanded the horses of King Diomedes, and, as he would not give them up, he killed him and gave him to his 'own horses to eat. He then took the horses to Tiryns in his ship, and Eurystheus let them go, and they ran into the woods, and were killed and eaten by the wild beasts. And this was the eighth labour. The Amazons were a people only of women, who all rode on horseback, and fought battles, and were as brave as heroes. They had a queen called Hippolyte, who possessed a precious girdle all of gold and precious stones, which had been given her by Mars. Now Eurystheus had heard of this girdle, and he wanted to have it for his daughter, and ordered Hercules to go and get it. So Hercules bad it proclaimed throughout Greece that he was going to make war upon the Amazons, and that brave men might go with him. He then went on board a ship with all those who had come to join him. As soon as Hercules reached the land of the Amazons, he sent word to the Queen Hippolyte what Eurystheus had ordered him to fetch. Now Hippo- lyte knew that Hercules was forced to obey Eurystheus, because Apollo had commanded him to do so, and would have given him the girdle, but the Amazons would not puffer it, and they attacked Hercules and his companions. 94 THE SCHOOL BOABD EEADEES. [Stand. Upon this a great battle was fought : the Amazons fought on horseback and Hercules and his companions on foot, and if ifc had not been for Hercules the Amazons would have been victorious ; but he put them to flight, and took Hippolyte prisoner. However, he did her no harm, and set her free as soon as he had got the girdle. Then he sailed to Tiryns and gave the girdle to Eurystheus. This was the ninth labour. On the coast of Spain, where the city of Cadiz now stands, is an island which was then called Erytheia ; and at that time there was no city, but fine rich pastures, on which grazed the cattle of King Oeryon. Now these cattle were most beautiful, and all red ; and they were guarded by a dog called Orthrus, who had two heads, and was so strong that he could fight and kill two wolves at once. King Greryon seemed like three great giants joined together into one: he had three heads, six arms, and six legs. So you see it was not easy to take his cattle from him, even if the dog was killed ; and Eurystheus thought Hercules must meet his death there ; so he ordered him to fetch Greryon's cattle. Hercules went by himself, and took his club and his bow and arrows. Hercules landed on the island of Erytheia, and killed the dog Orthrus and then the herds- man, who richly deserved it, for he gave his kinemen to eat, as King Diomedes did to his horses* Then he drove away the cattle. King Geryon heard this, and came to fight with Hercules ; but he had better have staid at home, for Hercules shot him dead. Hercules drove the cattle over the Alps, and made a road for them through the ice and snow. After that he came to- the banks of the Tiber, where Rome now stands, but there was no city then ; and in a cave under Mount Aventine lived a wicked giant, called Cacus, who breathed flames out Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 95 of his mouth and nostrils, and tormented all the people in the neighbourhood. Cacus went at night and stole some of the finest bullocks, and took them to his cave ; and in order that Hercules might not find out where they were gone he dragged them in by their tails, so that the footmarks looked like those of cattle that had gone out of the cave. Hercules sought everywhere for his lost cattle, and as he could not find them he went on his way with what were left. But as he was driving them along under Mount Aventine, one of them lowed ; and when those that were shut up in the cave heard their companion they answered him. Now Cacus had blocked up the mouth of the cave with great masses of rock, but Hercules pulled them down, and Cacus, not being able to run away, blew flames against him ; but that did not frighten Hercules, who fell upon him and killed him. The wicked Eurystheus got the beautiful herds of kine. This was the tenth labour, and hard work Hercules found it. Eurystheus next bade Hercules fetch him the golden apples of the Hesperides. So many people tried to steal these apples that the Hesperides were forced to guard them themselves, with the help of a great dragon that had a hundred heads. Hercules did not even know where the garden was, and had to wander about for many days in- quiring for it. On his way he met Anta3us, a son of Graia, or the Earth, who was prodigiously strong, and wrestled with all he met and killed them ; for even if any one was strong enough to throw him down, he jumped up again directly, and was stronger than ever, because his mother, the Earth, gave him fresh vigour every time he touched her. But if, on the other hand, he threw down his adversary, he killed x jiim easily. As soon as Hercules perceived that Antaeus gained 96 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS [Stand. fresh strength with every fall, he lifted him in his arms quite off the earth, so that he could not touch it even with his feet, and pressed him so tight in his arms that he died. At last he came to Atlas, the huge giant who stood on the edge of the earth, and carried the vault of heaven on his shoulders, so that it might not fall upon the world and crush it. Atlas was brother to the father of Hesperides, so Hercules begged him to persuade his nieces to give him the apples. This was not because Hercules was afraid of the dragon, for he knew he could kill him, but because he did not like to take the apples by force from the nymphs. So Atlas went to the Hesperides, and while he was gone Her- cules supported the heavens on his shoulders. And the Hesperides gave three apples to Atlas, and told him to give them to Hercules, on condition that he would promise to restore them ; for everybody knew that Hercules always did what he had promised. When Atlas came back he wanted to leave Hercules there, to stand and carry the vault of heaven for ever ; but Hercules threatened to let it fall ; upon which Atlas took it on his back again and gave Her- cules the apples. Hercules carried them to Eurystheus, telling him at the same time that he had promised to give them back again. Now Eurystheus wished very much to keep them, but he knew that if he did Jupiter would allow Hercules to punish him ; so he gave them back to Hercules, who sent them to the Hesperides. And this was the eleventh labour. And now there was only one more labour to oe accom- plished, after which Hercules was to be free, and Eurys- theus would have no right to command him any more. Eurystheus bade him fetch the dog Cerberus out of Hades. Then Hercules went to Taenarus, a high rocky promon- tory in Greece ; and between the rocks there were clefts Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD EE4DEKS. 97 and caverns through which one could descend into the infernal regions. Hercules entered one of these, and went on and on till he came to the Kiver Styx, which flowed all round Hades, where Pluto was king. Over this river there was no bridge only a ferry-boat in which Charon ferried backwards and forwards ; and Charon said that Hercules was too big and heavy, and would sink his boat. However, he was forced to obey and ferry him over, and Mercury went with Hercules to show him the way. On the oppo- site side of the river Medusa, a G-orgon, appeared before him, the sight of whose head turned to stone all who were afraid of her ; but she could not frighten Hercules, and he drew his sword upon her and she fled. At length he came to Cerberus, who would have torn to pieces any other living man, but when he saw Hercules he howled and hid himself under Pluto's throne. Then Hercules wished to offer a sacrifice to the gods ; so he took a bull from a great herd belonging to Pluto. Pluto and Proserpine greeted Hercules kindly, and told him he was quite welcome to take Cer- berus with him if he was able, and would promise to bring him back again. Now Cerberus was as large as an ele- phant, and had three heads and a mane of snakes, and his tail was a huge serpent ; but Hercules put on the armour Vulcan had given him, and wound his lion's skin tightly round him, and seized Cerberus by the throat and dragged him away; and though the serpent, which was the dog's tail, kept biting him, he did not let him go, but went up through all the caverns by which he had descended ; and when Cerberus saw the light of day he became quite furious, and the foam dropped from his mouth, and wherever it fell there sprang up poisonous plants which kill those who eat them. All who saw Cerberus fled, and Eurystheus hid himself at the sight of him. Then Hercules took him back G 98 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. [Stand. again, and gave him to Charon, who ferried him back to the other side of the Styx. This was the twelfth and last labour of Hercules, and having accomplished that he was free again. But his father did not choose that he should live in ease and pleasure, without using the strength he had given him to punish the wicked and to help the oppressed ; on the contrary, he bade him labour hard so long as he was on earth, and, above all, restrain his anger ; and when he failed to do so, he was to bear the punishment for it with patience, as he had done while serving Eurystheus ; and Jupiter promised that if he was obedient till the end of his life, he would receive him into Olympus and reward him richly for all he had endured on earth. Hercules might easily have punished the wicked Eurystheus for all his ill- usage, but he knew that he had endured his service as a chastisement; so he departed from Tiryns without doing him any harm. This was the twelfth and last labour of Hercules, and having accomplished that he was free again. Hut his father did not choose that he should live in ease and pleasure, with- out using the strength he had given him to punish the wicked and to help the oppressed ; on the contrary, he hade him labour hard so long as he was on earth, and, above all, restrain his anger ; and when he failed to do so, he was to bear the punishment for it with patience, as he had done while serving Eurystheus ; and Jupiter promised that if he was obedient till the end of his life, he would receive him into Olympus and reward him richly for all he had endured on earth. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAUB READERS. 99 EPITAPH ON A HAEE HERE lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue, Kor swifter greyhound follow, Whose foot ne'er tainted morning dew, Nor ear heard huntsman's hollo! Old Tiney, surliest of his kind, Who, nursed with tender care, And to domestic bounds confined, Was still a wild Jack-hare. Though duly from my hand he took His pittance every night, He did it with a jealous look, And, when he could, would bite. His diet was of wheaten bread, And milk, and oats, and straw ; Thistles, or lettuces instead, He used to scour his maw. On twigs of hawthorn he regaled, On pippin's russet peel; And when his juicy salads failed, Sliced carrot pleased him well.. A Turkey carpet was his lawn, Whereon he loved to bound, To skip and gambol like a fawn., And swing himself around. 100 THE SCHOOL BOA.ED READERS [Stand. His frisking was at evening hours, For then he lost his fear, But most before approaching showers, Or when a storm drew near. Eight years and five round rolling moons He thus saw steal away, Dozing out all his idle noons, And every night at play. I kept him for his humour's sake, For he would oft beguile My heart of thoughts that made it ache, And force me to a smile. But now, beneath this walnut shade, He finds his last long home ; And waits, in snug concealment laid, Till gentler Puss shall come. She, still more aged, feels the shocks From which no care can save, And, partner once of Tiney's box, Must soon partake his grave. COWPER. I kept Mm for Jiis humour's sake, For lie would oft beguile My heart of thoughts that made it ache, And force me to a smile. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. 101 THE DISCONTENTED PENDULUM. old clock, that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen, without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped. Upon this the dial-plate (if we may credit the fable) changed countenance with alarm; the hands made an ineflectual effort to continue, their course ; the wheels remained motionless with surprise ; the weights hung speechless, each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others. At length the dial instituted a formal inquiry into the cause of the stop, when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice protested their innocence. But now a faint tick was heard from the pendulum, who thus spoke : " I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage, and am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of tick- ing." Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged that it was on the point of striking. "Lazy wire! " ex- claimed the dial-plate. " As to that," replied the pendu- lum, " it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness you who have nothing to do all your life but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watch- ing all that goes on in the kitchen ! Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and wag backwards and forwards year after year as I do." " As to that," said the dial, "is there not a window in your house on purpose for you to look through ? " " But what of that?" resumed the pendulum ; "although there is a 102 THE SCHOOL BOARD HEADERS. [Stand. window, I dare not stop, even for an instant, to look out. Besides, I am really weary of my way of life ; and, if you please, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employ- ment. This morning I happened to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course only of the next twenty-four hours perhaps some of you above there can tell me the exact sum." The minute-hand, being quick at figures, instantly replied, " Eighty-six thousand four hundred times." " Exactly so," replied the pendulum " Well, I appeal to you all if the thought of this was not enough to fatigue one ; and when I began to multiply the strokes of one day by those of months and years, really it is no wonder if I felt discouraged at the prospect : so after a great deal of reasoning and hesitation, thinks I to myself -I'll stop!" The dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue ; but resuming its gravity, thus replied : " Dear Mr. Pendulum, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as yourself should have been overcome by this suggestion. It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time, so have we all, and are likely to do ; and though this may fatigue us to think of, the question is, will it fatigue us to do ? Would you now do me the favour to give about half-a-dozen strokes, to illustrate my argument ?" The pendulum complied, and ticked six times at its usual pace. " Now," resumed the dial, " was that exertion fatiguing to you ? " " Not in the least," replied the pendulum ; " it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions." " Very good," replied the dial ; " but recollect, that although you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one ; and that, however of ten you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABJD EEADEES. 103 in." fc "That consideration staggers me, I confess/' said the pendulum. "Then I hope," added the dial-plate, "we shall all immediately return to our duty, for the maids will lie in bed till noon if we stand Mling thus." Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to pro- ceed ; when, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever ; while a beam of the rising sun, that streamed through a hole in the kitchen- shutter, shining full upon the dial-plate, made it brighten up as if nothing had been the matter. When the farmer came down to breakfast, he declared upon looking at the clock, that his watch had gained half an hour in the night. Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed ; when, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever ; wliile a beam of the rising sun, that streamed through a hole in the kitchen-shutter, shining full upon the dial-plate, made it brighten up as if nothing had been the matter. 104 THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEBS. [Stand. WHAT ANIMALS AEE MADE FOE. PEAY, Papa (said Sophia, after she had been a long time teazed with the flies that buzzed about her ears, and settled on her nose and forehead, as she sat at work), Pray what were flies made for ? For some good, I dare say (replied her papa) . S. But I think they do a great deal more harm than good, for 1 am sure they plague me sadly ; and in the kitchen they are so troublesome that the maids can hardly do their work for them. P. Flies eat up many things that would otherwise cor- rupt and become loathsome ; and they serve for food to birds, spiders, and many other animals. S. But we could clean away everything that was offensive without their help ; and as to their serving for food, I have seen whole heaps of them lying dead in the window, without seeming to have done good to anything. P. "Well, then, suppose a fly capable of thinking, would he not be equally puzzled to find out what men are good for ? This great two-legged monster, he might say, instead of helping us to live, devours more food at a meal than would serve a whole legion of flies. Then he kills us by hundreds when we come within his reach ; and I see him destroy and torment all other animals too. And when he dies, he is nailed up in a box, and put a great way under ground, as if he grudged doing any more good after his death, than when alive. Now what must you answer to such a reasoning fly ? S. I would tell him he was very impertinent for talking so of his betters ; for that he and all other creatures were made for the use of man, aud not man for theirs. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED EEADEES. 105 P. But would you tell him true ? You have just been saying that you could not find out of what use flies were to us ; whereas, when they suck our blood, there is no doubt that we are of use to them. S. It is that which puzzles me. P. There are many other animals which we call noxious, and which are so far from being useful to us, that we take all possible pains to get rid of them. More than that, there are vast tracts of the earth, where few or no men inhabit, which are yet full of beasts, birds, insects, and all living things. These certainly do not exist there for his use alone. On the contrary, they often keep man away. S. Then what are they made for ? P. They are made to be happy. It is a manifest purpose of the Creator to give being to as much life as possible, for life is enjoyment to all creatures in health and in possession of their faculties. Man surpasses other animals in his powers of enjoyment, and he has prospects in a future state which they do not share with him. But the Creator equally desires the happiness of all his creatures, and looks down with as much benignity upon these flies that are sporting around us as upon ourselves. S. Then we ought not to kill them if they are ever so troublesome. P. I do not say that. We have a right to make a reason- able use of all animals for our advantage, and also to free ourselves from such as are hurtful to us. So far our superiority over them may fairly extend. But we should never abuse them for our mere amusement, nor take away their lives wantonly. Nay, a good-natured man will rather undergo a little inconvenience, than take away from a crea- ture all that it possesses. An infant may destroy life, but all the kings upon earth cannot restore it. I remember 106 TilE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. reading of a good-tempered old gentleman, that having heen a long time plagued with a great fly that buzzed about his face all dinner-time, at length, after many efforts, caught it. Instead of crushing it to death, he held it carefully in his hand, and opening the window, " Gro (said he) get thee gone, poor creature ; I won't hurt a hair of thy head : surely the world is wide enough for thee and me." S. I should have loved that man. P. One of our poets has written some very pretty lines to a fly, that came to partake with him of his wine. They begin, Busy, curious, thirsty fly, Drink with me, and drink as I ; Welcome freely to my cup, Could'st thou sip and sip it up. S. How pretty! I think they will almost make me loye flies. But pray, papa, do not animals destroy one another ? P. They do indeed. The greatest part of them only live by the destruction of life. There is a perpetual warfare going on, in which the stronger prey upon the weaker, and in their turns are the prey of those which are stronger than themselves. Even the innocent sheep, with every mouthful of grass, destroys hundreds of small insects. In the air we breathe, and the water we drink, we give death to thousands of invisible creatures. S. But is not that very strange ? If they were created to live and be happy, why should they be destroyed so fast? P. They are destroyed no faster than others are pro- duced ; and if they enjoyed life while it lasted, they have had a good bargain. By making animals the food of Four.] THE SCHOOL BOABD EEADEES. 107 animals, Providence has filled up every chink, as it were, of existence. You see these swarms of flies. During all the hot weather they are continually coming forth from the state of eggs and maggots, and as soon as they get the use of wings, they roam about and fill every place in search of food. Meantime they are giving sustenance to the whole race of spiders ; they maintain all the swallow tribe, and contribute greatly to the support of many other small birds ; and even afford many a delicate morsel to the fishes. Their own numbers, however, seem scarcely diminished, and vast multitudes live on till the cold weather comes and puts an end to them. "Were nothing to touch them, they would probably become so numerous as to starve each other. As it is, they are full of enjoyment themselves, and afford life and enjoyment to other creatures, which in their turn supply the wants of others. S. It is no charity, then, to tear a spider's web in pieces, in order to set a fly at liberty. P. None at all no more than it would be to demolish the traps of a poor Indian hunter, who depended upon them for his dinner. They both act as nature directs them. Shall I tell you a story ? S. yes pray do. P. A venerable Brahmin, who had never in his days eaten anything but rice and milk, and held it the greatest of crimes to shed the blood of anything that had life, was one day meditating on the banks of the Ganges. He saw a little bird on the ground picking up ants as fast as he could swallow. " Murderous wretch," cried he, " what scores of lives are sacrificed to one gluttonous meal of thine ! " Presently a sparrow-hawk, pouncing down, seized him in his claws, and flew off with him. The Brahmin was at first inclined to triumph over the little bird, but on hearing 108 THE SCHOOL BOARD HEADERS. [Stand. his cries, he could not help pitying him. " Poor thing," said he, " thou art fallen into the clutches of thy tyrant ! " A stronger tyrant, however, took up the matter ; for a falcon in mid-air darting on the sparrow-hawk, struck him to the ground with the bird lifeless in his talons. Tyrant against tyrant, thought the Brahmin, is well enough. The falcon had not finished tearing his prey, when a lynx, stealing from behind a rock on which he was perched, sprung on him, and having strangled him, bore him to the edge of a neighbouring thicket, and began to suck his blood. The Brahmin was attentively viewing this new display of retributive justice, when a sudden roar shook the air, and a huge tiger, rushing from the thicket, came like thunder on the lynx. The Brahmin was near enough to hear the crash- ing bones, and was making off in great terror, when he met an English soldier, armed with his musket. He pointed eagerly to the place where the tiger was making his bloody repast. The soldier levelled his gun, and laid the tiger dead. "Brave fellow!" exclaimed the Brahmin. "I am very hungry," said the soldier, " can you give me a beef- steak ? I see you have plenty of cows here." " Horrible!" cried the Brahmin ; " what ! I kill the sacred cows of the god Brama ! " " Then kill the next tiger yourself," replied the indignant soldier. The Brahmin was attentively viewing this new display of retributive justice, when a sudden roar shook the air, and a Imcje tiger, rushing from the thicket, came like thunder on the lynx. The Brahmin was near enough to hear the crashing bones, and was making off in great terror, when he met an English soldier, armed witli his musket. Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEES. 109 HOW TO MILK A WILD COW. " Now," said he, " master, you'll see how they manage some matters in this beautiful country." " What can the matter be ?" said I. As I pronounced these words a sudden crash of dead boughs and dry bushes at no great distance from us ex- cited in me apprehension of danger. Instinctively I turned to the quarter whence the threatening sounds proceeded, and stood ready with my fowling-piece against accidents. I saw my friend Crab give a grim smile at this movement, as I was inclined to do myself had I not been, I must con- fess, rather frightened, for at this moment I beheld a mad bull, as it seemed to me, making right to the spot where we stood. The animal appeared to be in a state of the most intense excitement, with its mouth covered with foam, its nostrils dilated, eyes wild, and its tail twisted into that corkscrew figure indicative of a disposition to mischief. I jumped aside as the creature made a plunge at me, glad enough to escape. " It's a mad cow," said I. " I suppose this climate makes cattle very savage when they get worried ?" " Not madder than the people that are after her," said Crab ; " however, wait a bit till you see the end of it." By this time we were in the midst of the crowd which was chasing the cow, but I could not yet define their par- ticular object. " What do you want to do with her ? " said I to a tall thin man, who had ceased for a moment to crack his whip ; " she seems terribly wild." "Wild!" said he, "the brute is always wild, but she's 110 THE SCHOOL BOARD EEADEES. [Stand. one of the best milkers I've got, and have her in the stock- yard I will this blessed evening, if I raise all New Norfolk for it." " I shall be glad to lend a hand," said I, " but I'm not used to the ways of the country yet, and perhaps I might do harm instead of good." But my aid was not wanted on this occasion, for at this moment a general shout in the distance proclaimed that the victory was won. I and Crab, with the tall thin man, the proprietor of the vivacious cow, immediately set off at a rapid pace for the scene of triumph. There were about thirty people assembled, among whom were one or two women. I observed that some of the men were provided with ropes made of bullocks' hide twisted together, of great strength. I was still puzzled to know what was intended by all these preparations. Presently a farming man ap- peared with a tin pannikin of a half-pint measure, and a stool with one leg. The stool with one leg looked like a design to milk the animal, but what the tin pannikin was for was a mystery to me. Had there been a milkpail I should have made out their object at once ; but this piece of machinery was as yet but little known in the colony. I continued to watch the proceedings with great interest, when presently a man advanced with a stoutish long stick, or small pole, with a hide rope forming a large loop at the end of it ; the other part of the rope he held in one hand in a coil. Climbing over the rails of the stockyard, which were formed of the solid trunks of trees placed lengthways, about six feet high, he stood within the space. The cow eyed him, as if she was used to the game, and without waiting to be attacked, made a dart at him ferociously. This did not dis- concert the man with the pole and loop, who, stepping aside with the most perfect coolness and with infinite agility, let Four.] THE SCHOOL BOAED HEADERS. Ill the animal knock her head against the rails, which she did with a force that made the massive pile tremble. This pro- cess was repeated several times, to the great amusement of the spectators, some of whom applauded the pole- bearer's nimbleness, while others were inclined to back the cow. " That was a near go," said one, as the beast made a sudden plunge at her tormentor, tearing off with her horn a portion of his jacket; "she'll pin you presently, Jem." " Never fear," said Jem, " a miss is as good as a mile. She is the most cantankerous beast I ever saw ; but I'll have her yet." " What are you going to do," said I ; " kill her ?" " Kill her ! " exclaimed my tall friend, " what ! kill the best, the nicest, and sweetest-tempered creature of the whole herd. She's so tame, she'll almost let you pat her, only she doesn't like to be milked ; that always puts her out. Now for it, Jemmy, that's the way ; haul in quick. Keep it up don't slack hold her tight, now we've got her, Where's the foot rope?" Watching his opportunity, the man with the pole had succeeded in throwing the loop over the animal's horns, and two or three men on the outside of the yard quickly gathered in the end of it, hauled it taut, as seamen do a cable in getting up the anchor, round the thick stump of a tree. I looked at Crab at this stage of the proceedings, and I admired the expression of scornful enjoyment which his sour face exhibited. He gave me a glance which said, without the necessity of words, " This is the way they milk a cow in this country." The cow, however, was not milked yet ; to arrive at that conclusion some further steps were necessary. The animal was now standing with its 112 THE SCHOOL BOARD READEES. [Stand. legs firmly planted before it, its neck elongated, its tongue haDging out of its mouth, and Ricking with, its hind legs continuously. These refractory members were now secured by a loop, into which they were dexterously insinuated, and half-a-dozen men catching up the end, hauled it out, and kept it on the stretch, to prevent her from plunging about. The creature, it seems, was now in a correct posture to be milked. Crab gave me another look. The man with the one-legged stool and pannikin now advanced, speaking soothingly to the animal to be operated on, and using much ceremony and caution in his approach. Seizing a favourable opportunity, he contrived to squeeze a few drops of milk into his pannikin ; but the sensitive cow, outraged it seemed at this indignity on her person, gave a sudden plunge, which upset the heel-rope holders, and, re-- covering her legs, she kicked man, stool, and pannikin over and over. Shouts of laughter proclaimed the amusement of the bystanders, and numerous were the gibes and jeers lavished on the occasion. And now, the pridje of the stock- men being roused, and their honour piqued by the presence besides of two strangers, the witnesses of their manoeuvres, they set to again to manacle the almost spent animal, and he of the pannikin, discarding the stool as a womanly en- cumbrance, boldly kneeling down, with the determination of a hero, and undaunted by the meanings and writhings of his victim, contrived to exude from her about half-a-pint of milk. This triumph achieved, the cow was set at liberty, the poles of the gateway were withdrawn, and the animal bounded into the bush. EOWCROFT. Seizing a favourable opportunity, he contrived to squeeze a few drops of milk into his pannikin ; but the sensitive cow, Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 113 outraged it seemed at this indignity on her person, gave a sudden plunge, ivhich, upset the heel-rope holders, and, re- covering her legs, she kicked man, stool, and pannildn over and over. Shouts of laughter proclaimed the amusement of the bystanders, and numerous were the gibes and jeers lavished on the occasion. THE PAEROT. A TRUE STORY. A PARROT, from the Spanish main, Full young, and early caged, came o'er With bright wing, to the bleak domain . Of Mulla's shore. To spicy groves, where he had won His plumage of resplendent hue, His native fruits, and skies, and sun, He bade adieu. Eor these he changed the smoke of turf, A heathery ]and and misty sky, And turned on rocks and raging surf His golden eye. But petted in our climate cold, He lived and chattered many a day j Until with age, from green and gold, His wings grew gray. H 114 THE SCHOOL BOAED READERS. [Stand. At last, when blind, and seeming dumb, He scolded, laughed, and spoke no more, A Spanish stranger chanced to come To Mulla's shore. He haiFd the bird in Spanish speech The bird in Spanish speech replied ; Flapped round the cage with joyous screech, Dropped down, and died ! MEMOIES OF A DOMESTICATED BEAYEE. THE following is the account given by a gentleman of a beaver which was brought to England and tamed : " The animal arrived in this country in the winter of 1825, very young, being small and woolly, and without tbe covering of long hair which marks the adult beaver. He was the sole survivor of five or six young ones which had been shipped at the same time, and he was in a very pitiable condition. Good treatment, however, quickly restored him to health, and kindness soon made him familiar. "When called by his name, ' Binny, ' he generally answered with a little cry, and came to his owner. The hearth-rug was his favourite haunt : there he would lie, stretched out at his ease, always near his master. Binny 's instinct for building was shown as soon as he was let out of his cage into the room where it stood, and materials were placed in his way. His strength, before he was half-grown, was great ; he would drag along a large sweeping-brush or a warming-pan, grasping the handle with his teeth so that the load came over his shoul- der, and advancing in an oblique direction till he arrived at Four.] THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. 115 the point where he wished to place it. The long and large materials were always taken first ; and two of the longest were generally laid crosswise, with one of the ends of each touching the wall, and the other ends projecting into the room. The inner space formed by the crossed brushes and the wall, he would fill up with hand-brushes, rush-baskets, books, boots, sticks, clothes, dried turf, or any thing he could find. As the work grew high, he supported himself on his tail, which propped him up admirably, and he would often, after laying on one of his building materials, sit over against it, appearing to consider his work, and the best mode of placing his pieces of wood or books. 61 After he had piled up his materials in one part of the room, (for he generally chose the same place), he proceeded to wall up the space between the feet of a chest of drawers which stood high enough on its legs to make the bottom of it serve as a roof for him ; using for this purpose dried turf and sticks, which he laid very even, and filling up the interstices with bits of coal, hay, cloth, or any thing he could pick up. This last place he seemed to intend for his own dwelling : the former work seemed to be intended for a dam. When he had walled up the space between the feet of the chest of drawers, he proceeded to carry in sticks, clothes, hay, cotton, &c., to make a nest, and when he had finished his work, he would sit up under the drawers, and comb himself with the nails of his hind feet. The huge webbed hind feet of the beaver turn in, so as to give the appearance of deformity ; but if the toes were straight instead of being curved inwards as they are, the animal could not use them for the purpose of keeping his fur in- order, and cleansing it from dirt and moisture. " Binny generally carried small and light articles between his right fore-leg and his chin, walking on the other three 116 THE SCHOOL BOARD READERS. [Stand. legs ; and such large masses as he could not grasp readily with his teeth he pushed forwards, leaning against them with his right fore-paw and his chin ; he never carried any thing on his tail. " He was very fond of dipping his tail in water, but did not like plunging in his whole body." The hearth-rug was his favourite haunt : there he woul