,,school ,,reading ,,by ,,grades ,,sixth ,,year ,,by ,,james ,,baldwin ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,cincinnati ,,chicago ,,american ,,book ,,company ,,copyright1 #ahig1 ,,by ,,american ,,book ,,company4 ,,sch4 ,,read4 ,,sixth ,,year4 ,w4 ,p4 #ab ,,preface4 ,the pupil who is in his sixth year at school should be able to read quite well4 ,he should be able to pronounce at sight and without hesitation all new or unusual words2 and when reading aloud1 his tones should be so clear1 his enunciation so faultless1 and his manner so agreeable that his hearers shall listen with pleasure and shall have a ready understanding of whatever is being read4 ,he is now prepared to devote more and more attention to literary criticism--that is1 to the study of the peculiarities of style which distinguish any selection1 the passages which are remarkable for their beauty1 their truth1 or their adaptation to the particular purpose for which they were written4 ,the habit should be cultivated of looking for and enjoying the admirable qualities of any literary production1 and particularly of such productions as are generally recognized as the classics of our language4 ,while learning to distinguish between good literature and that sort of writing which1 properly speaking1 is not literature at all1 the pupil's acquaintance with books is enlarged and extended4 ,he learns to know what are the best books and why they are so considered2 and he acquires some knowledge of the lives of the best authors and of the circumstances under which certain of their works were produced4 ,the present volume is designed to aid the learner in the acquisition of all these ends4 ,the selections are of a highly interesting character1 and illustrate almost every variety of ,english composition4 ,to assist in their comprehension1 many of the selections are introduced or followed by brief historical or bibliographical notes4 ,hints also are given as to collateral1 or supplementary readings on a variety of subjects4 ,to assist the pupil still further to enlarge his acquaintance with books and authors1 additional notes1 literary and biographical1 are given in the appendix2 here also may be found several pages of brief notes explanatory of difficult passages1 unusual expressions1 and historical references1 such as might otherwise be stumbling stones in the way of the learner4 ,the numerous portraits of authors is another important feature designed to add to the interest and beauty of the book1 and to assist the pupil to a more intimate acquaintance with the makers of our literature4 ,most of the full-page pictures are reproductions of famous paintings1 and these1 while serving as illustrations of the text which they accompany1 are designed to introduce the learner to some of the masters of art also1 and perform the more important office of cultivating and enlarging his sthetic tastes and sympathies4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,two ,ways of ,telling a ,story ,jean ,ingelow #g ,the ,death of the ,flowers ,william ,cullen ,bryant #ah ,the ,great ,volcanic ,eruption ,j4 ,t4 ,van ,gestel #bj ,the ,return of ,columbus ,washington ,irving #be ,what the ,sunbeams do ,arabella ,b4 ,buckley #bi ,horatius at the ,bridge ,thomas ,babington ,macaulay #cb ,how ,sir ,francis ,drake sailed round the ,world ,james ,a4 ,froude #dd ,a ,brave ,rescue and a ,rough ,ride ,richard ,d4 ,blackmore #ea ,the ,glory of ,god ,from the ,psalms of ,david #fe ,the ,battle of ,bannockburn ,sir ,walter ,scott #ff ,the ,soldier's ,dream ,thomas ,campbell #ge ,lord ,ullin's ,daughter ,thomas ,campbell #gf ,beethoven's ,moonlight ,sonata #gh ,the ,story of ,tempe ,wick ,frank ,r4 ,stockton #hc ,life in ,norman ,england ,w4 ,f4 ,collier #hi ,the ,romance of the ,swan's ,nest ,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning #ih ,a ,patriarch of the ,olden ,time ,from the ,book of ,job #ajb ,how ,corts entered the ,city of ,mexico ,william ,h4 ,prescott #ajd ,the ,skylark ,james ,hogg #aab ,the ,mystery of the ,tadpole ,george ,henry ,lewes #aac ,the ,glove and the ,lions ,leigh ,hunt #aai ,true ,growth ,ben ,jonson #abj ,the ,shipwreck ,charles ,dickens #aba ,the ,happy ,valley ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson #ace ,the ,pass of ,killiecrankie ,w4 ,e4 ,aytoun #ach ,summer ,rain ,henry ,ward ,beecher #adc ,life in the ,backwoods ,william ,dean ,howells #adf ,how they besieged the ,town ,charles ,reade #aec ,lochinvar ,sir ,walter ,scott #afc ,on a ,tropical ,river ,charles ,kingsley #afe ,the ,flag of ,our ,country ,robert ,c4 ,winthrop #agc ,the ,high ,tide on the ,coast of ,lincolnshire1 #aega ,jean ,ingelow #age ,the ,story of ,thomas ,becket ,i4 ,his ,life ,anonymous #aha ,,ii4 ,his ,death ,arthur ,penrhyn ,stanley #ahe ,the ,pilgrims 7#afbj7 ,edward ,everett #aib ,the ,landing of the ,pilgrims ,felicia ,hemans #aie ,patriotism ,william ,cowper #aif ,the ,robin ,charles ,conrad ,abbott #aig ,motions of ,birds ,gilbert ,white #bjj ,origin of ,rivers ,john ,tyndall #bjb ,address at the ,dedication of ,gettysburg ,cemetery ,abraham ,lincoln #bje ,the ,american ,flag ,joseph ,rodman ,drake #bjf ,the ,last ,fight in the ,coliseum1 ,a4,d4 #djd ,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge #bjh ,the ,passing of ,arthur ,alfred ,tennyson #baf ,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,good ,,reading #bbe ,,authors ,,and ,,books #bbh ,,explanatory ,,notes #bce ,,full-,,page ,,illustrations4 ,,artist ,columbus at ,barcelona ,r4 ,balaca #bd ,the ,defense of the ,bridge ,a4 ,i4 ,keller #cg ,ruins of a ,norman ,castle ,from a photograph #ij ,the ,lions ,rosa ,bonheur #aah ,the ,shipwreck ,a4 ,marlon #abi ,canterbury ,cathedral ,from a photograph #ahg ,the ,departure of the ,mayflower ,a4 ,w4 ,bayes #aid ,the ,last ,prayer--,christian ,martyrs in the ,coliseum ,j4 ,l4 ,gerome #bab ,,portraits ,,of ,,authors4 ,washington ,irving ,title-page ,thomas ,babington ,macaulay #cb ,james ,anthony ,froude #ej ,thomas ,campbell #gf ,frank ,r4 ,stockton #hc ,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning #ih ,william ,h4 ,prescott #ajd ,george ,henry ,lewes #aac ,leigh ,hunt #aai ,charles ,dickens #aba ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson #ace ,henry ,ward ,beecher #adc ,william ,dean ,howells #adf ,charles ,reade #aec ,charles ,kingsley #afe ,jean ,ingelow #age ,arthur ,penrhyn ,stanley #aia ,edward ,everett #aib ,john ,tyndall #bjb ,abraham ,lincoln #bje ,joseph ,rodman ,drake #bjf ,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge #bjh ,acknowledgments are due to the following persons for their courteous permission to use valuable selections from their works3 ,dr4 ,charles ,c4 ,abbott for the essay on ,the ,robin2 ,mr4 ,william ,dean ,howells for his sketch of ,life in the ,backwoods2 ,the ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company for the selections from ,prescott's ,conquest of ,mexico and ,abbott's ,birdland ,echoes2 and ,mr4 ,frank ,r4 ,stockton for ,the ,story of ,tempe ,wicke4 ,,school ,,reading4 ,,sixth ,,year4 ,,two ,,ways ,,of ,,telling ,a ,,story4 ,i4 ,who is this8 ,a careless little midshipman1 idling about in a great city1 with his pockets full of money4 ,he is waiting for the coach3 it comes up presently1 and he gets on the top of it1 and looks about him4 ,they soon leave the chimney pots behind them2 his eyes wander with delight over the harvest fields1 he smells the honeysuckle in the hedgerow1 and he wishes he was down among the hazel bushes1 that he might strip them of the milky nuts2 then he sees a great wain piled up with barley1 and he wishes he was seated on the top of it2 then they go through a little wood1 and he likes to see the checkered shadows of the trees lying across the white road2 and then a squirrel runs up a bough1 and he can not forbear to whoop and halloo1 though he can not chase it to its nest4 ,the other passengers are delighted with his simplicity and childlike glee2 and they encourage him to talk to them about the sea and ships1 especially ,her ,majesty's ship ,the ,asp1 wherein he has the honor to sail4 ,in the jargon of the sea1 he describes her many perfections1 and enlarges on her peculiar advantages2 he then confides to them how a certain middy1 having been ordered to the masthead as a punishment1 had seen1 while sitting on the topmast crosstrees1 something uncommonly like the sea serpent--but1 finding this hint received with incredulous smiles1 he begins to tell them how he hopes that1 some day1 he shall be promoted to have charge of the poop4 ,the passengers hope he will have that honor2 they have no doubt he deserves it4 ,his cheeks flush with pleasure to hear them say so1 and he little thinks that they have no notion in what that honor may happen to consist4 ,the coach stops3 the little midshipman1 with his hands in his pockets1 sits rattling his money1 and singing4 ,there is a poor woman standing by the door of the village inn2 she looks careworn1 and well she may1 for1 in the spring1 her husband went up to the city to seek for work4 ,he got work1 and she was expecting soon to join him there1 when alas6 a fellow-workman wrote her word how he had met with an accident1 how he was very ill and wanted his wife to come and nurse him4 ,but she has two young children1 and is destitute2 she must walk up all the way1 and she is sick at heart when she thinks that perhaps he may die among strangers before she can reach him4 ,she does not think of begging1 but seeing the boy's eyes attracted to her1 she makes him a courtesy1 and he withdraws his hand and throws her down a sovereign4 ,she looks at it with incredulous joy1 and then she looks at him4 ,it's all right1 he says1 and the coach starts again1 while1 full of gratitude1 she hires a cart to take her across the country to the railway1 that the next night she may sit by the bedside of her sick husband4 ,the midshipman knows nothing about that2 and he never will know4 ,the passengers go on talking--the little midshipman has told them who he is1 and where he is going2 but there is one man who has never joined in the conversation2 he is dark-looking and restless2 he sits apart2 he has seen the glitter of the falling coin1 and now he watches the boy more narrowly than before4 ,he is a strong man1 resolute and determined2 the boy with the pockets full of money will be no match for him4 ,the midshipman has told the other passengers that his father's house is the parsonage at ,y----2 the coach goes within five miles of it1 and he means to get down at the nearest point1 and walk1 or rather run over to his home1 through the great wood4 ,the man decides to get down too1 and go through the wood2 he will rob the little midshipman2 perhaps1 if he cries out or struggles1 he will do worse4 ,the boy1 he thinks1 will have no chance against him2 it is quite impossible that he can escape2 the way is lonely1 and the sun will be down4 ,no4 ,there seems indeed little chance of escape2 the half-fledged bird just fluttering down from its nest has no more chance against the keen-eyed hawk1 than the little light-hearted sailor boy will have against him--at least so thinks the man as he makes his plans4 ,,ii4 ,the coach reaches the village where the boy is to alight4 ,he wishes the other passengers good evening1 and runs lightly down between the scattered houses4 ,the man has got down also1 and is following4 ,the path lies through the village churchyard2 there is evening service1 and the door is wide open1 for it is warm4 ,the little midshipman stops by the door1 looks in1 and listens4 ,the clergyman has just risen1 and is giving out his text4 ,thirteen months have past since the boy was within a house of prayer2 and a feeling of pleasure and awe induces him to stand still and listen4 ,are not two sparrows he hears sold for a farthing8 and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your ,father4 ,but the very hairs of your head are all numbered4 ,fear ye not1 therefore1 ye are of more value than many sparrows4 ,he hears the opening sentences of the sermon2 and then he remembers his home1 and comes softly out of the porch1 full of a calm and serious pleasure4 ,the clergyman has reminded him of his father1 and his careless heart is now filled with the echoes of his voice and of his prayers4 ,he thinks on what the clergyman said1 of the care of our heavenly ,father for us2 he remembers how1 when he left home1 his father prayed that he might be preserved through every danger2 he does not remember any particular danger that he has been exposed to1 excepting in the great storm2 but he is grateful that he has come home in safety1 and he hopes whenever he shall be in danger1 which he supposes he shall be some day--he hopes1 that then the providence of ,god will watch over him1 and protect him4 ,and so he presses onward to the entrance of the wood4 ,the man is there before him4 ,he has pushed himself into the thicket1 and cut a heavy club2 he suffers the boy to go on before1 and then he comes out and follows him4 ,it is too light at present for his deed of darkness and too near the entrance of the wood1 but he knows that shortly the path will branch off into two1 and the right one for the boy to take will be dark and lonely4 ,but what prompts the little midshipman1 when not fifty yards from the branching of the path1 to break into a sudden run8 ,it is not fear1 for he never dreams of danger4 ,some sudden impulse1 or some wild wish for home1 makes him dash off suddenly1 with a whoop and a bound4 ,on he goes1 as if running a race2 the path bends1 and the man loses sight of him4 ,but ,i shall have him yet1 he thinks2 he can not keep this pace up long4 ,the boy has nearly reached the place where the path divides1 when he startles a young white owl that can scarcely fly1 and it goes whirring along1 close to the ground1 before him4 ,he gains upon it2 another moment1 and it will be his4 ,now it gets the start again2 they come to the branching of the paths1 and the bird goes down the wrong one4 ,the temptation to follow is too strong to be resisted2 he knows that somewhere1 deep in the wood1 there is a cross track by which he can get into the path he has left2 if only he runs a little faster1 he shall be at home nearly as soon4 ,on he rushes2 the path takes a bend1 and he is just out of sight when his pursuer comes where the paths divide4 ,the boy has turned to the right2 the man takes the left1 and the faster they both run the farther they are asunder4 ,the white owl still leads him on2 the path gets darker and narrower2 at last he finds that he has missed it altogether1 and his feet are on the soft ground4 ,he flounders about among the trees1 vexed with himself1 and panting after his race4 ,at last he finds another track1 and pushes on as fast as he can4 ,he has lost his way--but he keeps bearing to the left2 and1 though it is now dark1 he thinks that he must reach the main path sooner or later4 ,he does not know this part of the wood1 but he runs on4 ,o1 little midshipman6 why did you chase that owl8 ,if you had kept in the path with the dark man behind you1 there was a chance that you might have outrun him2 or1 if he had overtaken you1 some passing wayfarer might have heard your cries1 and come to save you4 ,now you are running on straight to your death1 for the forest water is deep and black at the bottom of this hill4 ,o1 that the moon might come out and show it to you6 ,the moon is under a thick canopy of heavy black clouds2 and there is not a star to glitter on the water and make it visible4 ,the fern is soft under his feet as he runs and slips down the sloping hill4 ,at last he strikes his foot against a stone1 stumbles1 and falls4 ,two minutes more and he will roll into the black water4 ,heyday6 cries the boy1 what's this8 ,oh1 how it tears my hands6 ,oh1 this thorn bush6 ,oh1 my arms6 ,i can't get free6 ,he struggles and pants4 ,all this comes of leaving the path1 he says2 ,i shouldn't have cared for rolling down if it hadn't been for this bush4 ,the fern was soft enough4 ,i'll never stray in a wood at night again4 ,there1 free at last6 ,and my jacket nearly torn off my back6 ,with a good deal of patience1 and a great many scratches1 he gets free of the thorn which had arrested his progress1 when his feet were within a yard of the water1 manages to scramble up the bank1 and makes the best of his way through the wood4 ,and now1 as the clouds move slowly onward1 the moon shows her face on the black surface of the water2 and the little white owl comes and hoots1 and flutters over it like a wandering snowdrift4 ,but the boy is deep in the wood again1 and knows nothing of the danger from which he has escaped4 ,,iii4 ,all this time the dark passenger follows the main track1 and believes that his prey is before him4 ,at last he hears a crashing of dead boughs1 and presently the little midshipman's voice not fifty yards before him4 ,yes1 it is too true2 the boy is in the cross track4 ,he will pass the cottage in the wood directly1 and after that his pursuer will come upon him4 ,the boy bounds into the path2 but1 as he passes the cottage1 he is so thirsty that he thinks he must ask the people if they will sell him a cup of tea4 ,he enters without ceremony4 ,tea8 says the woodman1 who is sitting at his supper4 ,no1 we have no tea2 but perhaps my wife can give thee a drink of milk4 ,come in4 ,so he comes in1 and shuts the door2 and1 while he sits waiting for the milk1 footsteps pass4 ,they are the footsteps of his pursuer1 who goes on with the club in his hand1 and is angry and impatient that he has not yet come up with him4 ,the woman goes to her little dairy for the milk1 and the boy thinks she is a long time4 ,he drinks it1 thanks her1 and takes his leave4 ,fast and fast the man runs on1 and1 as fast as he can1 the boy runs after him4 ,it is very dark1 but there is a yellow streak in the sky1 where the moon is plowing up a furrowed mass of gray cloud1 and one or two stars are blinking through the branches of the trees4 ,fast the boy follows1 and fast the man runs on1 with his weapon in his hand4 ,suddenly he hears the joyish whoop--not before1 but behind him4 ,he stops and listens breathlessly4 ,yes1 it is so4 ,he pushes himself into the thicket1 and raises his club to strike when the boy shall pass4 ,on he comes1 running lightly1 with his hands in his pockets4 ,a sound strikes at the same instant on the ears of both2 and the boy turns back from the very jaws of death to listen4 ,it is the sound of wheels1 and it draws rapidly nearer4 ,a man comes up1 driving a little gig4 ,halloa8 he says1 in a loud1 cheerful voice4 ,what6 benighted1 youngster8 ,oh1 is it you1 ,mr4 ,davis8 says the boy2 no1 ,i am not benighted2 or1 at any rate1 ,i know my way out of the wood4 ,the man draws farther back among the shrubs4 ,why1 bless the boy1 he hears the farmer say1 to think of our meeting in this way4 ,the parson told me he was in hopes of seeing thee some day this week4 ,i'll give thee a lift4 ,this is a lonely place to be in this time o' night4 ,lonely6 says the boy1 laughing4 ,i don't mind that2 and if you know the way1 it's as safe as the quarter-deck4 ,so he gets into the farmer's gig1 and is once more out of reach of the pursuer4 ,but the man knows that the farmer's house is a quarter of a mile nearer than the parsonage1 and in that quarter of a mile there is still a chance of committing the robbery4 ,he determines still to make the attempt1 and cuts across the wood with such rapid strides that he reaches the farmer's gate just as the gig drives up to it4 ,well1 thank you1 farmer1 says the midshipman1 as he prepares to get down4 ,i wish you good night1 gentlemen1 says the man1 when he passes4 ,good night1 friend1 the farmer replies4 ,i say1 my boy1 it's a dark night enough2 but ,i have a mind to drive you on to the parsonage1 and hear the rest of this long tale of yours about the sea serpent4 ,the little wheels go on again4 ,they pass the man2 and he stands still in the road to listen till the sound dies away4 ,then he flings his club into the hedge1 and goes back4 ,his evil purposes have all been frustrated--the thoughtless boy1 without knowing anything about it1 has baffled him at every turn4 ,,iv4 ,and now the little midshipman is at home--the joyful meeting has taken place2 and when they have all admired his growth1 and measured his height on the window frame1 and seen him eat his supper1 they begin to question him about his adventures1 more for the pleasure of hearing him talk than any curiosity4 ,adventures6 says the boy1 seated between his father and mother on a sofa4 ,why1 mother1 ,i wrote you an account of the voyage1 and there's nothing else to tell4 ,nothing happened to-day--at least nothing particular4 ,did you come by the coach we told you of8 asks his father4 ,oh1 yes1 papa2 and when we had got about twenty miles1 there came up a beggar1 while we changed horses1 and ,i threw down1 as ,i thought1 a shilling1 but1 as it fell1 ,i saw it was a sovereign4 ,she was very honest1 and showed me what it was1 but ,i didn't take it back1 for you know1 it's a long time since ,i gave anything to anybody4 ,very true1 my boy1 his mother answers2 but you should not be careless with your money4 ,i suppose you got down at the crossroads8 says his elder brother4 ,yes1 and went through the wood4 ,i should have been here sooner if ,i hadn't lost my way there4 ,lost your way6 says his mother1 alarmed4 ,my dear boy1 you should not have left the path at dusk4 ,oh1 mother1 says the little midshipman1 with a smile1 you're always thinking we're in danger4 ,if you could see me sometimes sitting at the jib-boom end1 or across the main topmast crosstrees1 you would be frightened4 ,but what danger can there be in a wood8 ,well1 my boy1 she answers1 ,i don't wish to be over-anxious1 and to make my children uncomfortable by my fears4 ,what did you stray from the path for8 ,only to chase a little owl1 mother2 but ,i didn't catch her after all4 ,i got a roll down a bank1 and caught my jacket against a thorn bush1 which was rather unlucky4 ,ah6 three large holes ,i see in my sleeve4 ,and so ,i scrambled up again1 and got into the path1 and stopped at the cottage for some milk4 ,what a time the woman kept me1 to be sure6 ,but very soon ,mr4 ,davis drove up in his gig1 and he brought me on to the gate4 ,and so this story being brought to a close1 his father says1 we find that you had no adventures at all6 ,no1 papa1 nothing happened2 nothing particular1 ,i mean4 ,nothing particular6 ,if they could have known1 they would have thought lightly in comparison of the dangers of the jib-boom end1 and the main topmast crosstrees4 ,but they did not know1 any more than we do1 of the dangers that hourly beset us4 ,some few dangers we are aware of1 and we do what we can to provide against them2 but1 for the greater portion1 our eyes are held that we can not see4 ,we walk securely under ,his guidance1 without whom not a sparrow falleth to the ground6 and when we have had escapes that the angels have wondered at1 we come home and say1 perhaps1 that nothing has happened2 at least nothing particular4 --,jean ,ingelow4 ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,the ,,flowers4 ,the melancholy days are come1 the saddest of the year1 ,of wailing winds1 and naked woods1 and meadows brown and sere4 ,heaped in the hollows of the grove1 the autumn leaves lie dead2 ,they rustle to the eddying gust1 and to the rabbit's tread4 ,the robin and the wren are flown1 and from the shrubs the jay1 ,and from the wood-top calls the crow through all the gloomy day4 ,where are the flowers1 the fair young flowers1 that lately sprang and stood ,in brighter light and softer airs1 a beauteous sisterhood8 ,alas6 they all are in their graves2 the gentle race of flowers ,are lying in their lowly beds1 with the fair and good of ours4 ,the rain is falling where they lie1 but the cold ,november rain ,calls not from out the gloomy earth the lovely ones again4 ,the windflower and the violet1 they perished long ago1 ,and the brier rose and the orchis died amid the summer glow2 ,but on the hill the goldenrod1 and the aster in the wood1 ,and the yellow sunflower by the brook in autumn beauty stood1 ,till fell the frost from the clear1 cold heaven1 as falls the plague on men1 ,and the brightness of their smile was gone1 from upland1 glade1 and glen4 ,and now1 when comes the calm1 mild day1 as still such days will come1 ,to call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home2 ,when the sound of dropping nuts is heard1 though all the trees are still1 ,and twinkle in the smoky light the waters of the rill1 ,the south wind searches for the flowers whose fragrance late he bore1 ,and sighs to find them in the wood and by the stream no more4 ,and then ,i think of one who in her youthful beauty died1 ,the fair1 meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side4 ,in the cold1 moist earth we laid her1 when the forests cast the leaf1 ,and we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief3 ,yet not unmeet it was that one like that young friend of ours1 ,so gentle and so beautiful1 should perish with the flowers4 ,,the ,,great ,,volcanic ,,eruption4 ,in #ahhc the most destructive volcanic eruption ever known occurred in the ,straits of ,sunda and the neighboring islands4 ,the trouble began on ,sunday morning1 the #acth of ,may4 ,java1 ,sumatra1 and ,borneo were convulsed by earthquakes4 ,the surface of the earth rocked1 houses tumbled down1 and big trees were shaken to the ground4 ,earthquakes are no rarity in those islands1 but this earthquake showed no signs of ceasing4 ,the earth quivered constantly1 and from its depths there seemed to rise strange sounds and hollow explosions4 ,on ,thursday there came a telegram from ,anjer1 ninety miles away1 on the northwest coast of ,java1 intimating that a volcano had broken out at ,krakatoa island1 about thirty miles west of ,anjer1 in ,sunda ,strait4 ,i was requested by the ,dutch government to go to the scene of action and take scientific observations1 and by four o'clock that afternoon ,i started with a party on board a special steamer from ,batavia4 ,as we rounded the northern extremity of ,java1 we saw ascending from ,krakatoa1 still fifty miles away1 an immense column of smoke4 ,its appearance changed as we approached4 ,first it looked like flame1 then it appeared to be steam1 and finally it had the appearance of a pillar of fire inside one of white fleecy wool4 ,the diameter of this pillar of fire and smoke was1 ,i should think1 at least one and a half miles4 ,all the while we heard that sullen1 thunderous roar which had been a feature of this disturbance ever since ,sunday1 and was now becoming louder4 ,we remained on deck all night and watched4 ,the din increased till we could with difficulty hear one another's voices4 ,dawn approached1 and when the rays of the sun fell on the shores of ,krakatoa1 we saw them reflected from what we thought was a river1 and we resolved to steam into its mouth and disembark4 ,when we came to within three quarters of a mile of the shore1 we discovered that what we supposed to be a river was a torrent of molten sulphur4 ,the smell almost overpowered us4 ,we steamed away to the windward1 and made for the other side of the island4 ,this island1 though volcanic1 had up till now been quiet for at least a century4 ,it was eight or ten miles long and four wide1 and was covered with forests of fine mahogany and rosewood trees4 ,it was inhabited by a few fishermen1 but we found no signs of these people4 ,the land1 down to the water's edge1 was covered with powdered pumice stone1 which rained down from the clouds around the great column of fire4 ,everything with life had already disappeared from the landscape1 which was covered with a steaming mass of stones and ashes4 ,several of us landed and began walking towards the volcano4 ,we sank deep in the soft pumice1 which blistered our feet with its heat4 ,i climbed painfully upwards toward the crater1 in order to measure it with my sextant2 but in a short time the heat melted the mercury off the mirror of the instrument4 ,i was then half a mile from the crater4 ,as ,i was returning to the shore1 ,i saw the bottom of each footstep ,i had made on my way up glowing red with the heat from beneath4 ,we photographed the scene from the deck of the steamer1 where the fire hose was kept playing constantly1 wetting the rigging and everything about the ship to prevent her from taking fire4 ,the steamer then returned to ,batavia1 and ,i went to reside at ,anjer4 ,from my villa on the hillside a mile inland1 ,i could see ,krakatoa1 thirty miles away1 belching out its never-ending eruption4 ,we supposed that it would go on till it burned itself out1 and that then it would become quiet again4 ,but in this we were mistaken4 ,on ,sunday morning1 the #abth of ,august1 nearly three months later1 ,i was sitting on the veranda of my house taking my morning cup of tea4 ,i saw the fishing boats lying at anchor in the bay1 the fishermen themselves being on shore at rest4 ,as my gaze rested on the boats1 ,i suddenly became aware that they were all beginning to move rapidly in one direction4 ,then in an instant1 to my intense surprise1 they all disappeared4 ,i ran farther up the hillside to get a better view1 and looked far out to sea4 ,instantly a great glare of fire right in the midst of the sea caught my eye4 ,all the way across the bay and the strait1 in a line of flame reaching to ,krakatoa itself1 the bottom of the sea seemed to have cracked open so that the subterraneous fires were belching forth4 ,on either side the waters were pouring into this gulf with a tremendous noise1 but the fire was not extinguished4 ,the hissing roar brought out the people of ,anjer in excited crowds4 ,my eyes were turned away for a moment as ,i beckoned to some one1 and during that moment came a terrible1 deafening explosion4 ,it stunned me2 and when ,i was able again to turn my eyes toward the bay1 ,i could see nothing4 ,the whole scene was shrouded in darkness1 from amid which came cries and groans1 the creaking of breaking beams in the houses1 and1 above all1 the roar of the breakers on the shore4 ,the city of ,anjer1 with its sixty thousand people1 had been engulfed6 ,i afterwards found that the water was one hundred feet deep where the city of ,anjer had been1 and that the coast line had moved one and a half miles inland4 ,a big island in the strait had been split in two1 with a wide passage between its parts4 ,an island to the northwest of ,krakatoa had wholly disappeared4 ,the air was filled with minute particles of dust1 which after some weeks spread even to ,europe and ,america4 ,what the causes of such a tremendous convulsion may have been1 it is quite impossible accurately to say4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the foregoing narrative was written by ,j4 ,t4 ,van ,gestel1 who was at the time residing in the island of ,java4 ,compare his description of this event with those of the eruption of ,vesuvius and the destruction of ,pompeii1 given in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year4 ,read also the younger ,pliny's description of the eruption of ,vesuvius4 ,it may be found in ,church and ,brodribb's translation of selections from ,pliny's ,letters4 ,other interesting readings about volcanoes may be found in ,volcanoes1 ,past and ,present1 by ,edward ,hull1 and in ,volcanoes and ,earthquakes1 by ,dr4 ,george ,hartwig4 ,illustration3 ,from the ,painting by ,r4 ,balaca4 ,engraved by ,robert ,varley4 ,columbus at ,barcelona4 ,,the ,,return ,,of ,,columbus4 ,the fame of the discovery made by ,columbus had resounded throughout the nation1 and1 as his route lay through several of the finest and most populous provinces of ,spain1 his journey appeared like the progress of a sovereign4 ,wherever he passed1 the country poured forth its inhabitants1 who lined the road and thronged the villages4 ,the streets1 windows1 and balconies of the towns were filled with eager spectators1 who rent the air with acclamations4 ,his journey was continually impeded by the multitude pressing to gain a sight of him and of the ,indians1 who were regarded with as much astonishment as if they had been natives of another planet4 ,it was impossible to satisfy the craving curiosity which assailed himself and his attendants at every stage with innumerable questions2 popular rumor1 as usual1 had exaggerated the truth1 and had filled the newly found country with all kinds of wonders4 ,about the middle of ,april ,columbus arrived at ,barcelona1 where every preparation had been made to give him a solemn and magnificent reception4 ,the beauty and serenity of the weather in that genial season and favored climate contributed to give splendor to this memorable ceremony4 ,as he drew near the place1 many of the more youthful courtiers and hidalgos1 together with a vast concourse of the populace1 came forth to meet and welcome him4 ,his entrance into this noble city has been compared to one of those triumphs which the ,romans were accustomed to decree to conquerors4 ,first were paraded the ,indians1 painted according to their savage fashion1 and decorated with their national ornaments of gold2 after these were borne various kinds of live parrots1 together with stuffed birds and animals of unknown species1 and rare plants supposed to be of precious qualities2 while great care was taken to make a conspicuous display of ,indian coronets1 bracelets1 and other decorations of gold1 which might give an idea of the wealth of the newly discovered regions4 ,after this followed ,columbus on horseback1 surrounded by a brilliant cavalcade of ,spanish chivalry4 ,the streets were almost impassable from the countless multitude2 the windows and balconies were crowded with the fair2 the very roofs were covered with spectators4 ,it seemed as if the public eye could not be sated with gazing on these trophies of an unknown world1 or on the remarkable man by whom it had been discovered4 ,there was a sublimity in this event that mingled a solemn feeling with the public joy4 ,it was looked upon as a vast and signal dispensation of ,providence in reward for the piety of the monarchs2 and the majestic and venerable appearance of the discoverer1 so different from the youth and buoyancy generally expected from roving enterprise1 seemed in harmony with the grandeur and dignity of his achievement4 ,to receive him with suitable pomp and distinction1 the sovereigns had ordered their throne to be placed in public1 under a rich canopy of brocade of gold1 in a vast and splendid saloon4 ,here the king and queen awaited his arrival1 seated in state1 with the ,prince ,juan beside them1 and attended by the dignitaries of their court1 and the principal nobility of ,castile1 ,valencia1 ,catalonia1 and ,aragon1 all impatient to behold the man who had conferred so incalculable a benefit upon the nation4 ,at length ,columbus entered the hall1 surrounded by a brilliant crowd of cavaliers1 among whom1 says ,las ,casas1 he was conspicuous for his stately and commanding person1 which1 with his countenance rendered venerable by his gray hairs1 gave him the august appearance of a senator of ,rome4 ,a modest smile lighted up his features1 showing that he enjoyed the state and glory in which he came2 and certainly nothing could be more deeply moving to a mind inflamed by noble ambition1 and conscious of having greatly deserved1 than these testimonials of the admiration and gratitude of a nation1 or rather of a world4 ,as ,columbus approached1 the sovereigns rose1 as if receiving a person of the highest rank4 ,bending his knees1 he offered to kiss their hands2 but there was some hesitation on their part to permit this act of homage4 ,raising him in the most gracious manner1 they ordered him to seat himself in their presence2 a rare honor in this proud and punctilious court4 ,at their request1 he now gave an account of the most striking events of his voyage1 and a description of the islands discovered4 ,he displayed specimens of unknown birds and other animals2 of rare plants of medicinal and aromatic virtues2 of native gold in dust1 in crude masses1 or labored into barbaric ornaments2 and1 above all1 the natives of these countries1 who were objects of intense and inexhaustible interest4 ,all these he pronounced mere harbingers of greater discoveries yet to be made1 which would add realms of incalculable wealth to the dominions of their majesties1 and whole nations of proselytes to the true faith4 ,when he had finished1 the sovereigns sank on their knees1 and1 raising their clasped hands to heaven1 their eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude1 poured forth thanks and praises to ,god for so great a providence2 all present followed their example2 a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that splendid assembly1 and prevented all common acclamations of triumph4 ,the anthem ,te ,deum laudamus1 chanted by the choir of the royal chapel1 with the accompaniment of instruments1 rose in full body of sacred harmony1 bearing up as it were the feelings and thoughts of the auditors to heaven1 so that says the venerable ,las ,casas1 it seemed as if in that hour they communicated with celestial delights4 ,such was the solemn and pious manner in which the brilliant court of ,spain celebrated this sublime event2 offering up a grateful tribute of melody and praise1 and giving glory to ,god for the discovery of another world4 99 99 99 99 99 ,this description of the reception of the great discoverer after his return from his first voyage1 is from ,washington ,irving's famous book entitled ,the ,life and ,voyages of ,columbus4 ,other readings on the same subject are to be found in ,prescott's ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 ,kingston's ,notable ,voyagers1 ,mrs4 ,bolton's ,famous ,voyagers1 ,saunders' ,story of the ,discovery of the ,new ,world1 and ,mc,master's ,school ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,,what ,,the ,,sunbeams ,,do4 ,what work do the sunbeams do for us8 ,they do two things1--they give us light and heat4 ,it is by means of them alone that we see anything4 ,when the room was dark you could not distinguish the table1 the chairs1 or even the walls of the room4 ,why8 ,because they had no light waves to send to your eye4 ,but as the sunbeams began to pour in at the window1 the waves played upon the things in the room2 and when they hit them they bounded off them back to your eye1 as a wave of the sea bounds back from a rock1 and strikes against a passing boat4 ,then1 when they fell upon your eye1 they entered it1 and excited the retina and the nerves2 and the image of the chair or the table was carried to your brain4 ,some substances send back hardly any waves of light1 but let them all pass through them4 ,a pane of clear glass1 for instance1 lets nearly all the light waves pass through it2 and therefore you often can not see the glass1 because no light messengers come back to you from it4 ,thus people have sometimes walked up against a glass door1 and broken it1 not seeing it was there4 ,those substances are transparent1 which1 for some reason unknown to us1 allow the ether waves to pass through them4 ,in clear glass1 all the light waves pass through2 while in a white wall the larger part of the rays are reflected back to the eye4 ,into polished shining metal the waves hardly enter at all1 but are thrown back from the surface2 and so a steel knife or a silver spoon is very bright1 and is clearly seen4 ,quicksilver is put at the back of looking-glasses because it reflects so many waves4 ,the reflected light waves not only make us see things1 but they make us see them in different colors4 ,imagine a sunbeam playing on a leaf3 part of its waves bound straight back from it to our eye1 and make us see the surface of the leaf2 but the rest go right into the leaf itself1 and there some of them are used up and kept prisoners4 ,the red1 orange1 yellow1 blue1 indigo1 and violet waves are all useful to the leaf1 and it does not let them go again4 ,but it can not absorb the green waves1 and so it throws them back2 and they travel to your eye1 and make you see a green color4 ,so1 when you say a leaf is green1 you mean that the leaf does not want the green waves of the sunbeam1 but sends them back to you4 ,in the same way the scarlet geranium rejects the red waves2 a white tablecloth sends back nearly the whole of the waves1 and a black coat scarcely any4 ,is it not strange that there is really no such thing as color in the leaf1 the table1 the coat1 or the geranium2 that we see them of different colors because they send back only certain-colored waves to our eye8 ,so far we have spoken only of light2 but hold your hand in the sun1 and feel the heat of the sunbeams1 and then consider if the waves of heat do not do work also4 ,there are many waves in a sunbeam which move too slowly to make us see light when they hit our eye2 but we can feel them as heat1 though we cannot see them as light4 ,the simplest way of feeling heat waves is to hold a warm flatiron near your face4 ,you know that no light comes from it1 yet you can feel the heat waves beating violently against your face4 ,now1 there are many of these dark heat rays in a sunbeam1 and it is they that do most of the work in the world4 ,it is the heat waves that make the air hot and light1 and so cause it to rise1 and make winds and air currents2 and these again give rise to ocean currents4 ,it is these dark rays1 again1 that strike upon the land1 and give it the warmth which enables plants to grow4 ,it is they also that keep up the warmth in our own bodies1 both by coming to us directly from the sun1 and also in a very roundabout way through plants4 ,coal is made of plants1 and the heat it gives out is the heat these plants once took in4 ,think how much work is done by burning coal4 ,not only are our houses warmed by coal fires and lighted by coal gas1 but our steam engines work entirely by water which has been turned into steam by the heat of coal fires2 and our steamboats travel all over the world by means of the same power4 ,in the same way the oil of our lamps comes either from olives1 which grow on trees1 or from coal and the remains of plants in the earth4 ,even our tallow candles are made of mutton fat1 and sheep eat grass2 and so1 turn which way we will1 we find that the light and heat on our earth1 whether it comes from fires1 or candles1 or lamps1 or gas1 is equally the work of those waves of ether coming from the sun1 which make what we call a sunbeam4 --,from ,the ,fairy ,land of ,science1 by ,arabella ,b4 ,buckley4 ,,horatius ,,at ,,the ,,bridge4 ,tarquin the ,proud was the seventh and last king of ,rome4 ,such were his acts of tyranny1 and such the crimes of his son1 the false ,sextus1 that the people rose in rebellion1 and1 in the year #eji ,b4,c41 drove him and his family away from ,rome and declared that they would have no more kings4 ,the ,tarquins took refuge among the ,etruscans1 whose country bordered ,rome on the north4 ,they made a treaty of friendship with ,porsena1 the king of ,clusium1 and induced him to raise a large army for the purpose of forcing the ,romans to allow them to return to power4 ,a battle was fought1 and the ,romans being defeated were obliged to flee across the wooden bridge which spanned the ,tiber at ,rome4 ,to prevent ,porsena from entering the city1 the ,roman ,consul ordered that the bridge should be destroyed4 ,illustration3 ,thomas ,babington ,macaulay4 ,the story of the manner in which this was done is told by ,lord ,macaulay in his ,lays of ,ancient ,rome1 a collection of heroic ballads relating to the times of the kings and the early consuls4 ,the author speaks1 not in his own person1 but in the person of an ancient minstrel who is supposed to have lived about one hundred years after the event1 and who therefore knew only what a ,roman citizen of that time could have known4 ,but the ,consul's brow was sad1 ,and the ,consul's speech was low1 ,and darkly looked he at the wall1 ,and darkly at the foe4 ,their van will be upon us ,before the bridge goes down2 ,and if they once may win the bridge1 ,what hope to save the town8 ,then out spake brave ,horatius1 ,the captain of the gate3 ,to every man upon this ,earth ,death cometh soon or late2 ,and how can man die better ,than facing fearful odds1 ,for the ashes of his fathers1 ,and the temples of his gods8 ,hew down the bridge1 ,sir ,consul1 ,with all the speed ye may2 ,i1 with two more to help me1 ,will hold the foe in play4 ,in yon strait path a thousand ,may well be stopped by three2 ,now1 who will stand on either hand1 ,and keep the bridge with me8 ,then out spake ,spurius ,lartius1-- ,a ,ramnian proud was he3 ,lo1 ,i will stand at thy right hand1 ,and keep the bridge with thee4 ,and out spake strong ,herminius1-- ,of ,titian blood was he3 ,i will abide on thy left side1 ,and keep the bridge with thee4 ,horatius1 quoth the ,consul1 ,as thou say'st1 so let it be4 ,and straight against that great array ,forth went the dauntless ,three4 ,meanwhile the ,tuscan army1 ,right glorious to behold1 ,came flashing back the noonday light1 ,rank behind rank1 like surges bright ,of a broad sea of gold4 ,four hundred trumpets sounded ,a peal of warlike glee1 ,as that great host1 with measured tread1 ,and spears advanced1 and ensigns spread1 ,rolled slowly towards the bridge's head1 ,where stood the dauntless ,three4 ,the ,three stood calm and silent1 ,and looked upon the foes1 ,and a great shout of laughter ,from all the vanguard rose4 ,and forth three chiefs came spurring ,before that deep array2 ,to earth they sprang1 their swords they drew ,and lifted high their shields1 and flew ,to win the narrow way4 ,annus from green ,tifernum1 ,lord of the ,hill of ,vines2 ,and ,seius1 whose eight hundred slaves ,sicken in ,ilva's mines2 ,and ,picus1 long to ,clusium ,vassal in peace and war1 ,who led to fight his ,umbrian powers ,from that gray crag where1 girt with towers1 ,the fortress of ,nequinum lowers ,o'er the pale waves of ,nar4 ,stout ,lartius hurled down ,annus ,into the stream beneath3 ,herminius struck at ,seius1 ,and clove him to the teeth3 ,at ,picus brave ,horatius ,darted one fiery thrust2 ,and the proud ,umbrian's gilded arms ,clashed in the bloody dust4 ,and now no sound of laughter ,was heard among the foes4 ,a wild and wrathful clamor ,from all the vanguard rose4 ,six spears' length from the entrance ,halted that mighty mass1 ,and for a space no man came forth ,to win the narrow pass4 ,but hark6 the cry is ,astur3 ,and lo6 the ranks divide2 ,and the great ,lord of ,luna ,comes with his stately stride4 ,upon his ample shoulders ,clangs loud the fourfold shield1 ,and in his hand he shakes the brand ,which none but he can wield4 ,he smiled on those bold ,romans ,a smile serene and high2 ,he eyed the flinching ,tuscans1 ,and scorn was in his eye4 ,quoth he1 ,the she-wolf's litter ,stand savagely at bay3 ,but will ye dare to follow1 ,if ,astur clears the way8 ,then whirling up his broadsword ,with both hands to the height1 ,he rushed against ,horatius1 ,and smote with all his might4 ,with shield and blade ,horatius ,right deftly turned the blow4 ,the blow1 though turned1 came yet too nigh2 ,it missed his helm1 but gashed his thigh3 ,the ,tuscans raised a joyful cry ,to see the red blood flow4 ,illustration3 ,drawn by ,a4 ,i4 ,keller4 ,engraved by ,robert ,varley4 ,the ,defense of the ,bridge4 ,he reeled1 and on ,herminius ,he leaned one breathing space2 ,then1 like a wild cat mad with wounds1 ,sprang right at ,astur's face4 ,through teeth and skull and helmet1 ,so fierce a thrust he sped1 ,the good sword stood a handbreadth out ,behind the ,tuscan's head6 ,and the great ,lord of ,luna ,fell at that deadly stroke1 ,as falls on ,mount ,alvernus ,a thunder-smitten oak4 ,far o'er the crashing forest ,the giant arms lie spread2 ,and the pale augurs1 muttering low1 ,gaze on the blasted head4 ,then all ,etruria's noblest ,felt their hearts sink to see ,on the earth the bloody corpses1 ,in the path the dauntless ,three3 ,and1 from the ghastly entrance ,where those bold ,romans stood1 ,all shrank1 like boys who unaware1 ,ranging the woods to start a hare1 ,come to the mouth of the dark lair1 ,where1 growling low1 a fierce old bear ,lies amidst bones and blood4 ,yet one man for one moment ,stood out before the crowd2 ,well known was he to all the ,three1 ,and they gave him greeting loud3 ,now welcome1 welcome1 ,sextus6 ,now welcome to thy home6 ,why dost thou stay and turn away8 ,here lies the road to ,rome4 ,thrice looked he at the city2 ,thrice looked he at the dead2 ,and thrice came on in fury1 ,and thrice turned back in dread3 ,and1 white with fear and hatred1 ,scowled at the narrow way ,where1 wallowing in a pool of blood1 ,the bravest ,tuscans lay4 ,but meanwhile ax and lever ,have manfully been plied1 ,and now the bridge hangs tottering ,above the boiling tide4 ,come back1 come back1 ,horatius6 ,loud cried the ,fathers all4 ,back1 ,lartius6 ,back1 ,herminius6 ,back1 ere the ruin fall6 ,back darted ,spurius ,lartius2 ,herminius darted back2 ,and1 as they passed1 beneath their feet ,they felt the timbers crack4 ,but when they turned their faces1 ,and on the farther shore ,saw brave ,horatius stand alone1 ,they would have crossed once more4 ,but with a crash like thunder ,fell every loosened beam1 ,and1 like a dam1 the mighty wreck ,lay right athwart the stream3 ,and a long shout of triumph ,rose from the walls of ,rome1 ,as to the highest turret tops ,was splashed the yellow-foam4 ,alone stood brave ,horatius1 ,but constant still in mind2 ,thrice thirty thousand foes before1 ,and the broad flood behind4 ,down with him6 cried false ,sextus1 ,with a smile on his pale face4 ,now1 yield thee6 cried ,lars ,porsena1 ,now yield thee to our grace4 ,round turned he1 as not deigning ,those craven ranks to see2 ,naught spake he to ,lars ,porsena1 ,to ,sextus naught spake he2 ,but he saw on ,palatinus ,the white porch of his home2 ,and he spake to the noble river ,that rolls by the tower of ,rome3 ,o1 ,tiber6 ,father ,tiber6 ,to whom the ,romans pray1 ,a ,roman's life1 a ,roman's arms1 ,take thou in charge this day6 ,so he spake1 and speaking sheathed ,the good sword by his side1 ,and with his harness on his back1 ,plunged headlong in the tide4 ,no sound of joy or sorrow ,was heard from either bank2 ,but friends and foes1 in dumb surprise1 ,with parted lips and straining eyes1 ,stood gazing where he sank3 ,and when above the surges ,they saw his crest appear1 ,all ,rome sent forth a rapturous cry1 ,and even the ranks of ,tuscany ,could scarce forbear to cheer4 ,but fiercely ran the current1 ,swollen high by months of rain3 ,and fast his blood was flowing2 ,and he was sore in pain1 ,and heavy with his armor1 ,and spent with changing blows3 ,and oft they thought him sinking1 ,but still again he rose4 ,curse on him6 quoth false ,sextus1 ,will not the villain drown8 ,but for this stay1 ere close of day ,we should have sacked the town6-- ,heaven help him6 quoth ,lars ,porsena1 ,and bring him safe to shore2 ,for such a gallant feat of arms ,was never seen before4 ,and now he feels the bottom2 ,now on dry earth he stands2 ,now round him throng the ,fathers1 ,to press his gory hands2 ,and now with shouts and clapping1 ,and noise of weeping loud1 ,he enters through the ,river ,gate1 ,borne by the joyous crowd4 ,they gave him of the corn land1 ,that was of public right1 ,as much as two strong oxen ,could plow from morn till night2 ,and they made a molten image1 ,and set it up on high1 ,and there it stands unto this day ,to witness if ,i lie4 ,and still his name sounds stirring ,unto the men of ,rome1 ,as the trumpet-blast that cries to them ,to charge the ,volscians home4 ,and mothers pray to ,juno ,for boys with hearts as bold ,as his who kept the bridge so well ,in the brave days of old4 ,and in the nights of winter ,when the cold north winds blow1 ,and the long howling of the wolves ,is heard amidst the snow2 ,when round the lonely cottage ,roars loud the tempest's din1 ,and the good logs of ,algidus ,roar louder yet within2 ,when the oldest cask is opened1 ,and the largest lamp is lit2 ,when the chestnuts glow in the embers1 ,and the kid turns on the spit2 ,when young and old in circle ,around the firebrands close2 ,when the girls are weaving baskets1 ,and the lads are shaping bows2 ,when the goodman mends his armor1 ,and trims his helmet's plume2 ,when the goodwife's shuttle merrily ,goes flashing through the loom2 ,with weeping and with laughter ,still is the story told1 ,how well ,horatius kept the bridge ,in the brave days of old4 ,,how ,,sir ,,francis ,,drake ,,sailed ,,round ,,the ,,world4 ,the ships which the ,spaniards used on the ,pacific were usually built on the spot4 ,but ,magellan was known to have gone by the ,horn1 and where a ,portuguese could go an ,englishman could go4 ,drake proposed to try4 ,the vessels in which he was preparing to tempt fortune seem preposterously small4 ,the ,pelican1 or ,golden ,hind1 which belonged to ,drake himself1 was but #abj tons1 at best no larger than a modern racing yawl1 though perhaps no racing yawl was ever better equipped for the work which she had to do4 ,the next1 the ,elizabeth of ,london1 was said to be eighty tons2 a small pinnace of twelve tons1 in which we should hardly risk a summer cruise round the ,land's ,end1 with two sloops or frigates of fifty and thirty tons1 made the rest4 ,the ,elizabeth was commanded by ,captain ,winter1 a queen's officer1 and perhaps a son of the old admiral4 ,illustration3 ,sir ,francis ,drake4 ,we may credit ,drake with knowing what he was about4 ,he and his comrades were carrying their lives in their hands4 ,if they were taken they would be inevitably hanged4 ,their safety depended on speed of sailing1 and specially on the power of working fast to windward1 which the heavy square-rigged ships could not do4 ,the crews all told were one hundred and sixty men and boys4 ,on ,november #aeth1 #aegg1 the ,pelican and her consorts sailed out of ,plymouth ,sound4 ,the elements frowned on their start4 ,on the second day they were caught in a winter gale4 ,the ,pelican sprung her mainmast1 and they put back to refit and repair4 ,before the middle of ,december all was again in order4 ,the weather mended1 and with a fair wind and smooth water they made a fast run down the coast to the ,cape de ,verde ,islands4 ,there taking up the northeast ,trades1 they struck across the ,atlantic4 ,they passed the mouth of the ,plate ,river1 finding to their astonishment fresh water at the ship's side in fifty-four fathoms4 ,on ,june #bjth they reached ,port ,st4 ,julian on the coast of ,patagonia4 ,it was now midwinter1 the stormiest season of the year1 and they remained for six weeks in ,port ,st4 ,julian4 ,they burnt the twelve-ton pinnace1 as too small for the work they had now before them1 and there remained only the ,pelican1 the ,elizabeth1 and the ,marigold4 ,in cold1 wild weather they weighed at last1 and on ,august #bjth made the opening of ,magellan's ,straits4 ,the passage is seventy miles long1 tortuous and dangerous4 ,they had no charts4 ,icy mountains overhung them on either side2 heavy snow fell below4 ,they brought up occasionally at an island to rest the men1 and let them kill a few seals and penguins to give them fresh food4 ,everything they saw was new1 wild1 and wonderful4 ,having to feel their way1 they were three weeks in getting through4 ,they had counted on reaching the ,pacific that the worst of their work was over1 and that they could run north at once into warmer and calmer latitudes4 ,the peaceful ocean1 when they entered it1 proved the stormiest they had ever sailed on4 ,a fierce westerly gale drove them six hundred miles to the southeast outside the ,horn4 ,the ,marigold went down in the tremendous encounter4 ,captain ,winter in the ,elizabeth made his way back into ,magellan's ,straits4 ,there he lay for three weeks1 lighting fires nightly to show ,drake where he was2 but no ,drake appeared4 ,they had agreed1 if separated1 to meet on the coast in the latitude of ,valparaiso2 but ,winter was chicken-hearted1 and sore1 we are told1 against the mariners' will1 when the three weeks were out1 he sailed away for ,england1 where he reported that all the ships were lost but the ,pelican1 and that the ,pelican was probably lost too4 ,drake had believed better of ,winter1 and had not expected to be so deserted4 ,he had himself taken refuge among the islands which form the ,cape1 waiting for the spring and milder weather4 ,he used the time in making surveys1 and observing the habits of the native ,patagonians4 ,the days lengthened1 and the sea smoothed at last4 ,he then sailed for ,valparaiso1 hoping to meet ,winter there1 as he had arranged4 ,at ,valparaiso there was no ,winter1 but there was in the port instead a great galleon just come in from ,peru4 ,the galleon's crew took him for a ,spaniard1 hoisted their colors1 and beat their drums4 ,the ,pelican shot alongside4 ,the ,english sailors in high spirits leaped on board4 ,no life was taken2 ,drake never hurt man if he could help it4 ,the crew jumped overboard1 and swam ashore4 ,the prize was examined4 ,four hundred pounds' weight of gold was found in her1 besides other plunder4 ,drake went on next to ,tarapaca1 where silver from the ,andes mines was shipped for ,panama4 ,at ,tarapaca there was the same unconsciousness of danger4 ,the silver bars lay piled on the quay1 the muleteers who had brought them were sleeping peacefully in the sunshine at their side4 ,the muleteers were left to their slumbers4 ,the bars were lifted into the ,english boats4 ,a train of mules or llamas came in at that moment with a second load as rich as the first4 ,this1 too1 went into the ,pelican's hold4 ,the bullion taken at ,tarapaca was worth nearly half a million ducats4 ,still there was no news of ,winter4 ,drake began to realize that he was now entirely alone1 and had only himself and his own crew to depend on4 ,there was nothing to do but to go through with it1 danger adding to the interest4 ,arica was the next point visited4 ,half a hundred blocks of silver were picked up at ,arica4 ,after ,arica came ,lima1 the chief depot of all1 where the grandest haul was looked for4 ,at ,lima1 alas6 they were just too late4 ,twelve great hulks lay anchored there4 ,the sails were unbent1 the men were ashore4 ,they contained nothing but some chests of reels and a few bales of silk and linen4 ,but a thirteenth1 called the ,cacafuego1 had sailed a few days before for the ,isthmus with the whole produce of the ,lima mines for the season4 ,her ballast was silver1 her cargo gold and emeralds and rubies4 ,drake deliberately cut the cables of the ships in the roads1 that they might drive ashore and be unable to follow him4 ,the ,pelican spread her wings1 and sped away in pursuit4 ,he would know the ,cacafuego1 so he learned at ,lima1 by the peculiar cut of her sails4 ,the first man who caught sight of her was promised a gold chain for his reward4 ,a sail was seen on the second day4 ,it was not the chase1 but it was worth stopping for4 ,eighty pounds' weight of gold was found1 and a great gold crucifix1 set with emeralds said to be as large as pigeons' eggs4 ,we learn from the ,spanish accounts that the ,viceroy of ,lima1 as soon as he recovered from his astonishment1 dispatched ships in pursuit4 ,they came up with the last plundered vessel1 heard terrible tales of the rovers' strength1 and went back for a larger force4 ,the ,pelican meanwhile went along upon her course for eight hundred miles4 ,at length1 off ,quito1 and close under the shore1 the ,cacafuego's peculiar sails were sighted1 and the gold chain was claimed4 ,there she was1 going lazily along a few miles ahead4 ,care was needed in approaching her4 ,if she guessed the ,pelican's character she would run in upon the land1 and they would lose her4 ,it was afternoon4 ,the sun was still above the horizon1 and ,drake meant to wait till night1 when the breeze would be off the shore1 as in the tropics it always is4 ,the ,pelican sailed two feet to the ,cacafuego's one4 ,drake filled his empty wine skins with water and trailed them astern to stop his way4 ,the chase supposed that she was followed by some heavily-loaded trader1 and1 wishing for company on a lonely voyage1 she slackened sail1 and waited for him to come up4 ,at length the sun went down into the ocean1 the rosy light faded from off the snows of the ,andes2 and when both ships had become invisible from the shore1 the skins were hauled in1 the night wind rose1 and the water began to ripple under the ,pelican's bows4 ,the ,cacafuego was swiftly overtaken1 and when within a cable's length a voice hailed her to put her head into the wind4 ,the ,spanish commander1 not understanding so strange an order1 held on his course4 ,a broadside brought down his mainyard1 and a flight of arrows rattled on his deck4 ,he was himself wounded4 ,in a few minutes he was a prisoner1 and the ship and her precious freight were in the corsair's power4 ,the wreck was cut away2 the ship was cleared2 a prize crew was put on board4 ,both vessels turned their heads to the sea4 ,at daybreak no land was to be seen1 and the examination of the prize began4 ,the full value was never acknowledged4 ,the invoice1 if there was one1 was destroyed4 ,the accurate figures were known only to ,drake and ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,a published schedule acknowledged to twenty tons of silver bullion1 thirteen chests of silver coins1 and a hundredweight of gold1 but there were gold nuggets beside in indefinite quantity1 and a great store of pearls1 emeralds1 and diamonds4 ,drake1 we are told1 was greatly satisfied4 ,he thought it prudent to stay in the neighborhood no longer than necessary4 ,he went north with all sail set1 taking his prize along with him4 ,the master1 ,san ,juan de ,anton1 was removed on board the ,pelican1 to have his wound attended to4 ,he remained as ,drake's guest for a week1 and sent in a report of what he observed to the ,spanish government4 ,one at least of ,drake's party spoke excellent ,spanish4 ,this person took ,san ,juan over the ship4 ,she showed signs1 ,san ,juan said1 of rough service1 but was still in fine condition1 with ample arms1 spare rope1 mattocks1 carpenters' tools of all descriptions4 ,there were eighty-five men on board all told1 fifty of them men of war1 the rest young fellows1 ship boys1 and the like4 ,drake himself was treated with great reverence2 a sentinel stood always at his cabin door4 ,he dined alone with music4 ,illustration3 ,james ,anthony ,froude4 ,the ,pelican met with many other adventures1 and at last sailed for home4 ,sweeping in fine clear weather round the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 she touched once for water at ,sierra ,leone1 and finally sailed in triumph into ,plymouth ,harbor4 ,english sympathy with an extraordinary exploit is always irresistible4 ,shouts of applause rang through the country2 and ,elizabeth1 every bit of her an ,english-woman1 felt with her subjects4 ,she sent for ,drake to ,london1 made him tell his story over and over again1 and was never weary of listening to him4 --,from ,english ,seamen in the ,sixteenth ,century1 by ,james ,anthony ,froude4 ,a ,,brave ,,rescue ,,and ,a ,,rough ,,ride4 ,it happened upon a ,november evening 7when ,i was about fifteen years old1 and outgrowing my strength very rapidly1 my sister ,annie being turned thirteen1 and a deal of rain having fallen1 and all the troughs in the yard being flooded1 and the bark from the wood ricks washed down the gutter1 and even our watershoot growing brown7 that the ducks in the barnyard made a terrible quacking1 instead of marching off to their pen1 one behind another4 ,thereupon ,annie and ,i ran out to see what might be the sense of it4 ,there were thirteen ducks1 and ten lily-white 7as the fashion of ducks then was71 not1 ,i mean1 twenty-three in all1 but ten white and three brown-striped ones2 and without being nice about their color1 they all quacked very movingly4 ,they pushed their gold-colored bills here and there 7yet dirty1 as gold is apt to be71 and they jumped on the triangles of their feet1 and sounded out of their nostrils2 and some of the overexcited ones ran along low on the ground1 quacking grievously1 with their bills snapping and bending1 and the roof of their mouths exhibited4 ,annie began to cry dilly1 dilly1 einy1 einy1 ducksey1 according to the burden of a tune they seem to have accepted as the national ducks' anthem2 but instead of being soothed by it1 they only quacked three times as hard1 and ran round till we were giddy4 ,and then they shook their tails all together1 and looked grave1 and went round and round again4 ,now1 ,i am uncommonly fond of ducks1 whether roystering1 roosting1 or roasted2 and it is a fine sight to behold them walk1 paddling one after another1 with their toes out1 like soldiers drilling1 and their little eyes cocked all ways at once1 and the way that they dib with their bills1 and dabble1 and throw up their heads and enjoy something1 and then tell the others about it4 ,therefore1 ,i knew at once1 by the way they were carrying on1 that there must be something or other gone wholly amiss in the duck world4 ,sister ,annie perceived it1 too1 but with a greater quickness2 for she counted them like a good duck wife1 and could only tell thirteen of them1 when she knew there ought to be fourteen4 ,and so we began to search about1 and the ducks ran to lead us aright1 having come that far to fetch us2 and when we got down to the foot of the courtyard where the two great ash trees stand by the side of the little water1 we found good reason for the urgence and melancholy of the duck birds4 ,lo6 the old white drake1 the father of all1 a bird of high manners and chivalry1 always the last to help himself from the pan of barley meal1 and the first to show fight to a dog or cock intruding upon his family1 this fine fellow1 and a pillar of the state1 was now in a sad predicament1 yet quacking very stoutly4 ,for the brook1 wherewith he had been familiar from his callow childhood1 and wherein he was wont to quest for water newts1 and tadpoles1 and caddice worms1 and other game1 this brook1 which afforded him very often scanty space to dabble in1 and sometimes starved the cresses1 was now coming down in a great brown flood1 as if the banks never belonged to it4 ,the foaming of it1 and the noise1 and the cresting of the corners1 and the up and down1 like the wave of the sea1 were enough to frighten any duck1 though bred upon stormy waters1 which our ducks never had been4 ,there is always a hurdle six feet long and four and a half in depth1 swung by a chain at either end from an oak laid across the channel4 ,and the use of this hurdle is to keep our kine at milking time from straying away there drinking 7for in truth they are very dainty7 and to fence strange cattle1 or ,farmer ,snowe's horses1 from coming along the bed of the brook unknown1 to steal our substance4 ,but now this hurdle1 which hung in the summer a foot above the trickle1 would have been dipped more than two feet deep but for the power against it4 ,for the torrent came down so vehemently that the chains in full stretch were creaking1 and the hurdle buffeted almost flat1 and thatched 7so to say71 with the drift stuff1 was going seesaw with a sulky splash on the dirty red comb of the waters4 ,but saddest to see was between two bars1 where a fog was of rushes1 and flood wood1 and wild celery1 and dead crow's-foot4 ,for there was our venerable mallard jammed in by the joint of his shoulder1 speaking aloud as he rose and fell1 with his topknot full of water1 unable to comprehend it1 with his tail washed far away from him1 but often compelled to be silent1 being ducked very harshly against his will by the choking fall to of the hurdle4 ,for a moment ,i could not help laughing2 because1 being borne high up and dry by a tumult of the torrent1 he gave me a look from his one little eye 7having lost one in fight with a turkey cock71 a gaze of appealing sorrow1 and then a loud quack to second it4 ,but the quack came out of time1 ,i suppose1 for his throat got filled with water1 as the hurdle carried him back again4 ,and then there was scarcely the screw of his tail to be seen until he swung up again1 and left small doubt1 by the way he spluttered1 and failed to quack1 and hung down his poor crest1 but what he must drown in another minute1 and frogs triumph over his body4 ,annie was crying and wringing her hands1 and ,i was about to rush into the water1 although ,i liked not the look of it1 but hoped to hold on by the hurdle1 when a man on horseback came suddenly round the corner of the great ash hedge on the other side of the stream1 and his horse's feet were in the water4 ,ho1 there1 he cried1 get thee back1 boy6 ,the flood will carry thee down like a straw4 ,i will do it for thee1 and no trouble4 ,with that he leaned forward1 and spoke to his mare--she was just of the tint of a strawberry1 a young thing1 very beautiful--and she arched up her neck1 as misliking the job2 yet1 trusting him1 would attempt it4 ,she entered the flood1 with her dainty fore legs sloped further and further in front of her1 and her delicate ears pricked forward1 and the size of her great eyes increasing2 but he kept her straight in the turbid rush1 by the pressure of his knee on her4 ,then she looked back1 and wondered at him1 as the force of the torrent grew stronger1 but he bade her go on2 and on she went1 and it foamed up over her shoulders2 and she tossed up her lip and scorned it1 for now her courage was waking4 ,then1 as the rush of it swept her away1 and she struck with her forefeet down the stream1 he leaned from his saddle in a manner which ,i never could have thought possible1 and caught up old ,tom with his left hand1 and set him between his hostlers1 and smiled at his faint quack of gratitude4 ,in a moment all three were carried down stream1 and the rider lay flat on his horse1 and tossed the hurdle clear from him1 and made for the bend of smooth water4 ,they landed some thirty or forty yards lower1 in the midst of our kitchen garden1 where the winter cabbage was2 but though ,annie and ,i crept in through the hedge1 and were full of our thanks and admiring him1 he would answer us never a word until he had spoken in full to the mare1 as if explaining the whole to her4 ,sweetheart1 ,i know thou couldst have leaped it1 he said1 as he patted her cheek1 being on the ground by this time1 and she was nudging up to him1 with the water pattering off from her2 but ,i had good reason1 ,winnie dear1 for making thee go through it4 ,she answered him kindly with her soft eyes1 and sniffed at him very lovingly1 and they understood one another4 ,then he took from his waistcoat two peppercorns1 and made the old drake swallow them1 and tried him softly on his legs1 where the leading gap in the hedge was4 ,old ,tom stood up quite bravely1 and clapped his wings1 and shook off the wet from his tail feathers2 and then away into the courtyard1 and his family gathered around him1 and they all made a noise in their throats1 and stood up1 and put their bills together1 to thank ,god for his great deliverance4 ,having taken all this trouble1 and watched the end of that adventure1 the gentleman turned round to us with a pleasant smile on his face1 as if he were lightly amused with himself2 and we came up and looked at him4 ,he was rather short1 about ,john ,fry's height1 or maybe a little taller1 but very strongly built and springy1 as his gait at every step showed plainly1 although his legs were bowed with much riding1 and he looked as if he lived on horseback4 ,to a boy like me he seemed very old1 being over twenty1 and well found in beard2 but he was not more than four and twenty1 fresh and ruddy looking1 with a short nose and keen blue eyes1 and a merry1 waggish jerk about him1 as if the world were not in earnest4 ,yet he had a sharp1 stern way1 like the crack of a pistol1 if anything misliked him2 and we knew 7for children see such things7 that it was safer to tickle than buffet him4 ,well1 young ones1 what be gaping at8 ,he gave pretty ,annie a chuck on the chin1 and took me all in without winking4 ,your mare1 said ,i1 standing stoutly up1 being a tall boy now2 ,i never saw such a beauty1 sir4 ,will you let me have a ride on her8 ,think thou couldst ride her1 lad8 ,she will have no burden but mine4 ,thou couldst never ride her6 ,tut6 ,i would be loath to kill thee4 ,ride her6 ,i cried1 with the bravest scorn1 for she looked so kind and gentle2 there never was horse upon ,exmoor but ,i could tackle in half an hour4 ,only ,i never ride upon saddle4 ,take those leathers off of her4 ,he looked at me with a dry little whistle1 and thrust his hands into his pockets1 and so grinned that ,i could not stand it4 ,and ,annie laid hold of me in such a way that ,i was almost mad with her4 ,and he laughed1 and approved her for doing so4 ,and the worst of all was--he said nothing4 ,get away1 ,annie4 ,do you think ,i'm a fool1 good sir8 ,only trust me with her1 and ,i will not override her4 ,for that ,i will go bail1 my son4 ,she is liker to override thee4 ,but the ground is soft to fall upon1 after all this rain4 ,now come out into the yard1 young man1 for the sake of your mother's cabbages4 ,and the mellow straw bed will be softer for thee1 since pride must have its fall4 ,i am thy mother's cousin1 boy1 and ,i'm going up to the house4 ,tom ,faggus is my name1 as everybody knows1 and this is my young mare1 ,winnie4 ,what a fool ,i must have been not to know it at once6 ,tom ,faggus1 the great highwayman1 and his young blood mare1 the strawberry4 ,already her fame was noised abroad1 nearly as much as her master's1 and my longing to ride her grew tenfold1 but fear came at the back of it4 ,not that ,i had the smallest fear of what the mare could do to me1 by fair play and horse trickery1 but that the glory of sitting upon her seemed to be too great for me2 especially as there were rumors abroad that she was not a mare1 after all1 but a witch4 ,however1 she looked like a filly all over1 and wonderfully beautiful with her supple stride1 and soft slope of shoulder1 and glossy coat beaded with water1 and prominent eyes full of docile fire4 ,whether this came from her ,eastern blood of the ,arabs newly imported1 and whether the cream color1 mixed with our bay1 led to that bright strawberry tint1 is certainly more than ,i can decide1 being chiefly acquaint with farm horses4 ,and these are of any color and form2 you never can count what they will be1 and are lucky to get four legs to them4 ,mr4 ,faggus gave his mare a wink1 and she walked demurely after him1 a bright young thing1 flowing over with life1 yet dropping her soul to a higher one1 and led by love to anything1 as the manner is of such creatures1 when they know what is the best for them4 ,then ,winnie trod lightly upon the straw1 because it had soft muck under it1 and her delicate feet came back again4 ,up for it still1 boy1 be ye8 ,tom ,faggus stopped1 and the mare stopped there2 and they looked at me provokingly4 ,is she able to leap1 sir8 ,there is good take-off on this side of the brook4 ,mr4 ,faggus laughed very quietly1 turning round to ,winnie so that she might enter into it4 ,and she1 for her part1 seemed to know exactly where the fun lay4 ,good tumble off1 you mean1 my boy4 ,well1 there can be small harm to thee4 ,i am akin to thy family1 and know the substance of their skulls4 ,let me get up1 said ,i1 waxing wroth1 for reasons ,i can not tell you1 because they are too manifold2 take off your saddlebag things4 ,i will try not to squeeze her ribs in1 unless she plays nonsense with me4 ,then ,mr4 ,faggus was up on his mettle at this proud speech of mine1 and ,john ,fry was running up all the while1 and ,bill ,dadds1 and half a dozen others4 ,tom ,faggus gave one glance around1 and then dropped all regard for me4 ,the high repute of his mare was at stake1 and what was my life compared to it8 ,through my defiance1 and stupid ways1 here was ,i in a duello1 and my legs not come to their strength yet1 and my arms as limp as herring4 ,something of this occurred to him1 even in his wrath with me1 for he spoke very softly to the filly1 who now could scarce subdue herself2 but she drew in her nostrils1 and breathed to his breath1 and did all she could to answer him4 ,not too hard1 my dear1 he said2 let him gently down on the mixen4 ,that will be quite enough4 ,then he turned the saddle off1 and ,i was up in a moment4 ,she began at first so easily1 and pricked her ears so lovingly1 and minced about as if pleased to find so light a weight upon her1 that ,i thought she knew ,i could ride a little1 and feared to show any capers4 ,gee wugg1 ,polly6 cried ,i1 for all the men were now looking on1 being then at the leaving-off time2 gee wugg1 ,polly1 and show what thou be'est made of4 ,with that ,i plugged my heels into her1 and ,billy ,dadds flung his hat up4 ,nevertheless1 she outraged not1 though her eyes were frightening ,annie1 and ,john ,fry took a pick to keep him safe2 but she curbed to and fro with her strong forearms rising like springs ingathered1 waiting and quivering grievously1 and beginning to sweat about it4 ,then her master gave a shrill1 clear whistle1 when her ears were bent toward him1 and ,i felt her form beneath me gathering up like whalebone1 and her hind legs coming under her1 and ,i knew that ,i was in for it4 ,first she reared upright in the air1 and struck me full on the nose with her comb1 till ,i bled worse than ,robin ,snell made me2 and then down with her fore feet deep in the straw1 and with her hind feet going to heaven4 ,finding me stick to her still like wax1 for my mettle was up as hers was1 away she flew with me swifter than ever ,i went before1 or since1 ,i trow4 ,she drove full head at the cob wall--,oh1 ,jack1 slip off6 screamed ,annie--then she turned like light1 when ,i thought to crush her1 and ground my left knee against it4 ,dear me6 ,i cried1 for my breeches were broken1 and short words went the farthest--if you kill me1 you shall die with me4 ,then she took the courtyard gate at a leap1 knocking my words between my teeth1 and then right over a quickset hedge1 as if the sky were a breath to her2 and away for the water meadows1 while ,i lay on her neck like a child and wished ,i had never been born4 ,straight away1 all in the front of the wind1 and scattering clouds around her1 all ,i know of the speed we made was the frightful flash of her shoulders1 and her mane like trees in a tempest4 ,i felt the earth under us rushing away1 and the air left far behind us1 and my breath came and went1 and ,i prayed to ,god1 and was sorry to be so late of it4 ,all the long swift while1 without power of thought1 ,i clung to her crest and shoulders1 and was proud of holding on so long1 though sure of being beaten4 ,then in her fury at feeling me still1 she rushed at another device for it1 and leaped the wide water-trough sideways across1 to and fro1 till no breath was left in me4 ,the hazel boughs took me too hard in the face1 and the tall dog-briers got hold of me1 and the ache of my back was like crimping a fish1 till ,i longed to give it up1 thoroughly beaten1 and lie there and die in the cresses4 ,but there came a shrill whistle from up the home hill1 where the people had hurried to watch us1 and the mare stopped as if with a bullet1 then set off for home with the speed of a swallow1 and going as smoothly and silently4 ,i never had dreamed of such delicate motion1 fluent1 and graceful1 and ambient1 soft as the breeze flitting over the flowers1 but swift as the summer lightning4 ,i sat up again1 but my strength was all spent1 and no time left to recover it2 and though she rose at our gate like a bird1 ,i tumbled off into the soft mud4 ,well done1 lad1 ,mr4 ,faggus said1 good-naturedly2 for all were now gathered round me1 as ,i rose from the ground1 somewhat tottering1 and miry1 and crest-fallen1 but otherwise none the worse 7having fallen upon my head1 which is of uncommon substance72 not at all bad work1 my boy2 we may teach you to ride by and by1 ,i see2 ,i thought not to see you stick on so long-- ,i should have stuck on much longer1 sir1 if her sides had not been wet4 ,she was so slippery-- ,boy1 thou art right4 ,she hath given many the slip4 ,ha6 ha6 ,vex not1 ,jack1 that ,i laugh at thee4 ,she is like a sweetheart to me1 and better than any of them be4 ,it would have gone to my heart if thou hadst conquered4 ,none but ,i can ride my ,winnie mare4 ,foul shame to thee1 then1 ,tom ,faggus1 cried mother1 coming up suddenly1 and speaking so that all were amazed1 having never seen her wrathful1 to put my boy1 my boy1 across her1 as if his life were no more than thine6 ,a man would have taken thy mad horse and thee1 and flung them both into a horse pond--ay1 and what's more1 ,i'll have it done now1 if a hair of his head is injured4 ,oh1 my boy1 my boy6 ,put up the other arm1 ,johnny4 ,all the time mother was scolding so1 she was feeling me and wiping me2 while ,faggus tried to look greatly ashamed1 having sense of the ways of women4 ,only look at his jacket1 mother6 cried ,annie2 and a shilling's worth gone from his smallclothes6 ,what care ,i for his clothes1 thou goose8 ,take that1 and heed thine own a bit4 ,and mother gave ,annie a slap which sent her swinging up against ,mr4 ,faggus1 and he caught her1 and kissed and protected her2 and she looked at him very nicely1 with great tears in her soft blue eyes4 ,oh1 fie upon thee1 fie upon thee1 cried mother 7being yet more vexed with him1 because she had beaten ,annie72 after all we have done for thee1 and saved thy worthless neck--and to try to kill my son for me6 ,never more shall horse of thine enter stable here1 since these be thy returns to me4 ,small thanks to you1 ,john ,fry1 ,i say2 much you care for your master's son6 ,well1 missus1 what could us do8 began ,john2 ,jan wudd goo1 now wudd't her1 ,jem8 ,and how was us-- ,jan1 indeed6 ,master ,john1 if you please1 to a lad of his years and stature4 ,and now1 ,tom ,faggus1 be off1 if you please1 and think yourself lucky to go so4 ,everybody looked at mother1 to hear her talk like that1 knowing how quiet she was day by day1 and how pleasant to be cheated4 ,and the men began to shoulder their shovels1 both so as to be away from her1 and to go and tell their wives of it4 ,winnie1 too1 was looking at her1 being pointed at so much1 and wondering if she had done amiss4 ,and then she came to me1 and trembled1 and stooped her head1 and asked my pardon1 if she had been too proud with me4 ,winnie shall stop here to-night1 said ,i1 for ,tom ,faggus still said never a word all the while1 but began to buckle his things on4 ,mother1 ,i tell you ,winnie shall stop2 else ,i will go away with her4 ,i never knew what it was1 till now1 to ride a horse worth riding4 ,young man1 said ,tom ,faggus1 still preparing sternly to depart1 you know more about a horse than any man on ,exmoor4 ,your mother may well be proud of you1 but she need have had no fear4 ,as if ,i1 ,tom ,faggus1 your father's cousin--and the only thing ,i am proud of--would ever have let you mount my mare1 which dukes and princes have vainly sought1 except for the courage in your eyes1 and the look of your father about you4 ,i knew you could ride when ,i saw you1 and rarely you have conquered4 ,but women don't understand us4 ,with that he fetched a heavy sigh1 and feebly got upon ,winnie's back1 and she came to say farewell to me4 ,he lifted his hat to my mother with a glance of sorrow1 but never a word1 and to me he said3 ,open the gate1 ,cousin ,john1 if you please4 ,you have beaten her so1 that she cannot leap it1 poor thing4 ,but1 before he was truly gone out of our yard1 my mother came softly after him1 with her afternoon apron across her eyes1 and one hand ready to offer him4 ,nevertheless1 he made as if he had not seen her1 though he let his horse go slowly4 ,stop1 ,cousin ,tom1 my mother said1 a word with you before you go4 99 99 99 99 99 ,lorna ,doone1 by ,richard ,blackmore1 from which this extract is taken1 is justly regarded as one of the few really great romances written in the latter part of the nineteenth century4 ,it is a story of the times of ,charles ,,ii41 and culminates about the time of the rebellion of ,monmouth in #afhe4 ,the narrative is supposed to be related by a sturdy farmer of ,exmoor1 named ,john ,ridd1 who is the hero of the tale4 ,the main part of the action centers round the deeds of a band of outlaws called the ,doones1 who had established themselves in a narrow valley of ,exmoor1 from whence they levied tribute upon their neighbors and bade defiance to the officers of the law4 ,the quaint and homely style in which the story is written wins the admiration of all readers1 and gives to the work an indefinable charm4 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,god4 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god2 ,and the firmament sheweth his handywork4 ,day unto day uttereth speech1 ,and night unto night sheweth knowledge1 ,there is no speech nor language1 ,where their voice is not heard4 ,their line is gone out through all the earth1 ,and their words to the end of the world4 ,in them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun1 ,which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber1 ,and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race4 ,his going forth is from the end of the heaven1 ,and his circuit unto the ends of it3 ,and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof4 ,the law of the ,lord is perfect1 converting the soul2 ,the testimony of the ,lord is sure1 making wise the simple2 ,the statutes of the ,lord are right1 rejoicing the heart2 ,the commandment of the ,lord is pure1 enlightening the eyes2 ,the fear of the ,lord is clean1 enduring forever2 ,the judgments of the ,lord are true and righteous altogether4 ,more to be desired are they than gold2 yea than much fine gold2 ,sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb4 ,moreover by them is thy servant warned2 ,and in keeping of them there is great reward4 ,who can understand his errors8 ,cleanse thou me from secret faults4 ,keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins2 ,let them not have dominion over me3 ,then shall ,i be upright1 and ,i shall be ,innocent from the great transgression4 ,let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart1 ,be acceptable in thy sight1 ,o ,lord1 my strength1 and my redeemer4 --,from the ,psalms of ,david4 ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,bannockburn4 ,the ,battle of ,bannockburn1 in ,scotland1 was one of the most famous in history4 ,it was fought ,june #bdth1 #acad1 between ,robert ,bruce of ,scotland and ,edward ,,ii4 of ,england4 ,the army of ,bruce consisted of #cj1jjj men2 that of ,edward of #ajj1jjj1 of whom #eb1jjj were archers4 ,the story of the battle is thus described by ,sir ,walter ,scott in his ,tales of a ,grandfather3 ,now when ,sir ,philip ,mowbray1 the governor of ,stirling1 came to ,london1 to tell the ,king1 that ,stirling1 the last ,scottish town of importance which remained in possession of the ,english1 was to be surrendered if it were not relieved by force of arms before midsummer1 then all the ,english nobles called out1 it would be a sin and shame to permit the fair conquest which ,edward the ,first had made1 to be forfeited to the ,scots for want of fighting4 ,it was1 therefore1 resolved1 that the ,king should go himself to ,scotland1 with as great forces as he could possibly muster4 ,king ,edward the ,second1 therefore1 assembled one of the greatest armies which a ,king of ,england ever commanded4 ,there were troops brought from all his dominions4 ,many brave soldiers from the ,french provinces which the ,king of ,england possessed in ,france1--many ,irish1 many ,welsh1--and all the great ,english nobles and barons1 with their followers1 were assembled in one great army4 ,king ,robert the ,bruce summoned all his nobles and barons to join him1 when he heard of the great preparations which the ,king of ,england was making4 ,they were not so numerous as the ,english by many thousand men4 ,in fact1 his whole army did not very much exceed thirty thousand1 and they were much worse armed than the wealthy ,englishmen2 but then1 ,robert1 who was at their head1 was one of the most expert generals of the time2 and the officers he had under him1 were his brother ,edward1 his nephew ,randolph1 his faithful follower the ,douglas1 and other brave and experienced leaders1 who commanded the same men that had been accustomed to fight and gain victories under every disadvantage of situation and numbers4 ,the ,king1 on his part1 studied how he might supply1 by address and stratagem1 what he wanted in numbers and strength4 ,he knew the superiority of the ,english1 both in their heavy-armed cavalry1 which were much better mounted and armed than that of the ,scots1 and in their archers1 who were better trained than any others in the world4 ,both these advantages he resolved to provide against4 ,with this purpose1 he led his army down into a plain near ,stirling1 called the ,park1 near which1 and beneath it1 the ,english army must needs pass through a boggy country1 broken with water courses1 while the ,scots occupied hard dry ground4 ,he then caused all the ground upon the front of his line of battle1 where cavalry were likely to act1 to be dug full of holes1 about as deep as a man's knee4 ,they were filled with light brushwood1 and the turf was laid on the top1 so that it appeared a plain field1 while in reality it was all full of these pits as a honeycomb is of holes4 ,he also1 it is said1 caused steel spikes1 called calthrops1 to be scattered up and down in the plain1 where the ,english cavalry were most likely to advance1 trusting in that manner to lame and destroy their horses4 ,when the ,scottish army was drawn up1 the line stretched north and south4 ,on the south1 it was terminated by the banks of the brook called ,bannockburn1 which are so rocky1 that no troops could attack them there4 ,on the left1 the ,scottish line extended near to the town of ,stirling4 ,bruce reviewed his troops very carefully2 all the useless servants1 drivers of carts1 and such like1 of whom there were very many1 he ordered to go behind a height1 afterwards1 in memory of the event1 called the ,gillies' hill1 that is1 the ,servants' hill4 ,he then spoke to the soldiers1 and expressed his determination to gain the victory1 or to lose his life on the field of battle4 ,he desired that all those who did not propose to fight to the last1 should leave the field before the battle began1 and that none should remain except those who were determined to take the issue of victory or death1 as ,god should send it4 ,when the main body of his army was thus placed in order1 the ,king posted ,randolph1 with a body of horse1 near to the ,church of ,st4 ,ninian's1 commanding him to use the utmost diligence to prevent any succors from being thrown into ,stirling ,castle4 ,he then dispatched ,james of ,douglas1 and ,sir ,robert ,keith1 the ,mareschal of the ,scottish army1 in order that they might survey1 as nearly as they could1 the ,english force1 which was now approaching from ,falkirk4 ,they returned with information1 that the approach of that vast host was one of the most beautiful and terrible sights which could be seen1--that the whole country seemed covered with men at arms on horse and foot1--that the number of standards1 banners1 and pennons 7all flags of different kinds7 made so gallant a show1 that the bravest and most numerous host in ,christendom might be alarmed to see ,king ,edward moving against them4 ,it was upon the twenty-third of ,june 7#acad7 the ,king of ,scotland heard the news1 that the ,english army were approaching ,stirling4 ,he drew out his army1 therefore1 in the order which he had before resolved on4 ,after a short time1 ,bruce1 who was looking out anxiously for the enemy1 saw a body of ,english cavalry trying to get into ,stirling from the eastward4 ,this was the ,lord ,clifford1 who1 with a chosen body of eight hundred horse had been detached to relieve the castle4 ,see1 ,randolph1 said the ,king to his nephew1 there is a rose fallen from your chaplet4 ,by this he meant that ,randolph had lost some honor1 by suffering the enemy to pass where he had been stationed to hinder them4 ,randolph made no reply1 but rushed against ,clifford with little more than half his number4 ,the ,scots were on foot4 ,the ,english turned to charge them with their lances1 and ,randolph drew up his men in close order to receive the onset4 ,he seemed to be in so much danger1 that ,douglas asked leave of the ,king to go and assist him4 ,the ,king refused him permission4 ,let ,randolph1 he said1 redeem his own fault2 ,i can not break the order of battle for his sake4 ,still the danger appeared greater1 and the ,english horse seemed entirely to encompass the small handful of ,scottish infantry4 ,so please you1 said ,douglas to the ,king1 my heart will not suffer me to stand idle and see ,randolph perish--,i must go to his assistance4 ,he rode off accordingly2 but long before they had reached the place of combat1 they saw the ,english horses galloping off1 many with empty saddles4 ,halt6 said ,douglas to his men1 ,randolph has gained the day2 since we were not soon enough to help him in the battle1 do not let us lessen his glory by approaching the field4 ,now1 that was nobly done2 especially as ,douglas and ,randolph were always contending which should rise highest in the good opinion of the ,king and the nation4 ,the van of the ,english army now came in sight1 and a number of their bravest knights drew near to see what the ,scots were doing4 ,they saw ,king ,robert dressed in his armor1 and distinguished by a gold crown1 which he wore over his helmet4 ,he was not mounted on his great war horse1 because he did not expect to fight that evening4 ,but he rode on a little pony up and down the ranks of his army1 putting his men in order1 and carried in his hand a short battle ax made of steel4 ,when the ,king saw the ,english horsemen draw near1 he advanced a little before his own men1 that he might look at them more nearly4 ,there was a knight among the ,english1 called ,sir ,henry de ,bohun1 who thought this would be a good opportunity to gain great fame to himself1 and put an end to the war1 by killing ,king ,robert4 ,the ,king being poorly mounted1 and having no lance1 ,bohun galloped on him suddenly and furiously1 thinking1 with his long spear1 and his tall powerful horse1 easily to bear him down to the ground4 ,king ,robert saw him1 and permitted him to come very near1 then suddenly turned his pony a little to one side1 so that ,sir ,henry missed him with the lance point1 and was in the act of being carried past him by the career of his horse4 ,but as he passed1 ,king ,robert rose up in his stirrups1 and struck ,sir ,henry on the head with his battle ax so terrible a blow1 that it broke to pieces his iron helmet as if it had been a nutshell1 and hurled him from his saddle4 ,he was dead before he reached the ground4 ,this gallant action was blamed by the ,scottish leaders1 who thought ,bruce ought not to have exposed himself to so much danger1 when the safety of the whole army depended on him4 ,the ,king only kept looking at his weapon1 which was injured by the force of the blow1 and said1 ,i have broken my good battle ax4 ,the next morning1 being the twenty-fourth of ,june1 at break of day1 the battle began in terrible earnest4 ,the ,english as they advanced saw the ,scots getting into line4 ,the ,abbot of ,inchaffray walked through their ranks barefooted1 and exhorted them to fight for their freedom4 ,they kneeled down as he passed1 and prayed to heaven for victory4 ,king ,edward1 who saw this1 called out1 ,they kneel down--they are asking forgiveness4 ,yes1 said a celebrated ,english baron1 called ,ingelram de ,umphraville1 but they ask it from ,god1 not from us--these men will conquer1 or die upon the field4 ,the ,english ,king ordered his men to begin the battle4 ,the archers then bent their bows1 and began to shoot so closely together1 that the arrows fell like flakes of snow on a ,christmas day4 ,but ,bruce1 as ,i told you before1 was prepared for them4 ,he had in readiness a body of men at arms well mounted1 who rode at full gallop among the archers1 and as they had no weapons save their bows and arrows1 which they could not use when they were attacked hand to hand1 they were cut down in great numbers1 and thrown into total confusion4 ,the fine ,english cavalry then advanced to support their archers1 and to attack the ,scottish line4 ,but coming over the ground1 which was dug full of pits1 the horses fell into these holes1 and the riders lay tumbling about1 without any means of defense1 and unable to rise1 from the weight of their armor4 ,the ,englishmen began to fall into general disorder2 and the ,scottish ,king1 bringing up more of his forces1 attacked and pressed them still more closely4 ,on a sudden1 while the battle was obstinately maintained on both sides1 an event happened which decided the victory4 ,the servants and attendants on the ,scottish camp had1 as ,i told you1 been sent behind the army to a place afterwards called the ,gillies' hill4 ,but when they saw that their masters were likely to gain the day1 they rushed from their place of concealment with such weapons as they could get1 that they might have their share in the victory and in the spoil4 ,the ,english1 seeing them come suddenly over the hill1 mistook this disorderly rabble for a new army coming up to sustain the ,scots1 and1 losing all heart1 began to shift every man for himself4 ,edward himself left the field as fast as he could ride4 ,a valiant knight1 ,sir ,giles de ,argentine1 attended the ,king till he got him out of the press of the combat4 ,but he would retreat no farther4 ,it is not my custom1 he said1 to fly4 ,with that he took leave of the ,king1 set spurs to horse1 and calling out his war cry of ,argentine6 ,argentine6 he rushed into the thickest of the ,scottish ranks1 and was killed4 ,edward first fled to ,stirling ,castle1 and entreated admittance2 but ,sir ,philip ,mowbray1 the governor1 reminded the fugitive sovereign that he was obliged to surrender the castle next day1 so ,edward was fain to fly through the ,torwood1 closely pursued by ,douglas with a body of cavalry4 ,an odd circumstance happened during the chase1 which showed how loosely some of the ,scottish barons of that day held their political opinions3 ,as ,douglas was riding furiously after ,edward1 he met a ,scottish knight1 ,sir ,laurence ,abernethy1 with twenty horse4 ,sir ,laurence had hitherto owned the ,english interest1 and was bringing this band of followers to serve ,king ,edward's army4 ,but learning from ,douglas that the ,english ,king was entirely defeated1 he changed sides on the spot1 and was easily prevailed upon to join ,douglas in pursuing the unfortunate ,edward1 with the very followers whom he had been leading to join his standard4 ,douglas and ,abernethy followed ,king ,edward as far as ,dunbar1 where the ,english had still a friend1 in the governor1 ,patrick1 ,earl of ,march4 ,the ,earl received ,edward in his forlorn condition1 and furnished him with a fishing skiff1 or small ship1 in which he escaped to ,england1 having entirely lost his fine army1 and a great number of his bravest nobles4 ,the ,english never before or afterwards1 whether in ,france or ,scotland1 lost so dreadful a battle as that of ,bannockburn1 nor did the ,scots ever gain one of the same importance4 ,such is the story that is told by ,sir ,walter ,scott in his ,tales of a ,grandfather4 ,it will be interesting now to read ,burns's poem beginning1 ,scots wha hae wi' ,wallace bled1 which we can easily imagine to be ,bruce's address to his men at the beginning of the great fight4 ,read also ,sir ,walter ,scott's metrical description of the battle1 in the long poem entitled ,the ,lord of the ,isles4 ,,the ,,soldier',s ,,dream4 ,our bugles sang truce2 for the night cloud had lowered1 ,and the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky2 ,and thousands had sunk on the ground overpowered-- ,the weary to sleep1 and the wounded to die4 ,when reposing that night on my pallet of straw1 ,by the wolf-scaring fagot that guarded the slain1 ,at the dead of the night a sweet vision ,i saw1 ,and thrice ere the morning ,i dreamed it again4 ,methought from the battlefield's dreadful array1 ,far1 far ,i had roamed on a desolate track2 ',twas autumn--and sunshine arose on the way ,to the home of my fathers1 that welcomed me back4 ,i flew to the pleasant fields traversed so oft ,in life's morning march1 when my bosom was young2 ,i heard my own mountain goats bleating aloft1 ,and knew the sweet strain that the corn reapers sung4 ,then pledged we the wine cup1 and fondly ,i swore ,from my home and my weeping friends never to part2 ,my little ones kissed me a thousand times o'er1 ,and my wife sobbed aloud in her fulness of heart4 ,stay1 stay with us6--rest2 thou art weary and worn6 ,and fain was their war-broken soldier to stay2 ,but sorrow returned with the dawning of morn1 ,and the voice in my dreaming ear melted away6 --,thomas ,campbell4 ,,lord ,,ullin',s ,,daughter4 ,a chieftain1 to the ,highlands bound1 ,cries1 ,boatman1 do not tarry6 ,and ,i'll give thee a silver pound ,to row us o'er the ferry4 ,now who be ye1 would cross ,lochgyle1 ,this dark and stormy water8 ,oh1 ,i'm the chief of ,ulva's isle1 ,and this ,lord ,ullin's daughter4 ,illustration3 ,thomas ,campbell4 ,and fast before her father's men ,three days we've fled together2 ,for should he find us in the glen1 ,my blood would stain the heather4 ,his horsemen hard behind us ride3 ,should they our steps discover1 ,then who will cheer my bonny bride ,when they have slain her lover8 ,out spoke the hardy ,highland wight3 ,i'll go1 my chief3 ,i'm ready ,it is not for your silver bright1 ,but for your winsome lady2 ,and1 by my word1 the bonny bird ,in danger shall not tarry2 ,so1 though the waves are raging white1 ,i'll row you o'er the ferry4 ,by this the storm grew loud apace2 ,the water wraith was shrieking2 ,and in the scowl of heaven each face ,grew dark as they were speaking4 ,but still1 as wilder blew the wind1 ,and as the night grew drearer1 ,adown the glen rode armd men2 ,their trampling sounded nearer4 ,oh haste thee1 haste1 the lady cries1 ,though tempests round us gather1 ,i'll meet the raging of the skies1 ,but not an angry father4 ,the boat has left a stormy land1 ,a stormy sea before her1 ,when1 oh1 too strong for human hand1 ,the tempest gathered o'er her4 ,and still they rowed amidst the roar ,of waters fast prevailing4 ,lord ,ullin reached that fatal shore3 ,his wrath was changed to wailing2 ,for1 sore dismayed1 through storm and shade1 ,his child he did discover3 ,one lovely hand she stretch'd for aid1 ,and one was round her lover4 ,come back6 come back6 he cried in grief1 ,across this stormy water2 ,and ,i'll forgive your ,highland chief1 ,my daughter6 oh1 my daughter6 ',twas vain6 ,the loud waves lashed the shore1 ,return or aid preventing3 ,the waters wild went o'er his child1 ,and he was left lamenting4 --,thomas ,campbell4 ,,beethoven',s ,,moonlight ,,sonata4 ,among the great musical composers of modern times there have been few who rank with ,ludwig van ,beethoven4 ,this famous man was born in ,bonn1 ,germany1 in #aggj2 he died at ,vienna in #ahbg4 ,it may be truthfully said that the works of ,beethoven created a new epoch in the history and development of music1 and his compositions lose none of their popularity as the years go by4 ,beethoven's life was a sad one4 ,he was alone in the world1 deaf1 and the object of unkind treatment by those who should have been his friends4 ,how nobly he rose above all petty annoyances1 we can readily understand when we listen to the grand and solemn strains of his immortal music4 ,the following story illustrates the kindliness of his nature and shows how some of his works seemed to be almost the result of inspiration4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it happened at ,bonn4 ,one moonlight winter's evening ,i called upon ,beethoven2 for ,i wished him to take a walk1 and afterwards sup with me4 ,in passing through a dark1 narrow street1 he suddenly paused4 ,hush6 he said1 what sound is that8 ,it is from my ,sonata in ,f4 ,hark6 how well it is played6 ,illustration3 ,ludwig van ,beethoven4 ,it was a little1 mean dwelling1 and we paused outside and listened4 ,the player went on2 but1 in the midst of the finale1 there was a sudden break2 then the voice of sobbing4 ,i cannot play any more4 ,it is so beautiful2 it is utterly beyond my power to do it justice4 ,oh1 what would ,i not give to go to the concert at ,cologne6 ,ah6 my sister1 said her companion2 why create regrets when there is no remedy8 ,we can scarcely pay our rent4 ,you are right1 and yet ,i wish for once in my life to hear some really good music4 ,but it is of no use4 ,beethoven looked at me4 ,let us go in1 he said4 ,go in6 ,i exclaimed4 ,what can we go in for8 ,i will play to her1 he said1 in an excited tone4 ,here is feeling--genius--understanding6 ,i will play to her1 and she will understand it4 ,and1 before ,i could prevent him1 his hand was upon the door4 ,it opened1 and we entered4 ,a pale young man was sitting by the table1 making shoes2 and near him1 leaning sorrowfully upon an old-fashioned piano1 sat a young girl1 with a profusion of light hair falling over her face4 ,pardon me1 said ,beethoven1 but ,i heard music and was tempted to enter4 ,i am a musician4 ,the girl blushed1 and the young man looked grave and somewhat annoyed4 ,i--,i also overheard something of what you said1 continued my friend4 ,you wish to hear--that is1 you would like--that is--shall ,i play for you8 ,there was something so odd in the whole affair1 and something so comical and pleasant in the manner of the speaker1 that the spell was broken in a moment4 ,thank you1 said the shoemaker2 but our piano is so wretched1 and we have no music4 ,no music6 echoed my friend2 how1 then1 does the young lady-- ,he paused1 and colored2 for1 as he looked in the girl's face1 he saw that she was blind4 ,i--,i entreat your pardon1 he stammered4 ,i had not perceived before4 ,then you play by ear8 ,but where do you hear the music1 since you frequent no concerts8 ,we lived at ,bruhl for two years1 and while there1 ,i used to hear a lady practicing near us4 ,during the summer evenings her windows were generally open1 and ,i walked to and fro outside to listen to her4 ,she seemed so shy that ,beethoven said no more1 but seated himself quietly before the piano and began to play4 ,he had no sooner struck the first chord than ,i knew what would follow4 ,never1 during all the years ,i knew him1 did ,i hear him play as he then played to that blind girl and her brother4 ,he seemed to be inspired2 and1 from the instant that his fingers began to wander along the keys1 the very tone of the instrument seemed to grow sweeter and more equal4 ,the brother and sister were silent with wonder and rapture4 ,the former laid aside his work2 the latter1 with her head bent slightly forward1 and her hands pressed tightly over her breast1 crouched down near the end of the piano1 as if fearful lest even the beating of her heart should break the flow of those magical sounds4 ,suddenly the flame of the single candle wavered1 sank1 flickered1 and went out4 ,beethoven paused1 and ,i threw open the shutters1 admitting a flood of brilliant moonlight4 ,the room was almost as light as before1 the moon's rays falling strongest upon the piano and player4 ,his head dropped upon his breast2 his hands rested upon his knees2 he seemed absorbed in deep thought4 ,he remained thus for some time4 ,at length the young shoemaker rose and approached him eagerly4 ,wonderful man6 he said1 in a low tone4 ,who and what are you8 ,listen6 said ,beethoven1 and he played the opening bars of the ,sonata in ,f4 ,a cry of recognition burst from them both1 and exclaiming1 ,then you are ,beethoven6 they covered his hands with tears and kisses4 ,he rose to go1 but we held him back with entreaties4 ,play to us once more--only once more6 ,he suffered himself to be led back to the instrument4 ,the moon shone brightly in through the window1 and lighted up his glorious1 ragged head and massive figure4 ,i will improvise a ,sonata to the ,moonlight6 said he1 looking up thoughtfully to the sky and stars4 ,then his hands dropped on the keys1 and he began playing a sad and infinitely lovely movement1 which crept gently over the instrument1 like the calm flow of moonlight over the dark earth4 ,this was followed by a wild1 elfin passage in triple time--a sort of grotesque interlude1 like the dance of sprites upon the lawn4 ,then came a swift agitato finale--a breathless1 hurrying1 trembling movement1 descriptive of flight1 and uncertainty1 and vague impulsive terror1 which carried us away on its rustling wings1 and left us all in emotion and wonder4 ,farewell to you6 said ,beethoven1 pushing back his chair1 and turning toward the door--farewell to you6 ,you will come again8 asked they1 in one breath4 ,he paused and looked compassionately1 almost tenderly1 at the face of the blind girl4 ,yes1 yes1 he said hurriedly1 ,i will come again1 and give the young lady some lessons6 ,farewell6 ,i will come again6 ,their looks followed us in silence more eloquent than words till we were out of sight4 ,let us make haste back1 said ,beethoven1 that ,i may write out that ,sonata while ,i can yet remember it4 ,we did so1 and he sat over it until long past day dawn4 ,and this was the origin of that ,moonlight ,sonata with which we are all so fondly acquainted4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,tempe ,,wick4 ,there are so many curious and unexpected things which may happen in time of war1 especially to people who live in parts of a country where the enemy may be expected to come1 or where the friendly army is already encamped1 that it is impossible to guard against unpleasant occurrences2 and it often happens that the only thing to be depended upon when an emergency arises1 is presence of mind1 and quickness of wit4 ,illustration3 ,frank ,r4 ,stockton4 ,in these qualities1 ,new ,jersey girls have never shown themselves behind their sisters of other parts of the country1 and a very good proof of this is shown by an incident which took place near ,morristown during the time that the ,american army was quartered in that neighborhood4 ,not far from the town was a farm then known as ,wick's farm1 situated in a beautiful wooded country4 ,the daughter of ,mr4 ,wick1 named ,tempe 7probably short for ,temperance71 was the owner of a very fine horse1 and on this beautiful animal it was her delight to ride over the roads and through the woods of the surrounding country4 ,she had been accustomed to horses since she was a child1 and was not afraid to ride anywhere by herself4 ,when she first began to canter over these hills and dales1 it had been in times of peace1 when there was nothing in this quiet country of which any one might be afraid2 and now1 although these were days of war1 she felt no fear4 ,there were soldiers not far away1 but these she looked upon as her friends and protectors2 for ,washington and his army had encamped in that region to defend the country against the approach of the enemy4 ,if any straggling ,redcoats should feel a desire to come along the hills1 they would be very apt to restrain their inclinations so long as they knew that that brave ,american army was encamped near by4 ,so ,miss ,tempe ,wick1 fearing nothing1 rode far and wide1 as she had been in the habit of doing1 and every day she and her good steed became better and better acquainted with each other4 ,one fine afternoon1 as ,tempe was slowly riding homeward1 within a mile of her house1 she met half a dozen soldiers in ,continental uniform1 and two of them1 stepping in front of her1 called upon her to stop4 ,when she had done so1 one of them seized her bridle4 ,she did not know the men2 but still1 as they belonged to ,washington's army1 who were her countrymen and friends1 she saw no reason to be afraid1 and asked them what they wanted4 ,at first she received no answer1 for they were very busily occupied in looking at her horse and expressing their satisfaction at the fine points of the animal4 ,tempe had had her horse praised before2 but these men were looking at him1 and talking about him1 very much as if he were for sale and they were thinking of buying4 ,presently one of the men said to her that this was a very excellent horse that she was riding1 and they wanted it4 ,to this ,tempe exclaimed1 in great amazement1 that it was her own horse1 that she wanted him herself1 and had no wish to dispose of him4 ,some of the soldiers laughed1 and one of them told her that the troops were about to move1 and that good horses were greatly needed1 and that they had orders to levy upon the surrounding country and take horses wherever they could find them4 ,now was ,tempe astonished beyond measure4 ,if half a dozen ,british soldiers had surrounded her1 and had declared that they intended to rob her of her horse1 she would not have wondered at it1 for they would have taken it as the property of an enemy4 ,but that the soldiers of her own country1 the men on whom she and all her friends and neighbors depended for protection and safety1 should turn on her and rob her1 as if they had been a set of marauding ,hessians1 was something she could scarcely comprehend4 ,but it did not take her long to understand1 that no matter who they were or what they were1--whether they thought they had a right to do what they threatened1 or whether they had no regard for right and justice1--they were in earnest1 and intended to take her horse4 ,when this conviction flashed into the mind of ,tempe ,wick1 there also flashed into it a determination to show these men that a ,jersey girl had a will of her own1 and that if they wanted her property1 they would have to do a great deal more than simply to come to her and ask her to hand it over to them4 ,after a little parley1 during which the man who held her bridle let go of it1 supposing she was about to dismount1 she suddenly gave her spirited horse a sharp cut with the whip1 dashed between two of the soldiers1 and before they could comprehend what had happened she was off and away4 ,as fast as they could run1 the soldiers followed her1 one or two of them firing their guns in the air1 thinking to frighten her and make her stop2 but1 as though she had been a deer and her pursuers ordinary hunters1 she swiftly sped away from them4 ,but they did not give up the chase4 ,some of them knew where this girl lived1 and were confident that when they reached her house1 they would have the horse4 ,if they had known it was such a fine animal1 they would have come after it before4 ,according to their belief1 good horses should go into the army1 and people who staid at home1 and expected other people to fight for them1 ought to be willing to do what they could to help in the good cause1 and at least give their horses to the army4 ,as ,tempe sat upon her bounding steed1 she knew very well that the soldiers could never catch her2 but her heart sank within her as she thought of what would happen when they came to the farm and demanded her horse4 ,running away from them was only postponing her trouble for a little while1 for there was no one about the place who could prevent those men from going to the barn and taking away the animal4 ,it would be of no use to pass her house and ride on and on4 ,where should she go8 ,she must come back sometime1 and all the soldiers would have to do would be to halt at the farm1 and wait until she returned4 ,and even if she should take her horse into the wood and tie him to a tree1 they would know by her coming back on foot that she had left him at no great distance1 and they would be sure to follow his tracks and find him4 ,as ,tempe rode swiftly on1 her thoughts galloped as fast as her horse1 and before she reached the house she had come to a conclusion as to the best thing to be done4 ,she did not ride toward the barn1 but dashed through the gateway of the large yard1 and sprang from her steed4 ,as she turned in1 she looked down the road2 but the men were not in sight4 ,what she was going to do was something which people never did1 but it was the only thing she could think of1 and she was a girl whose actions were as quick as her ideas were original4 ,without stopping an instant1 she took her horse to the back door1 and led him boldly into the house4 ,this was not the sort of stable to which ,tempe's horse or any other ,american horse was accustomed2 but this animal knew his mistress1 and where she led1 he was willing to follow4 ,if one of the farm hands had attempted to take the creature into the house1 there would probably have been some rearing and plunging2 but nothing of this kind happened as our ,jersey girl1 with her hand on her horse's bridle1 led him quickly inside and closed the door behind him4 ,as the story goes1 she took him through the kitchen1 and then into the parlor1 without the slightest regard to the injury his shoes might do to the well-kept floor2 and from the parlor she led him into a bedroom on the lower floor1 which was usually used as a guest chamber1 but which never before had such a guest as this4 ,this room had but a single window1 the shutters of which were kept closed when it was not in use1 and there was no entrance to it except through the door which opened from the parlor4 ,the door was quickly closed1 and ,tempe stood with her horse in the darkness4 ,when the soldiers reached the farm they went to the barn4 ,they examined the outhouses1 visited the pasture fields1 and made a thorough search1 high and low1 near and far2 but no sign of a horse could they find4 ,of course1 the notion that the animal was concealed in the house did not enter their minds1 and the only way in which they could account for the total disappearance of the horse was1 that ,tempe had ridden off with him--where they knew not4 ,we do not know how long they waited for the sight of a hungry horse coming home to his supper1 but we do know that while there was the slightest danger of her dear horse being taken away from her1 that animal remained a carefully attended guest in the spare room of the ,wick house2 and the tradition is1 that he staid there three weeks4 ,there ,tempe waited on him as if he had been a visitor of high degree2 and if she was afraid to go to the barn to bring him hay and oats1 she doubtless gave him biscuit and soft bread1--dainties of which a horse is very fond1 especially when they are brought to him by such a kind mistress as ,tempe4 ,when the cavalry moved away from their camp near ,morristown1 no one of them rode on that fine horse on which they had seen a girl gayly cantering1 and which1 when they had been about to put their hands upon it1 had flown away1 like a butterfly from under the straw hat of a schoolboy4 ,when the troops were gone1 the horse came out of the guest chamber and went back to his stall in the stable2 and that room in which he passed so many quiet days1 and the door through which the horse timidly stepped under the shadow of that hospitable roof1 are still to be seen at the old ,wick house1 which stands now1 as it stood then1 with its shaded yard and the great willow tree behind it1 on the pleasant country road by which we may drive from ,morristown to ,mendham by the way of ,washington ,corner4 --,from ,stories of ,new ,jersey1 by ,frank ,r4 ,stockton4 ,,life ,,in ,,norman ,,england4 ,the tall frowning keep and solid walls of the great stone castles1 in which the ,norman barons lived1 betokened an age of violence and suspicion4 ,beauty gave way to the needs of safety4 ,girdled with its green and slimy ditch1 round the inner edge of which ran a parapeted wall pierced along the top with shot holes1 stood the buildings1 spreading often over many acres4 ,illustration3 ,from a ,photograph4 ,engraved by ,john ,evans4 ,ruins of a ,norman ,castle4 ,if an enemy managed to cross the moat and force the gateway1 in spite of a portcullis crashing from above1 and melted lead pouring in burning streams from the perforated top of the rounded arch1 but little of his work was yet done2 for the keep lifted its huge angular block of masonry within the inner bailey or courtyard1 and from the narrow chinks in its ten-foot wall rained a sharp incessant shower of arrows1 sweeping all approaches to the high and narrow stair1 by which alone access could be had to its interior4 ,these loopholes were the only windows1 except in the topmost story1 where the chieftain1 like a vulture in his rocky nest1 watched all the surrounding country4 ,the day of splendid oriels had not yet come in castle architecture4 ,thus a baron in his keep could defy1 and often did defy1 the king upon his throne4 ,under his roof1 eating daily at his board1 lived a throng of armed retainers2 and around his castle lay farms tilled by martial franklins1 who at his call laid aside their implements of husbandry1 took up the sword and spear1 which they could wield with equal skill1 and marched beneath his banner to the war4 ,with robe ungirt and head uncovered each tenant had done homage and sworn an oath of fealty1 placing his joined hands between those of the sitting baron1 and humbly saying as he knelt1 ,i become your man from this day forward1 of life and limb and of earthly worship2 and unto you ,i shall be true and faithful1 and bear to you faith for the tenements that ,i claim to hold of you1 saving the faith that ,i owe unto our sovereign lord the king4 ,a kiss from the baron completed the ceremony4 ,the furniture of a ,norman keep was not unlike that of an ,english house4 ,there was richer ornament--more elaborate carving4 ,a faldestol1 the original of our arm-chair1 spread its drapery and cushions for the chieftain in his lounging moods4 ,his bed now boasted curtains and a roof1 although1 like the ,english lord1 he still lay only upon straw4 ,chimneys tunneled the thick walls1 and the cupboards glittered with glass and silver4 ,horn lanterns and the old spiked candlesticks lit up his evening hours1 when the chessboard arrayed its clumsy men1 carved out of walrus tusk1 then commonly called whale's-bone4 ,but the baron had an unpleasant trick of breaking the chessboard on his opponent's head1 when he found himself checkmated2 which somewhat marred said opponent's enjoyment of the game4 ,dice of horn and bone emptied many a purse in ,norman ,england4 ,illustration3 ,horn ,lantern4 ,dances and music whiled away the long winter nights2 and on summer evenings the castle courtyards resounded with the noise of football1 kayles 7a sort of ninepins71 wrestling1 boxing1 leaping1 and the fierce joys of the bull bait4 ,but out of doors1 when no fighting was on hand1 the hound1 the hawk1 and the lance attracted the best energies and skill of the ,norman gentleman4 ,rousing the forest game with dogs1 they shot at it with barbed and feathered arrows4 ,a field of ripening corn never turned the chase aside3 it was one privilege of a feudal baron to ride as he pleased over his tenants' crops1 and another to quarter his insolent hunting train in the farmhouses which pleased him best6 ,the elaborate details of woodcraft became an important part of a noble boy's education2 for the numerous bugle calls and scientific dissection of a dead stag took many seasons to learn4 ,after the ,conquest1 to kill a deer or own a hawk came more than ever to be regarded as the special privilege of the aristocracy4 ,the hawk1 daintily dressed1 as befitted the companion of nobility1 with his head wrapped in an embroidered hood1 and a peal of silver bells tinkling from his rough legs1 sat in state1 bound with leathern jesses to the wrist1 which was protected by a thick glove4 ,the ladies and the clergy loved him4 ,by many a mere the abbots ambled on their ponies over the swampy soil1 and sweet shrill voices cheered the long-winged hawk1 as he darted off in pursuit of the soaring quarry4 ,illustration3 ,the ,hawk4 ,the author of ,ivanhoe has made the tournament a picture familiar to all readers of romance4 ,it therefore needs no long description here4 ,it was held in honor of some great event--a coronation1 wedding1 or victory4 ,having practiced well during squirehood at the quintain1 the knight1 clad in full armor1 with visor barred and the colors of his lady on crest and scarf1 rode into the lists1 for which some level green was chosen and surrounded with a palisade4 ,for days before1 his shield had been hanging in a neighboring church1 as a sign of his intention to compete in this great game of chivalry4 ,if any stain lay on his knighthood1 a lady1 by touching the suspended shield with a wand1 could debar him from a share in the jousting4 ,and if1 when he had entered the lists he was rude to a lady1 or broke in any way the etiquette of the tilt yard1 he was beaten from the lists with the ashwood lances of the knights4 ,illustration3 ,the ,knight4 ,the simple joust was the shock of two knights1 who galloped with leveled spears at each other1 aiming at breast or head1 with the object either of unhorsing the antagonist1 or1 if he sat his charger well1 of splintering the lance upon his helmet or his shield4 ,the mellay hurled together1 at the dropping of the prince's baton1 two parties of knights1 who hacked away at each other with ax and mace and sword1 often gashing limbs and breaking bones in the wild excitement of the fray4 ,bright eyes glanced from the surrounding galleries upon the brutal sport2 and when the victor1 with broken plume1 and battered armor1 dragged his weary limbs to the footstool of the beauty who presided as ,queen over the festival1 her white hands decorated him with the meed of his achievements4 ,the ,normans probably dined at nine in the morning4 ,when they rose they took a light meal2 and ate something also after their day's work1 immediately before going to bed4 ,goose and garlic formed a favorite dish4 ,their cookery was more elaborate1 and1 in comparison1 more delicate1 than the preparations for an ,english feed2 but the character for temperance1 which they brought with them from the ,continent1 soon vanished4 ,the poorer classes hardly ever ate flesh1 living principally on bread1 butter1 and cheese1--a social fact which seems to underlie that usage of our tongue by which the living animals in field or stall bore ,english names--ox1 sheep1 calf1 pig1 deer2 while their flesh1 promoted to ,norman dishes1 rejoiced in names of ,french origin--beef1 mutton1 veal1 pork1 venison4 ,round cakes1 piously marked with a cross1 piled the tables1 on which pastry of various kinds also appeared4 ,in good houses cups of glass held the wine1 which was borne from the cellar below in jugs4 ,squatted around the door or on the stair leading to the ,norman dining hall1 was a crowd of beggars or lickers1 who grew so insolent in the days of ,rufus1 that ushers1 armed with rods1 were posted outside to beat back the noisy throng1 who thought little of snatching the dishes as the cooks carried them to table6 ,the juggler1 who under the ,normans filled the place of the ,english gleeman1 tumbled1 sang1 and balanced knives in the hall2 or out in the bailey of an afternoon displayed the acquirements of his trained monkey or bear4 ,the fool1 too1 clad in colored patchwork1 cracked his ribald jokes and shook his cap and bells at the elbow of roaring barons1 when the board was spread and the circles of the wine began4 ,while knights hunted in the greenwood or tilted in the lists1 and jugglers tumbled in the noisy hall1 the monk in the quiet scriptorium compiled chronicles of passing events1 copied valuable manuscripts1 and painted rich borders and brilliant initials on every page4 ,these illuminations form a valuable set of materials for our pictures of life in the ,middle ,ages4 ,monasteries served many useful purposes at the time of which ,i write4 ,besides their manifest value as centers of study and literary work1 they gave alms to the poor1 a supper and a bed to travelers2 their tenants were better off and better treated than the tenants of the nobles2 the monks could store grain1 grow apples1 and cultivate their flower beds with little risk of injury from war1 because they had spiritual thunders at their call1 which awed even the most reckless of the soldiery into a respect for sacred property4 ,splendid structures those monasteries generally were1 since that vivid taste for architecture which the ,norman possessed in a high degree1 and which could not find room for its display in the naked strength of the solid keep1 lavished its entire energy and grace upon buildings lying in the safe shadow of the ,cross4 ,nor was architectural taste the only reason for their magnificence4 ,since they were nearly all erected as offerings to ,heaven1 the religion of the age impelled the pious builders to spare no cost in decorating the exterior with fretwork and sculpture of ,caen stone1 the interior with gilded cornices and windows of painted glass4 ,as schools1 too1 the monasteries did no trifling service to society in the ,middle ,ages4 ,in addition to their influence as great centers of learning1 ,english law had enjoined every mass priest to keep a school in his parish church1 where all the young committed to his care might be instructed4 ,this custom continued long after the ,norman ,conquest4 ,in the ,trinity ,college ,psalter we have a picture of a ,norman school1 where the pupils sit in a circular row around the master as he lectures to them from a long roll of manuscript4 ,two writers sit by the desk1 busy with copies resembling that which the teacher holds4 ,the youth of the middle classes1 destined for the cloister or the merchant's stall1 chiefly thronged these schools4 ,the aristocracy cared little for book-learning4 ,very few indeed of the barons could read or write4 ,but all could ride1 fence1 tilt1 play1 and carve extremely well2 for to these accomplishments many years of pagehood and squirehood were given4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the foregoing description of manners and customs during the age of feudalism has been adapted from a popular ,history of ,england1 by ,w4 ,f4 ,collier4 ,a much fuller description may be found in ,knight's ,history of ,england1 and in ,green's ,short ,history of the ,english ,people4 ,the period described was in many respects the most romantic in the history of the world1 and many delightful and instructive books have been written concerning it4 ,read ,scott's ,ivanhoe and ,the ,talisman4 ,reference may also be had to ,pauli's ,pictures of ,old ,england1 and ,jusserand's ,english ,wayfaring ,life in the ,middle ,ages4 ,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,the ,,swan',s ,,nest4 ,illustration3 ,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning4 ,so the dreams depart1 ,so the fading phantoms flee1 ,and the sharp reality ,now must act its part4 --,westwood's ,beads from a ,rosary4 ,i4 ,little ,ellie sits alone ',mid the beeches of a meadow1 ,by a stream side on the grass1 ,and the trees are showering down ,doubles of their leaves in shadow1 ,on her shining hair and face4 ,,ii4 ,she has thrown her bonnet by1 ,and her feet she has been dipping ,in the shallow water's flow2 ,now she holds them nakedly ,in her hands1 all sleek and dripping1 ,while she rocketh to and fro4 ,,iii4 ,little ,ellie sits alone1 ,and the smile she softly uses ,fills the silence like a speech1 ,while she thinks what shall be done1 ,and the sweetest pleasure chooses ,for her future within reach4 ,,iv4 ,little ,ellie in her smile ,chooses1 ,i will have a lover1 ,riding on a steed of steeds3 ,he shall love me without guile1 ,and to him ,i will discover ,the swan's nest among the reeds4 ,v4 ,and the steed shall be red roan1 ,and the lover shall be noble1 ,with an eye that takes the breath4 ,and the lute he plays upon ,shall strike ladies into trouble1 ,as his sword strikes men to death4 ,,vi4 ,and the steed it shall be shod ,all in silver1 housed in azure2 ,and the mane shall swim the wind2 ,and the hoofs along the sod ,shall flash onward1 and keep measure1 ,till the shepherds look behind4 ,,vii4 ,but my lover will not prize ,all the glory that he rides in1 ,when he gazes in my face4 ,he will say1 ',o ,love1 thine eyes ,build the shrine my soul abides in1 ,and ,i kneel here for thy grace6' ,,viii4 ,then1 aye1 then he shall kneel low1 ,with the red-roan steed anear him1 ,which shall seem to understand1 ,till ,i answer1 ',rise and go6 ,for the world must love and fear him ,whom ,i gift with heart and hand4' ,,ix4 ,then he will arise so pale1 ,i shall feel my own lips tremble ,with a yes ,i must not say3 ,nathless maiden brave1 ',farewell1' ,i will utter1 and dissemble-- ',light to-morrow with to-day6' ,x4 ,then he'll ride among the hills ,to the wide world past the river1 ,there to put away all wrong1 ,to make straight distorted wills1 ,and to empty the broad quiver ,which the wicked bear along4 ,,xi4 ,three times shall a young foot page ,swim the stream1 and climb the mountain1 ,and kneel down beside my feet3 ',lo6 my master sends this gage1 ,lady1 for thy pity's counting4 ,what wilt thou exchange for it8' ,,xii4 ,and the first time ,i will send ,a white rosebud for a guerdon-- ,and the second time1 a glove2 ,but the third time--,i may bend ,from my pride1 and answer--',pardon1 ,if he comes to take my love4' ,,xiii4 ,then the young foot page will run-- ,then my lover will ride faster1 ,till he kneeleth at my knee3 ',i am a duke's eldest son6 ,thousand serfs do call me master1-- ,but1 ,o ,love1 ,i love but thee6'444 ,,xiv4 ,little ,ellie1 with her smile ,not yet ended1 rose up gayly1 ,tied the bonnet1 donned the shoe1 ,and went homeward1 round a mile1 ,just to see1 as she did daily1 ,what more eggs were with the two4 ,,xv4 ,pushing through the elm-tree copse1 ,winding up the stream1 light-hearted1 ,where the osier pathway leads1 ,past the boughs she stoops1 and stops4 ,lo1 the wild swan had deserted1 ,and a rat had gnawed the reeds6 ,,xvi4 ,ellie went home sad and slow4 ,if she found the lover ever1 ,with his red-roan steed of steeds1 ,sooth ,i know not2 but ,i know ,she could never show him--never1 ,that swan's nest among the reeds4 --,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning4 ,a ,,patriarch ,,of ,,the ,,olden ,,time ,oh that ,i were as in months past1 as in the days when ,god preserved me2 when his candle shined upon my head1 and when by his light ,i walked through darkness2 as ,i was in the days of my youth1 when the secret of ,god was upon my tabernacle2 when the ,almighty was yet with me2 when my children were about me2 when ,i washed my steps with butter1 and the rock poured me out rivers of oil4 ,when the ear heard me1 then it blessed me2 and when the eye saw me1 it gave witness to me3 because ,i delivered the poor that cried1 and the fatherless1 and him that had none to help him4 ,the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me2 and ,i caused the widow's heart to sing for joy4 ,i was eyes to the blind1 and feet was ,i to the lame4 ,i was a father to the poor2 and the cause which ,i knew not1 ,i searched out4 ,did not ,i weep for him that was in trouble8 ,was not my soul grieved for the poor8 ,let me be weighed in an even balance that ,god may know mine integrity4 ,if ,i did despise the cause of my man servant or of my maid servant1 when they contended with me1 what then shall ,i do when ,god riseth up8 and when he visiteth1 what shall ,i answer him8 ,did not he that made me make him also8 ,if ,i have withheld the poor from their desire1 or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail1 or have eaten my morsel myself alone1 and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof2 if ,i have seen any perish for want of clothing1 or any poor without covering2 if his loins have not blessed me1 and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep2 if ,i have lifted up my hand against the fatherless1 when ,i saw my help in the gate2 then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade1 and mine arm be broken from the bone4 ,if ,i rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me1 or lifted up myself when evil found him 7neither have ,i suffered my mouth to sin1 by wishing a curse to his soul4 ,the stranger did not lodge in the street2 but ,i opened my doors to the traveler74 ,if my land cry against me1 or the furrows likewise thereof complain2 if ,i have eaten the fruits thereof without money1 or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life3 let thistles grow instead of wheat1 and cockle instead of barley4 --,from the ,book of ,job4 ,,how ,,cort,s ,,entered ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,mexico4 ,illustration3 ,william ,h4 ,prescott4 ,mexico1 when first discovered by ,europeans1 was inhabited by a civilized race called ,aztecs4 ,the conquest of that country and the subjugation of its people by the ,spaniards under ,hernando ,corts1 in #aeah-ba1 was one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of the ,western ,continent4 ,william ,h4 ,prescott1 our ,american historian1 in his ,conquest of ,mexico1 has told the story of that event in a manner so delightful that the whole narrative reads like a romance4 ,his description of the entry of the ,spaniards into the capital city of the ,aztecs is as follows3-- ,it was the eighth of ,november1 #aeai1 a conspicuous day in history1 as that on which the ,europeans first set foot in the capital of the ,western ,world4 ,corts with his little body of horse formed a sort of advanced guard to the army4 ,then came the ,spanish infantry1 who in a summer's campaign had acquired the discipline and the weather-beaten aspect of veterans4 ,the baggage occupied the center2 and the rear was closed by the dark files of ,tlascalan warriors4 ,the whole number must have fallen short of seven thousand2 of which fewer than four hundred were ,spaniards4 ,everywhere the conquerors beheld the evidence of a crowded and thriving population1 exceeding all they had yet seen4 ,the temples and principal buildings of the cities were covered with a hard white stucco1 which glistened like enamel in the level beams of the morning4 ,the margin of the lake was thickly gemmed with towns and hamlets4 ,the water was darkened by swarms of canoes filled with ,indians1 who clambered up the sides of the causeway and gazed with curious astonishment on the strangers4 ,and here1 also1 they beheld those fairy islands of flowers1 overshadowed occasionally by trees of considerable size1 rising and falling with the gentle undulation of the billows4 ,at the distance of half a league from the capital1 they encountered a solid work1 or curtain of stone1 which traversed the dike4 ,it was twelve feet high1 was strengthened by towers at the extremities1 and in the center was a battlemented gateway1 which opened a passage to the troops4 ,here they were met by several hundred ,aztec chiefs1 who came out to announce the approach of ,montezuma and to welcome the ,spaniards to his capital4 ,they were dressed in the fanciful gala costume of the country1 with the maxlatl1 or cotton sash1 around their loins1 and a broad mantle of the same material1 or of the brilliant feather embroidery1 flowing gracefully down their shoulders4 ,on their necks and arms they displayed collars and bracelets of turquoise mosaic1 with which delicate plumage was curiously mingled1 while their ears and underlips1 and occasionally their noses1 were garnished with pendants formed of precious stones1 or crescents of fine gold4 ,as each cacique made the usual formal salutation of the country separately to the general1 the tedious ceremony delayed the march more than an hour4 ,after this the army experienced no further interruption till it reached a bridge near the gates of the city4 ,it was built of wood1 and was thrown across an opening of the dike1 which furnished an outlet to the waters when agitated by the winds or swollen by a sudden influx in the rainy season4 ,it was a drawbridge2 and the ,spaniards1 as they crossed it1 felt how truly they were committing themselves to the mercy of ,montezuma1 who1 by thus cutting off their communications with the country1 might hold them prisoners in his capital4 ,in the midst of these unpleasant reflections1 they beheld the glittering retinue of the emperor emerging from the great street which led then1 as it still does1 through the heart of the city4 ,amidst a crowd of ,indian nobles1 preceded by three officers of state bearing golden wands1 they saw the royal palanquin blazing with burnished gold4 ,it was borne on the shoulders of nobles1 and over it a canopy of gaudy feather work1 powdered with jewels and fringed with silver1 was supported by four attendants of the same rank4 ,they were barefooted1 and walked with a slow1 measured pace1 and with eyes bent on the ground4 ,when the train had come within a convenient distance1 it halted1 and ,montezuma1 descending from his litter1 came forward1 leaning on the arms of the lords of ,tezcuco and ,iztapalapan1 his nephew and brother1 both of whom had already been made known to the ,spaniards4 ,as the monarch advanced under the canopy1 the obsequious attendants strewed the ground with cotton tapestry1 that his imperial feet might not be contaminated by the rude soil4 ,his subjects of high and low degree1 who lined the sides of the causeway1 bent forward with their eyes fastened on the ground as he passed1 and some of the humbler class prostrated themselves before him4 ,montezuma wore the girdle and ample square cloak1 tilmatli1 of his nation4 ,it was made of the finest cotton1 with the embroidered ends gathered in a knot round his neck4 ,his feet were defended by sandals having soles of gold1 and the leathern thongs which bound them to his ankles were embossed with the same metal4 ,both the cloak and sandals were sprinkled with pearls and precious stones1 among which the emerald1 and another green stone of high estimation among the ,aztecs1 were conspicuous4 ,on his head he wore no other ornament than a panache of plumes of the royal green1 which floated down his back1 the badge of military1 rather than of regal1 rank4 ,he was at this time about forty years of age4 ,his person was tall and thin1 but not ill made4 ,his hair1 which was black and straight1 was not very long2 to wear it short was considered unbecoming to persons of rank4 ,his beard was thin2 his complexion somewhat paler than is often found in his dusky1 or rather copper-colored1 race4 ,his features1 though serious in their expression1 did not wear the look of melancholy1 indeed of dejection1 which characterizes his portrait1 and which may well have settled on them at a later period4 ,he moved with dignity1 and his whole demeanor1 tempered by an expression of benignity not to have been anticipated from the reports circulated of his character1 was worthy of a great prince4 ,the army halted as he drew near4 ,corts1 dismounting1 threw his reins to a page1 and supported by a few of the principal cavaliers1 advanced to meet him4 ,the interview must have been one of uncommon interest to both4 ,in ,montezuma1 ,corts beheld the lord of the broad realms he had traversed1 whose magnificence and power had been the burden of every tongue4 ,in the ,spaniard1 on the other hand1 the ,aztec prince saw the strange being whose history seemed to be so mysteriously connected with his own2 the predicted one of his oracles1 whose achievements proclaimed him something more than human4 ,but whatever may have been the monarch's feelings1 he so far suppressed them as to receive his guest with princely courtesy1 and to express his satisfaction at personally seeing him in his capital4 ,corts responded by the most profound expressions of respect1 while he made ample acknowledgments for the substantial proofs which the emperor had given the ,spaniards of his munificence4 ,he then hung round ,montezuma's neck a sparkling chain of colored crystal1 accompanying this with a movement as if to embrace him1 when he was restrained by the two ,aztec lords1 shocked at the menaced profanation of the sacred person of their master4 ,after the interchange of these civilities1 ,montezuma appointed his brother to conduct the ,spaniards to their residence in the capital1 and1 again entering his litter1 was borne off amidst prostrate crowds in the same state in which he had come4 ,the ,spaniards quickly followed1 and1 with colors flying and music playing1 soon made their entrance into the southern quarter of ,tenochtitlan4 ,here1 again1 they found fresh cause for admiration in the grandeur of the city and the superior style of its architecture4 ,the dwellings of the poorer class were1 indeed1 chiefly of reeds and mud4 ,but the great avenue through which they were now marching was lined with the houses of the nobles1 who were encouraged by the emperor to make the capital their residence4 ,they were built of a red porous stone drawn from quarries in the neighborhood1 and1 though they rarely rose to a second story1 often covered a large space of ground4 ,the flat roofs1 azoteas1 were protected by stone parapets1 so that every house was a fortress4 ,sometimes these roofs resembled parterres of flowers1 so thickly were they covered with them1 but more frequently these were cultivated in broad terraced gardens1 laid out between the edifices4 ,occasionally a great square or market place intervened1 surrounded by its porticoes of stone and stucco2 or a pyramidal temple reared its colossal bulk1 crowned with its tapering sanctuaries1 and altars blazing with inextinguishable fires4 ,the great street facing the southern causeway1 unlike most others in the place1 was wide1 and extended some miles in nearly a straight line1 as before noticed1 through the center of the city4 ,a spectator standing at one end of it1 as his eye ranged along the deep vista of temples1 terraces1 and gardens1 might clearly discern the other1 with the blue mountains in the distance1 which1 in the transparent atmosphere of the table-land1 seemed almost in contact with the buildings4 ,but what most impressed the ,spaniards was the throngs of people who swarmed through the streets and on the canals1 filling every doorway and window and clustering on the roofs of the buildings4 ,i well remember the spectacle1 exclaims ,bernal ,diaz2 it seems now1 after so many years1 as present to my mind as if it were but yesterday4 ,but what must have been the sensations of the ,aztecs themselves1 as they looked on the portentous pageant6 as they heard1 now for the first time1 the well-cemented pavement ring under the iron tramp of the horses1--the strange animals which fear had clothed in such supernatural terrors3 as they gazed on the children of the ,east1 revealing their celestial origin in their fair complexions2 saw the bright falchions and bonnets of steel1 a metal to them unknown1 glancing like meteors in the sun1 while sounds of unearthly music--at least1 such as their rude instruments had never wakened--floated in the air8 ,illustration3 ,hernando ,corts4 ,as they passed down the spacious street1 the troops repeatedly traversed bridges suspended above canals1 along which they saw the ,indian barks gliding swiftly with their little cargoes of fruits and vegetables for the markets of ,tenochtitlan4 ,at length they halted before a broad area near the center of the city1 where rose the huge pyramidal pile dedicated to the patron war god of the ,aztecs1 second only1 in size as well as sanctity1 to the temple of ,cholula1 and covering the same ground now in part occupied by the great cathedral of ,mexico4 ,facing the western gate of the inclosure of the temple1 stood a low range of stone buildings1 spreading over a wide extent of ground1 the palace of ,axayacatl1 ,montezuma's father1 built by that monarch about fifty years before4 ,it was appropriated as the barracks of the ,spaniards4 ,the emperor himself was in the courtyard1 waiting to receive them4 ,approaching ,corts1 he took from a vase of flowers1 borne by one of his slaves1 a massy collar1 in which the shell of a species of crawfish1 much prized by the ,indians1 was set in gold and connected by heavy links of the same metal4 ,from this chain depended eight ornaments1 also of gold1 made in resemblance of the same shellfish1 a span in length each1 and of delicate workmanship2 for the ,aztec goldsmiths were confessed to have shown skill in their craft not inferior to their brethren of ,europe4 ,montezuma1 as he hung the gorgeous collar round the general's neck1 said1 ,this palace belongs to you1 ,malinche 7the epithet by which he always addressed him71 and your brethren4 ,rest after your fatigues1 for you have much need to do so1 and in a little while ,i will visit you again4 ,so saying1 he withdrew with his attendants1 evincing in this act a delicate consideration not to have been expected in a barbarian4 ,,the ,,skylark4 ,bird of the wilderness1 ,blithesome and cumberless1 ,sweet be thy matin o'er moorland and lea6 ,emblem of happiness1 ,blest is thy dwelling place3 ,oh to abide in the desert with thee6 ,wild is thy lay1 and loud1 ,far in the downy cloud3 ,love gives it energy1 love gave it birth4 ,where1 on thy dewy wing1 ,where art thou journeying8 ,thy lay is in heaven1 thy love is on earth4 ,o'er fell and fountain sheen1 ,o'er moor and mountain green1 ,o'er the red streamer that heralds the day1 ,over the cloudlet dim1 ,over the rainbow's rim1 ,musical cherub1 soar1 singing1 away6 ,then1 when the gloaming comes1 ,low in the heather blooms ,sweet will thy welcome and bed of love be2 ,emblem of happiness1 ,blest is thy dwelling place3 ,oh to abide in the desert with thee6 --,james ,hogg4 ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the ,,tadpole4 ,a blade of grass is a mystery1 if men would but distill it out4 ,when my learned friend ,dr4 ,syntax1 glancing round my workroom1 observed a vase full of tadpoles1 he asked me in a tone of sniffling superiority3 ,do you really mean to say you find any interest in those little beasts8 ,illustration3 ,george ,henry ,lewes4 ,as much as you find in books1 ,i answered1 with some energy4 ,h'm1 grunted ,syntax4 ,very absurd isn't it8 ,but we all have our hobbies4 ,i can pass a bookstall on which ,i perceive that the ignorance of the bookseller permits him to exhibit now and then rare editions of valuable books at almost no price at all4 ,the sight gives me no thrill--it does not even cause me to slacken my pace4 ,but ,i can't so easily pass a pond in which ,i see a shoal of tadpoles swimming about1 as ignorant of their own value as the bookseller is of his books4 ,i may walk on1 but the sight has sent a slight electric shock through me4 ,why1 sir1 ,i said to my learned friend1 there is more to me in the tail of one of those tadpoles than in all the musty old volumes you so much delight to pick up4 ,but ,i won't thrash your dog unless you thrash mine4 ,why1 what on earth can you do with the tail8 ,illustration3 ,tadpoles in different ,stages of ,development4 ,do with it8 ,study it1 experiment on it1 put it under the microscope1 and day by day watch the growth of its various parts4 ,at first it is little more than a mass of cells4 ,then ,i notice that these cells begin to take a definite shape1 and blood vessels appear in them4 ,then the muscles begin to appear4 ,very interesting1 ,i dare say4 ,you don't seem to think so1 by your tone4 ,but look in this vase3 here are several tadpoles with the most apologetic of tails--mere stumps1 in fact4 ,i cut them off nine days ago4 ,will they grow again8 ,perfectly2 for1 although the frog dispenses with a tail almost as soon as he reaches the frog form1 the tadpole needs his tail to swim with2 and when by any accident he loses it1 ,nature kindly supplies him with another4 ,yes1 yes1 added ,syntax1 glad to feel himself once more among things of which he knew something2 just like the lobster or the crab1 you know4 ,they tear off their legs and arms in a most reckless way1 and yet they always grow new ones again4 ,would you like to know what has become of the tails which ,i cut off from these fellows8 ,aren't they dead8 ,not at all4 ,alive and kicking4 ,alive after nine days8 ,oh6 oh6 ,here they are1 in this glass4 ,it is exactly nine days since they were cut off1 and ,i have been watching them daily under the microscope4 ,i assure you that ,i have seen them grow1 not larger1 indeed1 but develop more and more1 muscle fibers appearing each day where before there were none at all4 ,come1 now1 you are trying to see what a fool you can make of me4 ,i am perfectly serious4 ,the discovery is none of mine4 ,it was made by ,m4 ,vulpian in ,paris4 ,he says that the tails live many days--as many as eighteen in one instance2 but ,i have never kept mine alive more than eleven4 ,he says1 moreover1 that they not only grow1 as ,i have said1 but that they seem to possess feeling1 for they twist about with a rapid swimming movement when irritated4 ,well1 but ,i say1 how could they live when separated from the body8 ,our arms or legs don't live2 the lobster's legs don't live4 ,quite true4 ,but in those cases we have limbs of a complex organization1 which require a complex apparatus in order to sustain their life4 ,they must have blood1 the blood must circulate4 ,stop1 stop6 ,i don't want to understand why our arms can't live apart from our bodies4 ,they don't4 ,the fact is enough for me4 ,i want to know why the tail of a tadpole can live apart from the body4 ,it can4 ,is not the fact enough for you in that case also8 ,well1 ,i was going to tell you the reason4 ,the tail will live apart from the body only so long as it retains its early immature form4 ,if you cut it off from a tadpole which is old enough to have lost its external gills a week or more1 the tail will not live more than three or four days4 ,and every tail will die as soon as it reaches the point in its development which requires the circulation of the blood as a necessary condition4 ,but where does it get food8 ,that is more than ,i can say4 ,i don't know that it wants food4 ,you know that reptiles can live without food a wonderful length of time4 ,really1 ,i begin to think there is more in these little beasts than ,i ever dreamed of4 ,but it must take a great deal of study to get at these facts4 ,not more than to get at any of the other open secrets of ,nature4 ,but1 since you are interested1 look at these tails as the tadpoles come bobbing against the side of the glass4 ,do you see how they are covered with little white spots8 ,no4 ,look closer4 ,all over the tail there are tiny1 cotton-like spots4 ,take a lens1 if your eye isn't sharp enough4 ,there1 now you see them4 ,yes2 ,i see a sort of fluff scattered about4 ,that fluff is an immense colony of parasites4 ,let us place the tadpole under the microscope1 and you will see each spot turn out to be a multitude of elegant and active animals1 having bodies not unlike a crystal goblet supported on an extremely long and flexible stem1 and having round their rim or mouth a range of long1 delicate hairs1 the motion of which gives a wheel-like aspect1 and makes an eddy in the water which brings food to the animal4 ,this is really interesting6 ,how active they are6 ,how they shrink up1 and then1 unwinding their twisted stems1 expand again6 ,what's the name of this thing8 ,vorticella4 ,it may be found growing on water fleas1 plants1 decayed wood1 or these tadpoles4 ,people who study the animalcules are very fond of this ,vorticella4 ,well1 ,i never could have believed such a patch of fluff could turn out a sight like this3 ,i could watch it for an hour4 ,but what are those small yellowish things sticking on the side of these parasites8 ,those1 my dear ,syntax1 are also parasites4 ,what1 parasites living on parasites8 ,why not8 ,nature is economical4 ,don't you live on beef1 and mutton1 and fish8 ,don't these beeves1 muttons1 and fishes live on vegetables and animals8 ,don't the vegetables and animals live on other organic matters8 ,eat and be eaten1 is one law3 live and let live1 is another4 ,illustration3 ,the ,tadpole's last ,stage4 ,the learned ,doctor remained thoughtful2 then he screwed up one side of his face into the most frightful wrinkles1 while with the eye of the other he resumed his examination of the ,vorticella4 --,george ,henry ,lewes4 ,illustration3 ,from the ,painting by ,rosa ,bonheur4 ,engraved by ,horace ,baker4 ,the ,lions4 ,,the ,,glove ,,and ,,the ,,lions4 ,king ,francis was a hearty king1 and loved a royal sport1 ,and one day1 as his lions fought1 sat looking on the court2 ,the nobles filled the benches1 with the ladies in their pride1 ,and 'mongst them sat the ,count de ,lorge1 with one for whom he sighed3 ,and truly 'twas a gallant thing to see that crowning show1-- ,valor and love1 and a king above1 and the royal beasts below4 ,illustration3 ,leigh ,hunt4 ,ramped and roared the lions1 with horrid laughing jaws2 ,they bit1 they glared1 gave blows like beams1 a wind went with their paws2 ,with wallowing might and stifled roar1 they rolled on one another1 ,till all the pit1 with sand and mane1 was in a thunderous smother2 ,the bloody foam above the bars came whisking through the air3 ,said ,francis1 then1 ,faith1 gentlemen1 we're better here than there4 ,de ,lorge's love o'erheard the king1 a beauteous1 lively dame1 ,with smiling lips and sharp bright eyes1 which always seemed the same2 ,she thought1 ,the ,count1 my lover1 is brave as brave can be1 ,he surely would do wondrous things to show his love of me2 ,king1 ladies1 lovers1 all look on2 the occasion is divine2 ,i'll drop my glove1 to prove his love2 great glory will be mine4 ,she dropped her glove1 to prove his love2 then looked at him1 and smiled2 ,he bowed1 and in a moment leaped among the lions wild3 ,the leap was quick1 return was quick1 he soon regained the place1 ,then threw the glove1 but not with love1 right in the lady's face4 ,in faith1 cried ,francis1 rightly done6 and he rose from where he sat2 ,no love1 quoth he1 but vanity sets love a task like that4 --,leigh ,hunt4 ,,true ,,growth4 ,it is not growing like a tree ,in bulk1 doth make man better be2 ,or standing like an oak1 three hundred year1 ,to fall a log at last1 dry1 bald1 and sere2 ,a lily of a day ,is fairer far in ,may1 ,although it fall and die that night-- ,it was the plant and flower of ,light4 ,in small proportions we just beauties see2 ,and in short measures life may perfect be4 --,ben ,jonson4 ,,the ,,shipwreck4 ,i4 ,having made up my mind to go down to ,yarmouth1 ,i went round to the coach office and took the box seat on the mail4 ,in the evening ,i started1 by that conveyance1 down the road4 ,don't you think that a very remarkable sky8 ,i asked the coachman1 in the first stage out of ,london4 ,i don't remember to have seen one like it4 ,nor ,i--not equal to it1 he replied4 ,that's wind1 sir2 there'll be mischief done at sea1 ,i expect before long4 ,illustration3 ,charles ,dickens4 ,it was a murky confusion--here and there blotted with a color like the color of the smoke from damp fuel--of flying clouds tossed up into most remarkable heaps1 suggesting greater heights in the clouds than there were depths below them to the bottom of the deepest hollows in the earth1 through which the wild moon seemed to plunge headlong1 as if1 in a dread disturbance of the laws of nature1 she had lost her way and were frightened4 ,there had been wind all day2 and it was rising then1 with an extraordinary great sound4 ,in another hour it had much increased1 and the sky was more overcast1 and it blew harder4 ,but as the night advanced1 the clouds closing in and densely overspreading the whole sky1 then very dark1 it came on to blow harder and harder4 ,it still increased1 until our horses could scarcely face the wind4 ,many times in the dark part of the night 7it was then late in ,september1 when the nights were not short7 the leaders turned about1 or came to a dead stop2 and we were often in apprehension that the coach would be blown over4 ,when the day broke1 it blew harder and harder4 ,i had been in ,yarmouth when the seamen said it blew great guns1 but ,i had never known the like of this1 or anything approaching to it4 ,we came to ,ipswich--very late1 having had to fight every inch of ground since we were ten miles out of ,london2 and found a cluster of people in the market place1 who had risen from their beds in the night1 fearful of falling chimneys4 ,some of these1 congregating about the innyard while we changed horses1 told us of great sheets of lead having been ripped off a high church tower and flung into a by-street1 which they then blocked up4 ,others had to tell of country people1 coming in from neighboring villages1 who had seen great trees lying torn out of the earth1 and whole ricks scattered about the roads and fields4 ,still there was no abatement in the storm1 but it blew harder4 ,as we struggled on1 nearer and nearer to the sea1 from which the mighty wind was blowing dead on shore1 its force became more and more terrific4 ,long before we saw the sea1 its spray was on our lips1 and showered salt rain upon us4 ,the water was out1 over miles and miles of the flat country adjacent to ,yarmouth2 and every sheet and puddle lashed its banks1 and had its stress of little breakers setting heavily towards us4 ,when we came within sight of the sea1 the waves on the horizon1 caught at intervals above the rolling abyss1 were like glimpses of another shore with towers and buildings4 ,when at last we got into the town1 the people came out to their doors1 all aslant1 and with streaming hair1 making a wonder of the mail that had come through such a night4 ,i put up at the old inn1 and went down to look at the sea1 staggering along the street1 which was strewn with sand and seaweed1 and with flying blotches of sea foam2 afraid of falling slates and tiles2 and holding by people ,i met at angry corners4 ,coming near the beach1 ,i saw1 not only the boatmen1 but half the people of the town1 lurking behind buildings2 some now and then braving the fury of the storm to look away to sea1 and blown sheer out of their course in trying to get zigzag back4 ,joining these groups1 ,i found bewailing women whose husbands were away in herring or oyster boats1 which there was too much reason to think might have foundered before they could run in anywhere for safety4 ,grizzled old sailors were among the people1 shaking their heads as they looked from water to sky1 and muttering to one another2 shipowners excited and uneasy2 children huddling together1 and peering into older faces2 even stout mariners disturbed and anxious1 leveling their glasses at the sea from behind places of shelter1 as if they were surveying an enemy4 ,the tremendous sea itself1 when ,i could find sufficient pause to look at it1 in the agitation of the blinding wind1 the flying stones and sand1 and the awful noise1 confounded me4 ,as the high watery walls came rolling in1 and1 at their highest1 tumbled into surf1 they looked as if the least would engulf the town4 ,as the receding wave swept back with a hoarse roar1 it seemed to scoop out caves in the beach1 as if its purpose were to undermine the earth4 ,when some white-headed billows thundered on1 and dashed themselves to pieces before they reached the land1 every fragment of the late whole seemed possessed by the full might of its wrath1 rushing to be gathered to the composition of another monster4 ,undulating hills were changed to valleys1 undulating valleys 7with a storm bird sometimes skimming through them7 were lifted up to hills2 masses of water shivered and shook the beach with a booming sound2 every shape tumultuously rolled on1 as soon as made1 to change its shape and place1 and beat another shape and place away2 the ideal shore on the horizon1 with its towers and buildings1 rose and fell2 the clouds flew fast and thick2 ,i seemed to see a rending and upheaving of all nature4 ,not finding my old friend1 ,ham1 among the people whom this memorable wind--for it is still remembered down there as the greatest ever known to blow upon that coast--had brought together1 ,i made my way to his house4 ,it was shut2 and as no one answered to my knocking1 ,i went by back ways and by-lanes to the yard where he worked4 ,i learned there that he had gone to ,lowestoft1 to meet some sudden exigency of ship repairing in which his skill was required2 but that he would be back to-morrow morning in good time4 ,i went back to the inn2 and when ,i had washed and dressed1 and tried to sleep1 but in vain1 it was five o'clock in the afternoon4 ,i had not sat five minutes by the coffee-room fire1 when the waiter1 coming to stir it as an excuse for talking1 told me that two colliers had gone down1 with all hands1 a few miles away2 and that some other ships had been seen laboring hard in the ,roads1 and trying in great distress to keep off shore4 ,mercy on them1 and on all poor sailors1 said he1 if we had another night like the last6 ,i was very much depressed in spirits1 very solitary1 and felt an uneasiness in ,ham's not being there1 disproportionate to the occasion4 ,i was seriously affected1 without knowing how much1 by late events1 and my exposure to the fierce wind had confused me4 ,there was that jumble in my thoughts and recollections that ,i had lost the clear arrangement of time and distance4 ,thus1 if ,i had gone out into the town1 ,i should not have been surprised1 ,i think1 to encounter some one who ,i knew must be then in ,london4 ,so to speak1 there was in these respects a curious inattention in my mind4 ,yet it was busy1 too1 with all the remembrances the place naturally awakened1 and they were particularly distinct and vivid4 ,in this state1 the waiter's dismal intelligence about the ships immediately connected itself1 without any effort of my volition1 with my uneasiness about ,ham4 ,i was persuaded that possibly he would attempt to return from ,lowestoft by sea1 and be lost4 ,this grew so strong with me1 that ,i resolved to go back to the yard before ,i took my dinner1 and ask the boat builder if he thought his attempting to return by sea at all likely4 ,if he gave me the least reason to think so1 ,i would go over to ,lowestoft and prevent it by bringing him with me4 ,i hastily ordered my dinner1 and went back to the yard4 ,i was none too soon2 for the boat builder1 with a lantern in his hand1 was locking the yard gate4 ,he quite laughed when ,i asked him the question1 and said there was no fear2 no man in his senses1 or out of them1 would put off in such a gale of wind1 least of all ,ham ,peggotty1 who had been born to seafaring4 ,i went back to the inn4 ,the howl and roar1 the rattling of the doors and windows1 the rumbling in the chimneys1 the apparent rocking of the very house that sheltered me1 and the prodigious tumult of the sea1 were more fearful than in the morning4 ,but there was now a great darkness besides2 and that invested the storm with new terrors1 real and fanciful4 ,i could not eat1 ,i could not sit still1 ,i could not continue steadfast in anything4 ,something within me1 faintly answering to the storm without1 tossed up the depths of my memory and made a tumult in them4 ,yet1 in all the hurry of my thoughts1 wild running with thundering sea1 the storm and my uneasiness regarding ,ham were always in the foreground4 ,my dinner went away almost untasted1 and ,i tried to refresh myself with a glass or two of wine4 ,in vain4 ,i fell into a dull slumber before the fire1 without losing my consciousness either of the uproar out of doors or of the place in which ,i was4 ,both became overshadowed by a new undefinable horror2 and when ,i awoke--or rather when ,i shook off the lethargy that bound me in my chair--my whole frame thrilled with objectless and unintelligible fear4 ,i walked to and fro1 tried to read an old gazetteer1 listened to the awful noises2 looked at faces1 scenes1 and figures in the fire4 ,at length the steady ticking of the undisturbed clock on the wall tormented me to that degree that ,i resolved to go to bed4 ,it was reassuring1 on such a night1 to be told that some of the inn servants had agreed together to sit up until morning4 ,i went to bed1 exceedingly weary and heavy2 but on my lying down all such sensations vanished1 as if by magic1 and ,i was broad awake1 with every sense refined4 ,for hours ,i lay there1 listening to the wind and water2 imagining now that ,i heard shrieks out at sea1 now that ,i distinctly heard the firing of signal guns1 and now the fall of houses in the town4 ,i got up several times and looked out1 but could see nothing except the reflection in the window panes of the faint candle ,i had left burning1 and of my own haggard face looking in at me from the black void4 ,at length my restlessness attained to such a pitch1 that ,i hurried on my clothes1 and went downstairs4 ,in the large kitchen1 where ,i dimly saw bacon and ropes of onions hanging from the beams1 the watchers were clustered together1 in various attitudes1 about a table1 purposely moved away from the great chimney1 and brought near the door4 ,a pretty girl who had her ears stopped with her apron1 and her eyes upon the door1 screamed when ,i appeared1 supposing me to be a spirit2 but the others had more presence of mind1 and were glad of an addition to their company4 ,one man1 referring to the topic they had been discussing1 asked me whether ,i thought the souls of the collier crews who had gone down were out in the storm8 ,i remained there1 ,i dare say two hours4 ,there was a dark gloom in my solitary chamber when ,i at length returned to it2 but ,i was tired now1 and1 getting into bed again1 fell off a tower and down a precipice into the depths of sleep4 ,i have an impression that for a long time1 though ,i dreamed of being elsewhere and in a variety of scenes1 it was always blowing in my dream4 ,at length ,i lost that feeble hold upon reality1 and was engaged with two dear friends1 but who they were ,i don't know1 at the siege of some town in a roar of cannonading4 ,,ii4 ,the thunder of the cannon was so loud and incessant1 that ,i could not hear something ,i much desired to hear1 until ,i made a great exertion1 and awoke4 ,it was broad day--eight or nine o'clock2 the storm raging1 in lieu of the batteries2 and some one knocking and calling at my door4 ,what is the matter8 ,i cried4 ,a wreck6 close by6 ,i sprang out of bed1 and asked what wreck8 ,illustration3 ,from the ,painting by ,a4 ,marlon4 ,carbon by ,braun1 ,clement ,co4 ,engraved by ,walter ,aikman4 ,the ,shipwreck4 ,a schooner1 from ,spain or ,portugal1 laden with fruit and wine4 ,make haste1 sir1 if you want to see her6 ,its thought she'll go to pieces every moment4 ,the excited voice went clamoring along the staircase2 and ,i wrapped myself in my clothes as quickly as ,i could1 and ran into the street4 ,numbers of people were there before us1 all running in one direction1 to the beach4 ,i ran the same way1 outstripping a good many1 and soon came facing the wild sea4 ,the wind might by this time have lulled a little1 though not more sensibly than if the cannonading ,i had dreamed of had been diminished by the silencing of half a dozen guns out of hundreds4 ,but the sea1 having upon it the additional agitation of the whole night1 was infinitely more terrific than when ,i had seen it last4 ,every appearance it had then presented bore the expression of being swelled2 and the height to which the breakers rose1 and1 looking over one another1 bore one another down1 and rolled in1 in interminable hosts1 was most appalling4 ,in the difficulty of hearing anything but wind and waves1 and in the crowd1 and the unspeakable confusion1 and my first breathless attempts to stand against the weather1 ,i was so confused that ,i looked out to sea for the wreck1 and saw nothing but the foaming heads of the great waves4 ,a half-dressed boatman standing next me pointed with his bare arm 7a tattooed arrow on it1 pointing in the same direction7 to the left4 ,then1 ,o great ,heaven1 ,i saw it1 close in upon us6 ,one mast was broken short off1 six or eight feet from the deck1 and lay over the side1 entangled in a maze of sail and rigging2 and all that ruin1 as the ship rolled and beat1--which she did without a moment's pause1 and with a violence quite inconceivable1--beat the side as if it would stave it in4 ,some efforts were even then being made to cut this portion of the wreck away2 for as the ship1 which was broadside on1 turned towards us in her rolling1 ,i plainly descried her people at work with axes1 especially one active figure1 with long curling hair1 conspicuous among the rest4 ,but a great cry1 which was audible even above the wind and water1 rose from the shore at this moment3 the sea1 sweeping over the rolling wreck1 made a clean breach1 and carried men1 spars1 casks1 planks1 bulwarks1 heaps of such toys1 into the boiling surge4 ,the second mast was yet standing1 with the rags of a rent sail1 and a wild confusion of broken cordage1 flapping to and fro4 ,the ship had struck once1 the same boatman hoarsely said in my ear1 and then lifted in and struck again4 ,i understood him to add that she was parting amidships1 and ,i could readily suppose so1 for the rolling and beating were too tremendous for any human work to suffer long4 ,as he spoke1 there was another great cry of pity from the beach3 four men arose with the wreck out of the deep1 clinging to the rigging of the remaining mast2 uppermost1 the active figure with the curling hair4 ,there was a bell on board2 and as the ship rolled and dashed1 like a desperate creature driven mad1 now showing us the whole sweep of her deck1 as she turned on her beam ends towards the shore1 now nothing but her keel1 as she sprung wildly over and turned towards the sea1 the bell rang2 and its sound1 the knell of those unhappy men1 was borne towards us on the wind4 ,again we lost her1 and again she rose4 ,two men were gone4 ,the agony on shore increased4 ,men groaned and clasped their hands2 women shrieked1 and turned away their faces4 ,some ran wildly up and down along the beach1 crying for help where no help could be4 ,i found myself one of these1 frantically imploring a knot of sailors whom ,i knew1 not to let those two lost creatures perish before our eyes4 ,they were making out to me1 in an agitated way1 that the lifeboat had been bravely manned an hour ago1 and could do nothing2 and that as no man would be so desperate as to attempt to wade off with a rope1 and establish a communication with the shore1 there was nothing left to try2 when ,i noticed that some new sensation moved the people on the beach1 and saw them part1 and ,ham come breaking through them to the front4 ,i ran to him1 as well as ,i know1 to repeat my appeal for help4 ,but distracted though ,i was by a sight so new to me and terrible1 the determination in his face1 and his look out to sea1 awoke me to a knowledge of his danger4 ,i held him back with both arms1 and implored the men with whom ,i had been speaking not to listen to him1 not to do murder1 not to let him stir from off that sand4 ,another cry arose from the shore2 and1 looking towards the wreck1 we saw the cruel sail1 with blow on blow1 beat off the lower of the two men1 and fly up in triumph round the active figure left alone upon the mast4 ,against such a sight1 and against such determination as that of the calmly desperate man who was already accustomed to lead half the people present1 ,i might as hopefully have intreated the wind4 ,mas'r ,davy1 he said cheerily1 grasping me by both hands1 if my time is come1 'tis come4 ,if't an't1 ,i'll bide it4 ,lord above bless you1 and bless all6 ,mates1 make me ready6 ,i'm a going off6 ,i was swept away1 but not unkindly1 to some distance1 where the people around me made me stay2 urging1 as ,i confusedly perceived1 that he was bent on going1 with help or without1 and that ,i should endanger the precautions for his safety by troubling those with whom they rested4 ,i don't know what ,i answered1 or what they rejoined1 but ,i saw hurry on the beach1 and men running with ropes from a capstan that was there1 and penetrating into a circle of figures that hid him from me4 ,then ,i saw him standing alone1 in a seaman's frock and trowsers1 a rope in his hand or slung to his wrist1 another round his body2 and several of the best men holding1 at a little distance1 to the latter1 which he laid out himself1 slack upon the shore1 at his feet4 ,the wreck1 even to my unpracticed eye1 was breaking up4 ,i saw that she was parting in the middle1 and that the life of the solitary man upon the mast hung by a thread4 ,still he clung to it4 ,ham watched the sea1 standing alone1 with the silence of suspended breath behind him1 and the storm before1 until there was a great retiring wave1 when1 with a backward glance at those who held the rope1 which was made fast round his body1 he dashed in after it1 and in a moment was buffeting with the water--rising with the hills1 falling with valleys1 lost beneath the foam2 then drawn again to land4 ,they hauled in hastily4 ,he was hurt4 ,i saw blood on his face from where ,i stood2 but he took no thought of that4 ,he seemed hurriedly to give them some directions for leaving him more free1 or so ,i judged from the motion of his arm--and was gone1 as before4 ,and now he made for the wreck--rising with the hills1 falling with the valleys1 lost beneath the rugged foam1 borne in towards the shore1 borne on towards the ship1 striving hard and valiantly4 ,the distance was nothing1 but the power of the sea and wind made the strife deadly4 ,at length he neared the wreck4 ,he was so near that with one more of his vigorous strokes he would be clinging to it1--when a high1 green1 vast hillside of water1 moving on shoreward from beyond the ship1 he seemed to leap up into it with a mighty bound1 and the ship was gone6 ,some eddying fragments ,i saw in the sea1 as if a mere cask had been broken1 in running to the spot where they were hauling in4 ,consternation was in every face4 ,they drew him to my very feet--insensible1 dead4 ,he was carried to the nearest house2 and1 no one preventing me now1 ,i remained near him1 busy1 while every means of restoration was tried2 but he had been beaten to death by the great wave1 and his generous heart was stilled for ever4 --,from ,david ,copperfield1 by ,charles ,dickens4 ,,the ,,happy ,,valley4 ,the place which the wisdom or policy of antiquity had destined for the residence of the ,abyssinian princes was a spacious valley in the kingdom of ,amhara1 surrounded on every side by mountains1 of which the summits overhang the middle part4 ,the only passage by which it could be entered was a cavern that passed under a rock1 of which it has been long disputed whether it was the work of ,nature or of human industry4 ,illustration3 ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson4 ,the outlet of the cavern was concealed by a thick wood1 and the mouth1 which opened into the valley1 was closed with gates of iron forged by the artificers of ancient days1 so massy that no man could1 without the help of engines1 open or shut them4 ,from the mountains1 on every side1 rivulets descended1 that filled all the valley with verdure and fertility1 and formed a lake in the middle1 inhabited by fish of every species1 and frequented by every fowl which ,nature has taught to dip the wing in water4 ,this lake discharged its superfluities by a stream1 which entered a dark cleft of the mountain on the northern side1 and fell1 with dreadful noise1 from precipice to precipice1 till it was heard no more4 ,the sides of the mountains were covered with trees4 ,the banks of the brooks were diversified with flowers4 ,every blast shook spices from the rocks1 and every month dropped fruits upon the ground4 ,all animals that bite the grass or browse the shrub1 whether wild or tame1 wandered in this extensive circuit1 secured from beasts of prey by the mountains which confined them4 ,on one part were flocks and herds feeding in the pastures2 on another1 all the beasts of chase frisking in the lawns2 the sprightly kid was bounding on the rocks1 the subtle monkey frolicking in the trees1 and the solemn elephant reposing in the shade4 ,all the diversities of the world were brought together2 the blessings of nature were collected1 and its evils extracted and excluded4 ,the valley1 wide and fruitful1 supplied its inhabitants with the necessaries of life2 and all delights and superfluities were added at the annual visit which the ,emperor paid his children1 when the iron gate was opened to the sound of music1 and during eight days every one that resided in the valley was required to propose whatever might contribute to make seclusion pleasant1 to fill up the vacancies of attention1 and lessen the tediousness of the time4 ,every desire was immediately granted4 ,all the artificers of pleasure were called to gladden the festivity2 the musicians exerted the power of harmony1 and the dancers showed their activity before the princes1 in hope that they should pass their lives in this blissful captivity1 to which those only were admitted whose performance was thought capable of adding novelty to luxury4 ,such was the appearance of security and delight which this retirement afforded1 that they to whom it was new always desired that it might be perpetual2 and as those on whom the iron gate had once closed were never suffered to return1 the effect of long experience could not be known4 ,thus every year produced new schemes of delight and new competitors for imprisonment4 99 99 99 99 99 ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson's ,rasselas1 ,prince of ,abyssinia1 from which this selection is taken1 was first published in #agei4 ,the late ,mr4 ,strahan1 the printer1 told me1 says ,boswell1 that ,johnson wrote it1 so that with the profits he might defray the expenses of his mother's funeral1 and pay some little debts which she had left4 ,he told ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds that he composed it in the evenings of one week1 sent it to the press in portions as it was written1 and had never since read it over4 ,none of his writings have been so extensively diffused over ,europe1 for it has been translated into most1 if not all1 of the modern languages4 ,this tale1 with all the charms of oriental imagery1 and all the force and beauty of which the ,english language is capable1 leads us through the most important scenes of human life1 and shows us that this stage of our being is full of 'vanity and vexation of spirit4' ,the peculiarities of style which distinguish all of ,johnson's writings are well illustrated in this story4 ,notice the stately flow of high-sounding words2 the dignified formality of many of the descriptive passages2 and the richness and perfection which characterize the production as a whole4 ,,the ,,pass ,,of ,,killiecrankie4 ,john ,grme of ,claverhouse1 whose title of ,viscount ,dundee had been given him in reward for his cruelties to the ,western ,covenanters1 was the instigator and leader of a revolt of the ,highland clans against the government of ,william ,,iii4 in ,scotland4 ,general ,mackay1 with his loyal ,scotch regiments1 was sent out to suppress the uprising4 ,but as they climbed the pass of ,killiecrankie1 on the #bgth of ,july1 #afhi1 ,dundee charged them at the head of three thousand clansmen1 and swept them in headlong rout down the glen4 ,his death in the moment of victory broke1 however1 the only bond which held the ,highlanders together1 and in a few weeks the host which had spread terror through the ,lowlands melted helplessly away4 ,the ,grmes1 or ,grahams1 were among the most noted of ,scottish families1 and included some of the most distinguished men of the country4 ,among them were ,sir ,john the ,grme1 the faithful aid of ,sir ,william ,wallace1 who fell in the battle of ,falkirk1 #abih1 and the celebrated ,marquis of ,montrose1 who died in #afej1 and whose exploits are immortalized in ,scott's ,legend of ,montrose4 ,in the following stirring verses from ,the ,lays of the ,scottish ,cavaliers1 by ,w4 ,e4 ,aytoun1 the fight at ,killiecrankie is described1 presumably1 by one of the adherents of ,dundee4 ,the title of the poem in its complete form is ,the ,burial ,march of ,dundee4 ,our selection includes only so much as relates to the conflict in the pass4 ,on the heights of ,killiecrankie ,yester-morn our army lay3 ,slowly rose the mist in columns ,from the river's broken way2 ,hoarsely roared the swollen torrent1 ,and the pass was wrapt in gloom1 ,when the clansmen rose together ,from their lair amidst the broom4 ,then we belted on our tartans1 ,and our bonnets down we drew1 ,and we felt our broadswords' edges1 ,and we proved them to be true2 ,and we prayed the prayer of soldiers1 ,and we cried the gathering cry1 ,and we clasped the hands of kinsmen1 ,and we swore to do or die6 ,then our leader rode before us ,on his war horse black as night-- ,well the ,cameronian rebels ,knew that charger in the fight6-- ,and a cry of exultation ,from the bearded warriors rose2 ,for we loved the house of ,claver'se1 ,and we thought of good ,montrose1 ,but he raised his hand for silence-- ,soldiers6 ,i have sworn a vow3 ,ere the evening star shall glisten ,on ,schehallion's lofty brow1 ,either we shall rest in triumph1 ,or another of the ,grmes ,shall have died in battle harness ,for his country and ,king ,james6 ,think upon the ,royal ,martyr-- ,think of what his race endure-- ,think of him whom butchers murdered ,on the field of ,magus ,muir3-- ,by his sacred blood ,i charge ye1 ,by the ruined hearth and shrine-- ,by the blighted hopes of ,scotland1 ,by your injuries and mine-- ,strike this day as if the anvil ,lay beneath your blows the while1 ,be they ,covenanting traitors1 ,or the brood of false ,argyle6 ,strike6 and drive the trembling rebels ,backwards o'er the stormy ,forth2 ,let them tell their pale ,convention ,how they fared within the ,north4 ,let them tell that ,highland honor ,is not to be bought or sold1 ,that we scorn their prince's anger ,as we loathe his foreign gold4 ,strike6 and when the fight is over1 ,if ye look in vain for me1 ,where the dead are lying thickest1 ,search for him that was ,dundee6 ,loudly then the hills rechoed ,with our answer to his call1 ,but a deeper echo sounded ,in the bosoms of us all4 ,for the lands of wide ,breadalbane ,not a man who heard him speak ,would that day have left the battle4 ,burning eye and flushing cheek ,told the clansmen's fierce emotion1 ,and they harder drew their breath2 ,for their souls were strong within them1 ,stronger than the grasp of death4 ,soon we heard a challenge trumpet ,sounding in the pass below1 ,and the distant tramp of horses1 ,and the voices of the foe3 ,down we crouched amid the bracken1 ,till the ,lowland ranks drew near1 ,panting like the hounds in summer1 ,when they scent the stately deer4 ,from the dark defile emerging1 ,next we saw the squadrons come1 ,leslie's foot and ,leven's troopers ,marching to the tuck of drum2 ,through the scattered wood of birches1 ,o'er the broken ground and heath1 ,wound the long battalion slowly1 ,till they gained the field beneath2 ,then we bounded from our covert4-- ,judge how looked the ,saxons then1 ,when they saw the rugged mountain ,start to life with armd men6 ,like a tempest down the ridges ,swept the hurricane of steel1 ,rose the slogan of ,macdonald1-- ,flashed the broadsword of ,lochiell6 ,vainly sped the withering volley ',mongst the foremost of our band-- ,on we poured until we met them1 ,foot to foot1 and hand to hand4 ,horse and man went down like driftwood ,when the floods are black at ,yule1 ,and their carcasses are whirling ,in the ,garry's deepest pool4 ,horse and man went down before us-- ,living foe there tarried none ,on the field of ,killiecrankie1 ,when that stubborn fight was done6 ,and the evening star was shining ,on ,schehallion's distant head1 ,when we wiped our bloody broadswords1 ,and returned to count the dead4 ,there we found him gashed and gory1 ,stretched upon the cumbered plain1 ,as he told us where to seek him1 ,in the thickest of the slain4 ,and a smile was on his visage1 ,for within his dying ear ,pealed the joyful note of triumph1 ,and the clansmen's clamorous cheer3 ,so1 amidst the battle's thunder1 ,shot1 and steel1 and scorching flame1 ,in the glory of his manhood ,passed the spirit of the ,grme6 ,,summer ,,rain4 ,it is a long time since much rain fell4 ,the ground is a little dry1 the road is a good deal dusty4 ,the garden bakes4 ,transplanted trees are thirsty4 ,wheels are shrinking and tires are looking dangerous4 ,men speculate on the clouds2 they begin to calculate how long it will be1 if no rain falls1 before the potatoes will suffer2 the oats1 the grass1 the corn--everything6 ,to be sure1 nothing is yet suffering2 but then-- ,illustration3 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,rain1 rain1 rain6 ,all day1 all night1 steady raining4 ,will it never stop8 ,the hay is out and spoiling4 ,the rain washes the garden4 ,all things have drunk their fill4 ,the springs revive1 the meadows are wet2 the rivers run discolored with soil from every hill4 ,smoking cattle reek under the sheds4 ,hens1 and fowl in general1 shelter and plume4 ,the sky is leaden4 ,the clouds are full yet4 ,the long fleece covers the mountains4 ,the hills are capped in white4 ,the air is full of moisture4 ,the wind roars down the chimney4 ,the birds are silent4 ,no insects chirp4 ,closets smell moldy4 ,the barometer is clogged4 ,we thump it1 but it will not get up4 ,it seems to have an understanding with the weather4 ,the trees drip1 shoes are muddy1 carriage and wagon are splashed with dirt4 ,paths are soft4 ,so it is4 ,when it is clear we want rain1 and when it rains we wish it would shine4 ,but after all1 how lucky for grumblers that they are not allowed to meddle with the weather1 and that it is put above their reach4 ,what a scrambling1 selfish1 mischief-making time we should have1 if men undertook to parcel out the seasons and the weather according to their several humors or interests6 ,if one will but look for enjoyment1 how much there is in every change of weather4 ,the formation of clouds--the various signs and signals1 the uncertain wheeling and marching of the fleecy cohorts1 the shades of light and gray in the broken heavens--all have their pleasure to an observant eye4 ,then come the wind gust1 the distant dark cloud1 the occasional fiery streak shot down through it1 the run and hurry of men whose work may suffer6 ,indeed1 sir1 your humble servant1 even1 was stirred up on the day after ,fourth of ,july4 ,the grass in the old orchard was not my best4 ,indeed1 we grumbled at it considerably while it was yet standing4 ,but being cut and the rain threatening it1 one would have thought it gold by the nimble way in which we tried to save it6 ,blessed be horse rakes6 ,once1 half a dozen men with half a dozen rakes would have gone whisking up and down1 thrusting out and pulling in the long-handled rakes with slow and laborious progress4 ,but no more of that4 ,see friend ,turner1 mounted on the wheeled horse rake1 riding about as if for pleasure4 ,it is easy times when men ride and horses rake4 ,meanwhile1 the clouds come bowling noiselessly through the air1 and spit here and there a drop preliminary4 ,well1 if one thing suffers1 another gains6 ,see how the leaves are washed2 the grass drinks1 even drinks2 the garden drinks2 everything drinks4 ,it is our opinion that everything except man is laughing and rejoicing4 ,trees shake their leaves with a softer sound4 ,rocks look moist and soft1 at least where the moss grows4 ,even the solitary old pine tree chords his harp1 and sings soft and low melodies with plaintive undulations6 ,a good summer storm is a rain of riches4 ,if gold and silver rattled down from the clouds1 they could hardly enrich the land so much as soft1 long rains4 ,every drop is silver going to the mint4 ,the roots are machinery1 and1 catching the willing drops1 they array them1 refine them1 roll them1 stamp them1 and turn them out coined berries1 apples1 grains1 and grasses6 ,when the heavens send clouds and they bank up the horizon1 be sure they have hidden gold in them4 ,all the mountains of ,california are not so rich as are the soft mines of heaven1 that send down treasures upon man without tasking him1 and pour riches upon his field without spade or pickax--without his search or notice4 ,well1 let it rain1 then6 ,no matter if the journey is delayed1 the picnic spoiled1 the visit adjourned4 ,blessed be rain--and rain in summer4 ,and blessed be he who watereth the earth and enricheth it for man and beast4 --,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,backwoods4 ,illustration3 ,william ,dean ,howells4 ,it would not be easy to say where or when the first log cabin was built1 but it is safe to say that it was somewhere in the ,english colonies of ,north ,america1 and it is certain that it became the type of the settler's house throughout the whole middle west4 ,it may be called the ,american house1 the ,western house1 the ,ohio house4 ,hardly any other house was built for a hundred years by the men who were clearing the land for the stately mansions of our day4 ,as long as the primeval forests stood1 the log cabin remained the woodsman's home2 and not fifty years ago1 ,i saw log cabins newly built in one of the richest and most prosperous regions of ,ohio4 ,they were1 to be sure1 log cabins of a finer pattern than the first settler reared4 ,they were of logs handsomely shaped with the broadax2 the joints between the logs were plastered with mortar2 the chimney at the end was of stone2 the roof was shingled1 the windows were of glass1 and the door was solid and well hung4 ,but throughout that region there were many log cabins1 mostly sunk to the uses of stables and corn cribs1 of the kind that the borderers built in the times of the ,indian ,war1 from #agej to #ahjj4 ,they were framed of the round logs untouched by the ax except for the notches at the ends where they were fitted into one another2 the chimney was of small sticks stuck together with mud1 and was as frail as a barn swallow's nest2 the walls were stuffed with moss1 plastered with clay2 the floor was of rough boards called puncheons1 riven from the block with a heavy knife2 the roof was of clapboards laid loosely on the rafters1 and held in place with logs fastened athwart them4 ,illustration3 ,log ,cabin4 ,there is a delightful account of such a log cabin by ,john ,s4 ,williams1 whose father settled in the woods of ,belmont ,county in #ahjj4 ,our cabin1 he says1 had been raised1 covered1 part of the cracks chinked1 and part of the floor laid1 when we moved in on ,christmas day4 ,there had not been a stick cut except in building the cabin1 which was so high from the ground that a bear1 wolf1 panther1 or any animal less in size than a cow could enter without even a squeeze4444 ,the green ash puncheons had shrunk so as to leave cracks in the floor and doors from one to two inches wide4 ,at both the doors we had high1 unsteady1 and sometimes icy steps1 made by piling the logs cut out of the walls1 for the doors and the window1 if it could be called a window1 when perhaps it was the largest spot in the top1 bottom1 or sides of the cabin where the wind could not enter4 ,it was made by sawing out a log1 and placing sticks across and then by pasting an old newspaper over the hole1 and applying hog's lard1 we had a kind of glazing which shed a most beautiful and mellow light across the cabin when the sun shone on it4 ,all other light entered at the doors1 cracks1 and chimneys4 ,our cabin was twenty-four by eighteen4 ,the west end was occupied by two beds1 the center of each side by a door4444 ,on the opposite side of the window1 made of clapboards1 supported on pins driven into the walls1 were our shelves4 ,on these shelves my sister displayed in simple order1 a host of pewter plates1 and dishes and spoons1 scoured and bright4444 ,our chimney occupied most of the east end2 with pots and kettles opposite the window1 under the shelves1 a gun on hooks over the north door1 four split-bottomed chairs1 three three-legged stools1 and a small eight by ten looking-glass sloped from the wall over a large towel and comb case4444 ,we got a roof laid over head as soon as possible1 but it was laid of loose clapboards split from a red-oak1 and a cat might have shaken every board in our ceiling4444 ,we made two kinds of furniture4 ,one kind was of hickory bark1 with the outside shaved off4 ,this we would take off all around the tree1 the size of which would determine the caliber of our box4 ,into one end we would place a flat piece of bark or puncheon1 cut round to fit in the bark1 which stood on end the same as when on the tree4444 ,a much finer article was made of slippery-elm bark1 shaved smooth1 with the inside out1 bent round and sewed together1 where the end of the hoop or main bark lapped over4444 ,this was the finest furniture in a lady's dressing room1 and such a cabin and its appointments were splendor and luxury beside those of the very earliest pioneers1 and many of the latest4 ,the ,williamses were ,quakers1 and the mother was recently from ,england2 they were of far gentler breeding and finer tastes than most of their neighbors1 who had been backwoodsmen for generations4 ,when the first settlers broke the silence of the woods with the stroke of their axes1 and hewed out a space for their cabins and their fields1 they inclosed their homes with a high stockade of logs1 for defense against the ,indians2 or if they built their cabins outside the wooden walls of their stronghold1 they always expected to flee to it at the first alarm1 and to stand siege within it4 ,the ,indians had no cannon1 and the logs of the stockade were proof against their rifles2 if a breach was made1 there was still the blockhouse left1 the citadel of every little fort4 ,this was heavily built1 and pierced with loopholes for the riflemen within1 whose wives ran bullets for them at its mighty hearth1 and who kept the savage foe from its sides by firing down upon them through the projecting timbers of its upper story4 ,but in many a fearful siege the ,indians set the roof ablaze with arrows wrapped in burning tow1 and then the fight became desperate indeed4 ,after the ,indian war ended1 the stockade was no longer needed1 and the settlers had only the wild beasts to contend with1 and those constant enemies of the poor in all ages and conditions1--hunger and cold4 ,winter after winter1 the ,williamses heard the wolves howling round them in the woods1 and this music was familiar to the ears of all the ,ohio pioneers1 who trusted their rifles for both the safety and support of their families4 ,they deadened the trees around them by girdling them with the ax1 and planted the spaces between the leafless trunks with corn and beans and pumpkins4 ,these were their necessaries1 but they had an occasional luxury in the wild honey from the hollow of a bee tree when the bears had not got at it4 ,in its season1 there was an abundance of wild fruit1 plums and cherries1 haws and grapes1 berries1 and nuts of every kind1 and the maples yielded all the sugar they chose to make from them4 ,but it was long before they had1 at any time1 the profusion which our modern arts enable us to enjoy the whole year round1 and in the hard beginnings the orchard and the garden were forgotten for the fields4 ,when once the settler was housed against the weather1 he had the conditions of a certain rude comfort indoors4 ,if his cabin was not proof against the wind and rain or snow1 its vast fireplace formed the means of heating1 while the forest was an inexhaustible store of fuel4 ,at first he dressed in the skins and pelts of the deer and fox and wolf1 and his costume could have varied little from that of the red savage about him1 for we often read how he mistook ,indians for white men at first sight1 and how the ,indians in their turn mistook white men for their own people4 ,the whole family went barefoot in the summer1 but in winter the pioneer wore moccasins of buckskin1 and buckskin leggins or trousers2 his coat was a hunting shirt belted at the waist and fringed where it fell to his knees4 ,it was of homespun1 a mixture of wool and flax called linsey-woolsey1 and out of this the dresses of his wife and daughters were made2 the wool was shorn from the sheep which were so scarce that they were never killed for their flesh1 except by the wolves1 which were very fond of mutton1 but had no use for wool4 ,for a wedding dress a cotton check was thought superb1 and it really cost a dollar a yard2 silks1 satins1 laces1 were unknown4 ,a man never left his house without his rifle2 the gun was a part of his dress1 and in his belt he carried a hunting knife and a hatchet2 on his head he wore a cap of squirrel skin1 often with the plume-like tail dangling from it4 ,the furniture of the cabins was1 like the clothing of the pioneers1 homemade4 ,a bedstead was contrived by stretching poles from forked sticks driven into the ground1 and laying clapboards across them2 the bedclothes were bearskins4 ,stools1 benches1 and tables were roughed out with auger and broadax2 the puncheon floor was left bare1 and if the earth formed the floor1 no rug ever replaced the grass which was its first carpet4 ,the cabin had but one room where the whole of life went on by day2 the father and mother slept there at night1 and the children mounted to their chamber in the loft by means of a ladder4 ,the food was what has been already named4 ,the meat was venison1 bear1 raccoon1 wild turkey1 wild duck1 and pheasant2 the drink was water1 or rye coffee1 or whisky which the little stills everywhere supplied only too abundantly4 ,wheat bread was long unknown1 and corn cakes of various makings and bakings supplied its place4 ,the most delicious morsel of all was corn grated while still in the milk and fashioned into round cakes eaten hot from the clapboard before the fire1 or from the mysterious depths of the ,dutch oven1 buried in coals and ashes on the hearth4 ,there was soon a great flow of milk from the kine that multiplied in the woods and pastures1 and there was sweetening enough from the maple tree and the bee tree1 but salt was very scarce and very dear1 and long journeys were made through the perilous woods to and from the licks1 or salt springs1 which the deer had discovered before the white man or red man knew them4 ,the bees which hived their honey in the hollow trees were tame bees gone wild1 and with the coming of the settlers1 some of the wild things increased so much that they became a pest4 ,such were the crows which literally blackened the fields after the settlers plowed1 and which the whole family had to fight from the corn when it was planted4 ,such were the rabbits1 and such1 above all1 were the squirrels which overran the farms1 and devoured every green thing till the people combined in great squirrel hunts and destroyed them by tens of thousands4 ,the larger game had meanwhile disappeared4 ,the buffalo and the elk went first2 the deer followed1 and the bear1 and even the useless wolf4 ,but long after these the poisonous reptiles lingered1 the rattlesnake1 the moccasin1 and the yet deadlier copperhead2 and it was only when the whole country was cleared that they ceased to be a very common danger4 --,from ,stories of ,ohio1 by ,william ,dean ,howells4 ,,how ,,they ,,besieged ,,the ,,town4 ,charles ,reade1 in his great romance entitled ,the ,cloister and the ,hearth1 has not only presented us with a story of absorbing interest1 but has given us a vivid and accurate view of manners and customs during one of the most interesting periods of history4 ,the following extract is particularly interesting because of its vivid portrayal of the methods of warfare in vogue at that time4 ,there was a rebellion in ,flanders4 ,more than one knight had broken his oath of fealty to the ,duke of ,burgundy1 who was the ruler of that country1 and some of the strongest castles were fortified by rebels4 ,to subdue these dissatisfied spirits and to reduce the country again to subjection1 ,counts ,anthony and ,baldwyn of ,burgundy had entered ,flanders at the head of a considerable army and were carrying fire and sword among the enemies of the ,duke4 ,one of their exploits at this time is thus narrated by the novelist3-- ,illustration3 ,charles ,reade4 ,one afternoon they came in sight of a strongly fortified town2 and a whisper went through the little army that this was a disaffected place4 ,but upon coming nearer they saw that the great gate stood open1 and the towers that flanked it on each side were manned with a single sentinel apiece4 ,so the advancing force somewhat broke their array and marched carelessly4 ,when they were within a furlong1 the drawbridge across the moat rose slowly and creaking till it stood vertical against the fort2 and the very moment it settled1 into this warlike attitude1 down rattled the portcullis at the gate1 and the towers and curtains bristled with lances and crossbows4 ,a stern hum ran through the front rank and spread to the rear4 ,halt6 cried their leader4 ,the word went down the line1 and they halted4 ,herald to the gate6 ,a herald spurred out of the ranks1 and halting twenty yards from the gate1 raised his bugle with his herald's flag hanging down round it1 and blew a summons4 ,a tall figure in brazen armor appeared over the gate4 ,a few fiery words passed between him and the herald1 which were not audible2 but their import was clear1 for the herald blew a single keen and threatening note at the walls1 and came galloping back with war in his face4 ,the leader moved out of the line to meet him1 and their heads had not been together two seconds ere he turned in his saddle and shouted1 ,pioneers1 to the van6 and in a moment hedges were leveled1 and the force took the field and encamped just out of shot from the walls2 and away went mounted officers flying south1 east1 and west1 to the friendly towns1 for catapults1 palisades1 mantelets1 raw hides1 tar barrels1 carpenters1 provisions1 and all the materials for a siege4 ,the besiegers encamped a furlong from the walls1 and made roads2 kept their pikemen in camp ready for an assault when practicable2 and sent forward their sappers1 pioneers1 catapultiers1 and crossbowmen4 ,these opened a siege by filling the moat and mining1 or breaching the wall1 etc4 ,and as much of their work had to be done under close fire of arrows1 quarrels1 bolts1 stones1 and little rocks1 the above artists had need of a hundred eyes1 and acted in concert with a vigilance1 and an amount of individual intelligence1 daring1 and skill that made a siege very interesting1 and even amusing1--to lookers-on4 ,the first thing they did was to advance their carpenters behind rolling mantelets1 and to erect a stockade high and strong on the very edge of the moat4 ,some lives were lost at this1 but not many2 for a strong force of crossbowmen1 including ,denys1 rolled their mantelets#a up and shot over the workmen's heads at every besieged person who showed his nose1 and at every loophole1 arrow slit1 or other aperture1 which commanded the particular spot the carpenters happened to be upon4 ,covered by their condensed fire1 these soon raised a high palisade between them and the ordinary missiles from the walls4 ,but the besieged expected this1 and ran out at night their hoards or wooden penthouses on the top of the curtains4 ,the curtains were built with square holes near the top to receive the beams that supported these structures1 the true defense of medival forts1 from which the besieged delivered their missiles with far more freedom and variety of range than they could shoot through the oblique but immovable loopholes of the curtain4 ,on this the besiegers brought up mangonels1 and set them hurling huge stones at these wood works and battering them to pieces4 ,at the same time they built a triangular wooden tower as high as the curtain1 and kept it ready for use1 and just out of shot4 ,this was a terrible sight to the besieged4 ,these wooden towers had taken many a town4 ,they began to mine underneath that part of the moat the tower stood frowning at2 and made other preparations to give it a warm reception4 ,the besiegers also mined1 but at another part1 their object being to get under the square barbican and throw it down4 ,all this time ,denys was behind his mantelet with another arbalester1 protecting the workmen and making some excellent shots4 ,these ended by earning him the esteem of an unseen archer1 who every now and then sent a winged compliment quivering into his mantelet4 ,one came and stuck within an inch of the narrow slit through which ,denys was squinting at the moment4 ,illustration3 ,hoard1 or ,penthouse4 ,ha6 ha6 cried he1 you shoot well1 my friend4 ,come forth and receive my congratulations6 ,shall merit1 such as thine1 hide its head8 ,comrade1 it is one of those ,englishmen1 with his half ell shaft4 ,i'll not die till ,i've had a shot at ,london wall4 ,on the side of the besieged was a figure that soon attracted great notice by promenading under fire4 ,it was a tall knight1 clad in complete brass1 and carrying a light but prodigiously long lance1 with which he directed the movements of the besieged4 ,and when any disaster befell the besiegers1 this tall knight and his long lance were pretty sure to be concerned in it4 ,my young reader will say1 ,why did not ,denys shoot him8 ,denys did shoot him2 every day of his life2 other arbalesters shot him2 archers shot him4 ,everybody shot him4 ,he was there to be shot1 apparently4 ,but the abomination was1 he did not mind being shot4 ,nay1 worse1 he got at last so demoralized as not to seem to know when he was shot4 ,at last the besiegers got spiteful1 and would not waste any more good steel on him4 ,it was a bright day1 clear1 but not quite frosty4 ,the efforts of the besieging force were concentrated against a space of about two hundred and fifty yards1 containing two curtains and two towers1 one of which was the square barbican1 the other had a pointed roof that was built to overlap1 and by this means a row of dangerous crenelets between the roof and the masonry grinned down at the nearer assailants1 and looked not very unlike the grinders of a modern frigate with each port nearly closed4 ,the curtains were overlapped with penthouses somewhat shattered by the mangonels1 and other slinging engines of the besiegers4 ,on the besiegers' edge of the moat was what seemed at first sight a gigantic arsenal1 longer than it was broad1 peopled by human ants1 and full of busy1 honest industry1 and displaying all the various mechanical science of the age in full operation4 ,here the lever at work1 there the winch and pulley1 here the balance1 there the capstan4 ,everywhere heaps of stones1 and piles of fascines1 mantelets1 and rows of fire barrels4 ,mantelets rolling1 the hammer tapping all day1 horses and carts in endless succession rattling up with materials4 ,at the edge of the moat opposite the wooden tower1 a strong penthouse1 which they called a cat1 might be seen stealing towards the curtain1 and gradually filling up the moat with fascines and rubbish1 which the workmen flung out at its mouth4 ,it was advanced by two sets of ropes passing round pulleys1 and each worked by a windlass at some distance from the cat4 ,the knight burnt the first cat by flinging blazing tar barrels on it4 ,so the besiegers made the roof of this one very steep1 and covered it with raw hides1 and the tar barrels could not harm it4 ,and now the engineers proceeded to the unusual step of slinging fifty-pound stones at an individual4 ,this catapult was a scientific1 simple1 and beautiful engine1 and very effective in vertical fire at the short ranges of the period4 ,imagine a fir tree cut down1 and set to turn round a horizontal axis on lofty uprights1 but not in equilibrium2 three fourths of the tree being on the hither side4 ,at the shorter and thicker end of the tree was fastened a weight of half a ton4 ,this butt end just before the discharge pointed towards the enemy4 ,by means of a powerful winch the long tapering portion of the tree was forced down to the very ground1 and fastened by a bolt2 and the stone placed in a sling attached to the tree's nose4 ,but this process of course raised the butt end with its huge weight high in the air1 and kept it there struggling in vain to come down4 ,the bolt was now drawn2 then the short end swung furiously down1 the long end went as furiously up1 and at its highest elevation flung the huge stone out of the sling with a tremendous jerk4 ,in this case the huge mass so flung missed the knight1 but came down near him on the penthouse1 and went through it like paper1 making an awful gap in roof and floor4 ,illustration3 ,a ,catapult4 ,aha6 a good shot6 cried ,baldwyn of ,burgundy4 ,the tall knight retired4 ,the besiegers hooted him4 ,he reappeared on the platform of the barbican1 his helmet being just visible above the parapet4 ,he seemed very busy1 and soon an enormous ,turkish catapult made its appearance on the platform1 and1 aided by the elevation at which it was planted1 flung a twenty-pound stone two hundred and forty yards in the air4 ,the next stone struck a horse that was bringing up a sheaf of arrows in a cart1 bowled the horse over dead like a rabbit1 and split the cart4 ,it was then turned at the besiegers' wooden tower1 supposed to be out of shot4 ,sir ,turk slung stones cut with sharp edges on purpose1 and struck it repeatedly1 and broke it in several places4 ,the besiegers turned two of their slinging engines on this monster1 and kept constantly slinging smaller stones on to the platform of the barbican1 and killed two of the engineers4 ,but the ,turk disdained to retort4 ,he flung a forty-pound stone on to the besiegers' great catapult1 and hitting it in the neighborhood of the axis1 knocked the whole structure to pieces1 and sent the engineers skipping and yelling4 ,the next morning an unwelcome sight greeted the besieged4 ,the cat was covered with mattresses and raw hides1 and fast filling up the moat4 ,the knight stoned it1 but in vain2 flung burning tar barrels on it1 but in vain4 ,then with his own hands he let down by a rope a bag of burning sulphur and pitch1 and stunk them out4 ,but ,baldwyn1 armed like a lobster1 ran1 and bounding on the roof1 cut the string1 and the work went on4 ,then the knight sent fresh engineers into the mine1 and undermined the place and underpinned it with beams1 and covered the beams thickly with grease and tar4 ,at break of day the moat was filled1 and the wooden tower began to move on its wheels towards a part of the curtain on which two catapults were already playing1 to breach the hoards and clear the way4 ,there was something awful and magical in its approach without visible agency1 for it was driven by internal rollers worked by leverage4 ,on the top was a platform1 where stood the first assailing party protected in front by the drawbridge of the turret1 which stood vertical till lowered on to the wall2 but better protected by full suits of armor4 ,the besieged slung at the tower1 and struck it often1 but in vain4 ,it was well defended with mattresses and hides1 and presently was at the edge of the moat4 ,the knight bade fire the mine underneath it4 ,then the ,turkish engine flung a stone of half a hundredweight right amongst the knights1 and carried two away with it off the tower on to the plain4 ,and now the besieging catapults flung blazing tar barrels1 and fired the hoards on both sides1 and the assailants ran up the ladders behind the tower1 and lowered the drawbridge on to the battered curtain1 while the catapults in concert flung tar barrels1 and fired the adjoining works to dislodge the defenders4 ,the armed men on the platform sprang on the bridge1 led by ,baldwyn4 ,the invulnerable knight and his men at arms met them1 and a fearful combat ensued1 in which many a figure was seen to fall headlong down off the narrow bridge4 ,but fresh besiegers kept swarming up behind the tower1 and the besieged were driven off the bridge4 ,another minute1 and the town would have been taken2 but so well had the firing of the mines been timed1 that just at this instant the underpinnings gave way1 and the tower suddenly sank away from the walls1 tearing the drawbridge clear and pouring the soldiers off it against the masonry and on to the dry moat4 ,the besieged uttered a fierce shout1 and in a moment surrounded ,baldwyn and his fellows2 but strange to say1 offered them quarter4 ,while a party disarmed and disposed of these1 others fired the turret in fifty places with a sort of hand grenades4 ,at this work who so busy as the tall knight8 ,he put fire bags on his long spear1 and thrust them into the doomed structure late so terrible4 ,to do this1 he was obliged to stand on a projecting beam1 holding on by the hand of a pikeman to steady himself4 ,this provoked ,denys2 he ran out from his mantelet1 hoping to escape notice in the confusion1 and leveling his crossbow missed the knight clean1 but sent his bolt into the brain of the pikeman1 and the tall knight fell heavily from the wall1 lance and all4 ,the knight1 his armor glittering in the morning sun1 fell headlong1 but turning as he neared the water1 struck it with a slap that sounded a mile off4 ,none ever thought to see him again4 ,but he fell at the edge of the fascines1 and his spear stuck into them under the water1 and by a mighty effort he got to the side1 but could not get out4 ,anthony sent a dozen knights with a white flag to take him prisoner4 ,he submitted like a lamb1 but said nothing4 ,footnote #a3 ,for explanation of this and similar terms used in this selection1 see the notes at the end of this book and especially the word ,castle in ,webster's ,international ,dictionary4 ,,lochinvar4 ,,lady ,,heron',s ,,song4 ,oh1 young ,lochinvar is come out of the west6 ,through all the wide ,border his steed was the best3 ,and1 save his good broadsword1 he weapons had none2 ,he rode all unarmed1 and he rode all alone4 ,so faithful in love1 and so dauntless in war1 ,there never was knight like the young ,lochinvar4 ,he staid not for brake1 and he stopped not for stone2 ,he swam the ,esk river1 where ford there was none2 ,but1 ere he alighted at ,netherby gate1 ,the bride had consented--the gallant came late2 ,for a laggard in love1 and a dastard in war1 ,was to wed the fair ,ellen of brave ,lochinvar4 ,so boldly he entered the ,netherby hall1 ,among bridesmen1 and kinsmen1 and brothers1 and all4 ,then spoke the bride's father1 his hand on his sword1 7,for the poor craven bridegroom said never a word71 ,oh1 come ye in peace here1 or come ye in war1 ,or to dance at our bridal1 young lord ,lochinvar8 ,i long wooed your daughter--my suit you denied2 ,love swells like the ,solway1 but ebbs like its tide2 ,and now ,i am come with this lost love of mine ,to lead but one measure1 drink one cup of wine4 ,there are maidens in ,scotland more lovely by far1 ,that would gladly be bride to the young ,lochinvar4 ,the bride kissed the goblet1 the knight took it up2 ,he quaffed off the wine1 and he threw down the cup2 ,she looked down to blush1 and she looked up to sigh1 ,with a smile on her lips1 and a tear in her eye4 ,he took her soft hand1 ere her mother could bar-- ,now tread we a measure6 said young ,lochinvar4 ,so stately his form1 and so lovely her face1 ,that never a hall such a galliard did grace2 ,while her mother did fret1 and her father did fume1 ,and the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume2 ,and the bridemaidens whispered1 ',twere better by far ,to have matched our fair cousin with young ,lochinvar4 ,one touch to her hand1 and one word in her ear1 ,when they reached the hall door1 and the charger stood near2 ,so light to the croup the fair lady he swung1 ,so light to the saddle before her he sprung6 ,she is won6 ,we are gone1 over bank1 bush1 and scaur6 ,they'll have fleet steeds that follow6 quoth young ,lochinvar4 ,there was mounting 'mong ,grmes of the ,netherby clan2 ,forsters1 ,fenwicks1 and ,musgraves1 they rode and they ran2 ,there was racing and chasing on ,cannobie ,lee1 ,but the lost bride of ,netherby ne'er did they see4 ,so daring in love1 and so dauntless in war1 ,have you e'er heard of gallant like young ,lochinvar8 --,from ,marmion1 by ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,,on ,a ,,tropical ,,river4 ,westward ,ho6 is a novel written by ,rev4 ,charles ,kingsley1 and first published in #ahee4 ,it is a story of the times of ,queen ,elizabeth1 of the threatened invasion of ,england by the ,spanish ,armada1 and of wild adventure on the sea and in the forests of the ,new ,world4 ,several historical personages are made to appear in the story1 such as ,sir ,walter ,raleigh1 ,sir ,francis ,drake1 ,admiral ,hawkins1 and others4 ,the hero is ,amyas ,leigh1 a ,devonshire youth of great bodily strength1 of lively affection and sweet temper1 combined with a marked propensity to combat from his earliest years4 ,amyas and his companions had undertaken an expedition to discover the fabled golden city of ,manoa1 which was said to exist somewhere in the wilds of ,south ,america4 ,they had been searching more than three years for this city when they reached the ,meta ,river in canoes1 and the following adventure occurred4 ,illustration3 ,charles ,kingsley4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for three hours or more ,amyas ,leigh and his companions paddled easily up the glassy and windless reaches1 between two green flower-bespangled walls of forest1 gay with innumerable birds and insects2 while down from the branches which overhung the stream1 long trailers hung to the water's edge1 and seemed admiring in the clear mirror the images of their own gorgeous flowers4 ,river1 trees1 flowers1 birds1 insects1--it was all a fairyland2 but it was a colossal one2 and yet the voyagers took little note of it4 ,it was now to them an everyday occurrence to see trees full two hundred feet high one mass of yellow or purple blossom to the highest twigs1 and every branch and stem one hanging garden of crimson and orange orchids or vanillas4 ,common to them were all the fantastic and enormous shapes with which ,nature bedecks her robes beneath the fierce suns and fattening rains of the tropic forest4 ,common were forms and colors of bird1 and fish1 and butterfly1 more strange and bright than ever opium eater dreamed4 ,the long processions of monkeys1 who kept pace with them along the tree tops1 and proclaimed their wonder in every imaginable whistle and grunt and howl1 had ceased to move their laughter1 as much as the roar of the jaguar and the rustle of the boa had ceased to move their fear2 and when a brilliant green and rose-colored fish1 flat-bodied like a bream1 flat-finned like a salmon1 and sawtoothed like a shark1 leaped clean on board of the canoe to escape the rush of a huge alligator 7whose loathsome snout1 ere he could stop1 actually rattled against the canoe71 ,jack coolly picked up the fish and said3 ,he's four pound weight6 ,if you catch fish for us like that1 old fellow1 just keep in our wake1 and we'll give you the cleanings for your wages6 ,they paddled onward hour after hour1 sheltering themselves as best they could under the shadow of the southern bank1 while on their right hand the full sun glare lay upon the enormous wall of mimosas1 figs1 and laurels1 which formed the northern forest1 broken by the slender shafts of bamboo tufts1 and decked with a thousand gaudy parasites2 bank upon bank of gorgeous bloom piled upward to the sky1 till where its outline cut the blue1 flowers and leaves1 too lofty to be distinguished by the eye1 formed a broken rainbow of all hues quivering in the ascending streams of azure mist1 until they seemed to melt and mingle with the very heavens4 ,and as the sun rose higher and higher1 a great stillness fell upon the forest4 ,the jaguars and the monkeys had hidden themselves in the darkest depths of the woods4 ,the birds' notes died out one by one2 the very butterflies ceased their flitting over the tree tops1 and slept with outspread wings upon the glossy leaves1 undistinguishable from the flowers around them4 ,now and then a parrot swung and screamed at them from an overhanging bough2 or a thirsty monkey slid lazily down a swinging vine to the surface of the stream1 dipped up the water in his tiny hand1 and started chattering back1 as his eyes met those of some foul alligator peering upward through the clear depths below4 ,in shaded nooks beneath the boughs1 rabbits as large as sheep went paddling sleepily round and round1 thrusting up their unwieldy heads among the blooms of the blue water lilies2 while black and purple water hens ran up and down upon the rafts of floating leaves4 ,the shining snout of a fresh-water dolphin rose slowly to the surface2 a jet of spray whirred up2 a rainbow hung upon it for a moment2 and the black snout sank lazily again4 ,here and there1 too1 upon some shallow pebbly shore1 scarlet flamingoes stood dreaming knee-deep on one leg2 crested cranes pranced up and down1 admiring their own finery2 and irises and egrets dipped their bills under water in search of prey2 but before noon1 even those had slipped away1 and there reigned a stillness which might be heard--a stillness in which1 as ,humboldt says3 ,if beyond the silence we listen for the faintest undertones1 we detect a stifled1 continuous hum of insects1 which crowd the air close to the earth2 a confused swarming murmur which hangs round every bush1 in the cracked bark of trees1 in the soil undermined by lizards and bees2 a voice proclaiming to us that all ,nature breathes1 that under a thousand different forms life swarms in the gaping and dusty earth1 as much as in the bosom of the waters1 and in the air which breathes around4 ,at last a soft and distant murmur1 increasing gradually to a heavy roar1 announced that they were nearing some cataract2 till1 turning a point where the alluvial soil rose into a low cliff fringed with delicate ferns1 they came in full sight of a scene at which all paused--not with astonishment1 but with something very like disgust4 ,rapids again6 grumbled one4 ,i thought we had had enough of them on the ,orinoco6 ,we shall have to get out1 and draw the canoes overland1 ,i suppose6 ,there's worse behind2 don't you see the spray behind the palms8 ,stop grumbling1 my masters1 and don't cry out before you are hurt4 ,paddle right up to the largest of those islands1 and let us look about us4 ,in front of them was a snow-white bar of foam1 some ten feet high1 along which were ranged three or four islands of black rock4 ,each was crested with a knot of lofty palms1 whose green tops stood out clear against the bright sky1 while the lower half of their stems loomed hazy through a luminous veil of rainbowed mist4 ,the banks right and left of the fall were so densely fringed with a low hedge of shrubs that landing seemed almost impossible2 and their ,indian guide1 suddenly looking round him and whispering1 bade them beware of savages1 and pointed to a canoe which lay swinging in the eddies under the largest island1 moored apparently to the root of some tree4 ,silence1 all6 cried ,amyas1 and paddle up thither and seize the canoe4 ,if there be an ,indian on the island1 we will have speech of him4 ,but mind1 and treat him friendly2 and on your lives1 neither strike nor shoot1 even if he offers to fight4 ,so1 choosing a line of smooth backwater just in the wake of the island1 they drove their canoes up by main force1 and fastened them safely by the side of the ,indian's1 while ,amyas1 always the foremost1 sprang boldly on shore1 whispering to the ,indian boy to follow him4 ,once on the island1 ,amyas felt sure enough that1 if its wild tenant had not seen them approach1 he certainly had not heard them1 so deafening was the noise which filled his brain1 and which seemed to make the very leaves upon the bushes quiver and the solid stone beneath his feet reel and ring4 ,for two hundred yards and more above the fall1 nothing met his eye but one white waste of raging foam1 with here and there a transverse dike of rock1 which hurled columns of spray and surges of beaded water high into the air1--strangely contrasting with the still and silent cliffs of green leaves which walled the river right and left1 and more strangely still with the knots of enormous palms upon the islets1 which reared their polished shafts a hundred feet into the air1 straight and upright as masts1 while their broad plumes and golden-clustered fruit slept in the sunshine far aloft1 the image of the stateliest repose amid the wildest wrath of ,nature4 ,ten yards farther1 the cataract fell sheer in thunder2 but a high fern-fringed rock turned its force away from the beach4 ,here1 if anywhere1 was the place to find the owner of the canoe4 ,he leaped down upon the pebbles2 and as he did so1 a figure rose from behind a neighboring rock1 and met him face to face4 ,it was an ,indian girl4 ,he spoke first1 in some ,indian tongue1 gently and smilingly1 and made a half-step forward2 but quick as light she caught up from the ground a bow1 and held it fiercely toward him1 fitted with the long arrow1 with which1 as he could see1 she had been striking fish1 for a line of twisted grass hung from its barbed head4 ,amyas stopped1 laid down his own bow and sword1 and made another step in advance1 smiling still1 and making all ,indian signs of amity4 ,but the arrow was still pointed straight at his breast1 and he knew the mettle and strength of the forest nymphs well enough to stand still and call for the ,indian boy4 ,illustration3 ,a figure rose from behind a neighboring rock4 ,the boy1 who had been peering from above1 leaped down to them in a moment2 and began1 as the safest method1 groveling on his nose upon the pebbles1 while he tried two or three dialects1 one of which at last she seemed to understand1 and answered in a tone of evident suspicion and anger4 ,what does she say8 ,that you are a ,spaniard and a robber because you have a beard4 ,tell her that we are no ,spaniards1 but that we hate them1 and are come across the great waters to help the ,indians to kill them4 ,the boy had no sooner spoken1 than1 nimble as a deer1 the nymph had sprung up the rocks1 and darted between the palm stems to her own canoe4 ,suddenly she caught sight of the ,english boats1 and stopped with a cry of fear and rage4 ,let her pass6 shouted ,amyas1 who had followed her closely4 ,push your boats off1 and let her pass4 ,boy1 tell her to go on2 they will not come near her4 ,but she hesitated still1 and with arrow drawn to the head1 faced first on the boat's crew1 and then on ,amyas1 till the ,englishmen had shoved off full twenty yards4 ,then1 leaping into her tiny piragua1 she darted into the wildest whirl of the eddies1 shooting along with vigorous strokes1 while the ,english trembled as they saw the frail bark spinning and leaping amid the muzzles of the alligators and the huge dog-toothed trout4 ,but1 with the swiftness of an arrow1 she reached the northern bank1 drove her canoe among the bushes1 and1 leaping from it1 darted into the bush1 and vanished like a dream4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the chief interest in the foregoing story lies1 of course1 in its faithful and glowing picture of scenery in the midst of a tropical forest4 ,the learner should read it a second time and try to point out all the passages that are remarkable for their wealth of description4 ,he should try to form in his mind an image of the sights and sounds that he would encounter in a voyage up the ,meta ,river or any other of the tributaries of the ,orinoco or the ,amazon4 ,,the ,,flag ,,of ,,our ,,country4 ,i4 ,there is the national flag4 ,he must be cold indeed who can look upon its folds1 rippling in the breeze1 without pride of country4 ,if he be in a foreign land1 the flag is companionship and country itself1 with all its endearments4 ,who1 as he sees it1 can think of a state merely8 ,whose eyes once fastened upon its radiant trophies1 can fail to recognize the image of the whole nation8 ,it has been called a floating piece of poetry1 and yet ,i know not if it have an intrinsic beauty beyond other ensigns4 ,its highest beauty is in what it symbolizes4 ,it is because it represents all1 that all gaze at it with delight and reverence4 ,it is a piece of bunting lifted in the air2 but it speaks sublimely1 and every part has a voice4 ,its stripes of alternate red and white proclaim the original union of thirteen states to maintain the ,declaration of ,independence4 ,its stars of white on a field of blue proclaim that union of states constituting our national constellation1 which receives a new star with every new state4 ,the two together signify union past and present4 ,the very colors have a language which was officially recognized by our fathers4 ,white is for purity1 red for valor1 blue for justice2 and altogether1 bunting1 stripes1 stars1 and colors1 blazing in the sky1 make the flag of our country to be cherished by all our hearts1 to be upheld by all our hands4 ,,ii4 ,i have said enough and more than enough to manifest the spirit in which this flag is now committed to your charge4 ,it is the national ensign1 pure and simple1 dearer to all hearts at this moment as we lift it to the gale1 and see no other sign of hope upon the storm cloud which rolls and rattles above it1 save that which is its own radiant hues--dearer1 a thousand fold dearer to us all than ever it was before1 while gilded by the sunshine of prosperity and playing with the zephyrs of peace4 ,it will speak for itself far more eloquently than ,i can speak for it4 ,behold it6 ,listen to it6 ,every star has a tongue2 every stripe is articulate4 ,there is no speech nor language where their voices are not heard4 ,there is magic in the web of it4 ,it has an answer for every question of duty4 ,it has a solution for every doubt and every perplexity4 ,it has a word of good cheer for every hour of gloom or of despondency4 ,behold it6 ,listen to it6 ,it speaks of earlier and of later struggles4 ,it speaks of victories and sometimes of reverses1 on the sea and on the land4 ,it speaks of patriots and heroes among the living and among the dead2 and of him1 the first and greatest of them all1 around whose consecrated ashes this unnatural and abhorrent strife has been so long raging4 ,but1 before all and above all other associations and memories1--whether of glorious men1 or glorious deeds1 or glorious places1--its voice is ever of ,union and ,liberty1 of the ,constitution and of the ,laws4 --,robert ,c4 ,winthrop4 ,,the ,,high ,,tide ,,on ,,the ,,coast ,,of ,,lincolnshire--#aega4 ,the old mayor climbed the belfry tower1 ,the ringers ran by two1 by three3-- ,pull1 if ye never pulled before1 ,good ringers1 pull your best1 quoth he4 ,play up1 play up1 ,o ,boston bells6 ,ply all your changes1 all your swells2 ,play up ',the ,brides of ,enderby'6 ,illustration3 ,jean ,ingelow4 ,men say it was a stolen tide2 ,the ,lord that sent it1 he knows all2 ,but in mine ears doth still abide ,the message that the bells let fall3 ,and there was naught of strange1 beside ,the flights of mews and peewits pied ,by millions crouched on the old sea wall4 ,i sat and spun within the door1 ,my thread brake off1 ,i raised mine eyes2 ,the level sun1 like ruddy ore1 ,lay sinking in the barren skies1 ,and dark against day's golden death ,she moved where ,lindis wandereth1 ,my son's fair wife1 ,elizabeth4 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 calling1 ,ere the early dews were falling1 ,far away ,i heard her song4 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 all along1 ,where the reedy ,lindis floweth1 ,floweth1 floweth2 ,from the meads where melick groweth ,faintly came her milking song1 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 calling1 ,for the dews will soon be falling2 ,leave your meadow grasses mellow1 ,mellow1 mellow2 ,quit your cowslips1 cowslips yellow2 ,come up1 ,whitefoot1 come up1 ,lightfoot2 ,quit the stalks of parsley hollow1 ,hollow1 hollow2 ,come up1 ,jetty1 rise and follow1 ,from the clovers lift your head2 ,come up1 ,whitefoot1 come up1 ,lightfoot1 ,come up1 ,jetty1 rise and follow1 ,jetty1 to the milking shed4 ,if it be long1 ay1 long ago1 ,when ,i begin to think how long1 ,again ,i hear the ,lindis flow1 ,swift as an arrow1 sharp and strong2 ,and all the air1 it seemeth me1 ,is full of floating bells 7saith she71 ,that ring the tune of ,enderby4 ,all fresh the level pasture lay1 ,and not a shadow might be seen1 ,save where full five good miles away ,the steeple towered from out the green4 ,and lo6 the great bell far and wide ,was heard in all the country side ,that ,saturday at eventide4 ,the swanherds where their sedges are ,moved on in sunset's golden breath1 ,the shepherd lads ,i heard afar1 ,and my son's wife1 ,elizabeth2 ,till floating o'er the grassy sea ,came down that kindly message free1 ,the ,brides of ,mavis ,enderby4 ,then some looked up into the sky1 ,and all along where ,lindis flows ,to where the goodly vessels lie1 ,and where the lordly steeple shows4 ,they said1 ,and why should this thing be8 ,what danger lowers by land or sea8 ,they ring the tune of ,enderby6 ,for evil news from ,mablethorpe1 ,of pirate galleys warping down2 ,for ships ashore beyond the scorpe1 ,they have not spared to wake the town3 ,but while the west is red to see1 ,and storms be none1 and pirates flee1 ,why ring ',the ,brides of ,enderby'8 ,i looked without1 and lo6 my son ,came riding down with might and main2 ,he raised a shout as he drew on1 ,till all the welkin rang again1 ,elizabeth6 ,elizabeth6 7,a sweeter woman ne'er drew breath ,than my son's wife1 ,elizabeth47 ,the old sea wall1 he cried1 is down1 ,the rising tide comes on apace1 ,and boats adrift in yonder town ,go sailing up the market place4 ,he shook as one that looks on death3 ,god save you1 mother6 straight he saith1 ,where is my wife1 ,elizabeth8 ,good son1 where ,lindis winds away1 ,with her two bairns ,i marked her long2 ,and ere yon bells began to play1 ,afar ,i heard her milking song4 ,he looked across the grassy lea1 ,to right1 to left1 ,ho1 ,enderby6 ,they rang ,the ,brides of ,enderby6 ,with that he cried and beat his breast2 ,for1 lo6 along the river's bed ,a mighty eygre reared his crest1 ,and up the ,lindis raging sped4 ,it swept with thunderous noises loud2 ,shaped like a curling snow-white cloud1 ,or like a demon in a shroud4 ,and rearing ,lindis backward pressed ,shook all her trembling banks amain2 ,then madly at the eygre's breast ,flung up her weltering walls again4 ,then banks came down with ruin and rout-- ,then beaten foam flew round about-- ,then all the mighty floods were out4 ,so far1 so fast the eygre drave1 ,the heart had hardly time to beat ,before a shallow seething wave ,sobbed in the grasses at our feet2 ,the feet had hardly time to flee ,before it brake against the knee1 ,and all the world was in the sea4 ,upon the roof we sat that night1 ,the noise of bells went sweeping by2 ,i marked the lofty beacon light ,stream from the church tower1 red and high-- ,a lurid mark and dread to see2 ,and awesome bells they were to me1 ,that in the dark rang ,enderby4 ,they rang the sailor lads to guide ,from roof to roof who fearless rowed2 ,and ,i--my son was at my side1 ,and yet the ruddy beacon glowed2 ,and yet he moaned beneath his breath1 ,oh1 come in life1 or come in death6 ,oh lost6 my love ,elizabeth4 ,and didst thou visit him no more8 ,thou didst1 thou didst1 my daughter dear2 ,the waters laid thee at his door1 ,ere yet the early dawn was clear4 ,thy pretty bairns in fast embrace1 ,the lifted sun shone on thy face1 ,down drifted to thy dwelling place4 ,that flow strewed wrecks about the grass1 ,that ebb swept out the flocks to sea2 ,a fatal ebb and flow1 alas6 ,to many more than mine and me3 ,but each will mourn his own 7she saith71 ,and sweeter woman ne'er drew breath ,than my son's wife1 ,elizabeth4 ,i shall never hear her more ,by the reedy ,lindis shore1 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 calling1 ,ere the early dews be falling2 ,i shall never hear her song1 ,cusha6 ,cusha6 all along ,where the sunny ,lindis floweth1 ,goeth1 floweth2 ,from the meads where melick groweth1 ,where the water winding down1 ,onward floweth to the town4 ,i shall never see her more ,where the reeds and rushes quiver1 ,shiver1 quiver2 ,stand beside the sobbing river1 ,sobbing1 throbbing1 in its falling ,to the sandy1 lonesome shore2 ,i shall never hear her calling1 ,leave your meadow grasses mellow1 ,mellow1 mellow2 ,quit your cowslips1 cowslips yellow2 ,come up1 ,whitefoot1 come up1 ,lightfoot2 ,quit your pipes of parsley hollow1 ,hollow1 hollow2 ,come up1 ,lightfoot1 rise and follow2 ,lightfoot1 ,whitefoot1 ,from your clovers lift the head2 ,come up1 ,jetty1 follow1 follow1 ,jetty1 to the milking shed4 --,jean ,ingelow4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,thomas ,,becket4 ,i4 ,,his ,,life4 ,henry ,,ii4 began his reign over ,england in the year #aaed1 and he was the mightiest king that had yet sat upon the throne4 ,he had vast possessions4 ,all ,england and nearly half of ,france were his1 and he was well able to rule over them and keep them in order4 ,he was a short1 stout1 reddish-haired man1 with a face well-tanned by exposure to the wind and the sun4 ,his legs were bowed by constant riding4 ,ever busy at something1 he rarely sat down1 except at meals2 and there was plenty of work for him to do4 ,in the early years of his reign his chief friend and servant was ,thomas ,becket1 who was a clever and handsome man4 ,he knew well how to please the king by sharing in his amusements1 and by helping him in the great work of keeping order among his barons and knights4 ,when ,becket was a young man he was out hunting1 one day1 with his pet hawk upon his wrist4 ,riding carelessly along1 he came to a narrow wooden bridge1 which crossed a stream close to a mill4 ,when in the middle of the bridge his horse stumbled1 and ,becket1 horse1 and hawk were thrown into the water4 ,the horse at once swam to the bank4 ,so did ,becket1 but1 upon looking back1 he saw his hawk struggling in the middle of the stream4 ,its straps had become entangled about its feet and wings1 and the bird was helpless4 ,although the stream was running swiftly to the great mill-wheel1 ,becket turned round and swam back to save the hawk4 ,by this time the current had carried him very near to the wheel1 and in another moment both man and bird must have been crushed to death4 ,but just then the miller saw the danger and stopped the mill4 ,becket climbed out of the water with the bird in his hand1 seeming not at all frightened because of the danger which he had escaped4 ,during his entire life he had many trials and was opposed by many enemies2 but he faced them all as fearlessly as he had risked drowning in order to save his hawk4 ,king ,henry made ,becket his chancellor1 that is his chief minister1 and gave him much wealth4 ,becket lived in great splendor in a fine palace4 ,he was so hospitable that he kept an open table1 at which all were free to come and feast when they chose4 ,his clothes were the finest and gayest that could be made1 and wherever he went he took with him troops of friends and servants4 ,once1 when he was sent to ,france to settle a dispute with the ,french king1 he traveled with such a large train of followers that the people were filled with wonder4 ,we can picture the procession entering a quiet country town4 ,first came two hundred boys singing quaint songs or glees4 ,then followed great hounds with their keepers1 behind whom were wagons guarded by fierce ,english mastiffs4 ,one of the wagons was laden with beer to be given away to the people who might render any help on the road4 ,then came twelve horses1 upon each of which sat a monkey and a groom4 ,after all these there followed a vast company of knights and squires and priests1 riding two and two4 ,last of all came ,becket and a few friends1 with whom he talked by the way4 ,we can imagine the wonder of the ,french people at so fine1 yet strange1 a show4 ,we can hear them exclaim1 ,what kind of a man must the king of ,england be1 when his chancellor can travel in such state6 ,at this time the ,church in ,england possessed great power and wealth4 ,it was the safeguard that stood between the people and the greed and cruelty of their rulers4 ,it was the protector of the poor1 and the friend of the oppressed2 and even the king was obliged to obey its commands4 ,king ,henry was jealous of the influence of the ,church4 ,he resolved that1 having already reduced the power of the barons1 he would now reduce the power of the ,church4 ,and among all his faithful men1 who would be more likely to help him in such business than his friend ,becket1 who had hitherto been his ablest assistant in every undertaking8 ,illustration3 ,thomas ,becket4 7,from an ,old ,painting47 ,it happened about this time that the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 the highest officer of the ,church in ,england1 died4 ,this event was very pleasing to ,henry1 and through his influence the ,pope appointed ,thomas ,becket to be the new archbishop4 ,becket had hitherto been faithful to ,henry in all things1 but he now felt that his first duty was to the ,church1 and he resolved to defend its rights1 even though he should displease the king4 ,he changed entirely the manner of his life4 ,instead of his splendid clothes1 he wore a monk's dress and a hair shirt next to his skin4 ,he tried1 as people understood it in those times1 to carry out the teachings of his ,lord and ,master2 and every day he waited upon a number of poor men and washed their feet4 ,instead of gay knights only good and pious men sat at his table4 ,he gave up his chancellorship1 and told the king plainly that he would resist all attempts to take away the rights of the ,church4 ,many were the quarrels after that between the king and the archbishop4 ,at one time1 in a fit of rage1 ,henry cried out3 ,i will not be preached at by you4 ,are you not the son of one of my clowns8 ,it is true1 replied the archbishop1 ,i am not descended from ancient kings1 but neither was the blessed ,peter to whom were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven4 ,but ,peter1 said the king1 died for his ,lord4 ,and ,i1 too1 will die for my ,lord1 said ,becket1 when the time shall come4 ,and it was not long till the time did come4 ,upon hearing some hasty1 angry words from the king1 four knights set out to ,canterbury1 determined to kill ,becket1 and thus not only put an end to the long quarrel but win the king's favor for themselves4 --,anonymous4 ,,ii4 ,,his ,,death4 ,the vespers had already begun1 and the monks were singing the service in the choir1 when two boys rushed up the nave1 announcing1 more by their terrified gestures than by their words1 that the soldiers were bursting into the palace and monastery4 ,instantly the service was thrown into the utmost confusion2 part remained at prayer1 part fled into the numerous hiding places the vast fabric affords2 and part went down the steps of the choir into the transept to meet the little band at the door4 ,come in1 come in6 exclaimed one of them4 ,come in1 and let us die together4 ,the ,archbishop continued to stand outside1 and said3 ,go and finish the service4 ,so long as you keep in the entrance1 ,i shall not come in4 ,they fell back a few paces1 and he stepped within the door1 but1 finding the whole place thronged with people1 he paused on the threshold1 and asked1 ,what is it that these people fear8 ,one general answer broke forth1 ,the armed men in the cloister4 ,as he turned and said1 ,i shall go out to them1 he heard the clash of arms behind4 ,the knights had just forced their way into the cloister1 and were now 7as would appear from their being thus seen through the open door7 advancing along its southern side4 ,they were in mail1 which covered their faces up to their eyes1 and carried their swords drawn4 ,three had hatchets4 ,fitzurse1 with the ax he had taken from the carpenters1 was foremost1 shouting as he came1 ,here1 here1 king's men6 ,immediately behind him followed ,robert ,fitzranulph1 with three other knights2 and a motley group--some their own followers1 some from the town--with weapons1 though not in armor1 brought up the rear4 ,at this sight1 so unwonted in the peaceful cloisters of ,canterbury1 not probably beheld since the time when the monastery had been sacked by the ,danes1 the monks within1 regardless of all remonstrances1 shut the door of the cathedral1 and proceeded to barricade it with iron bars4 ,a loud knocking was heard from the band without1 who1 having vainly endeavored to prevent the entrance of the knights into the cloister1 now rushed before them to take refuge in the church4 ,becket1 who had stepped some paces into the cathedral1 but was resisting the solicitations of those immediately about him to move up into the choir for safety1 darted back1 calling aloud as he went1 ,away1 you cowards6 ,by virtue of your obedience ,i command you not to shut the door--the church must not be turned into a castle4 ,with his own hands he thrust them away from the door1 opened it himself1 and catching hold of the excluded monks1 dragged them into the building1 exclaiming1 ,come in1 come in--faster1 faster6 ,illustration3 ,from a ,photograph4 ,engraved by ,charles ,meeder4 ,canterbury ,cathedral4 ,the knights1 who had been checked for a moment by the sight of the closed door1 on seeing it unexpectedly thrown open1 rushed into the church4 ,it was1 we must remember1 about five o'clock in a winter evening2 the shades of night were gathering1 and were deepened into a still darker gloom within the high and massive walls of the vast cathedral1 which was only illuminated here and there by the solitary lamps burning before the altars4 ,the twilight1 lengthening from the shortest day a fortnight before1 was but just sufficient to reveal the outline of objects4 ,in the dim twilight they could just discern a group of figures mounting the steps of the eastern staircase4 ,one of the knights called out to them1 ,stay4 ,another1 ,where is ,thomas ,becket1 traitor to the king8 ,no answer was returned4 ,none could have been expected by any one who remembered the indignant silence with which ,becket had swept by when the same words had been applied by ,randulf of ,broc at ,northampton4 ,fitzurse rushed forward1 and1 stumbling against one of the monks on the lower step1 still not able to distinguish clearly in the darkness1 exclaimed1 ,where is the ,archbishop8 ,instantly the answer came3 ,reginald1 here ,i am1 no traitor1 but the archbishop and priest of ,god2 what do you wish8 and from the fourth step1 which he had reached in his ascent1 with a slight motion of his head--noticed apparently as his peculiar manner in moments of excitement--,becket descended to the transept4 ,attired1 we are told1 in his white rochet1 with a cloak and hood thrown over his shoulders1 he thus suddenly confronted his assailants4 ,fitzurse sprang back two or three paces1 and ,becket passing by him took up his station between the central pillar and the massive wall which still forms the southwest corner of what was then the chapel of ,st4 ,benedict4 ,here they gathered round him1 with the cry1 ,absolve the bishops whom you have excommunicated4 ,i cannot do other than ,i have done1 he replied1 and turning to ,fitzurse1 he added1 ,reginald1 you have received many favors at my hands2 why do you come into my church armed8 ,fitzurse planted the ax against his breast1 and returned for answer1 ,you shall die--,i will tear out your heart4 ,another1 perhaps in kindness1 struck him between the shoulders with the flat of his sword1 exclaiming1 ,fly2 you are a dead man4 ,i am ready to die1 replied the primate1 for ,god and the ,church2 but ,i warn you1 ,i curse you in the name of ,god ,almighty1 if you do not let my men escape4 ,the well-known horror which in that age was felt at an act of sacrilege1 together with the sight of the crowds who were rushing in from the town through the nave1 turned their efforts for the next few moments to carrying him out of the church4 ,fitzurse threw down the ax1 and tried to drag him out by the collar of his long cloak1 calling1 ,come with us--you are our prisoner4 ,i will not fly1 you detestable fellow1 was ,becket's reply1 roused to his usual vehemence1 and wrenching the cloak out of ,fitzurse's grasp4 ,the three knights struggled violently to put him on ,tracy's shoulders4 ,becket set his back against the pillar1 and resisted with all his might1 whilst ,grim1 vehemently remonstrating1 threw his arms around him to aid his efforts4 ,in the scuffle1 ,becket fastened upon ,tracy1 shook him by his coat of mail1 and exerting his great strength flung him down on the pavement4 ,it was hopeless to carry on the attempt to remove him4 ,and in the final struggle which now began1 ,fitzurse1 as before1 took the lead4 ,he approached with his drawn sword1 and waving it over his head1 cried1 ,strike1 strike6 but merely dashed off his cap4 ,tracy sprang forward and struck a more decided blow4 ,the blood from the first blow was trickling down his face in a thin streak2 he wiped it with his arm1 and when he saw the stain1 he said1 ,into thy hands1 ,o ,lord1 ,i commend my spirit4 ,at the third blow1 he sank on his knees--his arms falling1 but his hands still joined as if in prayer4 ,with his face turned towards the altar of ,st4 ,benedict1 he murmured in a low voice1 ,for the name of ,jesus1 and the defense of the ,church1 ,i am willing to die4 ,without moving hand or foot1 he fell flat on his face as he spoke4 ,in this posture he received a tremendous blow1 aimed with such violence that the scalp or crown of the head was severed from the skull4 ,let us go--let us go1 said ,hugh of ,horsea1 the traitor is dead2 he will rise no more4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the life of ,thomas ,becket1 and his tragic death1 have furnished themes for many noble contributions to ,english literature4 ,arthur ,penrhyn ,stanley1 ,dean of ,westminster1 has written of him1 in a very impartial and trustworthy manner1 in his ,historical ,memoirs of ,canterbury from which the above extract is taken4 ,the poet ,tennyson1 late in life1 composed a tragedy entitled ,becket which portrays in a vivid1 poetical manner the most striking scenes in the career of the great archbishop4 ,james ,anthony ,froude1 in ,short ,stories on ,great ,subjects1 has written a charming and instructive essay on the ,life and ,times of ,thomas ,becket2 and ,professor ,freeman has presented us with a similar historical study in his ,saint ,thomas of ,canterbury4 ,it may also be observed that ,chaucer's immortal work1 ,the ,canterbury ,tales1 depends for its connecting thread upon the once general custom of making pilgrimages to the tomb of ,becket4 ,illustration3 ,dean ,stanley4 ,,the ,,pilgrims4 7#afbj47 ,methinks ,i see one solitary1 adventurous vessel1 the ,mayflower1 of a forlorn hope1 freighted with the prospects of a future state1 and bound across the unknown sea4 ,i behold it pursuing1 with a thousand misgivings1 the uncertain1 the tedious voyage4 ,suns rise and set1 and weeks and months pass1 and winter surprises them on the deep1 but brings them not the sight of the wished-for shore4 ,i see them now1 scantily supplied with provisions1 crowded almost to suffocation1 in their ill-stored prison1 delayed by calms1 pursuing a circuitous route1--and now1 driven in fury before the raging tempest1 on the high and giddy waves4 ,the awful voice of the storm brawls through the rigging4 ,illustration3 ,edward ,everett4 ,the laboring masts seem straining from their base2 the dismal sound of the pumps is heard2 the ship leaps1 as it were1 madly1 from billow to billow2 the ocean breaks1 and settles with engulfing floods over the floating deck1 and beats with deadening1 shivering weight1 against the staggering vessel4 ,i see them escape from these perils1 pursuing their all but desperate undertaking1 and landed at last1 after a five months' passage1 on the ice-clad rocks of ,plymouth1--weak and weary from the voyage1 poorly armed1 scantily provisioned1 without shelter1 without means1 surrounded by hostile tribes4 ,shut now the volume of history1 and tell me1 on any principle of human probability1 what shall be the fate of this handful of adventurers8 ,tell me1 man of military science1 in how many months were they all swept off by the thirty savage tribes1 enumerated within the early limits of ,new ,england8 ,tell me1 politician1 how long did a shadow of a colony on which your conventions and treaties had not smiled1 languish on the distant coast8 ,student of history1 compare for me the baffled projects1 the deserted settlements1 the abandoned adventures of other times1 and find the parallel of this4 ,was it the winter's storm1 beating upon the houseless heads of women and children8 was it hard labor and spare meals8 was it disease8 was it the tomahawk8 was it the deep malady of a blighted hope1 a ruined enterprise1 and a broken heart1 aching in its last moments at the recollection of the loved and left1 beyond the sea8 was it some1 or all of these united1 that hurried this forsaken company to their melancholy fate8 ,and is it possible1 that neither of these causes1 that not all combined1 were able to blast this bud of hope8 ,is it possible1 that from a beginning so feeble1 so frail1 so worthy not so much of admiration as of pity1 there has gone forth a progress so steady1 a growth so wonderful1 an expansion so ample1 a reality so important1 a promise1 yet to be fulfilled1 so glorious8 --,edward ,everett4 ,illustration3 ,from the ,painting by ,a4 ,w4 ,bayes4 ,engraved by ,e4 ,heinemann4 ,the ,departure of the ,mayflower4 ,,the ,,landing ,,of ,,the ,,pilgrims4 7#afbj47 ,the breaking waves dashed high ,on a stern and rock-bound coast1 ,and the trees against a stormy sky1 ,their giant branches tossed4 ,and the heavy night hung dark ,the hills and waters o'er1 ,when a band of exiles moored their bark ,on the wild ,new ,england shore4 ,not as the conqueror comes1 ,they1 the true-hearted1 came2 ,not with the roll of the stirring drums1 ,and the trumpet that sings of fame4 ,not as the flying come1 ,in silence and in fear2 ,they shook the depths of the desert gloom ,with their hymns of lofty cheer4 ,amidst the storm they sang1 ,and the stars heard1 and the sea3 ,and the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang ,to the anthem of the free6 ,the ocean eagle soared ,from his nest by the white wave's foam3 ,and the rocking pines of the forest roared1-- ,this was their welcome home6 ,there were men with hoary hair1 ,amidst that pilgrim band2 ,why had they come to wither there1 ,away from their childhood's land8 ,there was woman's fearless eye1 ,lit by her deep love's truth2 ,there was manhood's brow serenely high1 ,and the fiery heart of youth4 ,what sought they thus afar8 ,bright jewels of the mine8 ,the wealth of seas1 the spoils of war8-- ,they sought a faith's pure shrine6 ,ay6 call it holy ground1 ,the soil where first they trod3 ,they have left unstained what there they found1 ,freedom to worship ,god4 --,felicia ,hemans4 ,patriots have toiled1 and in their country's cause ,bled nobly2 and their deeds1 as they deserve ,receive proud recompense4 ,we give in charge ,their names to the sweet lyre4 ,the historic ,muse1 ,proud of the treasure1 marches with it down ,to latest times2 and ,sculpture1 in her turn1 ,gives bond in stone and ever-during brass ,to guard them1 and to immortalize her trust4 --,william ,cowper4 ,,the ,,robin4 ,the robin is perhaps the best known of all our birds4 ,the name is so prominent in children's stories1 in folklore1 in poetry1 and in general literature1 that even town children who have never seen the bird know it by name2 but to many grown people1 even those who have lived all their lives in the country1 the robin is not familiar as a winter bird4 ,it is known to come and go1 it is true1 but is supposed to be merely in transit1 and just where the observer happens to be is not its abiding place4 ,this impression is due to lack of observation1 for the birds are as well disposed towards your thicket and cedar trees as those of some far-off neighbor4 ,this crystal-clear1 cold ,january day1 with the mercury almost at zero1 ,i found the robins on the south hillside1 and seldom have they shown to better advantage4 ,one was perched in a sapling beech to which the leaves still clung4 ,it chirped at times so that its companions could hear it1 and was answered by them1 as well as by the nuthatches1 a tree creeper1 some sparrows1 and a winter wren4 ,it was a cozy1 warm spot wherein these birds had gathered1 which1 strangely enough1 was filled with music even when every bird was mute4 ,this robin was half concealed among the crisp beech leaves1 and these--not the birds about them--were singing4 ,the breeze caused them to tremble violently1 and their thin edges were as harp strings1 the wiry sound produced being smoothed by the crisp rattling caused by the leaves' rapid contact with each other4 ,it was much like the click of butterflies' wings1 but greatly exaggerated4 ,a simple sound1 but a sweet1 wholesome one that made me think less of the winter's rigor and recalled the recent warm autumnal days4 ,they were singing leaves1 and the robin watched them closely as he stood near by1 and chirped at times1 as if to encourage them4 ,altogether it made a pretty picture1 one of those that human skill has not yet transferred to a printed page2 and our winter sunshine is full of just such beauty4 ,how incomprehensible it is that any one should speak of the few robins that venture to remain6 ,flocks of a hundred or more are not uncommon in the depth of winter1 and this recalls the fact that at this time of year robins are never alone4 ,it may appear so for a time1 but when the bird you are watching is ready to move on1 his call will be answered by others that you have not seen1 and half a dozen at least will fly off to new scenes4 ,this is often noticed on a much larger scale when we flush robins in a field4 ,they are generally widely scattered1 and1 go where you will1 there will be one or two hopping before you2 but when one takes alarm1 the danger cry is heard by all1 and a great flock will gather in the air in an incredibly short time4 ,robins are not lovers of frozen ground2 they know where the earth resists frost1 down in the marshy meadows1 and there they congregate in the dreary midwinter afternoons1 after spending the morning feeding upon berries4 ,i have seen them picking those of the cedar1 poison ivy1 green brier1 and even the seedy1 withered fruit of the poke2 but at times this question of food supply must be a difficult problem to solve1 and then they leave us for a while1 until pleasanter weather prevails1 when they venture back4 ,in ,april1 when the chill of winter is no longer in its bones1 the robin becomes prominent1 and the more so because of the noise it makes4 ,it sings fairly well1 and early in the morning there is a world of suggestiveness in the ringing notes4 ,the song is loud1 declamatory1 and acceptable more for the pleasant thoughts it occasions than for the actual melody4 ,we are always glad to hear the robins1 but never for the same reason that we listen to a wood thrush4 ,of course there are exceptions4 ,with the close of the nesting season--and this extends well into the summer--much of the attractiveness of the bird disappears4 ,as individual members of great loose flocks that fret the upper air with an incessant chirping1 they offer little to entertain us even when the less hardy minstrels of the summer have sought their southern homes4 ,it is true that they add something to the picture of a dreamy ,october afternoon when the mellow sunlight tips the wilted grasses with dull gold4 ,they restore for the time the summertide activity of the meadows when with golden-winged woodpeckers they chase the crickets in the close-cropped pastures1 but they are soon forgotten if a song sparrow sings or a wary hawk screams among the clouds4 ,robins are always welcome1 but never more so than when they chatter1 on an ,april morning1 of the near future with its buds and blossoms4 --,from ,bird-,land ,echoes1 by ,charles ,conrad ,abbott4 ,,the ,,motions ,,of ,,birds4 ,a good ornithologist should be able to distinguish birds by their air as well as by their colors and shape1 on the wing as well as on the ground2 and in the bush as well as in the hand4 ,for though it must not be said that every species of bird has a manner peculiar to itself1 yet there is somewhat in most genera1 at least1 that at first sight discriminates them1 and enables a judicious observer to pronounce upon them with some certainty4 ,thus kites and buzzards sail round in circles with wings expanded and motionless2 and it is from their gliding manner that the former are still called in the north of ,england gleads1 from the ,saxon verb glidan1 to glide4 ,hen harriers fly low over the meadows or fields of corn1 and beat the ground regularly like a pointer or setting dog4 ,owls move in a buoyant manner1 as if lighter than the air2 they seem to want ballast4 ,there is a peculiarity belonging to ravens that must draw the attention even of the most incurious--they spend all their leisure time in striking and cuffing each other on the wing in a kind of playful skirmish2 and1 when they move from one place to another1 frequently turn on their backs with a loud croak1 and seem to be falling to the ground4 ,when this odd gesture betides them1 they are scratching themselves with one foot1 and thus lose the center of gravity4 ,rooks sometimes dive and tumble in a frolicsome manner2 crows and daws swagger in their walk2 woodpeckers fly with a wavy motion1 opening and closing their wings at every stroke1 and so are always rising or falling in curves4 ,all of this genus use their tails1 which incline downward1 as a support while they run up trees4 ,parrots1 like all other hooked-clawed birds1 walk awkwardly1 and make use of their bill as a third foot1 climbing and descending with ridiculous caution4 ,all the gallin parade and walk gracefully1 and run nimbly1 but fly with difficulty1 with an impetuous whirring1 and in a straight line4 ,magpies and jays flutter with powerless wings1 and make no dispatch2 herons seem encumbered with too much sail for their light bodies1 but these vast hollow wings are necessary in carrying burdens1 such as large fishes1 and the like2 pigeons1 and particularly the sort called smiters1 have a way of clashing their wings1 the one against the other1 over their backs with a loud snap2 another variety1 called tumblers1 turn themselves over in the air4 ,the kingfisher darts along like an arrow2 fern owls1 or goatsuckers1 glance in the dusk over the tops of trees like a meteor2 swallows sweep over the surface of the ground and water1 and distinguish themselves by rapid turns and quick evolutions2 swifts dash round in circles2 and the bank martin moves with frequent vacillations like a butterfly4 ,most small birds hop2 but wagtails and larks walk1 moving their legs alternately4 ,all the duck kind waddle2 divers and auks walk as if fettered1 and stand erect1 on their tails4 ,geese and cranes1 and most wild fowls1 move in figured flights1 often changing their position4 --,from ,the ,natural ,history of ,selbourne1 by ,gilbert ,white4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,rivers4 ,let us trace a river to its source4 ,beginning where it empties itself into the sea1 and following it backwards1 we find it from time to time joined by tributaries which swell its waters4 ,the river of course becomes smaller as these tributaries are passed4 ,it shrinks first to a brook1 then to a stream2 this again divides itself into a number of smaller streamlets1 ending in mere threads of water4 ,these constitute the source of the river1 and are usually found among hills4 ,thus1 the ,severn has its source in the ,welsh mountains2 the ,thames in the ,cotswold ,hills2 the ,missouri in the ,rocky ,mountains2 and the ,amazon in the ,andes of ,peru4 ,illustration3 ,john ,tyndall4 ,but it is quite plain that we have not yet reached the real beginning of the rivers4 ,whence do the earliest streams derive their water8 ,a brief residence among the mountains would prove to you that they are fed by rains4 ,in dry weather you would find the streams feeble1 sometimes1 indeed1 quite dried up4 ,in wet weather you would see them foaming torrents4 ,in general these streams lose themselves as little threads of water upon the hillsides2 but sometimes you may trace a river to a definite spring4 ,but you very soon assure yourself that such springs are also fed by rain1 which has percolated through the rocks or soil1 and which1 through some orifice that it has found or formed1 comes to the light of day4 ,but we can not end here4 ,whence comes the rain that forms the mountain streams8 ,observation enables you to answer the question4 ,rain does not come from a clear sky4 ,it comes from clouds4 ,but what are clouds8 ,is there nothing you are acquainted with which they resemble8 ,you discover at once a likeness between them and the condensed steam of a locomotive4 ,at every puff of the engine a cloud is projected into the air4 ,watch the cloud sharply4 ,you notice that it first forms at a little distance from the top of the funnel4 ,give close attention and you will sometimes see a perfectly clear space between the funnel and the cloud4 ,through that clear space the thing which makes the cloud must pass4 ,what then is this thing which at one moment is transparent and invisible1 and at the next moment visible as a dense opaque cloud8 ,it is the steam or vapor of water from the boiler4 ,within the boiler this steam is transparent and invisible2 but to keep it in this invisible state a heat would be required as great as that within the boiler4 ,when the vapor mingles with the cold air above the hot funnel1 it ceases to be vapor4 ,every bit of steam shrinks1 when chilled1 to a much more minute particle of water4 ,the liquid particles thus produced form a kind of water dust of exceeding fineness1 which floats in the air1 and is called a cloud4 ,watch the cloud banner from the funnel of a running locomotive3 you see it growing gradually less dense4 ,it finally melts away altogether1 and1 if you continue your observations1 you will not fail to notice that the speed of its disappearance depends on the character of the day4 ,in moist weather the cloud hangs long and lazily in the air2 in dry weather it is rapidly licked up4 ,what has become of it8 ,it has been reconverted into true invisible vapor4 ,the drier the air1 and the hotter the air1 the greater is the amount of cloud which can be thus dissolved in it4 ,make the lid of a kettle air-tight1 and permit the steam to issue from the spout2 a cloud is formed in all respects similar to that which issues from the funnel of the locomotive4 ,to produce the cloud1 in the case of the locomotive and the kettle1 heat is necessary4 ,by heating the water we first convert it into steam1 and then by chilling the steam we convert it into cloud4 ,is there any fire in nature which produces the clouds of our atmosphere8 ,there is--the fire of the sun4 ,by tracing the course of a river1 we find that both its beginning and its ending are in the sea4 ,all its water is derived from the sea1 and to the sea it returns its floods4 ,but if we seek for its causes1 we find that its beginning and its ending are in the sun4 ,for it is the fire of the sun that produces the clouds from which the water of the river is derived1 and it is the same fire of the sun that dries up its stream4 --,adapted from ,forms of ,water in ,clouds and ,rivers1 by ,john ,tyndall4 ,,address ,,of ,,abraham ,,lincoln ,,at ,,the ,,dedication ,,of ,,gettysburg ,,cemetery1 ,,the #ai,,th ,,of ,,november1 #ahfc4 ,fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation1 conceived in liberty1 and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal4 ,now we are engaged in a great civil war1 testing whether that nation1 or any nation so conceived and so dedicated1 can long endure4 ,we are met on a great battlefield of the war4 ,we have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that their nation might live4 ,it is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this4 ,illustration3 ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,but1 in a larger sense1 we can not dedicate1 we can not consecrate1 we can not hallow this ground4 ,the brave men1 living and dead1 who struggled here1 have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract4 ,the world will little note1 nor long remember1 what we say here1 but it can never forget what they did here4 ,it is for us1 the living1 rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced4 ,it is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation1 under ,god1 shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people1 by the people1 for the people1 shall not perish from the earth4 ,,the ,,american ,,flag4 ,when ,freedom1 from her mountain height1 ,unfurled her standard to the air1 ,she tore the azure robe of night1 ,and set the stars of glory there2 ,she mingled with its gorgeous dyes ,the milky baldric of the skies1 ,and striped its pure1 celestial white ,with streakings of the morning light2 ,then from his mansion in the sun ,she called her eagle bearer down1 ,and gave into his mighty hand ,the symbol of her chosen land4 ,illustration3 ,joseph ,rodman ,drake4 ,flag of the brave6 thy folds shall fly1 ,the sign of hope and triumph high6 ,when speaks the signal trumpet tone1 ,and the long line comes gleaming on 7,ere yet the life blood1 warm and wet1 ,has dimmed the glistening bayonet71 ,each soldier's eye shall brightly turn ,to where thy sky-born glories burn1 ,and as his springing steps advance1 ,catch war and vengeance from thy glance4 ,and when the cannon mouthings loud ,heave in wild wreaths the battle shroud1 ,and gory sabers rise and fall1 ,like shoots of flame on midnight's pall1 ,then shall thy meteor glances glow1 ,and cowering foes shall sink beneath ,each gallant arm that strikes below ,that lovely messenger of death4 ,flag of the seas6 on ocean's wave ,thy stars shall glitter o'er the brave2 ,when death1 careering on the gale1 ,sweeps darkly round the bellied sail1 ,and frighted waves rush wildly back ,before the broadside's reeling rack1 ,each dying wanderer of the sea ,shall look at once to heaven and thee1 ,and smile to see thy splendors fly ,in triumph o'er his closing eye4 ,flag of the free heart's hope and home1 ,by angel hands to valor given1 ,thy stars have lit the welkin dome1 ,and all thy hues were born in heaven4 ,forever float that standard sheet6 ,where breathes the foe1 but falls before us1 ,with ,freedom's soil beneath our feet1 ,and ,freedom's banner streaming o'er us6 --,joseph ,rodman ,drake4 ,,the ,,last ,,fight ,,in ,,the ,,coliseum1 ,a4,d4 #djd4 ,illustration3 ,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge4 ,the grandest and most renowned of all ancient amphitheaters is the ,coliseum at ,rome4 ,it was built by ,vespasian and his son ,titus1 the conquerors of ,jerusalem1 in a valley in the midst of the seven hills of ,rome4 ,the captive ,jews were forced to labor at it2 and the materials--granite outside1 and a softer stone within--are so solid1 and so admirably put together1 that still1 at the end of eighteen centuries1 it has scarcely even become a ruin1 but remains one of the greatest wonders of ,rome4 ,five acres of ground were inclosed within the oval of its outer wall1 which outside rises perpendicularly in tiers of arches one above another4 ,within1 the galleries of seats projected forwards1 each tier coming out far beyond the one above it2 so that between the lowest and the outer wall there was room for a great variety of chambers1 passages1 and vaults around the central space1 called the arena4 ,altogether1 when full1 this huge building held no fewer than #hg1jjj spectators6 ,it had no roof2 but when there was rain1 or if the sun was too hot1 the sailors in the porticoes unfurled awnings that ran along upon ropes1 and formed a covering of silk and gold tissue over the whole4 ,purple was the favorite color for this veil1 because1 when the sun shone through it1 it cast such beautiful rosy tints on the snowy arena and the white purple-edged togas of the ,roman citizens4 ,when the emperor had seated himself and given the signal1 the sports began4 ,sometimes a rope dancing elephant would begin the entertainment1 by mounting even to the summit of the building and descending by a cord4 ,or a lion came forth with a jeweled crown on his head1 a diamond necklace round his neck1 his mane plaited with gold1 and his claws gilded1 and played a hundred pretty gentle antics with a little hare that danced fearlessly within his grasp4 ,sometimes water was let into the arena1 a ship sailed in1 and falling to pieces in the midst1 sent a crowd of strange animals swimming in all directions4 ,sometimes the ground opened1 and trees came growing up through it1 bearing golden fruit4 ,or the beautiful old tale of ,orpheus was acted3 these trees would follow the harp and song of a musician2 but--to make the whole part complete--it was no mere play1 but in real earnest1 that the ,orpheus of the piece fell a prey to live bears4 ,for the ,coliseum had not been built for such harmless spectacles as those first described4 ,the fierce ,romans wanted to be excited and to feel themselves strongly stirred2 and1 presently1 the doors of the pits and dens around the arena were thrown open1 and absolutely savage beasts were let loose upon one another--rhinoceroses and tigers1 bulls and lions1 leopards and wild boars--while the people watched with ferocious curiosity to see the various kinds of attack and defense1 their ears at the same time being delighted1 instead of horror-struck1 by the roars and howls of the noble creatures whose courage was thus misused4 ,illustration3 ,the ,coliseum at the ,present ,day4 ,wild beasts tearing each other to pieces might1 one would think1 satisfy any taste for horror2 but the spectators needed even nobler game to be set before their favorite monsters3--men were brought forward to confront them4 ,some of these were1 at first1 in full armor1 and fought hard1 generally with success4 ,or hunters came1 almost unarmed1 and gained the victory by swiftness and dexterity1 throwing a piece of cloth over a lion's head1 or disconcerting him by putting their fist down his throat4 ,but it was not only skill1 but death1 that the ,romans loved to see2 and condemned criminals and deserters were reserved to feast the lions1 and to entertain the populace with their various kinds of death4 ,among those condemned was many a ,christian martyr1 who witnessed a good confession before the savage-eyed multitude around the arena1 and met the lion's gory mane with a calm resolution and a hopeful joy that the lookers-on could not understand4 ,to see a ,christian die1 with upward gaze1 and hymns of joy on his tongue1 was the most strange and unaccountable sight the ,coliseum could offer2 and it was therefore the choicest1 and reserved for the last of the spectacles in which the brute creation had a part4 ,the carcasses were dragged off with hooks1 the bloodstained sand was covered with a fresh green layer1 perfume was wafted in stronger clouds1 and a procession come forward--tall1 well-made men1 in the prime of their strength4 ,some carried a sword and a lasso1 others a trident and a net2 some were in light armor1 others in the full1 heavy equipment of a soldier2 some on horseback1 some in chariots1 some on foot4 ,they marched in1 and made their obeisance to the emperor2 and with one voice their greeting sounded through the building3 ,hail1 ,csar2 those about to die salute thee6 ,they were the gladiators--the swordsmen trained to fight to the death to amuse the populace4 ,illustration3 ,from the ,painting by ,j4 ,l4 ,gerome4 ,engraved by ,henry ,wolf4 ,the ,last ,prayer--,christian ,martyrs in the ,coliseum4 ,fights of all sorts took place1--the light-armed soldier and the netsman--the lasso and the javelin--the two heavy-armed warriors1--all combinations of single combat1 and sometimes a general mle4 ,when a gladiator wounded his adversary1 he shouted to the spectators1 ,he has it6 and looked up to know whether he should kill or spare4 ,when the people held up their thumbs1 the conquered was left to recover1 if he could2 if they turned them down1 he was to die2 and if he showed any reluctance to present his throat for the deathblow1 there was a scornful shout1 ,receive the steel6 ,i see before me the gladiator lie3 ,he leans upon his hand2 his manly brow ,consents to death1 but conquers agony2 ,and his drooped head sinks gradually low2 ,and through his side the last drops1 ebbing slow ,from the red gash1 fall heavy1 one by one1 ,like the first of a thunder-shower2 and now ,the arena swims around him--he is gone1 ,ere ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the wretch who won4 ,christianity1 however1 worked its way upwards1 and at last was professed by the emperor on his throne4 ,persecution came to an end1 and no more martyrs fed the beasts in the ,coliseum4 ,the ,christian emperors endeavored to prevent any more shows where cruelty and death formed the chief interest1 and no truly religious person could endure the spectacle2 but custom and love of excitement prevailed even against the emperor4 ,they went on for fully a hundred years after ,rome had1 in name1 become a ,christian city4 ,meantime the enemies of ,rome were coming nearer and nearer4 ,alaric1 the great chief of the ,goths1 led his forces into ,italy1 and threatened the city itself4 ,honorius1 the emperor1 was a cowardly1 almost idiotic boy2 but his brave general1 ,stilicho1 assembled his forces1 met the ,goths1 and gave them a complete defeat1 on ,easter day of the year #djc4 ,he pursued them to the mountains1 and for that time saved ,rome4 ,in the joy of victory1 the ,roman ,senate invited the conqueror and his ward ,honorius to enter the city in triumph1 at the opening of the new year1 with the white steeds1 purple robes1 and vermilion cheeks with which1 of old1 victorious generals were welcomed at ,rome4 ,the churches were visited instead of the ,temple of ,jupiter1 and there was no murder of the captives2 but ,roman bloodthirstiness was not yet allayed1 and1 after the procession had been completed1 the ,coliseum shows commenced1 innocently at first1 with races on foot1 on horseback1 and in chariots2 then followed a grand hunt of beasts turned loose in the arena2 and next a sword dance4 ,but after the sword dance came the arraying of swordsmen1 with no blunted weapons1 but with sharp spears and swords--a gladiator combat in full earnest4 ,the people1 enchanted1 applauded with shouts of ecstasy this gratification of their savage tastes4 ,suddenly1 however1 there was an interruption4 ,a rude1 roughly robed man1 bareheaded and barefooted1 had sprung into the arena1 and1 waving back the gladiators1 began to call aloud upon the people to cease from the shedding of innocent blood1 and not to requite ,god's mercy1 in turning away the sword of the enemy1 by encouraging murder4 ,shouts1 howls1 cries1 broke in upon his words2 this was no place for preachings1--the old customs of ,rome should be observed1--,back1 old man6--,on1 gladiators6 ,the gladiators thrust aside the meddler1 and rushed to the attack4 ,he still stood between1 holding them apart1 striving in vain to be heard4 ,sedition6 sedition6--,down with him6--was the cry2 and the prefect in authority himself added his voice4 ,the gladiators1 enraged at interference with their vocation1 cut him down4 ,stones1 or whatever came to hand1 rained upon him from the furious people1 and he perished in the midst of the arena6 ,he lay dead2 and then the people began to reflect upon what had been done4 ,his dress showed that he was one of the hermits who had vowed themselves to a life of prayer and self-denial1 and who were greatly reverenced1 even by the most thoughtless4 ,the few who had previously seen him1 told that he had come from the wilds of ,asia on a pilgrimage1 to visit the shrines and keep his ,christmas at ,rome4 ,they knew that he was a holy man--no more4 ,but his spirit had been stirred by the sight of thousands flocking to see men slaughter one another1 and in his simple-hearted zeal he had resolved to stop the cruelty1 or die4 ,he had died1 but not in vain4 ,his work was done4 ,the shock of such a death before their eyes turned the hearts of the people2 they saw the wickedness and cruelty to which they had blindly surrendered themselves2 and since the day when the hermit died in the ,coliseum1 there has never been another fight of gladiators4 ,the custom was utterly abolished2 and one habitual crime at least was wiped from the earth by the self-devotion of one humble1 obscure1 and nameless man4 --,from ,a ,book of ,golden ,deeds1 by ,charlotte ,yonge4 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,arthur4 ,the reader has already become somewhat acquainted with the marvelous history of ,king ,arthur1 and has read about the poems and romances by which the memory of his life and exploits have been preserved4 ,he has also read the mythical account of the ,king's last hours on earth as recorded in the quaint old romance written by ,sir ,thomas ,malory4 ,here he may read another rendering of the same story1 written in grand and beautiful poetic form by ,alfred ,tennyson4 ,in the ,idylls of the ,king1 ,lord ,tennyson has given us a complete history of ,arthur and of the brave knights and fair ladies who lived at his court4 ,these poems are among the noblest ever written in our language4 ,turn now to the last story in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year1 and compare each passage in that brief narrative with its corresponding passage in the following poem4 ,so all day long the noise of battle roll'd ,among the mountains by the winter sea2 ,until ,king ,arthur's ,table1 man by man1 ,had fall'n in ,lyonesse about their lord1 ,king ,arthur4 ,then1 because his wound was deep1 ,the bold ,sir ,bedivere uplifted him1 ,sir ,bedivere1 the last of all his knights1 ,and bore him to a chapel nigh the field1 ,a broken chancel with a broken cross1 ,that stood on a dark strait of barren land4 ,on one side lay the ,ocean1 and on one ,lay a great water1 and the moon was full4 ,then spake ,king ,arthur to ,sir ,bedivere3 ,the sequel of to-day unsolders all ,the goodliest fellowship of famous knights ,whereof this world holds record4 ,such a sleep ,they sleep--the men ,i loved4 ,i think that we ,shall never more1 at any future time1 ,delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds1 ,walking about the gardens and the halls ,of ,camelot1 as in the days that were4 ,i perish by this people which ,i made1-- ,tho' ,merlin sware that ,i should come again ,to rule once more2 but let what will be1 be1 ,i am so deeply smitten thro' the helm ,that without help ,i can not last till morn4 ,thou therefore take my brand ,excalibur1 ,which was my pride3 for thou rememberest how ,in those old days1 one summer noon1 an arm ,rose up from out the bosom of the lake1 ,clothed in white samite1 mystic1 wonderful1 ,holding the sword--and how ,i row'd across ,and took it1 and have worn it1 like a king3 ,and1 wheresoever ,i am sung or told ,in after time1 this also shall be known3 ,but now delay not3 take ,excalibur1 ,and fling him far into the middle mere2 ,watch what thou sest and lightly bring me word4 ,to him replied the bold ,sir ,bedivere3 ,it is not meet1 ,sir ,king1 to leave thee thus1 ,aidless1 alone1 and smitten thro' the helm4 ,a little thing may harm a wounded man4 ,yet ,i thy hest will all perform at full1 ,watch what ,i see1 and lightly bring thee word4 ,so saying1 from the ruin'd shrine he stept1 ,and in the moon athwart the place of tombs1 ,where lay the mighty bones of ancient men1 ,old knights1 and over them the sea wind sang ,shrill1 chill1 with flakes of foam4 ,he1 stepping down ,by zigzag paths1 and juts of pointed rock1 ,came on the shining levels of the lake4 ,there drew he forth the brand ,excalibur1 ,and o'er him1 drawing it1 the winter moon1 ,brightening the skirts of a long cloud1 ran forth ,and sparkled keen with frost against the hilt3 ,for all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks1 ,myriads of topaz lights1 and jacinth work ,of subtlest jewelry4 ,he gazed so long ,that both his eyes were dazzled1 as he stood1 ,this way and that dividing the swift mind1 ,in act to throw3 but at the last it seem'd ,better to leave ,excalibur conceal'd ,there in the many-knotted waterflags1 ,that whistled stiff and dry about the marge4 ,so strode he back slow to the wounded ,king4 ,then spake ,king ,arthur to ,sir ,bedivere3 ,hast thou perform'd my mission which ,i gave8 ,what is it thou hast seen8 or what hast heard8 ,and answer made the bold ,sir ,bedivere3 ,i heard the ripple washing in the reeds1 ,and the wild water lapping on the crag4 ,to whom replied ,king ,arthur1 faint and pale3 ,thou hast betray'd thy nature and thy name1 ,not rendering true answer1 as beseem'd ,thy falty1 nor like a noble knight3 ,for surer sign had follow'd1 either hand1 ,or voice1 or else a motion of the mere4 ,this is a shameful thing for men to lie4 ,yet now ,i charge thee1 quickly go again1 ,as thou art lief and dear1 and do the thing ,i bade thee1 watch1 and lightly bring me word4 ,then went ,sir ,bedivere the second time ,across the ridge1 and paced beside the mere1 ,counting the dewy pebbles1 fix'd in thought2 ,but when he saw the wonder of the hilt1 ,how curiously and strangely chased1 he smote ,his palms together1 and he cried aloud3 ,and if indeed ,i cast the brand away1 ,surely a precious thing1 one worthy note1 ,should thus be lost for ever from the earth1 ,which might have pleased the eyes of many men4 ,what good should follow this1 if this were done8 ,what harm1 undone8 deep harm to disobey1 ,seeing obedience is the bond of rule4 ,were it well to obey then1 if a king demand ,an act unprofitable1 against himself8 ,the ,king is sick1 and knows not what he does4 ,what record1 or what relic of my lord ,should be to after time1 but empty breath ,and rumors of a doubt8 but were this kept1 ,stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings1 ,some one might show it at a joust of arms1 ,saying1 ',king ,arthur's sword1 ,excalibur1 ,wrought by the lonely maiden of the ,lake4 ,nine years she wrought it1 sitting in the deeps ,upon the hidden bases of the hills4' ,so might some old man speak in the after time ,to all the people1 winning reverence4 ,but now much honor and much fame were lost4 ,so spake he1 clouded with his own conceit1-- ,and hid ,excalibur the second time1 ,and so strode back slow to the wounded ,king4 ,then spoke ,king ,arthur1 breathing heavily3 ,what is it thou hast seen8 or what hast heard8 ,and answer made the bold ,sir ,bedivere3 ,i heard the water lapping on the crag1 ,and the long ripple washing in the reeds4 ,to whom replied ,king ,arthur1 much in wrath3 ,ah1 miserable and unkind1 untrue1 ,unknightly1 traitor-hearted6 ,woe is me6 ,authority forgets a dying king1 ,laid widow'd of the power in his eye ,that bow'd the will4 ,i see thee what thou art1 ,for thou1 the latest-left of all my knights1 ,in whom should meet the offices of all1 ,thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt2 ,either from lust of gold1 or like a girl ,valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes4 ,yet1 for a man may fail in duty twice1 ,and the third time may prosper1 get thee hence3 ,but1 if thou spare to fling ,excalibur1 ,i will arise and slay thee with my hands4 ,then quickly rose ,sir ,bedivere1 and ran1 ,and1 leaping down the ridges lightly1 plunged ,among the bulrush beds1 and clutch'd the sword1 ,and strongly wheel'd and threw it4 ,the great brand ,made lightnings in the splendor of the moon1 ,and flashing round and round1 and whirl'd in an arch1 ,shot like a streamer of the northern morn1 ,seen where the moving isles of winter shock ,by night1 with noises of the ,northern ,sea4 ,so flash'd and fell the brand ,excalibur3 ,but ere he dipt the surface1 rose an arm ,clothed in white samite1 mystic1 wonderful1 ,and caught him by the hilt1 and brandish'd him ,three times1 and drew him under in the mere4 ,and lightly went the other to the ,king4 ,then spoke ,king ,arthur1 drawing thicker breath3 ,now see ,i by thine eyes that this is done4 ,speak out3 what is it thou hast heard1 or seen8 ,and answer made the bold ,sir ,bedivere3 ,sir ,king1 ,i closed mine eyelids1 lest the gems ,should blind my purpose1 for ,i never saw1 ,nor shall see1 here or elsewhere1 till ,i die1 ,not tho' ,i live three lives of mortal men1 ,so great a miracle as yonder hilt4 ,then with both hands ,i flung him1 wheeling him2 ,but when ,i look'd again1 behold an arm1 ,clothed in white samite1 mystic1 wonderful1 ,that caught him by the hilt1 and brandish'd him ,three times and drew him under in the mere4 ,and answer made ,king ,arthur1 breathing hard3 ,my end draws nigh2 'tis time that ,i were gone4 ,make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight1 ,and bear me to the margin2 yet ,i fear ,my wound hath taken cold1 and ,i shall die4 ,so saying1 from the pavement he half rose1 ,slowly1 with pain1 reclining on his arm1 ,and looking wistfully with wide blue eyes ,as in a picture4 ,him ,sir ,bedivere ,remorsefully regarded thro' his tears1 ,and would have spoken1 but he found not words2 ,then took with care1 and kneeling on one knee1 ,o'er both his shoulders drew the languid hands1 ,and rising bore him thro' the place of tombs4 ,but1 as he walk'd1 ,king ,arthur panted hard1 ,like one that feels a nightmare on his bed ,when all the house is mute4 ,so sigh'd the ,king1 ,muttering and murmuring at his ear1 ,quick1 quick6 ,i fear it is too late1 and ,i shall die4 ,but the other swiftly strode from ridge to ridge1 ,clothed with his breath1 and looking as he walk'd1 ,larger than human on the frozen hills4 ,he heard the deep behind him1 and a cry ,before4 ,his own thought drove him1 like a goad4 ,dry clash'd his harness in the icy caves ,and barren chasms1 and all to left and right ,the bare black cliff clang'd round him1 as he based ,his feet on jets of slippery crag that rang ,sharp-smitten with the dint of armed heels-- ,and on a sudden1 lo6 the level lake1 ,and the long glories of the winter moon4 ,then saw they how there hove a dusky barge1 ,dark as a funeral scarf from stem to stern1 ,beneath them2 and descending they were ware ,that all the decks were dense with stately forms ,black-stoled1 black-hooded1 like a dream--by these ,three ,queens with crowns of gold--and from them rose ,a cry that shiver'd to the tingling stars1 ,and1 as it were one voice1 an agony ,of lamentation1 like a wind1 that shrills ,all night in a waste land1 where no one comes1 ,or hath come1 since the making of the world4 ,then murmur'd ,arthur1 ,place me in the barge4 ,so to the barge they came4 ,there those three ,queens ,put forth their hands1 and took the ,king1 and wept4444 ,then loudly cried the bold ,sir ,bedivere3 ,ah6 my ,lord ,arthur1 whither shall ,i go8 ,where shall ,i hide my forehead and my eyes8 ,for now ,i see the true old times are dead1 ,when every morning brought a noble chance1 ,and every chance brought out a noble knight4444 ,but now the whole ,round ,table is dissolved ,which was an image of the mighty world1 ,and ,i1 the last1 go forth companionless1 ,and the days darken round me1 and the years1 ,among new men1 strange faces1 other minds4 ,and slowly answered ,arthur from the barge3 ,the old order changeth1 yielding place to new1 ,and ,god fulfills himself in many ways1 ,lest one good custom should corrupt the world4 ,comfort thyself2 what comfort is in me8 ,i have lived my life1 and that which ,i have done ,may ,he within himself make pure6 but thou1 ,if thou shouldst never see my face again1 ,pray for my soul4 ,more things are wrought by prayer ,than this world dreams of4 ,wherefore1 let thy voice ,rise like a fountain for me night and day4 ,for what are men better than sheep or goats ,that nourish a blind life within the brain1 ,if1 knowing ,god1 they lift not hands of prayer ,both for themselves and those who call them friends8 ,for so the whole round earth is every way ,bound by gold chains about the feet of ,god4 ,but now farewell4 ,i am going a long way ,with these thou sest--if indeed ,i go 7,for all my mind is clouded with a doubt7-- ,to the island-valley of ,avilion ,where falls not hail1 or rain1 or any snow1 ,nor ever wind blows loudly2 but it lies ,deep-meadow'd1 happy1 fair with orchard lawns ,and bowery hollows crown'd with summer sea1 ,where ,i will heal me of my grievous wound4 ,so said he1 and the barge with oar and sail ,moved from the brink1 like some full-breasted swan ,that1 fluting a wild carol ere her death1 ,ruffles her pure cold plume1 and takes the flood ,with swarthy webs4 ,long stood ,sir ,bedivere ,revolving many memories1 till the hull ,look'd one black dot against the verge of dawn1 ,and on the mere the wailing died away4 --,from ,the ,idylls of the ,king1 by ,alfred ,tennyson4 ,,for ,,study ,,and ,,reference4 ,,principles ,,of ,,good ,,reading4 ,to become a good reader1 patient and long-continued practice is necessary4 ,we learn to read by much reading and never by the study of formal rules4 ,nevertheless1 a knowledge of the following general principles and definitions may be of some value in assisting the learner to acquire correct habits in the practice of oral reading4 ,,pronunciation4 ,under this term are included ,articulation1 ,syllabication1 and ,accent4 ,correct articulation requires that each letter1 syllable1 and word should be clearly and properly pronounced4 ,incorrect articulation is the result either of careless habits or of natural defects4 ,in either case1 it may be largely overcome by persistent and careful drill in the pronunciation of those words in which the greatest difficulty is experienced4 ,conversation1 declamation1 calisthenics1 singing1 and similar exercises should be engaged in1 in order to assist in overcoming habits of timidity or diffidence1 and to give increased power and flexibility to the vocal organs4 ,syllabication and accent are learned by careful observation and by reference1 in all cases of doubt1 to some standard dictionary4 ,,expression4 ,correct expression in reading has reference to tone of voice1 inflection1 pitch1 emphasis1 all of which are included under modulation4 ,,tone4 ,tone1 or quality of voice1 is the kind of sound employed in reading or speaking4 ,a conversational tone is such as is used in ordinary conversation for the expression of quiet or unemotional thoughts4 ,a full tone of voice is used in the expression of high or lofty sentiments1 and of feelings of joy1 courage1 or exultation4 ,a middle tone is used in the rendering of expressions which while not conversational in character are too unimpassioned to require a full tone4 ,a low or subdued tone is used in passages where the sense requires a suppression of sound4 ,the only rule necessary is this3 ,study so to regulate the tone of voice that it shall always be in harmony with the thoughts expressed4 ,,inflection4 ,inflection is the upward or downward movement of the voice in speaking or reading4 ,there are two inflections3 the rising inflection1 in which the voice slides upward2 and the falling inflection1 in which the voice slides downward4 ,sometimes there is a union of the two inflections upon a single sound or syllable1 in order to express surprise1 scorn1 irony1 sorrow1 or other strong or peculiar emotion4 ,this union of inflections is called circumflex4 ,no rule for inflections can be given which is not subject to numerous exceptions4 ,the movement of the voice1 whether upward or downward1 is in all cases determined by the thought in the sentence4 ,that inflection should be used which will assist to convey1 in the most natural and forcible manner1 the meaning intended by the author4 ,,pitch4 ,very closely related to tone and inflection is pitch1 by which is meant the degree of elevation of the voice4 ,pitch may be middle1 high1 or low4 ,middle pitch is that which is used in common conversation and in the expression of unemotional thoughts4 ,light and joyous emotions and lively narration require a high pitch4 ,passages expressing sadness1 deep joy1 dignified serenity of mind1 and kindred emotions1 require a low pitch4 ,hence1 the only rule to be observed is this3 ,let the pitch be always in harmony with the sentiments to be expressed4 ,,emphasis4 ,emphasis is any change of pitch1 or variation of the voice1 which serves to call special attention to an important word1 syllable1 or expression4 ,the only rule that can be given for securing correctness of emphasis is3 ,be natural4 ,children1 in ordinary conversation1 never make mistakes in emphasis4 ,if they are made to understand what they are reading1 have not been permitted to imitate incorrect models1 and are not hampered by unnecessary rules1 they will read as well as they talk4 ,let reading be but conversation from the book1 and not only emphasis1 but pitch and inflection will require but little separate attention1 and no special rules4 ,,pauses4 ,pauses in reading are necessary to make the meaning clear or to assist in the proper modulation of the voice and therefore in the correct rendering of the sentiments of the author4 ,the former are called grammatical pauses1 and are indicated by the marks of punctuation2 the latter are called rhetorical pauses1 and depend for their correct usage upon the reader's understanding of the thoughts which he is endeavoring to render4 ,in reading poetry1 a slight pause is generally proper at the end of each line1 and sometimes also at the middle of each line4 ,the latter is called the csural pause4 ,the object of poetic pauses is simply to promote the melody4 ,,authors ,,and ,,books4 ,abbott1 ,charles ,conrad1 the author of the essay on ,the ,robin 7page #aig71 is an ,american writer and naturalist4 ,he was born at ,trenton1 ,n4 ,j41 in #ahdc4 ,he is an ardent lover of nature1 and has written several delightful books on subjects relating to popular science and outdoor life4 ,among these are ,birdland ,echoes1 from which the above-named essay is taken2 ,a ,naturalist's ,wanderings about ,home1 and ,waste ,land ,wanderings4 ,aytoun 7atoon71 ,william ,edmonstoune1 the author of the selection entitled ,the ,pass of ,killiecrankie 7page #ach71 was a ,scottish lawyer and poet4 ,born in ,edinburgh1 #ahac2 died1 #ahfe4 ,he was for many years one of the editors of ,blackwood's ,magazine4 ,he wrote ,lays of the ,scottish ,cavaliers1 ,ballads of ,scotland1 and other poems4 ,blackmore1 ,richard ,d41 the author of ,lorna ,doone1 is an ,english lawyer and novelist4 ,born in ,berkshire1 #ahbe4 ,besides ,lorna ,doone1 he has written ,alice ,lorraine1 ,springhaven1 ,the ,maid of ,sker1 and several other stories4 ,browning1 ,mrs4 ,elizabeth ,barrett1 the author of ,the ,romance of the ,swan's ,nest 7page #ih71 was an ,english poet4 ,born in ,durham1 ,england1 #ahjf4 ,in #ahdf she married ,robert ,browning1 and during the rest of her life resided chiefly at ,florence1 ,italy1 where she died in #ahfa4 ,she wrote ,prometheus ,bound 7#ahcc71 ,aurora ,leigh 7#aheg71 and many shorter poems4 ,bryant1 ,william ,cullen1 the author of ,the ,death of the ,flowers 7page #ah71 was one of the most popular of ,american poets4 ,born at ,cummington1 ,mass41 #agid2 died at ,new ,york1 #ahgh4 ,besides his poems1 he wrote translations of ,homer's ,iliad and ,odyssey1 and was for more than half a century one of the editors of ,the ,evening ,post 7,new ,york74 ,buckley1 ,arabella ,burton1 is an ,english author and naturalist4 ,born at ,brighton1 ,england1 #ahdj4 ,she has written several books on scientific subjects for young readers3 ,the ,fairy ,land of ,science1 from which our selection is taken 7page #bi71 ,winners in ,life's ,race1 and ,life and her ,children4 ,campbell1 ,thomas3 ,a ,british poet and critic4 ,born at ,glasgow1 ,scotland1 #aggg2 died1 #ahdd4 ,he wrote ,the ,pleasures of ,hope1 ,hohenlinden1 ,lochiel's ,warning1 and many other well-known poems4 ,cloister and the ,hearth1 ,the3 ,an historical romance1 by ,charles ,reade1 first published in #ahfa4 ,the scenes are laid mostly in ,holland and ,italy1 and the time is the middle of the fifteenth century4 ,see page #aec4 ,collier1 ,w4 ,f41 author of the sketch on ,life in ,norman ,england 7page #hi71 is an ,english historian4 ,he has written ,the ,history of the ,british ,empire1 ,a ,history of ,england1 and several other similar works4 ,cowper1 ,william3 ,a celebrated ,english poet4 ,born1 #agca2 died1 #ahjj4 ,his principal work was ,the ,task1 from which our brief selection 7page #aif7 has been taken4 ,he wrote also ,john ,gilpin1 ,tirocinium1 and several other poems4 ,david ,copperfield1 ,the ,personal ,history of3 ,a novel1 by ,charles ,dickens1 first published in #ahdi4 ,of all my books1 says ,dickens1 ,i like this the best4 ,many scenes in the novelist's own life are depicted in this story4 ,the character from whom the book took its name is a timid boy reduced to desperation by the cruelty of his stepfather1 ,mr4 ,murdstone4 ,at ten years of age he is sent to a warehouse in ,london1 where he was employed in rough work at a small salary4 ,he finally runs away1 and is protected and adopted by an eccentric maiden lady1 ,miss ,betsey ,trotwood4 ,he becomes a writer1 and marries a gentle1 innocent little lady1 whom he calls his child wife2 she dies1 and he afterwards marries a woman of stronger mind1 named ,agnes ,wickfield4 ,the selection which we give 7page #aba7 is a fair example of the style which characterizes the story4 ,dickens1 ,charles3 ,the most popular of ,english novelists4 ,born1 #ahab2 died1 #ahgj4 ,wrote ,the ,pickwick ,papers1 ,nicholas ,nickleby1 ,oliver ,twist1 ,david ,copperfield1 from which our story of ,the ,shipwreck 7page #aba7 has been taken1 and numerous other works of fiction4 ,drake1 ,joseph ,rodman1 author of ,the ,american ,flag 7page #bjf71 was an ,american poet4 ,born at ,new ,york1 #agie2 died1 #ahbj4 ,his principal work was ,the ,culprit ,fay1 written in #ahaf4 ,everett1 ,edward3 ,an ,american statesman and orator4 ,born at ,boston1 ,mass41 #agid2 died1 #ahfe4 ,he was editor of the ,north ,american ,review1 member of ,congress1 ,governor of ,massachusetts1 ,president of ,harvard ,college1 ,secretary of ,state in the cabinet of ,millard ,fillmore1 and ,united ,states ,senator from ,massachusetts4 ,his orations and speeches fill four volumes4 ,froude1 ,james ,anthony3 ,a noted ,english historian4 ,born1 #ahah2 died1 #ahid4 ,his chief work was a ,history of ,england from the ,fall of ,wolsey to the ,defeat of the ,spanish ,armada4 ,he also wrote four volumes of ,short ,studies on ,great ,subjects1 ,csar1 a ,sketch1 ,life of ,lord ,beaconsfield1 ,life of ,carlyle1 etc4 ,hemans1 ,mrs4 ,felicia3 ,an ,english poet4 ,born at ,liverpool1 #agic2 died1 #ahce4 ,she wrote numerous short poems1 which were at one time very popular4 ,she is best remembered in this country as the author of ,the ,landing of the ,pilgrims 7page #aie71 ,casabianca1 and similar pieces4 ,hogg1 ,james3 ,a ,scottish poet1 often called from his occupation the ,ettrick ,shepherd4 ,born1 #aggj2 died1 #ahce4 ,among his poems are ,the ,queen's ,wake 7#ahac71 ,the ,pilgrims of the ,sun 7#ahae71 and many short pieces4 ,howells1 ,william ,dean3 ,an ,american novelist and poet4 ,born at ,martinsville1 ,ohio1 #ahcg4 ,he was for ten years editor of the ,atlantic ,monthly4 ,he has written numerous novels1 several short comedies or farces1 and a volume of poetry4 ,our selection is from one of his latest works1 ,stories of ,ohio1 a series of sketches relating to the settlement and early history of that commonwealth4 ,hunt1 ,james ,henry ,leigh1 author of the poem entitled ,the ,glove and the ,lions 7page #aai71 was an ,english essayist and poet4 ,born1 #aghd2 died1 #ahei4 ,his chief poem is ,the ,story of ,rimini2 his principal prose works are ,life of ,lord ,byron 7#ahbh71 and ,autobiography 7#ahej74 ,idylls of the ,king3 ,the first part of this noble poem by ,lord ,tennyson appeared in #ahei1 and the remaining parts were issued at various intervals until its completion4 ,it comprises twelve books1 or poems1 which should be read in the following order3 ,the ,coming of ,arthur1 ,gareth and ,lynette1 ,the ,marriage of ,geraint1 ,geraint and ,enid1 ,balin and ,balan1 ,merlin and ,vivien1 ,lancelot and ,elaine1 ,the ,holy ,grail1 ,pelleas and ,etarre1 ,the ,last ,tournament1 ,guinevere1 ,the ,passing of ,arthur4 ,taken together in this order1 these various poems present a complete and connected history of ,king ,arthur and his knights4 ,see page #baf4 ,ingelow 7inje lo71 ,jean3 ,an ,english poet and novelist4 ,born at ,boston1 ,lincolnshire1 #ahcj2 died1 #ahig4 ,wrote ,off the ,skelligs1 ,fated to be ,free1 ,a ,motto ,changed1 several children's books1 and numerous poems4 ,irving1 ,washington3 ,an eminent ,american writer4 ,born1 #aghc2 died1 #ahei4 ,his principal works are ,columbus and his ,companions 7from which the extract beginning on page #be is taken71 ,the ,sketch ,book1 ,tales of a ,traveler 7#ahbd71 ,the ,conquest of ,granada 7#ahbi71 ,the ,alhambra 7#ahcb71 ,oliver ,goldsmith 7#ahdi71 ,mahomet and ,his ,successors 7#ahej71 ,life of ,george ,washington 7#ahei74 ,job1 ,the ,book of3 ,one of the books of the ,old ,testament1 the authorship of which is unknown1 but has been ascribed to various persons and periods of time4 ,it is doubtless one of the oldest literary productions in our possession1 and may be described as a poetic drama1 having a didactic purpose4 ,the hero of the book is ,job1 a man of great wealth and prosperity1 who has been suddenly overtaken by misfortune4 ,the great literary merit of the work is recognized by all scholars4 ,johnson1 ,dr4 ,samuel3 ,an eminent ,english essayist1 poet1 and lexicographer4 ,born1 #agji2 died1 #aghd4 ,for his biography1 see ,macaulay's essay on his life and works in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,seventh ,year4 ,jonson1 ,ben3 ,a celebrated ,english poet and dramatist4 ,born1 #aegc2 died1 #afcg4 ,among his plays are ,every ,man in his ,humour 7#aeih71 ,cynthia's ,revels 7#afjj71 ,the ,alchemist 7#afaj71 etc4 ,kingsley1 ,charles3 ,an eminent ,english author and clergyman4 ,see ,biographical ,notes in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year4 ,lays of ,ancient ,rome3 ,a volume of poems written by ,lord ,macaulay and first published in #ahdb4 ,it includes ,horatius 7see page #cb71 ,the ,battle of ,lake ,regillus1 ,virginia1 and ,the ,prophecy of ,capys4 ,lewes 7lues71 ,george ,henry3 ,an ,english philosophical and miscellaneous writer4 ,born at ,london1 #ahag2 died1 #ahgh4 ,he wrote ,seaside ,studies 7#aheh71 ,studies in ,animal ,life 7#ahfb71 ,problems of ,life and ,mind 7#ahgd71 and many other works on scientific and philosophical subjects4 ,lincoln1 ,abraham3 ,the sixteenth ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,born in ,kentucky1 #ahji2 died at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 #ahfe4 ,the ,address at ,gettysburg 7page #bje7 is generally conceded to be one of the noblest examples of oratory produced in modern times4 ,lorna ,doone3 a ,romance of ,exmoor4 ,first published in #ahfi4 ,see page #fd4 ,mexico1 ,history of the ,conquest of1 by ,william ,h4 ,prescott 7see page #ajd71 was first published in #ahdc4 ,other works relating to the same event are ,the ,spanish ,conquest in ,america1 by ,sir ,arthur ,helps1 ,the ,fair ,god 7a romance7 by ,general ,lew ,wallace4 ,prescott1 ,william ,hickling3 ,an eminent ,american historian4 ,born at ,salem1 ,mass41 #agif2 died1 #ahei4 ,his principal works are ,history of the ,reign of ,ferdinand and ,isabella 7#ahch71 ,conquest of ,mexico 7see note above71 ,conquest of ,peru 7#ahdg71 ,history of ,philip ,,ii 7#aheh74 ,reade1 ,charles3 ,a noted ,english barrister and novelist4 ,born in ,oxfordshire1 #ahad2 died1 #ahhd4 ,his novels are very numerous1 but the best is ,the ,cloister and the ,hearth1 from which our selection is taken 7page #aec74 ,several of his writings are noted for their strong opposition to social evils4 ,scott1 ,sir ,walter4 ,see ,biographical ,notes in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year4 ,stanley1 ,arthur ,penrhyn3 ,an ,english divine and historian4 ,born1 #ahae2 died1 #ahha4 ,he traveled in ,egypt and ,palestine in #aheb-ec2 wrote ,sinai and ,palestine 7#ahef71 ,memorials of ,canterbury 7#ahee71 ,history of the ,jewish ,church 7#ahfe71 etc4 ,stockton1 ,frank ,richard3 ,a noted ,american author and humorist4 ,born at ,philadelphia1 #ahcd4 ,he has written ,rudder ,grange1 ,the ,clocks of ,rondaine1 ,pomona's ,travels1 ,stories of ,new ,jersey1 and many other works1 including several books for children4 ,tales of a ,grandfather3 ,a collection of historical stories1 by ,sir ,walter ,scott1 first published in four series1 #ahbg-cj4 ,see page #ff4 ,tennyson1 ,alfred4 ,see ,biographical ,notes in ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year4 ,tyndall1 ,john3 ,an eminent ,british scientist4 ,born in ,ireland1 #ahbj2 died in ,england1 #ahic4 ,among his works are ,the ,forms of ,water in ,clouds and ,rivers 7#ahgc7 from which our extract is selected 7page #bjb71 ,hours of ,exercise in the ,alps 7#ahga71 ,fragments of ,science 7#ahib71 and many other works of a similar character4 ,westward ,ho6 or the ,voyages and ,adventures of ,sir ,amyas ,leigh3 ,a novel by ,charles ,kingsley1 first published in #ahee4 ,see page #afe4 ,winthrop1 ,robert ,charles3 ,an ,american statesman and orator4 ,born at ,boston1 #ahji2 died1 #ahid4 ,his most famous addresses were delivered at the laying of the corner-stone of the ,washington ,monument1 #ahdh1 and at the completion of the same monument1 #ahhe4 ,white1 ,gilbert3 ,an ,english clergyman and naturalist1 famous as the author of ,natural ,history and ,antiquities of ,selborne 7#aghi74 ,he was born at ,selborne1 #agbj2 died there1 #agic4 ,yonge 7yung71 ,charlotte ,mary3 ,an ,english writer and novelist4 ,born at ,otterbourne1 #ahbc4 ,she has written more than a hundred volumes1 including1 ,the ,heir of ,redclyffe1 ,daisy ,chain1 ,landmarks of ,history1 and ,a ,book of ,golden ,deeds1 from which the selection beginning on page #bjh is taken4 ,,explanatory ,,notes4 ,page #bj4 ,straits of ,sunda4 ,the passage between the islands of ,java and ,sumatra1 leading from the ,indian ,ocean to the ,sea of ,java4 ,see a good map of this part of the world4 #be4 ,the ,return of ,columbus4 ,returning from his first voyage 7see ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fourth ,year1 page #dc71 ,columbus reached ,palos1 ,march #ae1 #adic4 ,the selection here given from ,irving describes his triumphal reception a few weeks later at the court of ,ferdinand and ,isabella at ,barcelona4 ,hidalgos4 ,spanish noblemen of the lower class4 #bg4 ,las ,casas4 ,a ,spanish historian1 born1 #adgd2 died1 #aeff4 ,he went to ,america in #aejb1 and in #aedb was ,bishop of ,chiapas in ,mexico4 ,we are indebted to him for some of the earliest trustworthy accounts of the ,spanish discoveries4 ,he was the friend and defender of the ,indians against their ,european conquerors4 #bh4 ,te ,deum laudamus4 ,we praise thee1 ,o ,god4 #cb4 ,tarquin the ,proud1 or ,tarquinius ,superbus1 reigned1 according to the traditional account1 from #ecd to #eji ,b4,c4 ,the modern name of ,clusium is ,chiusi 7,ke oose74 ,it is situated in the province of ,siena in ,italy1 and is famous for its ruins of ,etruscan origin4 #cc4 ,consul4 ,after the expulsion of the kings from ,rome the governing power was vested in two consuls1 who were elected annually4 ,at the time of the story1 one of the consuls had been slain in battle with ,porsena4 ,our selection begins with the twenty-sixth stanza of ,macaulay's poem4 ,ramnian1 belonging to the ,ramnes1 the first of the three tribes which originally composed the ,roman nation4 ,herminius was a member of the second tribe1 or ,tities4 ,the third tribe were the ,luceres4 #ce4 ,for the places mentioned on this and the following pages1 see some good classical atlas4 #cf4 ,she-wolf's litter4 ,a reference to the legend that ,romulus and ,remus1 the founders of ,rome1 were1 when babes1 protected and reared by a she-wolf4 #db4 ,fathers4 ,the ,roman senators4 #dd4 ,sir ,francis ,drake was an ,english seaman1 born about #aedj2 died1 #aeif4 ,he was famous for his operations on the sea against the ,spaniards of ,america1 and especially for being the first ,englishman to circumnavigate the globe4 #ff4 ,bannockburn is the name of a small village three miles south of ,stirling1 in ,scotland4 ,robert ,bruce1 one of the national heroes of ,scotland1 was born1 #abgd2 died1 #acbi4 ,his right to the throne of ,scotland was disputed by ,edward ,i4 of ,england1 who claimed the suzerainty of that country for himself4 ,the war which resulted from this dispute was continued by ,edward ,,ii4 until he met with the signal defeat here narrated4 ,bruce's right to the ,scottish throne was formally acknowledged by ,england in #acbh4 #hi4 ,great stone castles4 ,for a description of the different parts of a ,norman castle mentioned in this selection1 see the word ,castle in ,webster's ,international ,dictionary4 #ic4 ,conquest4 ,the ,norman conquest under ,duke ,william1 #ajff4 ,see ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fourth ,year1 page #aha4 ,author of ',ivanhoe4' ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,see ,ivanhoe1 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,quintain4 ,an upright post1 on the top of which turned a cross-piece1 having on one end a broad board and on the other a sandbag4 ,the endeavor was to strike the board with the lance while riding under it and get away without being hit by the sandbag4 #if4 ,scriptorium4 ,a room in a monastery where the monks wrote or copied manuscripts4 ,see ,school ,reading by ,grades--,fifth ,year1 page #agj4 #ajj4 ,nathless4 ,nevertheless4 #ajd4 ,corts4 ,hernando ,corts was born in ,spain in #adhe4 ,in #aejd1 at the age of nineteen1 he sailed for ,santo ,domingo1 where he was received with great favor1 and where for several years he held important offices in connection with the government of the new colony4 ,in #aeah he organized the expedition for the conquest of ,mexico4 ,the city was finally captured1 after a gallant defense of #gg days1 ,august #ac1 #aeba4 ,utterly neglected and forsaken in his old age1 ,corts died at ,seville1 in ,spain1 ,december #b1 #aedg4 #ajf4 ,palanquin 7p7al an ken74 ,an inclosed litter1 borne on men's shoulders1 for conveying a single person4 #ajf4 ,cacique 7k4a sek74 ,a chieftain1 or nobleman1 among the ,aztecs or ,indians4 #ajg4 ,panache 7p7an 4ash74 ,a plume or bunch of feathers4 ,a military plume4 #aji4 ,tenochtitlan 7ten och tet ln74 ,the ,aztec name for their chief city1 the site of which is now occupied by the city of ,mexico4 ,it was founded about two hundred years before the ,spanish conquest1 and was built on an island in ,tezcuco ,lake4 ,the name ,mexitl1 or ,mexico1 was also applied to the city1 or to a portion of it4 #aaj4 ,bernal ,diaz 7deth74 ,a ,spanish soldier in the army of ,corts1 who afterwards wrote a history of the conquest4 #aaa4 ,montezuma4 ,corts repaid this chieftain for his kindness by seizing him in his own house and carrying him to the ,spanish quarters1 where he kept him as a prisoner4 ,the ,aztecs attacked the quarters1 and ,montezuma1 by the direction of ,corts1 appeared on the wall to counsel peace4 ,this so exasperated them that they pelted him with stones1 and wounded him so that he died four days later4 #aah4 ,the ,lions4 ,rosa ,bonheur1 from whose painting this picture has been reproduced1 is one of the most famous painters of the nineteenth century1 especially of animal life and of landscapes4 ,she was born at ,bordeaux1 ,france1 in #ahbh4 ,for nearly fifty years she has been directress of the ,free ,school of ,design for ,young ,girls in ,paris4 ,many of her paintings have received high praise1 but the one by which she is best known in this country is ,the ,horse ,fair1 in the ,metropolitan ,museum of ,art1 ,new ,york4 #ach4 ,sir ,william ,wallace4 ,one of the national heroes of ,scotland4 ,his deeds are commemorated in a once very popular romance by ,jane ,porter entitled ,the ,scottish ,chiefs 7#ahaj74 #aci4 ,schehallion4 ,a mountain #ce miles northwest of ,perth4 ,altitude1 #cedg feet4 #adj4 ,royal ,martyr4 ,king ,charles ,i4 of ,england1 beheaded by ,parliament1 #afdi4 ,king ,james4 ,james ,,ii41 at that time a fugitive from his throne4 ,covenanting traitors4 ,adherents of the ,solemn ,league and ,covenant adopted by the ,scottish ,parliament in #afch1 and by the ,english ,parliament in #afdc1 for the preservation of the reformed religion in ,scotland and the suppression of papacy and prelacy4 #aec4 ,burgundy4 ,the limits and character of the region known by this name have varied greatly at different periods of history4 ,the ,burgundy here mentioned was the great duchy of that name1 the capital of which was ,dijon4 ,the ,duke of ,burgundy at the time of this story was the famous ,charles the ,bold1 who was its ruler from #adfg to #adgg4 ,after his death it passed into the control of the king of ,france4 ,flanders4 ,this country1 which now forms the southeastern part of the province of ,zealand1 ,netherlands1 was united to ,burgundy in #acfi4 ,upon the death of ,charles the ,bold it passed to ,austria2 but since that time it has been successively acquired by various other neighboring states4 #aed4 ,palisades4 ,strong long stakes one end of which is set in the ground and the other sharpened4 ,sappers4 ,builders of fortifications4 #aee4 ,quarrels4 ,square-headed arrows for crossbows4 ,mantelets4 ,large shields of rope1 wood1 or metal4 ,mangonels4 ,engines for throwing stones or javelins4 #aef4 ,barbican4 ,see ,castle in ,webster's ,international ,dictionary4 ,a tower for defending the entrance to a castle4 ,arbalester4 ,a crossbowman4 ,half ell shaft4 ,a shaft or arrow half an ell in length4 #aeh4 ,fascines 7f7assenz74 ,bundles of sticks bound together and used for filling ditches or raising batteries4 #afj4 ,sir ,turk4 ,the ,turkish catapult just described4 #afc4 ,solway4 ,solway ,firth1 an arm of the ,irish ,sea1 extending into ,scotland3 remarkable for the rapidity of its tides4 #afd4 ,graeme 7gram74 ,see page #ach4 #afe4 ,manoa 7m no74 ,the city ruled by the gilded king1 ,el ,dorado4 ,it was said to be built on an island in a lake called ,parima1 somewhere in the northern part of ,south ,america4 ,beginning about #aecj1 great numbers of expeditions were made by the ,spaniards in search of this fabled city1 all of which ended in disappointment and disaster4 #age4 ,naught of strange4 ,nothing out of the usual order4 #agf4 ,lindis4 ,a small stream in ,lincolnshire4 ,melick 7m7el7ik74 ,melic grass1 a kind of grass eaten by cattle4 #agg4 ,warping down4 ,turning aside out of a straight course2 moving in zigzag lines4 ,scope4 ,a sea wall1 or steep shore4 #agh4 ,bairns4 ,little children4 #agi4 ,eygre 7eger74 ,the flood tide moving with great force and swiftness up the river4 #aha4 ,henry ,,ii4 of ,england was born in #aacc2 died1 #aahi4 ,he was the first of the ,plantagenet line of kings4 #ahb4 ,thomas ,becket1 born in ,london1 #aaah1 was the son of a rich merchant1 and became a member of the household of ,theobald1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 about #aadb4 ,through the influence of ,theobald his interests with the king were advanced1 and he became chancellor during the first year of ,henry's reign4 ,he was murdered in #aagj4 #aij4 ,in #aagb ,becket was canonized under the title of ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury1 and in #abbj his bones were removed to ,trinity ,chapel1 where they became the object of great veneration4 ,for several centuries pilgrimages were made to his shrine from all parts of ,england4 ,chaucer's ,canterbury ,tales were related by a party of pilgrims who were making this journey1 presumably near the close of the fourteenth century4 ,by order of ,king ,henry ,,viii4 the shrine was finally destroyed1 and the bones of ,becket were scattered and burned4 #bjj4 ,genera4 ,plural of genus--a name applied to a class of objects subdivided into species4 ,hen harriers4 ,hawks which fly low and harass fowls or small animals4 #bja4 ,gallin 7g7al line74 ,the order of birds which includes domestic fowls1 pheasants1 quails1 grouse1 etc4 #bje4 ,the ,national ,cemetery at ,gettysburg1 ,pennsylvania1 was dedicated by ,president ,lincoln1 ,november #ai1 #ahfc4 ,it was here that the great battle of ,gettysburg was fought1 ,july #a1 #b1 and #c of the same year4 ,the cemetery contains the graves of #cehj soldiers1 with a central monument1 built at a cost of #ej1jjj1 and a large number of regimental monuments on the various historic points of the battlefield4 #bjh4 ,vespasian and his son ,titus4 ,vespasian was emperor of ,rome ,a4,d4 #gj-gi4 ,he was succeeded by his son ,titus1 who died two years later4 ,jerusalem was taken and destroyed by ,titus1 acting as his father's general1 in the year #gj4 ,both these emperors expended large sums on public works4 ,the ,coliseum1 although begun by ,vespasian in #gb1 was not finished during his reign4 ,despite the enormous mass of the present ruins1 it is estimated that they comprise only about one third of the original materials2 the remainder have been carried away1 destroyed1 or used in the construction of other buildings4 #bji4 ,orpheus4 ,the sweet musician of ,thrace whose music charmed birds and beasts1 and caused even rocks and trees to move from their places to listen to the divine melody4 #bab4 ,the ,last ,prayer4 ,jean ,leon ,grme1 the painter of this picture1 is a celebrated ,french artist1 born at ,vesoul in #ahbd4 ,he studied in ,italy1 and to perfect himself in his art1 traveled for some years in ,egypt1 ,turkey1 and other eastern countries4 ,as might have been expected1 the subjects of many of his paintings are oriental4 ,in #ahfc1 he became professor of painting at the ,academy of ,fine ,arts4 ,his works are very numerous and meritorious4 #bac4 ,the stanza of poetry quoted on this page is from ,lord ,byron's ,childe ,harold's ,pilgrimage4 ,honorius4 ,honorius was born at ,constantinople1 ,a4,d4 #chd1 and became emperor of the western empire in #cie at the age of eleven years4 ,he married the daughter of his guardian1 ,stilicho1 in #cih4 ,it was during his reign 7in #daj7 that ,rome was taken and sacked by ,alaric the ,goth4 ,he died in #dbc4 #baf4 ,lyonesse 7li o n7es74 ,a mythical region1 said to have extended from ,land's ,end1 in ,cornwall1 to the ,scilly ,islands4 ,a tradition still exists of the submersion and destruction of this country1 probably in the tenth century4 ,king ,arthur was said to have been a native of ,lyonesse4 #bag4 ,camelot4 ,a legendary town in ,england where ,arthur had his palace and court4 ,it is supposed by some to have been near ,winchester2 others locate it in ,wales4 ,merlin4 ,a half-legendary bard and wizard1 who is supposed to have lived in the early part of the sixth century4 ,he was the companion and counselor of ,arthur1 and instituted the ,round ,table at ,carduel4 ,the famous prose romance1 called the ,romance of ,merlin1 was written in ,french by ,hlie de ,borron about the year #abjj4 ,it was translated into ,english about the middle of the fifteenth century4 ,excalibur4 ,the sword which ,arthur had received from the ,lady of the ,lake4 ,it had many miraculous qualities1 and the wearer of its scabbard could lose no blood4 #bbc4 ,das throne4 ,a throne raised upon an elevated platform or das4 #bbd4 ,avilion4 ,in ,celtic mythology1 the ,land of the ,blessed--an earthly paradise in the western seas4 ,all the great heroes of medival times1 as ,arthur and ,ogier the ,dane1 were carried there1 where they lived in perfect happiness at the court of ,morgan le ,fay1 the queen of the fairies4 ,transcriber's ,note 99 ,line numbers removed from short stories4 99 ,obvious punctuation and spelling errors repaired4 99 ,footnote moved to the end of short story4 99 ,in ,table of ,contents ,portraits of ,authors page number corrected for ,arthur ,penrhyn ,stanley from #aij to #aia4 99 ,chiusi 7,ke oose7 contains oo representing a long oo sound not represented in any charts4 99 ,text enclosed between equal signs was in bold face in the original 7bold74