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diff --git a/old/6302-0.txt b/old/6302-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 818e86d..0000000 --- a/old/6302-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15230 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Junior Classics, by Various - -Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the -copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing -this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. - -This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project -Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the -header without written permission. - -Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the -eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is -important information about your specific rights and restrictions in -how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a -donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. - - -**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** - -**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** - -*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** - - -Title: The Junior Classics - -Author: Various - -Release Date: August, 2004 [EBook #6302] -[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] -[This file was first posted on November 22, 2002] -[Most recently updated November 25, 2002] - -Edition: 10 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE JUNIOR CLASSICS *** - - - - -Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. - - - -The Junior Classics - -A LIBRARY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS - -[Illustration: CATHRINE DOUGLAS THRUST HER ARM THROUGH THE EMPTY -STAPLES _From the painting by J P Shelton_] - -THE JUNIOR CLASSICS - -SELECTED AND ARRANGED BY WILLIAM PATTEN -MANAGING EDITOR OF THE HARVARD CLASSICS - -INTRODUCTION BY CHARLES W. ELIOT, LL. D. -PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY - -WITH A READING GUIDE BY WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, Ph.D. -PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY -PRESIDENT SMITH COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON, MASS., SINCE 1917[-1939] - - - -VOLUME SEVEN - -Stories of Courage and Heroism - - - - -CONTENTS - - - -PREFACE - -How Phidias Helped the Image-Maker _Beatrice Harraden_ - -The Fight at the Pass of Thermopylæ _Charlotte M. Yonge_ - -The Bravery of Regulus _Charlotte M. Yonge_ - -The Rabbi Who Found the Diadem _Dr. A. S. Isaacs_ - -How Livia Won the Brooch _Beatrice Harraden_ - -Julius Cæsar Crossing the Rubicon _Jacob Abbott_ - -Fearless Saint Genevieve, Patron Saint of Paris _Charlotte M. Yonge_ - -The Boy Viking--Olaf II of Norway _E. S. Brooks_ - -The Boy-Heroes of Crecy and Poitiers _Treadwell Walden_ - -The Noble Burghers of Calais _Charlotte M. Yonge_ - -The Story of Joan of Arc, the Maid Who Saved France _Anonymous_ - -How Joan the Maid Took Largess from the English _Anonymous_ - -Death of Joan the Maid _Anonymous_ - -How Catherine Douglas Tried to Save King James of Scotland _Charlotte -M. Yonge_ - -The Brave Queen of Hungary _Charlotte M. Yonge_ - -The Story of Christopher Columbus for Little Children _Elizabeth -Harrison_ - -A Sea-Fight in the Time of Queen Bess _Charles Kingsley_ - -A Brave Scottish Chief _Anonymous_ - -The Adventure of Grizel Cochrane _Arthur Quiller-Couch_ - -The Sunken Treasure _Nathaniel Hawthorne_ - -The Lost Exiles of Texas _Arthur Oilman_ - -The Boy Conqueror--Charles XII of Sweden _E. S. Brooks_ - -The True Story of a Kidnapped Boy as Told by Himself _Peter -Williamson_ - -The Prisoner Who Would Not Stay in Prison _Anonymous_ - -A White Boy Among the Indians, as Told by Himself _John Tanner_ - -Evangeline of Acadia _Henry W. Longfellow_ - -Jabez Rockwell's Powder-Horn _Ralph D. Paine_ - -A Man Who Coveted Washington's Shoes _Frank R. Stockton._ - -A Famous Fight Between an English and a French Frigate _Rev. W. H. -Fitchett_ - -The Trick of an Indian Spy _Arthur Quiller-Couch_ - -The Man in the "Auger Hole" _Frank R. Stockton._ - -The Remarkable Voyage of the _Bounty_ _Anonymous_ - -The Two Boy Hostages at the Siege of Seringapatam _Anonymous_ - -The Man Who Spoiled Napoleon's "Destiny" _Rev. W. H. Fitchett_ - -A Fire-Fighter's Rescue from the Flames _Arthur Quiller-Couch_ - -How Napoleon Rewarded His Men _Baron de Marbot_ - -A Rescue from Shipwreck _Arthur Quiller-Couch_ - -Rebecca the Drummer _Charles Barnard_ - -The Messenger _M. E. M. Davis_ - -Humphry Davy and the Safety-Lamp _George C. Towle_ - -Kit Carson's Duel _Emerson Hough_ - -The Story of Grace Darling _Anonymous_ - -The Struggles of Charles Goodyear _George C. Towle_ - -Old Johnny Appleseed _Elizabeth Harrison_ - -The Little Post-Boy _Bayard Taylor_ - -How June Found Massa Linkum _Elizabeth S. Phelps_ - -The Story of a Forest Fire _Raymond S. Spears_ - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - -CATHERINE DOUGLAS THRUST HER ARM THROUGH THE EMPTY STAPLES - -How Catherine Douglas Tried to Save King James of Scotland - -_Frontispiece illustration in color from the painting by J. R. -Skelton_ - - -HE SHOOK HIS CLENCHED FIST AT THE OBSTRUCTED SEA-STRAIT - -The Boy Viking--Olaf II of Norway - -_From the drawing by Gertrude Demain Hammond_ - - -"FIGHT ON!" CRIED THE MAID; "THE PLACE IS OURS" - -The Story of Joan of Arc - -_From the painting by William Rainey_ - - -THEN HE OFFERED A FERVENT PRAYER OF THANKS - -A Story of Christopher Columbus - - - - -PREFACE - - - -The stories in this volume are true stories, and have been arranged -in chronological order, an arrangement that will aid the reader to -remember the times to which the stories relate. - -Almost any encyclopedia can be consulted for general details of -the life stories of the interesting people whose names crowd the -volume except perhaps in the cases of Peter Williamson and John -Tanner, "The True Story of a Kidnapped Boy," and "A White Boy Among -the Indians." Peter Williamson was kidnapped in Glasgow, Scotland, -when he was eight years old, was captured by the Cherokee Indians -in 1745, and (though the story does not tell this) he returned to -England and became a prominent citizen. He first made the British -Government pay damages for his kidnapping, gave the first exhibition -in England of Indian war dances, and was the first Englishman to -publish a street directory. He was finally pensioned by the Government -for his services in establishing a penny post. - -John Tanner, the son of a clergyman, was stolen by the Indians some -years later. His mother died when he was very young, his father -treated him harshly, and so when the Indians kidnapped him he made -no effort to escape. John remained among them until he was an old -man, and the story of his life, which he was obliged to dictate -to others as he could neither read nor write, was first published -about 1830. The stories of these boys are considered to be two -of the most reliable early accounts we possess of life among the -Indians. - -Acknowledgment for permission to include several stories included -in this volume is made in Volume X. - -WILLIAM PATTEN. - - - - -HOW PHIDIAS HELPED THE IMAGE-MAKER - -By Beatrice Harraden - - - -During the time when Pericles was at the head of the state at -Athens he spared no pains and no money to make the city beautiful. -He himself was a lover and patron of the arts, and he was determined -that Athens should become the very centre of art and refinement, -and that she should have splendid public buildings and splendid -sculptures and paintings. So he gathered round him all the great -sculptors and painters, and set them to work to carry out his -ambitious plans; and some of you know that the "Age of Pericles" -is still spoken of as an age in which art advanced towards and -attained to a marvellous perfection. - -On the Acropolis, or Citadel of Athens, rose the magnificent -Temple of Athena, called the Parthenon, built under the direction -of Phidias, the most celebrated sculptor of that time, who adorned -it with many of his works, and especially with the huge statue of -Athena in ivory, forty-seven feet in height. The Acropolis was also -enriched with another figure of Athena in bronze--also the work of -Phidias. - -The statue was called the "Athena Promachus"; that is "The Defender." -If you turn to your Grecian History you will find a full description -of the Parthenon and the other temples of the gods and heroes and -guardian deities of the city. But I want to tell you something -about Phidias himself, and little Iris, an image-maker's daughter. - -It was in the year 450 B.C., in the early summer, and Phidias, who -had been working all the day, strolled quietly along the streets -of Athens. - -As he passed by the Agora (or market-place), he chanced to look up, -and he saw a young girl of about thirteen years sitting near him. -Her face was of the purest beauty; her head was gracefully poised -on her shoulders; her expression was sadness itself. She looked -poor and in distress. She came forward and begged for help; and -there was something in her manner, as well as in her face, which -made Phidias pause and listen to her. - -"My father lies ill," she said plaintively, "and he cannot do -his work, and so we can get no food: nothing to make him well and -strong again. If I could only do his work for him I should not mind; -and then I should not beg. He does not know I came out to beg--he -would never forgive me; but I could not bear to see him lying there -without food." - -"And who is your father?" asked Phidias kindly. - -"His name is Aristæus," she said, "and he is a maker of images--little -clay figures of gods and goddesses and heroes. Indeed, he is clever; -and I am sure you would praise the 'Hercules' he finished before -he was taken ill." - -"Take me to your home," Phidias said to the girl; as they passed -on together he asked her many questions about the image-maker. She -was proud of her father; and Phidias smiled to himself when he heard -her speak of this father as though he were the greatest sculptor -in Athens. He liked to hear her speak so enthusiastically. - -"Is it not wonderful," she said, "to take the clay and work in into -forms? Not everyone could do that--could you do it?" - -Phidias laughed. - -"Perhaps not so well as your father," he answered kindly. "Still, -I can do it." - -A sudden thought struck Iris. - -"Perhaps you would help father?" she said eagerly. "Ah! but I ought -not to have said that." - -"Perhaps I can help him," replied Phidias good-naturedly. "Anyway, -take me to him." - -She led him through some side streets into the poorest parts of the -city, and stopped before a little window, where a few roughly-wrought -images and vases were exposed to view. She beckoned to him to follow -her, and opening the door, crept gently into a room which served -as their workshop and dwelling-place. Phidias saw a man stretched -out on a couch at the farther end of the room, near a bench where -many images and pots of all sorts lay unfinished. - -"This is our home," whispered Iris proudly, "and that is my father -yonder." - -The image-maker looked up and called for Iris. - -"I am so faint, child," he murmured. "If I could only become strong -again I could get back to my work. It is so hard to lie here and -die." - -Phidias bent over him. - -"You shall not die," he said, "if money can do you any good. I met -your little daughter, and she told me that you were an image-maker; -and that interested me, because I, too, can make images, though -perhaps not as well as you. Still, I thought I should like to come -and see you and help you; and if you will let me, I will try and -make a few images for you, so that your daughter may go out and -sell them, and bring you home money. And meanwhile, she shall fetch -you some food to nourish you." - -Then he turned to Iris, and putting some coins into her hands bade -her go out and bring what she thought fit. She did not know how to -thank him, but hurried away on her glad errand, and Phidias talked -kindly to his fellow-worker, and then, throwing aside his cloak, -sat down at the bench and busied himself with modelling the clay. - -It was so different from his ordinary work that he could not help -smiling. - -"This is rather easier," he thought to himself, "than carving -from the marble a statue of Athena. What a strange occupation!" -Nevertheless, he was so interested in modelling the quaint little -images that he did not perceive that Iris had returned, until he -looked up, and saw her standing near him, watching him with wonder, -which she could not conceal. - -"Oh, how clever!" she cried. "Father, if you could only see what -he is doing!" - -"Nay, child," said the sculptor, laughing; "get your father his -food, and leave me to my work. I am going to model a little image -of the goddess Athena, for I think the folk will like to buy -that, since that rogue Phidias has set up his statue of her in the -Parthenon." - -"Phidias, the prince of sculptors!" said the image-maker. "May the -gods preserve his life; for he is the greatest glory of all Athens!" - -"Ay," said Iris, as she prepared her father's food, "that is what -we all call him--the greatest glory of all Athens." - -"We think of him," said Aristæus, feebly, "and that helps us in -our work. Yes, it helps even us poor image-makers. When I saw the -beautiful Athena I came home cheered and encouraged. May Phidias -be watched over and blessed all his life!" - -The tears came into the eyes of Phidias as he bent over his work; -it was a pleasure to him to think that his fame gained for him a -resting-place of love and gratitude in the hearts of the poorest -citizens of Athens. He valued this tribute of the image-maker far -more than the praises of the rich and great. Before he left, he -saw that both father and daughter were much refreshed by the food -which his bounty had given to them, and he bade Aristæus be of good -cheer, because he would surely regain his health and strength. - -"And because you love your art," he said, "I shall be a friend -to you and help you. And I shall come again to-morrow and do some -work for you--that is to say, if you approve of what I have already -done, and then Iris will be able to go out and sell the figures." - -He hastened away before they were able to thank him, and he left -them wondering who this new friend could be. They talked of him -for a long time, of his kindness and his skill; and Aristæus dreamt -that night about the stranger who had come to work for him. - -The next day Phidias came again, and took his place at the -image-maker's bench, just as if he were always accustomed to sit -there. Aristæus, who was better, watched him curiously, but asked -no questions. - -But Iris said to him: "My father and I talk of you, and wonder who -you are." - -Phidias laughed. - -"Perhaps I shall tell you some day," he answered. "There, child, -what do you think of that little vase? When it is baked it will be -a pretty thing." - -As the days went on, the image-maker recovered his strength; and -meanwhile Phidias had filled the little shop with dainty-wrought -images and graceful vases, such as had never been seen there before. - -One evening, when Aristæus was leaning against Iris, and admiring -the stranger's work, the door opened and Phidias came in. - -"What, friend," he said cheerily, "you are better to-night I see!" - -"Last night," said Aristæus, "I dreamt that the friend who held out -a brother's hand to me and helped me in my trouble was the great -Phidias himself. It did not seem wonderful to me, for only the -great do such things as you have done for me. You must be great." - -"I do not know about that," said the sculptor, smiling, "and -after all, I have not done so much for you. I have only helped -a brother-workman: for I am an image-maker too--and my name is -Phidias." - -Then Aristæus bent down and reverently kissed the great sculptor's -hands. - -"I cannot find words with which to thank you," he murmured, "but I -shall pray to the gods night and day that they will for ever bless -Phidias, and keep his fame pure, and his hands strong to fashion -forms of beauty. And this I know well: that he will always have -a resting-place of love and gratitude in the poor image-maker's -heart." - -And Phidias went on his way, tenfold richer and happier for the -image-maker's words. For there is something lovelier than fame -and wealth, my children; it is the opportunity of giving the best -of one's self and the best of one's powers to aid those of our -fellow-workers who need our active help. - - - - -THE FIGHT AT THE PASS OF THERMOPYLÆ - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -There was trembling in Greece. "The Great King," as the Greeks -called Xerxes, the chief ruler of the East, was marshaling his -forces against the little free states that nestled amid the rocks -and gulfs of the Eastern Mediterranean--the whole of which together -would hardly equal one province of the huge Asiatic realm! Moreover, -it was a war not only on the men but on their gods. The Persians -were zealous adorers of the sun and the fire, they abhorred the -idol-worship of the Greeks, and defiled and plundered every temple -that fell in their way. Death and desolation were almost the best -that could be looked for at such hands--slavery and torture from -cruelly barbarous masters would only too surely be the lot of -numbers, should their land fall a prey to the conquerors. - -The muster place was at Sardis, and there Greek spies had seen the -multitudes assembling and the state and magnificence of the king's -attendants. Envoys had come from him to demand earth and water from -each state in Greece, as emblems that land and sea were his, but -each state was resolved to be free, and only Thessaly, that which -lay first in his path, consented to yield the token of subjugation. A -council was held at the Isthmus of Corinth, and attended by deputies -from all the states of Greece to consider of the best means of -defense. The ships of the enemy would coast round the shores of -the Ægean Sea, the land army would cross the Hellespont on a bridge -of boats lashed together, and march southwards into Greece. The -only hope of averting the danger lay in defending such passages -as, from the nature of the ground, were so narrow that only a few -persons could fight hand to hand at once, so that courage would be -of more avail than numbers. - -The first of these passes was called Tempe, and a body of troops -was sent to guard it; but they found that this was useless and -impossible, and came back again. The next was at Thermopylæ. Look -in your map of the Archipelago, or Ægean Sea, as it was then called, -for the great island of Negropont, or by its old name, Euboea. It -looks like a piece broken off from the coast, and to the north is -shaped like the head of a bird, with the beak running into a gulf, -that would fit over it, upon the main land, and between the island -and the coast is an exceedingly narrow strait. The Persian army -would have to march round the edge of the gulf. They could not cut -straight across the country, because the ridge of mountains called -Oeta rose up and barred their way. Indeed, the woods, rocks, -and precipices came down so near the seashore, that in two places -there was only room for one single wheel track between the steeps -and the impassable morass that formed the border of the gulf on -its south side. These two very narrow places were called the gates -of the pass, and were about a mile apart. There was a little more -width left in the intervening space; but in this there were a -number of springs of warm mineral water, salt and sulphurous, which -were used for the sick to bathe in, and thus the place was called -Thermopylæ, or the Hot Gates. A wall had once been built across -the westernmost of these narrow places, when the Thessalians and -Phocians, who lived on either side of it, had been at war with one -another; but it had been allowed to go to decay, since the Phocians -had found out that there was a very steep narrow mountain path -along the bed of a torrent, by which it was possible to cross from -one territory to the other without going round this marshy coast -road. - -This was, therefore, an excellent place to defend. The Greek -ships were all drawn up on the further side of Euboea to prevent -the Persian vessels from getting into the strait and landing men -beyond the pass, and a division of the army was sent off to guard -the Hot Gates. The council at the Isthmus did not know of the -mountain pathway, and thought that all would be safe as long as -the Persians were kept out of the coast path. - -The troops sent for this purpose were from different cities, -and amounted to about 4,000 who were to keep the pass against two -millions. The leader of them was Leonidas, who had newly become -one of the two kings of Sparta, the city that above all in Greece -trained its sons to be hardy soldiers, dreading death infinitely -less than shame. Leonidas had already made up his mind that the -expedition would probably be his death, perhaps because a prophecy -had been given at the Temple at Delphi that Sparta should be saved -by the death of one of her kings of the race of Hercules. He was -allowed by law to take with him 300 men, and these he chose most -carefully, not merely for their strength and courage, but selecting -those who had sons, so that no family might be altogether destroyed. -These Spartans, with their helots or slaves, made up his own share -of the numbers, but all the army was under his generalship. It is -even said that the 300 celebrated their own funeral rites before -they set out lest they should be deprived of them by the enemy, -since, as we have already seen, it was the Greek belief that the -spirits of the dead found no rest till their obsequies had been -performed. Such preparations did not daunt the spirits of Leonidas -and his men, and his wife, Gorgo, not a woman to be faint-hearted -or hold him back. Long before, when she was a very little girl, a -word of hers had saved her father from listening to a traitorous -message from the King of Persia; and every Spartan lady was bred -up to be able to say to those she best loved that they must come -home from battle "with the shield or on it"--either carrying it -victoriously or borne upon it as a corpse. - -When Leonidas came to Thermopylæ, the Phocians told him of the -mountain path through the chestnut woods of Mount Œta, and begged -to have the privilege of guarding it on a spot high up on the -mountain side, assuring him that it was very hard to find at the -other end, and that there was every probability that the enemy -would never discover it. He consented, and encamping around the warm -springs, caused the broken wall to be repaired, and made ready to -meet the foe. - -The Persian army were seen covering the whole country like locusts, -and the hearts of some of the southern Greeks in the pass began to -sink. Their homes in the Peloponnesus were comparatively secure--had -they not better fall back and reserve themselves to defend the -Isthmus of Corinth? But Leonidas, though Sparta was safe below the -Isthmus, had no intention of abandoning his northern allies, and -kept the other Peloponnesians to their posts, only sending messengers -for further help. - -Presently a Persian on horseback rode up to reconnoiter the pass. He -could not see over the wall, but in front of it and on the ramparts, -he saw the Spartans, some of them engaged in active sports, and -others in combing their long hair. He rode back to the king, and -told him what he had seen. Now Xerxes had in his camp an exiled -Spartan prince, named Demaratus, who had become a traitor to his -country, and was serving as counselor to the enemy. Xerxes sent for -him, and asked whether his countrymen were mad to be thus employed -instead of fleeing away; but Demaratus made answer that a hard fight -was no doubt in preparation, and that it was the custom of the -Spartans to array their hair with especial care when they were about -to enter upon any great peril. Xerxes would, however, not believe -that so petty a force could intend to resist him, and waited four -days, probably expecting his fleet to assist him, but as it did -not appear, the attack was made. - -The Greeks, stronger men and more heavily armed, were far better -able to fight to advantage than the Persians with their short spears -and wicker shields, and beat them off with great ease. It is said -that Xerxes three times leapt off his throne in despair at the -sight of his troops being driven backwards; and thus for two days -it seemed as easy to force a way through the Spartans as through -the rocks themselves. Nay, how could slavish troops, dragged from -home to spread the victories of an ambitious king, fight like freemen -who felt that their strokes were to defend their homes and children? - -That evening a wretched man, named Ephialtes, crept into the Persian -camp, and offered, for a great sum of money, to show the mountain -path that would enable the enemy to take the brave defenders in the -rear! A Persian general, named Hydarnes, was sent off at nightfall -with a detachment to secure this passage, and was guided through -the thick forests that clothed the hill-side. In the stillness of -the air, at daybreak, the Phocian guards of the path were startled -by the crackling of the chestnut leaves under the tread of many -feet. They started up, but a shower of arrows was discharged on them, -and forgetting all save the present alarm, they fled to a higher -part of the mountain, and the enemy, without waiting to pursue -them, began to descend. - -As day dawned, morning light showed the watchers of the Grecian -camp below a glittering and shimmering in the torrent bed where -the shaggy forests opened; but it was not the sparkle of water, but -the shine of gilded helmets and the gleaming of silvered spears. -Moreover, a man crept over to the wall from the Persian camp -with tidings that the path had been betrayed, that the enemy were -climbing it, and would come down beyond the Eastern Gate. Still, -the way was rugged and circuitous, the Persians would hardly descend -before midday, and there was ample time for the Greeks to escape -before they could thus be shut in by the enemy. - -There was a short council held over the morning sacrifice. Megistias, -the seer, on inspecting the entrails of the slain victim, declared -that their appearance boded disaster. Leonidas ordered him to -retire, but he refused, though he sent home his only son. - -There was no disgrace in leaving a post that could not be held, -and Leonidas recommended all the allied troops under his command -to march away while yet the way was open. As to himself and his -Spartans, they had made up their minds to die at their post, and -there could be no doubt that the example of such a resolution would -do more to save Greece than their best efforts could ever do if -they were careful to reserve themselves for another occasion. - -All the allies consented to retreat, except the eighty men who came -from Mycenæ and the 700 Thespians, who declared that they would -not desert Leonidas. There were also 400 Thebans who remained; and -thus the whole number that stayed with Leonidas to confront two -million of enemies were fourteen hundred warriors, besides the helots -or attendants on the 300 Spartans, whose number is not known, but -there was probably at least one to each. - -Leonidas had two kinsmen in the camp, like himself, claiming the -blood of Hercules, and he tried to save them by giving them letters -and messages to Sparta; but one answered that "he had come to fight, -not to carry letters;" and the other, that "his deeds would tell -all that Sparta wished to know." Another Spartan, named Dienices, -when told that the enemy's archers were so numerous that their arrows -darkened the sun, replied, "So much the better, we shall fight in -the shade." Two of the 300 had been sent to a neighboring village, -suffering severely from a complaint in the eyes. One of them -called Eurytus, put on his armor, and commanded his helot to lead -him to his place in the ranks; the other, called Aristodemus, was -so overpowered with illness that he allowed himself to be carried -away with the retreating allies. It was still early in the day -when all were gone, and Leonidas gave the word to his men to take -their last meal. "Tonight," he said, "we shall sup with Pluto." - -Hitherto, he had stood on the defensive, and had husbanded the -lives of his men; but he now desired to make as great a slaughter -as possible, so as to inspire the enemy with dread of the Grecian -name. He therefore marched out beyond the wall, without waiting -to be attacked, and the battle began. The Persian captains went -behind their wretched troops and scourged them on to the fight -with whips! Poor wretches, they were driven on to be slaughtered, -pierced with the Greek spears, hurled into the sea, or trampled -into the mud of the morass; but their inexhaustible numbers told -at length. The spears of the Greeks broke under hard service, -and their swords alone remained; they began to fall, and Leonidas -himself was among the first of the slain. Hotter than ever was the -fight over his body, and two Persian princes, brothers of Xerxes, -were there killed; but at length word was brought that Hydarnes was -over the pass, and that the few remaining men were thus enclosed -on all sides. The Spartans and Thespians made their way to a little -hillock within the wall, resolved to let this be the place of their -last stand; but the hearts of the Thebans failed them, and they -came towards the Persians holding out their hands in entreaty for -mercy. Quarter was given to them, but they were all branded with -the king's mark as untrustworthy deserters. The helots probably -at this time escaped into the mountains; while the small desperate -band stood side by side on the hill still fighting to the last, -some with swords, others with daggers, others even with their hands -and teeth, till not one living man remained amongst them when the -sun went down. There was only a mound of slain, bristled over with -arrows. - -Twenty thousand Persians had died before that handful of men! Xerxes -asked Demaratus if there were many more at Sparta like these, and -was told there were 8,000. The body of the brave king was buried -where he fell, as were those of the other dead. Much envied were -they by the unhappy Aristodemus, who found himself called by no -name but the "Coward," and was shunned by all his fellow-citizens. -No one would give him fire or water, and after a year of misery, -he redeemed his honor by perishing in the forefront of the battle -of Plataea, which was the last blow that drove the Persians -ingloriously from Greece. - -The Greeks then united in doing honor to the brave warriors who, -had they been better supported, might have saved the whole country -from invasion. The poet Simonides wrote the inscriptions that were -engraved upon the pillars that were set up in the pass to commemorate -this great action. One was outside the wall, where most of the -fighting had been. It seems to have been in honor of the whole -number who had for two days resisted-- - - - -"Here did four thousand men from Pelops' land -Against three hundred myriads [Footnote: A myriad consisted of ten -thousand.] bravely stand." - - - -In honor of the Spartans was another column-- - - - -"Go, traveler, to Sparta tell -That here, obeying her, we fell." - - - -On the little hillock of the last resistance was placed the figure -of a stone lion, in memory of Leonidas, so fitly named the lion-like, -and the names of the 300 were likewise engraven on a pillar at -Sparta. - -Lion, pillars, and inscriptions have all long since passed away, -even the very spot itself has changed; new soil has been formed, -and there are miles of solid ground between Mount Œta and the gulf, -so that the Hot Gates no longer exist. But more enduring than stone -or brass--nay, than the very battle-field itself--has been the name -of Leonidas. Two thousand three hundred years have sped since he -braced himself to perish for his country's sake in that narrow, -marshy coast road, under the brow of the wooded crags, with the -sea by his side. Since that time how many hearts have glowed, how -many arms have been nerved at the remembrance of the Pass of Thermopylæ, -and the defeat that was worth so much more than a victory! - - - - -THE BRAVERY OF REGULUS - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -The first wars that the Romans engaged in beyond the bounds of -Italy, were with the Carthaginians. - -The first dispute between Rome and Carthage was about their -possession in the island of Sicily; and the war thus begun had -lasted eight years, when it was resolved to send an army to fight -the Carthaginians on their own shores. The army and fleet were -placed under the command of the two consuls, Lucius Manlius and -Marcus Attilius Regulus. On the way, there was a great sea-fight -with the Carthaginian fleet, and this was the first naval battle -that the Romans ever gained. It made the way to Africa free; but -the soldiers, who had never been so far from home before, murmured, -for they expected to meet not only human enemies, but monstrous -serpents, lions, elephants, asses with horns, and dog-headed monsters, -to have a scorching sun overhead, and a noisome marsh under their -feet. However, Regulus sternly put a stop to all murmurs, by -making it known that disaffection would be punished by death, and -the army safely landed, and set up a fortification at Clypea, and -plundered the whole country round. Orders here came from Rome that -Manlius should return thither, but that Regulus should remain to -carry on the war. This was a great grief to him. He was a very poor -man, with nothing of his own but a little farm of seven acres, and -the person whom he had employed to cultivate it had died in his -absence; a hired laborer had undertaken the care of it, but had -been unfaithful, and had run away with his tools and his cattle, so -that he was afraid that, unless he could return quickly, his wife -and children would starve. However, the Senate engaged to provide -for his family, and he remained, making expeditions into the country -round, in the course of which the Romans really did fall in with -a serpent, as monstrous as their imagination had depicted. It was -said to be 120 feet long, and dwelt upon the banks of the river -Bagrada, where it used to devour the Roman soldiers as they went -to fetch water. It had such tough scales that they were obliged to -attack it with their engines meant for battering city walls; and -only succeeded with much difficulty in destroying it. - -The country was most beautiful, covered with fertile corn-fields -and full of rich fruit-trees, and all the rich Carthaginians had -country-houses and gardens, which were made delicious with fountains, -trees, land flowers. The Roman soldiers, plain, hardy, fierce, and -pitiless, did, it must be feared, cruel damage among these peaceful -scenes; they boasted of having sacked 300 villages, and mercy -was not yet known to them. The Carthaginian army, though strong -in horsemen and in elephants, kept upon the hills and did nothing -to save the country, and the wild desert tribes of Numidians came -rushing in to plunder what the Romans had left. The Carthaginians -sent to offer terms of peace; but Regulus, who had become uplifted -by his conquests, made such demands that the messengers remonstrated. -He answered, "Men who are good for anything should either conquer -or submit to their betters;" and he sent them rudely away, like a -stern old Roman as he was. - -His merit was that he had no more mercy on himself than on others. - -The Carthaginians were driven to extremity, and made horrible -offerings to Moloch, giving the little children of the noblest -families to be dropped into the fire between the brazen hands of -his statue, and grown-up people of the noblest families rushed in -of their own accord, hoping thus to propitiate their gods, and obtain -safety for their country. Their time was not yet fully come, and -a respite was granted to them. They had sent, in their distress, -to hire soldiers in Greece, and among these came a Spartan, named -Xanthippus, who at once took the command, and led the army out to -battle, with a long line of elephants ranged in front of them, and -with clouds of horsemen hovering on the wings, The Romans had not -yet learnt the best mode of fighting with elephants, namely, to -leave lanes in their columns where these huge beasts might advance -harmlessly; instead of which, the ranks were thrust and trampled -down by the creatures' bulk, and they suffered a terrible defeat; -Regulus himself was seized by the horsemen, and dragged into -Carthage, where the victors feasted and rejoiced through half the -night, and testified their thanks to Moloch by offering in his -fires the bravest of their captives. - -Regulus himself was not, however, one of these victims. He was -kept a close prisoner for two years, pining and sickening in his -loneliness, while in the meantime the war continued, and at last -a victory so decisive was gained by the Romans, that the people -of Carthage were discouraged, and resolved to ask terms of peace. -They thought that no one would be so readily listened to at Rome -as Regulus, and they therefore sent him there with their envoys, -having first made him swear that he would come back to his prison -if there should neither be peace nor an exchange of prisoners. They -little knew how much more a true-hearted Roman cared for his city -than for himself--for his word than for his life. - -Worn and dejected, the captive warrior came to the outside of the -gates of his own city, and there paused, refusing to enter. "I -am no longer a Roman citizen," he said; "I am but the barbarians' -slave, and the Senate may not give audience to strangers within -the walls." - -His wife Marcia ran out to greet him, with his two sons, but he -did not look up, and received their caresses as one beneath their -notice, as a mere slave, and he continued, in spite of all entreaty, -to remain outside the city, and would not even go to the little -farm he had loved so well. - -The Roman Senate, as he would not come in to them, came out to hold -their meeting in the Campagna. - -The ambassadors spoke first, then Regulus, standing up, said, -as one repeating a task, "Conscript fathers, being a slave to the -Carthaginians, I come on the part of my masters to treat with you -concerning peace, and an exchange of prisoners." He then turned to -go away with the ambassadors, as a stranger might not be present -at the deliberations of the Senate. His old friends pressed him to -stay and give his opinion as a senator who had twice been consul; -but he refused to degrade that dignity by claiming it, slave as he -was. But, at the command of his Carthaginian masters, he remained, -though not taking his seat. - -Then he spoke. He told the senators to persevere in the war. He -said he had seen the distress of Carthage, and that a peace would -be only to her advantage, not to that of Rome, and therefore he -strongly advised that the war should continue. Then, as to the -exchange of prisoners, the Carthaginian generals, who were in the -hands of the Romans, were in full health and strength, whilst he -himself was too much broken down to be fit for service again, and -indeed he believed that his enemies had given him a slow poison, -and that he could not live long. Thus he insisted that no exchange -of prisoners should be made. - -It was wonderful, even to Romans, to hear a man thus pleading -against himself, and their chief priest came forward, and declared -that, as his oath had been wrested from him by force, he was not -bound by it to return to his captivity. But Regulus was too noble -to listen to this for a moment. "Have you resolved to dishonor me?" -he said. "I am not ignorant that death and the extremest tortures -are preparing for me; but what are these to the shame of an infamous -action, or the wounds of a guilty mind? Slave as I am to Carthage, -I have still the spirit of a Roman. I have sworn to return. It is -my duty to go; let the gods take care of the rest." - -The Senate decided to follow the advice of Regulus, though they -bitterly regretted his sacrifice. His wife wept and entreated in -vain that they would detain him; they could merely repeat their -permission to him to remain; but nothing could prevail with him -to break his word, and he turned back to the chains and death he -expected as calmly as if he had been returning to his home. This -was in the year B.C. 249. - -"Let the gods take care of the rest," said the Roman; the gods whom -alone he knew, and through whom he ignorantly worshiped the true -God, whose Light was shining out even in this heathen's truth and -constancy. How his trust was fulfilled is not known. The Senate, -after the next victory, gave two Carthaginian generals to his -wife and sons to hold as pledges for his good treatment; but when -tidings arrived that Regulus was dead, Marcia began to treat them -both with savage cruelty, though one of them assured her that he -had been careful to have her husband well used. Horrible stories -were told that Regulus had been put out in the sun with his eyelids -cut off, rolled down a hill in a barrel with spikes, killed by -being constantly kept awake, or else crucified. Marcia seems to have -heard, and perhaps believed in these horrors, and avenged them on -her unhappy captives till one had died, and the Senate sent for -her sons and severely reprimanded them. They declared it was their -mother's doing, not theirs, and thenceforth were careful of the -comfort of the remaining prisoner. - -It may thus be hoped that the frightful tale of Regulus' sufferings -was but formed by report acting on the fancy of a vindictive woman, -and that Regulus was permitted to die in peace of the disease brought -on far more probably by the climate and imprisonment, than by the -poison to which he ascribed it. It is not the tortures he may have -endured that make him one of the noblest characters of history, -but the resolution that would neither let him save himself at the -risk of his country's prosperity, nor forfeit the word that he had -pledged. - - - - -THE RABBI WHO FOUND THE DIADEM - -Translated from the Talmud by Dr. A. S. Isaacs - - - -Great was the alarm in the palace of Rome, which soon spread throughout -the entire city. The empress had lost her costly diadem, and it -could not be found. They searched in every direction, but all in -vain. Half distracted, for the mishap boded no good to her or her -house, the empress redoubled her exertions to regain her precious -possession, but without result. As a last resource it was proclaimed -in the public streets: "The empress has lost a precious diadem. -Whoever restores it within thirty days shall receive a princely -reward. But he who delays, and brings it after thirty days, shall -lose his head." - -In those times all nationalities flocked toward Rome; all classes -and creeds could be met in its stately halls and crowded thoroughfares. -Among the rest was a rabbi, a learned sage from the East, who loved -goodness, and lived a righteous life in the stir and turmoil of -the Western world. It chanced one night as he was strolling up and -down, in busy meditation, beneath the clear, moonlit sky, he saw -the diadem sparkling at his feet. He seized it quickly, brought -it to his dwelling, where he guarded it carefully until the thirty -days had expired, when he resolved to return it to the owner. - -He proceeded to the palace, and, undismayed at sight of long lines -of soldiery and officials, asked for an audience with the empress. - -"What dost thou mean by this?" she inquired, when he told her his -story and gave her the diadem. "Why didst thou delay until this -hour? Dost thou know the penalty? Thy head must be forfeited." - -"I delayed until now," the rabbi answered calmly, "so that thou -mightst know that I return thy diadem, not for the sake of the -reward, still less out of fear of punishment; but solely to comply -with the Divine command not to withhold from another the property -which belongs to him." - -"Blessed be thy God!" the empress answered, and dismissed the rabbi -without further reproof; for had he not done right for right's -sake? - - - - -HOW LIVIA WON THE BROOCH - -By Beatrice Harraden - - - -It was the day before the public games in Rome, in the year 123 -B.C., and a tall man of magnificent appearance and strength was -standing outside the Temple of Hercules, talking to a young girl -whose face bore some resemblance to his own. The people passing by -looked at them, and said, half aloud, "There stands the gladiator -Naevus. I wonder how he will bear himself in the Public Games on -the morrow?" - -And another man, who was talking eagerly with his companion, stopped -when he caught sight of the gladiator (who was a well-known figure -in Rome), and said, in a loud voice, "That is the man I told you -about, Fabricius. A fine fellow, is he not? To-morrow he will fight -with the new hero, Lucius And, of course, he will be victorious, -as usual. If he disappoints my hopes, I shall lose a great deal of -money." - -"You have plenty to spare!" laughed his friend, as they passed on -together. - -The gladiator did not take the slightest notice of any remarks -which were made about him; indeed, it was doubtful whether he heard -them, being engaged in earnest conversation with the young girl, -his daughter. - -"Do not be anxious about me, Marcella," he said, seeing that the -tears were falling from her eyes. "I shall be victorious, as I have -always been, and then, child, I shall buy your freedom, together -with my own, and we shall leave Rome, and return to Sicily." - -"Nay, father," she answered, between her sobs, "I never doubted -your strength, but my heart is full of fears for you; and yet I -am proud when I hear every one praising you. Last night my master -Claudius gave a great banquet, and when I came to hand round the -ewer of rose-water, I heard the guests say that Naevus was the -strongest and finest gladiator that Rome had ever known. My master -Claudius and two of the guests praised the new man Lucius, but the -others would not hear a word in his favour." - -The gladiator smiled. - -"You shall be proud of me to-morrow, Marcella," he said, "I have -just been offering up my prayers to the god Hercules; and in the -name of Hercules I promise you, child, that I shall conquer the new -man Lucius, and that to-morrow's combat shall be my last fight. So -you may go home in peace. You look tired, child. Ah! it is a bitter -thing to be a slave! But courage, Marcella; a few days more of -slavery, and then we shall be free. For this end I have fought in -the arena; and this hope has given me strength and skill." - -She took from her neck a piece of fine cord, to which was attached -a tiny stone. She put it in his great hand. - -"Father," she said pleadingly, "the Greek physician gave this to -me. He told me it was an Eastern charm to keep the lives of those -who wore it. Will you wear it on the morrow?" - -He laughingly assented, and the two walked together as far as the -Forum, where they parted. - -But Marcella was not proud any more; she was sad. - -She had had many a dream of freedom, but she would have gladly -given up all chances of realizing that dream, if only to feel that -her father's life was not in danger. She would have gladly been a -slave ten times over rather than that he should risk his life in -those fearful contests. - -Marcella, who was a slave in the house of Claudius Flaccus, a great -Roman noble, now hastened home to her duties. Her little mistress -Livia, Claudius' only daughter, wondered to see her looking so pale -and sad. - -"Why, you should be glad like I am, Marcella," she cried, as she -showed the slave-maiden the necklace of pearls that she had just -finished stringing. "See, Marcella! I shall wear these to-morrow -when we go to the Circus Maximus. And what do you think? My father -has promised me a brooch of precious stones if the new gladiator, -Lucius, is successful to-morrow. Oh, how I hope he will be!" - -Marcella tried to restrain her tears, but it was of no avail. She -threw herself on the couch, and buried her face in the soft cushions, -and wept as if her heart would break. Her little mistress Livia -bent over her, and tried to comfort her. - -"Marcella," she whispered, "it was unkind of me to say that. I -forgot about your father. Please forgive me, Marcella, for I do love -you, although you are only a slave. And I do not want the brooch; -I should not like to wear it now. Please, Marcella, do not cry any -more." - -The slave raised her head and smiled through her tears. - -"You did not mean to be unkind, dear little mistress," she said, as -she kissed the hand which had been caressing her own golden hair. -"I am sure you did not mean to be unkind; but I am in great trouble, -and I have just said 'Good-bye' to my father, and I can think of -no one else but him. When those we love are in danger we cannot -help being anxious, can we?" - -At that moment the curtains were drawn aside, and Claudius himself -came into the beautiful apartment. Livia ran to greet him; she -was a child of ten years old, bright and winning in her ways, in -beauty and bearing every inch the child of a patrician. She was -dressed in soft silk of dark purple. - -"I do not want the brooch," she said, as she put up her face to be -kissed. "I want Marcella's father to be victorious to-morrow." - -Claudius frowned. - -"What has Marcella's father got to do with you, little one?" he -asked roughly. "Neither he nor she is anything to you, a patrician's -daughter. Slaves both of them! Let me hear no more of them. And as -for the brooch, it shall be a handsome one." - -But when he had gone Livia turned to the slave and said, "I shall -never wear that brooch, Marcella." - - -So the day wore into the night, and all through the night Marcella -lay awake, wondering what the morrow would bring forth. When at -last she fell asleep she dreamed that she was in the Circus Maximus -watching her father, who was fighting with a new gladiator. She saw -her father fall. She heard the cries of the populace. She herself, -a girl of fourteen summers, sprang up to help him. And then she -awoke. - -"Ah, it was only a dream!" she cried, with a sigh of relief. "Father -will win the fight to-morrow, and then he will buy his own freedom -and mine, too." - -It was a beautiful day for the Public Games. People had come from -all parts of the country, and the streets of Rome were crowded with -all manner of folk. - -The AEdile whose duty it was to arrange the Public Games had -provided a very costly entertainment, and great excitement prevailed -everywhere to know the issue of the contest between the gladiators -Naevus and Lucius. It was a wonderful sight to see the Circus -Maximus crowded with the rich and luxurious patrician nobles and -ladies arid their retinues of slaves, and the poorer classes, all -bent on amusing themselves on this great public festival. - -No doubt, amongst all those masses there were many anxious hearts, but -none so anxious as that of the slave-girl Marcella. She sat behind -her little mistress, eagerly expectant. At last a peal of trumpets -and a clash of cymbals, accompanied by some wild kind of music, -announced that the performance was about to begin. The folding-doors -under the archway were flung open, and the gladiators marched in -slowly, two by two. In all the pride of their strength and bearing -they walked once round the arena, and then they stepped aside to -wait until their turn came. The performance began with some fights -between animals; for at the time of which we are speaking the -Romans had learned to love this cruel bloodshed, and had learned -to despise the less exciting, if more manly, trials of strength in -which their ancestors had delighted. When this part of the cruel -amusement was over the trumpets again sounded, and the gladiators -made ready for their contest. Then it was that Marcella's heart -beat wildly with fear. She saw her father advance together with the -other gladiator; she saw their swords flash; she heard the people -around her call out the name now of Naevus, and now of Lucius; she -heard one near her say: - -"He of the red scarf will prove the stronger mark my words." - -Marcella's father wore the red scarf, - -"Nay, nay," answered the speaker's companion. "He of the green -scarf will win the day." - -It was all that Marcella could do to prevent herself from saying, -"The gladiator with the red scarf will prove the stronger--he must -prove the stronger." - -She sat spell-bound, watching for the event of the contest, which -had now begun between the two in real earnest. The people encouraged -now the one and now the other. At this moment it seemed probable -that the new man, Lucius, would be the winner; at that moment the -tide had turned in the favour of Naevus. But suddenly there was a -loud cry, for Lucius had felled Naevus to the ground, and now stood -over him with his sword ready for use, waiting to learn from the -populace whether the favourite gladiator was to be spared or killed. - -The slave-girl Marcella had risen from her seat. - -"That is my father," she cried; "spare him--spare him!" - -But no one heard her or noticed her, and the signal for mercy was -not shown; on the contrary, the thumbs of thousands of hands pointed -upwards; and that meant that the vanquished man, who had been -the hero of so many contests, having now failed of his accustomed -valour, was to die. So Lucius gave him a thrust with his sword, -and he died while he was being carried away from the arena. - -"You have won your brooch, little daughter," laughed Claudius, as -he bent over and fondled Livia's hair. "And it shall be a costly -brooch, worthy of a patrician's daughter." - -But Livia's eyes were full of tears, - -"I could never wear it," she sobbed; "I should always be thinking -of Marcella's father." - -Poor Marcella! and she thought the little charm which he had worn -for her sake would preserve his life. Ah! it was cruel to think -that she would never see him again, and that all their hopes of -freedom and their plans for the future had ended. Well might she -weep. - -That was hundreds of years ago, you know, but still the same story -goes on, and all through the centuries sorrow comes to us, just as -we think we are grasping happiness, and we have to be brave and bear -that sorrow. But sometimes we are helped by friends, even as Livia -helped Marcella. For she did help her; she loved her as a sister, -and treated her as such. And as time went on the little patrician -lady claimed a gift from her father Claudius, a gift which was far -more costly than any brooch--it was the freedom of the Sicilian -slave Marcella, the gladiator's daughter. - - - - -JULIUS CÆSAR CROSSING THE RUBICON - -By Jacob Abbott - - - -There was a little stream in ancient times, in the north of Italy, -which flowed eastward into the Adriatic Sea, called the Rubicon. -This stream has been immortalized by the transactions which we are -now about to describe. - -The Rubicon was a very important boundary, and yet it was in itself -so small and insignificant that it is now impossible to determine -which of two or three little brooks here running into the sea -is entitled to its name and renown. In history the Rubicon is a -grand, permanent, and conspicuous stream, gazed upon with continued -interest by all mankind for nearly twenty centuries; in nature it -is an uncertain rivulet, for a long time doubtful and undetermined, -and finally lost. - -The Rubicon originally derived its importance from the fact that -it was the boundary between all that part of the north of Italy -which is formed by the valley of the Po, one of the richest and -most magnificent countries of the world, and the more southern -Roman territories. This country of the Po constituted what was in -those days called the hither Gaul, and was a Roman province. It -belonged now to Cæsar's jurisdiction, as the commander in Gaul. -All south of the Rubicon was territory reserved for the immediate -jurisdiction of the city. The Romans, in order to protect themselves -from any danger which might threaten their own liberties from the -immense armies which they raised for the conquest of foreign nations, -had imposed on every side very strict limitations and restrictions -in respect to the approach of these armies to the capital. The -Rubicon was the limit on this northern side. Generals commanding -in Gaul were never to pass it. To cross the Rubicon with an army -on the way to Rome was rebellion and treason. Hence the Rubicon -became, as it were, the visible sign and symbol of civil restriction -to military power. - -As Cæsar found the time of his service in Gaul drawing toward -a conclusion, he turned his thoughts more and more toward Rome, -endeavoring to strengthen his interest there by every means in his -power, and to circumvent and thwart the designs of Pompey. He had -agents and partisans in Rome who acted for him and in his name. He -sent immense sums of money to these men, to be employed in such ways -as would most tend to secure the favor of the people. He ordered -the Forum to be rebuilt with great magnificence. He arranged great -celebrations, in which the people were entertained with an endless -succession of games, spectacles, and public feasts. When his -daughter Julia, Pompey's wife, died, he celebrated her funeral with -indescribable splendor. He distributed corn in immense quantities -among the people, and he sent a great many captives home, to be -trained as gladiators to fight in the theatres for their amusement. -In many cases, too, where he found men of talents and influence among -the populace, who had become involved in debt by their dissipations -and extravagance, he paid their debts, and thus secured their -influence on his side. Men were astounded at the magnitude of -these expenditures, and, while the multitude rejoiced thoughtlessly -in the pleasures thus provided for them, the more reflecting and -considerate trembled at the greatness of the power which was so -rapidly rising to overshadow the land. - -It increased their anxiety to observe that Pompey was gaining the -same kind of influence and ascendency, too. He had not the advantage -which Cæsar enjoyed in the prodigious wealth obtained from the rich -countries over which Cæsar ruled, but he possessed, instead of it, -the advantage of being all the time at Rome, and of securing, by -his character and action there, a very wide personal popularity -and influence. Pompey was, in fact, the idol of the people. At one -time, when he was absent from Rome, at Naples, he was taken sick. -After being for some days in considerable danger, the crisis passed -favorably, and he recovered. Some of the people of Naples proposed -a public thanksgiving to the gods, to celebrate his restoration to -health. The plan was adopted by acclamation, and the example thus -set extended from city to city, until it had spread throughout -Italy, and the whole country was filled with processions, games, -shows, and celebrations, which were instituted everywhere in honor -of the event. And when Pompey returned from Naples to Rome the -towns on the way could not afford room for the crowds that came -forth to meet him. The high roads, the villages, the ports, says -Plutarch, were filled with sacrifices and entertainments. Many -received him with garlands on their heads and torches in their hands, -and, as they conducted him along, strewed the way with flowers. - -In fact, Pompey considered himself as standing far above Cæsar in -fame and power, and this general burst of enthusiasm and applause -educed by his recovery from sickness confirmed him in this idea. -He felt no solicitude, he said, in respect to Cæsar. He should take -no special precautions against any hostile designs which he might -entertain on his return from Gaul. It was he himself, he said, that -had raised Cæsar up to whatever of elevation he had attained, and -he could put him down even more easily than he had exalted him. - -In the meantime, the period was drawing near in which Cæsar's command -in the provinces was to expire; and, anticipating the struggle -with Pompey which was about to ensue, he conducted several of his -legions through the passes of the Alps and advanced gradually, -as he had a right to do, across the country of the Po toward the -Rubicon, revolving in his capacious mind, as he came, the various -plans by which he might hope to gain the ascendency over the power -of his mighty rival and make himself supreme. - -He concluded that it would be his wisest policy not to attempt to -intimidate Pompey by great and open preparations for war, which -might tend to arouse him to vigorous measures of resistance, but -rather to cover and conceal his designs, and thus throw his enemy -off his guard. He advanced, therefore, toward the Rubicon with a -small force. He established his headquarters at Ravenna, a city -not far from the river, and employed himself in objects of local -interest there in order to avert as much as possible the minds -of the people from imagining that he was contemplating any great -design. Pompey sent to him to demand the return of a certain legion -which he had lent him from his own army at a time when they were -friends. Cæsar complied with this demand without any hesitation, -and sent the legion home. He sent with this legion, also, some -other troops which were properly his own, thus evincing a degree of -indifference in respect to the amount of the force retained under -his command which seemed wholly inconsistent with the idea that he -contemplated any resistance to the authority of the government at -Rome. - -In the meantime, the struggle at Rome between the partisans of -Cæsar and Pompey grew more and more violent and alarming. Cæsar, -through his friends in the city, demanded to be elected consul. -The other side insisted that he must first, if that was his wish, -resign the command of his army, come to Rome, and present himself -as a candidate in the character of a private citizen. This the -constitution of the state very properly required. In answer to -this requisition, Cæsar rejoined that, if Pompey would lay down -his military commands, he would do so too; if not, it was unjust to -require it of him. The services, he added, which he had performed -for his country demanded some recompense, which, moreover, they -ought to be willing to award even if in order to do it it were -necessary to relax somewhat in his favor the strictness of ordinary -rules. To a large part of the people of the city these demands -of Cæsar appeared reasonable. They were clamorous to have them -allowed. The partisans of Pompey, with the stern and inflexible -Cato at their head, deemed them wholly inadmissible and contended -with the most determined violence against them. The whole city was -filled with the excitement of this struggle, into which all the -active and turbulent spirits of the capital plunged with the most -furious zeal, while the more considerate and thoughtful of the -population, remembering the days of Marius and Sylla, trembled -at the impending danger. Pompey himself had no fear. He urged the -Senate to resist to the utmost all of Cæsar's claims, saying if Cæsar -should be so presumptuous as to attempt to march to Rome he could -raise troops enough by stamping with his foot to put him down. - -It would require a volume to contain a full account of the disputes -and tumults, the manoeuvres and debates, the votes and decrees, -which marked the successive stages of this quarrel. Pompey himself -was all the time without the city. He was in command of an army -there, and no general, while in command, was allowed to come within -the gates. At last an exciting debate was broken up in the Senate -by one of the consuls rising to depart, saying that he would hear -the subject discussed no longer. The time had arrived for action, -and he should send a commander, with an armed force, to defend the -country from Cæsar's threatened invasion. Cæsar's leading friends, -two tribunes of the people, disguised themselves as slaves and -fled to the north to join their master. The country was filled with -commotion and panic. The Commonwealth had obviously more fear of -Cæsar than confidence in Pompey. The country was full of rumors in -respect to Cæsar's power, and the threatening attitude which he was -assuming, while they who had insisted on resistance seemed, after -all, to have provided very inadequate means with which to resist. -A thousand plans were formed, and clamorously insisted upon by -their respective advocates, for averting the danger. This only -added to the confusion, and the city became at length pervaded with -a universal terror. - -While this was the state of things at Rome, Cæsar was quietly -established at Ravenna, thirty or forty miles from the frontier. -He was erecting a building for a fencing school there, and his mind -seemed to be occupied very busily with the plans and models of the -edifice which the architects had formed. Of course, in his intended -march to Rome, his reliance was not to be so much on the force -which he should take with him, as on the cooperation and support -which he expected to find there. It was his policy, therefore, -to move as quietly and privately as possible, and with as little -display of violence, and to avoid everything which might indicate -his intended march to any spies which might be around him, or to any -other persons who might be disposed to report what they observed, -at Rome. Accordingly, on the very eve of his departure, he busied -himself with his fencing school, and assumed with his officers and -soldiers a careless and unconcerned air, which prevented any one -from suspecting his design. - -In the course of the day, he privately sent forward some cohorts -to the southward, with orders for them to encamp on the banks of -the Rubicon. When night came, he sat down to supper as usual and -conversed with his friends in his ordinary manner, and went with -them afterward to a public entertainment. As soon as it was dark -and the streets were still, he set off secretly from the city, -accompanied by a very few attendants. Instead of making use of -his ordinary equipage, the parading of which would have attracted -attention to his movements, he had some mules taken from a neighboring -bakehouse and harnessed into his chaise. There were torch-bearers -provided to light the way. The cavalcade drove on during the -night, finding, however, the hasty preparations which had been made -inadequate for the occasion. The torches went out, the guides lost -their way, and the future conqueror of the world wandered about -bewildered and lost, until, just after break of day, the party met -with a peasant who undertook to guide them. Under his direction they -made their way to the main road again, and advanced then without -further difficulty to the banks of the river, where they found -that portion of the army which had been sent forward encamped and -awaiting their arrival. - -Cæsar stood for some time upon the banks of the stream, musing upon -the greatness of the undertaking in which simply passing across it -would involve him. His officers stood by his side. "We can retreat -_now_" said he, "but once across that river, we must go on." -He paused for some time, conscious of the vast importance of the -decision, though he thought only, doubtless, of its consequences to -himself. Taking the step which was now before him would necessarily -end either in his realizing the loftiest aspirations of his ambition, -or in his utter and irreparable ruin. - -There were vast public interests, too, at stake, of which, however, -he probably thought but little. It proved, in the end, that -the history of the whole Roman world, for several centuries, was -depending upon the manner in which the question now in Cæsar's mind -should turn. - -There was a little bridge across the Rubicon at the point where -Cæsar was surveying it. While he was standing there, the story -is, a peasant or shepherd came from the neighboring fields with -a shepherd's pipe--a simple musical instrument made of a reed and -used much by the rustic musicians of those days. The soldiers and -some of the officers gathered around him to hear him play. Among -the rest came some of Cæsar's trumpeters, with their trumpets in -their hands. The shepherd took one of these martial instruments -from the hands of its possessor, laying aside his own, and began -to sound a charge--which is a signal for a rapid advance--and to -march at the same time over the bridge. "An omen! a prodigy!" said -Cæsar. "Let us march where we are called by such a divine intimation. -_The die is cast._" - -So saying, he pressed forward over the bridge, while the officers, -breaking up the encampment, put the columns in motion to follow -him. - -It was shown abundantly, on many occasions in the course of Cæsar's -life, that he had no faith in omens. There are equally numerous -instances to show that he was always ready to avail himself of the -popular belief in them, to awaken his soldiers' ardor or to allay -their fears. Whether, therefore, in respect to this story of the -shepherd trumpeter it was an incident that really and accidently -occurred, or whether Cæsar planned and arranged it himself, with -reference to its effect, or whether, which is, perhaps, after all, -the most probable supposition, the tale was only an embellishment -invented out of something or nothing by the story-tellers of those -days to give additional dramatic interest to the narrative of the -crossing of the Rubicon, it must be left for each reader to decide. - -As soon as the bridge was crossed, Cæsar called an assembly of his -troops, and, with signs of great excitement and agitation, made an -address to them on the magnitude of the crisis through which they -were passing. He showed them how entirely he was in their power; he -urged them, by the most eloquent appeals, to stand by him, faithful -and true, promising them the most ample rewards when he should have -attained the object at which he aimed. The soldiers responded to -this appeal with promises of the most unwavering fidelity. - -The first town on the Roman side of the Rubicon was Ariminum. -Cæsar advanced to this town. The authorities opened its gates to -him--very willing, as it appeared, to receive him as their commander. -Cæsar's force was yet quite small, as he had been accompanied by -only a single legion in crossing the river. He had, however, sent -orders for the other legions, which had been left in Gaul, to join -him without any delay, though any reinforcement of his troops seemed -hardly necessary, as he found no indications of opposition to his -progress. He gave his soldiers the strictest injunctions to do no -injury to any property, public or private, as they advanced, and -not to assume, in any respect, a hostile attitude toward the people -of the country. The inhabitants, therefore, welcomed him wherever -he came, and all the cities and towns followed the example of -Ariminum, surrendering, in fact, faster than he could take possession -of them. - -In the confusion of the debates and votes in the Senate at Rome -before Cæsar crossed the Rubicon, one decree had been passed deposing -him from his command of the army and appointing a successor. The -name of the general thus appointed was Domitius. The only real -opposition which Cæsar encountered in his progress toward Rome -was from him. Domitius had crossed the Apennines at the head of an -army on his way northward to supersede Cæsar in his command, and -had reached the town of Corfinium, which was perhaps one third of -the way between Rome and the Rubicon. Cæsar advanced upon him here -and shut him in. - -After a brief siege the city was taken, and Domitius and his army -were made prisoners. Everybody gave them up for lost, expecting -that Cæsar would wreak terrible vengeance upon them. Instead of -this, he received the troops at once into his own service and let -Domitius go free. - -In the meantime, the tidings of Cæsar's having passed the Rubicon, -and of the triumphant success which he was meeting with at the -commencement of his march toward Rome, reached the capital, and -added greatly to the prevailing consternation. The reports of the -magnitude of his force and of the rapidity of his progress were -greatly exaggerated. The party of Pompey and the Senate had done -everything to spread among the people the terror of Cæsar's name -in order to arouse them to efforts for opposing his designs; and -now, when he had broken through the barriers which had been intended -to restrain him and was advancing toward the city in an unchecked -and triumphant career, they were overwhelmed with dismay. Pompey -began to be terrified at the danger which was impending. The Senate -held meetings without the city--councils of war, as it were, in -which they looked to Pompey in vain for protection from the danger -which he had brought upon them. He had said that he could raise -an army sufficient to cope with Cæsar at any time by stamping with -his foot. They told him they thought now that it was high time for -him to stamp. - -In fact, Pompey found the current setting everywhere strongly against -him. Some recommended that commissioners should be sent to Cæsar -to make proposals for peace. The leading men, however, knowing that -any peace made with him under such circumstances would be their -own ruin, resisted and defeated the proposal. Cato abruptly left -the city and proceeded to Sicily, which had been assigned him as -his province. Others fled in other directions. Pompey himself, -uncertain what to do, and not daring to remain, called upon all -his partisans to join him, and set off at night, suddenly, and with -very little preparation and small supplies, to retreat across the -country toward the shores of the Adriatic Sea. His destination was -Brundusium, the usual port of embarkation for Macedon and Greece. - -Cæsar was all this time gradually advancing toward Rome. His soldiers -were full of enthusiasm in his cause. As his connection with the -government at home was sundered the moment he crossed the Rubicon, -all supplies of money and of provisions were cut off in that quarter -until he should arrive at the capital and take possession of it. -The soldiers voted, however, that they would serve him without pay. -The officers, too, assembled together and tendered him the aid of -their contributions. He had always observed a very generous policy -in his dealings with them, and he was now greatly gratified at -receiving their requital of it. - -The further he advanced, too, the more he found the people of the -country through which he passed disposed to espouse his cause. They -were struck with his generosity in releasing Domitius. It is true -that it was a very sagacious policy that prompted him to release -him. But, then, it was generosity too. In fact, there must be -something of a generous spirit in the soul to enable a man even to -see the policy of generous actions. - -Among the letters of Cæsar that remain to the present day, there -is one written about this time to one of his friends, in which he -speaks of this subject. "I am glad," says he, "that you approve of -my conduct at Corfinium. I am satisfied that such a course is the -best one for us to pursue, as by so doing we shall gain the good -will of all parties, and thus secure a permanent victory. Most -conquerors have incurred the hatred of mankind by their cruelties, -and have all, in consequence of the enmity they have thus awakened, -been prevented from long enjoying their power. Sylla was an exception; -but his example of successful cruelty I have no disposition to -imitate. I will conquer after a new fashion, and fortify myself in -the possession of the power I acquire by generosity and mercy." - -Domitius had the ingratitude, after this release, to take up arms -again, and wage a new war against Cæsar. When Cæsar heard of it he -said it was all right. "I will act out the principles of my nature," -said he, "and he may act out his." - -Another instance of Cæsar's generosity occurred which is even more -remarkable than this. It seems that among the officers of his -army there were some whom he had appointed at the recommendation -of Pompey, at the time when he and Pompey were friends. These men -would, of course, feel under obligations of gratitude to Pompey -as they owed their military rank to his friendly interposition in -their behalf. As soon as the war broke out Cæsar gave them all his -free permission to go over to Pompey's side if they chose to do -so. - -Caesar acted thus very liberally in all respects. He surpassed -Pompey very much in the spirit of generosity and mercy with which -he entered upon the great contest before them. Pompey ordered every -citizen to join his standard, declaring that he should consider -all neutrals as his enemies. Cæsar, on the other hand, gave free -permission to every one to decline, if he chose, taking any part -in the contest, saying that he should consider all who did not act -against him as his friends. In the political contests of our day it -is to be observed that the combatants are much more prone to imitate -the bigotry of Pompey than the generosity of Cæsar, condemning, as -they often do, those who choose to stand aloof from electioneering -struggles, more than they do their most determined opponents and -enemies. - -When, at length, Cæsar arrived at Brundusium, he found that Pompey -had sent a part of his army across the Adriatic into Greece and was -waiting for the transports to return that he might go over himself -with the remainder. In the meantime, he had fortified himself -strongly in the city. Cæsar immediately laid siege to the place, -and he commenced some works to block up the mouth of the harbor. He -built piers on each side, extending out as far into the sea as the -depth of the water would allow them to be built. He then constructed -a series of rafts, which he anchored on the deep water, in a line -extending from one pier to the other. He built towers upon these -rafts, and garrisoned them with soldiers, in hopes by this means -to prevent all egress from the fort. He thought that, when this -work was completed, Pompey would be entirely shut in, beyond all -possibility of escape. - -The transports, however, returned before the work was completed. -Its progress was, of course, slow, as the constructions were the -scene of a continued conflict; for Pompey sent out rafts and galleys -against them every day, and the workmen had thus to build in the -midst of continual interruptions, sometimes from showers of darts, -arrows, and javelins, sometimes from the conflagrations of fireships, -and sometimes from the terrible concussions of great vessels of -war, impelled with prodigious force against them. The transports -returned, therefore, before the defences were complete, and contrived -to get into the harbor. Pompey immediately formed his plan for -embarking the remainder of his army. - -He filled the streets of the city with barricades and pitfalls -excepting two streets which led to the place of embarkation. The -object of these obstructions was to embarrass Cæsar's progress -through the city in case he should force an entrance while his -men were getting on board the ships. He then, in order to divert -Cæsar's attention from his design, doubled the guards stationed upon -the walls on the evening of his intended embarkation, and ordered -them to make vigorous attacks upon all Cæsar's forces outside. Then, -when the darkness came on, he marched his troops through the two -streets which had been left open to the landing-place, and got them -as fast as possible on board the transports. Some of the people of -the town contrived to make known to Cæsar's army what was going on, -by means of signals from the walls; the army immediately brought -scaling ladders in great numbers, and, mounting the walls with great -ardor and impetuosity, they drove all before them, and soon broke -open the gates and got possession of the city. But the barricades -and pitfalls, together with the darkness, so embarrassed their -movements that Pompey succeeded in completing his embarkation and -sailing away. - -Cæsar had no ships in which to follow. He returned to Rome. He met, -of course, with no opposition. He re-established the government -there, organized the Senate anew, and obtained supplies of corn -from the public granaries and of money from the city treasury in -the capital. In going to the Capitoline Hill after this treasure, -he found the officer who had charge of the money stationed there -to defend it. He told Cæsar that it was contrary to law for him to -enter. Cæsar said that, for men with swords in their hands, there -was no law. The officer still refused to admit him. Cæsar then -told him to open the doors or he would kill him on the spot. "And -you must understand," he added, "that it will be easier for me to -do it than it has been to say it." The officer resisted no longer, -and Cæsar went in. - -After this, Cæsar spent some time in vigorous campaigns in Italy, -Spain, Sicily, and Gaul, wherever there was manifested any opposition -to his sway. When this work was accomplished, and all these countries -were completely subjected to his dominion, he began to turn his -thoughts to the plan of pursuing Pompey across the Adriatic Sea. - - - - -FEARLESS SAINT GENEVIEVE, PATRON SAINT OF PARIS - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -Four hundred years of the Roman dominion had entirely tamed the once -wild and independent Gauls. Everywhere, except in the moorlands of -Brittany, they had become as much like Romans themselves as they -could accomplish; they had Latin names, spoke the Latin tongue, all -their personages of higher rank were enrolled as Roman citizens, -their chief cities were colonies where the laws were administered -by magistrates in the Roman fashion, and the houses, dress, and -amusements were the same as those of Italy. The greater part of -the towns had been converted to Christianity, though some paganism -still lurked in the more remote villages and mountainous districts. - -It was upon these civilized Gauls that the terrible attacks came -from the wild nations who poured out of the center and east of -Europe. The Franks came over the Rhine and its dependent rivers, -and made furious attacks upon the peaceful plains, where the Gauls -had long lived in security, and reports were everywhere heard -of villages harried by wild horsemen, with short double-headed -battle-axes, and a horrible short pike covered with iron and with -several large hooks, like a gigantic artificial minnow, and like -it fastened to a long rope, so that the prey which it had grappled -might be pulled up to the owner. Walled cities usually stopped them, -but every farm or villa outside was stripped of its valuables, set -on fire, the cattle driven off, and the more healthy inhabitants -seized for slaves. - -It was during this state of things that a girl was born to a wealthy -peasant at the village now called Nanterre, about two miles from -Lutetia, which was already a prosperous city, though not as yet so -entirely the capital as it was destined to become under the name of -Paris. She was christened by an old Gallic name, probably Gwenfrewi, -or White Stream, in Latin Genovefa, but she is best known by the late -French form of Genevieve. When she was about seven years old, two -celebrated bishops passed through the village, Germanus, of Auxerre, -and Lupus, of Troyes, who had been invited to Britain to dispute -the false doctrines of Pelagius. All the inhabitants flocked into -the church to see them, pray with them, and receive their blessing; -and here the sweet childish devotion of Geneviéve so struck Germanus, -that he called her to him, talked to her, made her sit beside him -at the feast, gave her his special blessing, and presented her -with a copper medal with a cross engraven upon it. From that time -the little maiden always deemed herself especially consecrated to -the service of Heaven, but she still remained at home, daily keeping -her father's sheep, and spinning their wool as she sat under the -trees watching them, but always with her heart full of prayer. - -After this St. Germanus proceeded to Britain, and there encouraged -his converts to meet the heathen Picts at Maes Garmon, in Flintshire, -where the exulting shout of the white-robed catechumens turned to -flight the wild superstitious savages of the north,--and the Hallelujah -victory was gained without a drop of bloodshed. He never lost sight -of Geneviève, the little maid whom he had so early distinguished -for her piety. - -After she lost her parents she went to live with her godmother, -and continued the same simple habits, leading a life of sincere -devotion and strict self-denial, constant prayer and much charity -to her poorer neighbors. - -In the year 451 the whole of Gaul was in the most dreadful state -of terror at the advance of Attila, the savage chief of the Huns, -who came from the banks of the Danube with a host of savages -of hideous features, scarred and disfigured to render them more -frightful. The old enemies, the Goths and the Franks, seemed like -friends compared with these formidable beings, whose cruelties -were said to be intolerable, and of whom every exaggerated story -was told that could add to the horrors of the miserable people who -lay in their path. Tidings came that this "Scourge of God," as -Attila called himself, had passed the Rhine, destroyed Tongres and -Metz, and was in full march for Paris. The whole country was in the -utmost terror. Every one seized their most valuable possessions, -and would have fled; but Geneviève placed herself on the only bridge -across the Seine, and argued with them, assuring them, in a strain -that was afterwards thought of as prophetic, that, if they would -pray, repent, and defend instead of abandoning their homes, God -would protect them. They were at first almost ready to stone her -for thus withstanding their panic, but just then a priest arrived -from Auxerre, with a present for Geneviève from St. Germanus, and -they were thus reminded of the high estimation in which he held -her; they became ashamed of their violence, and she led them back -to pray and to arm themselves. In a few days they heard that Attila -had paused to besiege Orleans, and that Aëtius, the Roman general, -hurrying from Italy, had united his troops with those of the Goths and -Franks, and given Attila so terrible a defeat at Châlons that the -Huns were fairly driven out of Gaul. And here it must be mentioned -that when in the next year, 452, Attila with his murderous host, -came down into Italy, and after horrible devastation of all the -northern provinces, came to the gates of Rome, no one dared to meet -him but one venerable bishop, Leo, the Pope, who, when his flock -were in transports of despair, went forth only accompanied by one -magistrate to meet the invader, and endeavored to turn his wrath -aside. The savage Huns were struck with awe by the fearless majesty -of the unarmed old man. They conducted him safely to Attila, who -listened to him with respect, and promised not to lead his people -into Rome, provided a tribute should be paid to him. He then -retreated, and, to the joy of all Europe, died on his way back to -his native dominions. - -But with the Huns the danger and suffering of Europe did not end. -The happy state described in the Prophets as "dwelling safely, with -none to make them afraid," was utterly unknown in Europe throughout -the long break-up of the Roman Empire; and in a few more years -the Franks were overrunning the banks of the Seine, and actually -venturing to lay siege to the Roman walls of Paris itself. The -fortifications were strong enough, but hunger began to do the work -of the besiegers, and the garrison, unwarlike and untrained, began -to despair. But Geneviève's courage and trust never failed; and -finding no warriors willing to run the risk of going beyond the -walls to obtain food for the women and children who were perishing -around them, this brave shepherdess embarked alone in a little -boat, and guiding it down the stream, landed beyond the Frankish -camp, and repairing to the different Gallic cities, she implored them -to send succor to their famished brethren. She obtained complete -success. Probably the Franks had no means of obstructing the passage -of the river, so that a convoy of boats could easily penetrate -into the town: at any rate they looked upon Geneviève as something -sacred and inspired whom they durst not touch; probably as one of -the battle-maids in whom their own myths taught them to believe. -One account indeed says that, instead of going alone to obtain help, -Geneviève placed herself at the head of a forage party, and that -the mere sight of her inspired bearing caused them to be allowed -to enter and return in safety; but the boat version seems the more -probable, since a single boat on the broad river would more easily -elude the enemy than a troop of Gauls pass through their army. - -But a city where all the valor resided in one woman could not long -hold out, and in another inroad, when Genevieve was absent, Paris -was actually seized by the Franks. Their leader, Hilperik, was -absolutely afraid of what the mysteriously brave maiden might do -to him, and commanded the gates of the city to be carefully guarded -lest she should enter; but Geneviève learnt that some of the chief -citizens were imprisoned, and that Hilperik intended their death, -and nothing could withhold her from making an effort in their -behalf. The Franks had made up their minds to settle and not to -destroy. They were not burning and slaying indiscriminately, but -while despising the Romans, as they called the Gauls, for their -cowardice, they were in awe of their superior civilization and -knowledge of arts. The country people had free access to the city, -and Geneviève in her homely gown and veil passed by Hilperik's -guards without being suspected of being more than any ordinary -Gaulish village-maid; and thus she fearlessly made her way, even -to the old Roman halls, where the long-haired Hilperik was holding -his wild carousal. Would that we knew more of that interview--one -of the most striking that ever took place! - -We can only picture to ourselves the Roman tesselated pavement -bestrewn with wine, bones, and fragments of the barbarous revelry. -There were, untamed Franks, their sun-burnt hair tied up in a knot -at the top of their heads, and falling down like a horse's tail, -their faces close-shaven, except two huge mustaches, and dressed -in tight leather garments, with swords at their wide belts. Some -slept, some feasted, some greased their long locks, some shouted -out their favorite war-songs around the table, which was covered -with the spoils of churches, and at their head sat the wild, -long-haired chieftain, who was a few years later driven away by -his own followers for his excesses,--the whole scene was all that -was abhorrent to a pure, devout, and faithful nature, most full of -terror to a woman. Yet there, in her strength, stood the peasant -maiden, her heart full of trust and pity, her looks full of the power -that is given by fearlessness of them that can kill the body. What -she said we do not know--we only know that the barbarous Hilperik -was overawed; he trembled before the expostulations of the brave -woman, and granted all she asked--the safety of his prisoners, and -mercy to the terrified inhabitants. No wonder that the people of -Paris have ever since looked back to Genevieve as their protectress, -and that in after-ages she has grown to be the patron saint of the -city. - -She lived to see the son of Hilperik, Chlodwig, or, as he was more -commonly called, Clovis, marry a Christian wife, Clotilda, and after -a time become a Christian. She saw the foundation of the Cathedral -of Notre Dame, and of the two famous churches of St. Denys and of -St. Martin of Tours, and gave her full share to the first efforts -for bringing the rude and bloodthirsty conquerors to some knowledge -of Christian faith, mercy, and purity. After a life of constant -prayer and charity she died, three months after King Clovis, in -the year 512, the 89th of her age. - -[Illustration: HE SHOOK HIS CLENCHED FIST AT THE OBSTRUCTED SEA-STRAIT -_From the drawing by Gertrude Demain Hammond_] - - - - -THE BOY VIKING--OLAF II OF NORWAY - -By E. S. Brooks - - - -Old Rane, the helmsman, whose fierce mustaches and shaggy shoulder-mantle -made him look like some grim old Northern wolf, held high in air -the great bison-horn filled with foaming mead. - -"Skoal to the Viking! Hael was-hael!"[Footnote: "Hail and health -to the Viking!"] rose his exultant shout. From a hundred sturdy -throats the cry re-echoed till the vaulted hall of the Swedemen's -conquered castle rang again. - -"Skoal to the Viking! Hael; was-hael!" and in the centre of that -throng of mail-clad men and tossing spears, standing firm and -fearless upon the interlocked and uplifted shields of three stalwart -fighting-men, a stout-limbed lad of scarce thirteen, with flowing -light-brown hair and flushed and eager face, brandished his sword -vigorously in acknowledgment of the jubilant shout that rang once -again through the dark and smoke-stained hall: "Was-hael to the -sea-wolf's son! Skoal to Olaf the King!" - -Then above the din and clash of shouting and of steel rose the voice -of Sigvat the saga-man, or song-man of the young viking, singing -loud and sturdily: - - - "Olaf the King is on his cruise, - His blue steel staining, - Rich booty gaining, - And all men trembling at the news, - Up, war-wolf's brood! our young fir's name - O'ertops the forest trees in fame, - Our stout young Olaf knows no fear. - Though fell the fray, - He's blithe and gay, - And warriors fall beneath his spear. - Who can't defend the wealth they have - Must die or share with the rover brave!" - - -A fierce and warlike song, boys and girls, to raise in honor of so -young a lad. But those were fierce and warlike days when men were -stirred by the recital of bold and daring deeds--those old, old -days, eight hundred years ago, when Olaf, the boy viking, the pirate -chief of a hundred mail-clad men, stood upon the uplifted shields -of his exultant fighting-men in the grim and smoke-stained hall of -the gray castle of captured Sigtun, oldest of Swedish cities. - -Take your atlas and, turning to the map of Sweden, place your -finger on the city of Stockholm. Do you notice that it lies at the -easterly end of a large lake? That is the Maelar, beautiful with -winding channels, pine-covered islands, and rocky shores. It is -peaceful and quiet now, and palace and villa and quaint Northern -farmhouse stand unmolested on its picturesque borders. But channels, -and islands, and rocky shores have echoed and re-echoed with the -war-shouts of many a fierce sea-rover since those far-off days -when Olaf, the boy viking, and his Norwegian ships of war ploughed -through the narrow sea-strait and ravaged the fair shores of the -Maelar with fire and sword. - -Stockholm, the "Venice of the North," as it is called, was not then -in existence; and little now remains of old Sigtun save ruined walls. -But travellers may still see the three tall towers of the ancient -town, and the great stone-heap, alongside which young Olaf drew his -ships of war, and over which his pirate crew swarmed into Sigtun -town, and planted the victorious banner of the golden serpent upon -the conquered walls. - -For this fair young Olaf came of hardy Norse stock. His father, -Harald Graenske, or "Gray-mantle," one of the tributary kings of -Norway, had fallen a victim to the tortures of the haughty Swedish -queen; and now his son, a boy of scarce thirteen, but a warrior -already by training and from desire, came to avenge his father's -death. His mother, the Queen Aasta, equipped a large dragon-ship or -war-vessel for her adventurous son, and with the lad, as helmsman -and guardian, was sent old Rane, whom men called "the far-travelled," -because he had sailed westward as far as England and southward to -Nörvasund (by which name men then knew the Straits of Gibraltar). -Boys toughened quickly in those stirring days, and this lad, -who, because he was commander of a dragon-ship, was called Olaf -the King--though he had no land to rule--was of viking blood, and -quickly learned the trade of war. Already, among the rocks and -sands of Sodermann, upon the Swedish coast, he had won his first -battle over a superior force of Danish war-vessels. - -Other ships of war joined him; the name of Olaf the Brave was -given him by right of daring deeds, and "Skoal to the Viking!" rang -from the sturdy throats of his followers as the little sea-king of -thirteen was lifted in triumph upon the battle-dented shields. - -But a swift runner bursts into the gray hall of Sigtun. "To your -ships, O king; to your ships!" he cries. "Olaf, the Swedish king, -men say, is planting a forest of spears along the sea-strait, and, -except ye push out now, ye may not get out at all!" - -The nimble young chief sprang from the upraised shields. - -"To your ships, vikings, all!" he shouted. "Show your teeth, war-wolves! -Up with the serpent banner, and death to Olaf the Swede!" - -Straight across the lake to the sea-strait, near where Stockholm -now stands, the vikings sailed, young Olaf's dragon-ship taking the -lead. But all too late; for, across the narrow strait, the Swedish -king had stretched great chains, and had filled up the channel with -stocks and stones. Olaf and his Norsemen were fairly trapped; the -Swedish spears waved in wild and joyful triumph, and King Olaf, -the Swede, said with grim satisfaction to his lords: "See, jarls -and lendermen, the Fat Boy is caged at last!" For he never spoke -of his stout young Norwegian namesake and rival save as "Olaf -Tjocke"--Olaf the Thick, or Fat. - -The boy viking stood by his dragon-headed prow, and shook his -clenched fist at the obstructed sea-strait and the Swedish spears. - -"Shall we, then, land, Rane, and fight our way through?" he asked. - -"Fight our way through?" said old Rane, who had been in many another -tight place in his years of sea-roving, but none so close as this. -"Why, king, they be a hundred to one!" - -"And if they be, what then?" said impetuous Olaf "Better fall as -a viking breaking Swedish spears than die a straw-death [Footnote: -So contemptuously did those fierce old sea-kings regard a peaceful -life that they said of one who died quietly on his bed at home: -"His was but a straw-death."] as Olaf of Sweden's bonder-man. May -we not cut through these chains?" - -"As soon think of cutting the solid earth, king," said the helmsman. - -"So; and why not, then?" young Olaf exclaimed, struck with -a brilliant idea. "Ho, Sigvat," he said, turning to his saga-man, -"what was that lowland under the cliff where thou didst say the -pagan Upsal king was hanged in his own golden chains by his Finnish -queen?" - -"'Tis called the fen of Agnefit, O king," replied the saga-man, -pointing toward where it lay. - -"Why, then, my Rane," asked the boy, "may we not cut our way out -through that lowland fen, to the open sea and liberty?" - -"'Tis Odin's own device," cried the delighted helmsman, catching at -his young chief's great plan. "Ho, war-wolves all, bite ye your way -through the Swedish fens! Up with the serpent banner, and farewell -to Olaf the Swede!" - -It seemed a narrow chance, but it was the only one. Fortune favored -the boy viking. Heavy rains had flooded the lands that slope down -to the Maelar Lake; in the dead of night the Swedish captives and -stout Norse oarsmen were set to work, and before daybreak an open -cut had been made in the lowlands beneath Agnefit, or the "Rock of -King Agne," where, by the town of Sodertelje, the vikings' canal -is still shown to travellers; the waters of the lake came rushing -through the cut, and an open sea-strait awaited young Olaf's fleet. - -"Unship the rudder; hoist the sail aloft!" commanded Bane the -helmsman. "Sound war-horns all! Skoal to the Viking; skoal to the -wise young Olaf!" - -A strong breeze blew astern; the Norse rowers steered the rudderless -ships with their long oars, and with a mighty rush, through the new -canal and over all the shallows, out into the great Norrstrom, or -North Stream, as the Baltic Sea was called, the fleet passed in -safety while the loud war-horns blew the notes of triumph. - -So the boy viking escaped from the trap of his Swedish foes, and, -standing by the "grim, gaping dragon's head" that crested the prow -of his warship, he bade the helmsman steer for Gotland Isle, while -Sigvat, the saga-man, sang with the ring of triumph: - - - "Down the fiord sweep wind and rain; - Our sails and tackle sway and strain; - Wet to the skin - We're sound within. - Our sea-steed through the foam goes prancing, - While shields and spears and helms are glancing. - From fiord to sea, - Our ships ride free, - And down the wind with swelling sail - We scud before the gathering gale." - - -What a breezy, rollicking old saga it is! Can't you almost catch -the spray and sea-swell in its dashing measures, boys? - -Now, turn to your atlases again and look for the large island of -Gotland off the southeastern coast of Sweden, in the midst of the -Baltic Sea. In the time of Olaf it was a thickly peopled and wealthy -district, and the principal town, Wisby, at the northern end, was -one of the busiest places in all Europe. To this attractive island -the boy viking sailed with all his ships, looking for rich booty, -but the Gotlanders met him with fair words and offered him so great -a "scatt," or tribute, that he agreed not to molest them, and rested -at the island, an unwelcome guest, through all the long winter. -Early in the spring he sailed eastward to the Gulf of Riga and spread -fear and terror along the coast of Finland. And the old saga tells -how the Finlanders "conjured up in the night, by their witchcraft, -a dreadful storm and bad weather; but the king ordered all the -anchors to be weighed and sail hoisted, and beat off all night to -the outside of the land. So the king's luck prevailed more than -the Finlander's witchcraft." - -Then away "through the wild sea" to Denmark sailed the young pirate -king, and here he met a brother viking, one Thorkell the Tall. The -two chiefs struck up a sort of partnership; and coasting southward -along the western shores of Denmark, they won a sea-fight in the -Ringkiobing Fiord, among the "sand hills of Jutland." And so business -continued brisk with this curiously matched pirate firm--a giant -and a boy--until, under the cliffs of Kinlimma, in Friesland, -hasty word came to the boy viking that the English king, Ethelred -the Unready, was calling for the help of all sturdy fighters to -win back his heritage and crown from young King Cnut, or Canute -the Dane, whose father had seized the throne of England. Quick to -respond to an appeal that promised plenty of hard knocks, and the -possibility of unlimited booty, Olaf, the ever ready, hoisted his -blue and crimson sails and steered his war-ships over the sea to -help King Ethelred, the never ready. Up the Thames and straight -for London town he rowed. - -"Hail to the serpent banner! Hail to Olaf the Brave!" said -King Ethelred, as the war-horns sounded a welcome; and on the low -shores of the Isle of Dogs, just below the old city, the keels of -the Norse war-ships grounded swiftly, and the boy viking and his -followers leaped ashore. "Thou dost come in right good time with -thy trusty dragon-ships, young king," said King Ethelred; "for the -Danish robbers are full well entrenched in London town and in my -father Edgar's castle." - -And then he told Olaf how, "in the great trading place which -is called Southwark," the Danes had raised "a great work and dug -large ditches, and within had builded a bulwark of stone, timber, -and turf, where they had stationed a large army. - -"And we would fain have taken this bulwark," added the king, "and -did in sooth bear down upon it with a great assault; but indeed we -could make naught of it." - -"And why so?" asked the young viking. - -"Because," said King Ethelred, "upon the bridge betwixt the castle -and Southwark have the ravaging Danes raised towers and parapets, -breast high, and thence they did cast down stones and weapons upon -us so that we could not prevail. And now, sea-king, what dost thou -counsel? How may we avenge ourselves of our enemies and win the -town?" - -Impetuous as ever, and impatient of obstacles, the young viking -said: "How? why, pull thou down this bridge, king, and then may ye -have free river-way to thy castle." - -"Break down great London Bridge, young hero?" cried the amazed king. -"How may that be? Have we a Duke Samson among us to do so great a -feat?" - -"Lay me thy ships alongside mine, king, close to this barricaded -bridge," said the valorous boy, "and I will vow to break it down, -or ye may call me caitiff and coward." - -"Be it so," said Ethelred, the English king; and all the war-chiefs -echoed: "Be it so!" So Olaf and his trusty Rane made ready the -war-forces for the destruction of the bridge. - -Old London Bridge was not what we should now call an imposing -structure, but our ancestors of nine centuries back esteemed it -quite a bridge. The chronicler says that it was "so broad that two -wagons could pass each other upon it," and "under the bridge were -piles driven into the bottom of the river." - -So young Olaf and old Rane put their heads together, and decided -to wreck the bridge by a bold viking stroke. And this is how it is -told in the "Heimskringla," or Saga of King Olaf the Saint: - -"King Olaf ordered great platforms of floating wood to be tied -together with hazel bands, and for this he took down old houses; -and with these, as a roof, he covered over his ships so widely that -it reached over the ships' sides. Under this screen he set pillars, -so high and stout that there both was room for swinging their -swords, and the roofs were strong enough to withstand the stones -cast down upon them." - -"Now, out oars and pull for the bridge," young Olaf commanded; and -the roofed-over war-ships were rowed close up to London Bridge. - -And as they came near the bridge, the chronicle says: "There were -cast upon them, by the Danes upon the bridge, so many stones and -missile weapons, such as arrows and spears, that neither helmet nor -shield could hold out against it; and the ships themselves were so -greatly damaged that many retreated out of it." - -But the boy viking and his Norsemen were there for a purpose, and -were not to be driven back by stones or spears or arrows. Straight -ahead they rowed, "quite up under the bridge." - -"Out cables, all, and lay them around the piles," the young sea-king -shouted; and the half-naked rowers, unshipping their oars, reached -out under the roofs and passed the stout cables twice around the -wooden supports of the bridge. The loose end was made fast at the -stern of each vessel, and then, turning and heading down stream, -King Olaf's twenty stout war-ships waited his word: - -"Out oars!" he cried; "pull, war-birds! Pull all, as if ye were -for Norway!" - -Forward and backward swayed the stout Norse rowers; tighter and -tighter pulled the cables; fast down upon the straining war-ships -rained the Danish spears and stones; but the wooden piles under -the great bridge were loosened by the steady tug of the cables, -and soon with a sudden spurt the Norse war-ships darted down the -river, while the slackened cables towed astern the captured piles -of London Bridge. A great shout went up from the besiegers, and -"now," says the chronicle, "as the armed troops stood thick upon -the bridge, and there were likewise many heaps of stones and other -weapons upon it, the bridge gave way; and a great part of the men -upon it fell into the river, and all the others fled--some into -the castle, some into Southwark." And before King Ethelred, "the -Unready, "could pull his ships to the attack, young Olaf's fighting-men -had sprung ashore, and, storming the Southwark earthworks, carried -all before them, and the battle of London Bridge was won. - -And the young Olaf's saga-man sang triumphantly: - - - "London Bridge is broken down-- - Gold is won and bright renown. - Shields resounding, - War-horns sounding, - Hildar shouting in the din! - Arrows singing, - Mail-coats ringing, - Odin makes our Olaf win!" - - -And perhaps, who knows, this wrecking of London Bridge so many -hundred years ago by Olaf, the boy viking of fifteen, may have -been the origin of the old song-game dear to so many generations -of children: - - "London Bridge is fallen down, fallen down, fallen down-- - London Bridge is fallen down, my fair lady!" - - -So King Ethelred won back his kingdom, and the boy viking was honored -above all others. To him was given the chief command in perilous -expeditions against the Danes, and the whole defence of all the -coast of England. North and south along the coast he sailed with -all his warships, and the Danes and Englishmen long remembered the -dashing but dubious ways of this young sea-rover, who swept the -English coast and claimed his dues from friend and foe alike. For -those were days of insecurity for merchant and trader and farmer, -and no man's wealth or life was safe except as he paid ready tribute -to the fierce Norse allies of King Ethelred. But soon after this, -King Ethelred died, and young Olaf, thirsting for new adventures, -sailed away to the south and fought his way all along the French -coast as far as the mouth of the River Garonne. Many castles -he captured; many rival vikings subdued; much spoil he gathered; -until at last his dragon-ships lay moored under the walls of old -Bordeaux, waiting for fair winds to take him around to the Straits -of Gibraltar, and so on "to the land of Jerusalem." - -One day, in the booty-filled "fore-hold" of his dragon-ship, the -young sea-king lay asleep; and suddenly, says the old record, "he -dreamed a wondrous dream." - -"Olaf, great stem of kings, attend!" he heard a deep voice call; -and, looking up, the dreamer seemed to see before him "a great and -important man, but of a terrible appearance withal." - -"If that thou art Olaf the Brave, as men do call thee," said the -vision, "turn thyself to nobler deeds than vikings' ravaging and -this wandering cruise. Turn back, turn back from thy purposeless -journey to the land of Jerusalem, where neither honor nor fame -awaits thee. Son of King Harald, return thee to thy heritage; for -thou shalt be king over all Norway." - -Then the vision vanished and the young rover awoke to find himself -alone, save for the sleeping foot-boy across the cabin door-way. -So he quickly summoned old Rane, the helmsman, and told his dream. - -"'Twas for thy awakening, king," said his stout old follower. "'Twas -the great Olaf, thine uncle, Olaf Tryggvesson the king, that didst -call thee. Win Norway, king, for the portent is that thou and thine -shall rule thy fatherland." - -And the war-ships' prows were all turned northward again, as the -boy viking, following the promise of his dream, steered homeward -for Norway and a throne. - -Now in Norway Earl Eric was dead. For thirteen years he had usurped -the throne that should have been filled by one of the great King -Olaf's line; and, at his death, his handsome young son, Earl Hakon -the Fair, ruled in his father's stead. And when young King Olaf -heard this news, he shouted for joy and cried to Rane: - -"Now, home in haste, for Norway shall be either Hakon's heritage -or mine!" - -"'Tis a fair match of youth 'gainst youth," said the trusty helmsman; -"and if but fair luck go with thee, Norway shall be thine!" - -So from "a place called Furovald," somewhere between the mouths of -Humber and of Tees, on the English coast, King Olaf, with but two -stout war-ships and two hundred and twenty "well-armed and chosen -persons," shook out his purple sails to the North Sea blasts, and -steered straight for Norway. - -As if in league against this bold young viking the storm winds came -rushing down from the mountains of Norway and the cold belt of the -Arctic Circle and caught the two war-ships tossing in a raging sea. - -The storm burst upon them with terrific force, and the danger of -shipwreck was great. "But," says the old record, "as they had a -chosen company and the king's luck with them all went on well." - -"Thou able chief!" - -sings the faithful saga-man, - - - "With thy fearless crew - Thou meetest with skill and courage true - The wild sea's wrath - On thy ocean path. - Though waves mast-high were breaking round, - Thou findest the middle of Norway's ground, - With helm in hand - On Saelo's strand." - - -Now _Sael_ was Norse for "lucky" and Saelo's Island means the lucky -island. - -"I'll be a lucky king for landing thus upon the Lucky Isle," said -rash young Olaf, with the only attempt at a joke we find recorded -of him, as, with a mighty leap, he sprang ashore where the sliding -keel of his war-ship ploughed the shore of Saelo's Isle. - -"True, 'tis a good omen, king," said old Rane the helmsman, following -close behind. - -But the soil of the "Lucky Isle" was largely clay, moist and -slippery, and as the eager young viking climbed the bank his right -foot slipped, and he would have fallen had not he struck his left -foot firmly in the clay and thus saved himself. But to slip at all -was a bad sign in those old, half-pagan, and superstitious times, -and he said, ruefully: "An omen; an omen, Rane! The king falls!" - -"Nay,'tis the king's luck," says ready and wise old Rane. "Thou -didst not fall, king. See; thou didst but set fast foot in this -thy native soil of Norway." - -"Thou art a rare diviner, Rane," laughed the young king, much -relieved, and then he added solemnly: "It may be so if God doth -will it so." - -And now news comes that Earl Hakon, with a single war-ship, is -steering north from Sogne Fiord; and Olaf, pressing on, lays his two -ships on either side of a narrow strait, or channel, in Sandunga -Sound. Here he stripped his ships of all their war-gear, and stretched -a great cable deep in the water, across the narrow strait. Then he -wound the cable-ends around the capstans, ordered all his fighting-men -out of sight, and waited for his rival. Soon Earl Hakon's war-ship, -crowded with rowers and fighting-men, entered the strait. Seeing, -as he supposed, but two harmless merchant-vessels lying on either -side of the channel, the young earl bade his rowers pull between -the two. Suddenly there is a stir on the quiet merchant-vessels. -The capstan bars are manned; the sunken cable is drawn taut. Up -goes the stern of Earl Hakon's entrapped warship; down plunges her -prow into the waves, and the water pours into the doomed boat. A -loud shout is heard; the quiet merchant-vessels swarm with mail-clad -men, and the air is filled with a shower of stones, and spears, -and arrows. The surprise is complete. Tighter draws the cable; over -topples Earl Hakon's vessel, and he and all his men are among the -billows struggling for life. "So," says the record, "King Olaf took -Earl Hakon and all his men whom they could get hold of out of the -water and made them prisoners; but some were killed and some were -drowned." - -Into the "fore-hold" of the king's ship the captive earl was led a -prisoner, and there the young rivals for Norway's crown faced each -other. The two lads were of nearly the same age--between sixteen -and seventeen--and young Earl Hakon was considered the handsomest -youth in all Norway. His helmet was gone, his sword was lost, his -ring-steel suit was sadly disarranged, and his long hair, "fine -as silk," was "bound about his head with a gold ornament." Fully -expecting the fate of all captives in those cruel days--instant -death--the young earl nevertheless faced his boy conqueror proudly, -resolved to meet his fate like a man. - -"They speak truth who say of the house of Eric that ye be handsome -men," said the king, studying his prisoner's face. "But now, earl, -even though thou be fair to look upon, thy luck hath failed thee -at last." - -"Fortune changes," said the young earl. "We both be boys; and thou, -king, art perchance the shrewder youth. Yet, had we looked for such -a trick as thou hast played upon us, we had not thus been tripped -upon thy sunken cables. Better luck next time." - -"Next time!" echoed the king; "dost thou not know, earl, that as -thou standest there, a prisoner, there may be no 'next time' for -thee?" - -The young captive understood full well the meaning of the words. -"Yes, king," he said; "it must be only as thou mayst determine. -Man can die but once. Speak on; I am ready!" But Olaf said: "What -wilt thou give me, earl, if at this time I do let thee go, whole -and unhurt?" - -"'Tis not what I may give, but what thou mayst take, king," the -earl made answer. "I am thy prisoner; what wilt thou take to free -me?" - -"Nothing," said the generous young viking, advancing nearer to his -handsome rival. "As thou didst say, we both be boys, and life is -all before us. Earl, I give thee thy life, do thou but take oath -before me to leave this my realm of Norway, to give up thy kingdom, -and never to do battle against me hereafter." - -The conquered earl bent his fair young head. - -"Thou art a generous chief, King Olaf," he said. "I take my life -as thou dost give it, and all shall be as thou wilt." - -So Earl Hakon took the oath, and King Olaf righted his rival's -capsized war-ship, refitted it from his own stores of booty, and -thus the two lads parted; the young earl sailing off to his uncle, -King Canute, in England, and the boy viking hastening eastward to -Vigen, where lived his mother, the Queen Aasta, whom he had not -seen for full five years. - -It is harvest-time in the year 1014. Without and within the long, -low house of Sigurd Syr, at Vigen, all is excitement; for word has -come that Olaf the sea-king has returned to his native land, and is -even now on his way to this his mother's house. Gay stuffs decorate -the dull walls of the great-room, clean straw covers the earth -floor, and upon the long, four-cornered tables is spread a mighty -feast of mead and ale and coarse but hearty food, such as the old -Norse heroes drew their strength and muscle from. At the door-way -stands the Queen Aasta with her maidens, while before the entrance, -with thirty "well-clothed men," waits young Olafs stepfather, -wise Sigurd Syr, gorgeous in a jewelled suit, a scarlet cloak, and -a glittering golden helmet. The watchers on the housetops hear a -distant shout, now another and nearer one, and soon, down the highway, -they catch the gleam of steel and the waving of many banners; and -now they can distinguish the stalwart forms of Olaf's chosen hundred -men, their shining coats of ring-mail, their foreign helmets, and -their crossleted shields flashing in the sun. In the very front -rides old Rane, the helmsman, bearing the great white banner blazoned -with the golden serpent, and, behind him, cased in golden armor, -his long brown hair flowing over his sturdy shoulders, rides the -boy viking, Olaf of Norway. - -It was a brave home-coming; and as the stout young hero, leaping -from his horse, knelt to receive his mother's welcoming kiss, the -people shouted for joy, the banners waved, the war-horns played their -loudest; and thus, after five years of wandering, the boy comes -back in triumph to the home he left when but a wild and adventurous -little fellow of twelve. - -The hero of nine great sea-fights, and of many smaller ones, before -he was seventeen, young Olaf Haraldson was a remarkable boy, even -in the days when all boys aimed to be battle-tried heroes. Toughened -in frame and fibre by his five years of sea-roving, he had become -strong and self-reliant, a man in action though but a boy in years. - -"I am come," he said to his mother and his step-father, "to take -the heritage of my forefathers. But not from Danish nor from Swedish -kings will I supplicate that which is mine by right. I intend rather -to seek my patrimony with battle-axe and sword, and I will so lay -hand to the work that one of two things shall happen: Either I -shall bring all this kingdom of Norway under my rule, or I shall -fall here upon my inheritance in the land of my fathers." - -These were bold words for a boy of seventeen. But they were not -idle boastings. Before a year had passed, young Olaf's pluck and -courage had won the day, and in harvest-time, in the year 1015, -being then but little more than eighteen years old, he was crowned -King of Norway in the Drontheim, or "Throne-home," of Nidaros, the -royal city, now called on your atlas the city of Drontheim. For -fifteen years King Olaf the Second ruled his realm of Norway. -The old record says that he was "a good and very gentle man"; but -history shows his goodness and gentleness to have been of a rough -and savage kind. The wild and stern experiences of his viking days -lived again even in his attempts to reform and benefit his land. -When he who had himself been a pirate tried to put down piracy, and -he who had been a wild young robber sought to force all Norway to -become Christian, he did these things in so fierce and cruel a way -that at last his subjects rebelled, and King Canute came over with -a great army to wrest the throne from him. On the bloody field of -Stiklestad, July 29, 1030, the stern king fell, says Sigvat, his -saga-man, - - - - "beneath the blows - By his own thoughtless people given." - - - -So King Canute conquered Norway; but after his death, Olaf's son, -Magnus the Good, regained his father's throne. The people, sorrowful -at their rebellion against King Olaf, forgot his stern and cruel -ways, and magnified all his good deeds so mightily that he was at -last declared a saint, and the shrine of Saint Olaf is still one -of the glories of the old cathedral in Drontheim. And, after King -Magnus died, his descendants ruled Norway for nearly four hundred -years; and thus was brought to pass the promise of the dream that, -in the "fore-hold" of the great dragon-ship, under the walls of -old Bordeaux, came so many years before to the daring and sturdy -young Olaf of Norway, the boy viking. - - - - -THE BOY-HEROES OF CRECY AND POITIERS - -By Treadwell Walden - - - -Almost every one has heard of the famous battles of Crecy and -Poitiers, which were so much alike in all that made them remarkable -that they are generally coupled together,--one always reminding us -of the other. Yet there is one point they had in common which has -not been especially remarked, but which ought to link them memorably -together in the imagination of young people. - -These two great battles really took place ten years apart; for one -was fought in 1346 and the other in 1356. The battle-fields also -were wide apart; for Crecy was far in the north of France, near -the coast of the English Channel, and Poitiers away in the south, -deep in the interior, nearly three hundred miles from Crecy. But they -have drawn near to each other in the mind of students of history, -because in both cases the French largely outnumbered the English; -in both cases the English had gone so far into the country that -their retreat seemed to be cut off; in both cases there was a most -surprising and unexpected result, for the French were terribly -defeated; and in both cases this happened because they made the -same mistake: they trusted so much to their overwhelming numbers, -to their courage and their valor, that they forgot to be careful -about anything else, while the English made up for their small -numbers by prudence, discipline, and skill, without which courage -and valor are often of no avail. - -It is quite exciting to read the description of these battles, with -their archery fights, the clashing together of furious knights, -the first brave advance and the final running away; but, after a -while, the battles at large seem to fade out in the greater interest -which surrounds the figures of two youngsters,--one hardly more -than fifteen, the other scarcely fourteen,--for one carried off -all the honors of the victory of Crecy, and the other redeemed -from total dishonor the defeat of Poitiers. Let us now take up -the romantic story of the English lad in the former battle, and of -the French lad in the latter. - -When, in 1346, Edward III of England had determined upon an invasion -of France, he brought over his army in a fleet of nearly a thousand -sail. He had with him not only the larger portion of his great -nobles, but also his eldest son, Edward Plantagenet, the Prince -of Wales. He had good reasons for taking the boy. The prince was -expected to become the next King of England. His father evidently -thought him able to take a very important part in becoming also -the King of France. If all the accounts of him are true, he was a -remarkable youth; wonderfully strong and courageous, and wonderfully -discreet for his years. - -There was only one road to success or fame in those days, and that -was the profession of arms. The ambition of every high-born young -fellow was to become a knight. Knighthood was something that both -king and nobles regarded as higher in some respects than even the -royalty or nobility to which they were born. No one could be admitted -into an order of the great brotherhood of knights, which extended -all over Europe and formed an independent society, unless he had -gone through severe discipline, and had performed some distinguished -deed of valor. Then he could wear the golden spurs; for knighthood -had its earliest origin in the distinction of fighting on horseback, -while ordinary soldiers fought on foot. Although knighthood changed -afterward, the word "chivalry" always expressed it, from _cheval_, -a horse. And in addition to valor, which was the result of physical -strength and courage, the knight was expected to be generous, -courteous, faithful, devout, truthful, high-souled, high-principled. -Hence the epithet, "chivalrous," which, even to-day, is so often -heard applied to men of especially fine spirit. "Honor" was the -great word which included all these qualities then, as it does in -some measure now. - -I have only time to give you the standard, and cannot pause to tell -you how well or ill it was lived up to generally. But I would not -have taken this story in hand if chivalry had to be left out of -the account, for it was chivalry that made my two boys the heroes -they were. - -As soon as King Edward landed at La Hague, he gave very clear -evidence of the serious work he had cut out for his son, and of -his confidence that the youngster would be equal to it. He publicly -pledged his boy, beforehand, to some great deed, and to a life of -valor and honor. In sight of the whole army, he went through the -form of making him a knight. Young Edward, clad in armor, kneeled -down before him on the wet sand, when the king touched his shoulder -with his sword, saying: "I dub thee knight. Be brave, bold, and -loyal!" You may imagine how proudly then the young fellow seized -lance and sword and shield, and sprang into his saddle at a leap, -and with what high resolve he rode on beside his mailed and gallant -father to deserve the name which that impressive ceremony had given -him. - -The army moved rapidly forward and northward toward Calais, conquering -everything on its way, till when in the neighborhood of Crecy, the -intelligence came that the French king, Philip, with an army of -one hundred and twenty thousand men and all the chivalry of France, -had come in between it and the sea. There was no retreat possible. -Edward had but thirty thousand to oppose this great host. They were -four to one. He was in a dangerous spot also; but after a time he -succeeded in getting away to a good position, and there he awaited -the onset. No one will doubt that he was anxious enough, and yet -what did he do? After arranging his troops in battle order, three -battalions deep, he sent young Edward to the very front of the -brilliant group of his finest barons to take the brunt of the terrible -charge that was now to come! It shows of what stern material the -king and the men of that time were made, for all his present love, -all his future hope, lay around that gallant boy. But he knew that -the value of the glory which might be earned was worth all the -risk. Besides, he was as much under chivalrous necessity to send -him, as the lad was under to go. That pledge to knighthood, on the -sea-shore, had not been either lightly taken or lightly given. If -chivalry was not equal to sacrifice, it was equal to nothing. There -was keen wisdom, too, in the act. The king could count all the -more on the enthusiasm, self-devotion and valor of the knights and -men-at-arms, in whose keeping he had placed so precious a charge. -That whole first battalion would be nerved to tenfold effort -because the prince was among them, for every one would be as deeply -concerned as the father in the boy's success. - -Edward carried his feeling of devotion to his son's best interests -to such a chivalrous extent that he made it a point of duty to keep -out of the battle altogether. - -He was nowhere to be seen. He went into a windmill on a height -nearby, and watched the fight through one of the narrow windows -in its upper story. He would not even put on his helmet. That was -the way the father stood by his son--by showing absolute confidence -in him, and denying himself all the glory that might come from a -great and important battle. And the young fellow was a thousandfold -nerved and strengthened by knowing that his father fully trusted -in him. - -I need not give the details of the battle. It is sufficient to know -that the first line of the French chivalry charged with the utmost -fury. Among these was an ally of note, John, King of Bohemia, who -with his barons and knights was not behindhand in the deadly onset; -and yet this king was old and blind! His was chivalry in another -form! He would have his stroke in the battle, and he plunged into -it with his horse tied by its reins to one of his knights on either -side. A plume of three ostrich feathers waved from his helmet, -and the chroniclers say he laid about him well. After the battle, -he and his two companions were found dead, with their horses tied -together. - -But although the French were brave they were not wise. For not only -had they brought on the fight with headlong energy before they were -prepared, but they had allowed Edward to place himself so that the -afternoon sun, then near its setting, blazed full in their eyes -and faces. Edward's army fought in the shadow. The terrible English -bowmen sent their deadly cloth-yard arrows so thick and fast into -the dazzled and crowded ranks of fifteen thousand Genoese archers -and the intermingled men-at-arms, that the missiles filled the air -like snow. The Genoese were thrown into confusion, and this spread -throughout the whole French army. The French king, with some of -his dukes, flew foaming over the field in the rear, trying in vain -to get up in time to swell the onset upon the English front. - -But the onset had proved bad enough as it was. The knights around -the young prince were frightened for his safety. One of them, Sir -Thomas of Norwich, was sent hack to Edward to ask him to come to -the assistance of the prince. - -"Sir Thomas," said the king, "is my son dead or unhorsed, or so -wounded that he cannot help himself?" - -"Not so, my lord, thank God; but he is fighting against great odds, -and is like to have need of your help." - -"Sir Thomas," replied the king, "return to them who sent you, and -tell them from me not to send for me, whatever chance befall them, -so long as my son is alive, and tell them that I bid them let the -lad win his spurs; for I wish, if God so desire, that the day should -be his, and the honor thereof remain to him and to those to whom -I have given him in charge." - -And there he stayed in the windmill till the battle was over. Soon -the cry of victory reached him as the French fled in the darkness, -leaving their dead strewn upon the field. Now the young prince -appeared covered with all the glory that his father had coveted -for him, bearing the ostrich plume which he had taken from the dead -King of Bohemia. The boy rode up with his visor raised,--his face -was as fair as a girl's, and glowed under a crown of golden hair. -He bore his trophy aloft, and when it was placed as a knightly -decoration above the crest of his helmet, he little thought that -the triple tuft was to wave for more than five hundred years, even -to this day, on England's front, for such it does, and that, next -to the crown, there shall be no badge so proudly known as the -three feathers which nod above the coronet of the Prince of Wales. -Edward Albert, son of King George V, now wears it because Edward, -the Prince of Wales, when still in his teens, won it at Crecy. We -will leave him there, and go on ten years. - -Philip, the French king, had passed away about six years before, -and John, a wild character for such a trying time, had ascended -the throne. He was always plunging himself into difficulties, and -was often guilty of cruelty; and yet was of such a free, generous -nature, and had so many of the virtues of chivalry in that day, -that he was known as "John the Good." He was the extreme opposite -to the grave, prudent, sagacious Edward III, who was still alive -and well, and King of England. - -Some time after the victory of Crecy, Calais had been taken, and then -both nations were glad to arrange a truce. Nine years of this had -gone by, when Edward thought it necessary to make another attempt -on France. As soon as might be, therefore, young Edward, his son, -now twenty-five, came over alone, landing at Bordeaux. He had, -meantime, gained great fame. He was now known as "the Black Prince," -because he had a fancy for having his armor painted as black as -midnight, in order, they say, to give a greater brightness to his -fresh blond complexion and golden hair. Marshaling his little army -of 12,000 men, he set out into the interior of France. When he had -reached the neighborhood of Poitiers, he was astounded by the news -that King John was both after him and behind him, with a force of -60,000 men--five to one! Here was Crecy over again as to numbers, -but there was one thing made it worse; for, as Edward III not long -before had instituted the famous "Order of the Garter" which is -even now one of the foremost orders of knighthood in Europe, so -John, not to be behindhand, and in order to give a new chivalrous -impulse to his nobles, had just instituted the "Order of the Star." -He made five hundred knights of this new order, every one of whom -had vowed that he would never retreat, and would sooner be slain -than yield to an enemy. - -The Black Prince thought it almost impossible to fight his way -through such a desperately determined host. So he offered to restore -all he had just conquered and to make another truce, if he might -pass by unmolested. But John would not consent. He must have Calais -back again, and the prince, with one hundred of his best knights, -into the bargain. "This will never do," thought the prince. "Better -try for another Crecy." - -On the morning of September 19,1356, the battle began. John had -with him all four of his sons, Charles, Louis, John and Philip; the -eldest only nineteen, and the youngest fourteen. The three former -were put under good guardianship in different portions of the field; -but why the hair-brained monarch took the youngest boy with him -into the very front and thickest of the fight, it is hard to guess, -unless it was another imitation of Edward, and he had also good -reason to think that the lad was unusually well able to take care -of himself, having been trained at arms and pledged to knighthood. -But young "Sir Philip," as he was called, proved quite equal to -the occasion. - -King John himself led the van, moving down through a defile, into -which, after a time, his whole army found themselves crowded. -Meantime, the Prince of Wales had planted his army just where he -would tempt John into that trap and had set his archers in good -position. These men were clad in green, like Robin Hood's men, and -carried bows seven feet long and so thick that few men of modern -days could bend them. A cloth-yard shaft from one of these would fly -with tremendous force. Edward had placed these archers in ambush, -behind green hedges, and crouching in the green of the vineyards. - -Just as the French king, with all his new chivalry around him, dashed -down the narrow valley--the white standard of France on one side -of him, his keen-eyed little son on the other--and began to deploy -the whole advance battalion, preliminary to a grand charge--whiz! -whiz! whir! whir! from both sides came the arrows, as thick as hail -and as terrible as javelins, from the hidden archers. The astonished -Frenchmen fell back. That crowded still more those who were yet -wedged in the narrow space behind. Now came the English onset. -Then a panic. Then a rout. Then a general flight. Dukes, barons, -knights of all sorts fled with the rest; also Charles, Louis, John, -the three elder sons of the king. The king was in great danger of -being slain; but he did not move, and Philip stood fighting by his -side. The standard-bearer fell, and the white ensign lay in the -dust. Many a faithful knight was cut down, or swept away a prisoner. -But Philip flinched not. - -The assailants--some of whom knew the king, while others were -wondering who he might be--pressed them fiercely on every side, -striking at them, but more anxious to take them captives than -to kill them, for they were worth a heavy ransom. The Englishmen -shouted all together, "Yield you! Yield you, else you die!" Little -Sir Philip had no yield in him, as long as his father held out. He -kept close to him, trying to ward off the blows which were aimed -at him, and warning him in time, as his quick eye caught a near -danger on either hand. Every instant he was heard calling out, -"Father, ware right! Father, ware left!" Suddenly a mounted knight -appeared, who hailed the king in French. It was a French knight, -who was fighting on the English side. - -"Sir, sir!" he shouted, "I pray you yield!" - -"To whom shall I yield me?" said John, "Where is my cousin, the -Prince of Wales?" - -"Sir, yield you to me; I will bring you to him." - -"Who are you?" said the king. - -"Denis de Morbecque, a knight of Artois; I serve the King of England, -not being able to live in France, for I have lost all I possessed -there." - -"I yield me to you," said John, handing him his steel glove. - -Then the whole crowd began to drag at him, each exclaiming: "I -took him!" Both the king and the prince were sadly hustled, until -two barons broke through the throng by dint of their horses, and -led the two to the tent of the Prince of Wales, "and made him a -present of the King of France!" says an old chronicler. "The prince -also bowed full low before the king, and received him as a king, -properly and discreetly, as he well knew how to do." - -In the evening he entertained him and Philip at supper, "and would -not sit at the king's table for all the king's entreaty, but waited -as a serving man, bending the knee before him, and saying: 'Dear -sir, be pleased not to put on so bad a countenance, because it hath -not pleased God to consent this day to your wishes; for, assuredly, -my lord and father will show you all the honor and friendship he -shall be able, and he will come to terms with you so reasonably -that you shall remain good friends forever.'" - -Nor did all this end in words, but it went on for years during all -the captivity of King John and Prince Philip,--first at Bordeaux and -afterward at the then new Windsor Castle, in England, where galas, -tournaments, hawking and hunting, and all sorts of entertainments -were devised for them. When King John was brought from Bordeaux -to England, where King Edward had prepared to meet him in great -state, the French king was mounted on a tall, cream-colored charger, -and young Philip rode by his side in great honor also, while the -Prince of Wales sat on a small black horse, like an humble attendant -on them both. The two royal fathers met midway in that London street, -the houses which lined the way were hung with rich tapestries, the -trades were out in companies of many colors, the people thronged -round the steelclad cavalcades as they came together, and they -filled the air with shouts--but what two figures now most fill -the eye when all that pageant has passed away? Not the father who -stood by his son with such chivalrous faith, nor the father whose -son stood by him with such chivalrous devotion, but the fair youth -who carries that tuft of feathers upon his helmet, with its motto, -"I serve," and the lad whom all have heard of as "Philip the Bold"; -the boy-hero of Crecy doing chivalrous honor to the boy-hero of -Poitiers! - - - - -THE NOBLE BURGHERS OF CALAIS - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -Nowhere does the continent of Europe approach Great Britain so -closely as at the Straits of Dover, and when the English sovereigns -were full of the vain hope of obtaining the crown of France, or -at least of regaining the great possessions that their forefathers -had owned as French nobles, there was no spot so coveted by them -as the fortress of Calais, the possession of which gave an entrance -into France. - -Thus it was that when, in 1346, Edward III had beaten Philippe VI -at the battle of Crecy, the first use he made of his victory was to -march upon Calais, and lay siege to it. The walls were exceedingly -strong and solid, mighty defenses of masonry, of huge thickness -and like rocks for solidity, guarded it, and the king knew that it -would be useless to attempt a direct assault. Indeed, during all -the middle ages, the modes of protecting fortifications were far -more efficient than the modes of attacking them. The walls could -be made enormously massive, the towers raised to a great height, -and the defenders so completely sheltered by battlements that they -could not easily be injured, and could take aim from the top of -their turrets, or from their loophole windows. The gates had absolute -little castles of their own, a moat flowed round the walls full of -water, and only capable of being crossed by a drawbridge, behind -which the portcullis, a grating armed beneath with spikes, was -always ready to drop from the archway of the gate and close up the -entrance. The only chance of taking a fortress by direct attack was -to fill up the moat with earth and faggots, and then raise ladders -against the walls; or else to drive engines against the defenses, -battering-rams which struck them with heavy beams, mangonels which -launched stones, sows whose arched wooden backs protected troops -of workmen who tried to undermine the wall, and moving towers -consisting of a succession of stages or shelves, filled with soldiers, -and with a bridge with iron hooks, capable of being launched from -the highest story to the top of the battlements. The besieged could -generally disconcert the battering-ram by hanging beds or mattresses -over the walls to receive the brunt of the blow, the sows could -be crushed with heavy stones, the towers burnt by well directed -flaming missiles, the ladders overthrown, and in general the besiegers -suffered a great deal more damage than they could inflict. Cannon -had indeed just been brought into use at the battle of Crecy, but -they only consisted of iron bars fastened together with hoops, -and were as yet of little use, and thus there seemed to be little -danger to a well guarded city from any enemy outside the walls. - -King Edward arrived before the place with all his victorious army -early in August, his good knights and squires arrayed in glittering -steel armor, covered with surcoats richly embroidered with their -heraldic bearings; his stout men-at-arms, each of whom was attended -by three bold followers; and his archers, with their cross-bows to -shoot bolts, and long-bows to shoot arrows of a yard long, so that -it used to be said that each went into battle with three men's lives -under his girdle, namely the three arrows he kept there ready to -his hand. With the king was his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, who -had just won the golden spurs of knighthood so gallantly at Crecy -when only in his seventeenth year, and likewise the famous Hainault -knight, Sir Walter Mauny, and all that was noblest and bravest in -England. - -This whole glittering army, at their head the king's great -royal standard bearing the golden lilies of France quartered with -the lions of England, and each troop guided by the square banner, -swallow-tailed pennon or pointed pennoncel of their leader, came -marching to the gates of Calais, above which floated the blue -standard of France with its golden flowers, and with it the banner -of the governor, Sir Jean de Vienne. A herald, in a rich long robe -embroidered with the arms of England, rode up to the gate, a trumpet -sounding before him, and called upon Sir Jean de Vienne to give up -the place to Edward, King of England, and of France, as he claimed -to be. Sir Jean made answer that he held the town for Philippe, -King of France, and that he would defend it to the last; the herald -rode back again and the English began the siege of the city. - -At first they only encamped, and the people of Calais must have -seen the whole plain covered with the white canvas tents, marshalled -round the ensigns of the leaders, and here and there a more gorgeous -one displaying the colors of the owner. Still there was no attack -upon the walls. The warriors were to be seen walking about in the -leathern suits they wore under their armor; or if a party was to -be seen with their coats of mail on, helmet on head, and lance in -hand, it was not against Calais that they came; they rode out into -the country, and by and by might be seen driving-back before them -herds of cattle and flocks of sheep or pigs that they had seized -and taken away from the poor peasants; and at night the sky would -show red lights where farms and homesteads had been set on fire. -After a time, in front of the tents, the English were to be seen -hard at work with beams and boards, setting up huts for themselves, -and thatching them over with straw or broom. - -These wooden houses were all ranged in regular streets, and there -was a market-place in the midst, whither every Saturday came farmers -and butchers to sell corn and meat, and hay for the horses; and -the English merchants and Flemish weavers would come by sea and by -land to bring cloth, bread, weapons, and everything that could be -needed to be sold in this warlike market. - -The governor, Sir Jean de Vienne, began to perceive that the king -did not mean to waste his men by making vain attacks on the strong -walls of Calais, but to shut up the entrance by land, and watch -the coast by sea so as to prevent any provisions from being taken -in, and so to starve him into surrendering. Sir Jean de Vienne, -however, hoped that before he should be entirely reduced by famine, -the King of France would be able to get together another army and -come to his relief, and at any rate he was determined to do his -duty, and hold out for his master to the last. But as food was -already beginning to grow scarce, he was obliged to turn out such -persons as could not fight and had no stores of their own, and so -one Wednesday morning he caused all the poor to be brought together, -men, women, and children, and sent them all out of the town, to -the number of 1,700. It was probably the truest mercy, for he had -no food to give them, and they could only have starved miserably -within the town, or have hindered him from saving it for his -sovereign; but to them it was dreadful to be driven out of house -and home, straight down upon the enemy, and they went along weeping -and wailing, till the English soldiers met them and asked why they -had come out. They answered that they had been put out because they -had nothing to eat, and their sorrowful famished looks gained pity -for them. King Edward sent orders that not only should they go -safely through his camp, but that they should all rest, and have -the first hearty dinner that they had eaten for many a day, and he -sent every one a small sum of money before they left the camp, so -that many of them went on their way praying aloud for the enemy -who had been so kind to them. - -A great deal happened whilst King Edward kept watch in his wooden -town and the citizens of Calais guarded their walls. England was -invaded by King David II of Scotland, with a great army, arid the -good Queen Philippa, who was left to govern at home in the name of -her little son Lionel, assembled all the forces that were left at -home, and sent them to meet him. And one autumn day, a ship crossed -the Straits of Dover, and a messenger brought King Edward letters -from his queen to say that the Scots army had been entirely defeated -at Nevil's Cross, near Durham, and that their king was a prisoner, -but that he had been taken by a squire named John Copeland, who -would not give him up to her. - -King Edward Sent letters to John Copeland to come to him at Calais, -and when the squire had made his journey, the king took him by the -hand saying, "Ha! welcome, my squire, who by his valor has captured -our adversary the King of Scotland." - -Copeland, falling on one knee, replied, "If God, out of His great -kindness, has given me the King of Scotland, no one ought to be -jealous of it, for God can, when He pleases, send His grace to a -poor squire as well as to a great lord. Sir, do not take it amiss -if I did not surrender him to the orders of my lady queen, for I -hold my lands of you, and my oath is to you, not to her." - -The king was not displeased with his squire's sturdiness, but made -him a knight, gave him a pension of 500_l._. a year, and desired him -to surrender his prisoner to the queen, as his own representative. -This was accordingly done, and King David was lodged in the Tower -of London. Soon after, three days before All Saints' Day, there -was a large and gay fleet to be seen crossing from the white cliffs -of Dover, and the king, his son, and his knights rode down to the -landing-place to welcome plump, fair-haired Queen Philippa, and all -her train of ladies, who had come in great numbers to visit their -husbands, fathers, or brothers in the wooden town. Then there was -a great court, and numerous feasts and dances, and the knights and -squires were constantly striving who could do the bravest deed of -prowess to please the ladies. The King of France had placed numerous -knights and men-at-arms in the neighboring towns and castles, and -there were constant fights whenever the English went out foraging, -and many bold deeds that were much admired were done. The great -point was to keep provisions out of the town, and there was much -fighting between the French who tried to bring in supplies, and the -English who intercepted them. Very little was brought in by land, -and Sir Jean de Vienne and his garrison would have been quite starved -but for two sailors of Abbeville, named Marant and Mestriel, who -knew the coast thoroughly, and often, in the dark autumn evenings, -would guide in a whole fleet of little boats, loaded with bread and -meat for the starving men within the city. They were often chased -by King Edward's vessels, and were sometimes very nearly taken, -but they always managed to escape, and thus they still enabled the -garrison to hold out. - -So all the winter passed, Christmas was kept with brilliant feasting -and high merriment by the king and his queen in their wooden palace -outside, and with lean cheeks and scanty fare by the besieged -within. Lent was strictly observed perforce by the besieged, and -Easter brought a betrothal in the English camp; a very unwilling -one on the part of the bridegroom, the young Count of Flanders, who -loved the French much better than the English, and had only been -tormented into giving his consent by his unruly vassals because -they depended on the wool of English sheep for their cloth works. -So, though King Edward's daughter Isabel was a beautiful fair-haired -girl of fifteen, the young count would scarcely look at her; and -in the last week before the marriage-day, while her robes and her -jewels were being prepared, and her father and mother were arranging -the presents they should make to all their court on the wedding-day, -the bridegroom, when out hawking, gave his attendants the slip, -and galloped off to Paris, where he was welcomed by King Philippe. - -This made Edward very wrathful, and more than ever determined to -take Calais. About Whitsuntide he completed a great wooden castle -upon the seashore, and placed in it numerous warlike engines, with -forty men-at-arms and 200 archers, who kept such a watch upon the -harbor that not even the two Abbeville sailors could enter it, -without having their boats crushed and sunk by the great stones -that the mangonels launched upon them. The townspeople began to feel -what hunger really was, but their spirits were kept up by the hope -that their king was at last collecting an army for their rescue. - -And Philippe did collect all his forces, a great and noble army, -and came one night to the hill of Sangate, just behind the English -army, the knights' armor glancing and their pennons flying in the -moonlight, so as to be a beautiful sight to the hungry garrison who -could see the white tents pitched upon the hillside. Still there -were but two roads by which the French could reach their friends -in the town--one along the seacoast, the other by a marshy road -higher up the country, and there was but one bridge by which the -river could be crossed. The English king's fleet could prevent any -troops from passing along the coast road, the Earl of Derby guarded -the bridge, and there was a great tower, strongly fortified, close -upon Calais. There were a few skirmishes, but the French king, -finding it difficult to force his way to relieve the town, sent -a party of knights with a challenge to King Edward to come out of -his camp and do battle upon a fair field. - -To this Edward made answer, that he had been nearly a year before -Calais, and had spent large sums of money on the siege, and that he -had nearly become master of the place, so that he had no intention -of coming out only to gratify his adversary, who must try some -other road if he could not make his way in by that before him. - -Three days were spent in parleys, and then, without the slightest -effort to rescue the brave, patient men within the town, away went -King Philippe of France, with all his men, and the garrison saw the -host that had crowded the hill of Sangate melt away like a summer -cloud. - -August had come again, and they had suffered privation for a whole -year for the sake of the king who deserted them at their utmost -need. They were in so grievous a state of hunger and distress that -the hardiest could endure no more, for ever since Whitsuntide no -fresh provisions had reached them. The governor, therefore, went -to the battlements and made signs that he wished to hold a parley, -and the king appointed Lord Basset and Sir Walter Mauny to meet -him, and appoint the terms of surrender. - -The governor owned that the garrison was reduced to the greatest -extremity of distress, and requested that the king would be contented -with obtaining the city and fortress, leaving the soldiers and -inhabitants to depart in peace. - -But Sir Walter Mauny was forced to make answer that the king, his -lord, was so much enraged at the delay and expense that Calais -had cost him, that he would only consent to receive the whole on -unconditional terms, leaving him free to slay, or to ransom, or -make prisoners whomsoever he pleased, and he was known to consider -that there was a heavy reckoning to pay, both for the trouble the -siege had cost him and the damage the Calesians had previously done -to his ships. - -The brave answer was: "These conditions are too hard for us. We are -but a small number of knights and squires, who have loyally served -our lord and master as you would have done, and have suffered much -ill and disquiet, but we will endure far more than any man has -done in such a post, before we consent that the smallest boy in the -town shall fare worse than ourselves. I therefore entreat you, for -pity's sake, to return to the king and beg him to have compassion, -for I have such an opinion of his gallantry that I think he will -alter his mind." - -The king's mind seemed, however, sternly made up; and all that Sir -Walter Mauny and the barons of the council could obtain from him -was that he would pardon the garrison and townsmen on condition -that six of the chief citizens should present themselves to him, -coming forth with bare feet and heads, with halters round their -necks, carrying the keys of the town, and becoming absolutely his -own to punish for their obstinacy as he should think fit. - -On hearing this reply, Sir Jean de Vienne begged Sir Walter Mauny -to wait till he could consult the citizens, and, repairing to the -market-place, he caused a great bell to be rung, at sound of which -all the inhabitants came together in the town-hall. When he told -them of these hard terms he could not refrain from weeping bitterly, -and wailing and lamentation arose all round him. Should all starve -together, or sacrifice their best and most honored after all -suffering in common so long? - -Then a voice was heard; it was that of the richest burgher in the -town, Eustache de St. Pierre. "Messieurs, high and low," he said, -"it would be a sad pity to suffer so many people to die through hunger, -if it could be prevented; and to hinder it would be meritorious in -the eyes of our Saviour. I have such faith and trust in finding -grace before God, if I die to save my townsmen, that I name myself -as first of the six." - -As the burgher ceased, his fellow-townsmen wept aloud, and many, -amid tears and groans, threw themselves at his feet in a transport -of grief and gratitude. Another citizen, very rich and respected, -rose up and said, "I will be second to my comrade, Eustache." -His name was Jean Daire. After him, Jacques Wissant, another very -rich man, offered himself as companion to these, who were both his -cousins; and his brother Pierre would not be left behind: and two -more, unnamed, made up this gallant band of men willing to offer -their lives for the rescue of their fellow-townsmen. - -Sir Jean de Vienne mounted a little horse--for he had been wounded, -and was still lame--and came to the gate with them, followed by -all the people of the town, weeping and wailing, yet, for their own -sakes and their children's, not daring to prevent the sacrifice. -The gates were opened, the governor and the six passed out, and -the gates were again shut behind them. Sir Jean then rode up to -Sir Walter Mauny, and told him how these burghers had voluntarily -offered themselves, begging him to do all in his power to save -them; and Sir Walter promised with his whole heart to plead their -cause. De Vienne then went back into the town, full of heaviness -and anxiety; and the six citizens were led by Sir Walter to -the presence of the king, in his full court. They all knelt down, -and the foremost said: "Most gallant king, you see before you six -burghers of Calais, who have all been capital merchants, and who -bring you the keys of the castle and town. We yield ourselves to -your absolute will and pleasure, in order to save the remainder -of the inhabitants of Calais, who have suffered much distress and -misery. Condescend, therefore, out of your nobleness of mind, to -have pity on us." - -Strong emotion was excited among all the barons and knights who -stood round, as they saw the resigned countenances, pale and thin -with patiently-endured hunger, of these venerable men, offering -themselves in the cause of their fellow-townsmen. Many tears of -pity were shed; but the king still showed himself implacable, and -commanded that they should he led away, and their heads stricken -off. Sir Walter Mauny interceded for them with all his might, even -telling the king that such an execution would tarnish his honor, -and that reprisals would be made on his own garrisons; and all -the nobles joined in entreating pardon for the citizens, but still -without effect; and the headsman had been actually sent for, when -Queen Philippa, her eyes streaming with tears, threw herself on -her knees amongst the captives, and said, "Ah, gentle sir, since -I have crossed the sea with much danger to see you, I have never -asked you one favor; now I beg as a boon to myself, for the sake -of the Son of the Blessed Mary, and for your love to me, that you -will be merciful to these men!" - -For some time the king looked at her in silence; then he exclaimed: -"Dame, dame, would that you had been anywhere than here! You have -entreated in such a manner that I cannot refuse you; I therefore -give these men to you, to do as you please with." - -Joyfully did Queen Philippa conduct the six citizens to her own -apartments, where she made them welcome, sent them new garments, -entertained them with a plentiful dinner, and dismissed them each -with a gift of six nobles. After this, Sir Walter Mauny entered the -city, and took possession of it; retaining Sir Jean de Vienne and -the other knights and squires till they should ransom themselves, and -sending out the old French inhabitants; for the king was resolved -to people the city entirely with English, in order to gain a -thoroughly strong hold of this first step in France. - -The king and queen took up their abode in the city; and the houses -of Jean Daire were, it appears, granted to the queen--perhaps, -because she considered the man himself as her charge, and wished to -secure them for him--and her little daughter Margaret was, shortly -after, born in one of his houses. Eustache de St. Pierre was taken -into high favor, and was placed in charge of the new citizens whom -the king placed in the city. - -Indeed, as this story is told by no chronicler but Froissart, some -have doubted of it, and thought the violent resentment thus imputed -to Edward III inconsistent with his general character; but it is -evident that the men of Calais had given him strong provocation by -attacks on his shipping--piracies which are not easily forgiven--and -that he considered that he had a right to make an example of them. -It is not unlikely that he might, after all, have intended to forgive -them, and have given the queen the grace of obtaining their pardon, -so as to excuse himself from the fulfillment of some over-hasty -threat. But, however this may have been, nothing can lessen the -glory of the six grave and patient men who went forth, by their own -free will to meet what might be a cruel and disgraceful death, in -order to obtain the safety of their fellow-townsmen. - - - - -THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC, THE MAID WHO SAVED FRANCE - -Anonymous - - - -Over five hundred years ago, the children of Domremy, a little -village on the border of France, used to dance and sing beneath a -beautiful beech tree. They called it "The Fairy Tree." Among these -children was one named Jeanne, the daughter of an honest farmer, -Jacques d'Arc. Jeanne sang more than she danced, and though she -carried garlands like the other boys and girls, and hung them on the -boughs of the Fairies' Tree, she liked better to take the flowers -into the parish church and lay them on the altars of St. Margaret -and St. Catherine. - -She was brought up by her parents (as she told the judges at her -trial) to be industrious, to sew and spin. She did not fear to -match herself at spinning and sewing, she said, against any woman -in Rouen. When very young, she sometimes went to the fields to watch -the cattle. As she grew older, she worked in the house; she did not -any longer watch sheep and cattle. But the times were dangerous, and -when there was an alarm of soldiers or robbers in the neighborhood, -she sometimes helped to drive the flock into a fortified island or -peninsula, for which her father was responsible, in the river near -her home. She learned her creed, she said, from her mother. Twenty -years after her death, her neighbors, who remembered her, described -her as she was when a child. Jean Morin said that she was a good -industrious girl, but that she would often be praying in church -when her father and mother did not know it. Jean Waterin, when he -was a boy, had seen Joan in the fields, "and when they were all -playing together, she would go apart and pray to God, as he thought, -and he and the others used to laugh at her. When she heard the -church bell ring, she would kneel down in the fields." All those -who had seen Joan told the same tale: she was always kind, simple, -industrious, pious and yet merry and fond of playing with the -others. - -In Joan's childhood France was under a mad king, Charles VI, and -was torn to pieces by two factions, the party of Burgundy and the -party of Armagnac. The English took advantage of these disputes, -and overran the land. The two parties of Burgundy and Armagnac -divided town from town and village from village. It was as in the -days of the Douglas Wars in Scotland, when the very children took -sides for Queen Mary and King James, and fought each other in the -streets. Domremy was for the Armagnacs--that is, against the English -and for the Dauphin, the son of the mad Charles VI. But at Maxey, -a village near Domremy, the people were all for Burgundy and the -English. The boys of Domremy would go out and fight the Maxey boys -with fists and sticks and stones. Joan did not remember having -taken part in those battles, but she had often seen her brothers -and the Domremy boys come home all bruised and bleeding. - -When Joan was between twelve and thirteen (1424), so she swore, -_a Voice came to her from God for her guidance_, but when first it -came, she was in great fear. And it came, that Voice, about noonday, -in the summer season, she being in her father's garden. Joan had -not fasted the day before that, but was fasting when the Voice -came. The Voices at first only told her to be a good girl, and go -to church. The Voice later told her of the great sorrow there was -in France, and that one day she must go into France and help the -country. She had visions with the Voices; visions first of St. -Michael, and then of St. Catherine and St. Margaret. "I saw them -with my bodily eyes, as I see you," she said to her judges," and -when they departed from me I wept, and well I wished that they had -taken me with them." - -What are we to think about these visions and these Voices which -were with Joan to her death? - -In 1428 only a very few small towns in the east still held out for -the Dauphin, and these were surrounded on every side by enemies. -Meanwhile the Voices came more frequently, urging Joan to go into -France and help her country. She asked how she, a girl, who could -not ride or use sword and lance, could be of any help? At the same -time she was encouraged by one of the vague old prophecies which -were common in France. A legend ran that France was to be saved -by a Maiden from the Oak Wood, and there was an Oak Wood (_le bois -chenu_) near Domremy. Some such prophecy had an influence on Joan, -and probably helped people to believe in her. The Voices often -commanded her to go to Vaucouleurs, a neighboring town which was -loyal, and there meet Robert de Baudricourt, who was captain of the -French garrison. Now, Robert de Baudricourt was a gallant soldier, -but a plain practical man, very careful of his own interest, and -cunning enough to hold his own among his many enemies, English, -Burgundian, and Lorrainers. - -Joan had a cousin who was married to one Durand Lassois, at Burey -en Vaux, a village near Vaucouleurs. This cousin invited Joan -to visit her for a week. At the end of that time she spoke to her -cousin's husband. There was an old saying, as we saw, that France -would be rescued by a Maid, and she, as she told Lassois, was that -Maid. Lassois listened, and, whatever he may have thought of her -chances, he led her to Robert de Baudricourt. - -Joan came, in her simple red dress, and walked straight up to the -captain. She told him that the Dauphin must keep quiet, and risk -no battle, for, before the middle of Lent next year (1423), God -would send him help. She added that the kingdom belonged, not to -the Dauphin, but to her Master, who willed that the Dauphin should -be crowned, and she herself would lead him to Reims, to be anointed -with the holy oil. - -"And who is your Master?" said Robert. - -"The King of Heaven!" - -Robert, very naturally, thought that Joan was crazed, and shrugged -his shoulders. He bluntly told Lassois to box her ears and take her -back to her father. So she had to go home; but here new troubles -awaited her. The enemy came down on Domremy and burned it; Joan and -her family fled to Neufchateau, where they stayed for a few days. -When Joan looked from her father's garden to the church, she saw -nothing but a heap of smoking ruins. These things only made her -feel more deeply the sorrows of her country. The time was drawing -near when she had prophesied that the Dauphin was to receive help -from heaven--namely, in the Lent of 1429. On that year the season -was held more than commonly sacred, for Good Friday and the -Annunciation fell on the same day. So, early in January, 1429, Joan -turned her back on Domremy, which she was never to see again. Her -cousin Lassois came and asked leave for Joan to visit him again; -so she said good-by to her father and mother, and to her friends. -She went to her cousin's house at Burey, and there she stayed for -six weeks, hearing bad news of the siege of Orleans by the English. -A squire named Jean de Nouillompont met Joan one day. - -"Well, my lass," said he, "is our king to be driven from France, -and are we all to become English?" - -"I have come here," said Joan, "to bid Robert de Baudricourt lead -me to the king, but he will not listen to me. And yet to the king -I must go, even if I walk my legs down to the knees; for none in all -the world--king, nor duke, nor the King of Scotland's daughter--can -save France, but myself only. Certainly, I would rather stay and -spin with my poor mother, for to fight is not my calling; but I -must go and I must fight, for so my Lord will have it." - -"And who is your Lord?" said Jean de Nouillompont. - -"He is God," said the Maiden. - -On February 12, the story goes, she went to Robert de Baudricourt. -"You delay too long," she said. "On this very day, at Orleans, the -gentle Dauphin has lost a battle." - -Now the people of Vaucouleurs brought clothes for Joan to wear on -her journey to the Dauphin. They were such clothes as men wear--doublet, -hose, surcoat, boots, and spurs--and Robert de Baudricourt gave -Joan a sword. Her reason was that she would have to be living alone -among men-at-arms for a ten days' journey and she thought it was -more modest to wear armor like the rest. Also, her favorite saint, -St. Margaret, had done this once when in danger. Besides, in all -the romances of chivalry, we find fair maidens fighting in arms -like men, or travelling dressed as pages. - -On February 23, 1429, the gate of the little castle of Vaucouleurs, -"the Gate of France," which is still standing, was thrown open. Seven -travellers rode out, among them two squires, Jean de Nouillompont -and Bertrand de Poulengy, with their attendants, and Joan the Maid. -"Go, and let what will come of it come!" said Robert de Baudricourt. -He did not expect much to come of it. It was a long journey--they -were eleven days on the road--and a dangerous. But Joan laughed -at danger. "God will clear my path to the king, for to this end I -was born." Often they rode by night, stopping at monasteries when -they could, Sometimes they slept out under the sky. Though she was -young and beautiful, these two gentlemen never dreamed of paying -their court to her and making love, as they do in romances, for -they regarded her "as if she had been an angel." They were in awe -of her, they said long afterward, and all the knights who had seen -her said the same. - -From Fierbois, Joan made some clerk write to the king that she was -coming to help him, and that she would know him among all his men. -Probably it was here that she wrote to beg her parents pardon, and -they forgave her, she says. Meanwhile, news reached the people then -besieged in Orleans that a marvellous Maiden was riding to their -rescue. On March 6, Joan arrived in Chinon where for two or three -days the king's advisers would not let him see her. At last they -yielded, and she went straight up to him, and when he denied that -he was the king, she told him that she knew well who he was. - -"There is the king," said Charles, pointing to a richly dressed -noble. - -"No, fair sire. You are he!" - -Still, it was not easy to believe. Joan stayed at Chinon in the -house of a noble lady. The young Duc d'Alençon was on her side from -the first. - -Great people came to see her and question her, but when she was -alone, she wept and prayed. - -Joan was weary of being asked questions. One day she went to Charles -and said, "Gentle Dauphin, why do you delay to believe me? I tell -you that God has taken pity on you and your people, at the prayer -of St. Louis and St. Charlemagne. And I will tell you by your -leave, something which will show you that you should believe me." -Then she told him secretly something which, as he said, none could -know but God and himself. - -But the king to whom Joan brought this wonderful message, the -king whom she loved so loyally, and for whom she died, spoiled all -her plans. He, with his political advisers, prevented her from -driving the English quite out of France. These favorites were lazy, -comfortable, cowardly, disbelieving; in their hearts they hated the -Maid, who put them to so much trouble. Charles, to tell the truth, -never really believed in her; he never quite trusted her; he never -led a charge by her side; and in the end, he shamefully deserted -her, and left the Maid to her doom. - -Weeks had passed, and Joan had never yet seen a blow struck in war. -She used to exercise herself in horsemanship, and knightly sports -of tilting, and it is wonderful that a peasant-girl became, at once, -one of the best riders among the chivalry of France. The young Duc -d'Alençon and his wife were her friends from the first, when the -politicians and advisers were against her. It was now determined -that Joan should be taken to Poitiers, and examined before all the -learned men, bishops, doctors, and higher clergy who still were on -the side of France. There was good reason for this delay. It was -plain to all, friends and foes, that the wonderful Maid was not like -other men and women, with her Voices, her visions, her prophecies, -and her powers. All agreed that she had some strange help given -to her; but who gave it? This aid must come, people thought then, -either from heaven or hell--either from God and his saints, or -from the devil and his angels. Now, if any doubt could be thrown -on the source whence Joan's aid came, the English might argue (as -of course they did) that she was a witch and a heretic. If she was -a heretic and a witch, then her king was involved in her wickedness, -and so he might be legally shut out from his kingdom. It was -necessary, therefore, that Joan should be examined by learned men. -They must find out whether she had always been good, and a true -believer, and whether her Voices always agreed in everything with -the teachings of the Church. Otherwise her angels must be devils -in disguise. During three long weeks the learned men asked her -questions. They said it was wonderful how wisely this girl, who -"did not know A from B," replied to their puzzling inquiries. She -told the story of her visions, of the command laid upon her to -rescue Orleans. - -At last, after examining witnesses from Domremy, and the Queen of -Sicily and other great ladies to whom Joan was intrusted, the clergy -found nothing in her but "goodness, humility, frank maidenhood, -piety, honesty and simplicity." As for her wearing a man's dress, -the Archbishop of Embrim said to the king, "It is more becoming -to do these things in man's clothes, since they have to be done -amongst men." - -The king therefore made up his mind at last. Jean and Pierre, -Joan's brothers, were to ride with her to Orleans; her old friends, -her first friends, Jean de Nouillompont and Bertrand de Poulengy, -had never left her. She was given a squire, a page, and a chaplain. -The king gave Joan armor and horses, and offered her a sword. But -her Voices told her that, behind the altar of St. Catherine de -Fierbois, where she heard mass on her way to Chinori, there was -an old sword, with five crosses on the blade, buried in the earth. -That sword she was to wear. A man whom Joan did not know, and had -never seen, was sent from Tours, and found the sword in the place -which she described. The sword was cleaned of rust, and the king -gave her two sheaths, one of velvet, one of cloth of gold, but -Joan had a leather sheath made for use in war. She also commanded -a banner to be made, with the Lilies of France on a white field. - -When once it was settled that she was to lead an army to relieve -Orleans, she showed her faith by writing a letter addressed to the -King of England, Bedford, the Regent, and the English generals at -Orleans. If they did not yield to the Maid and the king, she will -come on them to their sorrow. "Duke of Bedford, the Maid prays -and entreats you not to work your own destruction!" - -We may imagine how the English laughed and swore when they received -this letter. They threw the heralds of the Maid into prison, -and threatened to burn them as heretics. From the very first, the -English promised to burn Joan as a witch and a heretic. - -At last the men-at-arms who were to accompany Joan were ready. -She was armed in white armor, but unhelmeted, a little axe in her -hand, riding a great black charger. She turned to the church, and -said, in her girlish voice, "You priests and churchmen, make prayers -and processions to God." Then she cried, "Forward, Forward!" and -on she rode at their head, a page carrying her banner. And so Joan -went to war. - -She led, she says, ten or twelve thousand soldiers. This army -was to defend a great convoy of provisions of which the people of -Orleans stood in sore need. The people were not starving, but food -came in slowly, and in small quantities. The French general-in-chief -was the famous Dunois. On the English side was the brave Talbot, -who fought under arms for sixty years, and died fighting when he -was over eighty. - -Looking _down_ the river Loire, Orleans lies on your right hand. It -had strong walls, towers on the wall, and a bridge of many arches -crossing to the left side of the river. At the further end of this -bridge were a fort and rampart called Les Tourelles, and this fort -had already been taken by the English, so that no French army could -cross the bridge to help Orleans. The rampart and the fort of Les -Tourelles were guarded by another strong work called Les Augustins. -All round the outside of the town, on the right bank, the English -had built strong redoubts, which they called _bastilles_, but on -the east, above the town, and on the Orleans bank of the Loire, -the English had only one bastille, St. Loup. Now, as Joan's army -mustered at Blois, south of Orleans, further down the river, she -might march on the _left_ side of the river, cross it by boats -above Orleans, and enter the town where the English were weakest -and had only one fort, St. Loup. Or she might march up the _right_ -bank, and attack the English where they were strongest and had -many bastilles. The Voices bade the Maid act on the boldest plan, -and enter Orleans, where the English were strongest, on the right -bank of the river. The English would not move, said the Voices. -She was certain that they would not even sally out against her. -But Dunois in Orleans, and the generals with the Maid, thought this -plan very perilous. They, therefore, deceived her, caused her to -think that Orleans was on the _left_ bank of the Loire, and led -her thither. When she arrived, she saw that they had not played -her fair, that the river lay between her and the town, and the -strongest force of the enemy. - -This girl of seventeen saw that, if a large convoy of provisions -was to be thrown into a besieged town, the worst way was to try -to ferry the supplies across a river under the enemy's fire. But -Dunois and the other generals had brought her to this pass, and -the Maid was sore ill-pleased. The wind was blowing in her teeth; -boats could not cross with the troops and provisions. There she sat -her horse and chafed till Dunois came out and crossed the Loire to -meet her. This is what he says about Joan and her conduct: - -"I did not think, and the other generals did not think, that the -men-at-arms with the Maid were a strong enough force to bring the -provisions into the town. Above all, it was difficult to get boats -and ferry over the supplies, for both wind and stream were dead -against us. Then Joan spoke to me thus: - -"'Are you the general?' - -"'That am I, and glad of your coming.' - -"'Is it you who gave counsel that I should come hither by that bank -of the stream, and not go straight where Talbot and the English -are?' - -"'I myself, and others wiser than I, gave that advice, and we think -it the better way and the surer.' - -"'In God's name, the counsel of our God is wiser and surer than -yours. You thought to deceive me, and you have deceived yourselves, -for I bring you a better rescue than ever shall come to soldier or -city--that is, the help of the King of Heaven, * * *' - -"Then instantly, and as it were in one moment, the wind changed that -had been dead against us, and had hindered the boats from carrying -the provisions into Orleans, and the sails filled." - -Dunois now wished Joan to cross by boat and enter the town, but -her army could not cross, so the army returned to Blois, to cross -by the bridge there, and come upon the Orleans bank, as Joan had -intended from the first. Then Joan crossed in the boat, holding in -her hand the lily standard. She and La Hire and Dunois rode into -Orleans, where the people crowded round her, blessing her, and -trying to kiss her hand. So they led her with great joy to the -Regnart Gate, and the house of Jacques Boucher, treasurer of the -Duke of Orleans, and there was she gladly received. - -Next day, without leave from Joan, La Hire led a sally against the -English, fought bravely, but failed, and Joan wished once more to -bid the English go in peace. The English, of course, did not obey -her summons, and it is said that they answered with wicked words -which made her weep. For she wept readily, and blushed when she was -moved. In her anger she went to a rampart, and, crying aloud, bade -the English begone; but they repeated their insults, and threatened -yet again to burn her. Next day, Dunois went off to bring the -troops from Blois, and Joan rode round and inspected the English -position. They made no attempt to take her. On May 4 the army -returned from Blois. Joan rode out to meet them, priests marched -in procession, singing hymns, but the English never stirred. They -were expecting fresh troops under Fastolf. For some reason, probably -because they did not wish her to run risk, they did not tell Joan -when the next fight began. She had just lain down to sleep when -she leaped up with the noise, wakening her squire. "My Voices tell -me," she said, "that I must go against the English, but whether to -their forts or against Fastolf I know not." - -In a moment she was in the street, the page handed to her the lily -flag from the upper window. Followed by her squire, D'Aulon, she -galloped to the Burgundy Gate. They met wounded men. "Never do I -see French blood but my hair stands up on my head," said Joan. She -rode out of the gate to the English fort of St. Loup, which the -Orleans men were attacking. Joan leaped into the fosse, under fire, -holding her banner, and cheering on her men. St. Loup was taken by -the French, in spite of a gallant defence. - -The French generals now conceived a plan to make a feint, or -a sham attack, on the English forts where they were strongest, on -the Orleans side of the river. The English on the left side would -cross to help their countrymen, and then the French would take the -forts beyond the bridge. Thus they would have a free path across -the river, and would easily get supplies, and tire out the English. -They only told Joan of the first part of their plan, but she saw -that they were deceiving her. When the plan was explained, she -agreed to it; her one wish was to strike swiftly and strongly. - -The French attacked the English fort of Les Augustins, beyond the -river, but suddenly they fled to their bridge of boats, while the -English sallied out, yelling their insults at Joan. She turned, -gathered a few men, and charged. The English ran before her like -sheep; she planted her banner again in the ditch. The French hurried -back to her; a great Englishman, who guarded the breach, was shot; -two French knights leaped in, the others followed, and the English -took refuge in the redoubt of Les Tourelles, their strong fort at -the bridge-head. - -The Maid returned to Orleans, and, though it was a Friday, and -she always fasted on Fridays, she was so weary that she ate some -supper. A bit of bread, her page reports, was all that she usually -ate. Now the generals sent to Joan and said that enough had been -done. They had food, and could wait for another army from the king. -"You have been with your council," she said, "I have been with mine. -The wisdom of God is greater than yours. Rise early to-morrow, do -better than your best, keep close by me; for to-morrow have I much -to do, and more than ever yet I did, and to-morrow shall my blood -flow from a wound above my breast." Joan had already said at Chinon -that she would be wounded at Orleans. - -The generals did not wish to attack the bridge-tower, but Joan paid -them no attention. They were glad enough to follow, lest she took -the fort without them. About half-past six in the morning the -fight began. The French and Scottish leaped into the fosse, they -set ladders against the walls, they reached the battlements, and -were struck down by English swords and axes. Cannon-balls and great -stones and arrows rained on them. "Fight on!" cried the Maid; "the -place is ours." At one o'clock she set a ladder against the wall -with her own hands, but was deeply wounded by an arrow, which -pierced clean through between neck and shoulder. Joan wept, but -seizing the arrow with her own hands she dragged it out. "Yet," -says Dunois, "she did not withdraw from the battle, nor took any -medicine for the wound; and the onslaught lasted from morning till -eight at night, so that there was no hope of victory. I desired that -the army should go back to the town, but the Maid came to me and -bade me wait a little longer. Next she mounted her horse and rode -into a vineyard, and there prayed for the space of seven minutes -or eight. Then she returned, took her banner, and stood on the -brink of the fosse. The English trembled when they saw her, but our -men returned to the charge and met with no resistance. The English -fled or were slain, and we returned gladly into Orleans." The people -of Orleans had a great share in this victory. Seeing the English -hard pressed, they laid long beams across the broken arches of the -bridge, and charged by this perilous way. The triumph was even more -that of the citizens than of the army. - -Next day the English drew up their men in line of battle. The French -went out to meet them, and would have begun the attack. Joan said -that God would not have them fight. - -"If the English attack, we shall defeat them; we are to let them -go in peace if they will." - -Mass was then said before the French army. - -When the rite was done, Joan asked: "Do they face us, or have they -turned their backs?" - -It was the English backs that the French saw, that day: Talbot's -men were in full retreat on Meun. - -From that hour, May 8 is kept a holiday at Orleans in honor of Joan -the Maiden. Never was there such a deliverance. In a week the Maid -had driven a strong army, full of courage and well led, out of -forts like Les Tourelles. The Due d'Alencon visited it, and said -that with a few men-at-arms he would have felt certain of holding -it for a week against any strength, however great. But Joan not only -gave the French her spirit: her extraordinary courage in leading -a new charge after so terrible a wound, "six inches deep," says -D'Alencon, made the English think that they were fighting a force -not of this world. - - - - -HOW JOAN THE MAID TOOK LARGESS FROM THE ENGLISH - -Anonymous - - - -The Maid had shown her sign, as she promised; she had rescued -Orleans. Her next desire was to lead Charles to Reims, through -a country occupied by the English, and to have him anointed there -with the holy oil. Till this was done she could only regard him as -Dauphin--king, indeed, by blood, but not by consecration. - -[Illustration: FIGHT ON CRIED THE MAID THE PLACE IS OURS _From the -painting by William Rainey_] - -After all that Joan had accomplished, the king and his advisers -might have believed in her. She went to the castle of Loches, where -Charles was; he received her kindly, but still he did not seem eager -to go to Reims. It was a dangerous adventure, for which he and his -favorites had no taste. It seems that more learned men were asked -to give their opinion. Was it safe and wise to obey the Maid? -Councils were now held at Tours, and time was wasted as usual. As -usual, Joan was impatient. With Dunois, she went to see Charles at -the castle of Loches. Some nobles and clergy were with him; Joan -entered, knelt, and embraced his knees. "Noble Dauphin," she said, -"do not hold so many councils, and such weary ones, but come to -Reims and receive the crown." - -Harcourt asked her if her Voices, or "counsel" (as she called it), -gave this advice. She blushed and said: "I know what you mean, and -will tell you gladly." The king asked her if she wished to speak -before so many people. Yes, she would speak. When they doubted her, -she prayed, "and then she heard a Voice saying to her: - -"'_Fille de Dieu, va, va, je serai a ton aide, val!_'" [Footnote: -"Daughter of God, go on, go on, I will help thee; go!] - -"And when she heard this Voice she was glad indeed, and wished -that she could always be as she was then; and as she spoke," says -Dunois, "she rejoiced strangely, lifting her eyes to heaven." And -she repeated: "I will last for only one year, or little more; use -me while you may." - -Joan stirred the favorites and courtiers at last. They would go -to Reims, but could they leave behind them English garrisons in -Jargeau, where Suffolk commanded; in Meun, where Talbot was, and in -other strong places? Already, without Joan, the French had attacked -Jargeau, after the rescue of Orleans, and had failed. Joan agreed -to assail Jargeau. Her army was led by the "fair duke," D'Alençon. - -Let us tell what followed in the words of the Duc d'Alençon: - -"We were about six hundred lances, who wished to go against the -town of Jargeau, then held by the English. That night we slept in -a wood, and next day came Dunois and some other captains. When we -were all met we were about twelve hundred lances; and now arose -a dispute among the captains, some thinking that we should attack -the city, others not so, for they said that the English were very -strong, and had many men. Seeing this difference, Jeanne bade us -have no fear of any numbers, nor doubt about attacking the English, -because God was guiding us. She herself would rather be herding -sheep than fighting, if she were not certain that God was with us. -Thereon we rode to Jargeau, meaning to occupy the outlying houses, -and there pass the night; but the English knew of our approach, -and drove in our skirmishers. Seeing this, Jeanne took her banner -and went to the front, bidding our men be of good heart. And they -did so much that they held the suburbs of Jargeau that night. -* * * Next morning we got ready our artillery, and brought guns up -against the town. After some days a council was held, and I, with -others, was ill content with La Hire, who was said to have parleyed -with Lord Suffolk. La Hire was sent for, and came. Then it was -decided to storm the town, and the heralds cried, 'To the attack!' -and Jeanne said to me, 'Forward, gentle duke.' I thought it was -too early, but she said, 'Doubt not; the hour is come when God -pleases.' As the onslaught was given, Jeanne bade me leave the -place where I stood, 'or yonder gun' pointing to one on the walls, -'will slay you.' Then I withdrew, and a little later De Lude was -slain in that very place. And I feared greatly, considering the -prophecy of the Maid. Then we both went together to the onslaught; -and Suffolk cried for a parley, but no man marked him, and we -pressed on. Jeanne was climbing a ladder, banner in hand, when her -flag was struck by a stone, and she also was struck on her head, but -her light helmet saved her. She leaped up again, crying, 'Friends, -friends; on, on! Our Lord has condemned the English. They are -ours; be of good heart.' In that moment Jargeau was taken, and the -English fled to the bridges, we following, and more than eleven -hundred of them were slain." - -Once Joan saw a man-at-arms strike down a prisoner. She leaped from -her horse, and laid the wounded Englishman's head on her breast, -consoling him, and bade a priest come and hear his confession. From -Jargeau the Maid rode back to Orleans, where the people could not -look on her enough, and made great festival. - -The garrison of the English in Beaugency did not know whether to -hold out or to yield. Fastolf said that the English had lost heart, -and that Beaugency should be left to its fate, while the rest held -out in strong places and waited for re-enforcements, but Talbot -was for fighting. The English then rode to Meun, and cannonaded -the bridge-fort, which was held by the French. They hoped to take -the bridge, cross it, march to Beaugency, and relieve the besieged -there. But that very night Beaugency surrendered to the Maid! She -then bade her army march on the English, who were retreating to -Paris. But how was the Maid to find the English? "Ride forward," -she cried, "and you shall have a sure guide." They had a guide, -and a strange one. - -The English were marching toward Paris, near Pathay, when their -skirmishers came in with the news that the French were following. -Talbot lined the hedges with five hundred archers of his best, and -sent a galloper to bring thither the rest of his army. On came the -French, not seeing the English in ambush. In a few minutes they -would have been shot down and choked the pass with dying men and -horses. But now was the moment for the strange guide. - -A stag was driven from cover by the French, and ran blindly among -the ambushed English bowmen. Not knowing that the French were -so near, and being archers from Robin Hood's country, who loved a -deer, they raised a shout, and probably many an arrow flew at the -stag. The French scouts heard the cry, saw the English and hurried -back with the news. "Forward!" cried the Maid; "if they were hung -to the clouds, we have them. Today the gentle king will gain such -a victory as never yet did he win." - -The French dashed into the pass before Talbot had secured it. -Fastolf galloped up, but the English thought that he was in flight; -the captain of the advanced guard turned his horse about and made -off. Talbot was taken, Fastolf fled, "making more sorrow than ever -yet did man." The French won a great victory. They needed their -spurs, as the Maid had told them that they would, to follow their -flying foes. The English lost some 3,000 men. In the evening, -Talbot, as a prisoner, was presented to the Duc d'Alençon. - -At last, with difficulty, Charles was brought to visit Reims and -consent to be crowned like his ancestors. - -Seeing that he was never likely to move, Joan left the town where -he was and went off into the country. This retreat brought Charles -to his senses. The towns which he passed by yielded to him; Joan -went and summoned each. "Now she was with the king in the centre, -now with the rear guard, now with the van." The town of Troyes, -where there was an English garrison, did not wish to yield. There -was a council in the king's army; they said they could not take -the place. - -"In two days it shall be yours, by force or by good-will," said -the Maid. "Six days will do," said the chancellor, "if you are sure -you speak truth." - -Joan made ready for an attack. She was calling "Forward!" when the -town surrendered. Reims, after some doubts, yielded also, on July -16, and all the people welcomed the king. On July 17 the king was -crowned and anointed with the holy oil by that very Archbishop -of Reims who always opposed Joan. The Twelve Peers of France were -not all present--some were on the English side--but Joan stood by -Charles, her banner in her hand. - -When the ceremony was ended, and the Dauphin Charles was a crowned -and anointed king, the Maid knelt weeping at his feet. "Gentle -king," she said, "now is accomplished the will of God, who desired -that you should come to Reims to be consecrated, and to prove -that you are the true king and the kingdom is yours." Then all the -knights wept for joy. - -The king bade Joan choose her reward. Already horses, rich armor, -jewelled daggers, had been given to her. These, adding to the beauty -and glory of her aspect, had made men follow her more gladly, and -for that she valued them. She made gifts to noble ladies, and gave -much to the poor. She only wanted money to wage the war with, not -for herself. Her family was made noble; on their shield, between -two lilies, a sword upholds the crown. Her father was at Reims, and -saw her in her glory. What reward, then, was Joan to choose? She -chose nothing for herself, but that her native village of Domremy -should be free from taxes. This news her father carried home from -the splendid scene at Reims. - -As they went from Reims after the coronation, Dunois and the archbishop -were riding by her rein. The people cheered and shouted with joy. - -"They are a good people," said Joan. "Never saw I any more joyous -at the coming of their king. Ah, would that I might be so happy -when I end my days as to be buried here!" Said the archbishop: -"Jeanne, in what place do you hope to die?" Then she said: "Where -it pleases God; for I know not that hour, nor that place, more -than ye do. But would to God, my Maker, that now I might depart, -and lay down my arms, and help my father and mother, and keep -their sheep with my brothers and my sisters, who would rejoice to -see me!" - -What was to be done after the crowning of the king? Bedford, -the regent for the child Henry VI, expected to see Joan under the -walls of Paris. He was waiting for the troops which the Cardinal -of Winchester had collected in England. Bedford induced Winchester -to bring his men to France, but they had not arrived. The Duke of -Burgundy, the head of the great French party which opposed Charles, -had been invited by the Maid to Reims. Again she wrote to him: -"Make a firm, good peace with the King of France," she said; "forgive -each other with kind hearts"; "I pray and implore you, with joined -hands, fight not against France." - -The Duke of Burgundy, far from listening to Joan's prayer, left -Paris and went to raise men for the English. Meanwhile, Charles -was going from town to town, and all received him gladly. But Joan -soon began to see that instead of marching west from Reims to Paris, -the army was being led southwest toward the Loire. There the king -would be safe among his dear castles, where he could live indoors, -and take his ease. Thus Bedford was able to throw 5,000 men of -Winchester's into Paris, and even dared to come out and hunt for -the French king. The French should have struck at Paris at once, as -Joan desired. The delays were excused because the Duke of Burgundy -had promised to surrender Paris in a fortnight. But this he did -merely to gain time. Joan knew this, and said there would be no -peace but at the lance-point. - -The French and English armies kept watching each other, and there -were skirmishes near Senlis. On August 15, the Maid and d'Alençon -hoped for a battle. But the English had fortified their position -in the night. Come out they would not, so Joan rode up to their -fortification, standard in hand, struck the palisade and challenged -them to sally forth. She even offered to let them march out and -draw themselves up in line of battle. The Maid stayed on the field -all night and next day made a retreat, hoping to draw the English -out of their fort. But they were too wary and went back to Paris. - -Now the fortnight was over, after which the Duke of Burgundy was -to surrender Paris, but he did nothing of the kind. The Maid was -weary of words. She called the Duc d'Alençon and said: "My fair -duke, array your men, for, by my staff, I would fain see Paris -more closely than I have seen it yet." On August 23, the Maid and -d'Alençon left the king at Compiègne and rode to St. Denis, where -were the tombs of the kings of France. "And when the king heard -that they were at St. Denis, he came, very sore against his will, -as far as Senlis, and it seems that his advisers were contrary to -the will of the Maid, of the Duc d'Alencon, and of their company." -The king was afraid to go near Paris, but Bedford was afraid to -stay in the town. He went to Rouen, the strongest English hold in -Normandy, leaving the Burgundian army and 2,000 English in Paris. - -Every day, the Maid and d'Alençon rode from St. Denis to the gates -of Paris, to observe the best places for an attack. And still -Charles dallied and delayed, still the main army did not come up. -Thus the delay of the king gave the English time to make Paris -almost impregnable and to frighten the people who, had Charles -marched straight from Reims, would have yielded as Reims did. -D'Alençon kept going to Senlis urging Charles to come up with the -main army. He went on September 1--the king promised to start next -day. D'Alençon returned to the Maid, the king still loitered. At -last d'Alençon brought him to St. Denis on September 7, and there -was a skirmish that day. - -In the book of Perceval de Cagny, who was with his lord, the Duc -d'Alençon, he says: "The assault was long and fierce, and it was -marvel to hear the noise of the cannons and culverins from the -walls, and to see the clouds of arrows. Few of those in the fosse -with the Maid were struck, though many others on horse and foot -were wounded with arrows and stone cannon-balls, but by God's grace -and the Maid's good fortune, there was none of them but could return -to camp unhelped. The assault lasted from noon till dusk--say eight -in the evening. After sunset, the Maid was struck by a crossbow -bolt in the thigh; and, after she was hurt, she cried but the louder -that all should attack, and that the place was taken. But as night -had now fallen and she was wounded, and the men-at-arms were weary -with the long attack, De Gaucourt and others came and found her, -and, against her will, brought her forth from the fosse. And so -ended that onslaught. But right sad she was to leave and said, -'By my bâton, the place would have been taken.' They put her on -horseback, and led her to her quarters, and all the rest of the -king's company who that day had come from St. Denis." - -"Next day," says Cagny, "in spite of her wound, she was first in -the field. She went to d'Alençon and bade him sound the trumpet -for the charge. D'Alençon and the other captains were of the same -mind as the Maid, and Montmorency with sixty gentlemen and many -lances came in, though he had been on the English side before. So -they began to march on Paris, but the king sent messengers, and -compelled the Maid and the captains to return to St. Denis. Right -sorry were they, yet they must obey the king. When she saw that -they would go, she dedicated her armor, and hung it up before the -statue of Our Lady at St. Denis, and so right sadly went away in -company with the king. And thus were broken the will of the Maid -and the army of the king." - -The courtiers had triumphed. They had thwarted the Maid, they had -made her promise to take Paris of no avail. They had destroyed the -confidence of men in the banner that had never gone back. - -The king now went from one pleasant tower on the Loire to another, -taking the Maid with him. Meanwhile, the English took and plundered -some of the cities which had yielded to Charles, and they carried -off the Maid's armor from the chapel in St. Denis. Her Voices had -bidden her stay at St. Denis, but this she was not permitted to -do, and now she must hear daily how the loyal towns that she had -won were plundered by the English, and all her work seemed wasted. -The Duc d'Alençon offered to lead an army against the English in -Normandy, if the Maid might march with him, for the people had not -wholly lost faith, but the courtiers and the Archbishop of Reims, -who managed the king and the war, would not consent, nor would they -allow the Maid and the duke to even see each other. - -Joan wanted to return to Paris, but the council sent her to take -La Charité and Saint-Pierre-le-Moustier from the English. This town -she attacked first. Her squire, a gentleman named d'Aulon, was with -her, and described what he saw. "When they had besieged the place -for some time, an assault was commanded, but for the great strength -of the forts and the numbers of the enemy the French were forced -to give way. At that hour I who speak was wounded by an arrow in -the heel, and could not stand or walk without crutches. But I saw -the Maid holding her ground with a handful of men, and, fearing ill -might come of it, I mounted a horse and rode to her, asking what -she was doing there alone, and why she did not retreat like the -others. She took the _salade_ from her head, and answered that -she was not alone, but had in her company fifty thousand of her -people; and that go she would not till she had taken that town, - -"But, whatever she said, I saw that she had with her but four men -or five, as others also saw, wherefore I bade her retreat. Then she -commanded me to have fagots brought, and planks to bridge fosses. -And as she spoke to me, she cried in a loud voice, 'All of you, bring -fagots to fill the fosse.' And this was done, whereat I greatly -marvelled, and instantly that town was taken by assault with no -great resistance. And all that the Maid did seemed to me rather -deeds divine than natural, and it was impossible that so young -a maid should do such deeds without the will and guidance of Our -Lord." - - - - -DEATH OF JOAN THE MAID - -Anonymous - - - -From there the Maid rode to attack La Charité. But, though the -towns helped her as well as they might with money and food, her -force was too small and was too ill provided with everything, for -the king did not send supplies. She abandoned the siege and departed -in great displeasure. The court now moved from place to place, -with Joan following in its train; for three weeks she stayed with -a lady who describes her as very devout and constantly in church. -Thinking her already a saint, people brought her things to touch. - -"Touch them yourselves," she said; "your touch is as good as mine." - -Winter was over and spring came on, but still the king did nothing. -The Maid could be idle no longer. Without a word to the king, -she rode to Lagny, "for there they had fought bravely against the -English." These men were Scots, under Sir Hugh Kennedy. In mid-April -she was at Melun. There "she heard her Voices almost every day, -and many a time they told her that she would presently be taken -prisoner." Her year was over. She prayed that she might die as soon -as she was taken, without the long sorrow of imprisonment. Then her -Voices told her to bear graciously whatever befell her, for so it -must be. But they told her not the hour of her captivity. "If she -had known the hour she would not then have gone to war. And often -she prayed them to tell her of that hour, but they did not answer." -These words are Joan's. She spoke them to her judges at Rouen. - -The name of Joan was now such a terror to the English that men -deserted rather than face her in arms. At this time the truce with -Burgundy ended, and the duke openly set out to besiege the strong -town of Compiègne, held by De Flavy for France. Burgundy had -invested Compiègne, when Joan, with four hundred men, rode into -the town secretly at dawn. That day Joan led a sally against the -Burgundians. Her Voices told her nothing, good or bad, she says. -The Burgundians were encamped at Margny and at Clairoix, the English -at Venette, villages on a plain near the walls. Joan crossed the -bridge on a gray charger, in a surcoat of crimson silk, rode through -the redoubt beyond the bridge, and attacked the Burgundians. De -Flavy in the town was to prevent the English from attacking her in -the rear. He had boats on the river to secure Joan's retreat, if -necessary. - -Joan swept through Margny driving the Burgundians before her; the -garrison of Clairoix came to their help; the battle was doubtful. -Meanwhile the English came up; they could not have reached -the Burgundians, to aid them, but some of the Maid's men, seeing -the English standards, fled. The English followed them under the -walls of Compiègne; the gate of the redoubt was closed to prevent -the English from entering with the runaways. Like Hector under -Troy, the Maid was shut out from the town which she came to save. - -Joan was with her own foremost line when the rear fled. They told -her of her danger; she heeded not. Her men seized her bridle and -turned her horse's head about. The English held the entrance from -the causeway; Joan and a few men were driven into a corner of the -outer wall. A rush was made at Joan. "Yield! yield to me!" each -man cried. - -"I have given my faith to Another," she said, "and I will keep my -oath." - -Her enemies confess that on this day Joan did great feats of arms, -covering the rear of her force when they had to fly. Some French -historians hold that the gates were closed, by treason, that the -Maid might be taken. - -The Maid, as a prisoner, was led to Margny, where the Burgundian -and English captains rejoiced over her. They had her at last, the -girl who had driven them from fort and field. Not a French lance -was raised to rescue her; not a sou did the king send to ransom -her. - -Within two days of her capture, the Vicar-General of the Inquisition -in France claimed her as a heretic and a witch. The English knights -let the doctors of the University of Paris judge and burn the girl -whom they seldom dared to face in war. She was the enemy of the -English, and the English believed in witchcraft. Joan was now kept -in a high tower and was allowed to walk on the leads. She knew -she was sold to England, she had heard that the people of Compiègne -were to be massacred. She would rather die than fall into English -hands, but she hoped to escape and relieve Compiègne. She therefore -prayed for counsel to her Saints; might she leap from the top of -the tower? Would they not bear her up in their hands? St. Catherine -bade her not to leap; God would help her and the people of Compiègne. - -Then, for the first time, as far as we know, the Maid wilfully -disobeyed her Voices. She leaped from the tower. They found her, -not wounded, not a limb broken, but stunned. She knew not what -had happened; they told her she had leaped down For three days she -could not eat, "yet was she comforted by St. Catherine, who bade -her confess and seek pardon of God, and told her that, without -fail, they of Compiègne should be relieved before Martinmas." This -prophecy was fulfilled. Joan was more troubled about Compiègne than -about her own coming doom. - -She was now locked up in an iron cage at Rouen. The person who -conducted the trial was her deadly enemy, the Bishop of Beauvais, -Cauchon, whom she and her men had turned out of his bishopric. -Next, Joan was kept in strong irons day and night, always guarded -by five English soldiers. Weakened by long captivity and ill usage, -she, an untaught girl, was questioned repeatedly for three months -by the most cunning and learned doctors of law of the Paris -University. Often many spoke at once, to perplex her mind. But -Joan always showed a wisdom which confounded them, and which is at -least as extraordinary as her skill in war. She would never swear -an oath to answer _all_ their questions. About herself, and all -matters bearing on her own conduct, she would answer. About the -king, and the secrets of the king, she would not answer. If they -forced her to reply about these things, she frankly said, she would -not tell them the truth. The whole object of the trial was to prove -that she dealt with powers of evil, and that her king had been -crowned and aided by the devil. Her examiners, therefore, attacked -her day by day, in public and in her dungeon, with questions about -these visions which she held sacred and could only speak of with -a blush among her friends. She maintained that she certainly did -see and hear her Saints, and that they came to her by the will of -God. This was called blasphemy and witchcraft. - -Most was made of her refusal to wear woman's dress. For this she -seems to have had two reasons: first, that to give up her old dress -would have been to acknowledge that her mission was ended; next, -for reasons of modesty, she being alone in prison among ruffianly -men. She would wear woman's dress if they would let her take the -Holy Communion, but this they refused. To these points she was -constant: she would not deny her visions; she would not say one word -against her king, "the noblest Christian in the world" she called -him, who had deserted her. She would not wear woman's dress in -prison. They took her to the torture-chamber, and threatened her -with torture. Finally, they put her up in public, opposite a pile -of wood ready for burning, where she was solemnly preached to for -the last time. All through her trial, her Voices bade her answer -boldly, in three months she would give her last answer, in three -months "she would be free with great victory, and come into the -Kingdom of Paradise." - -At last, in fear of the fire and the stake before her, and on promise -of being taken to a kindlier prison among women, and released from -chains, she promised to renounce her visions, and submit to Cauchon -and her other enemies. Some little note on paper she now signed -with a cross, and repeated a short form of words. By some trick -this signature was changed for a long document, in which she was -made to confess all her visions false. - -Cauchon had triumphed. The blame of heresy and witchcraft was cast -on Joan, and on her king as an accomplice. But the English were -not satisfied; they made an uproar, they threatened Cauchon, for -Joan's life was to be spared. She was to be in prison all her days, -on bread and water, but while she lived they dared scarcely stir -against the French. They were soon satisfied. - -Joan's prison was not changed. There soon came news that she had -put on man's dress again. The judges went to her. She told them -(they say) that she put on this dress of her own free will. In -confession, later, she told her priest that she had been refused -any other dress, and had been brutally treated both by the soldiers -and by an English lord. - -In any case, the promises made to her had been broken. The judge -asked her if her Voices had been with her again. - -"Yes." - -"What did they say?" - -"God told me by the Voices of the great sorrow of my treason, when -I abjured to save my life." - -"Do you believe the Voices came from St. Margaret and St. Catherine?" - -"Yes, and that they are from God." - -She added that she had never meant to deny this, had not understood -that she had denied it. - -All was over now; she was a "relapsed heretic." - -Enough. They burned Joan the Maid. She did not suffer long. Her -eyes were fixed on a cross which a priest, Martin l'Advenu, held -up before her. She maintained, he says, to her dying moment, the -truth of her Voices. With a great cry of JESUS! she gave up her -life. Even the English wept, even a secretary of the English king -said that they had burned a Saint. - -Twenty years after her death Charles VII, in his own interest, -induced the Pope to try the case of Joan over again. They collected -the evidence of most of the living people who had known her, the -Domremy peasants, from Dunois, d'Alençon, d'Aulon, from Isambart -and l'Advenu, they learned how nobly she died, and how she never -made one complaint, but forgave all her enemies freely. All these -old Latin documents were collected, edited, and printed, in 1849, -by Monsieur Jules Quicherat, a long and noble labor. - - - - -HOW CATHERINE DOUGLAS TRIED TO SAVE KING JAMES OF SCOTLAND - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -It was bedtime, and the old vaulted chambers of the Dominican monastery -at Perth echoed with sounds that would seem incongruous in such a -home of austerity, but that the disturbed state of Scotland rendered -it the habit of her kings to attach their palaces to convents, that -they themselves might benefit by the "peace of the Church," which -was in general accorded to all sacred spots. - -Thus it was that Christmas and Carnival time of 1435-6 had been -spent by the court in the cloisters of Perth, and the dance, the -song, and the tourney had strangely contrasted with the grave and -self-denying habits to which the Dominicans were devoted in their -neighboring cells. The festive season was nearly at an end, for -it was the 20th of February, but the evening had been more than -usually gay, and had been spent in games at chess, tables, or -backgammon, reading romances of chivalry, harping and singing. King -James himself, brave and handsome, and in the prime of life, was -the blithest of the whole joyous party. He was the most accomplished -man in his dominions; for though he had been basely kept a prisoner -at Windsor throughout his boyhood by Henry IV of England, an -education had been bestowed on him far above what he would have -otherwise obtained; and he was naturally a man of great ability, -refinement, and strength of character. Not only was he a perfect -knight on horseback, but in wrestling and running, throwing -the hammer, and "putting the stane," he had scarcely a rival, and -he was skilled in all the learned lore of the time, wrote poetry, -composed music both sacred and profane, and was a complete minstrel, -able to sing beautifully and to play on the harp and organ. His queen, -the beautiful Joan Beaufort, had been the lady of his minstrelsy -in the days of his captivity, ever since he had watched her walking -on the slopes of Windsor Park, and wooed her in verses that are -still preserved. They had now been eleven years married, and their -court was one bright spot of civilization, refinement, and grace, -amid the savagery of Scotland. And now, after the pleasant social -evening, the queen, with her long fair hair unbound, was sitting -under the hands of her tirewomen, who were preparing her for the -night's rest; and the king, in his furred nightgown, was standing -before the bright fire on the hearth of the wide chimney, laughing -and talking with the attendant ladies. - -Yet dark hints had already been whispered, which might have cast -a shadow over that careless mirth. Always fierce and vindictive, -the Scots had been growing more and more lawless and savage ever -since the disputed succession of Bruce and Balliol had unsettled all -royal authority, and led to one perpetual war with the English. The -twenty years of James's captivity had been the worst of all--almost -every noble was a robber chief, Scottish borderer preyed upon -English borderer, Highlander upon Lowlander, knight upon traveler, -every one who had armor upon him who had not; each clan was at deadly -feud with its neighbor; blood was shed like water from end to end -of the miserable land, and the higher the birth of the offender -the greater the impunity he claimed. - -Indeed, James himself had been brought next to the throne by one of -the most savage and horrible murders ever perpetrated--that of his -elder brother, David, by his own uncle; and he himself had probably -been only saved from sharing the like fate by being sent out of the -kingdom. His earnest words on his return to take the rule of this -unhappy realm were these: "Let God but grant me life, and there -shall not be a spot in my realm where the key shall not keep the -castle, and the bracken bush the cow, though I should lead the life -of a dog to accomplish it." - -This great purpose had been before James through the eleven years -of his reign, and he had worked it out resolutely. The lawless -nobles would not brook his ruling hand, and strong and bitter was -the hatred that had arisen against him. In many of his transactions -he was far from blameless: he was sometimes tempted to craft, -sometimes to tyranny; but his object was always a high and kingly -one, though he was led by the horrible wickedness of the men he -had to deal with more than once to forget that evil is not to be -overcome with evil, but with good. In the main, it was his high -and uncompromising resolution to enforce the laws upon high and low -alike that led to the nobles' conspiracies against him; though, if -he had always been true to his purpose of swerving neither to the -right nor to the left, he might have avoided the last fatal offense -that armed the murderer against his life. - -The chief misdoers in the long period of anarchy had been his uncles -and cousins; nor was it till after his eldest uncle's death that -his return home had been possible. With a strong hand had he avenged -upon the princes and their followers the many miseries they had -inflicted upon his people; and in carrying out these measures he -had seized upon the great earldom of Strathern, which had descended -to one of their party in right of his wife, declaring that it could -not be inherited by a female. In this he appears to have acted -unjustly, from the strong desire to avail himself by any pretext -of an opportunity of breaking the overweening power of the great -turbulent nobles; and, to make up for the loss, he created the new -earldom of Menteith, for the young Malise Graham, the son of the -dispossessed earl. But the proud and vindictive Grahams were not -thus to be pacified. Sir Robert Graham, the uncle of the young -earl, drew off into the Highlands, and there formed a conspiracy -among other discontented men who hated the resolute government that -repressed their violence. Men of princely blood joined in the plot, -and 300 Highland catherans were ready to accompany the expedition -that promised the delights of war and plunder. - -Even when the hard-worked king was setting forth to enjoy his holiday -at Perth, the traitors had fixed upon that spot as the place of -his doom; but the scheme was known to so many, that it could not -be kept entirely secret, and warnings began to gather round the -king. When, on his way to Perth, he was about to cross the Firth of -Forth, the wild figure of a Highland woman appeared at his bridle -rein, and solemnly warned him "that, if he crossed that water, he -would never return alive." He was struck by the apparition, and -bade one of his knights to inquire of her what she meant; but the -knight must have been a dullard or a traitor, for he told the king -that the woman was either mad or drunk, and no notice was taken of -her warning. - -There was likewise a saying abroad in Scotland, that the new year, -1436, should see the death of a king; and this same carnival night, -James, while playing at chess with a young friend, whom he was wont -to call the king of love, laughingly observed that "it must be you -or I, since there are but two kings in Scotland--therefore, look -well to yourself." - -Little did the blithe monarch guess that at that moment one of the -conspirators, touched by a moment's misgiving, was hovering round, -seeking in vain for an opportunity of giving him warning; that even -then his chamberlain and kinsman, Sir Robert Stewart, was enabling -the traitors to place boards across the moat for their passage, -and to remove the bolts and bars of all the doors in their way. -And the Highland woman was at the door, earnestly entreating to -see the king if but for one moment! The message was even brought -to him, but alas! he bade her wait till the morrow, and she turned -away, declaring that she should never more see his face! - -And now, as before said, the feast was over, and the king stood, -gayly chatting with his wife and her ladies, when the clang of arms -was heard, and the glare of torches in the court below flashed on -the windows. The ladies flew to secure the doors. Alas! the bolts -and bars were gone! Too late the warnings returned upon the king's -mind, and he knew it was he alone who was sought. He tried to -escape by the windows, but here the bars were but too firm. Then -he seized the tongs, and tore up a board in the floor, by which he -let himself down into the vault below, just as the murderers came -rushing along the passage, slaying on their way a page named Walter -Straiton. - -There was no bar to the door. Yes, there was. Catherine Douglas, -worthy of her name, worthy of the cognizance of the bleeding heart, -thrust her arm through the empty staples to gain for her sovereign -a few moments more for escape and safety! But though true as steel, -the brave arm was not as strong. It was quickly broken. She was -thrust fainting aside, and the ruffians rushed in. Queen Joan stood -in the midst of the room, with her hair streaming round her, and -her mantle thrown hastily on. Some of the wretches even struck and -wounded her, but Graham called them off, and bade them search for -the king. They sought him in vain in every corner of the women's -apartments, and dispersed through the other rooms in search of -their prey. The ladies began to hope that the citizens and nobles -in the town were coming to their help, and that the king might -have escaped through an opening that led from the vault into the -tennis-court. Presently, however, the king called to them to draw -him up again, for he had not been able to get out of the vault, -having a few days before caused the hole to be bricked up, because -his tennis-balls used to fly into it and be lost. In trying to -draw him up by the sheets, Elizabeth Douglas, another of the ladies, -was actually pulled down into the vault; the noise was heard by -the assassins, who were still watching outside, and they returned. - -There is no need to tell of the foul and cruel slaughter that -ensued, nor of the barbarous vengeance that visited it. Our tale -is of golden, not of brazen deeds; and if we have turned our eyes -for a moment to the Bloody Carnival of Perth, it is for the sake of -the king, who was too upright for his bloodthirsty subjects, and, -above all, for that of the noble-hearted lady whose frail arm was -the guardian of her sovereign's life in the extremity of peril. - - - - -THE BRAVE QUEEN OF HUNGARY - -By Charlotte M. Yonge - - - -Of all the possessions of the old kingdom of Hungary, none was more -valued than what was called the Crown of St. Stephen, so called from -one which had, in the year 1000, been presented by Pope Sylvester -II to Stephen, the second Christian Duke, and first King of Hungary. -A crown and a cross were given to him for his coronation, which -took place in the Church of the Holy Virgin, at Alba Regale, also -called in German Weissenburg, where thenceforth the kings of Hungary -were anointed to begin their troubled reigns, and at the close of -them were laid to rest beneath the pavement, where most of them -might have used the same epitaph as the old Italian leader: "He rests -here, who never rested before." For it was a wild realm, bordered -on all sides by foes, with Poland, Bohemia, and Austria, ever -casting greedy eyes upon it, and afterwards with the Turk upon the -southern border, while the Magyars, or Hungarian nobles, themselves -were a fierce and untamable race, bold and generous, but brooking -little control, claiming a voice in choosing their own sovereign, -and to resist him, even by force of arms, if he broke the laws. No -prince had a right to their allegiance unless he had been crowned -with St. Stephen's crown; but if he had once worn that sacred -circle, he thenceforth was held as the only lawful monarch, unless -he should flagrantly violate the Constitution. In 1076, another -crown had been given by the Greek emperor to Geysa, King of Hungary, -and the sacred crown combined the two. It had the two arches of -the Roman crown, and the gold circlet of the Constantinopolitan; -and the difference of workmanship was evident. - -In the year 1439 died King Albert, who had been appointed King of -Hungary in right of his wife, Queen Elizabeth. He left a little -daughter only four years old, and as the Magyars had never been -governed by a female hand, they proposed to send and offer their -crown, and the hand of their young widowed queen, to Wladislas, the -King of Poland. But Elizabeth had hopes of another child, and in -case it should be a son, she had no mind to give away its rights -to its father's throne. How, then, was she to help herself among -the proud and determined nobles of her court? One thing was certain, -that if once the Polish King were crowned with St. Stephen's crown, -it would be his own fault if he were not King of Hungary as long -as he lived; but if the crown were not to be found, of course he -could not receive it, and the fealty of the nobles would not be -pledged to him. - -The most trustworthy person she had about her was Helen Kottenner, -the lady who had the charge of her little daughter, Princess -Elizabeth, and to her she confided her desire that the crown might -be secured, so as to prevent the Polish party from getting access -to it. Helen herself has written down the history of these strange -events, and of her own struggles of mind at the risk she ran, and -the doubt whether good would come of the intrigue; and there can -be no doubt that, whether the queen's conduct were praiseworthy or -not, Helen dared a great peril for the sake purely of loyalty and -fidelity. "The queen's commands," she says, "sorely troubled me; -for it was a dangerous venture for me and my little children, and -I turned it over in my mind what I should do, for I had no one to -take counsel of but God alone; and I thought if I did it not, and -evil arose therefrom, I should be guilty before God and the world. -So I consented to risk my life on this difficult undertaking; but -desired to have some one to help me." This was permitted; but the -first person to whom the Lady of Kottenner confided her intention, -a Croat, lost his color from alarm, looked like one half dead, and -went at once in search of his horse. The next thing that was heard -of him was that he had had a bad fall from his horse, and had been -obliged to return to Croatia, and the queen remained much alarmed -at her plans being known to one so faint-hearted. However, a more -courageous confidant was afterwards found in a Hungarian gentleman, -whose name has become illegible in Helen's old manuscript. - -The crown was in the vaults of the strong castle of Plintenburg, -also called Vissegrad, which stands upon a bend of the Danube, -about twelve miles from the twin cities of Buda and Pesth. It was -in a case, within a chest, sealed with many seals, and since the -king's death, it had been brought up by the nobles, who closely -guarded both it and the queen, into her apartments, and there -examined and replaced it in the chest. The next night, one of the -queen's ladies upset a wax taper, without being aware of it, and -before the fire was discovered, and put out, the corner of the -chest was singed, and a hole burnt in the blue velvet cushion that -lay on the top. Upon this, the lords had caused the chest to be -taken down again into the vault, and had fastened the doors with -many locks and with seals. The castle had further been put into -the charge of Ladislas von Gara, the queen's cousin, and Ban, or -hereditary commander, of the border troops, and he had given it -over to a Burggraf, or seneschal, who had placed his bed in the -chamber where was the door leading to the vaults. - -The queen removed to Komorn, a castle higher up the Danube, in -charge of her faithful cousin, Count Ulric of Eily, taking with -her her little daughter Elizabeth, Helen Kottenner, and two other -ladies. This was the first stage on the journey to Presburg, where -the nobles had wished to lodge the queen, and from thence she sent -back Helen to bring the rest of the maids of honor and her goods -to join her at Komorn. It was early spring, and snow was still on -the ground, and the Lady of Kottenner and her faithful nameless -assistant travelled in a sledge; but two Hungarian noblemen went -with them, and they had to be most careful in concealing their -arrangements. Helen had with her the queen's signet, and keys; and -her friend had a file in each shoe, and keys under his black velvet -dress. - -On arriving in the evening, they found that the Burggraf had fallen -ill, and could not sleep in the chamber leading to the vault, because -it belonged to the ladies' chambers, and that he had therefore -put a cloth over the padlock of the door and sealed it. There was -a stove in the room, and the maidens began to pack up their clothes -there, an operation that lasted till eight o'clock; while Helen's -friend stood there, talking and jesting with them, trying all the -while to hide the files, and contriving to say to Helen: "Take care -that we have a light." So she begged the old housekeeper to give -her plenty of wax tapers, as she had many prayers to say. At last -every one was gone to bed, and there only remained in the room -with Helen, an old woman, whom she had brought with her, who knew -no German, and was fast asleep. Then the accomplice came back through -the chapel, which opened into this same hall. He had on his black -velvet gown and felt shoes, and was followed by a servant, who, -Helen says, was bound to him by oath, and had the same Christian -name as himself, this being evidently an additional bond of fidelity. -Helen, who had received from the queen all the keys of this outer -room, let them in, and, after the Burggraf's cloth and seal had been -removed, they unlocked the padlock and the other two locks of the -outer door of the vault, and the two men descended into it. There -were several other doors, whose chains required to be filed through, -and their seals and locks broken, and to the ears of the waiting -Helen the noise appeared fatally loud. She says: "I devoutly prayed -to God and the Holy Virgin, that they would support and help me; -yet I was in greater anxiety for my soul than for my life, and I -prayed to God that He would be merciful to my soul, and rather let -me die at once there, than that anything should happen against His -will, or that should bring misfortune on my country and people." - -She fancied she heard a noise of armed men at the chapel door, but -finding nothing there, believed that it was a spirit, and returning -to her prayers, vowed, poor lady, to make a pilgrimage to St. Maria -Zell, in Styria, if the Holy Virgin's intercessions obtained their -success, and till the pilgrimage could be made, "to forego every -Saturday night my feather bed!" After another false alarm at a -supposed noise at the maidens' door, she ventured into the vault -to see how her companions were getting on, when she found they -had filed away all the locks, except that of the case containing -the crown, and this they were obliged to burn, in spite of their -apprehension that the smell and smoke might be observed. They then -shut up the chest, replaced the padlocks and chains with those -they had brought for the purpose, and renewed the seals with the -queen's signet, which, bearing the royal arms, would baffle detection -that the seals had been tampered with. They then took the crown -into the chapel, where they found a red velvet cushion, so large -that by taking out some of the stuffing a hiding-place was made in -which the crown was deposited, and the cushion sewn up over it. - -By this time day was dawning, the maidens were dressing, and it was -the hour for setting off for Komorn. The old woman who had waited -on them came to the Lady of Kottenner to have her wages paid, and -be dismissed to Buda. While she was waiting, she began to remark -on a strange thing lying by the stove, which, to the Lady Helen's -great dismay, she perceived to be a bit of the case in which the -crown was kept. She tried to prevent the old woman from noticing -it, pushed it into the hottest part of the stove, and, by way of -further precaution, took the old woman away with her, on the plea -of asking the queen to make her a bedeswoman at Vienna, and this -was granted to her. - -When all was ready, the gentleman desired his servant to take the -cushion and put it into the sledge designed for himself and the -Lady of Kottenner. The man took it on his shoulders, hiding it -under an old ox-hide, with the tail hanging down, to the laughter -of all beholders. Helen further records the trying to get some -breakfast in the market-place and finding nothing but herrings, -also the going to mass, and the care she took not to sit upon the -holy crown, though she had to sit on its cushion in the sledge. -They dined at an inn, but took care to keep the cushion in sight, -and then in the dusk crossed the Danube on the ice, which was -becoming very thin, and half-way across it broke under the maidens' -carriage, so that Helen expected to be lost in the Danube, crown -and all. However, though many packages were lost under the ice, -her sledge got safe over, as well as all the ladies, some of whom -she took into her conveyance, and all safely arrived at the castle -of Komorn late in the evening. - -The very hour of their arrival a babe was born to the queen and -to her exceeding joy it was a son. Count von Eily, hearing "that -a king and friend was born to him," had bonfires lighted, and -a torchlight procession on the ice that same night, and early in -the morning came the Archbishop of Gran to christen the child. The -queen wished her faithful Helen to be godmother, but Helen refused -in favor of some lady whose family it was probably needful to -propitiate. She took off the little princess Elizabeth's mourning -for her father and dressed her in red and gold, all the maidens -appeared in gay apparel, and there was great rejoicing and -thanksgiving when the babe was christened Ladislas, after a sainted -king of Hungary. - -[Illustration: THEN HE OFFERED A FERVENT PRAYER OF THANKS] - -The peril was, however, far from ended; for many of the Magyars -had no notion of accepting an infant for their king, and by Easter, -the King of Poland was advancing upon Buda to claim the realm to -which he had been invited. No one had discovered the abstraction -of the crown, and Elizabeth's object was to take her child to -Weissenburg, and there have him crowned, so as to disconcert the -Polish party. She had sent to Buda for cloth of gold to make him a -coronation dress, but it did not come in time, and Helen therefore -shut herself into the chapel at Komorn, and, with doors fast -bolted, cut up a rich and beautiful vestment of his grandfather's, -the Emperor Sigismund, of red and gold, with silver spots, and -made it into a tiny coronation robe, with surplice and humeral (or -shoulder-piece), the stole and banner, the gloves and shoes. The -queen was much alarmed by a report that the Polish party meant to -stop her on her way to Weissenburg; and if the baggage should be -seized and searched, the discovery of the crown might have fatal -consequences. Helen, on this, observed that the king was more -important than the crown, and that the best way would be to keep -them together; so she wrapped up the crown in a cloth, and hid it -under the mattress of his cradle, with a long spoon for mixing his -pap upon the top, so, said the queen, he might take care of his -crown himself. - -On Tuesday before Whitsunday the party set out, escorted by Count -Ulric, and several other knights and nobles. After crossing the -Danube in a large boat, the queen and her little girl were placed -in a carriage, or more probably a litter, the other ladies rode, -and the cradle and its precious contents were carried by four men; -but this the poor little Lassla, as Helen shortens his lengthy -name, resented so much, that he began to scream so loud that she -was forced to dismount and carry him in her arms, along a road -rendered swampy by much rain. - -They found all the villages deserted by the peasants, who had fled -into the woods, and as most of their lords were of the other party, -they expected an attack, so the little king was put into the carriage -with his mother and sister, and the ladies formed a circle round it -"that if any one shot at the carriage we might receive the stroke." -When the danger was over the child was taken out again, for he -would be content nowhere but in the arms of either his nurse or -of faithful Helen, who took turns to carry him on foot nearly all -the way, sometimes in a high wind which covered them with dust, -sometimes in great heat, sometimes in rain so heavy that Helen's -fur pelisse, with which she covered his cradle, had to be wrung -out several times. They slept at an inn, round which the gentlemen -lighted a circle of fires, and kept watch all night. - -Weissenburg was loyal, five hundred armed gentlemen came out to -meet them, and on Whitsun Eve they entered the city, Helen carrying -her little king in her arms in the midst of a circle of these five -hundred holding their naked swords aloft. On Whitsunday, Helen rose -early, bathed the little fellow, who was twelve weeks old that day, -and dressed him. He was then carried in her arms to the church, -beside his mother. According to the old Hungarian customs the choir -door was closed,--the burghers were within, and would not open -till the new monarch should have taken the great coronation oath -to respect the Hungarian liberties and laws. - -This oath was taken by the queen in the name of her son, the doors -were opened, and all the train entered, the little princess being -lifted up to stand by the organ, lest she should be hurt in the -throng. First Helen held her charge up to be confirmed, and then -she had to hold him while he was knighted, with a richly adorned -sword bearing the motto "Indestructible," and by a stout Hungarian -knight called Mikosch Weida, who struck with such a good will that -Helen felt the blow on her arm, and the queen cried out to him not -to hurt the child. - -The Archbishop of Gran anointed the little creature, dressed him -in the red and gold robe, and put on his head the holy crown, and -the people admired to see how straight he held up his neck under -it; indeed, they admired the loudness and strength of his cries, -when, as the good lady records, "the noble king had little pleasure -in his coronation, for he wept aloud." She had to hold him up for -the rest of the service, while Count Ulric of Eily held the crown -over his head, and afterwards to seat him in a chair in St. Peter's -Church, and then he was carried home in his cradle, with the count -holding the crown over his head, and the other regalia borne before -him. - -And thus Ladislas became King of Hungary at twelve weeks old, and -was then carried off by his mother into Austria for safety. Whether -this secret robbery of the crown, and coronation by stealth, -was wise or just on the mother's part is a question not easy of -answer--though of course she deemed it her duty to do her utmost -for her child's rights. Of Helen Kottenner's deep fidelity and -conscientious feeling there can be no doubt, and her having acted -with her eyes fully open to the risk she ran, her trust in Heaven -overcoming her fears and terrors, rendered her truly a heroine. - -The crown has had many other adventures, and afterwards was kept in -an apartment of its own in the castle of Ofen, with an antechamber -guarded by two grenadiers. The door was of iron, with three locks, -and the crown itself was contained in an iron chest with five -seals. All this, however, did not prevent it from being taken away -and lost in the Revolution of 1849. - - - - -A STORY OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN - -By Elizabeth Harrison - - - -Once upon a time, far across the great ocean there lived a little -boy named Christopher. The city in which he lived was called Genoa. -It was on the coast of the great sea, and from the time that little -Christopher could first remember he had seen boats come and go -across the water. I doubt not that he had little boats of his own -which he tried to sail, or paddle about on the small pools near -his home. - -Soon after he was old enough to read books, which in those days -were very scarce and very much valued, he got hold of an account -of the wonderful travels of a man named Marco Polo. Over and over -again little Christopher read the marvelous stories told by this -old traveler, of the strange cities which he had seen and of the -dark-colored people whom he had met; of the queer houses; of the -wild and beautiful animals he had encountered; of the jewels and -perfumes and flowers which he had come across. - -All day long the thoughts of little Christopher were busy with this -strange far-away land which Marco Polo described. All night long -he dreamed of the marvelous sights to be seen on those distant -shores. Many a time he went down to the water's edge to watch the -queer ships as they slowly disappeared in the dim distance, where -the sea and sky seemed to meet. He listened eagerly to everything -about the sea and the voyages of adventure, or of trade which were -told by the sailors near. - -When he was fourteen years old he went to sea with an uncle, who -was commander of one of the vessels that came and went from the -port of Genoa. For a number of years he thus lived on a vessel, -learning everything that he could about the sea. At one time the -ship on which he was sailing had a desperate fight with another -ship; both took fire and were burned to the water's edge. Christopher -Columbus, for that was his full name, only escaped, as did the -other sailors, by jumping into the sea and swimming to the shore. -Still this did not cure him of his love for the ocean life. - -We find after a time that he left Italy, his native country, and -went to live in Portugal, a land near the great sea, whose people -were far more venturesome than had been those of Genoa. Here he -married a beautiful maiden, whose father had collected a rich store -of maps and charts, which showed what was then supposed to be the -shape of the earth and told of strange and wonderful voyages which -brave sailors had from time to time dared to make out into the -then unknown sea. Most people in those days thought it was certain -death to any one who ventured very far out on the ocean. - -There were all sorts of queer and absurd ideas afloat as to the -shape of the earth. Some people thought it was round like a pancake -and that the waters which surrounded the land gradually changed -into mist and vapor and that he who ventured out into these vapors -fell through the mist and clouds down into--they knew not where. -Others believed that there were huge monsters living in the distant -waters ready to swallow any sailor who was foolish enough to venture -near them. - -But Christopher Columbus had grown to be a very wise and thoughtful -man, and from all he could learn from the maps of his father-in-law -and the books which he read, and from the long talks which he had -with some other learned men, he grew more and more certain that the -world was round like an orange, and that by sailing westward from -the coast of Portugal one could gradually go round the world and -find at last the wonderful land of _Cathay_, the strange country -which lay far beyond the sea, the accounts of which had so thrilled -him as a boy. - -We, of course, know that he was right in his belief concerning the -shape of the earth, but people in those days laughed him to scorn -when he spoke of making a voyage out on the vast and fearful ocean. -In vain he talked and reasoned and argued, and drew maps to explain -matters. The more he proved to his own satisfaction that this must -be the shape of the world, the more other people shook their heads -and called him crazy. - -He remembered in his readings of the book of Marco Polo's travels -that the people whom Polo had met were heathen who knew little about -the God who had made the world, and nothing at all about His Son, -Christ Jesus, and as Christopher Columbus loved very dearly the -Christian religion, his mind became filled with a longing to carry -it across the great seas to this far-away country. The more he -thought about it the more he wanted to go, until his whole life -was filled with the one thought of how to get hold of some ships -to prove that the earth was round, and that these far-away heathens -could be reached. - -Through some influential friends he obtained admission to the court -of the King of Portugal. Eagerly he told the rich monarch of the -great enterprise which filled his heart. It was of little or no -use, the king was busy with other affairs, and only listened to -the words of Columbus as one might listen to the wind. Year after -year passed by, Columbus' wife had died, and their one little son, -Diego, had grown to be quite a boy. Finally Columbus decided he -would leave Portugal and would go over to Spain, a rich country -near by, and see if the Spanish monarchs would not give him boats -in which to make his longed-for voyage. - -The Spanish king was named Ferdinand, and the Spanish queen was a -beautiful woman named Isabella. When Columbus told them of his belief -that the world was round, and of his desire to help the heathen who -lived in this far-off country, they listened attentively to him, -for both King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were very earnest people -and very desirous that all the world should become Christians; -but their ministers and officers of state persuaded them that the -whole thing was a foolish dream of an enthusiastic, visionary man; -and again Columbus was disappointed in his hope of getting help. - -Still he did not give up in despair. _The thought was too great for -that_. He sent his brother over to England to see if the English -king would not listen to him and give the necessary help, but again -he was doomed to disappointment. Only here and there could he find -any one who believed that it was possible for him to sail round -the earth and reach the land on the other side. Long years passed -by. Columbus grew pale and thin with waiting and hoping, with -planning arid longing. - -Sometimes as he walked along the streets of the Spanish capital -people would point their fingers at him and say: "There goes -the crazy old man who thinks the world is round." Again and again -Columbus tried to persuade the Spanish king and queen that if they -would aid him, his discoveries would bring great honor and riches -to their kingdom, and that they would also become the benefactors -of the world by helping to spread the knowledge of Christ and His -religion. Nobody believed in his theory. Nobody was interested in -his plan. He grew poorer and poorer. - -At last he turned his back on the great Spanish court, and in silent -despair he took his little son by the hand and walked a long way to -a small seaport called Palos, where there was a queer old convent -in which strangers were often entertained by the kind monks who -lived in it. Weary and footsore he reached the gate of the convent. -Knocking upon it he asked the porter, who answered the summons, -if he would give little Diego a bit of bread and a drink of water. -While the two tired travelers were resting, as the little boy ate -his dry crust of bread, the prior of the convent, a man of thought -and learning, whose name was Juan Perez, came by and at once saw that -these two were no common beggars. He invited them in and questioned -Columbus closely about his past life. He listened quietly and -thoughtfully to Columbus and his plan of crossing the ocean and -converting the heathen to Christianity. - -Juan Perez had at one time been a very intimate friend of Queen -Isabella; in fact, the priest to whom she told all her sorrows and -troubles. He was a quiet man and talked but little. After a long -conference with Columbus, in which he was convinced that Columbus -was right, he borrowed a mule and getting on his back rode for many -miles across the open country to the palace in which the queen was -then staying. I do not know how he convinced her of the truth of -Columbus' plan, when all the ministers and courtiers and statesmen -about her considered it the absurdly foolish and silly dream of an -old man; but, somehow, he did it. - -He then returned on his mule to the old convent at Palos, and -told Columbus to go back once more to the court of Spain and again -petition the queen to give him money with which to make his voyage -of discovery. The state treasurer said the queen had no money to -spare, but this noble-hearted woman, who now, for the first time, -realized that it was a grand and glorious thing Columbus wished to -do, said she would give her crown jewels for money with which to -start Columbus on his dangerous journey across the great ocean. - -This meant much in those days, as queens were scarcely considered -dignified or respectable if they did not wear crowns of gold inlaid -with bright jewels on all public occasions, but Queen Isabella -cared far more to send the gospel of Christ over to the heathen -than how she might look, or what other people might say about her. -The jewels were pawned and the money was given to Columbus. With -a glad heart he hastened back to the little town of Palos where he -had left his young son with the kind priest Juan Perez. - -But now a new difficulty arose. Enough sailors could not be found -who would venture their lives by going out on this unknown voyage -with a crazy old man such as Columbus was thought to be. At last -the convicts from the prisons were given liberty by the queen on -condition that they would go with the sailors and Columbus. So, you -see, it was not altogether a very nice crew, still it was the best -he could get, and Columbus' heart was so filled with the great work -that he was willing to undertake the voyage no matter how great -or how, many the difficulties might be. The ships were filled with -food and other provisions for a long, long voyage. - -Nobody knew how long it would be before the land on the other side -could be reached, and many people thought there was no possible -hope of its ever being found. - -Early one summer morning, even before the sun had risen, Columbus -bade farewell to the few friends who had gathered at the little -seaport of Palos to say good-bye to him. The ships spread their -sails and started on the great untried voyage. There were three -boats, none of which we would think, nowadays, was large enough -or strong enough to dare venture out of sight and help of land and -run the risk of encountering the storms of mid-ocean. - -The names of the boats were the _Santa Maria_, which was the one -that Columbus himself commanded, and two smaller boats, one named -the _Pinta_ and the other the _Nina_. - -Strange, indeed, must the sailors have felt, as hour after hour -they drifted out into the great unknown waters, which no man ever -ventured into before. Soon all land faded from their sight, and -on, and on, and on they went, not knowing where or how the voyage -would end. Columbus alone was filled with hope, feeling quite sure -that in time he would reach the never before visited shores of a -New World, and would thus be the means of bringing the Christian -religion to these poor, ignorant people. On and on they sailed, -day after day--far beyond the utmost point which sailors had ever -before reached. - -Many of the men were filled with a strange dread and begged and -pleaded to return home. Still on and on they went, each day taking -them further and further from all they had ever known or loved -before. Day after day passed, and week after week until two months -had elapsed. - -The provisions which they had brought with them were getting scarce, -and the men now dreaded starvation. They grew angry with Columbus, -and threatened to take his life if he did not command the ships -to be turned back toward Spain, but his patience did not give out, -nor was his faith one whit the less. He cheered the hearts of the -men as best he could, often telling them droll, funny stories to -distract their thoughts from the terrible dread which now filled -all minds. - -He promised a rich reward to the first man who should discover -land ahead. This somewhat renewed their courage, and day and night -watches were set and the western horizon before them was scanned -at all hours. Time and again they thought they saw land ahead, -only to find they had mistaken a cloud upon the horizon for the -longed-for shore. Flocks of birds flying westward began to be seen. -This gave some ground for hope. For surely the birds must be flying -toward some land where they could find food, and trees in which to -build their nests. Still fear was great in the hearts of all, and -Columbus knew that he could not keep the men much longer in suspense, -and that if land did not appear soon they would compel him to turn -around and retrace his steps whether he wished to or not. - -Then he thought of all the benighted heathen who had never heard of -God's message of love to man through Christ, and he prayed almost -incessantly that courage might be given him to go on. Hour after -hour he looked across the blue water, day and night, longing for -the sight of land. In fact, he watched so incessantly that his -eyesight became injured and he could scarcely see at all. - -At last one night as he sat upon the deck of the ship he was quite -sure that a faint light glimmered for a few moments in the distant -darkness ahead. Where there is a light there must be land, he -thought. Still he was not sure, as his eyesight had become so dim. -So he called one of the more faithful sailors to him and asked him -what he saw. The sailor exclaimed: - -"A light, a light!" - -Another sailor was called, but by this time the light had disappeared -and the sailor saw nothing, and Columbus' hopes again sank. Still -he felt they must be nearing land. About two o'clock that night -the commander of one of the other boats started the cry: - -"Land! land ahead!" - -You can well imagine how the shout was taken up, and how the sailors, -one and all, rushed to the edge of their ships, leaning far over, -no doubt, and straining their eyes for the almost unhoped-for sight. - -Early the next morning some one of the sailors picked up a branch -of a strange tree, lodged in the midst of which was a tiny bird's -nest. This was sure evidence that they were indeed near land; for -branches of trees do not grow in water, - -Little by little the land came in sight. First it looked like a dim -ghost of a shore, but gradually it grew distinct and clear. About -noon the next day the keel of Columbus' boat grounded upon the sand -of the newly discovered country. No white man had ever before set -eyes upon it. No ship had ever before touched this coast. - -At last after a long life of working and studying, of hoping -and planning, of trying and failing, and trying yet again, he had -realized his dream. - -The great mystery of the ocean was revealed, and Columbus had -achieved a glory which would last as long as the world lasted. _He -had given a new world to mankind!_ He had reached the far distant -country across the ocean, which scarcely any of his countrymen had -even believed to have any existence. He now _knew_ that the whole -round world could in time have the Christian religion. - -He sprang upon the shore, and dropping on his knees he first stooped -and kissed the ground, and then he offered a fervent prayer of -thanks to God. - -A learned attorney who had come with him across the water next -planted the flag of Spain upon the unknown land, and claimed the -newly discovered country in the name of King Ferdinand and Queen -Isabella of Spain. - -Wonderful, wonderful indeed were the things which Columbus and the -sailors now saw! Strange naked men and women of a copper, or bronze -color, strange new birds with gorgeous tails that glittered like -gems such as they had never seen before; beautiful and unknown -fruits and flowers met their gaze on every side. - -The savages were kind and gentle and brought them food and water. -They had little else to offer as they had no houses, nor streets, -nor carriages, nor cars, nor conveniences of any kind. Do you know, -my dear children, that this strange, wild savage country which -Columbus had traveled so far and so long to discover was _our -country, America?_ - -But it was not long after Columbus had gone back to Europe and told -the people there of the wonderful things which he had seen in this -far, far away land that ship-loads of white people, who were educated -and who had been taught to love God and to keep His commandments, -came over and settled in this wild, new country. They plowed the -land and planted seed; they built houses for themselves, their -wives, and little ones, and in time they made school-houses for -the children, and churches in which to worship God. Long and hard -was the struggle which these first white men had to make in this -strange, new country. - -Year after year more and more white men came. These new settlers -prospered, and new towns were built, and roads were made from one -town to another, and stores and manufactories began to be seen. - -At last the little handful of people had grown so strong that they -established a government of their own, which welcomed all newcomers, -providing they were law-abiding citizens. The poor and oppressed, -the persecuted and discouraged in other lands came to this new shore, -where they found wealth if they were willing to work for it. - -Here they need no longer fear the persecutions from which they had -suffered. Here they gained new hope and became honored and respected -citizens. - -Little by little the small country grew into a great nation, the -greatest on earth, because it is the freest, and each citizen in -it has his rights respected. But for the courage and determination -and self-sacrifice of Columbus this great new world might have -remained for hundreds of years unknown to men. - -Four hundred years afterwards the children of the children's children -of these early settlers, had a grand celebration in honor of the -brave old man, Christopher Columbus, whom the people of his day -called crazy, and all the nations of the earth were invited to -bring their most beautiful, their richest and rarest products to -this celebration, in order that not we of America alone, but _the -whole world might celebrate the wisdom and the courage of the great -Columbus, "the finder of America."_ - -In the rejoicing and in the celebration the nations did not forget the -good Queen Isabella, who was willing to give up her most precious -jewels in order that she might help Columbus in his voyage of -discovery. - - - - -A SEA-FIGHT IN THE TIME OF QUEEN BESS - -By Charles Kingsley - - - -When the sun leaped up the next morning, and the tropic night -flashed suddenly into the tropic day, Amyas was pacing the deck, -with dishevelled hair and torn clothes, his eyes red with rage -and weeping, his heart full--how can I describe it? Picture it -to yourselves, picture it to yourselves, you who have ever lost a -brother; and you who have not, thank God that you know nothing of -his agony. Full of impossible projects, he strode and staggered -up and down, as the ship thrashed close-hauled through the rolling -seas. He would go back and burn the villa. He would take Guayra, -and have the life of every man in it in return for his brother's. -"We can do it, lads!" he shouted. "If Drake took Nombre de Dios, -we can take La Guayra." And every voice shouted, "Yes." - -"We will have it, Amyas, and have Frank too, yet," cried Cary; but -Amyas shook his head. He knew, and knew not why he knew, that all -the ports in New Spain would never restore to him that one beloved -face. - -"Yes, he shall be well avenged. And look there! There is the first -crop of our vengeance." And he pointed toward the shore, where -between them and the now distant peaks of the Silla three sails -appeared, not five miles to windward. - -"There are the Spanish bloodhounds on our heels, the same ships -which we saw yesterday off Guayra. Back, lads, and welcome them, -if they were a dozen." - -There was a murmur of applause from all around; and if any young -heart sank for a moment at the prospect of fighting three ships -at once, it was awed into silence by the cheer which rose from all -the older men, and by Salvation Yeo's stentorian voice: - -"If there were a dozen, the Lord is with us, who has said, 'One of -you shall chase a thousand.' Clear away, lads, and see the glory -of the Lord this day." - -"Amen!" cried Gary; and the ship was kept still closer to the wind. - -Amyas had revived at the sight of battle. He no longer felt his -wounds, or his great sorrow; even Frank's last angel's look grew -dimmer every moment as he bustled about the deck; and ere a quarter -of an hour had passed, his voice cried firmly and cheerfully as of -old: - -"Now, my masters, let us serve God, and then to breakfast, and -after that clear for action." - -Jack Brimblecombe read the daily prayers, and the prayers before a -fight at sea, and his honest voice trembled as, in the Prayer for -all Conditions of Men (in spite of Amyas' despair), he added, "and -especially for our dear brother Mr. Francis Leigh, perhaps captive -among the idolaters;" and so they rose. - -"Now, then," said Amyas, "to breakfast. A Frenchman fights best -fasting, a Dutchman drunk, an Englishman full, and a Spaniard when -the devil is in him, and that's always." - -"And good beef and the good cause are a match for the devil," said -Cary. "Come down, captain; you must eat too." - -Amyas shook his head, took the tiller from the steersman, and bade -him go below and fill himself. Will Cary went down, and returned -in five minutes, with a plate of bread and beef, and a great jack -of ale, coaxed them down Amyas' throat, as a nurse does with a -child, and then scuttled below again with tears hopping down his -face. - -Amyas stood still steering. His face was grown seven years older -in the last night. A terrible set calm was on him. Woe to the man -who came across him that day! - -"There are three of them, you see, my masters," said he, as the crew -came on deck again. "A big ship forward, and two galleys astern of -her. The big ship may keep; she is a race ship, and if we can but -recover the wind of her, we will see whether our height is not -a match for her length. We must give her the slip, and take the -galleys first." - -"I thank the Lord," said Yeo, "who has given so wise a heart to -so young a general; a very David and Daniel, saving his presence, -lads; and if any dare not follow him, let him be as the men of -Meroz and Succoth. Amen! Silas Stavely, smite me that boy over the -head, the young monkey; why is he not down at the powder-room door?" - -And Yeo went about his gunnery, as one who knew how to do it, and -had the most terrible mind to do it thoroughly, and the most terrible -faith that it was God's work. - -So all fell to; and though there was comparatively little to -be done, the ship having been kept as far as could be in fighting -order all night, yet there was "clearing the decks, lacing the -nettings, making of bulwarks, fitting of waist-cloths, arming of -tops, tallowing of pikes, slinging of yards, doubling of sheets -and tacks," enough to satisfy even the pedantical soul of Richard -Hawkins himself. - -Amyas took charge of the poop, Gary of the forecastle, and Yeo, as -gunner, of the main deck, while Drew, as master, settled himself -in the waist; and all was ready, and more than ready, before the -great ship was within two miles of them. - -And now, while the mastiffs of England and the bloodhounds of Spain -are nearing and nearing over the rolling surges, thirsting for each -other's blood, let us spend a few minutes at least in looking at -them both, and considering the causes which in those days enabled -the English to face and conquer armaments immensely superior in -size and number of ships, and to boast that in the whole Spanish -war but one queen's ship, the _Revenge_, and (if I recollect right) -but one private man-of-war, Sir Richard Hawkins' _Dainty_, had ever -struck their colors to the enemy. - -What was it which enabled Sir Richard Grenvil's _Revenge_, in his -last fearful fight off the Azores, to endure, for twelve hours -before she struck, the attack of eight Spanish armadas, of which -two (three times her own burden) sank at her side; and after all -her masts were gone, and she had been boarded three times without -success, to defy to the last the whole fleet of fifty-four sail, -which lay around, her, waiting for her to sink, "like dogs around -the dying forest king?" - -What was it that enabled young Richard Hawkins' _Dainty_, though -half her guns were useless through the carelessness or treachery -of the gunner, to maintain for three days a running fight with two -Spaniards of equal size with her, double weight of metal, and ten -times the number of men? - -What enabled Sir George Gary's illustrious ship, the _Content_, -to fight single-handed, from seven in the morning till eleven at -night, with four great armadas and two galleys, though her heaviest -gun was but one nine-pounder, and for many hours she had but thirteen -men fit for service? - -What enabled, in the very year of which I write, those two valiant -Turkey merchantmen of London, the _Merchant Royal_ and the _Tobie_, -with their three small consorts, to cripple, off Pantellaria in the -Mediterranean, the whole fleet of Spanish galleys sent to intercept -them, and return triumphant through the Straits of Gibraltar? - -And lastly, what in the fight of 1588, whereof more hereafter, -enabled the English fleet to capture, destroy, and scatter that -Great Armada, with the loss (but not the capture) of one pinnace, -and one gentleman of note? - -There were more causes than one: the first seems to have lain in -the build of the English ships; the second in their superior gunnery -and weight of metal; the third (without which the first would have -been useless) in the hearts of the English men. - -The English ship was much shorter than the Spanish; and this (with -the rig of those days) gave them an ease in manoeuvring, which -utterly confounded their Spanish foes. "The English ships in the -fight of 1588," says Camden, "charged the enemy with marvellous -agility, and having discharged their broadsides, flew forth presently -into the deep, and levelled their shot directly, without missing, -at those great ships of the Spaniards, which were altogether heavy -and unwieldy." Moreover, the Spanish fashion, in the West Indies -at least, though not in the ships of the Great Armada, was, for -the sake of carrying merchandise, to build their men-of-war flush -decked, or as it was called "race" (razés), which left those on -deck exposed and open; while the English fashion was to heighten -the ship as much as possible at stem and stern, both by the sweep -of her lines, and also by stockades ("close fights and cage-works") -on the poop and forecastle, thus giving to the men a shelter, which -was further increased by strong bulkheads ("co-bridgeheads") across -the main-deck below, dividing the ship thus into a number of separate -forts, fitted with swivels ("bases, fowlers and murderers") and -loopholed for musketry and arrows. - -But the great source of superiority was, after all, in the men -themselves. The English sailor was then, as now, a quite amphibious -and all-cunning animal, capable of turning his hand to everything, -from needlework and carpentry to gunnery or hand-to-hand blows; -and he was, moreover, one of a nation, every citizen of which was -not merely permitted to carry arms, but compelled by law to practice -from childhood the use of the bow, and accustomed to consider -sword-play and quarter-staff as a necessary part and parcel -of education, and the pastime of every leisure hour. The "fiercest -nation upon earth," as they were then called, and the freest -also, each man of them fought for himself with the self-help and -self-respect of a Yankee ranger, and once bidden to do his work, -was trusted to carry it out by his own wit as best he could. In -one word, he was a free man. - -The English officers, too, as now, lived on terms of sympathy with -their men unknown to the Spaniards, who raised between the commander -and the commanded absurd barriers of rank and blood, which forbade -to his pride any labor but that of fighting. The English officers, -on the other hand, brought up to the same athletic sports, the -same martial exercise, as their men, were not ashamed to care for -them, to win their friendship, even on emergency to consult their -judgment; and used their rank, not to differ from their men, -but to outvie them; not merely to command and be obeyed, but like -Homer's heroes, or the old Norse vikings, to lead and be followed. -Drake touched the true mainspring of English success when he once -(in his voyage round the world) indignantly rebuked some coxcomb -gentleman-adventurers with, "I should like to see the gentleman that -will refuse to set his hand to a rope. I must have the gentlemen -to hale and draw with the mariners." But those were days in which -her Majesty's service was as little overridden by absurd rules of -seniority as by that etiquette which is at once the counterfeit and -the ruin of true discipline. Under Elizabeth and her ministers, a -brave and a shrewd man was certain of promotion, let his rank or -his age be what they might; the true honor of knighthood covered -once and for all any lowliness of birth; and the merchant service -(in which all the best sea-captains, even those of noble blood, -were more or less engaged) was then a nursery, not only for seamen, -but for warriors, in days when Spanish and Portuguese traders -(whenever they had a chance) got rid of English competition by -salvoes of cannon-shot. - -Hence, as I have said, that strong fellow-feeling between officers -and men; and hence mutinies (as Sir Richard Hawkins tells us) were -all but unknown in the English ships, while in the Spanish they broke -out on every slight occasion. For the Spaniards, by some suicidal -pedantry, had allowed their navy to be crippled by the same -despotism, etiquette, and official routine by which the whole nation -was gradually frozen to death in the course of the next century -or two; forgetting that, fifty years before, Cortez, Pizarro, and -the early conquistadores of America had achieved their miraculous -triumphs on the exactly opposite methods; by that very fellow-feeling -between commander and commanded by which the English were now -conquering them in their turn. - -Their navy was organized on a plan complete enough; but on one -which was, as the event proved, utterly fatal to their prowess -and unanimity, and which made even their courage and honor useless -against the assaults of free men. "They do, in their armadas at sea, -divide themselves into three bodies; to wit, soldiers, mariners, and -gunners. The soldiers and officers watch and ward as if on shore; -and this is the only duty they undergo, except cleaning their -arms, wherein they are not over curious. The gunners are exempted -from all labor and care, except about the artillery; and these are -either Almaines, Flemings, or strangers; for the Spaniards are but -indifferently practiced in this art. The mariners are but as slaves -to the rest, to moil and to toil day and night; and those but few -and bad, and not suffered to sleep or harbor under the decks. For -in fair or foul weather, in storms, sun, or rain, they must pass -void of covert or succor." - -This is the account of one who was long prisoner on board their -ships; let it explain itself, while I return to my tale. For the -great ship is now within two musket-shots of the _Rose_, with the -golden flag of Spain floating at her poop; and her trumpets are -shouting defiance up the breeze, from a dozen brazen throats, which -two or three answer lustily from the _Rose_, from whose poop flies -the flag of England, and from her fore the arms of Leigh and Cary -side by side, and over them the ship and bridge of the good town -of Bideford. And then Amyas calls: - -"Now, silence trumpets, waits, play up! 'Fortune my foe!' and God -and the Queen be with us!" - -Whereon (laugh not, reader, for it was a fashion of those musical -as well as valiant days) up rose that noble old favorite of good -Queen Bess, from cornet and sackbut, fife and drum; while Parson -Jack, who had taken his stand with the musicians on the poop, worked -away lustily at his violin. - -"Well played, Jack; thy elbow flies like a lamb's tail," said Amyas, -forcing a jest. - -"It shall fly to a better fiddle-bow presently, sir, if I have the -luck--" - -"Steady, helm!" said Amyas. "What is he after now?" - -The Spaniard, who had been coming upon them right down the wind -under a press of sail, took in his light canvas. - -"He don't know what to make of our waiting for him so bold," said -the helmsman. - -"He does, though, and means to fight us," cried another. "See, he -is hauling up the foot of his mainsail; but he wants to keep the -wind of us." - -"Let him try, then," quoth Amyas. "Keep her closer still. Let no -one fire till we are about. Man the starboard guns; to starboard, -and wait, all small-arm men. Pass the order down to the gunner, -and bid all fire high, and take the rigging." - -Bang went one of the Spaniard's bow guns, and the shot went wide. -Then another and another, while the men fidgeted about, looking at -the priming of their muskets, and loosened arrows in the sheaf. - -"Lie down, men, and sing a psalm. When I want you, I'll call you. -Closer still, if you can, helmsman, and we will try a short ship -against a long one. We can sail two points nearer the wind than -he." - -As Amyas had calculated, the Spaniard would gladly enough have stood -across the _Rose's_ bows, but knowing the English readiness, dare -not for fear of being raked; so her only plan, if she did not -intend to shoot past her foe down to leeward, was to put her head -close to the wind, and wait for her on the same tack. - -Amyas laughed to himself. "Hold on yet awhile. More ways of killing -a cat than choking her with cream. Drew, there, are your men ready?" - -"Ay, ay, sir!" and on they went, closing fast with the Spaniard, -till within a pistol-shot. - -"Ready about!" and about she went like an eel, and ran upon -the opposite tack right under the Spaniard's stern. The Spaniard, -astounded at the quickness of the manoeuvre, hesitated a moment, -and then tried to get about also, as his only chance; but it was -too late, and while his lumbering length was still hanging in the -wind's eye, Amyas' bowsprit had all but scraped his quarter, and -the _Rose_ passed slowly across his stern at ten yards' distance. - -"Now, then!" roared Amyas. "Fire, and with a will! Have at -her--archers, have at her, muskets all!" and in an instant a storm -of bar and chainshot, round and canister, swept the proud Don -from stem to stern, while through the white cloud of smoke the -musket-balls, and the still deadlier clothyard arrows, whistled -and rushed upon their venomous errand. Down went the steersman, -and every soul who manned the poop. Down went the mizzen topmast, -in went the stern windows and quarter galleries; and as the smoke -cleared away, the gorgeous painting of the Madre Dolorosa, with -her heart full of seven swords, which, in a gilded frame, bedizened -the Spanish stern, was shivered in splinters; while, most glorious -of all, the golden flag of Spain, which the last moment flaunted -above their heads, hung trailing in the water. The ship, her tiller -shot away, and her helmsman killed, staggered helplessly a moment, -and then fell up into the wind. - -"Well done, men of Devon!" shouted Amyas, as cheers rent the welkin. - -"She has struck!" cried some, as the deafening hurrahs died away. - -"Not a bit," said Amyas. "Hold on, helmsman, and leave her to patch -her tackle while we settle the galleys." - -On they shot merrily, and long ere the armada could get herself -to rights again, were two good miles to windward, with the galleys -sweeping down fast upon them. - -And two venomous-looking craft they were, as they shot through the -short chopping sea upon some forty oars apiece, stretching their -long sword-fish snouts over the water, as if snuffing for their prey. -Behind this long snout, a strong square forecastle was crammed with -soldiers, and the muzzles of cannon grinned out through port-holes, -not only in the sides of the forecastle, but forward in the line -of the galley's course, thus enabling her to keep up a continual -fire on a ship right ahead. - -The long low waist was packed full of the slaves, some five or -six to each oar, and down the centre, between the two banks, the -English could see the slave-drivers walking up and down a long -gangway, whip in hand. A raised quarter-deck at the stern held -more soldiers, the sunlight flashing merrily upon their armor and -their gun-barrels; as they neared, the English could hear plainly -the cracks of the whips, and the yells as of wild beasts which -answered them; the roll and rattle of oars, and the loud "Ha!" of -the slaves which accompanied every stroke, and the oaths and curses -of the drivers; while a sickening musky smell, as of a pack of -kennelled hounds, came down the wind from off those dens of misery. -No wonder if many a young heart shuddered as it faced, for the first -time, the horrible reality of those floating hells, the cruelties -whereof had rung so often in the English ears, from the stories -of their own countrymen, who had passed them, fought them, and now -and then passed years of misery on board of them. Who knew but what -there might be English among those sun-browned, half-naked masses -of panting wretches? - -"Must we fire upon the slaves?" asked more than one, as the thought -crossed him. - -Amyas sighed. - -"Spare them all you can, in God's name; but if they try to run us -down, rake them we must, and God forgive us." - -The two galleys came on abreast of each other, some forty yards -apart. To out-manoeuvre their oars as he had done the ship's sails, -Amyas knew was impossible. To run from them, was to be caught -between them and the ship. - -He made up his mind, as usual, to the desperate game. - -"Lay her head upon the wind, helmsman, and we will wait for them." - -They were now within musket-shot, and opened fire from their -bow-guns; but, owing to the chopping sea, their aim was wild. Amyas, -as usual, withheld his fire. - -The men stood at quarters with compressed lips, not knowing what -was to come next. Amyas, towering motionless on the quarter-deck, -gave orders calmly and decisively. The men saw that he trusted -himself, and trusted him accordingly. - -The Spaniards, seeing him wait for them, gave a shout of joy--was -the Englishman mad? And the two galleys converged rapidly, intending -to strike him full, one on each bow. - -They were within forty yards--another minute, and the shock would -come. - -The Englishman's helm went up, his yards creaked round, and gathering -way he plunged upon the larboard galley. - -"A dozen gold nobles to him who brings down the steersman!" shouted -Carey, who had his cue. - -And a flight of arrows from the forecastle rattled upon the galley's -quarter-deck. - -Hit or not hit, the steersman lost his nerve, and shrank from the -coming shock. The galley's helm went up to port, and her beak slid -all but harmless along Amyas' bow; a long dull grind, and then -loud crack on crack, as the _Rose_ sawed slowly through the bank -of oars from stem to stern, hurling the wretched slaves in heaps -upon each other; and ere her mate on the other side could swing -round, to strike him in his new position, Amyas' whole broadside, -great and small, had been poured into her at pistol-shot, answered -by a yell which rent their ears and hearts. - -"Spare the slaves! Fire at the soldiers!" cried Amyas; but the -work was too hot for much discrimination, for the larboard galley, -crippled but not undaunted, swung round across his stern, and hooked -herself venomously on to him. - -It was a move more brave than wise; for it prevented the other -galley from returning to the attack without exposing herself a -second time to the English broadside; and a desperate attempt of -the Spaniards to board at once through the stern ports, and up the -quarter, was met with such a demurrer of shot and steel that they -found themselves in three minutes again upon the galley's poop, -accompanied, to their intense disgust, by Amyas Leigh and twenty -English swords. - -Five minutes' hard cutting, hand to hand, and the poop was clear. -The soldiers in the forecastle had been able to give them no assistance, -open as they lay to the arrows and musketry from the _Rose's_ lofty -stern. Amyas rushed along the central gangway, shouting in Spanish, -"Freedom to the slaves! death to the masters!" clambered into the -forecastle, followed close by his swarm of wasps, and set them so -good an example how to use their stings, that in three minutes more -there was not a Spaniard on board who was not dead or dying. - -"Let the slaves free!" shouted he. "Throw us a hammer down, men. -Hark! there's an English voice!" There is indeed. From amid the -wreck of broken oars and writhing limbs, a voice is shrieking in -broadest Devon to the master, who is looking over the side: - -"Oh, Robert Drew! Robert Drew! Come down and take me out of hell!" - -"Who be you, in the name of the Lord?" - -"Don't you mind William Prust, that Captain Hawkins left behind in -the Honduras, years and years agone? There's nine of us aboard, if -your shot hasn't put 'em out of their misery. Come down--if you've -a Christian heart, come down!" - -Utterly forgetful of all discipline, Drew leaps down, hammer in -hand, and the two old comrades rush into each other's arms. - -Why make a long story of what took but five minutes to do? The nine -men (luckily none of them wounded) are freed, and helped on board, -to be hugged and kissed by all comrades and young kinsmen; while -the remaining slaves, furnished with a couple of hammers, are told -to free themselves and help the English. The wretches answered by -a shout; and Amyas, once more safe on board again, dashes after -the other galley, which has been hovering out of reach of his guns; -but there is no need to trouble himself about her; sickened with -what she has got, she is struggling right up wind, leaning over to -one side, and seemingly ready to sink. - -"Are there any English on board of her?" asked Amyas, loth to lose -the chance of freeing a countryman. - -"Never a one, sir, thank God." - -So they set to work to repair damages; while the liberated slaves, -having shifted some of the galley's oars, pull away after their -comrade; and that with such a will, that in ten minutes they have -caught her up, and careless of the Spaniard's fire, boarded her en -masse, with yells as of a thousand wolves. There will be fearful -vengeance taken on those tyrants, unless they play the man this -day. - -And in the meanwhile half the crew are clothing, feeding, questioning, -caressing those nine poor fellows thus snatched from living death; -and Yeo, hearing the news, has rushed up on deck to welcome his -old comrades, and: - -"Is Michael Heard, my cousin, here among you?" - -Yes, Michael Heard is there, white-headed rather from misery than -age; and the embracings and questionings begin afresh. - -"Where is my wife, Salvation Yeo?" - -"With the Lord." - -"Amen!" says the old man, with a short shudder. - -"I thought so much; and my two boys?" - -"With the Lord." - -The old man catches Yeo by the arm. - -"How, then?" It is Yeo's turn to shudder now. - -"Killed in Panama, fighting the Spaniards; sailing with Mr. Oxenham; -and 'twas I led 'em into it. May God and you forgive me!" - -"They couldn't die better, Cousin Yeo. Where's my girl Grace?" - -"Dead." - -The old man covers his face with his hands for a while. "Well, I've -been alone with the Lord these fifteen years, so I must not whine -at being alone a while longer--it won't be long." - -"Put this coat on your back, uncle," says some one. - -"No; no coats for me. You'd better go to your work, lads, or the -big one will have the wind of you yet." - -"So she will," said Amyas, who has overheard; but so great is the -curiosity on all hands, that he has some trouble in getting the -men to quarters again; indeed, they only go on condition of parting -among themselves the new-comers, each to tell his sad and strange -story. How after Captain Hawkins, constrained by famine, had put -them ashore, they wandered in misery till the Spaniards took them; -how, instead of hanging them (as they at first intended), the Dons -fed and clothed them, and allotted them as servants to various -gentlemen about Mexico, where they throve, turned their hands -(like true sailors) to all manner of trades, and made much money, -and some of them were married, even to women of wealth; so that -all went well, until the fatal year 1574, when, "much against the -minds of many of the Spaniards themselves, that cruel and bloody -Inquisition was established for the first time in the Indies"; and -how, from that moment, their lives were one long tragedy. - -The history even of their party was not likely to improve the good -feeling of the crew toward the Spanish ship which was two miles -to leeward of them, and which must be fought with, or fled from, -before a quarter of an hour was past. So, kneeling down upon the -deck, as many a brave crew in those days did in like case, they -"gave God thanks devoutly for the favor they had found"; and then -with one accord, at Jack's leading, sang one and all the ninety-fourth -Psalm: - - - - "O, Lord, Thou dost revenge all wrong, - Vengeance belongs to Thee," etc. - - - -And then again to quarters; for half the day's work, or more than -half, still remained to be done; and hardly were the decks cleared -afresh, and the damage repaired as best it could be, when she came -ranging up to leeward, as closehauled as she could. She was, as -I said, a long flush-decked ship of full five hundred tons, more -than double the size, in fact, of the _Rose_, though not so lofty -in proportion; and many a bold heart beat loud, and no, shame to -them, as she began firing away merrily,, determined, as all well -knew, to wipe out in English blood the disgrace of her late foil. - -"Never mind, my merry masters," said Amyas, "she has quantity and -we quality." - -"That's true," said one, "for one honest man is worth two rogues." - -"And one of our guns, three of theirs," said another. "So when -you will, captain, and have at her." - -"Let her come abreast of us, and don't burn powder. We have the -wind, and can do what we like with her. Serve the men out a horn -of ale all round, steward, and all take your time." - -So they waited for five minutes more, and then set to work quietly, -after the fashion of English mastiffs, though they waxed right mad -before three rounds were fired, and the white splinters began to -crackle and fly. - -Amyas, having, as he had said, the wind, and being able to go nearer -it than the Spaniard, kept his place at easy point-blank range for -his two eighteen-pounder guns, which Yeo and his mate worked with -terrible effect. - -"We are lacking her through and through every shot," said he. -"Leave the small ordnance alone yet awhile, and we shall sink her -without them." - -"Whing, whing," went the Spaniard's shot like so many humming-tops, -through the rigging far above their heads; for the ill-constructed -ports of those days prevented the guns from hulling an enemy who -was to windward, unless close alongside. - - -"Blow, jolly breeze," cried one, "and lay the Don over all thou -canst. What's the matter aloft there?" - -Alas! a crack, a flap, a rattle; and blank dismay! An unlucky shot -had cut the foremast in two, and all forward was a mass of dangling -wreck. - -"Forward, and cut away the wreck!" said Amyas, unmoved. "Small-arm -men, be ready. He will be aboard of us in five minutes!" - -It was too true. The _Rose_, unmanageable from the loss of her -head-sail, lay at the mercy of the Spaniard; and the archers and -musketeers had hardly time to range themselves to leeward, when -the _Madre Dolorosa's_ chains were grinding against the _Rose's_, -and grapples tossed on board from stem to stern. - -"Don't cut them loose!" roared Amyas. "Let them stay and see the -fun! Now, dogs of Devon, show your teeth, and hurrah for God and -the Queen!" - -And then began a fight most fierce and fell; the Spaniards, -according to their fashion, attempted to board, the English, amid -fierce shouts of "God and the Queen!" "God and St. George for -England!" sweeping them back by showers of arrows and musket balls, -thrusting them down with pikes, hurling grenades from the tops; -while the swivels on both sides poured their grape, and bar, and -chain, and the great main-deck guns, thundering muzzle to muzzle, -made both ships quiver and recoil, as they smashed the round shot -through and through each other. - -So they roared and flashed, fast clenched to each other under a -cloud of smoke beneath the cloudless tropic sky; while all around, -the dolphins gamboled, and the flying-fish shot on from swell to -swell, and the rainbow-hued jellies opened and shut their cups of -living crystal to the sun, as merrily as if nothing had happened. - -So it raged for an hour or more, till all arms were weary, and -all tongues clove to the mouth. Sick men scrambled up on deck and -fought with the strength of madness; and tiny powder-boys, handing -up cartridges from the hold, laughed and cheered as the shots ran -past their ears; and old Salvation Yeo, a text upon his lips, and -a fury in his heart as of Joshua or Elijah in old time, worked on, -calm and grim, but with the energy of a boy at play. And now and -then an opening in the smoke showed the Spanish captain, in his -suit of black steel armor, standing cool and proud, guiding and -pointing, careless of the iron hail, but too lofty a gentleman to -soil his glove with aught but a knightly sword-hilt; while Amyas -and Will, after the fashion of the English gentlemen, had stripped -themselves nearly as bare as their own sailors, and were cheering, -thrusting, hewing, and hauling, here, there, and everywhere, like -any common mariner, and filling them with a spirit of self-respect, -fellow-feeling, and personal daring, which the discipline of the -Spaniards, more perfect mechanically, but cold and tyrannous, and -crushing spiritually, never could bestow. The black-plumed senor -was obeyed; but the golden locked Amyas was followed; and would -have been followed to the end of the world. - -The Spaniards, ere five minutes had passed, poured into the _Rose's_ -waist, but only to their destruction. Between the poop and forecastle -(as was then in fashion) the upper deck beams were left open and -unplanked, with the exception of a narrow gangway on either side; -and off that fatal ledge the boarders, thrust on by those behind, -fell headlong between the beams to the maindeck below to be slaughtered -helpless in that pit of destruction, by the double fire from the -bulkheads fore and aft; while the few who kept their footing on -the gangway, after vain attempts to force the stockades on poop -and forecastle, leaped overboard again amid a shower of shot and -arrows. The fire of the English was as steady as it was quick; and -though three-fourths of the crew had never smelled powder before, -they proved well the truth of the old chronicler's saying (since -proved again more gloriously than ever at Alma, Balaklava, and -Inkermann), that "the English never fight better than in their -first battle." - -Thrice the Spaniards clambered on board; and thrice surged back -before that deadly hail. The deck on both sides were very shambles; -and Jack Brimblecombe, who had fought as long as his conscience -would allow him, found enough to do in carrying poor wretches to -the surgeon. At last there was a lull in that wild storm. No shot -was heard from the Spaniard's upper-deck. - -Amyas leaped into the mizzen rigging, and looked through the -smoke. Dead men he could descry through the blinding veil, rolled -in heaps, laid flat; dead men and dying; but no man upon his feet. -The last volley had swept the deck clear; one by one had dropped -below to escape that fiery shower: and alone at the helm, grinding -his teeth with rage, his mustachios curling up to his very eyes, -stood the Spanish captain. - -Now was the moment for a counter-stroke. Amyas shouted for the -boarders, and in two minutes more he was over the side, and clutching -at the Spaniard's mizzen rigging. - -What was this? The distance between him and the enemy's side was -widening. Was she sheering off? Yes--and rising too, growing bodily -higher every moment, as if by magic. Amyas looked up in astonishment -and saw what it was. The Spaniard was keeling fast over to leeward -away from him. Her masts were all sloping forward, swifter and -swifter--the end was come then! - -"Back! in God's name back, men! She is sinking by the head!" - -And with much ado some were dragged back, some leaped back--all -but old Michael Heard. - -With hair and beard floating in the wind, the bronzed naked figure, -like some weird old Indian fakir, still climbed on steadfastly up -the mizzen-chains of the Spaniard, hatchet in hand. - -"Come back, Michael! Leap while you may!" shouted a dozen voices. -Michael turned: - -"And what should I come back for, then, to go home where no one -knoweth me? I'll die like an Englishman this day, or I'll know the -reason why!" and turning, he sprang in over the bulwarks, as the -huge ship rolled up more and more, like a dying whale, exposing -all her long black bulk almost down to the keel, and one of her -lower-deck guns, as if in defiance, exploded upright into the air, -hurling the ball to the very heavens. - -In an instant it was answered from the _Rose_ by a column of -smoke, and the eighteen-pound ball crashed through the bottom of -the defenceless Spaniard. - -"Who fired? Shame to fire on a sinking ship!" - -"Gunner Yeo, sir," shouted a voice up from the maindeck. "He's like -a madman down here." - -"Tell him if he fires again, I'll put him in irons, if he were my -own brother. Cut away the grapples aloft, men. Don't you see how -she drags us over? Cut away, or we shall sink with her." - -They cut away, and the _Rose_, released from the strain, shook her -feathers on the wave-crest like a freed sea-gull, while all men -held their breath. - -Suddenly the glorious creature righted herself, and rose again, as -if in noble shame, for one last struggle with her doom. Her bows -were deep in the water, but her afterdeck still dry. Righted: but -only for a moment, long enough to let her crew come pouring wildly -up on deck, with cries and prayers, and rush aft to the poop, where, -under the flag of Spain, stood the tall captain, his left hand on -the standard-staff, his sword pointed in his right. - -"Back, men!" they heard him cry, "and die like valiant mariners." - -Some of them ran to the bulwarks, and shouted "Mercy! We surrender!" -and the English broke into a cheer and called to them to run her -alongside. - -"Silence!" shouted Amyas. "I take no surrender from mutineers. -Señor," cried he to the captain, springing into the rigging and -taking off his hat, "for the love of God and these men, strike! -and surrender _á buena querra_." - -The Spaniard lifted his hat and bowed courteously, and answered, -"Impossible, señor. No _querra_ is good which stains my honor." - -"God have mercy on you, then!" - -"Amen!" said the Spaniard, crossing himself. - -She gave one awful lunge forward, and dived under the coming swell, -hurling her crew into the eddies. Nothing but the point of her poop -remained, and there stood the stern and steadfast Don, cap-à-pie -in his glistening black armor, immovable as a man of iron, while -over him the flag, which claimed the empire of both worlds, flaunted -its gold aloft and upward in the glare of the tropic noon. - -"He shall not carry that flag with him! I will have it yet, if I die -for it!" said Will Gary, and rushed to the side to leap overboard, -but Amyas stopped him. - -"Let him die as he has lived, with honor." A wild figure sprang out -of the mass of sailors who struggled and shrieked amid the foam, -and rushed upward at the Spaniard. It was Michael Heard. The Don, -who stood above him, plunged his sword into the old man's body: -but the hatchet gleamed, nevertheless: down went the blade through -headpiece and through head; and as Heard sprang onward, bleeding, -but alive, the steel-clad corpse rattled down the deck into the -surge. Two more strokes, struck with the fury of a dying man, and -the standard-staff was hewn through. Old Michael collected all -his strength, hurled the flag far from the sinking ship, and then -stood erect one moment and shouted, "God save Queen Bess!" and the -English answered with a "Hurrah!" which rent the welkin. - -Another moment and the gulf had swallowed his victim, and the -poop, and him; and nothing remained of the _Madre Dolorosa_ but a -few floating spars and struggling wretches, while a great awe fell -upon all men, and a solemn silence, broken only by the cry - - -"Of some strong swimmer in his agony." - - -And then, suddenly collecting themselves, as men awakened from a -dream, half-a-dozen desperate gallants, reckless of sharks and eddies, -leaped overboard, swam toward the flag, and towed it alongside in -triumph. - - - - -A BRAVE SCOTTISH CHIEF - -Anonymous - - - -This is the story of the life of Alexander Gordon of Earlstoun, -in the province of Galloway, Scotland. Earlstoun is a bonny place, -sitting above the waterside of the river Ken. The gray tower stands -ruinous and empty to-day, but once it was a pleasant dwelling, and -dear to the hearts of those who had dwelt in it, when they were -in foreign lands or hiding out on the wild wide moors. It was the -time when Charles II wished to compel the most part of the people -of Scotland to change their religion and worship as he bade them. -Some obeyed the king; but most hated the new order of things, and -cleaved in their hearts to their old ways and to their old ministers, -who had been put out of their churches and homes at the coming -of the king. Many even set themselves to resist the king in open -battle rather than obey him in the matter of their consciences. It -was only in this that they were rebellious, for many of them had -been active in bringing him again to the throne. - -Among those who thus went out to fight were William Gordon and his -son Alexander. William Gordon was a grave, courteous, and venerable -man, and his estate was one of the best in all Galloway. Like -nearly all the lairds in the south and west, he was strongly of the -Presbyterian party, and resolved to give up life and lands rather -than his principles. Now, the king was doubtless ill-advised, and -his councillors did not take the kindly or the wise way with the -people at this time; for a host of wild Highlanders had been turned -into the land, who plundered in cotter's and laird's hall without -much distinction between those that stood for the Covenants and -those that held for the king. So in the year 1679 Galloway was -very hot and angry, and many were ready to fight the king's forces -wherever they could be met with. - -So, hearing news of a revolt in the west, William Gordon rode away, -with many good riders at his back, to take his place in the ranks -of the rebels. His son Alexander, whose story we are to tell, was -there before him. The Covenanting army had gained one success in -Drumclog, which gave them some hope, but at Bothwell Bridge their -forces were utterly broken, largely through their own quarrels, by -the Duke of Monmouth and the disciplined troops of the government. - -Alexander Gordon had to flee from the field of Bothwell. He came -home to Earlstoun alone, for his father had been met about six miles -from the battle-field by a troop of horse, and as he refused to -surrender, he was slain there and buried in the parish of Glassford. - -Immediately after Bothwell, Alexander Gordon was compelled to go into -hiding with a price upon his head. Unlike his father, he was very -ready-witted, free with his tongue, even boisterous upon occasion, -and of very great bodily strength. These qualities stood him in -good stead during the long period of his wandering and when lying -in concealment among the hills. - -The day after Bothwell, he was passing through the town of Hamilton, -when he was recognized by an old retainer of the family. - -"Save us, Maister Alexander," said the man, who rememhered the -ancient kindnesses of his family, "do you not know that it is death -for you to be found here?" - -So saying he made his young master dismount, and carried away -all his horseman's gear and his arms, which he hid in a heap of -field-manure behind the house. Then he took Earlstoun to his own -house, and put upon him a long dress of his wife's. Hardly had -he been clean-shaven and arrayed in a clean white cap, when the -troopers came clattering into the town. They had heard that he and -some others of the prominent rebels had passed that way; and they -went from door to door, knocking and asking, "Saw ye anything of -Sandy Gordon of Earlstoun?" - -So going from house to house they came to the door of the ancient -Gordon retainer, and Earlstoun had hardly time to run to the corner -and begin to rock the cradle with his foot before the soldiers -came to ask the same question there. But they passed on without -suspicion, only saying one to the other as they went out, "My -certes, Billy, but yon was a sturdy hizzie!" - -After that there was nothing but the heather and the mountain cave -for Alexander Gordon for many a day. He had wealth of adventures, -travelling by night, hiding and sleeping by day. Sometimes he would -venture to the house of one who sympathized with the Covenanters, -only to find that the troopers were already in possession. Sometimes, -in utter weariness, he slept so long that when he awoke he would -find a party searching for him quite close at hand; then there was -nothing for it but to lie close like a hare in a covert till the -danger passed by. - -Once when he came to his own house of Earlstoun he was only an -hour or two there before the soldiers arrived to search for him. -His wife had hardly time to stow him in a secret recess behind the -ceiling of a room over the kitchen, in which place he abode several -days, having his meals passed to him from above, and breathing -through a crevice in the wall. - -After this misadventure he was sometimes in Galloway and sometimes -in Holland for three or four years. He might even have remained in -the Low Countries, but his services were so necessary to his party -in Scotland that he was repeatedly summoned to come over into -Galloway and the west to take up the work of organizing resistance -to the government. - -During most of the time the tower of Earlstoun was a barracks -of the soldiers, and it was only by watching his opportunity that -Alexander Gordon could come home to see his wife, and put his hand -upon his bairns' heads as they lay a-row in their cots. Yet come -he sometimes did, especially when the soldiers of the garrison -were away on duty in the more distant parts of Galloway. Then the -wanderer would steal indoors in the gloaming, soft-footed, like -a thief, into his own house, and sit talking with his wife and an -old retainer or two who were fit to be trusted with the secret. Yet -while he sat there, one was ever on the watch, and at the slightest -signs of king's men in the neighborhood Alexander Gordon rushed -out and ran to the great oak tree, which you may see to this day -standing in sadly diminished glory in front of the great house of -Earlstoun. - -Now it stands alone, all the trees of the forest having been cut -away from around it during the subsequent poverty which fell upon -the family. A rope ladder lay snugly concealed among the ivy that -clad the trunk of the tree. Up this Alexander Gordon climbed. When -he arrived at the top he pulled the ladder after him, and found -himself upon an ingeniously constructed platform built with a -shelter over it from the rain, high among the branchy tops of the -great oak. His faithful wife, Jean Hamilton, could make signals to -him out of one of the top windows of Earlstoun whether it was safe -for him to approach the house, or whether he had better remain hidden -among the leaves. If you go now to look for the tree, it is indeed -plain and easy to be seen. But though now so shorn and lonely, there -is no doubt that two hundred years ago it stood undistinguished -among a thousand others that thronged the woodland about the tower -of Earlstoun. - -Often, in order to give Alexander Gordon a false sense of security, -the garrison would be withdrawn for a week or two, and then in the -middle of some mirky night or early in the morning twilight the -house would be surrounded and the whole place ransacked in search -of its absent master. - -On one occasion, the man who came running along the narrow river -path from Dalry had hardly time to arouse Gordon before the dragoons -were heard clattering down through the wood from the high-road. -There was no time to gain the great oak in safety, where he had so -often hid in time of need. All Alexander Gordon could do was to put -on the rough jerkin of a laboring man, and set to cleaving firewood -in the courtyard with the scolding assistance of a maid-servant. -When the troopers entered to search for the master of the house, -they heard the maid vehemently "flyting" the great hulking lout -for his awkwardness, and threatening to "draw a stick across his -back" if he did not work to a better tune. - -The commander ordered him to drop his axe, and to point out the -different rooms and hiding-places about the castle. Alexander Gordon -did so with an air of indifference, as if hunting Whigs were much -the same to him as cleaving firewood. He did his duty with a stupid -unconcern which successfully imposed on the soldiers; and as soon -as they allowed him to go, he fell to his wood-chopping with the -same stolidity and rustic boorishness that had marked his conduct. - -Some of the officers came up to him and questioned him as to his -master's hiding-place in the woods. But as to this he gave them no -satisfaction. - -"My master," he said, "has no hiding-place that I know of. I always -find him here when I have occasion to seek for him, and that is -all I care about. But I am sure that if he thought you were seeking -him he would immediately show you, for that is ever his custom." - -This was one of the answers with a double meaning that were so much -in the fashion of the time and so characteristic of the people. - -On leaving, the commander of the troop said, "Ye are a stupid kindly -nowt, man. See that ye get no harm in such a rebel service." - -Sometimes, however, searching waxed so hot and close that Gordon -had to withdraw himself altogether out of Galloway and seek quieter -parts of the country. On one occasion he was speeding up the Water -of Æ when he found himself so weary that he was compelled to lie -down under a bush of heather and rest before proceeding on his -journey. It so chanced that a noted king's man, Dalyell of Glenæ, -was riding homeward over the moor. His horse started back in -astonishment, having nearly stumbled over the body of a sleeping -man. It was Alexander Gordon. Hearing the horse's feet, he leaped -up, and Dalyell called upon him to surrender. But that was no word -to say to a Gordon of Earlstoun. Gordon instantly drew his sword, -and, though unmounted, his lightness of foot on the heather and -moss more than counterbalanced the advantages of the horseman, and -the king's man found himself matched at all points; for the Laird -of Earlstoun was in his day a famous swordsman. - -Soon the Covenanter's sword seemed to wrap itself about Dalyell's -blade and sent it twirling high in the air. In a little while he -found himself lying on the heather at the mercy of the man whom he -had attacked. He asked for his life, and Alexander Gordon granted -it to him, making him promise by his honor as a gentleman that -whenever he had the fortune to approach a conventicle (church meeting) -he would retire, if he saw a white flag elevated in a particular -manner upon a flagstaff. This seemed but a little condition to -weigh against a man's life, and Dalyell agreed. - -Now, the cavalier was an exceedingly honorable man and valued his -spoken word. So on the occasion of a great conventicle at Mitchelslacks, -in the parish of Closeburn, he permitted a great field meeting to -disperse, drawing off his party in another direction, because the -signal streaming from a staff told him the man who had spared his -life was among the company of worshippers. - -After this, the white signal was frequently used in the neighborhood -over which Dalyell's jurisdiction extended, and to the great credit -of the cavalier it is recorded that on no single occasion did -he violate his plighted word, though he is said to have remarked -bitterly that the Whig with whom he fought must have been the -devil, "forever going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and -down in it." - -But Alexander Gordon was too great a man in the affairs of the -Praying Societies to escape altogether. He continually went and -came from Holland, and some of the letters that he wrote from that -country are still in existence. At last, in 1683, having received -many letters and valuable papers for delivery to people in refuge -in Holland, he went secretly to Newcastle, and agreed with the -master of a ship for his voyage to the Low Countries. But just -as the vessel was setting out from the mouth of the Tyne, it was -accidentally stopped. Some watchers for fugitives came on board, -and Earlstoun and his companion were challenged. Earlstoun, -fearing the taking of his papers, threw the box that contained them -overboard; but it floated, and was taken along with himself. - -Then began a long series of misfortunes for Alexander Gordon. He was -five times tried, twice threatened with torture--which he escaped, -in the judgment hall itself, by such an exhibition of his great -strength as terrified his judges. He simulated madness, foamed -at the mouth, and finally tore up the benches in order to attack -the judges with the fragments. He was sent first to the castle of -Edinburgh and afterward to the Bass (an island), "for a change of -air," as the record quaintly says. Finally, he was despatched to -Blackness Castle, where he remained close in hold till the revolution. - -Not till June 5, 1689, were his prison doors thrown open, but even -then Alexander Gordon would not go till he had obtained signed -documents from the governor and officials of his prison to the -effect that he had never altered any of his opinions in order to -gain privilege or release. - -Alexander Gordon returned to Earlstoun, and lived there quietly -far into the next century, taking his share in local and county -business with Grierson of Lag and others who had hunted him -for years-which is a strange thing to think on, but one also very -characteristic of those times. - -On account of his great strength and the power of his voice, he -was called "the Bull of Earlstoun," and it is said that when he -was rebuking his servants the bellowing of the Bull could plainly -be heard in Dalry, which is two miles away across hill and stream. - - - - -THE ADVENTURE OF GRIZEL COCHRANE - -By Arthur Quiller-Couch - - - -At Edinburgh, almost under the shadow of the spire of St. Giles's, -in the pavement between that old cathedral church and the County -Hall, the passer-by will mark the figure of a heart let into the -causeway, and know that he is standing on the "Heart of Midlothian," -[Footnote: The title of one of Sir Walter Scott's romances.] the -site of the old Tolbooth. That gloomy pile vanished in the autumn -of 1817; as Mr. Stevenson says, "the walls are now down in the -dust; there is no more _squalor carceris_ for merry debtors, no -more cage for the old acknowledged prison-breaker; but the sun and -the wind play freely over the foundations of the gaol;" this place, -"old in story and name-father to a noble book." The author of that -same "noble book" possessed himself of some memorials of the keep -he had rendered so famous, securing the stones of the gateway, and -the door with its ponderous fastenings to decorate the entrance of -his kitchen-court at Abbotsford. And this is all that is left. - -But in the summer and autumn of 1685 the Tolbooth held prisoners -enough, notwithstanding the many gloomy processions that were from -time to time walking to the axe and halter in the Grassmarket; and -in a narrow cell, late one August evening, two persons were sitting -of whom this story shall treat. These two were Sir John Cochrane, -of Ochiltree, and his daughter Grizel--here on the saddest of -errands, to visit her father in prison and help in his preparations -for death. - -For Sir John, a stout Whig, had been one of the leaders of Argyle's -insurrection; had been beaten with his troops by Lord Ross at -Muirdykes; had disbanded his handful of men, and fled for hiding to -the house of his uncle, Mr. Gavin Cochrane, of Craigmuir; had been -informed against by his uncle's wife, seized, taken to Edinburgh; -had been paraded, bound and bareheaded, through the streets by -the common executioner; and then on the 3d of July flung into the -Tolbooth to await his trial for high treason. And now the trial, -too, was over, and Sir John was condemned to die. - -As he now sat, with bowed head, on the bench of his cell, it was not -the stroke of death that terrified him--for Sir John was a brave -man--but the parting with his children, who would through his -rashness be left both orphaned and penniless (for the crown would -seize his goods), and chiefly the parting with his daughter, who -had been his one comfort in the dark days of waiting for the king's -warrant of execution to arrive. - -Between his apprehension and his trial no friend or kinsman had been -allowed to visit him; but now that his death was assured, greater -license had been granted. But, anxious to deprive his enemies of a -chance to accuse his sons, he had sent them his earnest entreaties -and commands that they should abstain from using this permission -until the night before his execution. They had obeyed; but obedience -of this sort did not satisfy the conscience of his daughter Grizel. -On the very night of his condemnation he heard the key turn in his -door; thinking it could only be the gaoler, he scarcely lifted his -eyes. But the next moment a pair of soft arms were flung round his -neck, and his daughter was weeping on his breast. From that day she -had continued to visit him; and now as she sat beside him, staring -at the light already fading in the narrow pane, both father and -daughter knew that it was almost the last time. - -Presently she spoke-- - -"And this message--tell me truly, have you any hope from it?" - -It was an appeal made by Sir John's father, the Earl of Dundonald, -to Father Peters, the king's confessor, who often dictated to him, -as was well known, on matters of state. But in the short time left, -would there be time to press this appeal, and exert that influence -in London which alone could stay the death-warrant? - -"There is no hope in that quarter," said Sir John. - -Grizel knew that he spoke only what was her own conviction, and -her despair. - -"Argyle is dead these three days," pursued her father, "and with -him men of less consequence than I. Are they likely to spare me--a -head of the rising? Would they spare any man now, in the heat of -their revenge?" - -"Father," said Grizel suddenly, "could you spare me from your side -for a few days?" - -Sir John looked up. He knew by her manner that she had formed some -plan in her mind; he knew, too, from her heart, that nothing but -chance of winning his safety could take her from him now, of all -times. - -"My child," he said, "you are going to attempt something." - -She nodded, with a brighter face than she had worn for many days. - -"And what you would attempt," he went on, "is an impossibility." - -"Nothing is impossible to a true heart," she said. - -"And who will help you?" - -"No one." She was standing before him now, and in the twilight he -could see her eyes lit up with hope, her figure upright, and as if -full of a man's strength. - -"My girl, you will run into danger--into blame. They will not -spare you, and--do you know the characters of those men whom you -would have to sue?" - -She bent and kissed him. - -"I am a Cochrane, my father." - -Early next morning, before the world was up, Grizel Cochrane was -mounted on horseback and riding towards the border. She had dressed -herself--this girl of eighteen--as a young serving-woman, and when -she drew rein at a wayside cottage for food and drink, professed -herself journeying on a borrowed horse to visit her mother's house -across the Tweed. - -By noon Edinburgh was some leagues behind, but she pressed on -through that day and most of the following night. - -On the second day after leaving Edinburgh she crossed the Tweed, -and came in safety to the home of an old nurse, on the English -side, four miles beyond the town of Berwick. - -"Gude sakes!" cried the old woman, who was standing at her cottage -door and was rather astonished to find the horsewoman draw rein, -leap to the ground, and plant a kiss on either cheek--"Gude sakes! -if it isna Miss Grizel!" - -"Quickly, into the house!" commanded her young mistress; "I have -somewhat to tell that will not wait an hour." - -She knew the old nurse was to be trusted, and therefore told her -story and her secret. "Even now," she said at the end of her story, -"the postman is riding from London with the warrant in his bag. I -must stop him and make him give it up to me, or my father's head -is the penalty. - -"But what use to talk o' this, when the postman is a stout rider, -and armed to boot? How is a mere girl, saving your presence, to do -this at all?" - -"Look here." - -Grizel unrolled a bundle which she had brought on her saddle-crutch -from Edinburgh; it held a horseman's cloak and a brace of pistols. - -"Now," said she, "where are the clothes of Donald, my foster-brother? -He was a slight lad in times syne, and little doubt they'll fit -me." - -For this was indeed the brave girl's plan:--In those times -the mail from London took eight days on its journey to Edinburgh; -by possessing herself of the warrant for her father's death and -detaining it, she could count on the delay of sixteen or seventeen -days at least before application could be made for a second, and -that signed and sent to the Scotch capital. By this delay, time -enough would be won for her friends in London to use all their -influence to quash the sentence. - -It was a mad scheme; but, as she had said, nothing is impossible -to a true heart. She had possessed herself, too, of the minutest -information with regard to the places where the postmen rested on -their journey. One of these places, she knew, was a small inn kept -by a widow on the outskirts of the little town of Belford. There -the man who received the bag at Durham was accustomed to arrive at -about six in the morning, and take a few hours' sleep before going -on with his journey. And at Belford, Grizel Cochrane had determined -to meet him. - -Taking leave of her faithful nurse, she rode southwards again, and, -timing her pace, drew up before the inn at Belford just an hour -after the postman had come in from the south and disposed himself -to sleep. - -The mistress of the inn had no ostler, so Grizel stabled her horse -with her own hands, and striding into the inn-parlor, demanded food -and drink. - -"Sit ye down, then," answered the old woman, "at the end of yon table, -for the best I have to give you is there already. And be pleased, -my bonny man, to make as little noise as may be; for there's one -asleep in that bed that I like ill to disturb." - -She pointed to the victuals on the board, which were indeed the -remains of the sleeping man's meal. Grizel sat down before them, -considered to herself while she played with a mouthful or two, and -then asked-- - -"Can I have a drink of water?" - -"'Deed," answered the hostess, "and are ye a water-drinker? 'Tis -but an ill-custom for a change-house." - -"Why, that I know; and so, when I put up at an inn, 'tis my custom -always to pay for it the price of stronger drink, which I cannot -take." - -"Indeed--well, that's fairly spoken; and, come to think of it, -'tis but just." The landlady brought a jug of water and set it on -the board. - -"Is the well where you got this water near at hand?" said Grizel, -pouring out a glass and sipping at it; "for if 'tis no trouble to -fetch some fresh for me, I will tell you this is rather over-warm -and flat. Your trouble shall be considered in the dawing," added -she. - -"'Tis a good step off," answered the dame; "but I cannot refuse to -fetch for so civil, discreet a lad--and a well-favored one, besides. -So bide ye here, and I'll be as quick as I maun. But for any sake -take care and don't meddle with the man's pistols there, for they -are loaded, the both; and every time I set eyes on them they scare -me out of my senses, almost." - -She took up a pitcher and went out to draw the water. No sooner -was Grizel left alone than, starting up, she waited for a moment, -listening to the footsteps as they died away in the distance, and -then crept swiftly across the floor to the place where the postman -lay asleep. He lay in one of those close wooden bedsteads, like -cupboards, which were then common in the houses of the poor, and -to this day may be seen in many a house in Brittany. The door of it -was left half-open to give the sleeper air, and from this aperture -the noise of his snoring issued in a way that shook the house. - -Nevertheless, it seemed to the girl that he must be awakened by -the creaking of the floor under her light footfall. With heart in -mouth she stole up to the bedstead, and gently pulling the door -still wider ajar, peeped in, in the hope of seeing the mail-bag -and being able to pounce upon it. - -She saw it, indeed; but to her dismay, it lay beneath the shaggy -head of its guardian--a giant in size. The postman used his charge -as a pillow, and had flung himself so heavily across it as to -give not the faintest hope that any one could pull it away without -disturbing its keeper from his nap. Nothing could be done now. In -those few bitter moments, during which she stood helplessly looking -from the bag which contained the fatal warrant to the unconscious -face of the man before her, Grizel made up her mind to another -plan. - -She turned to the table, caught up the postman's holsters, and -pulled out the pistols of which the old woman had professed herself -in such terror. Quickly drawing and secreting the charges, she -returned them to their cases, with many an anxious look over her -shoulder towards the bedstead, and took her seat again at the foot -of the table. - -Hardly had she done so when she heard the old woman returning -with the pitcher. Grizel took a draught, for her throat felt like -a lime-kiln, and having settled her bill, much to the landlady's -satisfaction, by paying for the water the price of a pot of beer, -prepared to set off. She carelessly asked and ascertained how much -longer the other guest was likely to sleep. - -"By the noise he makes he intends sleeping till Doomsday," she -said, laughing. - -"Ay, poor man! his is a hard life," said the hostess; "and little -more than half an hour more before he must be on the highway again." - -Grizel laughed once more, and, mounting her horse, set off at a -trot along the road southward, as if continuing her journey in that -direction. - -Hardly had she got beyond the town, however, when turning the -horse's head she galloped back, making a circuit around Belford and -striking into the high road again between that place and Berwick. -Having gained it, she walked the horse gently on, awaiting the -coming up of the postman. - -Though all her mind was now set on the enterprise before her, she -could not help a shiver of terror as she thought on the chance of -her tampering with the pistols being discovered, and their loading -replaced. But she had chosen her course, and now she must go through -with it. She was a woman, after all; and it cannot be wondered -that her heart began to beat quickly as her ear caught the sound -of hoofs on the road behind her, and, turning, she saw the man on -whose face she had been gazing not an hour before, trotting briskly -towards her--the mail-bags (there were two--one containing the -letters direct from London, the other those taken up at the different -post-offices on the road) strapped one on each side of his saddle -in front, close to the holsters. - -At the last moment her nerve came back, and as he drew near she -saluted him civilly and with perfect calmness, put her horse into -the same pace with his, and rode on for some way in his company. - -The postman was a burly, thick-set man, with a good-humored face. -You may be sure that Miss Cochrane inspected it anxiously enough, -and was relieved to find that it did not contain any vast amount -of hardy courage. - -The man was well enough inclined for conversation, too, and as -they rode had a heap of chat, which it seemed a pity to interrupt. -At length, however, when they were about half-way between Belford -and Berwick, Grizel judged now or never was the time. Pulling her -horse's rein gently so as to bring her close to her company, she -said in a low but perfectly determined voice-- - -"Friend, I have taken a fancy for those mail-bags of yours, and I -must have them: therefore take my advice, and deliver them up quietly, -for I am provided for all hazards. I am mounted, as you see, on -a fleet horse; I carry fire-arms; and, moreover, I am allied with -those who are stronger, though not bolder, than I. You see that -wood, yonder?" she continued, pointing to one about a mile off, -with an accent and air meant to corroborate her bold words. "Then -take my advice: give me up your bags, and speed back the road you -came for the present, nor dare to approach that wood for at least -two or three hours to come." - -The postman, whose eyes had been growing rounder and rounder during -this speech from the stripling beside him, pulled up and looked at -her in dumb amazement for some moments. - -"If," said he, as soon as he found his tongue, "you mean, young -master, to make yourself merry at my expense, you are heartily -welcome. I can see a joke, I trust, as well as another man; so -have your laugh out, and don't think I'm one to take offence at -the words of a foolish boy. But if," and here he whipped a pistol -from his holster and turned the muzzle on her face--"if y'are mad -enough to think seriously of such a business, then I am ready for -you." - -They had come to a stand now, in the middle of the road; and Grizel -felt an ugly sinking at the heart as she looked at the mouth of the -pistol, now not a yard from her cheek. Nevertheless she answered, -very quietly and cooly-- - -"If you have a doubt, dismiss it; I am quite in earnest." - -The postman, with his hand on the trigger, hesitated. - -"Methinks my lad, you seem of an age when robbing a garden or an -old woman's fruit-stall would befit you better, if so be you must -turn thief, than taking his Majesty's mails upon his highway from -a stout and grown man. So be thankful, then, you have met with one -who will not shed blood if he can help it, and go your way before -I am provoked to fire." - -"Sir," said Grizel, "you are a worthy man; nor am I fonder of -bloodshed than you; but if you will not be persuaded, what shall -I do? For I have said--and it is truth--that mail I must and will -have. Choose, then;" and with this she pulled out a pistol from -under her cloak, and, cocking it, presented it in his face. - -"Nay, then, your blood be on your own head," cried the postman, -and raising his pistol again he pulled the trigger; it flashed in -the pan. Dashing the weapon to the ground, he pulled out the other -in a moment, and aiming it in Grizel's face, fired--with the same -result. In a furious passion he flung down this pistol, too, sprang -from his horse, and dashed forward to seize her. She dug her spurs -into her horse's flank and just eluded his grasp. Meanwhile the -postman's horse, frightened at the noise and the struggle, had moved -forward a pace or two. The girl saw her opportunity, and seized it -in the same instant. Another dig with the spurs, and her own horse -was level with the other; leaning forward she caught at the bridle, -and calling to the pair, in an instant was galloping off along the -highway, leaving the postman helplessly staring. - -She had gone about a hundred yards with her prize, when she pulled -up to look back. Her discomfited antagonist was still standing -in the middle of the road, apparently stupefied with amazement at -the unlooked-for turn which affairs had taken. Shouting to him -to remember her advice about the wood, she put both the horses to -their speed, and on looking back once more was gratified to find -that the postman, impressed with the truth of her mysterious threat, -had turned and was making the best of his way back to Belford. - -On gaining the wood to which she had pointed, Grizel tied the -postman's horse to a tree, at a safe distance from the road, and -set about unfastening the straps of the mail-bags. With a sharp -penknife she ripped them open, and searched for the government -despatches among their contents. To find these was not difficult, owing -to their address to the council in Edinburgh, and of the imposing -weight of their seals. Here she discovered, not only the warrant -for her father's death, but also many other sentences inflicting -punishment in varying degrees on the unhappy men who had been -taken in the late rising. Time was pressing; she could not stop to -examine the warrants, but, quickly tearing them in small pieces, -placed them carefully in her bosom. - -This done, and having arranged all the private papers as far -as possible as she had found them, Grizel mounted her horse again -and rode off. The postman's horse and the mail-bags, she imagined, -would soon be found, from the hints which she had given to the man -about the wood--and this afterwards proved to be the case. She now -set her horse at a gallop again, and did not spare whip or spur -until she reached the cottage of her nurse, where her first care -was to burn, not only the warrant for her father's death, but the -remainder of the sentences on his fellow-prisoners. Having satisfied -herself that all trace of the obnoxious papers was now consumed, -she put on again her female garments, and was once more the gentle -and unassuming Miss Grizel Cochrane. - -It was high time, however, to be making her way northwards again; -accordingly she left her pistols and cloak to be concealed by -the nurse, and again set forward on her journey. By avoiding the -highroad, resting only at the most sequestered cottages--and then -but for an hour or so--and riding all the while as hard as she -might, she reached Edinburgh in safety early next morning. - -It remains only to say that the time thus won by this devoted girl -was enough to gain the end for which she strove; and Father Peters -plied the ear of King James so importunately that at length the -order was signed for Sir John Cochrane's pardon. - -The state of public affairs rendered it prudent for many years that -this action of Grizel Cochrane's should be kept secret; but after -the Revolution, when men could speak more freely, her heroism was -known and applauded. She lived to marry Mr. Ker, of Morriston, in -Berwickshire, and doubtless was as good a wife as she had proved -herself a daughter. - - - - -THE SUNKEN TREASURE - -By Nathaniel Hawthorne - - - -Picture to yourselves a handsome, old-fashioned room, with a large, -open cupboard at one end, in which is displayed a magnificent gold -cup, with some other splendid articles of gold and silver plate. In -another part of the room, opposite to a tall looking-glass, stands -our beloved chair, newly polished, and adorned with a gorgeous -cushion of crimson velvet, tufted with gold. - -In the chair sits a man of strong and sturdy frame, whose face has -been roughened by northern tempests and blackened by the burning -sun of the West Indies. He wears an immense periwig, flowing down -over his shoulders. His coat has a wide embroidery of golden foliage; -and his waistcoat, likewise, is all flowered over and bedizened -with gold. His red, rough hands, which have done many a good day's -work with the hammer and adze, are half covered by the delicate lace -ruffles at his wrists. On a table lies his silver-hilted sword; -and in the corner of the room stands his gold-headed cane, made of -a beautifully polished West India wood Somewhat such an aspect as -this did Phips present when he sat in Grandfather's chair after -the king had appointed him Governor of Massachusetts. - -But Sir William Phips had not always worn a gold-embroidered coat, -nor always sat so much at his ease as he did in Grandfather's chair. -He was a poor man's son, and was born in the province of Maine, -where in his boyhood he used to tend sheep upon the hills. Until he -had grown to be a man, he did not even know how to read and write. -Tired of tending sheep, he apprenticed himself to a ship-carpenter, -and spent about four years in hewing the crooked limbs of oak trees -into knees for vessels. - -In 1673, when he was twenty-two years old, he came to Boston, and -soon afterwards was married to a widow lady, who had property enough -to set him up in business. It was not long before he lost all the -money that he had acquired by his marriage, and became a poor man -again. Still, he was not discouraged. He often told his wife that -he should be very rich, and would build a "fair brick house" in -the Green Lane of Boston. - -Several years passed away; and Phips had not yet gained the riches -which he promised to himself. During this time he had begun to -follow the sea for a living. In the year 1684 he happened to hear -of a Spanish ship which had been cast away near Porto de la Plata. -She had now lain for fifty years beneath the waves. This old ship -had been laden with immense wealth; and nobody had thought of the -possibility of recovering any part of it from the deep sea which -was rolling and tossing it about. But though it was now an old -story, Phips resolved that the sunken treasure should again be -brought to light. - -He went to London and obtained admittance to King James. He told -the king of the vast wealth that was lying at the bottom of the -sea. King James listened with attention, and thought this a fine -opportunity to fill his treasury with Spanish gold. He appointed -William Phips to be captain of a vessel, called the _Rose Algier_, -carrying eighteen guns and ninety-five men. So now he was Captain -Phips of the English navy. - -The captain sailed from England and cruised for two years in the -West Indies, trying to find the wrecked Spanish ship. But the sea -is so wide and deep that it is no easy matter to discover the exact -spot where a sunken vessel lies. The prospect of success seemed very -small, and most people thought that Phips was as far from having -money enough to build a "fair brick house" as he was while he tended -sheep. - -The seamen became discouraged, and gave up all hope of making their -fortunes by discovering the Spanish wreck. They wanted Phips to -turn pirate. There was a much better prospect of growing rich by -plundering vessels which still sailed in the sea than by seeking -for a ship that had lain beneath the waves full half a century. -They broke out in open mutiny, but were finally mastered by Phips, -and compelled to obey his orders. It would have been dangerous to -continue much longer at sea with such a crew of mutinous sailors; -and the ship was unseaworthy. So Phips judged it best to return to -England. - -Before leaving the West Indies, he met with an old Spaniard who -remembered the wreck of the Spanish ship, and gave him directions -how to find the very spot. It was on a reef of rocks, a few leagues -from Porto de la Plata. - -On his arrival in England Phips solicited the king to let him have -another vessel and send him back again to the West Indies. But King -James refused to have anything more to do with the affair. Phips -might never have been able to renew the search if the Duke of -Albemarle and some other noblemen had not lent their assistance. - -They fitted out a ship, and he sailed from England, and arrived -safely at La Plata, where he took an adze and assisted his men to -build a large boat. - -The boat was intended for going closer to the rocks than a large -vessel could safely venture. When it was finished, the captain -sent several men in it to examine the spot where the Spanish ship -was said to have been wrecked. They were accompanied by some Indians, -who were skilful divers, and could go down a great way into the -depths of the sea. - -The boat's crew proceeded to the reef of rocks, and gazed down into -the transparent water. Nothing could they see more valuable than a -curious sea shrub growing beneath the water, in a crevice of the. -reef of rocks. It flaunted to and fro with the swell and reflux -of the waves, and looked as bright and beautiful as if its leaves -were gold. - -"We won't go back empty-handed," cried an English sailor; and then -he spoke to one of the, Indian divers. "Dive down and bring me that -pretty sea shrub there. That's the only treasure we shall find!" - -Down plunged the diver, and soon rose dripping from the water, -holding the sea shrub in his hand. But he had learned some news -at the bottom of the sea. "There are some ship's guns," said he, -the moment he had drawn breath, "some great cannon, among the rocks, -near where the shrub was growing." - -No sooner had he spoken than the English sailors knew that they -had found the spot where the Spanish galleon had been wrecked, so -many years before. The other Indian divers plunged over the boat's -side and swam headlong down, groping among the rocks and sunken -cannon. In a few moments one of them rose above the water with a -heavy lump of silver in his arms. That single lump was worth more -than a thousand dollars. The sailors took it into the boat, and -then rowed back is speedily as they could, being in haste to inform -Captain Phips of their good luck. - -But, confidently as the captain had hoped to find the Spanish wreck, -yet, now that it was really found, the news seemed too good to be -true. He could not believe it till the sailors showed him the lump -of silver. "Thanks be to God!" then cries Phips. "We shall every -man of us make our fortunes!" - -Hereupon the captain and all the crew set to work, with iron rakes -and great hooks and lines, fishing for gold and silver at the bottom -of the sea. Up came the treasures in abundance. Now they beheld a -table of solid silver, once the property of an old Spanish grandee. -Now they found an altar vessel, which had been destined as a gift -to some Catholic church. Now they drew up a golden cup, fit for -the King of Spain to drink his wine out of. Now their rakes were -loaded with masses of silver bullion. There were also precious -stones among the treasure, glittering and sparkling, so that it is -a wonder how their radiance could have been concealed. - -After a day or two they discovered another part of the wreck where -they found a great many bags of silver dollars. But nobody could -have guessed that these were money-bags. By remaining so long in -the salt-water they had become covered over with a crust which had -the appearance of stone, so that it was necessary to break them -in pieces with hammers and axes. When this was done, a stream of -silver dollars gushed out upon the deck of the vessel. - -The whole value of the recovered treasure, plate, bullion, precious -stones, and all, was estimated at more than two millions of dollars. -It was dangerous even to look at such a vast amount of wealth. A -captain, who had assisted Phips in the enterprise, lost his reason -at the sight of it. He died two years afterward, still raving about -the treasures that lie at the bottom of the sea. - -Phips and his men continued to fish up plate, bullion, and dollars, -as plentifully as ever, till their provisions grew short. Then, -as they could not feed upon gold and silver any more than old King -Midas could, they found it necessary to go in search of food. Phips -returned to England, arriving there in 1687, and was received with -great joy by the Albemarles and other English lords who had fitted -out the vessel. Well they might rejoice; for they took the greater -part of the treasures to themselves. - -The captain's share, however, was enough to make him comfortable -for the rest of his days. It also enabled him to fulfil his promise -to his wife, by building a "fair brick house" in the Green Lane of -Boston. The Duke of Albemarle sent Mrs. Phips a magnificent gold -cup, worth at least five thousand dollars. Before Captain Phips -left London, King James made him a knight; so that, instead of -the obscure ship-carpenter who had formerly dwelt among them, the -inhabitants of Boston welcomed him on his return as the rich and -famous Sir William Phips. - - - - -THE LOST EXILES OF TEXAS - -By Arthur Gilman - - - -If we could have stood upon the shores of Matagorda Bay with the -Indians on a certain day over two hundred years ago we might have -been witness to a strange sight. Before us would have been spread -out the waters of a broad and sheltered harbor opening towards the -sea through a narrow passage which was obstructed by sandbars and -an island. One's eyes could not reach to the end of the bay, which -is fifty miles long; nor could they see land beyond the sea-passage, -for that opens into the broad Gulf of Mexico. Let us take our stand -on the shore and see what we can see. - -There appear to us, as if by magic, the forms of two French gentlemen -accompanied by a small party of soldiers, who come from the mouth -of the bay, and carefully thread their way along the shore. It is -a strange company of men. The leader is a native of Rouen, and he -says that few of his companions are fit for anything but eating. -He thought that his band comprised creatures of all sorts, like -Noah's ark, but unlike the collection of the great patriarch, they -seemed to be few of them worth saving. - -As we look, the men begin to gather together the pieces of -drift-wood that the peaceful waves throw up on to the shore. They -are evidently planning to make a raft; but as one of them casts his -lazy eyes in the direction in which ours were at first thrown, he -exclaims with evident joy, in his native French _"Voila les vaisseaux!"_ -or words to that effect, for he has descried two ships entering -the bay from the Gulf. The ships slowly keep their way towards -the inland coast, and from one of them there lands a man evidently -higher in authority than any we have seen. His air is calm, -dignified, forceful, persistent. He announces to those about him -that they are at one of the mouths of the great Mississippi, or, -as he well calls it _"La riviére fu-neste,"_ the fatal river. "Here -shall we land all our men," he adds, "and here shall our vessels -be placed in safe harbor." - -In vain does the commander of one of the little ships protest that -the water of the bay is too shallow and that the currents are too -powerful; the strong man has given his order, and it must be obeyed. -The channel was duly marked out, and on the twentieth of February, -one of the ships, the _Aimable,_ weighed anchor and began to enter -the bay. The commander was on the shore, anxiously watching to see -the result, when, suddenly, some of his men who had been cutting -down a tree to make a canoe, rushed up and exclaimed, with terror -in their faces, "The Indians have attacked us and one of our number -is even now a captive in their hands." There was nothing to be done -but go in pursuit of the savages. - -It did not take long to arm a few men, and off they started with -their leader in the direction that the Indians had taken. The -savages were overtaken and a parley ensued. The leader's thoughts -were now in two places at once, and he was not far enough from the -shore not to be able to cast a glance towards the _Aimable_, and -to say to his lieutenants, as he saw the vessel drifting near shoal -water, "If she keeps on in that course, she will soon be aground." -Still, no time was to be lost. The parley with the Indians did -not hinder them long, and soon they were on the way towards the -village whither the captive had been taken. Just as they entered -its precincts and looked upon its inhabitants, clustered in groups -among the dome-shaped huts, the loud boom of a cannon burst upon -their ears. The savages were smitten with terror, and the commander -felt his heart beat quickly as he looked again towards the water -and saw the _Aimable_ furling its sails, a sure token to him that -she had indeed struck the rock and would be lost, with all the -stores intended for use when her passengers should be landed. - -Undaunted by the prospect, or even by the dark picture that his -imagination conjured up, he pressed onward among the miserable -savages, until his man had been recovered. Then he returned, and -found his vessel on her side, a forlorn spectacle. Now the wind -rose, and the sea beat upon the helpless hulk. It rocked backwards -and forwards on its uneasy bed; its treasures of boxes and bales -and casks were strewn over the waters; the greedy Indians made haste -to seize what they could; and as night approached the hurriedly -organized patrol of soldiers had all that they could do to face -the deepening storm and protect their goods from the treacherous -natives, as the less treacherous waves cast them upon the sands of -the shore. - -Who were these men, thus unceremoniously thrust upon the shores of -the New World? How did it happen that they were found at a point -that no European had before seen? Perhaps it is not necessary to -ask how they happened to mistake the entrance to Matagorda Bay for -one of the broad mouths of the Mississippi. They were Frenchmen. -So much their speech has told us. The leader was Robert Cavelier, -Sieur de La Salle, a man whom the historian Bancroft says that he -had no superior among his countrymen for force of will and vast -conceptions; for various knowledge, and quick adaptation of his -genius to untried circumstances; for sublime magnanimity that resigned -itself to the will of Heaven and yet triumphed over affliction by -energy of purpose and unfaltering hope. - -In early life he had renounced his inheritance and devoted himself -to the service of the Church, but he soon left the order of Jesuits -which he had entered, because, as Mr. Parkman surmises, he did not -relish being all his life the moved and not the mover; because he -could not give up his individuality and remain one of the great -body, all of whom were compelled to march in a track pointed out to -them by a superior. It is pleasant to know that he left the order -with good feelings on both sides. - -In 1667, we find the young man already entered upon the career of -adventure in which the rest of his life was to be spent. He had -sailed to Canada, the place of attraction for ambitious French -youth, and there he remained several years, making the familiar -acquaintance of the Indians and learning their language, while he -was dreaming, like many others, of the passage to China through -the rivers that came down from the westward. He had looked, too, -in his vivid imagination over the vast plains of the great West, -and had become filled with brilliant visions of an empire that he -hoped some day to see established there for France. We have already -learned how France took possession of the region, at this very -period. - -In such state of mind, La Salle sailed back to France in the -autumn of 1674. He was well received and the next year returned, -ennobled, and more than ever determined to push his grand scheme -for the acquisition of the great West. His was no plan to indulge -in theatrical spectacles, but to take actual possession. Year -after year we see him steadily pursuing his single plan. He thinks -nothing of crossing the Atlantic, of pushing his course through -the trackless woods, or of paddling his frail canoe over the wild -waters of the broad lakes. Indians did not daunt him by their -cruelty, nor wild beasts affright him by their numbers and ferocity. -Onward, ever onward, He pressed. - -In the year 1680, we find him taking possession by actual occupation, -of the region now comprising the State of Illinois. It was the -first time that civilization had asserted itself there. La Salle -built a fort, and, in memory of the trials of the way, called it -_Crevecoeur_, which signified Broken-heart; but it did not testify -to any broken courage on his part;--rather it was a monument to -the obstacles that his persistence had surmounted. - -Two years later, we find his canoe, which seems to our eyes now the -emblem of an aggressive civilization, flitting along the Illinois -River, entering the muddy Mississippi, and floating down its thousand -miles to the Gulf. This is not the whole picture, however. We see -the party start from the Chicago River, in the cold weather of -December. The rivers are frozen. Canoes must be dragged over their -snowy and icy surfaces, and baggage can be transported in no way -but upon rough sledges. Can you not see the slow procession of -fifty persons dragging themselves along day after day through the -region inhabited but by savages and wild beasts, suffering from cold -and hunger, and all held to their duty by the persevering leader -who had brought them there? - -There are twenty-three Frenchmen, eighteen Indian braves, belonging -to those terrible Abenakis and Mohegans whose "midnight yells had," -as Mr. Parkman says, "startled the border hamlets of New England; -who had danced around Puritan scalps, and whom Puritan imaginations -painted as incarnate fiends." There were besides, ten squaws -and three children. A motley collection and one not calculated to -inspire confidence nor hope for the success of any undertaking. It -was not until they had passed the point where the river broadens -into Lake Peoria that they found water in which they could float -their canoes. Then they continued on, until early in February they -found themselves on the banks of the Mississippi. It was filled -with ice, and no canoe could navigate it. - -After a delay of a few days, they found the river free, and again -took up their course southwards. A day more brought them to the -confluence of the muddy Missouri, which some of my readers have -probably seen, where a mighty stream coming down from distant -mountains, enters another not so mighty as itself, and plowing -its way across its current, burrows under the soil on the opposite -shore. This did not detain the voyagers, though they encamped there -over night, and then pursued their course towards the unknown. A -few days showed them the mouth of the Ohio, but still they pressed -onward. It was near the end of February, the temperature was growing -perceptibly warmer as they approached the South. - -At a certain point they encamped and sent out their hunters for -game. One did not return at night, and a horror seized the others, -as they thought that he had been overtaken and killed by hostile -Indians. Day after day the woods were scoured in the hope of finding -the missing companion, but it seemed vain. A fort was erected for -the protection of the party on a high bluff, and named for the -lost hunter, Prudhomme. At last they met some Chickasaw Indians, -and messages of amity were exchanged through them with the people -of their village, not far distant. Soon afterwards Prudhomme was -discovered, half-dead from exposure, for he had lost his way while -hunting. - -Thus the expedition progressed for many days, until at last the little -canoes found themselves thrust out through the turbid channels of -the delta, into the clear salt waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They -had stopped on the way after leaving Fort Prudhomme, at several -Indian towns, had been well treated by the natives, and they had -seen the mouths of the Arkansas and the Red rivers. - -The whole valley of the Fatal River had been laid bare to them, and -now La Salle thought the time had come to take formal possession -for his sovereign. - -Near the mouth of the river, the party came together on the ninth -of April, 1682, and a ceremony took place that was very similar to -the one at the Sault Ste. Marie, a few days less than eleven years -before, by which France had taken possession of the Northwest. It -did not rival that in the magnificence with which it was conducted, -though the ceremonial was, perhaps, a little more elaborated, but -it seemed to have a better basis of fact, for La Salle had actually -passed through the heart of the region which he now claimed. A -column was erected, of course, and a tablet of lead was buried near -it, such as those that had been placed in the ground at various -other places by Frenchmen, bearing testimony to the fact that Louis -the Great claimed to rule the land. - -It was nearly the end of November of the following year, when La -Salle reached Quebec, after having retraced his route by long and -tedious stages up the rivers that he had followed down to the Gulf. -Then he returned to France to tell the story of his travels, and -began to use his influence to induce the government to send out -an expedition to take controlling possession of the Mississippi -region. He argued with all his powers, saying that by fortifying -the river, the French might control the continent. It was really -a grand and brilliant proposition, and the king and his minister -gave more than was demanded. Four vessels were prepared, instead -of the two that La Salle asked for. The expedition comprised a -hundred soldiers, thirty volunteers, many mechanics and laborers, -several families and a few girls, who looked forward to certain -marriage in the new land. - -On the twenty-fourth of July, La Salle set sail from Roehelle, -with four hundred men in his four vessels, leaving an affectionate -and comforting letter as his last farewell to his mother at Rouen. -We have already seen how he was thrown upon the shores of the -New World. There, on the sands of Matagorda Bay, with nothing to -eat but oysters and a sort of porridge made of the flour that had -been saved, the homesick party of downcast men and sorrowing women -encamped until their leader could tell them what to do. They did -not even know where they were. They were intending to conquer the -Spaniards, but they knew nothing of their whereabouts. They were -attacked by Indians, and finally, some three weeks after the wreck, -the commander of the ships sailed away for France leaving La Salle -and his forlorn company behind! - -A site was soon chosen on the river now called Lavaca (a corruption -of _La Vache_, the cow, a name given it because buffaloes had been -seen there), and a fort was built called St. Louis. La Salle had -scarcely finished this establishment, when he determined to search -for the Mississippi River, for he had by that time concluded from -explorations that he had not found it. On the last day of October, -he started, and towards the end of March, the party returned, tattered -and worn, almost ready to die; but though the strong body of the -leader had given away, his stronger spirit was still unbroken, and -he soon determined to set out to find the Illinois region where -he left a colony formerly, and where he felt sure he could obtain -relief. There was no chance for them to return directly to France -since their vessels were all gone, and this seemed their only hope. - -A party of twenty was formed to undertake the perilous enterprise, -and on the twenty-second of April, 1686, they took their way from -the fort, bearing on their persons the contributions that their -fellows who were to remain had been able to bring together for -their comfort. - -The party experienced a variety of hardships, quarrelled among -themselves, and finally, on the morning of the eighteenth of March, -1687, one of them shot and killed the brave leader. The remainder -kept on, finally reached Canada and were taken to their native -land. To the colonists at Fort St. Louis, no ground of hope ever -appeared, though they felt that the people of France must have an -interest in them, and so they kept a look-out over the water for a -ship coming to their relief. It never came, alas, and no one knows -to this day what became of the Lost Exiles of Texas! - - - - -THE BOY CONQUEROR--CHARLES XII OF SWEDEN - -By E. S. Brooks - - - -In an old, old palace on the rocky height of the _Slottsbacke_, -or Palace Hill, in the northern quarter of the beautiful city of -Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, there lived, just two hundred -years ago, a bright young prince. His father was a stern and daring -warrior-king--a man who had been a fighter from his earliest boyhood; -who at fourteen had been present in four pitched battles with the -Danes, and who, while yet scarce twelve years old, had charged -the Danish line at the head of his guards and shot down the stout -Danish colonel, who could not resist the spry young warrior. His -mother was a sweet-faced Danish princess, a loving and gentle lady, -who scarce ever heard a kind word from her stern-faced husband, -and whose whole life was bound up in her precious little prince. - -And this little Carolus, Karl, or Charles, dearly loved his tender -mother. From her he learned lessons of truth and nobleness that -even through all his stormy and wandering life never forsook him. -Often while he had swung gently to and fro in his quaint, carved, -and uncomfortable-looking cradle, had she crooned above him the -old saga-songs that told of valor and dauntless courage and all the -stern virtues that made up the heroes of those same old saga-songs. -Many a time she had trotted the little fellow on her knee to the -music of the ancient nursery rhyme that has a place in all lands -and languages, from the steppes of Siberia to the homes of New York -and San Francisco: - - -"Ride along, ride a cock-horse, -His mane is dapple-gray; -Ride along, ride a cock-horse, -Little boy, ride away. -Where shall the little boy ride to? -To the king's court to woo"-- - - -and so forth, and so forth, and so forth--in different phrases but -with the same idea, as many and many a girl and boy can remember. -And she had told him over and over again the saga-stories and fairy -tales that every Scandinavian boy and girl, from prince to peasant, -knows so well--of Frithiof and Ingeborg, and the good King Rene; -and about the Stone Giant and his wife Guru; and about the dwarfs, -and trolls, and nixies, and beautiful mermaids and stromkarls. And -she told him also many a story of brave and daring deeds, of noble -and knightly lives, and how his ancestors, from the great Gustavus, -and, before, from the still greater Gustavus Vasa, had been kings -of Sweden, and had made the name of that Northern land a power in -all the courts of Europe. - -Little Prince Charles was as brave as he was gentle and jolly, and -as hardy as he was brave. At five years old he killed his first -fox; at seven he could manage his horse like a young centaur; and -at twelve he had his first successful bear hunt. He was as obstinate -as he was hardy; he steadily refused to learn Latin or French--the -languages of the court--until he heard that the kings of Denmark -and Poland understood them, and then he speedily mastered them. - -His lady-mother's death, when he was scarce twelve years old, was -a great sadness, and nearly caused his own death, but, recovering -his health, he accompanied his father on hunting parties and military -expeditions, and daily grew stronger and hardier than ever. - -In April, 1697, when the prince was not yet fifteen, King Charles -XI, his stern-faced father, suddenly died, and the boy king succeeded -to the throne as absolute lord of "Sweden and Finland, of Livonia, -Carelia, Ingria, Wismar, Wibourg, the islands of Rugen and Oesel, -of Pomerania, and the duchies of Bremen and Verdun"--one of the finest -possessions to which a young king ever succeeded, and representing -what is now Sweden, Western Russia, and a large part of Northern -Germany. - -A certain amount of restraint is best for us all. As the just -restraints of the law are best for men and women, so the proper -restraints of home are best for boys and girls. A lad from whom -all restraining influences are suddenly withdrawn--who can have -his own way unmolested--stands in the greatest danger of wrecking -his life. The temptations of power have been the cause of very -much of the world's sadness and misery. And this temptation came -to this boy King of Sweden called in his fifteenth year to supreme -sway over a large realm of loyal subjects. Freed from the severity -of his stern father's discipline, he found himself responsible to -no one--absolutely his own master. And he did what too many of -us, I fear, would have done in his position--he determined to have -a jolly good time, come what might; and he had it--in his way. - -He and his brother-in-law, the wild young Duke of Holstein, turned -the town upside down. They snapped cherry-pits at the king's -gray-bearded councillors, and smashed in the windows of the staid -and scandalized burghers of Stockholm. They played ball with the -table dishes, and broke all the benches in the palace chapel. They -coursed hares through the council-chambers of the Parliament House, -and ran furious races until they had ruined several fine horses. -They beheaded sheep in the palace till the floors ran with blood, -and then pelted the passers-by with sheep's heads. They spent the -money in the royal treasury like water, and played so many heedless -and ruthless boy-tricks that the period of these months of folly was -known, long after, as the "Gottorp Fury," because the harum-scarum -young brother-in-law, who was the ringleader in all these scrapes, -was Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. - -But at last, even the people--serfs of this boy autocrat though they -were--began to murmur, and when one Sunday morning three clergymen -preached from the text "Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is -a child," the young sovereign remembered the counsels of his good -mother and recalled the glories of his ancestors, saw how foolish -and dangerous was all this reckless sport, turned over a new leaf, -became thoughtful and care-taking, and began his career of conquest -with the best victory of all--the conquest of himself! - -But though he curbed his tendency to profitless and hurtful -"skylarking," he had far too much of the Berserker blood of his -ancestors--those rough old vikings who "despised mail and helmet -and went into battle unharnessed"--to become altogether gentle in -manners or occupation. He hated his fair skin, and sought in every -way to tan and roughen it, and to harden himself by exposure and -neglect of personal comfort. Many a night was passed by the boy on -the bare floor, and for three nights in the cold Swedish December -he slept in the hay-loft of the palace stables, without undressing -and with but scanty covering. - -So he grew to be a lad of seventeen, sturdy, strong, and hardy, and -at the date of our story, in the year of 1699, the greater part of -his time was given up to military exercises and field sports, with -but little attention to debates in council or to the cares of state. - -Among his chief enjoyments were the sham fights on land and water. -Many a hard-fought battle was waged between the boys and young men -who made up his guards and crews, and who would be divided into -two or more opposing parties, as the plan of battle required. This -was rough and dangerous sport, and was attended often with really -serious results. But the participants were stout and sturdy Northern -lads, used to hardships and trained to physical endurance. They -thought no more of these encounters than do the boys of to-day of -the crush of football and the hard hitting of the baseball field, -and blows were given and taken with equal good nature and unconcern. - -One raw day in the early fall of 1699, sturdy young Arvid Horn, -a stout, blue-eyed Stockholm boy, stripped to the waist, and with -a gleam of fun in his eyes, stood upright in his little boat as -it bobbed on the crest of the choppy Maelar waves. He hailed the -king's yacht. - -"Holo; in the boat there! Stand for your lives!" he shouted, and -levelled his long squirt-gun full at the helmsman. - -Swish! came the well-directed stream of water plump against the -helmsman's face. Again and again it flew, until dripping and sore -he dropped the tiller and dashed down the companion-way calling -loudly for help. - -Help came speedily, and as the crew of the king's yacht manned the -rail and levelled at their single assailant the squirt-guns, which -were the principal weapons of warfare used in these "make-believe" -naval engagements, the fun grew fast and furious; but none had so -sure an aim or so strong an arm to send an unerring and staggering -stream as young Arvid Horn. One by one he drove them back while -as his boat drifted still nearer the yacht he made ready to spring -to the force-chains and board his prize. But even before he could -steady himself for the jump, another tall and fair-haired Stockholm -lad, darting out from the high cabin, rallied the defeated crew -and bade them man the pumps at once. - -A clumsy-looking fire-engine stood amidship, and the crew leaped -to its pumps as directed, while the newcomer, catching up a line -of hose, sprang to the rail and sent a powerful stream of water -straight against the solitary rover. - -"Repel boarders!" he cried, laughingly, and the sudden stream from -the fire-engine's nozzle sent young Arvid Horn staggering back into -his boat. - -But he rallied quickly, and with well-charged squirt-gun attacked -the new defender of the yacht. The big nozzle, however, was more -than a match for the lesser squirt-gun, and the small boat speedily -began to fill under the constant deluge of water from the engine. - -"Yield thee, yield thee, Arvid Horn; yield thee to our unconquerable -nozzle," came the summons from the yacht; "yield thee, or I will -drown you out like a rat in a cheese-press!" - -"Arvid Horn yields to no one," the plucky boy in the boat made answer, -and with a parting shot and a laughing "_Farväl!_" he leaped from -the sinking boat into the dancing Maelar water. Striking boldly out, -he swam twice round the boat in sheer bravado, defying the enemy; -now ducking to escape the pursuing stream, or now, while floating -on his back, sending a return shot with telling force against the -men at the pump--for he still clung to his trusty squirt-gun. - -The fair-faced lad in the yacht looked at the swimmer in evident -admiration, - -"Is it, then, hard to swim, Arvid Horn?" he inquired. - -"Not if one is fearless," called back the floating boy. - -"How; fearless?" exclaimed the lad on the yacht, hastily. "Do you -perhaps think that I am afraid?" - -"I said not so," replied young Arvid, coolly sending a full charge -from his squirt-gun straight up in the air. - -"No; but you mean it--good faith, you mean it, then," said the lad, -and flinging off wig, cocked hat, and long coat only, without an -instant's hesitation he, too, leaped into the Maelar Lake. - -There is nothing so cooling to courage or reckless enthusiasm as -cold water-if one cannot swim. The boy plunged and floundered, -and weighty with his boots and his clothing, soon sank from sight. -As he came spluttering to the surface again, "Help, help, Arvid," -he called despairingly; "I am drowning!" - -Arvid, who had swum away from his friend, thinking that he would -follow after, heard the cry and caught a still louder one from the -yacht: "The king, the king is sinking!" - -A few strokes brought him near to the over-confident diver, and -clutching him by his shirt-collar, he kept the lad's head above -water until, after a long and laborious swim, he brought his kingly -burden safe to land--for the fair-haired and reckless young knight -of the nozzle was none other than his gracious majesty, Charles -the Twelfth of Sweden. - -"Truly it is one thing to be brave and another to be skilful," -said the king, as he stood soaked and dripping on the shore. "But -for you, friend Arvid, I had almost gone." - -"You are very wet, sire, and may take cold," said Arvid; "let us -hasten at once to yonder house for warmth and dry clothes." - -"Not so, Arvid; I do not fear the water--on land," said the king. -"I am no such milksop as to need to dry off before a kitchen fire. -See, this is the better way"; and catching up a stout hazel-stick, -he bade Arvid stand on his guard. Nothing loath, Arvid Horn accepted -the kingly challenge, and picking up a similar hazel-stick, he -rapped King Charles' weapon smartly, and the two boys went at each -other "hammer and tongs" in a lively bout at "single-stick." - -They were soon thoroughly warmed up by this vigorous exercise, -and forgot their recent bath and the king's danger. It was a drawn -battle, however, and, as they paused for breath, King Charles said: -"Trust that to drive away cold and ague, Arvid. Faith,'tis a rare -good sport." - -"Could it be done on horseback, think you?" queried Arvid, always -on the lookout for sensation. - -"And why not? 'Tis well thought," said the king. "Let us straight -to the palace yard and try it for ourselves." - -But ere they reached the palace the idea had developed into still -greater proportions. - -The king's guards were summoned, and divided into two parties. -Their horses were unsaddled, and, riding "bareback" and armed with -nothing but hazel-sticks, the two forces were pitted against each -other in a great cavalry duel of "single-stick." - -King Charles commanded one side, and young Arvid Horn the other. At -it they went, now one side and now the other having the advantage, -the two leaders fighting with especial vigor. - -Arvid pressed the king closely, and both lads were full of the -excitement of the fray when Charles, careless of his aim and with -his customary recklessness, brought his hazel-stick with a terrible -thwack upon poor Arvid's face. Now Arvid Horn had a boil on his -cheek, and if any of my boy readers know what a tender piece of -property a boil is, they will know that King Charles's hazel-stick -was not a welcome poultice. - -With a cry of pain Arvid fell fainting from his horse, and the -cavalry battle at "single-stick" came to a sudden stop. But the -heat and the pain brought on so fierce a fever that the lad was -soon as near to death's door as his friend King Charles had been -in the sea fight of the squirt-guns. - -The king was deeply concerned during young Arvid's illness, and -when the lad at last recovered he made him a present of two thousand -thalers, laughingly promising to repeat the prescription whenever -Arvid was again wounded at "single-stick." He was greatly pleased -to have his friend with him once more, and, when Arvid was strong -enough to join in his vigorous sports again, one of the first -things he proposed was a great bear-hunt up among the snow-filled -forests that skirted the Maelar Lake. - -A day's ride from Stockholm, the hunting-lodge of the kings of -Sweden lay upon the heavily drifted hill-slopes just beyond the -lake shore, and through the forests and marshes two hundred years -ago the big brown bear of Northern Europe, the noble elk, the now -almost extinct auroch, or bison, and the great gray wolf roamed in -fierce and savage strength, affording exciting and dangerous sport -for daring hunters. - -And among these hunters none excelled young Charles of Sweden. -Reckless in the face of danger, and brave as he was reckless, he -was ever on the alert for any novelty in the manner of hunting that -should make the sport even more dangerous and exciting. So young -Arvid Horn was not surprised when the king said to him: - -"I have a new way for hunting the bear, Arvid, and a rarely good -one, too." - -"Of that I'll be bound, sire," young Arvid responded; "but-how may -it be?" - -"You shall know anon," King Charles replied; "but this much will I -say: I do hold it but a coward's part to fight the poor brute with -firearms. Give the fellow a chance for his life, say I, and a fair -fight in open field--and then let the best man win." - -Here was a new idea. Not hunt the bear with musket, carbine, or -wheel-lock? What then--did King Charles reckon to have a wrestling -bout or a turn at "single-stick" with the _Jarl_ Bruin? So wondered -Arvid Horn, but he said nothing, waiting the king's own pleasure, -as became a shrewd young courtier. - -And soon enough he learned the boy-hunter's new manner of bear-hunting, -when, on the very day of their arrival at the Maelar lodge, they -tracked a big brown bear beneath the great pines and spruces of the -almost boundless forest, armed only with strong wooden pitchforks. -Arvid was not at all anxious for this fighting at close quarters, -but when he saw King Charles boldly advance upon the growling bear, -when he saw the great brute rise on his hind legs and threaten to -hug Sweden's monarch to death, he would have sprung forward to aid -his king. But a huntsman near at hand held him back. - -"Wait," said the man; "let the 'little father' play his part." - -And even as he spoke Arvid saw the king walk deliberately up to the -towering bear, and, with a quick thrust of his long-handled fork, -catch the brute's neck between the pointed wooden prongs, and with -a mighty shove force the bear backward in the snow. - -Then, answering his cry of "Holo, all!" the huntsmen sprang to -his side, flung a stout net over the struggling bear, and held it -thus, a floundering prisoner, while the intrepid king coolly cut -its throat with his sharp hunting-knife. - -Arvid learned to do this, too, in time, but it required some extra -courage even for his steady young head and hand. - -One day, when each of the lads had thus transfixed and killed his -bear, and as, in high spirits, they were returning to the hunting-lodge, -a courserman dashed hurriedly across their path, recognized the -king, and reining in his horse, dismounted hastily, saluted, and -handed the king a packet. - -"From the council, sire," he said. - -Up to this day the young king had taken but little interest in the -affairs of state, save as he directed the review or drill, leaving -the matters of treaty and of state policy to his trusted councillors. -He received the courserman's despatch with evident unconcern, and -read it carelessly. But his face changed as he read it a second -time; first clouding darkly, and then lighting up with the gleam -of a new determination and purpose. - -"What says Count Piper?" he exclaimed half aloud; "Holstein laid -waste by Denmark, Gottorp Castle taken, and the duke a fugitive? -And my council dares to temper and negotiate? _Ack; so!_ Arvid -Horn, we must be in Stockholm ere night-fall." - -"But, sire, how can you?" exclaimed Arvid. "The roads are heavy -with snow, and no horse could stand the strain or hope to make the -city ere morning." - -"No horse!" cried King Charles; "then three shall do it. Hasten; bid -Hord the equerry harness the triple team to the strongest sledge, -and be you ready to ride with me in a half hour's time. For we -shall be in Stockholm by nightfall." - -And ere the half hour was up they were off. Careless of roadway, -straight for Stockholm they headed, the triple team of plunging -Ukraine horses, driven abreast by the old equerry Hord, dashing down -the slopes and across the Maelar ice, narrowly escaping collision, -overturn, and death. With many a plunge and many a ducking, straight -on they rode, and ere the Stockholm clocks had struck the hour of -six the city gates were passed, and the spent and foaming steeds -dashed panting into the great yard of the Parliament House. - -The council was still in session, and the grave old councillors -started to their feet in amazement at this sudden apparition of -the boy king, soiled and bespattered from head to foot, standing -there in their midst. - -"Gentlemen," he said, with earnestness and determination in his -voice, "your despatch tells me of unfriendly acts on the part of the -King of Denmark against our brother and ally of Holstein-Gottorp. -I am resolved never to begin an unjust war, but never to finish an -unjust one save with the destruction of mine enemies. My resolution -is fixed. I will march and attack the first one who shall declare -war; and when I shall have conquered him, I hope to strike terror -into the rest." - -These were ringing and, seemingly, reckless words for a boy of -seventeen, and we do not wonder that, as the record states, "the -old councillors, astonished at this declaration, looked at one -another without daring to answer." The speech seemed all the more -reckless when they considered, as we may here, the coalition against -which the boy king spoke so confidently. - -At that time--in the year 1699--the three neighbors of this young -Swedish monarch were three kings of powerful northern nations--Frederick -the Fourth, King of Denmark; Augustus, called the Strong, King of -Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Peter, afterward known as the -Great, Czar of Russia. Tempted by the large possessions of young -King Charles, and thinking to take advantage of his youth, his -inexperience, and his presumed indifference, these three monarchs -concocted a fine scheme by which Sweden was to be overrun, conquered, -and divided among the three members of this new copartnership -of kings--from each of whom, or from their predecessors, this boy -king's ancestors had wrested many a fair domain and wealthy city. - -But these three kings--as has many and many another plotter in -history before and since--reckoned without their host. They did not -know the mettle that was in this grandnephew of the great Gustavus. - -Once aroused to action, he was ready to move before even his would-be -conquerors, in those slow-going days, imagined he had thought of -resistance. Money and men were raised, the alliance of England and -Holland was secretly obtained, a council of defence was appointed -to govern Sweden during the absence of the king, and on April 23, -1700, two months before his eighteenth birthday, King Charles bade -his grandmother and his sisters good-by and left Stockholm forever. - -Even as he left, the news came that another member in this firm of -hostile kings, Augustus of Saxony and Poland, had invaded Sweden's -tributary province of Livonia on the Gulf of Finland. Not to be -drawn aside from his first object--the punishment of Denmark--Charles -simply said, "We will make King Augustus go back the way he came," -and hurried on to join his army in southern Sweden. - -By August 3, 1700, King Charles had grown tired of waiting for his -reserves and new recruits, and so, with scarce six thousand men, -he sailed away from Malmo--clear down at the most southerly point -of Sweden--across the Sound, and steered for the Danish coast not -twenty-five miles away. - -Young Arvid Horn, still the king's fast friend, and now one of -his aids, following his leader, leaped into the first of the small -barges or row-boats that were to take the troops from the frigates -to the Danish shore. His young general and king, impatient at the -slowness of the clumsy barges, while yet three hundred yards from -shore, stood upright in the stern, drew his sword, and exclaimed: -"I am wearied with this pace. All you who are for Denmark follow -me!" And then, sword in hand, he sprang over into the sea. - -Arvid Horn quickly followed his royal friend. The next moment -generals and ministers, ambassadors and belaced officials, with -the troops that filled the boats, were wading waist-deep through -the shallow water of the Sound, struggling toward the Danish shore, -and fully as enthusiastic as their hasty young leader and king. - -The Danish musket-balls fell thick around them as the Danish troops -sought from their trenches to repel the invaders. - -"What strange whizzing noise is this in the air?" asked the young -king, now for the first time in action. - -"'Tis the noise of the musket-balls they fire upon you," was the -reply. - -"_Ack_, say you so," said Charles: "good, good; from this time -forward that shall he my music." - -In the face of this "music" the shore was gained, the trenches were -carried by fierce assault and King Charles's first battle was won. -Two days later, Copenhagen submitted to its young conqueror, and -King Frederick of Denmark hastened to the defence of his capital, -only to find it in the possession of the enemy, and to sign a -humiliating treaty of peace. - -The boy conqueror's first campaign was over, and, as his biographer -says, he had "at the age of eighteen begun and finished a war -in less than six weeks." Accepting nothing for himself from this -conquest, he spared the land from which his dearly remembered mother -had come from the horrors of war and pillage which in those days -were not only allowable but expected. - -King Augustus of Poland, seeing the short work made of his ally -the King of Denmark, by this boy king, whom they had all regarded -with so much contempt, deemed discretion to be the better part of -valor and, as the lad had prophesied, withdrew from Livonia, "going -back by the way he came." Then the young conqueror, flushed with his -successes, turned his army against his third and greatest enemy, -Czar Peter, of Russia, who, with over eighty thousand men, was -besieging the Swedish town of Narva. - -A quaint old German-looking town, situated a few miles from the -shores of the Gulf of Finland, in what is now the Baltic provinces -of Russia, and near to the site of the czar's later capital of St. -Petersburg, the stout-walled town of Narva was the chief defence of -Sweden on its eastern borders, and a stronghold which the Russian -monarch especially coveted for his own. Young Arvid Horn's uncle, -the Count Horn, was in command of the Swedish forces in the town, -which, with a thousand men, he held for the young king, his master, -against all the host of the Czar Peter. - -The boy who had conquered Denmark in less than six weeks, and forced -a humiliating peace from Poland, was not the lad to consider for -a moment the question of risk or of outnumbering forces. In the -middle of November, when all that cold Northern land is locked in -ice and snow, he flung out the eagle-flag of Sweden to the Baltic -blasts, and crossed to the instant relief of Narva, with an army of -barely twenty thousand men. Landing at Pernau with but a portion -of his troops, he pushed straight on, and with scarce eight thousand -men hurried forward to meet the enemy. With a courage as daring -as his valor was headlong, he surprised and routed first one and -then another advance detachment of the Russian force, and soon -twenty-five thousand demoralized and defeated men were retreating -before him into the Russian camp. In less than two days all the -Russian outposts were carried, and on the noon of the thirtieth of -November, 1700, the boy from Sweden appeared with his eight thousand -victory-flushed though wearied troops before the fortified camp -of his enemy, and, without a moment's hesitation, ordered instant -battle. - -"Sire," said one of his chief officers, the General Stenbock, "do -you comprehend the greatness of our danger? The Muscovites outnumber -us ten to one." - -"What, then!" said the intrepid young king, "do you imagine that -with my eight thousand brave Swedes I shall not be able to march -over the bodies of eighty thousand Muscovites?" And then at the -signal of two fusees and the watchword, "With the help of God," he -ordered his cannon to open on the Russian trenches, and through a -furious snow-storm charged straight upon the enemy. - -Again valor and enthusiasm triumphed. The Russian line broke before -the impetuosity of the Swedes, and, as one chronicler says, "ran -about like a herd of cattle"; the bridge across the river broke under -the weight of fugitives, panic followed, and when night fell, the -great Russian army of eighty thousand men surrendered as prisoners -of war to a boy of eighteen with but eight thousand tired soldiers -at his back. - -So the boy conqueror entered upon his career of victory. Space does -not permit to detail his battles and his conquests. How he placed -a new king on the throne of Poland, kept Denmark in submission, -held the hosts of Russia at bay, humbled Austria, and made his -name, ere yet he was twenty, at once a wonder and a terror in all -the courts of Europe. How, at last, his ambition getting the better -of his discretion, he thought to be a modern Alexander, to make -Europe Protestant, subdue Rome, and carry his conquering eagles into -Egypt and Turkey and Persia. How, by unwise measures and foolhardy -endeavors, he lost all the fruits of his hundred victories and -his nine years of conquest in the terrible defeat by the Russians -at Pultowa, which sent him an exile into Turkey, kept him there a -prisoner of state for over five years; and how, finally, when once -again at the head of Swedish troops, instead of defending his own -home-land of Sweden, he invaded Norway in the depth of winter, and -was killed, when but thirty-six, by a cannon-shot from the enemy's -batteries at Frederickshall on December 11, 1718. - -Charles the Twelfth of Sweden was one of the most remarkable of the -world's historic boys. Elevated to a throne founded on despotic -power and victorious memories, at an age when most lads regard -themselves as the especial salt of the earth, he found himself launched -at once into a war with three powerful nations, only to become in -turn the conqueror of each. A singularly good boy, so far as the -customary temptations of power and high station are concerned--temperate, -simple, and virtuous in tastes, dress, and habits--he was, as one -of his biographers has remarked, "the only one among kings who had -lived without a single frailty." - -But this valorous boy, who had first bridled his own spirit, and -then conquered the Northern world, "reared," as has been said, -"under a father cold and stern, defectively educated, taught from -childhood to value nothing but military glory," could not withstand -the temptation of success. An ambition to be somebody and to do -something is always a laudable one in boy or girl, until it supplants -and overgrows the sweet, true, and manly boy and girl nature, and -makes us regardless of the comfort or the welfare of others. A -desire to excel the great conquerors of old, joined to an obstinacy -as strong as his courage, caused young Charles of Sweden to miss -the golden opportunity, and instead of seeking to rule his own -country wisely, sent him abroad a homeless wanderer on a career of -conquest, as romantic as it was, first, glorious, and at the last -disastrous. - -In the northern quarter of the beautiful city of Stockholm, surrounded -by palaces and gardens, theatres, statues, and fountains, stands -Molin's striking statue of the boy conqueror, Charles the Twelfth -of Sweden. Guarded at the base by captured mortars, the outstretched -hand and unsheathed sword seem to tell of conquests to be won and -victories to be achieved. But to the boy and girl of this age of -peace and good-fellowship, when wars are averted rather than sought, -and wise statesmanship looks rather to the healing than to the -opening of the world's wounds, one cannot but feel how much grander, -nobler, and more helpful would have been the life of this young -"Lion of the North," as his Turkish captors called him, had it been -devoted to deeds of gentleness and charity rather than of blood -and sorrow, and how much more enduring might have been his fame and -his memory if he had been the lover and helper of his uncultivated -and civilization-needing people, rather than the valorous, ambitious, -headstrong, and obstinate boy conqueror of two centuries ago. - - - - -THE TRUE STORY OF A KIDNAPPED BOY AS TOLD BY HIMSELF - -By Peter Williamson - - - -I was born in Hirulay, in the county of Aberdeen, Scotland. -My parents, though not rich, were respectable, and so long as I -was under their care all went well with me. Unhappily, I was sent -to stay with an aunt at Aberdeen, where, at eight years old, when -playing on the quay, I was noticed as a strong, active little fellow -by two men belonging to a vessel in the harbor. Now, this vessel -was in the employ of certain merchants of Aberdeen, who used her -for the villanous purpose of kidnapping--that is, stealing young -children from their parents and selling them as slaves in the -plantations abroad. - -These impious monsters, marking me out for their prey, tempted me -on board the ship, which I had no sooner entered than they led me -between the decks to some other boys whom they had kidnapped in -like manner. Not understanding what a fate was in store for me, I -passed the time in childish amusement with the other lads in the -steerage, for we were never allowed to go on deck while the vessel -stayed in the harbor, which it did till they had imprisoned as many -luckless boys as they needed. - -Then the ship set sail for America. I cannot remember much of the -voyage, being a mere child at the time, but I shall never forget -what happened when it was nearly ended. We had reached the American -coast, when a hard gale of wind sprang up from the southeast, and -about midnight the ship struck on a sandbank off Cape May, near -Delaware. To the terror of all on board, it was soon almost full -of water. The boat was then hoisted out, and the captain and his -fellow-villains, the crew, got into it, leaving me and my deluded -companions, as they supposed, to perish. The cries, shrieks, and -tears of a throng of children had no effect on these merciless -wretches. - -But happily for us the wind abated, and the ship being on a sandbank, -which did not give way to let her deeper, we lay here till morning, -when the captain, unwilling to lose all his cargo, sent some of -the crew in a boat to the ship's side to bring us ashore. A sort -of camp was made, and here we stayed till we were taken in by a -vessel bound to Philadelphia. - -At Philadelphia, people soon came to buy us. We were sold for £16 -apiece. I never knew what became of my unhappy companions, but I -was sold for seven years to one of my countrymen, Hugh Wilson, who -in his youth had suffered the same fate as myself in being kidnapped -from his home. - -Happy was my lot in falling into his power, for he was a humane, -worthy man. Having no children of his own, and pitying my sad -condition, he took great care of me till I was fit for business, -and at twelve years old set me about little things till I could -manage harder work. Meanwhile, seeing my fellow-servants often -reading and writing, I felt a strong desire to learn, and told my -master that I should be glad to serve a year longer than the bond -obliged me if he would let me go to school. To this he readily -agreed, and I went every winter for five years, also learning as -much as I could from my fellow-servants. - -With this good master I stayed till I was seventeen years old, when -he died, leaving me a sum of money, about £120 sterling, his best -horse, and all his wearing apparel. - -I now maintained myself by working about the country, for any one -who would employ me, for nearly seven years, when I determined to -settle down. I applied to the daughter of a prosperous planter, -and found my suit was acceptable both to her and her father, so -we married. My father-in-law, wishing to establish us comfortably, -gave me a tract of land which lay, unhappily for me, as it has since -proved, on the frontiers of Pennsylvania. It contained about two -hundred acres, with a good house and barn. - -I was now happy in my home, with a good wife; but my peace did not -last long, for about 1754 the Indians in the French interest, who -had formerly been very troublesome in our province, began to renew -their old practices. Even many of the Indians whom we supposed to -be in the English interest joined the plundering bands; it was no -wonder, for the French did their utmost to win them over, promising -to pay £15 for every scalp of an Englishman! - -Hardly a day passed but some unhappy family fell a victim to French -bribery and savage cruelty. As for me, though now in comfortable -circumstances, with an affectionate and amiable wife, it was not -long before I suddenly became the most pitiable of mankind. I can -never bear to think of the last time I saw my dear wife, on the -fatal 2d of October, 1754. That day she had left home to visit -some of her relations, and, no one being in the house but myself, -I stayed up later than usual, expecting her return. How great was -my terror when, at eleven o'clock at night, I heard the dismal -warwhoop of the savages, and, flying to the window, saw a band of -them outside, about twelve in number. - -They made several attempts to get in, and I asked them what they -wanted. They paid no attention, but went on beating at the door, -trying to get it open. Then, having my gun loaded in my hand, I -threatened them with death if they would not go away. But one of -them, who could speak a little English, called out in return that -if I did not come out they would burn me alive in the house. They -told me further--what I had already found out--that they were no -friends to the English, but that if I would surrender myself prisoner -they would not kill me. - -My horror was beyond all words. I could not depend on the promises of -such creatures, but I must either accept their offer or be burned -alive. Accordingly, I went out of my house with my gun in my hand, -not knowing what I did or that I still held it. Immediately, like -so many tigers, they rushed on me and disarmed me. Having me now -completely in their power, the merciless villains bound me to a -tree near the door, and then went into the house and plundered what -they could. Numbers of things which they were unable to carry away -were set fire to with the house and consumed before my eyes. Then -they set fire to my barn, stable, and outhouses, where I had about -two hundred bushels of wheat, and cows, sheep, and horses. My -agony as I watched all this havoc it is impossible to describe. - -When the terrible business was over, one of the monsters came to -me, a tomahawk in his hand, threatening me with a cruel death if I -would not consent to go with them. I was forced to agree, promising -to do all that was in my power for them, and trusting to Providence -to deliver me out of their hands. On this they untied me, and gave -me a great load to carry on my back, under which I travelled all -that night with them, full of the most terrible fear lest my unhappy -wife should likewise have fallen into their clutches. At daybreak -my master ordered me to lay down my load, tying my hands round a -tree with a small cord. They then kindled a fire near the tree to -which I was bound, which redoubled my agony, for I thought they -were going to sacrifice me there. - -When the fire was made, they danced round me after their manner, with -all kinds of antics, whooping and crying out in the most horrible -fashion. Then they took the burning coals and sticks, flaming -with fire at the ends, and held them near my face, head, hands and -feet, with fiendish delight, at the same time threatening to burn -me entirely if I called out or made the least noise. So, tortured -as I was, I could make no sign of distress but shedding silent -tears, which, when they saw, they took fresh coals, and held them -near my eyes, telling me my face was wet, and they would dry it -for me. I have often wondered how I endured these tortures; but at -last they were satisfied, and sat down round the fire and roasted -the meat which they had brought from my dwelling! - -When they had prepared it, they offered some to me, and though -it may be imagined that I had not much heart to eat, I was forced -to seem pleased, lest if I refused it they should again begin to -torture me. What I could not eat I contrived to get between the bark -and the tree--my foes having unbound my hands till they supposed I -had eaten all they gave me. But then they bound me as before, and -so I continued all day. - -When the sun was set they put out the fire, and covered the ashes -with leaves, as is their custom, that the white people may find no -signs of their having been there. - -Travelling thence, by the river, for about six miles, I being loaded -heavily, we reached a spot near the Blue Hills, where the savages -hid their plunder under logs of wood. Thence, shocking to relate, -they went to a neighboring house, that of Jacob Snider, his wife, -five children, and a young man, a servant. They soon forced their -way into the unhappy man's dwelling, slew the whole family, and -set fire to the house. - -The servant's life was spared for a time, since they thought he -might be of use to them, and forthwith loaded him with plunder. But -he could not bear the cruel treatment that we suffered; and though -I tried to console him with a hope of deliverance, he continued to -sob and moan. One of the savages, seeing this, instantly came up, -struck him to the ground, and slew him. - -The family of John Adams next suffered. All were here put to death -except Adams himself, a good old man, whom they loaded with plunder, -and day after day continued to treat with the most shocking cruelty, -painting him all over with various colors, plucking the white hairs -from his beard, and telling him he was a fool for living so long, -and many other tortures which he bore with wonderful composure, -praying to God. - -One night after he had been tortured, when he and I were sitting -together, pitying each other's misfortunes, another party of Indians -arrived, bringing twenty scalps and three prisoners, who gave us -terrible accounts of what tragedies had passed in their parts, on -which I cannot bear to dwell. - -These three prisoners contrived to escape, but unhappily, not -knowing the country, they were recaptured and brought back. They -were then all put to death, with terrible tortures. - -A great snow now falling, the savages began to be afraid that the -white people would follow their tracks upon it and find out their -skulking retreats, and this caused them to make their way to their -winter quarters, about two hundred miles further from any plantations -or English inhabitants. There, after a long and tedious journey, -in which I was almost starved, I arrived with this villainous -crew. The place where we had to stay, in their tongue, was called -Alamingo, and there I found a number of wigwams full of Indian women -and children. Dancing, singing, and shooting were their general -amusements, and they told what successes they had had in their -expeditions, in which I found myself part of their theme. The -severity of the cold increasing, they stripped me of my own clothes -and gave me what they usually wear themselves--a blanket, a piece -of coarse cloth, and a pair of shoes made of deerskin. - -The better sort of Indians have shirts of the finest linen they can -get, and with these some wear ruffles, but they never put them on -till they have painted them different colors, and do not take them -off to wash, but wear them till they fall into pieces. They are -very proud, and delight in trinkets, such as silver plates round -their wrists and necks, with several strings of _wampum_, which is -made of cotton, interwoven with pebbles, cockle-shells, etc. From -their ears and noses they have rings and beads, which hang dangling -an inch or two. - -The hair of their heads is managed in different ways: some pluck -out and destroy all except a lock hanging from the crown of the -head, which they interweave with wampum and feathers. But the women -wear it very long, twisted down their backs, with beads, feathers, -and wampum, and on their heads they carry little coronets of brass -or copper. - -No people have a greater love of liberty or affection for their -relations, yet they are the most revengeful race on earth, and -inhumanly cruel. They generally avoid open fighting in war, yet -they are brave when taken, enduring death or torture with wonderful -courage. Nor would they at any time commit such outrages as they -do if they were not tempted by drink and money by those who call -themselves civilized. - -At Alamingo I was kept nearly two months, till the snow was off -the ground--a long time to be among such creatures! I was too far -from any plantations or white people to try to escape; besides, -the bitter cold made my limbs quite benumbed. But I contrived to -defend myself more or less against the weather by building a little -wigwam with the bark of the trees, covering it with earth, which -made it resemble a cave, and keeping a good fire always near the -door. - -Seeing me outwardly submissive, the savages sometimes gave me a -little meat, but my chief food was Indian corn. - -Having liberty to go about was, indeed, more than I expected; but -they knew well it was impossible for me to escape. - -At length they prepared for another expedition against the planters -and white people, but before they set out they were joined by many -other Indians from Fort Duquesne, well stored with powder and ball -that they had received from the French. - -As soon as the snow was quite gone, so that no trace of their -footsteps could be found, they set out on their journey toward -Pennsylvania, to the number of nearly a hundred and fifty. Their -wives and children were left behind in the wigwams. My duty was -to carry whatever they intrusted to me; but they never gave me a -gun. For several days we were almost famished for want of proper -provisions: I had nothing but a few stalks of Indian corn, which I -was glad to eat dry, and the Indians themselves did not fare much -better. - -When we again reached the Blue Hills, a council of war was held, -and we agreed to divide into companies of about twenty men each, -after which every captain marched with his party where he thought -proper. I still belonged to my old masters, but was left behind on -the mountains with ten Indians, to stay till the rest returned, as -they did not think it safe to carry me nearer to the plantations. - -Here being left, I began to meditate on my escape, for I knew the -country round very well, having often hunted there. The third day -after the great body of the Indians quitted us, my keepers visited -the mountains in search of game, leaving me bound in such a way -that I could not get free. - -When they returned at night they unbound me, and we all sat down -to supper together, feasting on two polecats which they had killed. -Then, being greatly tired with their day's excursion, they lay down -to rest as usual. - -Seeing them apparently fast asleep, I tried different ways of -finding out whether it was a pretence to see what I should do. But -after making a noise and walking about, sometimes touching them -with my feet, I found that they really slept. My heart exulted at -the hope of freedom, but it sank again when I thought how easily I -might be recaptured. I resolved, if possible, to get one of their -guns, and if discovered to die in self-defence rather than be -taken; and I tried several times to take one from under their heads, -where they always secure them. But in vain; I could not have done -so without rousing them. - -So, trusting myself to the Divine protection, I set out defenceless. -Such was my terror, however, that at first I halted every four or -five yards, looking fearfully toward the spot where I had left the -Indians, lest they should wake and miss me. But when I was about -two hundred yards off I mended my pace and made all the haste I -could to the foot of the mountains. - -Suddenly I was struck with the greatest terror and dismay, hearing -behind me the fearful cries and bowlings of the savages, far worse -than the roaring of lions or the shrieking of hyenas; and I knew -that they had missed me. The more my dread increased, the faster I -hurried, scarce knowing where I trod, sometimes falling and bruising -myself, cutting my feet against the stones, yet, faint and maimed -as I was, rushing on through the woods. I fled till daybreak, then -crept into a hollow tree, where I lay concealed, thanking God for -so far having favored my escape. I had nothing to eat but a little -corn. - -But my repose did not last long, for in a few hours I heard the -voices of the savages near the tree in which I was hid threatening -me with what they would do if they caught me, which I already guessed -too well. However, at last they left the spot where I heard them, -and I stayed in my shelter the rest of that day without any fresh -alarms. - -At night I ventured out again, trembling at every bush I passed, and -thinking each twig that touched me a savage. The next day I concealed -myself in the same manner, and at night travelled forward, keeping -off the main road, used by the Indians, as much as possible, which -made my journey far longer, and more painful than I can express. - -But how shall I describe my terror when, on the fourth night, -a party of Indians lying round a small fire which I had not seen, -hearing the rustling I made among the leaves, started from the -ground, seizing their arms, and ran out into the wood? I did not -know, in my agony of fear, whether to stand still or rush on. I -expected nothing but a terrible death; but at that very moment a -troop of swine made toward the place where the savages were. They, -seeing the hogs, guessed that their alarm had been caused by them, -and returned merrily to their fire and lay down to sleep again. -As soon as this happened, I pursued my way more cautiously and -silently, but in a cold perspiration of terror at the peril I had -just escaped. Bruised, cut, and shaken, I still held on my path -till break of day, when I lay down under a huge log, and slept -undisturbed till noon. Then, getting up, I climbed a great hill, -and, scanning the country round, I saw, to my unspeakable joy, some -habitations of white people, about ten miles distant. - -My pleasure was somewhat damped by not being able to get among -them that night. But they were too far off; therefore, when evening -fell, I again commended myself to Heaven, and lay down, utterly -exhausted. In the morning, as soon as I woke, I made toward the -nearest of the cleared lands which I had seen the day before; and -that afternoon I reached the house of John Bull, an old acquaintance. - -I knocked at the door, and his wife, who opened it, seeing me in -such a frightful condition, flew from me like lightning, screaming, -into the house. - -This alarmed the whole family, who immediately seized their arms, -and I was soon greeted by the master with his gun in his hand. But -when I made myself known--for at first he took me for an Indian--he -and all his family welcomed me with great joy at finding me alive; -since they had been told I was murdered by the savages some months -ago. - -No longer able to bear up, I fainted and fell to the ground. When -they had recovered me, seeing my weak and famished state, they gave -me some food, but let me at first partake of it very sparingly. -Then for two days and nights they made me welcome, and did their -utmost to bring back my strength, with the kindest hospitality. -Finding myself once more able to ride, I borrowed a horse and some -clothes of these good people, and set out for my father-in-law's -house in Chester County, about a hundred and forty miles away. I -reached it on January 4,1755; but none of the family could believe -their eyes when they saw me, having lost all hope on hearing that -I had fallen a prey to the Indians. - -They received me with great joy; but when I asked for my dear wife, -I found she had been dead two months, and this fatal news greatly -lessened the delight I felt at my deliverance. - - - - -THE PRISONER WHO WOULD NOT STAY IN PRISON - -ANONYMOUS - - - -Few people out of his own country would have heard of Baron Trenck -had it not been for the wonderful skill and cunning with which he -managed to cut through the stone walls and iron bars of all his many -cages. He was born at Königsberg in Prussia in 1726, and entered -the body-guard of Frederic II in 1742, when he was about sixteen. -Trenck was a young man of good family, rich, well educated, -and, according to his own account, fond of amusement. He confesses -to having shirked his duties more than once for the sake of -some pleasure, even after the War of the Austrian Succession had -broken out (September, 1744), and Frederic, strict though he was, -had forgiven him. It is plain from this that the king must have -considered that Trenck had been guilty of some deadly treachery -toward him when in after years he declined to pardon him for crimes -which after all the young man had never committed. - -Trenck's first confinement was in 1746, when he was thrown into -the Castle of Glatz, on a charge of corresponding with his cousin -and namesake, who was in the service of the Empress Maria Theresa, -and of being an Austrian spy. At first he was kindly treated -and allowed to walk freely about the fortifications, and he took -advantage of the liberty given him to arrange a plan of escape -with one of his fellow-prisoners. The plot was, however, betrayed -by the other man, and a heavy punishment fell on Trenck. By the -king's orders, he was promptly deprived of all his privileges and -placed in a cell in one of the towers, which overlooked the ramparts -lying ninety feet below, on the side nearest the town. This added -a fresh difficulty to his chances of escape, as, in passing from -the castle to the town, he was certain to be seen by many people. -But no obstacles mattered to Trenck. He had money, and money could -do a great deal. So he began by bribing one of the officials about -the prison, and the official in his turn bribed a soapboiler, who -lived not far from the castle gates, and promised to conceal Trenck -somewhere in his house. Still, liberty must have seemed a long way -off, for Trenck had only one little knife with which to cut through -anything. By dint of incessant and hard work, he managed to saw -through three thick steel bars, but even so, there were eight others -left to do. His friend the official then procured him a file, but -he was obliged to use it with great care, lest the scraping sound -should be heard by his guards. Perhaps they wilfully closed their -ears, for many of them were sorry for Trenck; but, at all events, -the eleven bars were at last sawn through, and all that remained -was to make a rope ladder. This he did by tearing his leather -portmanteau into strips and plaiting them into a rope, and as this -was not long enough, he added his sheets. The night was dark and -rainy, which favored him, and he reached the bottom of the rampart -in safety. Unluckily, he met here with an obstacle on which he had -never counted. There was a large drain, opening into one of the -trenches, which Trenck had neither seen nor heard of, and into -this he fell. In spite of his struggles, he was held fast, and -his strength being at last exhausted, he was forced to call the -sentinel, and at midday, having been left in the drain for hours -to make sport for the town, he was carried back to his cell. - -Henceforth he was still more strictly watched than before, though, -curiously enough, his money never seems to have been taken from -him, and at this time he had about eighty louis left, which he -always kept hidden. Eight days after his last attempt, Fouquet, -the commandant of Glatz, who hated Trenck and all his family, sent -a deputation consisting of the adjutant, an officer, and a certain -Major Doo to speak to the unfortunate man and exhort him to patience -and submission. Trenck entered into conversation with them for the -purpose of throwing them off their guard, when suddenly he snatched -away Doo's sword, rushed from his cell, knocked down the sentinel -and lieutenant who were standing outside, and striking right and -left at the soldiers who came flying to bar his progress, he dashed -down the stairs and leaped from the ramparts. Though the height -was great he fell into the fosse without injury, still grasping -his sword. He scrambled quickly to his feet and jumped easily over -the second rampart, which was much lower than the first, and then -began to breathe freely, as he thought he was safe from being -overtaken by the soldiers, who would have to come a long way round. -At this moment, however, he saw a sentinel making for him, a short -distance off, and he rushed for the palisades which divided the -fortifications from the open country, from which the mountains and -Bohemia were easily reached. In the act of scaling them, his foot -was caught tight between the bars, and he was trapped till the -sentinel came up, and after a sharp fight got him back to prison. - -For some time poor Trenck was in a sad condition. In his struggle -with the sentinel he had been wounded, while his right foot had -got crushed in the palisades. Besides this, he was watched far more -strictly than before, for an officer and two men remained always -in his cell, and two sentinels were stationed outside. The reason -of these precautions, of course, was to prevent his gaining over -his guards singly, either by pity or bribery. His courage sank to -its lowest ebb, as he was told on all sides that his imprisonment -was for life, whereas long after he discovered the real truth, that -the king's intention had been to keep him under arrest for a year -only, and if he had had a little more patience, three weeks would -have found him free. His repeated attempts to escape naturally -angered Frederic, while on the other hand the king knew nothing -of the fact which excused Trenck's impatience--namely, the belief -carefully instilled in him by all around him that he was doomed to -perpetual confinement. - -It is impossible to describe in detail all the plans made by Trenck -to regain his freedom; first because they were endless, and secondly -because several were nipped in the bud. Still, the unfortunate man -felt that as long as his money was not taken from him his case was -not hopeless, for the officers in command were generally poor and -in debt, and were always sent to garrison work as a punishment. After -one wild effort to liberate _all_ the prisoners in the fortress, -which was naturally discovered and frustrated, Trenck made friends -with an officer named Schell, lately arrived at Glatz, who promised not -only his aid but his company in the new enterprise. As more money -would be needed than Trenck had in his possession, he contrived -to apply to his rich relations outside the prison, and by some -means--what we are not told--they managed to convey a large sum to -him. Suspicion, however, got about that Trenck was on too familiar -a footing with the officers, and orders were given that his door -should always be kept locked. This occasioned further delay, as -false keys had secretly to be made before anything else could be -done. - -Their flight was unexpectedly hastened by Schell accidentally learning -that he was in danger of arrest. One night they crept unobserved -through the arsenal and over the inner palisade, but on reaching -the rampart they came face to face with two of the officers, and -again a leap into the fosse was the only way of escape. Luckily, the -wall at this point was not high, and Trenck arrived at the bottom -without injury; but Schell was not so happy, and hurt his foot so -badly that he called on his friend to kill him, and to make the -best of his way alone. Trenck, however, declined to abandon him, -and having dragged him over the outer palisade, took him on his -back, and made for the frontier. Before they had gone five hundred -yards, they heard the boom of the alarm guns from the fortress, -while clearer still were the sounds of pursuit. As they knew that -they would naturally be sought on the side toward Bohemia, they -changed their course and pushed on to the river Neiss, at this -season partly covered with ice. Trenck swam over slowly with his -friend on his back, and found a boat on the other side. By means -of this boat they evaded their enemies, and reached the mountains -after some hours, very hungry, and almost frozen to death. - -Here a new terror awaited them. Some peasants with whom they took -refuge recognized Schell, and for a moment the fugitives gave -themselves up for lost. But the peasants took pity on the two -wretched objects, fed them and gave them shelter, till they could -make up their minds what was best to be done. To their unspeakable -dismay, they found that they were, after all, only seven miles from -Glatz, and that in the neighboring town of Wunschelburg a hundred -soldiers were quartered, with orders to capture all deserters from -the fortress. This time, however, fortune favored the luckless -Trenck, and though he and Schell were both in uniform, they rode -unobserved through the village while the rest of the people were at -church, and, skirting Wunschelburg, crossed the Bohemian frontier -in the course of the day. - -Then follows a period of comparative calm in Trenck's history. He -travelled freely about Poland, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Denmark -and Holland, and even ventured occasionally across the border into -Prussia. Twelve years seem to have passed by in this manner, till, -in 1758, his mother died, and Trenck asked leave of the council -of war to go up to Dantzic to see his family and to arrange his -affairs. Curiously enough, it appears never to have occurred to -him that he was a deserter, and as such liable to be arrested at -any moment. And this was what actually happened. By order of the -king, Trenck was taken first to Berlin, where he was deprived of -his money and some valuable rings, and then removed to Magdeburg, -of which place Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick was the governor. - -Here his quarters were worse than he had ever known them. His -cell was only six feet by ten, and the window was high, with bars -without as well as within. The wall was seven feet thick, and beyond -it was a palisade, which rendered it impossible for the sentinels -to approach the window. On the other side the prisoner was shut -in by three doors, and his food (which was not only bad, but very -scanty) was passed to him through an opening. - -One thing only was in his favor. His cell was only entered once -a week, so he could pursue any work to further his escape without -much danger of being discovered. Notwithstanding the high window, -the thick wall, and the palisade--notwithstanding, too, his want -of money--he soon managed to open negotiations with the sentinels, -and found, to his great joy, that the next cell was empty. If he -could only contrive to burrow his way into that, he would be able -to watch his opportunity to steal through the open door; once -free, he could either swim the Elbe and cross into Saxony, which -lay about six miles distant, or else float down the river in a boat -till he was out of danger. - -Small as the cell was, it contained a sort of cupboard, fixed -into the floor by irons, and on these Trenck began to work. After -frightful labor, he at last extracted the heavy nails which fastened -the staples to the floor, and breaking off the heads (which he put -back to avoid detection), he kept the rest to fashion for his own -purposes. By this means he made instruments to raise the bricks. - -On this side also the wall was seven feet thick, and formed of bricks -and stones. Trenck numbered them as he went on with the greatest -care, so that the cell might present its usual appearance before -the Wednesday visit of his guards. To hide the joins, he scraped -off some of the mortar, which he smeared over the place. - -As may be supposed, all this took a very long time. He had nothing -to work with but the tools he himself had made, which, of course, -were very rough. But one day a friendly sentinel gave him a little -iron rod and a small knife with a wooden handle. These were treasures -indeed! And with their help he worked away for six months at his -hole, as in some places the mortar had become so hard that it had -to be pounded like a stone. - -During this time he enlisted the compassion of some of the other -sentinels, who not only described to him the lay of the country -which he would have to traverse if he ever succeeded in getting -out of prison, but interested in his behalf a Jewess named Esther -Heymann, whose own father had been for two years a prisoner in -Magdeburg. In this manner Trenck became the possessor of a file, -a knife, and some writing paper, as the friendly Jewess had agreed -to convey letters to some influential people, both at Vienna and -Berlin, and also to his sister. But this step led to the ruin, -not only of Trenck, but of several persons concerned, for they were -betrayed by an imperial secretary of embassy called Weingarten, who -was tempted by a bill for 20,000 florins. Many of those guilty of -abetting Trenck in this fresh effort to escape were put to death, -while his sister was ordered to build a new prison for him in the -Fort de l'Etoile, and he himself was destined to pass nine more -years in chains. - -In spite of his fetters, Trenck was able in some miraculous way -to get on with his hole, but his long labor was rendered useless -by the circumstance that his new prison was finished sooner than -he expected, and he was removed into it hastily, being only able -to conceal his knife. He was now chained even more heavily than -before, his two feet being attached to a heavy ring fixed in the -wall, another ring being fastened round his body. From this ring -was suspended a chain with a thick iron bar, two feet long at the -bottom, and to this his hands were fastened. An iron collar was -afterward added to his instruments of torture. - -Besides torments of body, nothing was wanting which could work on -his mind. His prison was built between the trenches of the principal -rampart, and was of course very dark. It was likewise very damp, -and, to crown all, the name of "Trenck" had been printed in red -bricks on the wall, above a tomb whose place was indicated by a -death's-head. - -Here again, he tells us, he excited the pity of his guards, who -gave him a bed and coverlet, and as much bread as he chose to eat; -and, wonderful as it may seem, his health did not suffer from all -these horrors. As soon as he got a little accustomed to his cramped -position, he began to use the knife he had left, and to cut through -his chains. He next burst the iron band, and after a long time -severed his leg fetters, but in such a way that he could put them -on again and no one be any the wiser. Nothing is more common in -the history of prisoners than this exploit, and nothing is more -astonishing, yet we meet with the fact again and again in their memoirs -and biographies. Trenck at any rate appears to have accomplished -the feat without much difficulty, though he found it very hard, -to get his hand back into his handcuffs. After he had disposed of -his bonds, he began to saw at the doors leading to the gallery. -These were four in number, and all of wood, but when he arrived at -the fourth, his knife broke in two, and the courage that had upheld -him for so many years gave away. He opened his veins and lay down -to die, when in his despair he heard the voice of Gefhardt, the -friendly sentinel from the other prison. Hearing of Trenck's sad -plight, he scaled the palisade, and, we are told expressly, bound -up his wounds, though we are _not_ told how he managed to enter -the cell. Be that as it may, the next day, when the guards came -to open the door, they found Trenck ready to meet them, armed with -a brick in one hand, and a knife, doubtless obtained from Gefhardt, -in the other. The first man that approached him, he stretched -wounded at his feet, and thinking it dangerous to irritate further -a desperate man, they made a compromise with him. The governor took -off his chains for a time, and gave him strong soup and fresh linen. -Then, after a while, new doors were put to his cell, the inner door -being lined with plates of iron, and he himself was fastened with -stronger chains than those he had burst through. - -For all this the watch must have been very lax, as Gefhardt soon -contrived to open communication with him again, and letters were -passed through the window (to which the prisoner had made a false -and movable frame) and forwarded to Trenck's rich friends. His -appeal was always answered promptly and amply. More valuable than -money were two files, also procured from Gefhardt, and by their -means the new chains were speedily cut through, though, as before, -without any apparent break. Having freed his limbs, he began to -saw through the floor of his cell, which was of wood. Underneath, -instead of hard rock, there was sand, which Trenck scooped out with -his hands. This earth was passed through the window to Gefhardt, -who removed it when he was on guard, and gave his friend pistols, -a bayonet, and knives to assist him when he had finally made his -escape. - -All seemed going smoothly. The foundations of the prison were only -four feet deep, and Trenck's tunnel had reached a considerable -distance when everything was again spoiled. A letter written by -Trenck to Vienna fell into the hands of the governor, owing to some -stupidity on the part of Gefhardt's wife, who had been intrusted -to deliver it. The letter does not seem to have contained any -special disclosure of his plan of escape, as the governor, who -was still Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, could find nothing wrong in -Trenck's cell except the false window-frame. The cut chains, though -examined, somehow escaped detection, from which we gather either -that the officials were very careless, or the carpenter very stupid. -Perhaps both may have been the case, for as the Seven Years' War -(against Austria) was at this time raging, sentinels and officers -were frequently changed, and prison discipline insensibly relaxed. -Had this not been so, Trenck could never have been able to labor -unseen, but as it was, he was merely deprived of his bed, as a -punishment for tampering with the window. - -As soon as he had recovered from his fright and an illness which -followed, he returned to his digging. - - -It was necessary for him to bore under the subterranean gallery of -the principal rampart, which was a distance of thirty-seven feet, -and to get outside the foundation of the rampart. Beyond that was -a door leading to the second rampart. Trenck was forced to work -almost naked, for fear of raising the suspicions of the officials -by his dirty clothes, but in spite of all his precautions and the -wilful blindness of his guards, who as usual were on his side, all -was at length discovered. His hole was filled up, and a year's work -lost. - -The next torture invented for him was worse than any that had gone -before. He was visited and awakened every quarter of an hour, in -order that he might not set to work in the night. This lasted for -four years, during part of which time Trenck employed himself in -writing verses and making drawings on his tin cups, after the manner -of all prisoners, and in writing books with his blood, as ink was -forbidden. We are again left in ignorance as to how he got paper. -He also began to scoop out another hole, but was discovered afresh, -though nothing particular seems to have been done to him, partly -owing to the kindness of the new governor, who soon afterward died. - -It had been arranged by his friends that for the space of one year -horses should be ready for him at a certain place on the first and -fifteenth of every month. Inspired by this thought, he turned to -his burrowing with renewed vigor, and worked away at every moment -when he thought he could do so unseen. One day, however, when he -had reached some distance, he dislodged a large stone which blocked -up the opening toward his cell. His terror was frightful. Not only -was the air suffocating, and the darkness dreadful, but he knew -that if any of the guards were unexpectedly to come into his cell, -the opening must be discovered, and all his toil again lost. For -eight hours he stayed in the tunnel paralyzed by fear. Then he -roused himself, and by dint of superhuman struggles managed to open -a passage on one side of the stone, and to reach his cell, which -for once appeared to him as a haven of rest. - -Soon after this the war ended with the Peace of Paris (1763), and -Trenck's hopes of release seemed likely to be realized. He procured -money from his friends, and bribed the Austrian ambassador in Berlin -to open negotiations on his behalf, and while these were impending -he rested from his labors for three whole months. Suddenly he was -possessed by an idea which was little less than madness. He bribed -a major to ask for a visit from Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, again -Governor of Magdeburg, offering to disclose his passage, and to -reveal all his plans of escape, on condition that the duke would -promise to plead for him with the king. This message never reached -the duke himself, but some officers arrived ostensibly sent by him, -but in reality tools of the major's. They listened to all he had -to say, and saw all he had to show, then broke their word, filled -up the passage, and redoubled the chains and the watch. - -Notwithstanding this terrible blow, Trenck's trials were drawing -to an end. Whether Frederic's heart was softened by his brilliant -victories, or whether Trenck's influential friends succeeded in -making themselves heard, we do not know, but six months later he -was set free, on condition that he never tried to revenge himself -on any one, and that he never again should cross the frontiers of -Saxony or Prussia. - - - - -A WHITE BOY AMONG THE INDIANS, AS TOLD BY HIMSELF - -By John Tanner - - - -The earliest event of my life which I distinctly remember (says -John Tanner) is the death of my mother. This happened when I was -two years old, and many of the attending circumstances made so deep -an impression that they are still fresh in my memory. I cannot -recollect the name of the settlement at which we lived, but I -have since learned it was on the Kentucky River, at a considerable -distance from the Ohio. - -My father, whose name was John Tanner, was an emigrant from Virginia, -and had been a clergyman. - -When about to start one morning to a village at some distance, he -gave, as it appeared, a strict charge to my sisters, Agatha and -Lucy, to send me to school; but this they neglected to do until -afternoon, and then, as the weather was rainy and unpleasant, I -insisted on remaining at home. When my father returned at night, -and found that I had been at home all day, he sent me for a parcel -of small canes, and flogged me much more severely than I could -suppose the offence merited. I was displeased with my sisters for -attributing all the blame to me, when they had neglected even to -tell me to go to school in the forenoon. From that time, my father's -house was less like home to me, and I often thought and said, "I -wish I could go and live among the Indians." - -One day we went from Cincinnati to the mouth of the Big Miami, -opposite which we were to settle. Here was some cleared land, and -one or two log cabins, but they had been deserted on account of -the Indians. My father rebuilt the cabins, and inclosed them with -a strong picket. It was early in the spring when we arrived at -the mouth of the Big Miami, and we were soon engaged in preparing -a field to plant corn. I think it was not more than ten days after -our arrival, when my father told us in the morning, that, from -the actions of the horses, he perceived there were Indians lurking -about in the woods, and he said to me, "John, you must not go out -of the house to-day." After giving strict charge to my stepmother -to let none of the little children go out, he went to the field, -with the negroes, and my elder brother, to sow corn. - -Three little children, besides myself, were left in the house -with my stepmother. To prevent me from going out, my stepmother -required me to take care of the little child, then not more than -a few months old; but as I soon became impatient of confinement -I began to pinch my little brother, to make him cry. My mother, -perceiving his uneasiness, told me to take him in my arms and walk -about the house; I did so, but continued to pinch him. My mother -at length took him from me to nurse him. I patched my opportunity -and escaped into the yard; thence through a small door in the large -gate of the wall into the open field. There was a walnut-tree at -some distance from the house, and near the side of the field where -I had been in the habit of finding some of last year's nuts. To gain -this tree without being seen by my father and those in the field, -I had to use some precaution. I remember perfectly well having seen -my father as I skulked toward the tree; he stood in the middle of -the field, with his gun in his hand, to watch for Indians, while -the others were sowing corn. As I came near the tree, I thought -to myself, "I wish I could see these Indians. "I had partly filled -with nuts a straw hat which I wore, when I heard a crackling noise -behind me; I looked round, and saw the Indians; almost at the same -instant, I was seized by both hands, and dragged off between two. -One of them took my straw hat, emptied the nuts on the ground, -and put it on my head. The Indians who seized me were an old and a -young one; these, as I learned subsequently, were Manito-o-geezhik, -and his son Kish-kau-ko. - -After I saw myself firmly seized by both wrists by the two Indians, -I was not conscious of anything that passed for a considerable -time. I must have fainted, as I did not cry out, and I can remember -nothing that happened to me until they threw me over a large log, -which must have been at a considerable distance from the house. The -old man I did not now see; I was, dragged along between Kish-kau-ko -and a very short thick man. I had probably made some resistance, -or done something to irritate this latter, for he took me a little -to one side, and drawing his tomahawk, motioned to me to look up. -This I plainly understood, from the expression of his face, and -his manner, to be a direction for me to look up for the last time, -as he was about to kill me. I did as he directed, but Kish-kau-ko -caught his hand as the tomahawk was descending, and prevented him -from burying it in my brains. Loud talking ensued between the two. -Kish-kau-ko presently raised a yell: the old man and four others -answered it by a similar yell, and came running up. I have since -understood that Kish-kau-ko complained to his father that the short -man had made an attempt to kill his little brother, as he called -me. The old chief, after reproving the short man, took me by one -hand, and Kish-kau-ko took me by the other and thus they dragged -me between them, the man who threatened to kill me, and who was -now an object of terror to me, being kept at some distance. I could -perceive, as I retarded them somewhat in their retreat, that they -were apprehensive of being overtaken; some of them were always at -some distance from us. - -It was about one mile from my father's house to the place where -they threw me into a hickory-bark canoe, which was concealed under -the bushes, on the bank of the river. Into this they all seven jumped, -and immediately crossed the Ohio, landing at the mouth of the Big -Miami, and on the south side of that river. Here they abandoned -their canoe, and stuck their paddles in the ground, so that they -could be seen from the river. At a little distance in the woods -they had some blankets and provisions concealed; they offered me -some dry venison and bear's grease, but I could not eat. My father's -house was plainly to be seen from the place where we stood; they -pointed at it, looked at me, and laughed, but I have never known -what they said. - -After they had eaten a little, they began to ascend the Miami, -dragging me along as before. - -It must have been early in the spring when we arrived at Sau-ge-nong, -for I can remember that at this time the leaves were small, and -the Indians were about planting their corn. They managed to make -me assist at their labors, partly by signs, and partly by the few -words of English old Manito-o-geezhik could speak. After planting, -they all left the village, and went out to hunt and dry meat. When -they came to their hunting-grounds, they chose a place where many -deer resorted, and here they began to build a long screen like a -fence; this they made of green boughs and small trees. When they -had built a part of it, they showed me how to remove the leaves and -dry brush from that side of it to which the Indians were to come -to shoot the deer. In this labor I was sometimes assisted by the -squaws and children, but at other times I was left alone. It now -began to be warm weather, and it happened one day that, having been -left alone, as I was tired and thirsty, I fell asleep. I cannot -tell how long I slept, but when I began to awake, I thought I heard -someone crying a great way off. Then I tried to raise up my head, -but could not. Being now more awake, I saw my Indian mother and -sister standing by me, and perceived that my face and head were -wet. The old woman and her daughter were crying bitterly, but it -was some time before I perceived that my head was badly cut and -bruised. It appears that, after I had fallen asleep, Manito-o-geezhik, -passing that way, had perceived me, had tomahawked me, and thrown -me in the bushes; and that when he came to his camp he had said to -his wife, "Old woman, the boy I brought you is good for nothing; I -have killed him; you will find him in such a place." The old woman -and her daughter having found me, discovered still some signs of -life, and had stood over me a long time, crying, and pouring cold -water on my head, when I waked. In a few days I recovered in some -measure from this hurt, and was again set to work at the screen, -but I was more careful not to fall asleep; I endeavored to assist -them at their labors, and to comply in all instances with their -directions, but I was notwithstanding treated with great harshness, -particularly by the old man and his two sons She-mung and Kwo-tash-e. -While we remained at the hunting camp, one of them put a bridle in -my hand, and pointing in a certain direction motioned me to go. I -went accordingly, supposing he wished me to bring a horse: I went -and caught the first I could find, and in this way I learned to -discharge such services as they required of me. - -I had been about two years at Sau-ge-nong, when a great council was -called by the British agents at Mackinac. This council was attended -by the Sioux, the Winnebagoes, the Menomonees, and many remote -tribes, as well as by the Ojibbeways, Ottawwaws, etc. When old -Manito-o-geezhik returned from this council, I soon learned that -he had met there his kinswoman, Net-no-kwa, who, notwithstanding -her sex, was then regarded as principal chief of the Ottawwaws. -This woman had lost her son, of about my age, by death; and, having -heard of me, she wished to purchase me to supply his place. My old -Indian mother, the Otter woman, when she heard of this, protested -vehemently against it. I heard her say, "My son has been dead once, -and has been restored to me; I cannot lose him again." But these -remonstrances had little influence when Net-no-kwa arrived with -plenty of presents. She brought to the lodge first blankets, tobacco, -and other articles of great value. She was perfectly acquainted -with the dispositions of those with whom she had to negotiate. -Objections were made to the exchange until a few more presents -completed the bargain, and I was transferred to Net-no-kwa. This -woman, who was then advanced in years, was of a more pleasing -aspect than my former mother. She took me by the hand, after she -had completed the negotiation with my former possessors, and led -me to her own lodge, which stood near. Here I soon found I was to -be treated more indulgently than I had been. She gave me plenty -of food, put good clothes upon me, and told me to go and play with -her own sons. We remained but a short time at Sau-ge-nong. She -would not stop with me at Mackinac, which we passed in the night, -but ran along to Point St. Ignace, where she hired some Indians -to take care of me, while she returned to Mackinac by herself, or -with one or two of her young men. After finishing her business at -Mackinac, she returned, and, continuing on our journey, we arrived -in a few days at Shab-a-wy-wy-a-gun. - -The husband of Net-no-kwa was an Ojibbeway of Red River, called -Taw-ga-we-ninne, the hunter. He was always indulgent and kind to -me, treating me like an equal, rather than as a dependent. When -speaking to me, he always called me his son. Indeed, he himself was -but of secondary importance in the family, as everything belonged -to Net-no-kwa. and she had the direction in all affairs of any -moment. She imposed on me, for the first year, some tasks. She -made me cut wood, bring home game, bring water, and perform other -services not commonly required of boys of my age; but she treated -me invariably with so much kindness that I was far more happy and -content than I had been in the family of Manito-o-geezhik. She -sometimes whipped me, as she did her own children: but I was not -so severely and frequently beaten as I had been before. - -Early in the spring, Net-no-kwa and her husband, with their family, -started to go to Mackinac. They left me, as they had done before, -at Point St. Ignace, as they would not run the risk of losing me -by suffering me to be seen at Mackinac. On our return, after we had -gone twenty-five or thirty miles from Point St. Ignace, we were -detained by contrary winds at a place called Me-nau-ko-king, a -point running out into the lake. Here we encamped with some other -Indians, and a party of traders. Pigeons were very numerous in the -woods, and the boys of my age, and the traders, were busy shooting -them. I had never killed any game, and, indeed, had never in my -life discharged a gun. My mother had purchased at Mackinac a keg -of powder, which, as they thought it a little damp, was here spread -out to dry. Taw-ga-we-ninne had a large horseman's pistol; and, -finding myself somewhat emboldened by his indulgent manner toward -me, I requested permission to go and try to kill some pigeons with -the pistol. My request was seconded by Net-no-kwa, who said, "It -is time for our son to begin to learn to be a hunter." Accordingly, -my father, as I called Taw-ga-we-ninne, loaded the pistol and gave -it to me, saying, "Go, my son, and if you kill anything with this, -you shall immediately have a gun and learn to hunt." Since I have -been a man, I have been placed in difficult stations; but my anxiety -for success was never greater than in this, my first essay as a -hunter. I had not gone far from the camp before I met with pigeons, -and some of them alighted in the bushes very near me. I cocked my -pistol, and raised it to my face, bringing the breech almost in -contact with my nose. Having brought the sight to bear upon the -pigeon, I pulled trigger, and was in the next instant sensible of a -humming noise, like that of a stone sent swiftly through the air. -I found the pistol at the distance of some paces behind me, and -the pigeon under the tree on which he had been sitting. My face -was much bruised, and covered with blood. I ran home, carrying -my pigeon in triumph. My face was speedily bound up; my pistol -exchanged for a fowling-piece; I was accoutred with a powder-horn, -and furnished with shot, and allowed to go out after birds. One of -the young Indians went with me, to observe my manner of shooting. -I killed three more pigeons in the course of the afternoon, and did -not discharge my gun once without killing. Henceforth I began to -be treated with more consideration, and was allowed to hunt often, -that I might become expert. - -Game began to be scarce, and we all suffered from hunger. The -chief man of our band was called As-sin-ne-boi-nainse (the Little -Assinneboin), and he now proposed to us all to move, as the country -where we were was exhausted. The day on which we were to commence -our removal was fixed upon, but before it arrived our necessities -became extreme. The evening before the day on which we intended to -move my mother talked much of all our misfortunes and losses, as -well as of the urgent distress under which we were then laboring. -At the usual hour I went to sleep, as did all the younger part of -the family; but I was wakened again by the loud praying and singing -of the old woman, who continued her devotions through a great part -of the night. Very early on the following morning she called us all -to get up, and put on our moccasins, and be ready to move. She then -called Wa-me-gon-a-biew to her, and said to him in rather a low -voice: "My son, last night I sung and prayed to the Great Spirit, -and when I slept there come to me one like a man, and said to me, -'Net-no-kwa, to-morrow you shall eat a bear. There is, at a distance -from the path you are to travel to-morrow, and in such a direction' -(which she described to him), 'a small round meadow, with something -like a path leading from it; in that path there is a bear.' Now, -my son, I wish you to go to that place, without mentioning to any -one what I have said, and you will certainly find the bear, as I -have described to you." But the young man, who was not particularly -dutiful, or apt to regard what his mother said, going out of the -lodge, spoke sneeringly to the other Indians of the dream. "The -old woman," said he, "tells me we are to eat a bear to-day; but I -do not know who is to kill it." The old woman, hearing him, called -him in, and reproved him; but she could not prevail upon him to go -to hunt. - -I had my gun with me, and I continued to think of the conversation -I had heard between my mother and Wa-me-gon-a-biew respecting her -dream. At length I resolved to go in search of the place she had -spoken of, and without mentioning to any one my design, I loaded -my gun as for a bear, and set off on our back track. I soon met -a woman belonging to one of the brothers of Taw-ga-we-ninne, and -of course my aunt. This woman had shown little friendship for us, -considering us as a burden upon her husband, who sometimes gave -something for our support; she had also often ridiculed me. She -asked me immediately what I was doing on the path, and whether -I expected to kill Indians, that I came there with my gun. I made -her no answer; and thinking I must be not far from the place where -my mother had told Wa-me-gon-a-biew to leave the path, I turned off, -continuing carefully to regard all the directions she had given. -At length I found what appeared at some former time to have been -a pond. It was a small, round, open place in the woods, now grown -up with grass and small bushes. This I thought must be the meadow -my mother had spoken of; and examining around it, I came to an open -space in the bushes, where, it is probable, a small brook ran from -the meadow; but the snow was now so deep that I could see nothing -of it. My mother had mentioned that, when she saw the bear in her -dream, she had, at the same time, seen a smoke rising from the -ground. I was confident this was the place she had indicated, and -I watched long, expecting to see the smoke; but, wearied at length -with waiting, I walked a few paces into the open place, resembling -a path, when I unexpectedly fell up to my middle in the snow, I -extricated myself without difficulty, and walked on; but, remembering -that I had heard the Indians speak of killing bears in their holes, -it occurred to me that it might be a bear's hole into which I had -fallen and, looking down into it, I saw the head of a bear lying -close to the bottom of the hole. I placed the muzzle of my gun -nearly between his eyes and discharged it. As soon as the smoke -cleared away, I took a piece of stick and thrust it into the eyes -and into the wound in the head of the bear, and, being satisfied -that he was dead, I endeavored to lift him out of the hole; but -being unable to do this, I returned home, following the track I -had made in coming out. As I came near the camp, where the squaws -had by this time set up the lodges, I met the same woman I had -seen in going out, and she immediately began again to ridicule me. -"Have you killed a bear, that you come back so soon, and walk so -fast?" I thought to myself, "How does she know that I have killed -a bear?" But I passed by her without saying anything, and went into -my mother's lodge. After a few minutes, the old woman said, "My -son, look in that kettle, and you will find a mouthful of beaver -meat, which a man gave me since you left us in the morning. You -must leave half of it for Wa-me-gon-a-biew, who has not yet returned -from hunting, and has eaten nothing to-day. "I accordingly ate the -beaver meat, and when I had finished it, observing an opportunity -when she stood by herself, I stepped up to her, and whispered in her -ear, "My mother, I have killed a bear." "What do you say, my son?" -said she. "I have killed a bear." "Are you sure you have killed -him?" "Yes." "Is he quite dead?" "Yes." She watched my face for -a moment, and then caught me in her arms, hugging and kissing me -with great earnestness, and for a long time. I then told her what -my aunt had said to me, both going and returning, and this being -told to her husband when he returned, he not only reproved her for -it, but gave her a severe flogging. The bear was sent for, and, -as being the first I had killed, was cooked all together, and the -hunters of the whole band invited to feast with us, according to -the custom of the Indians. The same day one of the Crees killed a -bear and a moose, and gave a large share of the meat to my mother. - -One winter I hunted for a trader called by the Indians Aneeb, which -means an elm tree. As the winter advanced, and the weather became -more and more cold, I found it difficult to procure as much game -as I had been in the habit of supplying, and as was wanted by the -trader. Early one morning, about mid-winter, I started an elk. -I pursued until night, and had almost overtaken him; but hope and -strength failed me at the same time. What clothing I had on me, -notwithstanding the extreme coldness of the weather, was drenched -with sweat. It was not long after I turned toward home that I -felt it stiffening about me. My leggings were of cloth, and were -torn in pieces in running through the bush. I was conscious I was -somewhat frozen before I arrived at the place where I had left our -lodge standing in the morning, and it was now midnight. I knew it -had been the old woman's intention to move, and I knew where she -would go; but I had not been informed she would go on that day. As -I followed on their path, I soon ceased to suffer from cold, and -felt that sleepy sensation which I knew preceded the last stage of -weakness in such as die of cold. I redoubled my efforts, but with -an entire consciousness of the danger of my situation; it was with -no small difficulty that I could prevent myself from lying down. -At length I lost all consciousness for some time, how long I cannot -tell, and, awaking as from a dream, I found I had been walking round -and round in a small circle not more than twenty or twenty-five -yards over. After the return of my senses, I looked about to try -to discover my path, as I had missed it; but, while I was looking, -I discovered a light at a distance, by which I directed my course. -Once more, before I reached the lodge, I lost my senses; but I did -not fall down; if I had, I should never have gotten up again; but -I ran round and round in a circle as before. When I at last came -into the lodge, I immediately fell down, but I did not lose myself -as before. I can remember seeing the thick and sparkling coat of -frost on the inside of the pukkwi lodge, and hearing my mother say -that she had kept a large fire in expectation of my arrival; and -that she had not thought I should have been so long gone in the -morning, but that I should have known long before night of her -having moved. It was a month before I was able to go out again, my -face, hands, and legs having been much frozen. - -After many dangerous and disagreeable experiences, John Tanner, -when almost an old man, came back to the whites to tell his history, -which, as he could not write, was taken down at his dictation. - - - - -EVANGELINE OF ACADIA - -By Henry W. Longfellow - - - -More than two hundred years ago there lived in Acadia, as Nova -Scotia was then called, a beautiful maiden named Evangeline. Benedict -Bellefontaine, Evangeline's father, was the wealthiest farmer in -the neighborhood. His goodly acres were somewhat apart from the -little village of Grand-Pré, but near enough for Evangeline not to -feel lonely. - -The people of Grand-Pré were simple and kindly, and dwelt together -in the love of God and man. They had neither locks to their doors -nor bars to their windows; visitors were always welcome, and all -gave of their best to whoever might come. - -The house of Benedict Bellefontaine, firmly builded with rafters -of oak, was on a hill commanding the sea. The barns stood toward -the north, shielding the house from storms. They were bursting with -hay and corn, and were so numerous as to form almost a village by -themselves. The horses, the cattle, the sheep and the poultry were -all well-fed and well cared for. At Benedict Bellefontaine's there -was comfort and plenty. The men and the maids never grumbled. All -men were equal, all were brothers and sisters. In Acadia the richest -man was poor, but the poorest lived in abundance. - -Evangeline was her father's housekeeper; her mother was dead. Benedict -was seventy years old, but he was hale and hearty and managed his -prosperous farm himself. His hair was as white as snow and his face -was as brown as oak leaves. Evangeline's hair was dark brown and -her eyes were black. She was the loveliest girl in Grand-Pré and -many a lad was in love with her. - -Among all Evangeline's suitors only one was welcome, and he was Gabriel -Lajeunesse, son of Basil the blacksmith. Gabriel and Evangeline had -grown up together like brother and sister. The priest had taught -them their letters out of the selfsame book, and together they -had learned their hymns and their verses. Together they had watched -Basil at his forge and with wondering eyes had seen him handle -the hoof of a horse as easily as a plaything, taking it into his -lap and nailing on the shoe. Together they had ridden on sledges -in winter and hunted birds' nests in summer, seeking eagerly that -marvellous stone which the swallow is said to bring from the shore -of the sea to restore the sight of its fledglings. Lucky is he who -finds that stone! - -And now they were man and woman. Benedict and Basil were old friends -and they desired the marriage of the children. They were ready to -marry. The young men of the village had built them a house and a -barn. The barn was filled with hay and the house was stored with -food enough to last a year. - -One beautiful evening in Indian summer Evangeline and Gabriel were -betrothed. - -Benedict was sitting in-doors by the wide-mouthed fireplace singing -fragments of songs such as his fathers before him had sung in their -orchards in sunny France, and Evangeline was close beside him at -her wheel industriously spinning flax for her loom. Up-stairs there -was a chest filled with strong white linen which Evangeline would -take to her new home. Every thread of it had been spun and woven -by the maiden. - -As they sat by the fireside, footsteps were heard, and the wooden -latch was suddenly lifted. Benedict knew by the hob-nailed shoes -that it was Basil the blacksmith, and Evangeline knew by her beating -heart that Gabriel was with him. - -"Welcome," said Benedict the farmer, "welcome, Basil, my friend. -Come and take thy place on the settle close by the chimney-side. -Take thy pipe and the box of tobacco from the shelf overhead. Never -art thou so much thyself as when through the curling smoke of the -pipe or the forge thy friendly and jovial face gleams as round and -red as the harvest moon through the mist of the marshes." - -"Benedict Bellefontaine, thou art always joking. Thou art cheerful -even when others are grave and anxious," answered Basil. - -He paused to take the pipe which Evangeline was handing him, and -lighted it with a coal from the embers. - -"For four days the English ships have ridden at their anchors in -the Gaspereau's mouth, and their cannon are pointed against us. -What they are here for we do not know, but we are all commanded to -meet in church to-morrow to hear his Majesty's will proclaimed as -law in the land. Alas! in the meantime the hearts of the people -are full of fears of evil," continued the blacksmith. - -"Perhaps some friendly purpose brings these ships to our shores," -replied the farmer. "Perhaps the harvests in England have been -blighted and they have come to buy our grain and hay." - -"The people in the village do not think so," said Basil, gravely -shaking his head. "They remember that the English are our enemies. -Some have fled already to the forest, and lurk on its outskirts -waiting anxiously to hear to-morrow's news. If the news is not to -be bad why have our weapons been taken from us? Only the blacksmith's -sledge and the scythes of the mowers have been left." - -"We are safer unarmed," answered the cheerful farmer, who as usual -made the best of everything. "What can harm us here in the midst -of our flocks and our corn-fields? Fear no evil, my friend, and, -above all, may no shadow fall on this house and hearth to-night. It -is the night of the contract. René Leblanc will be here presently -with his papers and inkhorn. Shall we not be glad and rejoice in -the happiness of our children?" - -Evangeline and her lover were standing by the window. They heard -the words of the farmer and the maiden blushed. Hardly had he spoken -when the worthy notary entered the room. - -René Leblanc was bent with age. His hair was yellow, his forehead -was high, and he looked very wise, with his great spectacles sitting -astride on his nose. He was the father of twenty children, and more -than a hundred grandchildren rode on his knee. All children loved -him for he could tell them wonderful fairy tales and strange stories -of the forest. He told them of the goblins that came at night to -water the horses, of how the oxen talked in their stalls on Christmas -Eve, of how a spider shut up in a nutshell could cure the fever, and -of the marvellous powers possessed by horse shoes and four-leaved -clover. He knew more strange things than twenty other men. - -As soon as Basil saw the notary he asked him about the English -ships. - -"Father Leblanc, thou hast heard the talk of the village. Perhaps, -thou canst tell us something about the ships and their errand." - -"I have heard enough talk," answered the notary, "but I am none -the wiser. Yet I am not one of those who think that the ships are -here to do us evil. We are at peace and, why then, should they harm -us?" - -"Must we in all things look for the how and the why and wherefore?" -shouted the hasty and somewhat excitable blacksmith. "Injustice is -often done and might is the right of the strongest." - -"Man is unjust," replied the notary, "but God is just, and finally -justice triumphs. I remember a story that has often consoled me -when things have seemed to be going wrong. - -"Once in an ancient city, whose name I have forgotten, there stood -high on a marble column, in the public square, a brazen statue -of Justice holding her scales in her left hand and a sword in her -right. This meant that justice reigned over the land and in the -hearts and the homes of the people. Yet in the course of time the -laws of the land were corrupted and might took the place of right, -the weak were oppressed, and the mighty ruled with a rod of iron. -By and by, birds built their nests in the scales of Justice; they -were not afraid of the sword that flashed in the sunshine above -them. - -"It happened that in the palace of a wealthy nobleman a necklace -of pearls disappeared. Suspicion fell on a poor orphan girl, who -was arrested and sentenced to be hanged right at the foot of the -statue of Justice. - -"The girl was put to death, but as her innocent spirit ascended to -heaven a great storm arose and lightning struck the statue, angrily -hurling the scales from the left hand of the figure of Justice. -They fell to the pavement with a clatter and in one of the shattered -nests was found the pearl necklace. It had been stolen by a magpie -who had cunningly woven the string of pearls into the clay wall of -her babies' cradle. So the poor girl was proven innocent and the -people of that city were taught to be more careful of justice." - -This story silenced the blacksmith but did not drive away his -forebodings of evil. Evangeline lighted the brazen lamp on the -table and filled the great pewter tankard with home-brewed nut brown -ale. The notary drew from his pocket his papers and his inkhorn -and began to write the contract of marriage. In spite of his age -his hand was steady, He set down the names and the ages of the -parties and the amount of Evangeline's dowry in flocks of sheep and -in cattle. All was done in accordance with the law and the paper -was signed and sealed. Benedict took from his leathern pouch three -times the notary's fee in solid pieces of silver. The old man arose -and blessed the bride and the bridegroom, and then lifted aloft -the tankard of ale and drank to their health. Then wiping the foam -from his lip, he bowed solemnly and went away. - -The others sat quietly by the fireside until Evangeline brought -the draught-board to her father and Basil and arranged the pieces -for them. They were soon deep in the game, while Evangeline and her -lover sat apart in the embrasure of a window and whispered together -as they watched the moon rise over the sea. Their hearts were full -of happiness as they looked into the future, believing that they -would be together. - -At nine o'clock the guests rose to depart, but Gabriel lingered on -the doorstep with many farewell words and sweet good-nights. When -he was gone Evangeline carefully covered the fire and noiselessly -followed her father up-stairs. Out in the orchard Gabriel waited -and watched for the gleam of her lamp and her shadow as she moved -about behind her snowy curtains. She did not know that he was so -near, yet her thoughts were of him. - -The next day the betrothal feast was held in Benedict's house and -the orchard. There were good Benedict and sturdy Basil the blacksmith -and there were the priest and the notary. Beautiful Evangeline -welcomed the guests with a smiling face and words of gladness. -Then Michael the fiddler took a seat under the trees and he sang -and played for the company to dance, sometimes beating time to the -music with his wooden shoes. - -Merrily, merrily whirled the dancers, old and young together, and -the children among them. Fairest of all the maidens was Evangeline, -and Gabriel was the noblest of all the youths. - -So the morning passed away. A loud summons sounded from the church -tower and from the drums of the soldiers. The men thronged to the -church leaving the women outside in the church yard. - -The church doors were closed, and the crowd silently awaited the -will of the soldiers. Then the commander arose and spoke from the -steps of the altar. - -How dreadful were the words spoken from that holy place! The lands -and dwellings and the cattle of all kinds, of the people were to -be given up to the King of England whom they had to obey for he -had conquered the French. They were to be driven from their homes -and Englishmen were to be allowed to take possession of Acadia. - -The commander declared the men prisoners, but overcome with sorrow -and anger, they rushed to the door-way. Basil, the hot-headed -blacksmith, cried out, "Down with the tyrants of England!" but a -soldier struck him on the mouth and dragged him down to the pavement. - -Then Father Felician, the priest, spoke to his people, and tried -to quiet them. His words were few, but they sank deep in the hearts -of his flock. - -"O Father, forgive them," they cried, as the crucified Christ had -cried centuries before them. - -The evening service followed and the people fell on their knees -and were comforted. - -Evangeline waited for her father at his door. She had set the -table and his supper was ready for him. On the white cloth were the -wheaten bread, the fragrant honey, the tankard of ale, and fresh -cheese, just brought from the dairy, but Benedict did not come. At -last the girl went back to the church and called aloud the names -of her father and Gabriel. There was no answer. Back to the empty -house she went, feeling desolate. It began to rain; then the lightning -flashed and it thundered, but Evangeline was not frightened, for -she remembered that God was in Heaven and that He governs the world -that He created. She thought of the story that she had heard the -night before of the justice of Heaven and, trusting in God, she -went to bed and slept peacefully until morning. - -The men were kept prisoners in the church for four days and nights. -On the fifth day the women and the children were bidden to take -their household goods to the seashore and there they were joined -by the long-imprisoned but patient Acadian farmers. - -When Evangeline saw Gabriel she ran to him and whispered, "Gabriel, -be of good cheer, for if we love each other nothing can harm us, -whatever mischances may happen." - -Then she saw her father. He was sadly changed: the fire was gone -from his eyes and his footstep was heavy and slow. With a full -heart she embraced him, feeling that words of comfort would do no -good. - -The Acadians were hurried on board the ships and in the confusion -families were separated. Mothers were torn from their children and -wives from their husbands. Basil was put on one ship and Gabriel -on another, while Evangeline stood on the shore with her father. -When night came not half the work of embarking was done. The people -on shore camped on the beach in the midst of their household goods -and their wagons. - -None could escape, for the soldiers were watching them. - -The priest moved about in the moonlight trying to comfort the people. -He laid his hand on Evangeline's head and blessed her. Suddenly -columns of shining smoke arose and flashes of flame were seen in -the direction of Grand-Pré. The village was on fire. The people -felt that they could never return to their homes and their hearts -were swelled with anguish. Evangeline and the priest turned to -Benedict. He was motionless, his soul had gone to Heaven. - -There on the beach, with the light of the burning village for a -torch, they buried the farmer of Grand-Pré, and the priest repeated -the burial service to the accompaniment of the roaring sea. - -In the morning the work of embarking was finished and toward night -the ships sailed out of the harbor leaving the dead on the shore -and the village in ruins. - -The Acadians were scattered all over the land from north to south -and from the bleak shores of the ocean even to the banks of the -Mississippi River. Evangeline wandered from place to place looking -for Gabriel Lajeunesse, and Gabriel sought Evangeline as earnestly. -Sometimes they heard of one another but through long years they -never met. - -Evangeline was growing old and her hair showed faint streaks of -gray when at last she made her home in Philadelphia. She became a -Sister of Mercy and by day and by night ministered to the sick and -the dying. - -A pestilence fell on the city, carrying away rich and poor alike. - -Evangeline lovingly tended the very poorest, and each day she went -to the almshouse on her errand of mercy. - -One morning she came to a pallet on which lay an old man, thin and -gray. As she looked at him his face seemed to assume the form of -earlier manhood. With a cry she fell on her knees. - -"Gabriel, my beloved!" - -The old man heard the voice and it carried him back to the home -of his childhood, to happiness and Evangeline. He opened his eyes. -Evangeline was kneeling beside him. At last they were together. - - - - -JABEZ ROCKWELL'S POWDER-HORN - -By Ralph D. Paine - - - -"Pooh, you are not tall enough to carry a musket! Go with the -drums, and tootle on that fife you blew at the Battle of Saratoga. -Away with you, little Jabez, crying for a powder-horn, when grown -men like me have not a pouch amongst them for a single charge of -powder!" - -A tall, gaunt Vermonter, whose uniform was a woolen bedcover draped -to his knees, laughed loudly from the doorway of his log hut as he -flung these taunts at the stripling soldier. - -A little way down the snowy street of these rude cabins a group -of ragged comrades was crowding at the heels of a man who hugged -a leather apron to his chest with both arms. Jabez Rockwell was in -hot haste to join the chase; nevertheless he halted to cry back at -his critic: - -"It's a lie! I put my fife in my pocket at Saratoga, and I fought -with a musket as long and ugly as yourself. And a redcoat shot me -through the arm. If the camp butcher has powder-horns to give away, -I deserve one more than those raw militia recruits, so wait until -you are a veteran of the Connecticut line before you laugh at us -old soldiers." - -The youngster stooped to tighten the clumsy wrappings of rags which -served him for shoes, and hurried on after the little, shouting -mob which had followed the butcher down to the steep hillside of -Valley Forge, where he stood at bay with his back to the cliff. - -"There are thirty of you desperate villains," puffed the fat -fugitive, "and I have only ten horns, which have been saved from -the choicest of all the cattle I've killed these two months gone. -I would I had my maul and skinning-knife here to defend myself. -Take me to headquarters, if there is no other way to end this riot. -I want no pay for the horns. They are my gift to the troops, but, -Heaven help me! who is to decide how to divide them amongst so -many?" - -"Stand him on his bald head, and loose the horns from the apron. As -they fall, he who finds keeps!" roared one of the boisterous party. - -"Toss them all in the air and let us fight for them," was another -suggestion. - -The hapless butcher glared round him with growing dismay. - -At this rate half the American army would soon be clamoring round -him, drawn by the chance to add to their poor equipment. - -By this time Jabez Rockwell had wriggled under the arms of the -shouting soldiers, twisting like an uncommonly active eel, until -he was close to the red-faced butcher. With ready wit the youngster -piped up a plan for breaking the deadlock: - -"There are thirty of us, you say, that put you to rout, Master -Ritter. Let us divide the ten horns by lot. Then you can return to -your cow-pens with a whole skin and a clean conscience." - -"There is more sense in that little carcass of yours than in all -those big, hulking troopers, that could spit you on a bayonet like -a sparrow!" rumbled Master Ritter. "How shall the lots be drawn?" - -"Away with your lottery!" cried a burly rifleman, whose long -hunting-shirt whipped in the bitter wind. "The road up the valley -is well beaten down. The old forge is half a mile away. Do you -mark a line, old beef-killing Jack, and we will run for our lives. -The first ten to touch the stone wall of the smithy will take the -ten prizes." - -Some yelled approval, others fiercely opposed, and the wrangling -was louder than before. Master Ritter, who had plucked up heart, -began to steal warily from the hillside, hoping to escape in the -confusion. - -A dozen hands clutched his collar and leather apron, and jerked -him headlong back into the argument. - -Young Jabez scrambled to the top of the nearest boulder, and ruffled -with importance like a turkey-cock as he waved his arms to command -attention. - -"The guard will be turned out and we shall end this fray by cooling -our heels in the prison huts on the hill," he declaimed. "If we -run a foot-race, who is to say which of us first reaches the forge? -Again,--and I say I never served with such thick-witted troops -when I fought under General Arnold at Saratoga,--those with shoes -to their feet have the advantage over those that are bound up in -bits of cloth and clumsy patches of hide. Draw lots, I say, before -the picket is down upon us!" - -The good-natured crowd cheered the boy orator, and hauled him from -his perch with such hearty thumps that he feared they would break -him in two. - -Suddenly the noise was hushed as if the wranglers had been stricken -dumb. Fur-capped heads turned to face down the winding valley, -and without need of an order, the company spread itself along the -roadside in a rude, uneven line. Every man stood at attention, his -head up, his shoulders thrown back, hands at his sides. Thus they -stood while they watched a little group of horsemen trot toward -them. - -In front rode a commanding figure in buff and blue. The tall, lithe -frame sat the saddle with the graceful ease of the hard-riding -Virginia fox-hunter. The stern, smooth-shaven face, reddened and -roughened by exposure to all weathers, lighted with an amiable -curiosity at sight of this motley and expectant party, the central -figure of which was the butcher, Master Ritter, who had dropped to -his knees, as if praying for his life. - -General Washington turned to a sprightly-looking, red-haired youth -who rode at his side, as if calling his attention to this singular -tableau. The Marquis de Lafayette shrugged his shoulders after the -French manner, and said, laughingly: - -"It ees vat you t'ink? Vill they make ready to kill 'im? Vat they -do?" - -Just behind them pounded General Muhlenberg, the clergyman who had -doffed his gown for the uniform of a brigadier, stalwart, swarthy, -laughter in his piercing eyes as he commented: - -"To the rescue. The victim is a worthy member of my old Pennsylvania -flock. This doth savor of a soldier's court martial for honest -Jacob Ritter." - -The cavalcade halted, and the soldiers saluted, tongue-tied -and embarrassed, scuffling, and prodding one another's ribs in an -attempt to urge a spokesman forward, while General Washington gazed -down at them as if demanding an explanation. - -The butcher was about to make a stammering attempt when the string -of his apron parted, and the ten cow-horns were scattered in the -snow. He dived in pursuit of them, and his speech was never made. - -Because Jabez Rockwell was too light and slender to make much -resistance, he was first to be pushed into the foreground, and -found himself nearest the commander-in-chief. He made the best of -a bad matter, and his frank young face flushed hotly as he doffed -his battered cap and bowed low. - -"May it please the general, we were in a good-natured dispute -touching the matter of those ten cow-horns which the butcher brought -amongst us to his peril. There are more muskets than pouches in our -street, and we are debating a fair way to divide them. It is--it -is exceeding bold, sir, but dare we ask you to suggest a way out -of the trouble which preys sorely on the butcher's mind and body?" - -A fleeting frown troubled the noble face of the chief, and his mouth -twitched, not with anger but in pain, for the incident brought home -to him anew that his soldiers, these brave, cheerful, half-clothed, -freezing followers were without even the simplest tools of warfare. - -The cloud cleared and he smiled, such a proud, affectionate smile -as a father shows to sons of his who have deemed no sacrifice too -great for duty's sake. His eyes softened as he looked down at the -straight stripling at his bridle-rein, and replied: - -"You have asked my advice as a third party, and it is meet that I -share in the distribution. Follow me to the nearest hut." - -His officers wheeled and rode after him, while the bewildered -soldiers trailed behind, two and two, down the narrow road, greatly -wondering whether reward or punishment was to be their lot. - -As for Jabez Rockwell, he strode proudly in the van as guide to the -log cabin, and felt his heart flutter as he jumped to the head of -the charger, while the general dismounted with the agility of a -boy. - -Turning to the soldiers, who hung abashed in the road, Washington -called: - -"Come in, as many of you as can find room!" - -The company filled the hut, and made room for those behind by -climbing into the tiers of bunks filled with boughs to soften the -rough-hewn planks. - -In one corner a wood-fire smoldered in a rough stone fireplace, -whose smoke made even the general cough and sneeze. He stood behind -a bench of barked logs, and took from his pocket a folded document. -Then he picked up from the hearth a bit of charcoal, and announced: - -"I will write down a number between fifteen hundred and two thousand, -and the ten that guess nearest this number shall be declared the -winners of the ten horns." - -He carefully tore the document into strips, and then into small -squares, which were passed along the delighted audience. There -was a busy whispering and scratching of heads. Over in one corner, -jammed against the wall until he gasped for breath, Jabez Rockwell -said to himself: - -"I must guess shrewdly. Methinks he will choose a number half-way -between fifteen hundred and two thousand. I will write down seventeen -hundred and fifty. But, stay! Seventeen seventy-six may come first -into his mind, the glorious year when the independence of the -colonies was declared. But he will surely take it that we, too, -are thinking of that number, wherefore I will pass it by." - -As if reading his thoughts, a comrade curled up in a bunk at Rockwell's -elbow muttered, "Seventeen seventy-six, I haven't a doubt of it!" - -Alas for the cunning surmise of Jabez, the chief did write down -the Independence year, "1776," and when this verdict was read aloud -the boy felt deep disappointment. This was turned to joy, however, -when his guess of "1750" was found to be among the ten nearest the -fateful choice, and one of the powder-horns fell to him. - -The soldiers pressed back to make way for General Washington as he -went out of the hut, stooping low that his head might escape the -roof-beams. Before the party mounted, the boyish Lafayette swung -his hat round his head and shouted: - -"A huzza for ze wise general!" - -The soldiers cheered lustily, and General Mühlenberg followed with: - -"Now a cheer for the Declaration of Independence and for the soldier -who wrote down 'Seventeen seventy-six.'" - -General Washington bowed in his saddle, and the shouting followed -his clattering train up the valley on his daily tour of inspection. -He left behind him a new-fledged hero in the person of Jabez -Rockwell, whose bold tactics had won him a powder-horn and given -his comrades the rarest hour of the dreary winter at Valley Forge. - -In his leisure time he scraped and polished the horn, fitted it -with a wooden stopper and cord, and with greatest care and labor -scratched upon its gleaming surface these words: - - - - Jabez Rockwell, Ridgeway, Conn--His Horn - Made in Camp at Valley Forge - - - -Thin and pale, but with unbroken spirit, this sixteen-year-old -veteran drilled and marched and braved picket duty in zero weather, -often without a scrap of meat to brace his ration for a week on -end; but he survived with no worse damage than sundry frost-bites. -In early spring he was assigned to duty as a sentinel of the company -which guarded the path that led up the hill to the headquarters of -the commander-in-chief. Here he learned much to make the condition -of his comrades seem more hopeless and forlorn than ever. - -Hard-riding scouting parties came into camp with reports of forays -as far as the suburbs of Philadelphia, twenty miles away. Spies, -disguised as farmers, returned with stories of visits into the heart -of the capital city held by the enemy. This gossip and information, -Which the young sentinel picked up bit by bit, he pieced together -to make a picture of an invincible, veteran British army, waiting -to fall upon the huddled mob of "rebels" at Valley Forge, and -sweep them away like chaff. He heard it over and over again, that -the Hessians, with their tall and gleaming brass hats and fierce -mustaches, "were dreadful to look upon," that the British Grenadiers, -who tramped the Philadelphia streets in legions, "were like moving -ranks of stone wall." - -Then Jabez would look out across the valley, and perhaps see an -American regiment at drill, without uniforms, ranks half-filled, -looking like an array of scarecrows. His heart would sink, dfespite -his memories of Saratoga; and in such dark hours he could not -believe it possible even for General Washington to win a battle in -the coming summer campaign. - -It was on a bright day of June that Capt. Allan McLane, the leader -of scouts, galloped past the huts of the sentinels, and shouted as -he rode: - -"The British have marched out of Philadelphia! I have just cut my -way through their skirmishers over in New Jersey!" - -A little later orderlies were buzzing out of the old stone house -at headquarters like bees from a hive, with orders for the troops -to be ready to march. As Jabez Rockwell hurried to rejoin his -regiment, men were shouting the glad news along the green valley, -with songs and cheers and laughter. They fell in as a fighting -army, and left behind them the tragic story of their winter at -Valley Forge, as the trailing columns swept beyond the Schuylkill -into the wide and smiling farm lands of Pennsylvania. - -Summer heat now blistered the dusty faces that had been for so long -blue and pinched with hunger and cold. A week of glad marching and -full rations carried Washington's awakened army into New Jersey, -by which time the troops knew their chief was leading them to block -the British retreat from Philadelphia. - -Jabez Rockwell, marching with the Connecticut Brigade, had forgotten -his fears of the brass-capped Hessians and the stone-wall Grenadiers. -One night they camped near Monmouth village, and scouts brought in -the tidings that the British were within sight. In the long summer -twilight Jabez climbed a little knoll hard by, and caught a glimpse -of the white tents of the Queen's Hangers, hardly beyond musket-shot. -Before daybreak a rattle of firing woke him, and he scrambled out -to find that the pickets were already exchanging shots. - -He picked up his old musket, and chewing a hunk of dry bread for -breakfast, joined his company drawn up in a pasture. Knapsacks were -piled near Freehold meeting-house, and the troops marched ahead, -not knowing where they were sent. - -Across the wooded fields Jabez saw the lines of red splotches which -gleamed in the early sunlight, and he knew these were British troops. -The rattling musket-fire became a grinding roar, and the deeper -note of artillery boomed into the tumult. A battle had begun, yet -the Connecticut Brigade was stewing in the heat hour after hour, -impatient, troubled, wondering why they had no part to play. As -the forenoon dragged along the men became sullen and weary. - -When at last an order came it was not to advance, but to retreat. -Falling back, they found themselves near their camping-place. -Valley Forge had not quenched the faith of Jabez Rockwell in General -Washington's power to conquer any odds, but now he felt such dismay -as brought hot tears to his eyes. On both sides of his regiment -American troops were streaming to the rear, their columns broken -and straggling. It seemed as if the whole army was fleeing from -the veterans of Clinton and Cornwallis. - -Jabez flung himself into a cornfield, and hid his face in his arms. -Round him his comrades were muttering their anger and despair. He -fumbled for his canteen, and his fingers closed round his powder-horn. -"General Washington did not give you to me to run away with," he -whispered; and then his parched lips moved in a little prayer: - -"Dear Lord, help us to beat the British this day, and give me a -chance to empty my powder-horn before night. Thou hast been with -General Washington and me ever since last year. Please don't desert -us now." - -Nor was he surprised when, as if in direct answer to his petition, -he rose to see the chief riding through the troop lines, but such -a chief as he had never known before. The kindly face was aflame -with anger, and streaked with dust and sweat. The powerful horse -he rode was lathered, and its heaving flanks were scarred from -hard-driven spurs. - -As the commander passed the regiment, his staff in a whirlwind at -his heels, Jabez heard him shout in a great voice vibrant with rage -and grief: - -"I cannot believe the army is retreating. I ordered a general -advance. Who dared to give such an order? Advance those lines--" - -"It was General Lee's order to retreat," Jabez heard an officer -stammer in reply. - -Washington vanished in a moment, with a storm of cheers in his wake. -Jabez was content to wait for orders now. He believed the Battle -of Monmouth as good as won. - -His recollection of the next few hours was jumbled and hazy. He -knew that the regiment went forward, and then the white smoke of -musket-fire closed down before him. Now and then the summer breeze -made rifts in this stifling cloud, and he saw it streaked with -spouting fire. He aimed his old musket at that other foggy line -beyond the rail fence, whose top was lined with men in coats of -red and green and black. - -Suddenly his officers began running to and fro, and a shout ran -down the thin line: - -"Stand steady, Connecticut! Save your fire! Aim low! Here comes -a charge!" - -A tidal wave of red and brass broke through the gaps in the rail -fence, and the sunlight rippled along a wavering line of British -bayonets. They crept nearer, nearer, until Jabez could see the grim -ferocity, the bared teeth, the staring eyes of the dreaded Grenadiers. - -At the command to fire he pulled trigger, and the kick of his musket -made him grunt with pain. Pulling the stopper from his powder-horn -with his teeth, Jabez poured in a charge, and was ramming the -bullet home when he felt his right leg double under him and burn -as if red-hot iron had seared it. - -Then the charging tide of Grenadiers swept over him. He felt their -hobnailed heels bite into his back; then his head felt queer, and -he closed his eyes. When he found himself trying to rise, he saw, -as through a mist, his regiment falling back, driven from their -ground by the first shock of the charge. He groaned in agony of -spirit. What would General Washington say? - -Jabez was now behind the headlong British column, which heeded him -not. He was in a little part of the field cleared of fighting for -the moment, except for the wounded who dotted the trampled grass. -The smoke had drifted away, for the swaying lines in front of him -were locked in the frightful embrace of cold steel. - -The boy staggered to his feet, with his musket as a crutch, and -his wound was forgotten. He was given strength to his need by the -spirit of a great purpose. - -Alone he stood and reeled, while he beckoned, passionately, -imploringly, his arm outstretched toward his broken regiment. The -lull in the firing made a moment of strange quiet, broken only by -groans and the hard, gasping curses of men locked in the death-grip. -Therefore the shrill young voice carried far, as he shouted: - -"Come back, Connecticut! I'm waiting for you!" - -His captain heard the boy, and waved his sword with hoarse cries -to his men. They caught sight of the lonely little figure in the -background, and his cry went to their hearts, and a great wave of -rage and shame swept the line like a prairie fire. Like a landslide -the men of Connecticut swept forward to recapture the ground they -had yielded. Back fell the British before a countercharge they could -not withstand, back beyond the rail fence. Nor was there refuge -even there, for, shattered and spent, they were smashed to fragments -in a flank attack driven home in the nick of time by the American -reserves. - -From a low hill to the right of this action General Washington had -paused to view the charge just when his line gave way. He sent an -officer in hot haste for reserves, and waited for them where he -was. - -Thus it happened that his eye swept the littered field from which -Jabez Rockwell rose, as one from the dead, to rally his comrades, -alone, undaunted, pathetic beyond words. A little later two privates -were carrying to the rear the wounded lad, who had been picked up -alive and conscious. They halted to salute their Commander-in-chief, -and laid their burden down as the general drew rein and said: - -"Take this man to my quarters, and see to it that he has every -possible attention. I saw him save a regiment and retake a position." - -The limp figure on the litter of boughs raised itself on an elbow, -and said very feebly: - -"I didn't want to see that powder-horn disgraced, sir." - -With a smile of recognition General Washington responded: - -"The powder-horn? I remember. _You_ are the lad who led the -powder-horn rebellion at Valley Forge. And I wrote down 'Seventeen -seventy-six.' You have used it well, my boy. I will not forget." - -When Jabez Rockwell was able to rejoin his company he scratched -upon the powder-horn this addition to the legend he had carved at -Valley Forge: - - - - First Used at Monmouth - June 28, 1778. - - - -A hundred years later the grandson of Jabez Rockwell hung the -powder-horn in the old stone house at Valley Forge which had been -General Washington's headquarters. And if you should chance to see -it there you will find that the young soldier added one more line -to the rough inscription: - - - - Last Used at Yorktown, 1781. - - - - - -A MAN WHO COVETED WASHINGTON'S SHOES - -By Frank E. Stockton - - - -The person whose story we are now about to tell was not a Jerseyman; -but, as most of the incidents which make him interesting to us -occurred in this State, we will give him the benefit of a few years' -residence here. - -This was General Charles Lee, who might well have been called a -soldier of fortune. He was born in England, but the British Isles -were entirely too small to satisfy his wild ambitions and his roving -disposition. There are few heroes of romance who have had such a -wide and varied experience, and who have engaged in so many strange -enterprises. He was a brave man and very able, but he had a fault -which prevented him from being a high-class soldier; and that fault -was, that he could not bear restraint, and was always restive under -command of another, and, while always ready to tell other people -what they ought to do, was never willing to be told what he ought -to do. - -He joined the British army when he was a young man; and he first -came to this country in 1757, when General Abercrombie brought over -an army to fight the French. For three years, Lee was engaged in -the wilds and forests, doing battle with the Indians and French, -and no doubt he had all the adventures an ordinary person would -desire, But this experience was far from satisfactory. - -When he left America, he went to Portugal with another British -army, and there he fought the Spanish with as much impetuosity as -he had fought the French and Indians. Life was absolutely tasteless -to Lee without a very strong sprinkle of variety. Consequently -he now tried fighting in an entirely different field, and went -into politics. He became a Liberal, and with his voice fought the -government for whom he had been previously fighting with his sword. - -But a few years of this satisfied him; and then he went to Poland, -where he became a member of the king's staff, and as a Polish -officer disported himself for two years. - -It is very likely that in Turkey a high-spirited man would find -more opportunities for lively adventure than even in Poland. At any -rate, Charles Lee thought so; and to Turkey he went, and entered -into the service of the sultan. Here he distinguished himself -in a company of Turks who were guarding a great treasure in its -transportation from Moldavia to Constantinople. No doubt he wore -a turban and baggy trousers, and carried a great scimiter, for a -man of that sort is not likely to do things by halves when he does -them at all. - -Having had such peculiar experiences in various armies and various -parts of the world, Lee thought himself qualified to occupy a -position of rank in the British army, and, coming back to England, -he endeavored to obtain military promotion. But the government there -did not seem to think he had learned enough in Poland and Turkey -to enable him to take precedence of English officers accustomed -to command English troops, and it declined to put him above such -officers, and to give him the place he desired. Lee was not a man -of mild temper. He became very angry at the treatment he received, -and, abandoning his native country again, he went to Russia, where -the czar gave him command of a company of wild Cossacks. But he -did not remain long with the Cossacks. Perhaps they were not wild -and daring enough to suit his fancy, although there are very few -fancies which would not be satisfied with the reckless and furious -demeanor generally attributed to these savage horsemen. - -He threw up his command and went to Hungary, and there he did some -fighting in an entirely different fashion. Not having any opportunity -to distinguish himself upon a battlefield, he engaged in a duel; -and of course, as he was acting the part of a hero of romance, he -killed his man. - -Hungary was not a suitable residence for him after the duel, and -he went back to England, and there he found the country in a state -of excitement in regard to the American Colonies. Now, if there -was anything that Lee liked, it was a state of excitement, and in -the midst of this political hubbub he felt as much at home as if -he had been charging the ranks of an enemy. Of course, he took part -against the government, for, as far as we know, he had always been -against it, and he became a violent supporter of the rights of the -colonists. - -He was so much in earnest in this matter, that in 1773 he came -to America to see for himself how matters stood. When he got over -here, he became more strongly in favor of the colonists than he -had been at home, and everywhere proclaimed that the Americans were -right in resisting the unjust taxation claims of Great Britain. -As he had always been ready to lay aside his British birthright -and become some sort of a foreigner, he now determined to become -an American; and to show that he was in earnest, he went down to -Virginia and bought a farm there. - -Lee soon became acquainted with people in high places in American -politics; and when the first Congress assembled, he was ready to -talk with its members, urging them to stand up for their rights, and -draw their swords and load their guns in defense of independence. -It was quite natural, that, when the Revolution really began, a man -who was so strongly in favor of the patriots, and had had so much -military experience in so many different lands, should be allowed -to take part in the war, and Charles Lee was appointed major general. - -This was a high military position,--much higher, in fact, than -he could ever have obtained in his own country,--but it did not -satisfy him. The position he wanted was that of commander in chief -of the American army; and he was surprised and angry that it was -not offered to him, and that a man of his ability should be passed -over, and that high place given to a person like George Washington, -who knew but little of war, and had no idea whatever how the thing -was done in Portugal, Poland, Russia and Turkey, and who was, in -fact, no more than a country gentleman. - -All this showed that these Americans were fools, who did not understand -their best interests. But as there was a good chance for a fight, -and, in fact, a good many fights, and as a major generalship was -not to be sneered at, he accepted it, and resigned the commission -which he held in the English army. - -He was doubtless in earnest in his desire to assist the Americans -to obtain their independence, for he was always in earnest when -he was doing anything that he was inclined to do. But he did not -propose to sacrifice his own interests to the cause he had undertaken; -and as, by entering the American army, he risked the loss of his -estate in England, he arranged with Congress for compensation for -such loss. - -But, although General Lee was now a very ardent American soldier, -he could not forgive Mr. Washington for taking command above him. -If that Virginia gentleman had had the courtesy and good sense -which were generally attributed to him, he would have resigned the -supreme command, and, modestly stepping aside, would have asked -General Lee to accept it. - -At least, that was the opinion of General Charles Lee. - -As this high and mighty soldier was so unwilling to submit to the -orders of incompetent people, he never liked to be under the direct -command of Washington, and, if it were possible to do so, he managed -to be concerned in operations not under the immediate eye of the -commander in chief. In fact, he was very jealous indeed of Washington, -and did not hesitate to express his opinion about him whenever he -had a chance. - -The American army was not very successful in Long Island, and there -was a time when it fared very badly in New Jersey; and Lee was not -slow to declare that these misfortunes were owing entirely to the -ignorance of the man who was in command. Moreover, if there was -any one who wanted to know if there was another man in the Colonies -who could command the army better, and lead it more certainly and -speedily to victory, General Lee was always ready to mention an -experienced soldier who would be able to perform that duty most -admirably. - -If it had not been for this unfortunate and jealous disposition, -Charles Lee--a very different man from "Light Horse Harry" Lee--would -have been one of the most useful officers in the American army. -But he had such a jealousy of Washington, and hoped so continually -that something would happen which would give him the place then -occupied by the Virginia country gentleman, that, although he was -at heart an honest patriot, he allowed himself to do things which -were not at all patriotic. He wanted to see the Americans successful -in the country, but he did not want to see all that happen under -the leadership of Washington; and if he could put an obstacle in -the way of that incompetent person, he would do it, and be glad to -see him stumble over it. - -In the winter of 1776, when the American army was taking its -way across New Jersey towards the Delaware River with Cornwallis -in pursuit, Washington was anxiously looking for the troops under -the command of General Lee, who had been ordered to come to his -assistance; and if ever assistance was needed, it was needed then. -But Lee liked to do his own ordering, and, instead of hurrying to -help Washington, he thought it would be a great deal better to do -something on his own account; and so he endeavored to get into the -rear of Cornwallis's army, thinking that, if he should attack the -enemy in that way, he might possibly win a startling victory which -would cover him with glory, and show how much better a soldier he -was than that poor Washington who was retreating across the country, -instead of boldly turning and showing fight. - -If Lee had been a true soldier, and had conscientiously obeyed the -commands of his superior, he would have joined Washington and his -army without delay and a short time afterward would have had an -opportunity of taking part in the battle of Trenton, in which the -Virginia country gentleman defeated the British, and gained one of -the most important victories of the war. - -Lee pressed slowly onward--ready to strike a great blow for himself, -and unwilling to help anybody else strike a blow--until he came to -Morristown; and, after staying there one night, he proceeded in -the direction of Basking Ridge, a pretty village not far away. Lee -left his army at Bernardsville, which was then known as Vealtown, -and rode on to Basking Ridge, accompanied only by a small guard. -There he took lodgings at an inn, and made himself comfortable. -The next morning he did not go and put himself at the head of his -army and move on, because there were various affairs which occupied -his attention. - -Several of his guard wished to speak to him, some of them being men -from Connecticut, who appeared before him in full-bottomed wigs, -showing plainly that they considered themselves people who were -important enough to have their complaints attended to. One of them -wanted his horse shod, another asked for some money on account -of his pay, and a third had something to say about rations. But -General Lee cut them all off very shortly with, "You want a great -deal, but you have not mentioned what you want most. You want to -go home, and I should be glad to let you go, for you are no good -here." Then his adjutant general asked to see him; and he had a -visit from a Major Wilkinson, who arrived that morning with a letter -from General Gates. - -All these things occupied him very much, and he did not sit down -to breakfast till ten o'clock. Shortly after they had finished -their meal, and Lee was writing a letter to General Gates, in which -he expressed a very contemptible opinion of General Washington, -Major Wilkinson saw, at the end of the lane which led from the -house down to the main road, a party of British cavalry who dashed -round the corner toward the house. The major immediately called -out to General Lee that the redcoats were coming; but Lee, who was -a man not to be frightened by sudden reports, finished signing the -letter, and then jumped up to see what was the matter. - -By this time the dragoons had surrounded the house; and when he -perceived this, General Lee naturally wanted to know where the guards -were, and why they did not fire on these fellows. But there was -no firing, and apparently there were no guards, and when Wilkinson -went to look for them, he found their arms in the room which had -been their quarters, but the men were gone. These private soldiers -had evidently been quite as free and easy, and as bent upon making -themselves comfortable, as had been the general, and they had had -no thought that such a thing as a British soldier was anywhere in -the neighborhood. When Wilkinson looked out of the door, he saw -the guards running in every direction, with dragoons chasing them. - -What all this meant, nobody knew at first; and Wilkinson supposed -that it was merely a band of marauders of the British army, who -were making a raid into the country to get what they could in the -way of plunder. It was not long before this was found to be a great -mistake; for the officer in command of the dragoons called from the -outside, and demanded that General Lee should surrender himself, -and that, if he did not do so in five minutes, the house would be -set on fire. - -Now, it was plain to everybody that the British had heard of the -leisurely advance of this American general, and that he had left -his command and come to Basking Ridge to take his ease at an inn, -and so they had sent a detachment to capture him. Soon the women -of the house came to General Lee, and urged him to hide himself -under a feather bed. They declared that they would cover him up so -that nohody would suspect that he was in the bed; then they would -tell the soldiers that he was not there, and that they might come -and search the house if they chose. - -But although Lee was a jealous man and a hasty man, he had a soul -above such behavior as this, and would not hide himself in a feather -bed; but, as there was no honorable way of escape, he boldly came -forward and surrendered himself. - -The British gave him no time to make any preparations for departure. -They did not know but that his army might be on the way to Basking -Ridge; and the sooner they were off, the better. So they made him -jump on Major Wilkinson's horse, which was tied by the door; and -in his slippers and dressing gown, and without a hat, this bold -soldier of wide experience, who thought he should be commander in -chief of the American army, was hurried away at full gallop. He was -taken to New York, where he was put into prison. It is said that -Lee plotted against America during his imprisonment; but General -Washington did not know that, and used every exertion to have him -exchanged, so that his aspiring rival soon again joined the American -army. - -But his misfortune had no effect upon General Charles Lee, who -came back to his command with as high an opinion of himself, and -as low an opinion of certain other people, as he had had when he -involuntarily left it. It was some time after this, at the battle -of Monmouth Court House, that Charles Lee showed what sort of a -man he really was. He had now become so jealous that he positively -determined that he would not obey orders, and would act as he thought -best. He had command of a body of troops numbering five thousand, -a good-sized army for those days, and he was ordered to advance -to Monmouth Court House and attack the enemy who were there, while -Washington, with another force, would hasten to his assistance as -rapidly as possible. - -Washington carried out his part of the plan; but when he had -nearly reached Monmouth, he found, to his amazement, that Lee had -gone there, but had done no fighting at all, and was now actually -retreating, and coming in his direction. As it would be demoralizing -in the highest degree to his own command, if Lee's armed forces in -full retreat should come upon them, Washington hurried forward to -prevent anything of the sort, and soon met Lee. When the latter -was asked what was the meaning of this strange proceeding, he could -give no good reason, except that he thought it better not to risk -an engagement at that time. - -Then the Virginia country gentleman blazed out at the soldier of -fortune, and it is said that no one ever heard George Washington -speak to any other man as he spoke to General Lee on that day. He -was told to go back to his command and to obey orders, and together the -American forces moved on. In the battle which followed, the enemy -was repulsed; but the victory was not so complete as it should have -been, for the British departed in the night and went where they -intended to go, without being cut off by the American army, as -would have been the case if Lee had obeyed the orders which were -given him. - -General Lee was very angry at the charges which Washington had made -against him, and demanded that he should be tried by court-martial. -His wish was granted. He was tried, and found guilty of every charge -made against him, and in consequence was suspended from the army -for one year. - -But Charles Lee never went back into the American army. Perhaps -he had enough of it. In any event, it had had enough of him; and -seven years afterwards, when he died of a fever, his ambition to -stand in Washington's shoes died with him. While he lived on his -Virginia farm, he was as impetuous and eccentric as when he had been -in the army, and he must have been a very unpleasant neighbor. In -fact, the people there thought he was crazy. This opinion was not -changed when his will was read, for in that document he said,-- - -"I desire most earnestly that I may not be buried in any church -or churchyard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist -meeting house; for since I have resided in this country I have kept -so much bad company when living, that I do not choose to continue -it when dead." - - - - -A FAMOUS FIGHT BETWEEN AN ENGLISH AND A FRENCH FRIGATE - -By Rev. W. H. Fitchett, LL. D. - - - -One of the most famous frigate fights in British history is that -between the _Arethusa_ and _La Belle Poule_, fought off Brest -on June 17, 1778. Who is not familiar with the name and fame of -"the saucy _Arethusa_"? Yet there is a curious absence of detail -as to the fight. The combat, indeed, owes its enduring fame to two -somewhat irrelevant circumstances--first, that it was fought when -France and England were not actually at war, but were trembling on -the verge of it. The sound of the _Arethusa's_ guns, indeed, was -the signal of war between the two nations. The other fact is that -an ingenious rhymester--scarcely a poet--crystallised the fight into -a set of verses in which there is something of the true smack of the -sea, and an echo, if not of the cannon's roar, yet of the rough-voiced -mirth of the forecastle; and the sea-fight lies embalmed, so -to speak, and made immortal in the sea-song. The _Arethusa_ was a -stumpy little frigate, scanty in crew, light in guns, attached to -the fleet of Admiral Keppel, then cruising off Brest. Keppel had as -perplexed and delicate a charge as was ever entrusted to a British -admiral. Great Britain was at war with her American colonies, and -there was every sign that France intended to add herself to the -fight. No fewer than thirty-two sail of the line and twelve frigates -were gathered in Brest roads, and another fleet of almost equal -strength in Toulon. Spain, too, was slowly collecting a mighty -armament. What would happen to England if the Toulon and Brest -fleets united, were joined by a third fleet from Spain, and the -mighty array of ships thus collected swept up the British Channel? -On June 13, 1778, Keppel, with twenty-one ships of the line and -three frigates, was despatched to keep watch over the Brest fleet, -War had not been proclaimed, but Keppel was to prevent a junction -of the Brest and Toulon fleets, by persuasion if he could, but by -gunpowder in the last resort. - -Keppel's force was much inferior to that of the Brest fleet, and -as soon as the topsails of the British ships were visible from -the French coast, two French frigates, the _Licorne_ and _La Belle -Poule_, with two lighter craft, bore down upon them to reconnoitre. -But Keppel could not afford to let the French admiral know his -exact force, and signalled to his own outlying ships to bring the -French frigates under his lee. - -At nine o'clock at night the _Licorne_ was overtaken by the _Milford_, -and with some rough sailorly persuasion, and a hint of broadsides, -her head was turned towards the British fleet. The next morning, -in the grey dawn, the Frenchman, having meditated on affairs during -the night, made a wild dash for freedom. The _America_, an English -64--double, that is, the _Licorne's_ size--overtook her, and fired -a shot across her bow to bring her to, Longford, the captain of -the _America_, stood on the gunwale of his own ship politely urging -the captain of the _Licorne_ to return with him. With a burst of -Celtic passion the French captain fired his whole broadside into -the big Englishman, and then instantly hauled down his flag so as -to escape any answering broadside! - -Meanwhile the _Arethusa_ was in eager pursuit of the _Belle Poule_; -a fox-terrier chasing a mastiff! The _Belle Poule_ was a splendid -ship, with heavy metal, and a crew more than twice as numerous -as that of the tiny _Arethusa_. But Marshall, its captain, was a -singularly gallant sailor, and not the man to count odds. The song -tells the story of the fight in an amusing fashion:-- - - - - "Come all ye jolly sailors - Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould, - While England's glory I unfold. - Huzza to the _Arethusa_! - She is a frigate tight and brave - As ever stemmed the dashing wave; - Her men are staunch - To their fav'rite launch, - And when the foe shall meet our fire, - Sooner than strike we'll all expire - On board the _Arethusa_. - - "On deck five hundred men did dance, - The stoutest they could find in France; - We, with two hundred, did advance - On board the _Arethusa_. - Our captain hailed the Frenchman, 'Ho!' - The Frenchman then cried out, 'Hallo!' - 'Bear down, d'ye see, - To our Admiral's lee.' - 'No, no,' says the Frenchman, 'that can't be.' - 'Then I must lug you along with me,' - Says the saucy _Arethusa_!" - - - -As a matter of fact Marshall hung doggedly on the Frenchman's quarter -for two long hours, fighting a ship twice as big as his own. The -_Belle Poule_ was eager to escape; Marshall was resolute that it -should not escape, and, try as he might, the Frenchman, during that -fierce two hours' wrestle, failed to shake off his tiny but dogged -antagonist. The _Arethusa's_ masts were shot away, its jib-boom -hung a tangled wreck over its bows, its bulwarks were shattered, -half its guns were dismounted, and nearly every third man in its -crew struck down. But still it hung, with quenchless and obstinate -courage, on the _Belle Poule's_ quarter, and by its perfect seamanship -and the quickness and the deadly precision with which its lighter -guns worked, reduced its towering foe to a condition of wreck almost -as complete as its own. The terrier, in fact, was proving too much -for the mastiff. - -Suddenly the wind fell. With topmasts hanging over the side, and -canvas torn to ribbons, the _Arethusa_ lay shattered and moveless -on the sea. The shot-torn but loftier sails of the _Belle Poule_, -however, yet held wind enough to drift her out of the reach of the -_Arethusa's_ fire. Both ships were close under the French cliffs; -but the _Belle Poule_, like a broken-winged bird, struggled into -a tiny cove in the rocks, and nothing remained for the _Arethusa_ -but to cut away her wreckage, hoist what sail she could, and drag -herself sullenly back under jury-masts to the British fleet. But -the story of that two hours' heroic fight maintained against such -odds sent a thrill of grim exultation through Great Britain. Menaced -by the combination of so many mighty states, while her sea-dogs were -of this fighting temper, what had Great Britain to fear? In the -streets of many a British seaport, and in many a British forecastle, -the story of how the _Arethusa_ fought was sung in deep-throated -chorus: - - - - "The fight was off the Frenchman's land; - We forced them back upon their strand; - For we fought till not a stick would stand - Of the gallant _Arethuml!_" - - - - - -THE TRICK OF AN INDIAN SPY - -By Arthur Quiller-Couch - - - -It was in 1779, when America was struggling with England for her -independence, and a division of the English redcoats were encamped -on the banks of the Potomac. So admirably fortified was their -position by river and steep woods, that no ordinary text-book of -warfare would admit the possibility of surprising it. But Washington -and his men did not conduct their campaigns by the book. "If you -fight with art," said that general once to his soldiery, "you are -sure to be defeated. Acquire discipline enough for retreat and -the uniformity of combined attack, and your country will prove the -best of engineers." - -In fact, it was with a guerilla warfare, and little else, that the -British had to contend. The Americans had enrolled whole tribes -of Indians in their ranks and made full use of the Indian habits -of warfare. The braves would steal like snakes about the pathless -forests, and dashing unexpectedly on the outposted redcoats, kill -a handful in one fierce charge, and then retreat pell-mell back into -their shelter, whither to follow them was to court certain death. -The injuries thus inflicted were not overwhelming, but they -were teasing for all that. Day by day the waste went on--loss of -sentinels, of stragglers, sometimes of whole detachments, and all -this was more galling from the impossibility of revenge. In order -to limit the depredations it was the custom of the British commanders -to throw forward their outposts to a great distance from the main -body, to station sentinels far into the woods, and cover the main -body with a constant guard. - -One regiment was suffering from little less than a panic. Perpetually -and day after day sentinels had been missing. Worse than this, -they had been surprised, apparently, and carried off without giving -any alarm or having time to utter a sound. It would happen that -a sentinel went forward to his post with finger upon his trigger, -while his comrades searched the woods around and found them empty. -When the relief came, the man would just be missing. That was all. -There was never a trace left to show the manner in which he had been -conveyed away: only, now and then, a few drops of blood splashed -on the leaves where he had been standing. - -The men grew more and more uneasy. Most suspected treachery. It was -unreasonable, they argued, to believe that man after man could be -surprised without having time even to fire his musket. Others talked -of magic, and grew gloomy with strange suspicions of the Indian -medicinemen. At any rate, here was a mystery. Time would clear it -up, no doubt; but meanwhile the sentry despatched to his post felt -like a man marked out for death. It was worse. Many men who would -have marched with firm step to death in any familiar shape, would -go with pale cheeks and bowed knees to this fate of which nothing -was known except that nothing was left of the victim. - -Matters at length grew intolerable. One morning, the sentinels -having been set as usual overnight, the guard went as soon as dawn -began to break to relieve a post that extended far into the woods. -The sentinel was gone! They searched about, found his footprints -here and there on the trodden leaves, but no blood--no trace of -struggle, no marks of surrounding enemies. It was the old story, -however, and they had almost given up the problem by this time. -They left another man at the post, and went their way back, wishing -him better luck. - -"No need to be afraid," he called after them, "I will not desert." - -They looked back. He was standing with his musket ready to fly up -to his shoulder at the slightest sound, his eyes searching the glades -before him. There was nothing faint about Tom, they determined, -and returned to the guard-house. - -The sentinels were replaced every four hours, and at the regular -time the guard again marched to relieve the post. The man was gone! - -They rubbed their eyes, and searched again. But this one had disappeared -as mysteriously as his fellows. Again there was no single trace. -But it was all the more necessary that the post should not remain -unguarded. They were forced to leave a third man and return, promising -him that the colonel should be told of his danger as soon as they -got back. - -It was panic indeed that filled the regiment when they returned -to the guard-house and told the news. The colonel was informed -at once. He promised to go in person to the spot when the man was -relieved, and search the woods round about. This gave them some -confidence, but they went nevertheless with the gloomiest forebodings -as to their comrade's fate. As they drew near the spot they advanced -at a run. Their fears were justified. The post was vacant--the -man gone without a sound. - -In the blank astonishment that followed, the colonel hesitated. -Should he station a whole company at the post? This would doubtless -prevent further loss; but then it was little likely to explain the -mystery; for the hands that had carried off three sentinels, would, -it was reasonable to believe, make no attempt to spirit away a -whole company of men. And for future action as well as to put an -end to the superstitious terror of the soldiery, the vital necessity -was to clear up the mystery. He had no belief in the theory that these -men deserted. He knew them too well. He prided himself mat he was -thoroughly acquainted with his own regiment, and had well-grounded -reasons for pride in his men. For this reason he was the more chary -of exposing a fourth brave man where three had already been lost. -However, it had to be done. The poor fellow whose turn it was to take -the post, though a soldier of proved courage and even recklessness -in action, positively shook from head to foot. - -"I must do my duty," he said to the colonel. "I know that well -enough; but for all that I should like to lose my life with a bit -of credit." - -There was no higher bravery than facing an indefinite terror such -as this, as the colonel was at pains to point out, but he added-- - -"I will leave no man here against his will." - -Immediately a soldier stepped out of the ranks. - -"Give me the post," he said quietly. - -The colonel looked at the volunteer admiringly, and spoke some -words in praise of his courage. - -"No," said the man; "I have an idea, that is all. What I promise -you is that I will not be taken alive. I shall give you a deal of -trouble; because you will hear of me on the least alarm. If I am -given this post, I propose to fire my piece if I hear the slightest -noise. If a bird chatters or a leaf falls, my musket shall go off. -Of course you may be alarmed when nothing is the matter; but that's -my condition, and you must take the chance." - -"Take the chance!" said the colonel. "It's the very wisest thing -you can do, You're a fellow of courage, and what's more, you're a -fellow with a head." - -He shook hands with him, as did the rest of the soldiers, with -faces full of foreboding. "Come," said the man, "don't look so -glum; cheer up, and I shall have a story to tell you when we meet -again." - -They left him and went back to the guard-room again. An hour passed -away in suspense. It seemed as though every ear in the regiment -were on the rack for the discharge of that musket. Hardly a man -spoke, but as the minutes dragged along the conviction gained ground -that already the brave man had followed the fate of the other three. -The colonel paced up and down in the guard-room, as anxious as any -of the men. He looked at his watch for the twentieth time. An hour -and twenty minutes had gone. - -Suddenly, down in the woods, the report of a musket rang out. - -Colonel, officers, and men poured out of the guard-room, almost -without a word, and advanced at a double through the woods. The -mystery was going to be solved at last. Until quite close to the -spot, they were forced, by the thickness of the forest, to remain -in ignorance of what had happened, and whether their comrade was -dead or alive. But they shouted, and an answering "Halloa!" at -last came back. As they turned into the glade where the sentinel -had been posted, they beheld him advancing towards them and dragging -another man along the ground by the hair of the head. - -He flung the body down. It was an Indian, stone-dead, with a -musket-wound in his side. - -"How did it happen?" panted the colonel, beside himself with joy. - -"Well," said the soldier, saluting, "I gave your honor notice that -I should fire if I heard the least noise. That's what I did, and -it saved my life; and it just happened in this way. - -"I hadn't been long standing here, peering round till my eyes ached, -when I heard a rustling about fifty yards away. I looked and saw an -American hog, of the sort that are common enough in these parts, -coming down the glade opposite, crawling along the ground and -sniffing to right and left--just as if he'd no business in life -but to sniff about for nuts under the fallen leaves and all about -the roots of the trees. Boars are common enough, so I gave him a -glance and didn't take much notice for some minutes. - -"But after a while, thinks I to myself--'No doubt the others -kept their eyes about them sharp enough, and was only took in by -neglecting something that seemed of no account;' so being on the -alarm and having no idea what was to be feared and what was not, -I woke up after some minutes and determined to keep my eyes on it -and watch how it passed in and out among the trees. For I thought, -if it comes on an Indian skulking about yonder, I may be able to -learn something from its movements. Indians are thick enough here -and to spare: but they're not so thick as nuts, for all that. - -"So I kept glancing at the hog, and then looking round and glancing -again. Not another creature was in sight; not a leaf rustling. And -then, all of a sudden--I can't tell why--it struck me as queer that -the animal was snuffling around among the trees and making off to -the right, seemingly for the thick coppice just behind my post. I -didn't want anything behind me, you may be sure, not even a hog, -and as it was now only a few yards from my coppice I kept my eye -more constantly on it, and cast up in my mind whether I should fire -or not. - -"It seemed foolish enough to rouse you all up by shooting a pig! -I fingered my trigger, and couldn't for the life of me make up my -mind what to do. I looked and looked, and the more I looked the -bigger fool I thought myself for being alarmed at it. It would be -a rare jest against me that I mistook a pig for an Indian; and this -was a hog sure enough. You've all seen scores of them, and know -how they move. Well, this one was for all the world like any other, -and I was almost saying to myself that'twas more like the average -hog than any hog I'd ever seen, when just as it got close to the -thicket I fancied it gave an unusual spring. - -"At any rate, fancy or no, I didn't hesitate. I took cool aim, and -directly I did so, felt sure I was right. The beast stopped in a -hesitating sort of way, and by that I knew it saw what I was about, -though up to the moment it had never seemed to be noticing me. 'An -Indian's trick, for a sovereign,' thought I, and pulled the trigger. - -"It dropped over like a stone; and then, as I stood there, still -doubting if it were a trap that I should fall into by running to -look, I heard a groan--and the groan of a man, too. I loaded my -musket and ran up to it. I had shot an Indian, sure enough, and -that groan was his last. - -"He had wrapped himself in the hog's skin so completely, and his -hands and feet were so neatly hid, and he imitated the animal's walk -and noise so cleverly, that I swear, if you saw the trick played -again, here before you, your honor would doubt your honor's eyes. -And seeing him at a distance, in the shadow of the trees, no man -who had not lost three comrades before him, as I had, would ever -have guessed. Here's the knife and tomahawk the villain had about -him. You see, once in the coppice he had only to watch his moment -for throwing off the skin and jumping on me from behind; a dig -in the back before a man had time to fire his piece was easy work -enough. After that it's easier still to drag the body off and hide -it under a heap of leaves. The rebels pay these devils by the scalp, -and no doubt if your honor looks about, you'll find the collection -our friend here has already made to-day." - - - - -THE MAN IN THE "AUGER HOLE." - -By Frank R. Stockton - - - -When we consider the American Revolution, we are apt to think of -it as a great war which all the inhabitants of the Colonies rose -up against Great Britain, determined, no matter what might be the -hardships and privations, no matter what the cost in blood and money, -to achieve their independence and the right to govern themselves. -But this was not the case. A great majority of the people of the -Colonies were ardently in favor of independence; but there were -also a great many people, and we have no right to say that some -of them were not very good people, who were as well satisfied that -their country should be a colony of Great Britain as the Canadians -are now satisfied with that state of things, and who were earnestly -and honestly opposed to any separation from the mother country. - -This difference of opinion was the cause of great trouble and -bloodshed among the colonists themselves, and the contests between -the Tories and the Whigs were nowhere more bitter than in New -Jersey. In some parts of the Colony, families were divided against -themselves; and not only did this result in quarrels and separations, -but fathers and sons, and brothers and brothers, fought against -each other. At one time the Tories, or, as they came to be called, -"refugees," were in such numbers that they took possession of the -town of Freehold, and held it for more than a week; and when at -last the town was retaken by the patriotic forces, most of them -being neighbors and friends of the refugees, several prominent -Tories were hanged, and many others sent to prison. - -The feeling between the Americans of the two different parties was -more violent than that between the patriots and the British troops, -and before long it became entirely unsafe for any Tory to remain -in his own home in New Jersey. Many of them went to New York, where -the patriotic feeling was not so strong at that time, and there -they formed themselves into a regular military company called the -"Associated Loyalists"; and this company was commanded by William -Temple Franklin, son of the great Benjamin Franklin, who had been -appointed Governor of New Jersey by the British Crown. He was now -regarded with great hatred by the patriots of New Jersey, because -he was a strong Tory. This difference of opinion between William -Franklin and his father was the most noted instance of this state -of feeling which occurred in those days. - -It will be interesting to look upon this great contest from a -different point of view than that from which we are accustomed to -regard it; and some extracts from the journal of a New Jersey lady -who was a decided Tory, will give us an idea of the feeling and -condition of the people who were opposed to the Revolution. - -This lady was Mrs. Margaret Hill Morris, who lived in Burlington. -She was a Quaker lady, and must have been a person of considerable -wealth; for she had purchased the house on Green Bank, one of the -prettiest parts of Burlington, overlooking the river, in which -Governor Franklin had formerly resided. This was a fine house and -contained the room which afterwards became celebrated under the -name of the "Auger Hole." This had been built, for what reason is -not known, as a place of concealment. It was a small room, entirely -dark, but said to be otherwise quite comfortable, which could be -approached only through a linen closet. In order to get at it, -the linen had to be taken from the shelves, the shelves drawn out, -and a small door opened at the back of the closet, quite low down, -so that the dark room could only be entered by stooping. - -In this "Auger Hole," Mrs. Morris, who was a strong Tory, but a -very good woman, had concealed a refugee who at the time was sought -for by the adherents of the patriotic side, and who probably would -have had a hard time of it if he had been caught, for he was a -person of considerable importance. - -The name of the refugee was Jonathan Odell, and he was rector of -St. Mary's Church in Burlington. He was a learned man, being a -doctor as well as a clergyman, and a very strong Tory. He had been -of much service to the people of Burlington; for when the Hessians -had attacked the town, he had come forward and interceded with -their commander, and had done his work so well that the soldiers -were forbidden to pillage the town. But when the Hessians left, -the American authorities began a vigorous search for Tories; and -Parson Odell was obliged to conceal himself in good Mrs. Morris's -"Auger Hole." - -Mrs. Morris was apparently a widow who lived alone with her two -boys, and, having this refugee in her house, she was naturally very -nervous about the movements of the American troops and the actions -of her neighbors of the opposite party. - -She kept a journal of the things that happened^ about her in those -eventful days, and from this we will give some extracts. It must -be understood that in writing her journal, the people designated as -the "enemy" were the soldiers under Washington, and that "gondolas" -were American gunboats. - -"From the 13th to the 16th we had various reports of the advancing -and retiring of the enemy; parties of armed men rudely entered the -town and diligent search was made for tories. Some of the gondola -gentry broke into and pillaged Red Smith's house on the bank. About -noon this day (16th) a very terrible account of thousands coming -into the town, and now actually to be seen on Gallows Hill: my -incautious son caught up the spyglass, and was running towards the -hill to look at them. I told him it would be liable to misconstruction." - -The journal states that the boy went out with the spyglass, but -could get no good place from which he could see Gallows Hill, or -any troops upon it, and so went down to the river, and thought he -would take a view of the boats in which were the American troops. -He rested his spyglass on the low limb of a tree, and with a boyish -curiosity inspected the various boats of the little fleet, not -suspecting that any one would object to such a harmless proceeding. - -But the people on the boats saw him, and did object very much; and -the consequence was, that, not long after he reached his mother's -house, a small boat from one of the vessels came to shore. A party -of men went to the front door of the house in which they had seen -the boy enter, and began loudly to knock upon it. Poor Mrs. Morris -was half frightened to death, and she made as much delay as possible -in order to compose her features and act as if she had never heard -of a refugee who wished to hide himself from his pursuers. In the -mild manner in which Quaker women are always supposed to speak, -she asked them what they wanted. They quickly told her that they -had heard that there was a refugee, to whom they applied some very -strong language, who was hiding somewhere about here, and that -they had seen him spying at them with a glass from behind a tree, -and afterwards watched him as he entered this house. - -Mrs. Morris declared that they were entirely mistaken; that the -person they had seen was no one but her son, who had gone out to -look at them as any boy might do, and who was perfectly innocent -of any designs against them. The men may have been satisfied with -this explanation with regard to her son; but they asserted that -they knew that there was a refugee concealed somewhere in that -neighborhood, and they believed that he was in an empty house near -by, of which they were told she had the key. Mrs. Morris, who had -given a signal, previously agreed upon, to the man in the "Auger -Hole," to keep very quiet, wished to gain as much time as possible, -and exclaimed: - -"Bless me! I hope you are not Hessians." - -"Do we look like Hessians?" asked one of them rudely. - -"Indeed, I don't know." - -"Did you ever see a Hessian?" - -"No, never in my life; but they are men, and you are men, and -may be Hessians, for anything I know. But I will go with you into -Colonel Cox's house, though indeed it was my son at the mill; he -is but a boy, and meant no harm; he wanted to see the troops." - -So she took the key of the empty house referred to, and went in -ahead of the men, who searched the place thoroughly, and, after -finding no place where anybody could be, they searched one or two -of the houses adjoining; but for some reason they did not think it -worth while to go through Mrs. Morris's own house. Had they done -so, it, is not probable that the good lady could have retained her -composure, especially if they had entered the room in which was -the linen closet; for, even had they been completely deceived by -the piles of sheets and pillowcases, there is no knowing but that -the unfortunate man in the "Auger Hole" might have been inclined -to sneeze. - -But although she was a brave woman and very humanely inclined, Mrs. -Morris felt she could not any longer take the risk of a refugee -in her house. And so that night, after dark, she went up to the -parson in the "Auger Hole," and made him come out; and she took him -into the town, where he was concealed by some of the Tory citizens, -who were better adapted to take care of the refugee than this lone -Quaker woman with her two inquisitive boys. It is believed that -soon after this he took refuge in New York, which was then in the -hands of the British. - -Further on in the journal Mrs. Morris indulges in some moral reflections -in regard to the war in which her countrymen were engaged, and no -one of right feeling will object to her sentiments. - -"Jan. 14. I hear Gen. Howe sent a request to Washington desiring -three days' cessation of arms to take care of the wounded and bury -the dead, which was refused; what a woeful tendency war has to -harden the human heart against the tender feelings of humanity. Well -may it be called a horrid art thus to change the nature of man. I -thought that even barbarous nations had a sort of religious regard -for their dead." - -After this the journal contains many references to warlike scenes -on the river and warlike sounds from the country around. Numbers -of gondolas filled with soldiers went up and down the river, at -times cannon from distant points firing alarums. At other times -the roaring of great guns from a distance, showing that a battle was -going on, kept the people of Burlington in a continual excitement; -and Mrs. Morris, who was entirely cut off from her relatives and -friends, several of whom were living in Philadelphia, was naturally -very anxious and disturbed in regard to events, of which she heard -but little, and perhaps understood less. - -One day she saw a number of gunboats, with flags flying and drums -beating, that were going, she was told, to attend a court-martial -at which a number of refugees, men of her party, were to be tried -by General Putnam; and it was believed that if they were found -guilty they would be executed. - -After a time, Mrs. Morris found an opportunity of showing, that, -although in principle she might be a Tory, she was at heart a good, -kind Quaker lady ready to give help to suffering people, no matter -whether they belonged to the side she favored or to that which she -opposed. - -Some of the people who came up the river in the gunboats--and in -many cases the soldiers brought their wives with them, probably -as cooks--were taken sick during that summer; and some of these -invalids stopped at Burlington, being unable to proceed farther. - -Here, to their surprise, they found no doctors; for all the patriots -of that profession had gone to the army, and the Tory physician had -departed to the British lines. But, as is well known, the women in -the early days of New Jersey were often obliged to be physicians; -and among the good housewives of Burlington, who knew all about -herb teas, homemade plasters, and potions, Mrs. Morris held a high -position. The sick Continentals were told that she was just as good -as a doctor, and, besides, was a very kind woman, always ready to -help the sick and suffering. - -So some of the sick soldiers came to her; and from what Mrs. -Morris wrote, one or two of them must have been the same men who -had previously come to her house and threatened the life of her -boy, who had been looking at them with a spyglass. But now they very -meekly and humbly asked her to come and attend their poor comrades -who were unable to move. At first Mrs. Morris thought this was -some sort of a trick, and that they wanted to get her on board of -one of the gunboats, and carry her away. But when she found that -the sick people were in a house in the town, she consented to go -and do what she could. So she took her bottles with her, and her -boxes and her herbs, and visited the sick people, several of whom -she found were women. - -They were all afflicted with some sort of a fever, probably of -a malarial kind, contracted from living day and night on board of -boats without proper protection; and, knowing just what to do with -such cases, she, to use her own expression, "treated them according -to art," and it was not long before they all recovered. - -What happened in consequence of this hospital work for those whom -she considered her enemies, is thus related by Mrs. Morris: - -"I thought I had received all my pay when they thankfully acknowledged -all my kindness, but lo! in a short time afterwards, a very rough, -ill-looking man came to the door and asked for me. When I went -to him, he drew me aside and asked me if I had any friends in -Philadelphia. The question alarmed me, supposing that there was -some mischief meditated against that poor city; however, I calmly -said, 'I have an ancient father-in-law, some sisters, and other -near friends there.' 'Well,' said the man, 'do you wish to hear -from them, or send anything by way of refreshment to them? If you -do, I will take charge of it and bring you back anything you may -send for.' I was very much surprised, to be sure, and thought he -only wanted to get provisions to take to the gondolas, when he told -me his wife was one I had given medicine to, and this was the only -thing he could do to pay me for my kindness. My heart leaped for -joy, and I set about preparing something for my dear absent friends. -A quarter of beef, some veal, fowls, and flour, were soon put up, -and about midnight the man came and took them away in his boat." - -Mrs. Morris was not mistaken in trusting to the good intentions -of this grateful Continental soldier, for, as she says, two nights -later there came a loud knocking at the door: - -"Opening the chamber window, we heard a man's voice saying, 'Come -down softly and open the door, but bring no light.' There was -something mysterious in such a call, and we concluded to go down -and set the candle in the kitchen. When we got to the front door -we asked, 'Who are you?' The man replied, 'A friend; open quickly': -so the door was opened, and who should it be but our honest gondola -man with a letter, a bushel of salt, a jug of molasses, a bag of -rice, some tea, coffee, and sugar, and some cloth for a coat for -my poor boys--all sent by my kind sisters. How did our hearts and -eyes overflow with love to them and thanks to our Heavenly Father -for such seasonable supplies. May we never forget it. Being now -so rich, we thought it our duty to hand out a little to the poor -around us, who were mourning for want of salt, so we divided the -bushel and gave a pint to every poor person who came for it, and -had a great plenty for our own use." - -As the war drew to its close and it became plain to every one that -the cause of the patriots must triumph, the feeling between the two -parties of Americans became less bitter; and the Tories, in many -cases, saw that it would be wise for them to accept the situation, -and become loyal citizens of the United States of America, as before -they had been loyal subjects of Great Britain. - -When peace was at last proclaimed, those Tories who were prisoners -were released, and almost all of them who had owned farms or estates -had them returned to them, and Mrs. Morris could visit her "ancient -father-in-law" and her sisters in Philadelphia, or they could come -up the river and visit her in her house on the beautiful Green Bank -at Burlington, without fear or thought of those fellow-countrymen -who had been their bitter enemies. - - - - -THE REMARKABLE VOYAGE OF THE BOUNTY - -Anonymous - - - -This is a story of a man who, when in command of his ships and -when everything went prosperously with him, was so overbearing and -cruel that some of his men, in desperation at the treatment they -received, mutinied against him. But the story shows another side -of his character in adversity, which it is impossible not to admire. - -In 1787, Captain Bligh was sent from England to Otaheite in charge -of the _Bounty_, a ship which had been especially fitted out to -carry young plants of the breadfruit tree for transplantation in -the West Indies. - -"The breadfruit grows on a spreading tree about the size of a -large apple tree; the fruit is round, and has a thick, tough rind. -It is gathered when it is full-grown, and while it is still green -and hard; it is then baked in an oven until the rind is black and -scorched. This is scraped off, and the inside is soft and white, -like the crumb of a penny loaf." - -The Otaheitans use no other bread but the fruit kind. It is, therefore, -little wonder that the West Indian planters were anxious to grow -this valuable fruit in their own islands, as, if it flourished there, -food would be provided with little trouble for their servants and -slaves. - -In the passage to Otaheite, Captain Bligh had several disturbances -with his men. He had an extremely irritable temper, and would often -fly into a passion and make most terrible accusations, and use most -terrible language to his officers and sailors. - -On one occasion he ordered the crew to eat some decayed pumpkins, -instead of their allowance of cheese, which he said they had stolen -from the ship's stores. - -The pumpkin was to be given to the men at the rate of one pound of -pumpkin to two pounds of biscuits. - -The men did not like accepting the substitute on these terms. When -the captain heard this, he was infuriated, and ordered the first -man of each mess to be called by name, at the same time saying -to them, "I'll see who will dare refuse the pumpkin or anything -else I may order to be served out." Then, after swearing at them -in a shocking way, he ended by saying, "I'll make you eat grass, -or anything else you can catch, before I have done with you," and -threatened to flog the first man who dared to complain again. - -While they were at Otaheite, several of the sailors were flogged -for small offences, or without reason, and on the other hand, during -the seven months they stayed at the island, both officers and men -were allowed to spend a great deal of time on shore, and were given -the greatest possible liberty. - -Therefore, when the breadfruit plants were collected, and they -weighed anchor on April 4, in 1787, it is not unlikely they were -loath to return to the strict discipline of the ship, and to leave -an island so lovely, and where it was possible to live in the -greatest luxury without any kind of labor. - -From the time they sailed until April 27, Christian, the third -officer, had been in constant hot water with Captain Bligh. On the -afternoon of that day, when the captain came on deck, he missed -some cocoanuts that had been heaped up between the guns. He said at -once that they had been stolen, and that it could not have happened -without the officers knowing of it. When they told him they had -not seen any of the crew touch them, he cried, "Then you must have -taken them yourselves!" After this he questioned them separately; -when he came to Christian, the latter answered, "I do not know, sir, -but I hope you do not think me so mean as to be guilty of stealing -yours." - -The captain swore terribly, and said, "You must have stolen them -from me, or you would be able to give a better account of them!" He -turned to the others with much more abuse, saying, "You scoundrels, -you are all thieves alike, and combine with the men to rob me! -I suppose you'll steal my yams next, but I'll sweat you for it, -you rascals! I'll make half of you jump overboard before you get -through Endeavor Straits!" - -Then he turned to the clerk, giving the order to "give them but -half a pound of yams to-morrow: if they steal _them_, I'll reduce -them to a quarter." - -That night, Christian, who was hardly less passionate and resentful -than the captain, told two of the midshipmen, Stewart and Hayward, -that he intended to leave the ship on a raft, as he could no longer -endure the captain's suspicion and insults. He was very angry -and excited, and made some preparations for carrying out his plan, -though these had to be done with the greatest secrecy and care. - -It was his duty to take the morning watch, which is from four to -eight o'clock, and this time he thought would be a good opportunity -to make his escape. He had only just fallen into a restless slumber -when he was called to take his turn. - -He got up with his brain still alert with the sense of injury and -wrong, and most curiously alive to seize any opportunity which -might lead to an escape from so galling a service. - -On reaching the deck, he found the mate of the watch had fallen -asleep, and that the other midshipman was not to be seen. - -Then he made a sudden determination to seize the ship, and rushing -down the gangway ladder, whispered his intention to Matthew Quintal -and Isaac Martin, seamen, both of whom had been flogged. They readily -agreed to join him, and several others of the watch were found to -be quite as willing. - -Some one went to the armorer for the keys of the arm chest, telling -him they wanted to fire at a shark alongside. - -Christian then armed those men whom he thought he could trust, and -putting a guard at the officers' cabins, went himself with three -other men to the captain's cabin. - -It was just before sunrise when they dragged him from his bed, and -tying his hands behind his back, threatened him with instant death -if he should call for help or offer any kind of resistance. He -was taken up to the quarter-deck in his nightclothes, and made to -stand against the mizzen-mast with four men to guard him. - -Christian then gave orders to lower the boat in which he intended -to cast them adrift, and one by one the men were allowed to come -up the hatchways, and made to go over the side of the ship into it. -Meanwhile, no heed was given to the remonstrances, reasoning, and -prayers of the captain, saving threats of death unless he was quiet. - -Some twine, canvas, sails, a small cask of water, and a quadrant -and compass were put into the boat, also some bread and a small -quantity of rum and wines. When this was done the officers were -brought up one by one and forced over the side. There was a great -deal of rough joking at the captain's expense, who was still made -to stand by the mizzen-mast, and much bad language was used by -everybody. - -When all the officers were out of the ship, Christian said, "Come, -Captain Bligh, your officers and men are now in the boat, and you -must go with them; if you make the least resistance you will be -instantly put to death." - -He was lowered over the side with his hands still fastened behind -his back, and directly after the boat was veered astern with a -rope. - -Some one with a little pity for them threw in some pieces of pork -and some clothes, as well as two or three cutlasses; these were -the only arms given. - -There were altogether nineteen men in this pitiful strait. Although -much of the conduct of the mutineers is easily understood with regard -to the captain, the wholesale crime of thrusting so many innocent -persons out to the mercy of the winds and waves, or to the death -from hunger and thirst which they must have believed would inevitably -overtake them, is incomprehensible. - -As the _Bounty_ sailed away, leaving them to their fate, those in -the boat cast anxious looks to the captain, wondering what should -be done. At a time when his mind must have been full of the injury -he had received, and the loss of his ship at a moment when his -plans were so flourishing and he had every reason to congratulate -himself as to the ultimate success of the undertaking, it is much -in his favor that he seems to have realized their unfortunate -position and to have been determined to make the best of it. - -His first care was to see how much food they had. On examining -it, they found there was a hundred and fifty pounds of bread, -thirty-two pounds of pork, six quarts of rum, six bottles of wine, -and twenty-eight gallons of water. - -As they were so near Tofoa they determined to put in there for a -supply of breadfruit and water, so that they might keep their other -provisions. But after rowing along the coast for some time, they -only discovered some cocoanut trees on the top of a stony cliff, -against which the sea beat furiously. After several attempts they -succeeded in getting about twenty nuts. The second day they failed -to get anything at all. - -However, some natives came down to the boat and made inquiries -about the ship; but the captain unfortunately told the men to say -she had been lost, and that only they were saved. - -This proved most disastrous; for the treacherous natives, finding -they were defenceless, at first brought them presents of breadfruit, -plantains and cocoanuts, rendering them all more hopeful and cheerful -by their kindness. But toward night their numbers increased in a -most alarming manner, and soon the whole beach was lined with them. - -Presently they began knocking stones together, by which the men knew -they intended to make an attack upon them. They made haste to get -all the things into the boat, and all but one, named John Norton, -succeeded in reaching it. The natives rushed upon this poor man -and stoned him to death. - -Those in the boat put to sea with all haste, but were again terribly -alarmed to find themselves followed by natives in canoes from which -they renewed the attack. - -Many of the sailors were a good deal hurt by stones, and they had -no means at all with which to protect themselves. At last they -threw some clothes overboard; these tempted the enemy to stop to -pick them up, and as soon as night came on they gave up the chase -and returned to the shore. - -All the men now begged Captain Bligh to take them toward England; -but he told them there could be no hope of relief until they reached -Timor, a distance of full twelve hundred leagues; and that, if they -wished to reach it, they would have to content themselves with one -ounce of bread and a quarter of a pint of water a day. They all -readily agreed to this allowance of food, and made a most solemn -oath not to depart from their promise to be satisfied with the -small quantity. This was about May 2. - -After the compact was made, the boat was put in order, the men -divided into watches, and they bore away under a reefed lug-foresail. - -A fiery sun rose on the 3d, which is commonly a sign of rough -weather, and filled the almost hopeless derelicts with a new terror. - -In an hour or two it blew very hard, and the sea ran so high that -their sail was becalmed between the waves; they did not dare to -set it when on the top of the sea, for the water rushed in over -the stern of the boat, and they were obliged to bale with all their -might. - -The bread was in bags, and in the greatest danger of being spoiled -by the wet. They were obliged to throw some rope and the spare -sails overboard, as well as all the clothes but what they wore, to -lighten the boat; then the carpenter's tool-chest was cleared and -the bread put into it. - -They were all very wet and cold, and a teaspoonful of rum was served -to each man, with a quarter of a breadfruit which was so bad that -it could hardly be eaten; but the captain was determined at all -risks to keep to the compact they had entered into, and to make -their provisions last eight weeks. - -In the afternoon the sea ran even higher, and at night it became -very cold; but still they did not dare to leave off baling for an -instant, though their legs and arms were numb with fatigue and wet. - -In the morning a teaspoonful of rum was served to all, and five -small cocoanuts divided for their dinner, and every one was satisfied. - -When the gale had subsided they examined the bread, and found a -great deal of it had become mouldy and rotten; but even this was -carefully kept and used. The boat was now near some islands, but -they were afraid to go on shore, as the natives might attack them; -while being in sight of land, where they might replenish their poor -stock of provisions and rest themselves, added to their misery. -One morning they hooked a fish, and were overjoyed at their good -fortune; but in trying to get it into the boat it was lost, and -again they had to content themselves with the damaged bread and -small allowance of water for their supper. - -They were dreadfully cramped for room, and were obliged to manage -so that half their number should lie down in the bottom of the -boat or upon a chest, while the others sat up and kept watch; their -limbs became so stiff from being constantly wet, and from want of -space to stretch them in, that after a few hours' sleep they were -hardly able to move. - -About May 7, they passed what the captain supposed must be the Fiji -Islands, and two large canoes put off and followed them for some -time, but in the afternoon they gave up the chase. It rained heavily -that day, and every one in the boat did his best to catch some -water, and they succeeded in increasing their stock to thirty-four -gallons, besides having had enough to drink for the first time -since they had been cast adrift; but the rain made them very cold -and miserable, as they had no dry clothes. - -The next morning they had an ounce and a half of pork, a teaspoonful -of rum, half a pint of cocoanut milk and an ounce of bread for -breakfast, which was quite a large meal for them. - -Through fifteen weary days and nights of ceaseless rain they -toiled, sometimes through fierce storms of thunder and lightning, -and before terrific seas lashed into foam and fury by swift and -sudden squalls, with only their miserable pittance of bread and -water to keep body and soul together. - -In this rain and storm the little sleep they got only added to their -discomfort, save for the brief forgetfulness it brought; for they -had to lie down in water in the bottom of the boat, and with no -covering but the streaming clouds above them. - -The captain then advised them to wring their clothes through -sea-water, which they found made them feel much warmer for a time. - -On May 17 every one was ill and complaining of great pain, and -begging for more food; but the captain refused to increase their -allowance, though he gave them all a small quantity of rum. - -Until the 24th they flew before the wild seas that swept over stem -and stern of their boat and kept them constantly baling. - -Some of them now looked more than half dead from starvation, but -no one suffered from thirst, as they had absorbed so much water -through the skin. - -A fine morning dawned on the 25th, when they saw the sun for the -first time for fifteen days, and were able to eat their scanty -allowance in more comfort and warmth. In the afternoon there were -numbers of birds called boobies and noddies near, which are never -seen far from land. - -The captain took this opportunity to look at the state of their -bread, and found if they did not exceed their allowance there was -enough to last for twenty-nine days, when they hoped to reach Timor. - -That afternoon some noddies came so near the boat that one was -caught. These birds are about the size of a small pigeon; it was -divided into eighteen parts and given by lot. The men were much -amused when they saw the beak and claws fall to the lot of the -captain. The bird was eaten, bones and all, with bread and water, -for dinner. - -Now they were in calmer seas, they were overtaken by a new trouble. -The heat of the sun became so great that many of them were overcome -by faintness, and lay in the bottom of the boat in an apathetic -state all day, only rousing themselves toward evening, when the -catching of birds was attempted. - -On the morning of the 28th the sound of breakers could be heard -plainly; they had reached the Great Barrier Reef, which runs up -much of the east coast of Australia. - -After some little time a passage nearly a quartar of a mile in -width was discovered through the reef, and they were carried by a -strong current into the peaceful waters which lie within the Barrier. - -For a little time they were so overjoyed that their past troubles -were forgotten. The dull blue-gray lines of the mainland, with its -white patches of glaring sandhills, could be seen in the distance, -and that afternoon they landed on an island. - -They found the rocks around it were covered with oysters and huge -clams, which could easily be got at low tide. Some of their party -sent out to reconnoitre returned greatly pleased at having found -plenty of fresh water. - -A fire was made by help of a small magnifying-glass. Among the -things thrown into the boat from the ship was a small copper pot; -and thus with a mixture of oysters, bread, and pork a stew was -made, and every one had plenty to eat. - -The day after they landed was the 29th of May, the anniversary -of the restoration of King Charles II, and as the captain thought -it applied to their own renewed health and strength, he named it -Restoration Island. - -After a few days' rest, which did much to revive the men, and when -they had filled all their vessels with water and had gathered a -large supply of oysters, they were ready to go on again. - -As they were about to start, everybody was ordered to attend prayers, -and as they were embarking about twenty naked savages came running -and shouting toward them, each carrying a long barbed spear, but -the English made all haste to put to sea. - -For several days they sailed over the lakelike stillness of the -Barrier reef-bound waters, and past the bold desolations of the -Queensland coast, every headland and bay there bearing the names -Cook gave them only a few years before, and which still tell us by -that nomenclature each its own story of disappointment and hope. - -Still making way to the north, they passed many more islands and -keys, the onward passage growing hot and hotter, until on June 3, -when they doubled Cape York, the peninsula which is all but unique -in its northward bend, they were again in the open sea. - -By this time many of them were ill with malaria; then for the first -time some of the wine which they had with them was used. - -But the little boat still bravely made its way with its crew, whose -faces were so hollow and ghastly that they looked like a crew of -spectres, sailing beneath the scorching sun that beat down from -the pale blue of the cloudless sky upon a sea hardly less blue in -its greater depths. Only the hope that they would soon reach Timor -seemed to rouse them from a state of babbling delirium or fitful -slumber. - -On the 11th the captain told them they had passed the meridian of -the east of Timor; and at three o'clock on the next morning they -sighted the land. - -It was on Sunday, June 14, when they arrived at Company Bay, and -were received with every kindness by the people. - -Thus ended one of the most remarkable voyages that have ever been -made. They had been sent out with provisions only sufficient for -their number for _five_ days, and Captain Bligh had, by his careful -calculation and determination to give each man only that equal -portion they had agreed to accept, made it last for _fifty_ days, -during which time they had come three thousand six hundred and -eighteen nautical miles. - -There had been days when the men were so hunger-driven that they -had besought him with pitiful prayers for more to eat, and when it -was his painful duty to refuse it; and times, as they passed those -islands where plentiful food could be got, when he had to turn a -deaf ear to their longings to land. He had to endure the need of -food, the cramped position, the uneasy slumber, as did his men; -as well as the more perfect knowledge of their dangers. There had -been days and nights while he worked out their bearings when he -had to be propped up as he took the stars or sun. - -It was, therefore, Captain Bligh's good seamanship, his strict -discipline and fairness in the method of giving food and wine to -those who were sick, that enabled them to land at Timor with the -whole of their number alive, with the exception of the one man who -was stoned to death by the savages at Tofoa. - - - - -THE TWO BOY HOSTAGES AT THE SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM - -Anonymous - - - -In the year 1791, Lord Cornwallis, then Governor-General of India, -made preparations for a final and decisive campaign against Tippoo. -He had not proved himself a successful commander in America, where -he was compelled to surrender himself and army to Washington; but -this time fortune was to follow his arms. His great object was to -capture the principal stronghold of the tyrant, Seringapatam; with -this in view he proceeded to reduce all the intermediate fortresses, -and in February, 1792, appeared in sight of the famous city, in -the dungeons of which many a British soldier had suffered both a -weary imprisonment and a cruel death. - -The army gazed with admiration and wonder on this magnificent -Oriental city, its vast extent of embattled walls bristling with -cannon, on the domes of its mosques which rose above them, on the -cupolas of its splendid palaces and the lofty facades of the great -square pagodas. It was garrisoned by no less than 45,000 men, -while beneath its walls were encamped the troops of the sultan. To -attempt the capture of so strong a place seemed an impossibility. - -Great indeed would be the issue of the contest between the two hostile -armies. Should the British and their allies be defeated there was -nothing before them but a disastrous retreat over hundreds of miles -of country already laid waste by sword and fire; while if Tippoo -suffered a reverse nothing remained for him but a humiliating -surrender. The ardour of Cornwallis's troops had been kindled by -the stories of the frightful tortures which the despot had practiced -upon his helpless prisoners, and they were passionately desirous -of avenging them. - -Although his forces were far inferior in number, Lord Cornwallis -decided upon an immediate attack on the enemy's camp in three -divisions. The evening was calm and beautiful, the moon just rising -to shed her silvery light over the scene, as the troops moved on -in silence, but with hearts beating high with courage and hopes of -success. - -Lord Cornwallis himself led the centre division, sword in hand, and -headed several bayonet charges, during which he received a wound -in the hand. The attack took Tippoo by complete surprise. On the -first alarm he rushed from his gorgeous tent and sprang on to his -horse, and as he did so a mass of fugitives thronged past him, -conveying the intelligence that his centre had been penetrated, and -a column was marching to cut off his retreat from the great ford -leading across the river Cauvery to Seringapatam. He had only just -time to make good his escape. - -All night the fighting raged, and by morning Tippoo reckoned he -had lost, in killed, wounded, and missing, no less than 23,000 men. -Being unable to recapture his largest--the sultan's--redoubt, he -abandoned all the others, and, in a fit of despair, withdrew his -forces to the island and fortress of Seringapatam, there to make -a last stand. - -The besiegers pressed forward with vigour, and on its two -principal sides the city was completely invested. The pioneers and -working-parties were actively at work, and soon turned Tippoo's -wonderful garden into a scene of desolation. The sultan saw that his -situation was becoming desperate, and made an attempt to negotiate, -but at the same time thought to paralyse the efforts of the English -and end the war, by procuring the assassination of their chief. A -number of horsemen, drugged and maddened by _bhang_, vowed to bring -to the sultan the head of his foe, and lay it at his feet as an -offering. They made a dash into the British camp, but before they -could secure their trophy were routed, and most of them slain. - -It is impossible to enumerate all the deeds of heroism performed -during the battle and the progress of the siege--the bravery of -Captain Hugh Sibbald, who, with a hundred Highlanders, captured -and defended the sultan's redoubt against innumerable odds; of -the courage of Major Dalrymple, with his Highlanders and Bengal -infantry, who, to draw attention from the working-parties, crossed -the Cauvery, and fell furiously upon Tippoo's cavalry camp. Every -British soldier seemed animated with a dauntless courage. Meantime -a trench had been opened within 800 yards of the walls, and the -advances carried on with spirit and energy. The anger of the Oriental -despot manifested itself by a continual discharge of cannon. - -Eighteen days after the battle everything was ready for a grand -attack upon the citadel of Seringapatam. The British soldiers, -flushed with success, and burning to avenge the cruel sufferings and -murders of their countrymen, were eager to commence the assault. -The besieged, crushed, despairing, expected every minute to hear the -roar of the breaching batteries, and to see their stately mosques -in flames. At this moment, so full of anticipation, orders were -issued to cease all acts of hostility. Tippoo had sued for peace; -but at the very instant the order for cessation of firing was -issued, every gun that could be brought to bear upon the trenches, -and the musketry from all available points, were ordered by the -sultan to be fired. - -In the treaty which was now drawn up Tippoo not only agreed to -release all his prisoners, but to pay the equivalent of $16,500,000, -yield up half his possessions, and to place in the hands of the -British his two eldest sons, to be retained as hostages till the -due performance of his pledges. - -Never before had Indian history presented so touching a spectacle -as that seen on the day when the young princes were delivered into -the hands of their father's conquerors. On the morning of the 26th -of February, twenty days only after the appearance of the British -before the walls, the two youthful hostages, each mounted on a -richly-caparisoned elephant, left the fort. Soldiers and citizens, -stirred by deep sympathy, thronged the ramparts to take one last -look at the two boys. Even the stern and cruel Tippoo himself was -moved, and found it difficult to repress his emotion as, standing -on the bastion above the great entrance, he watched the procession. - -When the youthful hostages issued from the fortress the guns of -Seringapatam thundered forth a salute; and as they approached the -British lines they were received with similar honors. Accompanied -by the English negotiator of the terms of peace and a guard of -honour, they were met at the outposts and conveyed to the camp. -"Each was seated in a howdah of chased silver. They were arrayed -in robes of white, with red turbans in which a spray of pearls was -fastened, while jewels and diamonds of great value were around and -suspended from their necks. _Harcarrahs_, or Brahmin messengers -of trust, headed the procession, and seven standard-bearers, each -carrying a small green banner displayed on a rocket-pole. After -these marched 100 pikemen, whose weapons were inlaid with silver. -Their escort was a squadron of cavalry, with 200 sepoy soldiers. -They were received by the troops in line, with presented arms, -drums beating, and officers in front saluting." - -Being conducted to the tent of Lord Cornwallis, who stood at the -entrance surrounded by his staff and the various colonels of the -regiments, they descended from their howdahs and approached him. -Embracing them both, he took them by the hand and led them inside. -Although of the respective ages of ten and twelve years, the children -appeared to possess all the politeness and reserve of manhood. The -principal officer of Tippoo, after having formally surrendered them -to the general, said-- - -"These children were this morning the sons of my master, the sultan. -Their situation is now changed; they must look up to your lordship -as their father." - -Early in the year 1794, Tippoo having fulfilled all the terms of -the treaty, the two youthful hostages were restored to their father. -They were conducted by an officer to Deonhully, on a plain near -which the sultan had pitched his tent. The two boys knelt to their -father, placing their heads at his feet. He received them apparently -unmoved, touched their necks, and when they arose pointed to their -seats; and this was all the welcome they publicly received. - - - - -THE MAN WHO SPOILED NAPOLEON'S "DESTINY" - -By Rev. W. H. Fitchett, LL.D. - - - -From March 18 to May 20, 1799--for more than sixty days and nights, -that is--a little, half-forgotten, and more than half-ruined Syrian -town was the scene of one of the fiercest and most dramatic sieges -recorded in military history. And rarely has there been a struggle -so apparently one-sided. - -A handful of British sailors and Turkish irregulars were holding -Acre, a town without regular defences, against Napoleon, the most -brilliant military genius of his generation, with an army of 10,000 -war-hardened veterans, the "Army of Italy"--soldiers who had dared -the snows of the Alps and conquered Italy, and to whom victory was -a familiar experience. In their ranks military daring had reached, -perhaps, its very highest point. And yet the sailors inside that -ring of crumbling wall won! At Acre Napoleon experienced his first -defeat; and, years after, at St. Helena, he said of Sir Sidney -Smith, the gallant sailor who baffled him, "That man made me miss -my destiny." It is a curious fact that one Englishman thwarted -Napoleon's career in the East, and another ended his career in -the West, and it may be doubted which of the two Napoleon hated -most--Wellington, who finally overthrew him at Waterloo, or Sidney -Smith, who, to use Napoleon's own words, made him "miss his destiny," -and exchange the empire of the East for a lonely pinnacle of rock -in the Atlantic. - -Sidney Smith was a sailor of the school of Nelson and of Dundonald--a -man, that is, with a spark of that warlike genius which begins where -mechanical rules end. He was a man of singular physical beauty, -with a certain magnetism and fire about him which made men willing -to die for him. He became a middy at the tender age of eleven -years; went through fierce sea-fights, and was actually mate of the -watch when fourteen years old. He was a fellow-middy with William -IV in the fight off Cape St. Vincent, became commander when he was -eighteen years of age, and captain before he was quite nineteen. -But the British marine, even in those tumultuous days, scarcely -yielded enough of the rapture of fighting to this post-captain in his -teens. He took service under the Swedish flag, saw hard fighting -against the Russians, became the close personal friend of the -king, and was knighted by him. One of the feats at this period of -his life with which tradition, with more or less of plausibility, -credits Sidney Smith, is that of swimming by night through the -Russian fleet, a distance of two miles, carrying a letter enclosed -in a bladder to the Swedish admiral. - -Sidney Smith afterwards entered the Turkish service. When war broke -out betwixt France and England in 1790, he purchased a tiny craft -at Smyrna, picked up in that port a mixed crew, and hurried to join -Lord Hood, who was then holding Toulon. When the British abandoned -the port--and it is curious to recollect that the duel between -Sidney Smith and Napoleon, which reached its climax at Acre, began -here--Sidney Smith volunteered to burn the French fleet, a task -which he performed with an audacity and skill worthy of Nelson, -and for which the French never forgave him. - -Sidney Smith was given the command of an English frigate, and fought -a dozen brilliant fights in the Channel. He carried with his boats -a famous French privateer off Havre de Grace; but during the fight -on the deck of the captured ship it drifted into the mouth of the -Seine above the forts. The wind dropped, the tide was too strong -to be stemmed, and Sidney Smith himself was captured. He had so -harried the French coast that the French refused to treat him as -an ordinary prisoner of war, and threw him Into that forbidding -prison, the Temple, from whose iron-barred windows the unfortunate -sailor watched for two years the horrors of the Reign of Terror -in its last stages, the tossing crowds, the tumbrils rolling past, -crowded with victims for the guillotine. Sidney Smith escaped at -last by a singularly audacious trick. Two confederates, dressed -in dashing uniform, one wearing the dress of an adjutant, and the -other that of an officer of still higher rank, presented themselves -at the Temple with forged orders for the transfer of Sidney Smith. - -The governor surrendered his prisoner, but insisted on sending a -guard of six men with him. The sham adjutant cheerfully acquiesced, -but, after a moment's pause, turned to Sidney Smith and said, if he -would give his parole as an officer not to attempt to escape, they -would dispense with the escort. Sidney Smith, with due gravity, -replied to his confederate. "Sir, I swear on the faith of an officer -to accompany you wherever you choose to conduct me." The governor -was satisfied, and the two sham officers proceeded to "conduct" -their friend with the utmost possible despatch to the French coast. -Another English officer who had escaped--Captain Wright--joined -Sidney Smith outside Rouen, and the problem was how to get through -the barriers without a passport. Smith sent Wright on first, and -he was duly challenged for his passport by the sentinel; whereupon -Sidney Smith, with a majestic air of official authority, marched up -and said in faultless Parisian French, "I answer for this citizen, -I know him"; whereupon the deluded sentinel saluted and allowed -them both to pass! - -Sidney Smith's escape from the Temple made him a popular hero -in England. He was known to have great influence with the Turkish -authorities, and he was sent to the East in the double office of -envoy-extraordinary to the Porte, and commander of the squadron at -Alexandria. By one of the curious coincidences which marked Sidney -Smith's career, he became acquainted while in the Temple with a -French Royalist officer named Philippeaux, an engineer of signal -ability, and who had been a schoolfellow and a close chum of Napoleon -himself at Brienne. Smith took his French friend with him to the -East, and he played a great part in the defence of Acre. Napoleon -had swept north through the desert to Syria, had captured Gaza and -Jaffa, and was about to attack Acre, which lay between him and his -ultimate goal, Constantinople. Here Sidney Smith resolved to bar -his way, and in his flagship the _Tigre_, with the _Theseus_, under -Captain Miller, and two gunboats, he sailed to Acre to assist in -its defence. Philippeaux took charge of the fortifications, and -thus, in the breaches of a remote Syrian town, the former prisoner -of the Temple and the ancient school friend of Napoleon joined hands -to wreck that dream of a great Eastern empire which lurked in the -cells of Napoleon's masterful intellect. - -Acre looks like a blunted arrow-head jutting out from a point in the -Syrian coast. Napoleon could only attack, so to speak, the _neck_ -of the arrow, which was protected by a ditch and a weak wall, and -flanked by towers; but Sidney Smith, having command of the sea, -could sweep the four faces of the town with the fire of his guns, -as well as command all the sea-roads in its vicinity. He guessed, -from the delay of the French in opening fire, that they were waiting -for their siege-train to arrive by sea. He kept vigilant watch, -pounced on the French flotilla as it rounded the promontory of Mount -Carmel, captured nine of the vessels, carried them with their guns -and warlike material to Acre, and mounted his thirty-four captured -pieces on the batteries of the town. Thus the disgusted French saw -the very guns which were intended to batter down the defences of -Acre--and which were glorious with the memories of a dozen victories -in Italy--frowning at them, loaded with English powder and shot, -and manned by English sailors. - -It is needless to say that a siege directed by Napoleon--the siege -of what he looked upon as a contemptible and almost defenceless -town, the single barrier betwixt his ambition and its goal--was -urged with amazing fire and vehemence. The wall was battered day -and night, a breach fifty feet wide made, and more than twelve -assaults delivered, with all the fire and daring of which French -soldiers, gallantly led, are capable. So sustained was the fighting, -that on one occasion the combat raged in the ditch and on the breach -for _twenty-five_ successive hours. So close and fierce was it that -one half-ruined tower was held by _both_ besiegers and besieged -for twelve hours in succession, and neither would yield. At the -breach, again, the two lines of desperately fighting men on repeated -occasions clashed bayonets together, and wrestled and stabbed and -died, till the survivors were parted by the barrier of the dead -which grew beneath their feet. - -Sidney Smith, however, fought like a sailor, and with all the cool -ingenuity and resourcefulness of a sailor. His ships, drawn up on -two faces of the town, smote the French stormers on either flank -till they learned to build up a dreadful screen, made up partly of -stones plucked from the breach, and partly of the dead bodies of -their comrades. Smith, too, perched guns in all sorts of unexpected -positions--a 24-pounder in the lighthouse, under the command of -an exultant middy; two 68-pounders under the charge of "old Bray," -the carpenter of the _Tigre_, and, as Sidney Smith himself reports, -"one of the bravest and most intelligent men I ever served with"; -and yet a third gun, a French brass l8-pounder, in one of the -ravelins, under a master's mate. Bray dropped his shells with the -nicest accuracy in the centre of the French columns as they swept -up the breach, and the middy perched aloft, and the master's mate -from the ravelin, smote them on either flank with case-shot, while -the _Theseus_ and the _Tigre_ added to the tumult the thunder of -their broadsides, and the captured French gunboats contributed the -yelp of their lighter pieces. - -The great feature of the siege, however, was the fierceness and -the number of the sorties. Sidney Smith's sorties actually exceeded -in number and vehemence Napoleon's assaults. He broke the strength -of Napoleon's attacks, that is, by anticipating them. A crowd of -Turkish irregulars, with a few naval officers leading them, and a -solid mass of Jack-tars in the centre, would break from a sally-port, -or rush vehemently down through the gap in the wall, and scour the -French trenches, overturn the gabions, spike the guns, and slay the -guards. The French reserves hurried fiercely up, always scourged, -however, by the flank fire of the ships, and drove back the -sortie. But the process was renewed the same night or the next day -with unlessened fire and daring. The French engineers, despairing -of success on the surface, betook themselves to mining; whereupon -the besieged made a desperate sortie and reached the mouth of the -mine. Lieutenant Wright, who led them, and who had already received -two shots in his sword-arm, leaped down the mine followed by his -sailors, slew the miners, destroyed their work, and safely regained -the town. - -The British sustained one startling disaster. Captain Miller of -the _Theseus_, whose ammunition ran short, carefully collected such -French shells as fell into the town without exploding, and duly -returned them, alight, and supplied with better fuses, to their -original senders. He had collected some seventy shells on the -_Theseus_, and was preparing them for use against the French. The -carpenter of the ship was endeavouring to get the fuses out of the -loaded shells with an auger, and a middy undertook to assist him, -in characteristic middy fashion, with a mallet and a spike-nail. A -huge shell under his treatment suddenly exploded on the quarter-deck -of the _Theseus_, and the other sixty-nine shells followed suit. -The too ingenious middy disappeared into space; forty seamen, with -Captain Miller himself, were killed; and forty-seven, including the -two lieutenants of the ship, the chaplain, and the surgeon, were -seriously wounded. The whole of the poop was blown to pieces, and -the ship was left a wreck with fire breaking out at half-a-dozen -points. The fire was subdued, and the _Theseus_ survived in a -half-gutted condition, but the disaster was a severe blow to Sir -Sidney's resources. - -As evening fell on May 7, the white sails of a fleet became visible, -and all firing ceased while besiegers and besieged watched the -approaching ships. Was it a French fleet or a Turkish? Did it -bring succour to the besieged or a triumph to the besiegers? The -approaching ships flew the crescent. It was the Turkish fleet -from Rhodes bringing reinforcements. But the wind was sinking, and -Napoleon, who had watched the approach of the hostile ships with -feelings which may be guessed, calculated that there remained six -hours before they could cast anchor in the bay. Eleven assaults -had been already made, in which eight French generals and the best -officers in every branch of the service had perished. There remained -time for a twelfth assault. He might yet pluck victory from the -very edge of defeat. At ten o'clock that night the French artillery -was brought up close to the counterscarp to batter down the curtain, -and a new breach was made. Lannes led his division against the -shot-wrecked tower, and General Rimbaud took his grenadiers with a -resistless rush through the new breach. All night the combat raged, -the men fighting desperately hand to hand. When the rays of the -level morning sun broke through the pall of smoke which hung sullenly -over the combatants, the tricolour flew on the outer angle of the -tower, and still the ships bringing reinforcements had not reached -the harbour! Sidney Smith, at this crisis, landed every man from -the English ships, and led them, pike in hand, to the breach, and -the shouting and madness of the conflict awoke once more. To use -Sidney Smith's own words, "the muzzles of the muskets touched each -other--the spear-heads were locked together." But Sidney Smith's -sailors, with the brave Turks who rallied to their help, were not -to be denied. - -Lannes's grenadiers were tumbled headlong from the tower, Lannes -himself being wounded, while Rimbaud's brave men, who were actually -past the breach, were swept into ruin, their general killed, and -the French soldiers within the breach all captured or slain. - -One of the dramatic incidents of the siege was the assault made -by Kleber's troops. They had not taken part in the siege hitherto, -but had won a brilliant victory over the Arabs at Mount Tabor. On -reaching the camp, flushed with their triumph, and seeing how slight -were the apparent defences of the town, they demanded clamorously -to be led to the assault. Napoleon consented. Kleber, who was of -gigantic stature, with a head of hair worthy of a German music-master -or of a Soudan dervish, led his grenadiers to the edge of the breach -and stood there, while with gesture and voice--a voice audible -even above the fierce and sustained crackle of the musketry--he -urged his men on. Napoleon, standing on a gun in the nearest French -battery, watched the sight with eager eyes--the French grenadiers -running furiously up the breach, the grim line of levelled muskets -that barred it, the sudden roar of the English guns as from every -side they smote the staggering French column. Vainly single officers -struggled out of the torn mass, ran gesticulating up the breach, -and died at the muzzles of the British muskets. The men could not -follow, or only died as they leaped forward. The French grenadiers, -still fighting, swearing, and screaming, were swept back past the -point where Kleber stood, hoarse with shouting, black with gunpowder, -furious with rage. The last assault on Acre had failed. The French -sick, field artillery, and baggage silently defiled that night to -the rear. The heavy guns were buried in the sand, and after sixty -days of open trenches Napoleon, for the first time in his life, -though not for the last, ordered a retreat. - -Napoleon buried in the breaches of Acre not merely 3,000 of his -bravest troops, but the golden dream of his life. "In that miserable -fort," as he said, "lay the fate of the East." Napoleon expected -to find in it the pasha's treasures, and arms for 300,000 men. -"When I have captured it," he said to Bourrienne, "I shall march -upon Damascus and Aleppo. I shall arm the tribes; I shall reach -Constantinople; I shall overturn the Turkish Empire; I shall found -in the East a new and grand empire. Perhaps I shall return to Paris -by Adrianople and Vienna!" Napoleon was cheerfully willing to pay -the price of what religion he had to accomplish this dream. He was -willing, that is, to turn Turk. "Had I but captured Acre," Napoleon -added, "I would have reached Constantinople and the Indies; I would -have changed the face of the world. But that man made me miss my -destiny." - - - - -A FIRE-FIGHTER'S RESCUE FROM THE FLAMES - -By Arthur Quiller-Couch - - - -About a hundred years ago, long before James Braidwood had arisen -to organise the fire-brigades of Edinburgh and London and set the -example which has since been followed by every town in the civilised -world, late on a dark afternoon a young stableman, John Elliot by -name, was sauntering carelessly homewards down Piccadilly, London, -when a glare in the sky, the confused murmurs of a large crowd, -and the hurrying footsteps of pedestrians who passed him, told of -a not distant fire. - -Following the footsteps of the passers-by, he found himself in one -of the side streets leading off Piccadilly, and there at the end -of the street, a large house was blazing furiously. He worked his -way vigorously through the spectators, now so densely gathered as -to form a living wedge in the narrow street and block it against all -traffic, and at length found himself in a position to see clearly -the ruin that had already been wrought on the burning pile. - -As a matter of fact, all was pretty well over with the house. How -far the upper storeys were intact he had little means of judging; -but he saw that the ceilings of the first and second floors had -given way, and also that the fire was running along the rafters of -the floor above. Flames were pouring from half a dozen windows. He -turned to a man who stood next him in the concourse. - -"The house is nearly done for," he remarked. - -"Quite," replied the man. "You see it is burned through, and it -is only a question of minutes before the roof must tumble in. The -firemen do not dare to make any further attempt. It is a dreadful -business." - -"What?" - -"Why, don't you know? This is Lady Dover's house--poor old soul! -and she is still there, in the top room. No one can save her now, -but it is a hideous death all the same." - -Elliot looked about him and now understood the pallor on the upturned -faces of the crowd. He looked at the house again. The whole street -was wrapped in a crimson mist; the falling streams of water which -the firemen still continued to direct on the blaze were hissing -impotently, and seemed only to feed the fire. In the crowd that -watched there was hardly a sound; one could almost hear men's hearts -beating as they waited for the conclusion of the tragedy which -they knew to be inevitable. But further down the street, where it -was not understood that human life was at stake in the midst of -this spectacle, rose the sounds of girls laughing, men quarrelling -and fighting, whistling, oaths, and merriment. Caps were flying -about, and the mass was jostling and swaying to and fro, as before -Newgate on a Monday morning. - -"Do you mean to say," asked Elliot, after a moment, "that the poor -old lady is up there and nobody is going to save her?" - -"What's the use?" answered the man. "If you think it possible, -better try for yourself." But this reply was not heard, for the -young stableman had already begun to push his way forward to the -group of firemen that stood watching the conflagration in despair. - -He was a man of extraordinary strength, and now with a set purpose -to inspire him still further, he scattered the crowd to right and -left, elbowing, pushing, and thrusting, until he stood before the -firemen and repeated his question. - -He met with the same answer. "It was impossible," they said. -Everything had been done that could be, and now there was nothing -but to wait for the end. - -"But it is a question of human life," he objected. - -In reply they merely pointed to the flame-points now running along -every yard of woodwork still left in the building. - -Elliot caught a ladder from their hands and, running forward with -it, planted it firmly against the house. He had to choose his place -carefully, as almost every one of the windows above was belching -out an angry blaze. - -"Which is the window where they were last seen?" he asked. - -The firemen pointed. The crowd at length finding that a brave man -was going to risk his life, raised a cheer as they caught sight of -him, and standing on tiptoe, peered over each other's shoulders to -get a better view of the work that was forward. - -"Now then," said Elliot, "don't try to stop the flames, for that -is useless, but keep the water playing on the ladder all the time." - -He slipped off his shoes, and amid another cheer from the crowd, -dashed up it as quick as thought. The window to which the fireman -had pointed was clear of flames. On gaining it, Elliot sprang on -to the sill and jumped down into the room. - -It was lighted brilliantly enough by the glow from the street, and -through the dense smoke that was already beginning to fill it he -saw two figures. - -Both were women, and for a moment the gallant man doubted that he -had come in time; for so still and motionless were they that it -seemed as if the smoke must have already stifled them, and left them -in these startling attitudes. One--a very old lady--was kneeling -by the bedside, her head bent forward in despair, her hands flung -out over the counterpane. The other--a tall, heavy-looking woman--was -standing bolt upright by the window. Neither spoke nor stirred, -and the kneeling woman did not even raise her head at the noise -of his entrance; the other, with eyes utterly expressionless and -awful, supported herself with one hand against the wall, and gazed -at him speechlessly. Awestruck by this sight, Elliot had to pause -a moment before he found his speech. - -"Which is Lady Dover?" he cried at last. - -The kneeling woman lifted her head, saw him, and with a cry, or -rather a smothered exclamation of hope, got upon her feet and ran -forward to him. He hurried her to the window. She obeyed him in -silence, for it was clear that terror had robbed her tongue of all -articulate speech. He clambered out, turned on the topmost rung, -and flinging an arm round her waist, was lifting her out, when the -other figure stepped forward and set a hand on his shoulder. The -look on this woman's face was now terrible. Something seemed working -in her throat and the muscles of her face: it was her despair -struggling with her paralysed senses for speech. - -"Me too," she at length managed to mutter hoarsely; but the sound -when it came was, as Elliot afterwards declared, like nothing in -heaven or earth. - -"If life is left in me, I will come back for you," he cried. - -But his heart failed him when he saw the distance he should have -to go, and still more when he noted her size. For the ladder was -slippery from the water which the firemen kept throwing upon it, and -which alone saved it from catching on fire. Moreover, the clouds -of smoke in the room had thickened considerably since his entrance, -and it could not be many minutes now before the floor gave way, or -the roof crashed in, or both. He had felt his feet scorched through -his stockings, when he set foot on the boards. - -Down in the street the crowd had increased enormously; gentlemen from -the clubs, waiters and loungers from a distance had all gathered -to look. As Elliot descended the ladder with his burden a frantic -storm of cheering broke forth--for every soul present understood -the splendid action that had just been performed; and the crush -around the foot of the ladder of those who pressed forward to -express their admiration was terrific. - -But they knew, of course, nothing of the stout lady still left in -the bedroom; and when Elliot, heedless of the cheers and hand-shakes that -met him, flung Lady Dover into the arms of the nearest bystander, -and turned again towards the ladder, they were utterly at a loss -to understand what he could be about. - -But he kept his word, A dead hush fell again upon the spectators, -as once more the brave man dashed up the ladder, upon which the -firemen had ceased now to play. Half-way up he turned. - -"Keep on at the pumps!" he called; and then again was up to -the window and looked in. The lady had still preserved her former -attitude, though leaning now further back against the wall and -panting for breath in the stifling smoke. He put his hand out to -her. - -"Catch hold of my neck and hold tightly round it," he said. - -But again she was speechless and helpless. Her eyes lit up as she -saw him, but beyond this she hardly seemed to understand his words. -Elliot groaned, and finding, after another trial, that she did not -comprehend, boldly reached in and grasped her round the waist. - -She was heavier even than he had imagined, and for one fearful -moment, as he stood poised on the topmost rung, he thought that -all was over. It seemed impossible that they should ever reach the -ground except by tumbling off the ladder. By a superhuman effort, -however, he managed to drag her out, and then clasping her waist -with one arm, whilst with the other he held on like grim death, he -hung breathless for a moment, and then began slowly to descend. - -Up to this point there had been no sound in the street below. But -now, as the watchers saw his feet moving down the ladder, their -enthusiasm broke out in one deep sigh, followed by yells and shouts -of admiration. As the young stableman slowly descended, and finally, -by God's mercy, reached the ground with his burden, these feelings -broke all bounds. Men rushed round him; guineas were poured by the -handful into his pockets; and when these and his hands were full, -the gold was even stuffed into his mouth. - -But, in the midst of this excitement, a sudden crash caused the -spectators to look upwards again. It was the roof of the house -that had fallen in, only a minute after Elliot had set his foot -upon the ground. - -The lady whom he had saved by this second brave ascent was a relative -of Lady Dover, by name Mile, von Hompesch. It is pleasant to hear -that her preserver was rewarded by the family of Lady Dover, who -bestowed a pension upon him. At a later period he was in the service -of the first Lord Braybrooke, and this narrative was preserved by -a member of the family who had often heard Elliot relate it. Like -all brave men, he never spoke vaingloriously of his exploit; but -always professed great gratitude for his reward, which seemed to -him considerably higher than his deserts. - - - - -HOW NAPOLEON REWARDED HIS MEN - -By Lieutenant-General Baron de Marbot - - - -After crossing the Traun, burning the bridge at Mauthhausen, and -passing the Enns, Napoleon's army advanced to Mölk, without knowing -what had become of General Hiller. Some spies assured us that the -archduke had crossed the Danube and joined him, and that we should -on the morrow meet the whole Austrian army, strongly posted in -front of Saint-Pölten. In that case, we must make ready to fight -a great battle; but if it were otherwise, we had to march quickly -on Vienna in order to get there before the enemy could reach it by -the other bank. For want of positive information the emperor was -very undecided. The question to be solved was, Had General Hiller -crossed the Danube, or was he still in front of us, masked by a -swarm of light cavalry, which, always flying, never let us get near -enough to take a prisoner from whom one might get some enlightenment? - -Still knowing nothing for certain, we reached, on May 7, the pretty -little town of Mölk, standing on the bank of the Danube, and overhung -by an immense rock, on the summit of which rises a Benedictine -convent, said to be the finest and richest in Christendom. From the -rooms of the monastery a wide view is obtained over both banks of -the Danube. There the emperor and many marshals, including Lannes, -took up their quarters, while our staff lodged with the parish -priest. Much rain had fallen during the week, and it had not ceased -for twenty-four hours and still was falling, so that the Danube and -its tributaries were over their banks. That night, as my comrades -and I, delighted at being sheltered from the bad weather, were -having a merry supper with the parson, a jolly fellow, who gave us -an excellent meal, the aide-de-camp on duty with the marshal came -to tell me that I was wanted, and must go up to the convent that -moment. I was so comfortable where I was that I found it annoying -to have to leave a good supper and good quarters to go and get wet -again, but I had to obey. - -All the passages and lower rooms of the monastery were full of -soldiers. On reaching the dwelling-rooms, I saw that I had been -sent for about some serious matter, for generals, chamberlains, -orderly officers, said to me repeatedly, "The emperor has sent for -you." Some added, "It is probably to give you your commission as -major." This I did not believe, for I did not think I was yet of -sufficient importance to the sovereign for him to send for me at -such an hour to give me my commission with his own hands. I was shown -into a vast and handsome gallery, with a balcony looking over the -Danube; there I found the emperor at dinner with several marshals -and the abbot of the convent, who has the title of bishop. On -seeing me, the emperor left the table, and went toward the balcony, -followed by Lannes. I heard him say in a low tone, "The execution -of this plan is almost impossible; it would be sending a brave -officer for no purpose to almost certain death." "He will go, sir," -replied the marshal; "I am certain he will go: at any rate we can -but propose it to him." - -Then, taking me by the hand, the marshal opened the window of the -balcony over the Danube. The river at this moment, trebled in volume -by the strong flood, was nearly a league wide; it was lashed by a -fierce wind, and we could hear the waves roaring. It was pitch-dark, -and the rain fell in torrents, but we could see on the other side -a long line of bivouac fires. Napoleon, Marshal Lannes, and I being -alone on the balcony, the marshal said, "On the other side of the -river you see an Austrian camp. Now, the emperor is keenly desirous -to know whether General Hiller's corps is there, or still on this -bank. In order to make sure he wants a stout-hearted man, bold enough -to cross the Danube, and bring away some soldier of the enemy's, -and I have assured him that you will go." Then Napoleon said to me, -"Take notice that I am not giving you an order; I am only expressing -a wish. I am aware that the enterprise is as dangerous as it can -be, and you can decline it without any fear of displeasing me. Go, -and think it over for a few moments in the next room; come back -and tell us frankly your decision." - -I admit that when I heard Marshal Lannes's proposal I had broken -out all over in a cold sweat; but at the same moment, a feeling -which I cannot define, but in which a love of glory and of my -country was mingled, perhaps, with a noble pride, raised my ardor -to the highest point, and I said to myself, "The emperor has here -an army of 150,000 devoted warriors, besides 25,000 men of his guard, -all selected from the bravest. He is surrounded with aides-de-camp -and orderly officers, and yet when an expedition is on foot, requiring -intelligence no less than boldness, it is I whom the emperor and -Marshal Lannes choose." "I will go, sir," I cried, without hesitation. -"I will go; and if I perish, I leave my mother to your Majesty's -care." The emperor pulled my ear to mark his satisfaction; the -marshal shook my hand--"I was quite right to tell your Majesty that -he would go. There's what you may call a brave soldier." - -My expedition being thus decided on, I had to think about the -means of executing it. The emperor called General Bertrand, his -aide-de-camp, General Dorsenne, of the guard, and the commandant of -the imperial headquarters, and ordered them to put at my disposal -whatever I might require. At my request an infantry picket went -into the town to find the burgomaster, the leader of the boatmen, -and five of his best hands. A corporal and five grenadiers of the -old guard who could all speak German, and had still to earn their -decoration, were also summoned, and voluntarily agreed to go with -me. The emperor had them brought in first, and promised that on -their return they should receive the Cross at once. The brave men -replied by a "Vive l'Empereur!" and went to get ready. As for the -five boatmen, on its being explained to them through the interpreter -that they had to take a boat across the Danube, they fell on their -knees and began to weep. The leader declared that they might just -as well be shot at once as sent to certain death. The expedition was -absolutely impossible, not only from the strength of the current, -but because the tributaries had brought into the Danube a great -quantity of fir trees recently cut down in the mountains, which -could not be avoided in the dark, and would certainly come against -the boat and sink it. Besides, how could one land on the opposite -bank among willows which would scuttle the boat, and with a flood -of unknown extent? The leader concluded, then, that the operation -was physically impossible. In vain did the emperor tempt them -with an offer of 6,000 francs per man; even this could not persuade -them, though, as they said, they were poor boatmen with families, -and this sum would be a fortune to them. But, as I have already -said, some lives must be sacrificed to save those of the greater -number, and the knowledge of this makes commanders sometimes -pitiless. The emperor was inflexible, and the grenadiers received -orders to take the poor men, whether they would or not, and we went -down to the town. - -The corporal who had been assigned to me was an intelligent man. -Taking him for my interpreter, I charged him as we went along to -tell the leader of the boatmen that as he had to come along with -us, he had better in his own interest show us his best boat, and -point out everything that we should require for her fitting. The -poor man obeyed; so we got an excellent vessel, and we took all -that we wanted from the others. We had two anchors, but as I did -not think we should be able to make use of them, I had sewn to the -end of each cable a piece of canvas with a large stone wrapped in -it. I had seen in the south of France the fishermen use an apparatus of -this kind to hold their boats by throwing the cord over the willows -at the water's edge. I put on a cap, the grenadiers took their forage -caps, we had provisions, ropes, axes, saws, a ladder--everything, -in short, which I could think of to take. - -Our preparations ended, I was going to give the signal to start, -when the five boatmen implored me with tears to let the soldiers -escort them to their houses, to take perhaps the last farewell of -their wives and children; but, fearing that a tender scene of this -kind would further reduce their small stock of courage, I refused. -Then the leader said, "Well, as we have only a short time to live, -allow us five minutes to commend our souls to God, and do you do -the same, for you also are going to your death." They all fell on -their knees, the grenadiers and I following their example, which -seemed to please the worthy people much. When their prayer was -over, I gave each man a glass of wine, and we pushed out into the -stream. - -I had bidden the grenadiers follow in silence all the orders of -the syndic, or leader, who was steering; the current was too strong -for us to cross over straight from Mölk: we went up, therefore, -along the bank under sail for more than a league, and although the -wind and the waves made the boat jump, this part was accomplished -without accident. But when the time came to take to our oars and -row out from the land, the mast, on being lowered, fell over to -one side, and the sail, dragging in the water, offered a strong -resistance to the current and nearly capsized us. The master ordered -the ropes to be cut and the masts to be sent overboard: but the -boatmen, losing their heads, began to pray without stirring. Then -the corporal, drawing his sword, said, "You can pray and work too; -obey at once, or I will kill you." Compelled to choose between -possible and certain death, the poor fellows took up their hatchets, -and with the help of the grenadiers, the mast was promptly cut away -and sent floating. It was high time, for hardly were we free from -this dangerous burden when we felt a fearful shock. A pine-stem -borne down by the stream had struck the boat. We all shuddered, but -luckily the planks were not driven in this time. Would the boat, -however, resist more shocks of this kind? We could not see the -stems, and only knew that they were near by the heavier tumble of -the waves. Several touched us, but no serious accident resulted. -Meantime the current bore us along, and as our oars could make very -little way against it to give us the necessary slant, I feared for -a moment that it would sweep us below the enemy's camp, and that -my expedition would fail. By dint of hard rowing, however, we had -got three-quarters of the way over, when I saw an immense black -mass looming over the water. Then a sharp scratching was heard, -branches caught us in the face, and the boat stopped. To our questions -the owner replied that we were on an island covered with willows -and had succeeded in passing the obstacle, we found the stream much -less furious than in the middle of the river, and finally reached -the left bank in front of the Austrian camp. This shore was bordered -with very thick trees, which, overhanging the bank like a dome, made -the approach difficult, no doubt, but at the same time concealed our -boat from the camp. The whole shore was lighted up by the bivouac -fires, while we remained in the shadow thrown by the branches of -the willows. I let the boat float downward, looking for a suitable -landing-place. Presently I perceived that a sloping path had been -made down the bank by the enemy to allow the men and horses to get -to the water. The corporal adroitly threw into the willows one of -the stones that I had made ready, the cord caught in a tree, and -the boat brought up against the land a foot or two from the slope. -It must have been just about midnight. The Austrians, having the -swollen Danube between them and the French, felt themselves so -secure that, except the sentry, the whole camp was asleep. - -It is usual in war for the guns and the sentinels always to face -toward the enemy, however far off he may be. A battery placed -in advance of the camp was therefore turned toward the river, and -sentries were walking on the top of the bank. The trees prevented -them from seeing the extreme edge, while from the boat I could see -through the branches a great part of the bivouac. So far my mission -had been more successful than I had ventured to hope, but in order -to make the success complete I had to bring away a prisoner, and -to execute such an operation fifty paces away from several thousand -enemies, whom a single cry would rouse, seemed very difficult. -Still, I had to do something. I made the five sailors lie down -at the bottom of the boat under guard of two grenadiers, another -grenadier I posted at the bow of the boat, which was close to the -bank, and myself disembarked, sword in hand, followed by the corporal -and two grenadiers. The boat was a few feet from dry land; we had -to walk in the water, but at last we were on the slope. We went up, -and I was making ready to rush on the nearest sentry, disarm him, -gag him, and drag him off to the boat, when the ring of metal and -the sound of singing in a low voice fell on my ears. A man, carrying -a great tin pail, was coming to draw water, humming a song as he -went; we quickly went down again to the river to hide under the -branches, and as the Austrian stooped to fill his pail, my grenadiers -seized him by the throat, put a handkerchief full of wet sand -over his mouth, and placing their sword-points against his body, -threatened him with death if he resisted or uttered a sound. -Utterly bewildered, the man obeyed, and let us take him to the boat; -we hoisted him into the hands of the grenadiers posted there, who -made him lie down beside the sailors. While this Austrian was lying -captured, I saw by his clothes that he was not, strictly speaking, -a soldier, but an officer's servant. I should have preferred to -catch a combatant who could have given me more precise information; -but I was going to content myself with this capture for want of a -better, when I saw, at the top of the slope, two soldiers carrying a -caldron between them on a pole. They were only a few paces off. It -was impossible for us to re-embark without being seen. I therefore -signed to my grenadiers to hide themselves again, and as soon as -the two Austrians stooped to fill their vessel, powerful arms seized -them from behind and plunged their heads under water. We had to -stupefy them a little, since they had their swords, and I feared -that they might resist. Then they were picked up in turn, their -mouths covered with a handkerchief full of sand, and sword-points -against their breasts constrained them to follow us. They were shipped -as the servant had been, and my men and I got on board again. - -So far, all had gone well. I made the sailors get up and take their -oars, and ordered the corporal to cast loose the rope which held -us to the bank. It was, however, so wet, and the knot had been -drawn so tight by the force of the stream, that it was impossible -to unfasten. We had to saw the rope, which took us some minutes. -Meanwhile, the rope, shaking with our efforts, imparted its movement -to the branches of the willow round which it was wrapped, and the -rustling became loud enough to attract the notice of the sentry. He -drew near, unable to see the boat, but perceiving that the agitation -of the branches increased, he called out, "Who goes there?" No -answer. Further challenge from the sentry. We held our tongues and -worked away. I was in deadly fear; after facing so many dangers, -it would have been too cruel if we were wrecked in sight of port. -At last the rope was cut, and the boat pushed off. But hardly was -it clear of the overhanging willows than the light of the bivouac -fires made it visible to the sentry, who, shouting "To arms!" fired -at us. No one was hit; but at the sound the whole camp was astir -in a moment, and the gunners, whose pieces were ready loaded and -trained on the river, honored my boat with some cannon-shots. At -the report my heart leaped for joy, for I knew that the emperor and -marshal would hear it. I turned my eyes toward the convent, with -its lighted windows, of which I had, in spite of the distance, -never lost sight. Probably all were open at this moment, but in -one only could I perceive any increase of brilliancy; it was the -great balcony window, which was as large as the doorway of a church, -and sent from afar a flood of light over the stream. Evidently, it -had just been opened at the thunder of the cannon, and I said to -myself, "The emperor and the marshals are doubtless on the balcony; -they know that I have reached the enemy's camp, and are making vows -for my safe return." This thought raised my courage, and I heeded -the cannon-balls not a bit. Indeed, they were not very dangerous, -for the stream swept us along at such a pace that the gunners could -not aim with any accuracy, and we must have been very unlucky to -get hit. One shot would have done for us, but all fell harmless into -the Danube. Soon I was out of range, and could reckon a successful -issue to my enterprise. Still, all danger was not yet at an end. -We had still to cross among the floating pine-stems, and more -than once we struck on submerged islands, and were delayed by the -branches of the poplars. At last we reached the right bank, more than -two leagues below Mölk, and a new terror assailed me. I could see -bivouac fires, and had no means of learning whether they belonged -to a French regiment. The enemy had troops on both banks, and I -knew that on the right bank Marshal Lannes's outposts were not far -from Mölk, facing an Austrian corps, posted at Saint-Pölten. - -Our army would doubtless go forward at daybreak, but was it already -occupying this place? And were the fires that I saw those of friends -or enemies? I was afraid that the current had taken me too far -down, but the problem was solved by French cavalry trumpets sounding -the reveillé. Our uncertainty being at an end, we rowed with all -our strength to the shore, where in the dawning light we could -see a village. As we drew near, the report of a carbine was heard, -and a bullet whistled by our ears. It was evident that the French -sentries took us for a hostile crew. I had not foreseen this -possibility, and hardly knew how we were to succeed in getting -recognized, till the happy thought struck me of making my six -grenadiers shout "Vive l'Empereur Napoléon!" This was, of course, -no certain evidence that we were French, but it would attract the -attention of the officers, who would have no fear of our small -numbers, and would no doubt prevent the men from firing on us before -they knew whether we were French or Austrians. A few moments later -I came ashore, and I was received by Colonel Gautrin and the 9th -Hussars, forming part of Lannes's division. If we had landed half -a league lower down we should have tumbled into the enemy's pickets. -The colonel lent me a horse, and gave me several wagons, in which -I placed the grenadiers, the boatmen, and the prisoners, and the -little cavalcade went off toward Molk. As we went along, the corporal, -at my orders, questioned the three Austrians, and I learned with -satisfaction that the camp whence I had brought them away belonged -to the very division, General Hiller's, the position of which the -emperor was so anxious to learn. There was, therefore, no further -doubt that that general had joined the archduke on the other side -of the Danube. There was no longer any question of a battle on the -road which we held, and Napoleon, having only the enemy's cavalry -in front of him, could in perfect safety push his troops forward -toward Vienna, from which we were but three easy marches distant. -With this information I galloped, forward, in order to bring it to -the emperor with the least possible delay. - -When I reached the gate of the monastery, it was broad day. I found -the approach blocked by the whole population of the little town of -Molk, and heard among the crowd the cries of the wives, children, -and friends of the sailors whom I had carried off. In a moment I was -surrounded by them, and was able to calm their anxiety by saying, -in very bad German, "Your friends are alive, and you will see -them in a few moments." A great cry of joy went up from the crowd, -bringing out the officer in command of the guard at the gate. On -seeing me he ran off in pursuance of orders to warn the aides-de-camp -to let the emperor know of my return. In an instant the whole palace -was up. The good Marshal Lannes came to me, embraced me cordially, -and carried me straight off to the emperor, crying out, "Here he -is, sir; I knew he would come back. He has brought three prisoners -from General Hiller's division." Napoleon received me warmly, and -though I was wet and muddy all over, he laid his hand on my shoulder, -and did not forget to give his greatest sign of satisfaction by -pinching my ear. I leave you to imagine how I was questioned! The -emperor wanted to know every incident of the adventure in detail, -and when I had finished my story said, "I am very well pleased with -you, 'Major' Marbot." These words were equivalent to a commission, -and my joy was full. At that moment, a chamberlain announced that -breakfast was served, and as I was calculating on having to wait -in the gallery until the emperor had finished, he pointed with his -finger toward the dining-room, and said, "You will breakfast with -me." As this honor had never been paid to any officer of my rank, -I was the more flattered. During breakfast I learned that the emperor -and the marshal had not been to bed all night, and that when they -heard the cannon on the opposite bank they had all rushed onto -the balcony. The emperor made me tell again the way in which I had -surprised the three prisoners, and laughed much at the fright and -surprise which they must have felt. - -At last, the arrival of the wagons was announced, but they had much -difficulty in making their way through the crowd, so eager were the -people to see the boatmen. Napoleon, thinking this very natural, -gave orders to open the gates, and let everybody come into the -court. Soon after, the grenadiers, the boatmen, and the prisoners -were led into the gallery. The emperor, through his interpreter, -first questioned the three Austrian soldiers, and learning with -satisfaction that not only General Hiller's corps, but the whole -of the archduke's army, were on the other bank, he told Berthier -to give the order for the troops to march at once on Saint-Polten. -Then, calling up the corporal and the five soldiers, he fastened -the Cross on their breast, appointed them knights of the empire, -and gave them an annuity of 1,200 francs apiece. All the veterans -wept for joy. Next came the boatmen's turn. The emperor told them -that, as the danger they had run was a good deal more than he had -expected, it was only fair that he should increase their reward; -so instead of the 6,000 francs promised, 12,000 in gold were given -to them on the spot. Nothing could express their delight; they -kissed the hands of the emperor and all present, crying, "Now we -are rich!" Napoleon laughingly asked the leader if he would go the -same journey for the same price the next night. But the man answered -that, having escaped by miracle what seemed certain death, he would -not undertake such a journey again even if his lordship, the abbot -of Molk, would give him the monastery and all its possessions. The -boatmen withdrew, blessing the generosity of the French emperor, -and the grenadiers, eager to show off their decoration before their -comrades, were about to go off with their three prisoners, when -Napoleon perceived that the Austrian servant was weeping bitterly. -He reassured him as to his safety, but the poor lad replied, sobbing, -that he knew the French treated their prisoners well, but that, as -he had on him a belt containing nearly all his captain's money, he -was afraid that the officer would accuse him of deserting in order -to rob him, and he was heart-broken at the thought. Touched by the -worthy fellow's distress, the emperor told him that he was free, -and as soon as we were before Vienna he would be passed through -the outposts, and be able to return to his master. Then, taking a -rouleau of 1,000 francs, he put it in the man's hand, saying, "One -must honor goodness wherever it is shown." Lastly, the emperor -gave some pieces of gold to each of the other two prisoners, and -ordered that they too should be sent back to the Austrian outposts, -so that they might forget the fright which we had caused them. - - - - -A RESCUE FROM SHIPWRECK - -By Arthur Quiller-Couch - - - -On the 13th of October, 1811, we were cruising in the _Endymion_, -off the north of Ireland, in a fine clear day succeeding one in -which it had almost blown a hurricane. The master had just taken -his meridian observation, the officer of the watch had reported -the latitude, the captain had ordered it to be made twelve o'clock, -and the boatswain, catching a word from the lieutenant, was in the -full swing of his "Pipe to dinner!" when the captain called out-- - -"Stop! stop! I meant to go about first." - -"Pipe belay! Mr. King," smartly ejaculated the officer of the watch, -addressing the boatswain; which words, being heard over the decks, -caused a sudden cessation of the sounds peculiar to that hungry -season. The cook stood with a huge six-pound piece of pork uplifted -on his tormentors, his mate ceased to bale out the pea-soup, and -the whole ship seemed paralysed. The boatswain, having checked -himself in the middle of his long-winded dinner-tune, drew a fresh -inspiration, and dashed off into the opposite sharp, abrupt, cutting -sound of the "Pipe belay!" the essence of which peculiar note is -that its sounds should be understood and acted on with the utmost -degree of promptitude. - -There was now a dead pause of perfect silence all over the ship, -in expectation of what was to come next. All eyes were turned to -the chief. - -"No; never mind; we'll wait," cried the good-natured captain, -unwilling to interfere with the comforts of the men; "let them go -to dinner; we shall tack at one o'clock, it will do just as well." - -The boatswain, at a nod from the lieutenant of the watch, at once -recommenced his merry "Pipe to dinner" notes; upon which a loud, -joyous laugh rang from one end of the ship to the other. This -hearty burst was not in the slightest degree disrespectful; on -the contrary, it sounded like a grateful expression of glee at the -prospect of the approaching good things which, by this time, were -finding their speedy course down the hatchways. - -Nothing was now heard but the cheerful chuckle of a well-fed company, -the clatter of plates and knives, and the chit-chat of light hearts -under the influence of temperate excitement. - -When one o'clock came, the hands were called "About ship!" But as -the helm was in the very act of going down, the look-out-man at -the fore-topmast head called out-- - -"I see something a little on the lee-bow, sir!" - -"Something! What do you mean by 'something'?" cried the first -lieutenant, making a motion to the quarter-master at the con to -right the helm again. - -"I don't know what it is, sir," cried the man; "it is black, -however." - -"Black! Is it like a whale?" asked the officer, playing a little -with his duty. - -"Yes, sir," cried the look-out-man, unconscious that Shakespeare -had been before him, "very like a whale!" - -The captain and the officer exchanged glances at the poor fellow -aloft having fallen into the trap laid for him, and the temptation -must have been great to have inquired whether it were not "like a -weasel"; but this might have been stretching the jest too far; so -the lieutenant merely called to the signal midshipman, and desired -him to skull up to the mast-head with his glass, to see what he -made of the look-out-man's whale. - -"It looks like a small rock," cried young "Skylark" as soon as -he reached the top-gallant-yard and had taken the glass from his -shoulders, across which he had slung it with a three-yarn fox. - -"Stuff and nonsense!" replied the officers, "there are no rocks -hereabouts; we can but just see the top of Muckish, behind Tory -Island. Take another spy at your object, youngster; the mast-head-man -and you will make it out to be something by-and-by, between you, -I dare say." - -"It's a boat, sir!" roared out the boy. "It's a boat adrift, two -or three points on the lee-bow." - -"Oh-ho!" said the officer, "that may be, sir," turning with -an interrogative air to the captain, who gave orders to keep the -frigate away a little that this strange-looking affair might be -investigated. Meanwhile, as the ship was not to be tacked, the watch -was called, and one half only of the people remained on deck. The -rest strolled, sleepy, below; or disposed themselves in the sun on -the lee gangway, mending their clothes, or telling long yarns. - -A couple of fathoms of the fore and main sheets, and a slight touch -of the weather topsail and top-gallant braces, with a check on the -bow-lines, made the swift-footed _Endymion_ spring forward, like a -greyhound slipped from the leash. In a short time we made out that -the object we were in chase of was, in fact, a boat. On approaching -a little nearer, some heads of people became visible, and then several -figures stood up, waving their hats to us. We brought to, just to -windward of them, and sent a boat to see what was the matter. - -It turned out as we supposed; they had belonged to a ship which -had foundered in the recent gale. Although their vessel had become -water-logged, they had contrived to hoist their long-boat out, and -to stow in her twenty-one persons, some of them seamen and some -passengers; of these, two were women, and three children. Their -vessel, it appeared, had sprung a leak in middle of the gale, and, -in spite of all their pumping, the water gained so fast upon them -that they took to baling as a more effectual method. After a time, -when this resource failed, the men, totally worn out and quite -dispirited, gave it up as a bad job, abandoned their pumps, and -actually lay down to sleep. In the morning the gale broke; but -the ship had filled in the meantime, and was falling fast over her -broadside. With some difficulty they disentangled the long-boat -from the wreck, and thought themselves fortunate in being able to -catch hold of a couple of small oars, with a studding-sail-boom -for a mast, on which they hoisted a fragment of their main-hatchway -tarpaulin for a sail. One ham and three gallons of water were all -the provisions they were able to secure; and in this fashion they -were set adrift on the wide sea. The master of the ship, with two -gentlemen who were passengers, preferred to stick by the vessel -while there was any part of her above water. - -This, at least, was the story told us by the people we picked up. - -The wind had been fair for the shore when the long-boat left the -wreck, and though their ragged sail scarcely drove them along, -their oars were only just sufficient to keep the boat's head the -right way. Of course they made but slow progress; so that when they -rose on the top of a swell, which was still very long and high in -consequence of the gale, they could only just discover the distant -land, Muckish, a remarkable flat-topped mountain on the northwest -coast of Ireland, not very far from the promontory called the Bloody -Foreland. - -There appeared to have been little discipline among this forlorn -crew, even when the breeze was in their favour; but when the wind -chopped round, and blew off shore, they gave themselves up to -despair, laid in their oars, let the sail flap to pieces, gobbled -up all their provisions, and drank out their whole stock of water. -Meanwhile the boat, which had been partially stove, in the confusion -of clearing the ship, began to fill with water; and, as they all -admitted afterwards, if it had not been for the courage and patience -of the women under this sharp trial, they must have gone to the -bottom. - -As it was both cold and rainy, the poor children, who were too young -to understand the nature of their situation, or the inutility of -complaining, incessantly cried out for water, and begged that more -clothes might be wrapped round them. Even after they came to us the -little things were still crying, "Oh! do give us some water"--words -which long sounded in our ears. None of these women were by any means -strong--on the contrary, one of them seemed to be very delicate; -yet they managed to rouse the men to a sense of their duty by -a mixture of reproaches and entreaties, combined with the example -of that singular fortitude which often gives more than masculine -vigour to female minds in seasons of danger. How long this might -have lasted I cannot say; but probably the strength of the men, -however stimulated, must have given way before night, especially -as the wind freshened, and the boat was driving further to sea. Had -it not been for the accident of the officer of the forenoon watch -on board the _Endymion_ being unaware of the captain's intention -to tack before dinner, these poor people, most probably, would all -have perished. - -The women, dripping wet, and scarcely capable of moving hand or -foot, were lifted up the side, in a state almost of stupor; for -they were confused by the hurry of the scene, and their fortitude -had given way the moment all high motive to exertion was over. One -of them, on reaching the quarterdeck, slipped through our hands, -and falling on her knees, wept violently as she returned thanks -for such a wonderful deliverance; but her thoughts were bewildered, -and, fancying that her child was lost, she struck her hands -together, and leaping again on her feet, screamed out, "Oh! where's -my bairn--my wee bairn?" - -At this instant a huge quarter-master, whose real name or nickname -(I forget which) was Billy Magnus, appeared over the gangway -hammocks, holding the missing urchin in his immense paw, where it -squealed and twisted itself about, like Gulliver between the finger -and thumb of the Brobdingnag farmer. The mother had just strength -enough left to snatch her offspring from Billy, when she sank down -flat on the deck, completely exhausted. - -By means of a fine blazing fire, and plenty of hot tea, toast, -and eggs, it was easy to remedy one class of these poor people's -wants; but how to rig them out in dry clothes was a puzzle, till -the captain bethought him of a resource which answered very well. -He sent to several of the officers for their dressing-gowns; and -these, together with supplies from his own wardrobe, made capital -gowns and petticoats--at least, till the more fitting drapery of -the ladies was dried. The children were tumbled into bed in the -same compartment, close to the fire; and it would have done any -one's heart good to have witnessed the style in which the provisions -vanished from the board, while the women wept, prayed, and laughed, -by turns. - -The rugged seamen, when taken out of the boat, showed none of these -symptoms of emotion, but running instinctively to the scuttle-butt, -asked eagerly for a drop of water. As the most expeditious method -of feeding and dressing them, they were distributed among the -different messes, one to each, as far as they went. Thus they were -all soon provided with dry clothing, and with as much to eat as -they could stow away; for the doctor, when consulted, said they -had not fasted so long as to make it dangerous to give them as much -food as they were disposed to swallow. With the exception of the -ham devoured in the boat, and which, after all, was but a mouthful -apiece, they had tasted nothing for more than thirty hours; so -that, I suppose, better justice was never done to his Majesty's -beef, pork, bread, and other good things, with which our fellows -insisted on stuffing the newcomers, till they fairly cried out for -mercy and begged to be allowed a little sleep. - -Possibly some of us were more disposed to sympathise with the -distress of these people when adrift in their open boat on the wide -sea, from having ourselves, about a month before, been pretty much -in the same predicament. It always adds, as any one knows, greatly -to our consideration for the difficulties and dangers of others, -to have recently felt some touch of similar distress in our own -persons. This maxim, though it is familiar enough, makes so little -impression on our ordinary thoughts, that when circumstances occur -to fix our attention closely upon it we are apt to arrive as suddenly -at the perception of its truth as if it were a new discovery. - - - - -REBECCA THE DRUMMER - -By Charles Barnard - - - -It was about nine o'clock in the morning when the ship first appeared. -At once there was the greatest excitement in the village. It was -a British warship. What would she do? Would she tack about in the -bay to pick up stray coasters as prizes, or would she land soldiers -to burn the town? In either case there would be trouble enough. - -Those were sad days, those old war-times in 1812. The sight of a -British warship in Boston Bay was not pleasant. We were poor then, -and had no monitors to go out and sink the enemy or drive him off. -Our navy was small, and, though we afterwards had the victory and -sent the troublesome ships away, never to return, at that time they -often came near enough, and the good people in the little village -of Scituate Harbor were in great distress over the strange ship -that had appeared at the mouth of the harbor. - -It was a fishing-place in those days, and the harbor was full -of smacks and boats of all kinds. The soldiers could easily enter -the harbor and burn up, everything, and no one could prevent them. -There were men enough to make a good fight, but they were poorly -armed, and had nothing but fowling-pieces and shotguns, while the -soldiers had muskets and cannon. - -The tide was down during the morning, so that there was no danger -for a few hours; and all the people went out on the cliffs and -beaches to watch the ship and to see what would happen next. - -On the end of the low, sandy spit that makes one side of the harbor, -stood the little white tower known as Scituate Light. In the house -behind the light lived the keeper's family, consisting of himself, -wife, and several boys and girls. At the time the ship appeared, -the keeper was away, and there was no one at home save Mrs. Bates, -the eldest daughter, Rebecca, about fourteen years old, two of the -little boys, and a young girl named Sarah Winsor, who was visiting -Rebecca. - -Rebecca had been the first to discover the ship, while she was -up in the light-house tower polishing the reflector. She at once -descended the steep stairs and sent off the boys to the village to -give the alarm. - -For an hour or two, the ship tacked and stood off to sea, then -tacked again, and made for the shore. Men, women and children -watched her with anxious interest. Then the tide turned and began -to flow into the harbor. The boats aground on the flats floated, -and those in deep water swung round at their moorings. Now the -soldiers would probably land. If the people meant to save anything -it was time to be stirring. Boats were hastily put out from the -wharf, and such clothing, nets and other valuables as could be -handled were brought ashore, loaded into hay carts, and carried -away. - -It was of no use to resist. The soldiers, of course, were well -armed, and if the people made a stand among the houses, that would -not prevent the enemy from destroying the shipping. - -As the tide spread out over the sandy flats it filled the harbor -so that, instead of a small channel, it became a wide and beautiful -bay. The day was fine, and there was a gentle breeze rippling the -water and making it sparkle in the sun. What a splendid day for -fishing or sailing! Not much use to think of either while that -warship crossed and recrossed before the harbor mouth. - -About two o'clock the tide reached high water mark, and, to the -dismay of the people, the ship let go her anchor, swung her yards -round, and lay quiet about half-a-mile from the first cliff. They -were going to land to burn the town. With their spy-glass the people -could see the boats lowered to take the soldiers ashore. - -Ah! then there was confusion and uproar. Every horse in the village -was put into some kind of team, and the women and children were -hurried off to the woods behind the town. The men would stay and -offer as brave a resistance as possible. Their guns were light and -poor, but they could use the old fish-houses as a fort, and perhaps -make a brave fight of it. - -If worse came to worse, they could at least retreat and take to -the shelter of the woods. - -It was a splendid sight. Five large boats, manned by sailors, and -filled with soldiers in gay red coats. How their guns glittered -in the sun! The oars all moved together in regular order, and the -officers in their fine uniforms stood up to direct the expedition. -It was a courageous company come with a warship and cannon to fight -helpless fishermen. - -So Rebecca Bates and Sarah Winsor thought, as they sat up in the -light-house tower looking down on the procession of boats as it -went past the point and entered the harbor. - -"Oh! If I only were a man!" cried Rebecca. - -"What could you do? See what a lot of them; and look at their guns!" - -"I don't care. I'd fight. I'd use father's old shotgun--anything. -Think of uncle's new boat and the sloop!" - -"Yes; and all the boats." - -"It's too bad; isn't it?" - -"Yes; and to think we must sit here and see it all and not lift a -finger to help." - -"Do you think there will be a fight?" - -"I don't know. Uncle and father are in the village, and they will -do all they can." - -"See how still it is in town. There's not a man to be seen." - -"Oh, they are hiding till the soldiers get nearer. Then we'll hear -the shots and the drum." - -"The drum! How can they? It's here. Father brought it home to mend -it last night." - -"Did he? Oh! then let's--" - -"See, the first boat has reached the sloop. Oh! oh! They are going -to burn her." - -"Isn't it mean?" - -"It's too bad!--too--" - -"Where is that drum?" - -"It's in the kitchen." - -"I've got a great mind to go down and beat it." - -"What good would that do?" - -"Scare 'em." - -"They'd see it was only two girls, and they would laugh and go on -burning just the same." - -"No. We could hide behind the sand hills and the bushes. Come, -let's--" - -"Oh, look! look! The sloop's afire!" - -"Come, I can't stay and see it any more. The cowardly Britishers to -burn the boats! Why don't they go up to the town and fight like--" - -"Come, let's get the drum. It'll do no harm; and perhaps--" - -"Well, let's. There's the fife, too; we might take that with us." - -"Yes; and we'll--" - -No time for further talk. Down the steep stairs of the tower rushed -these two young patriots, bent on doing what they could for their -country. They burst into the kitchen like a whirlwind, with rosy -cheeks and flying hair. Mrs. Bates sat sorrowfully gazing out of -the window at the scene of destruction going on in the harbor, and -praying for her country and that the dreadful war might soon he -over. She could not help. Son and husband were shouldering their -poor old guns in the town, and there was nothing to do but to watch -and wait and pray. - -Not so the two girls. They meant to do something, and, in a fever -of excitement, they got the drum and took the cracked fife from -the bureau drawer. Mrs. Bates, intent on the scene outside, did -not heed them, and they slipped out by the back door, unnoticed. - -They must be careful, or the soldiers would see them. They went -round back of the house to the north and towards the outside beach, -and then turned and plowed through the deep sand just above high -water mark. They must keep out of sight of the boats, and of the -ship, also. Luckily, she was anchored to the south of the light; and -as the beach curved to the west, they soon left her out of sight. -Then they took to the water side, and, with the drum between them, -ran as fast as they could towards the mainland. Presently they -reached the low heaps of sand that showed where the spit joined -the fields and woods. - -Panting and excited, they tightened up the drum and tried the fife -softly. - -"You take the fife, Sarah, and I'll drum." - -"All right; but we mustn't stand still. We must march along the -shore towards the light." - -"Won't they see us?" - -"No; we'll walk next the water on the outside beach." - -"Oh, yes; and they'll think it's soldiers going down to the Point -to head 'em off." - -"Just so. Come, begin! One, two,--one, two!" - -Drum! drum!! drum!!! - -Squeak! squeak!! squeak!!! - -"For'ard--march!" - -"Ha! ha!" - -The fife stopped. - -"Don't laugh. You'll spoil everything, and I can't pucker my lips." - -Drum! drum!! drum!!! - -Squeak! squeak!! squeak!!! - -The men in the town heard it and were amazed beyond measure. Had -the soldiers arrived from Boston? What did it mean? Who were coming? - -Louder and louder on the breeze came the roll of a sturdy drum -and the sound of a brave fife. The soldiers in the boats heard the -noise and paused in their work of destruction. The officers ordered -everybody into the boats in the greatest haste. The people were -rising! They were coming down the Point with cannons, to head them -off! They would all be captured, and perhaps hung by the dreadful -Americans! - -How the drum rolled! The fife changed its tune. It played "Yankee -Doodle,"--that horrid tune! Hark! The men were cheering in the -town! there were thousands of them in the woods along the shore! - -In grim silence marched the two girls,--plodding over the sharp -stones, splashing through the puddles,--Rebecca beating the old drum -with might and main; Sarah blowing the fife with shrill determination. - -How the Britishers scrambled into their boats! One of the brave -officers was nearly left behind on the burning sloop. Another fell -overboard and wet his good clothes, in his haste to escape from -the American army marching down the beach--a thousand strong! How -the sailors pulled! No fancy rowing now, but desperate haste to -get out of the place and escape to the ship. - -How the people yelled and cheered on the shore! Fifty men or more -jumped into the boats to prepare for the chase. Ringing shots began -to crack over the water. - -Louder and louder rolled the terrible drum. Sharp and clear rang -out the cruel fife. - -Nearly exhausted, half dead with fatigue, the girls toiled -on,--tearful, laughing, ready to drop on the wet sand, and still -beating and blowing with fiery courage. - -The boats swept swiftly out of the harbor on the outgoing tide. -The fishermen came up with the burning boats. Part stopped to put -out the fires, and the rest pursued the flying enemy with such -shots as they could get at them. In the midst of it all, the sun -went down. - -The red-coats did not return a shot. They expected every minute -to see a thousand men open on them at short range from the beach, -and they reserved their powder. - -Out of the harbor they went in confusion and dismay. The ship -weighed anchor and ran out her big guns, but did not fire a shot. -Darkness fell down on the scene as the boats reached the ship. Then -she sent a round shot towards the light. It fell short and threw -a great fountain of white water into the air. - -The girls saw it, and dropping their drum and fife, sat down on -the beach and laughed till they cried. - -That night the ship sailed away. The great American army of two -had arrived, and she thought it wise to retreat in time! - -Rebecca lived until old and feeble in body, but ever brave in -spirit and strong in patriotism, she told this story herself to -the writer, and it is true. - - - - -THE MESSENGER - -By M. E. M. Davis - - - -"Those reptiles of Americans, I say to you, Marcel,--mark my -words!--that they have it in their heads to betray Louisiana to -the Spaniard. They are tr-r-raitors!" Old Galmiche rolled the word -viciously on his French tongue. - -"Yes," assented his young companion, absently. He quite agreed with -Galmiche--the Americans were traitors, oh, of the blackest black! -But the sky overhead was so blue, the wind blowing in from the Gulf -and lifting the dark curls on his bared forehead was so moist and -sweet, the scene under his eyes, although familiar, was so enchanting! -He rose, the better to see it all once again. - -Grand Terre, the low-lying strip of an island upon which he stood, -was at that time--September, 1814--the stronghold of Jean Lafitte, -the famous freebooter, or, as he chose rather to call himself, -privateer, and his band of smugglers and buccaneers. - -The island, which lies across the mouth of Barataria Bay, with a -narrow pass at each end opening, into the Gulf of Mexico, had been -well fortified. Lafitte's own bungalow-like house was protected -on the Gulf side by an enclosing wall surmounted by small cannon. -The rich furniture within the house--the pictures, books, Oriental -draperies, silver and gold plate and rare crystal--attested -equally--so declared his enemies--to the fastidious taste of the -Lord of Barataria and to his lawlessness. - -The landlocked bay holds in its arms many small islands. - -These served Lafitte as places of deposit for smuggled or pirated -goods. Water-craft of every description--more than one sloop or -lugger decorated with gay lengths of silk or woolen cloth--rode at -ease in the secure harbor. In a curve of the mainland a camp had -been established for the negroes imported in defiance of United -States law, from Africa, to be sold in Louisiana and elsewhere. -The buccaneers themselves were quartered on the main island. - -Marcel Lefort, the slender, dark-eyed Creole _voyageur_, drew a deep -sigh of delight as he resumed his seat on the grassy sward beside -Galmiche. But he sprang again to his feet, for the tranquil morning -air was suddenly disturbed by the reverberating boom of a cannon! - -Island, bay and mainland were instantly in commotion. Lafitte himself -appeared on the east end, of his veranda, spy-glass in hand. - -The noted outlaw was a tall, sinewy, graceful man, then a little -past thirty, singularly handsome, with clear-cut features, dark -hair and fierce gray eyes which could, upon occasion, soften to -tenderness. The hands which lifted the spy-glass were white and -delicate. - -He lowered the glass. - -"A British sloop of war in the offing," he remarked to his -lieutenant, Dominique You, standing beside him. "She has sent off -a pinnace with a flag of truce. I go to meet it. Order an answering -salute." - -A moment later he had stepped into his four-oared barge and was -skimming lightly down the Great Pass toward the Gulf. - -When he returned, two officers in the British uniform were seated -in the barge with him. The freebooters, a formidable array of -French, Italians, Portuguese and West Indians, with here and there -a sunburned American, stared with bold and threatening eyes at -the intruders as they passed through the whispering _chênaié_ (oak -grove) to the house, to unfold their mission to the "Great Chief," -and to share his princely hospitality. - -Shortly after nightfall of the same day, on one of the little inner -islands, Marcel Lefort stood leaning upon his long boat paddle, -awaiting orders; his pirogue was drawn up among the reeds hard by. -He lifted his head, but hardly had his keen eye caught the shadowy -outlines of a boat on the bay before its occupants had landed. - -"The lad is too young," objected Dominique You, as the two men drew -near. - -"His father was a gunner in Kelerec's army at sixteen," returned -Lafitte. "You are sure of the route, Marcel?" he continued, touching -the _voyageur_ on the shoulder. - -"Yes, my captain. As the bird is of his flight through the air. -This is not the first time," he added proudly, "that I have brought -secret despatches from New Orleans to Barataria." - -"True. Now listen. You will set out at once with this." He handed -the lad a small packet wrapped in oil silk, which Marcel thrust -into his bosom. "You will make all speed to the city," he continued. -"There you will find Monsieur Pierre Lafitte, my brother--whether -he be in prison, at the smithy, or at the Cafe Turpin--" - -"Yes, my captain." - -"And give the packet into his own hand--" - -"Yes, my captain." - -"None but his, you understand. In case the packet should be lost or -stolen by the way, you will all the same seek monsieur, my brother, -and say to him that the British have this day offered to me, Jean -Lafitte, Lord of Barataria, the sum of thirty thousand dollars, -the rank of captain in the British navy, and a free pardon for my -men, if I will assist them in their invasion of Louisiana. I am -sure that monsieur, my brother, will not need to be told that Jean -Lafitte spurns this insulting proposition. But you will say to -him that the governor must be warned at once. The British officers -will be--detained--here until you are well on your way." - -"Yes, my captain." - -"You quite understand, Marcel? And you quite understand also that -if you risk your life, it is for Louisiana?" - -"For Louisiana!" echoed Marcel, solemnly. He touched his cap in the -darkness, stepped warily into the pirogue, pushed off, and dropped -his paddle into the water. - -The needle-like boat threaded its way in and out among the islands, -and leaped into the mouth of a sluggish gulfward-stealing bayou. -Here a few strokes of the paddle swept pirogue and paddler into -a strange and lonely world. The tall cypress-trees on each bank, -draped with funeral moss, cast impenetrable shadows on the water; -the deathlike silence was broken only by the occasional ominous -hoot of an owl or the wheezy snort of an alligator; the clammy air -breathed poison. But the stars overhead were bright, and Marcel's -heart throbbed exultant. - -"For Louisiana!" he murmured. "He might have chosen Galmiche, -or Jose, or Nez Coupe; but it is I, Marcel Lefort, whom the Great -Chief has sent with the warning. For Louisiana! For Louisiana!" His -muscular arms thrilled to the finger-tips with the rhythmic sweep -of his paddle to the words. - -Turn after turn of the sinuous, ever-narrowing bayou slipped behind -him as the night advanced. He kept a wary eye upon the black -masses of foliage to right and left, knowing that a runaway negro, -a mutineer from Barataria, or a murderous Choctaw might lurk there -in wait for the passing boatman; or an American spy,--he quickened -his strokes at the thought!--to wrest from him the precious despatch. - -"Those vipers of Americans!" he breathed. "The Governor Claiborne, -since the Great Chief trusts him, must have become a Creole at -his heart. But the rest have the heart of a cockatrice. And these -British, as Galmiche says, are surely Americans in disguise." - -The young Creole's ideas were not strange, his upbringing considered. -He had stood in 1803, a boy of eight, beside his father on the Place -d'Armes of New Orleans and watched the French flag descend slowly -from the tall staff, and the Stars and Stripes ascend proudly in -its place. He had seen the impotent tears and heard the impotent -groans of the French Creoles when the new American governor, -standing on the balcony of the _cabildo_, took possession, in the -name of the United States, of the French province of Louisiana. - -Daily since then, almost hourly, he had heard his father and his -father's friends denounce the Americans as double-dyed traitors, -who had bought Louisiana from France that they might hand it over -to the still more detested Spaniards. - -"Vipers of Americans!" he repeated, humming under his breath a -refrain much in vogue: - - - - "Americam coquin, - 'Bille en nanquin, - Voleur du pain." - - -("American rogue, dressed in nankeen, bread-stealer.") - -"It will soon be morning." He glanced up at the open sky, for -he was breasting the surface of a small lake. "Good!" The pirogue -slipped into another bayou at the upper end of the lagoon. The -shadows here seemed thicker than ever after the starlit lake. - -"Ugh!" ejaculated Marcel. An unseen log had lurched against the -pirogue, upsetting it and throwing its occupant into the water. He -sank, but rose in a flash and reached out, swimming, after pirogue -and paddle. - -But the log lurched forward again, snapping viciously, and before -he could draw back, a huge alligator had seized his left forearm -between his great jaws. The conical teeth sank deep in the flesh. - -Marcel tugged under water at the knife in his belt. It seemed -an eternity before he could draw it. A swift vision of the Great -Chief's brooding eyes darted through his brain. - -"For Louisiana!" The words burst involuntarily from his lips as -the keen blade buried itself under the knotty scales deep in the -monster's throat. The mighty jaws relaxed and dropped the limp -and bloody arm. - -Half an hour later the messenger stepped again into his recovered -boat. A groan forced its way between his clenched teeth as he set -his paddle to the dark waters of the bayou, but its rhythmic sweep -did not slacken. - -In the gray dawnlight of the second morning Lafitte's messenger came -up from the Mississippi River at New Orleans, and walked swiftly -across the Place d'Armes into Conde Street. - -The nineteen-year-old lad looked twice his age; his lips were -parched, his eyes were bloodshot, a red spot glowed in each livid -cheek. One arm, wrapped in a bloody sleeve of his hunting-shirt, -hung limply at his side. He paid no heed to the wondering questions -of the few people he met, but sped like one in a dream to his goal. - -In the great smithy of the Lafitte brothers, which served as a blind -for their smuggling operations, the forges were already aglow, the -army of black slaves at work, and Pierre Lafitte, who, although -outlawed like his brother, knew himself secure in this citadel, was -giving orders. At sight of Marcel he leaped forward. "Why, Marcel!" -he cried. "Why, my poor lad, what--" - -But Marcel had thrust the packet into his hand, and dropped as one -dead at his feet. - - -"Those Americans, they are traitors, oh, of the blackest black!" -The familiar phrase in his father's well-known voice fell upon -Marcel's returning consciousness. He listened with closed eyes. -"And that General An-drrew Jack-_son_, look you, Coulon, he has -the liver of a Spaniard. He will betray Louisiana. That sees itself!" - -"That sees itself," echoed old Coulon. - -Marcel opened his eyes. "Who is General Andrew Jackson?" he -demanded, surprised at the stiffness of his own tongue. And those -hands, pale and inert, lying on the coverlet before him, could -they be his own? And why should he, Marcel, be in his bed in broad -daylight? Suddenly he remembered that yesterday he had fetched a -despatch to Monsieur Pierre from the Great Chief-- - -"Did M'sieu' Pierre--" he began, eagerly, trying to rise on his -elbow. - -"Thank God!" ejaculated old Lefort, commonly called "Piff-Paff," -springing to the bedside. "The boy is himself once more. But not -so fast, my little Marcel, not so fast!" - -Many weeks, it appeared, had passed since Marcel had been borne -in the strong arms of Pierre Lafitte to Lefort's cottage near the -smithy. Fever and delirium had set in before the worn figure was -laid on the couch. - -"But now," tears were streaming down the weather-beaten face of -the old gunner, "now, by God's help, we shall get on our feet!" - -"But _who_ is General Andrew Jackson?" persisted Marcel, querulously. - -"General An-drrew Jack-_son_," replied Coulon, seeing that the -father's throat was choked with sobs, "General An-drrew Jack-_son_ -is an American. He arrives from day to day at New Orleans. He -is in league with those British who are Americans in disguise. He -comes to betray Louisiana to the Spaniard." - -"The monster!" said Marcel, drowsily. - -His recovery thenceforth was rapid. Old Lefort's private forge was -in his own court-yard. Here, among the rustling bananas and the -flowering pomegranates, where he had played, a motherless infant, -the slim, emaciated lad sat or walked about in the November sunshine. -And while Marcel hung about, the smith, hammering out the delicate -Lefort wrought-iron work so prized in New Orleans to-day, anathematized -indiscriminately General Jackson, the Spaniards, the British and -the Americans. - -Meanwhile strange sounds filtered into the courtyard from without--the -beat of drums, the shrill concord of fifes, the measured tread of -marching feet. - -Marcel heard and wondered. He was not permitted to walk abroad, -but what he saw from his window under the roof quickened his blood. - -"Is it that Governor Claiborne has heeded the Great Chief's warning?" -he asked of his father. - -"The governor is an American," said Piff-Paff. "All Americans -are perfidious. But the traitor of traitors is General An-drrew -Jack-_son_. Be quiet, my son. Do you wish to die of fever?" - -"When I do get out," Marcel was saying to himself one sunny day -early in December, "I will slay the traitor with my own hand." - -A steady tread came echoing down the corridor, and the Great Chief -stepped into the court-yard. - -"M'sieu' Jean!" cried Piff-Paff, running to meet him. - -Lafitte pressed the old man's hands in his, and turned to Marcel. - -"Aha, my little game-cock, there you are!" he said, catching the -boy in his arms. "My faith, but you paddled well for Louisiana that -time we know of! And the arm? Is it all there?" A winning tenderness -softened the fierce eyes. "But I am pressed for time, my friends," -he continued, stepping back. - -As he spoke he unbuckled his belt, to which hung a short sword with -jeweled cross-hilt. "Keep this lad, in memory of Lafitte--and the -alligator," he laughed, handing sword and belt to Marcel, who stood -open-mouthed, unable for sheer ecstasy to utter a word. - -"And look you, Marcel," his tones became grave, "I charge you -henceforth to forget the road to Barataria. It leads to riches, -yes, but it is a crooked and dishonest road. I would I had never -myself set foot in such ways!" He paused a moment, his eyes bent -on the ground." Learn your father's honest trade. Live by it, an -honest man and a good citizen." - -"Yes, my captain," stammered Marcel. - -"Swear!" said Lafitte, imperiously. - -"I swear!" breathed Marcel, his hand on the cross-hilt of the sword. -"By God's help!" - -"Amen!" said Lafitte, reverently. He turned away. - -"But where are you going, M'sieu' Jean?" cried Piff-Paff. "Do you -not know that a reward of five hundred dollars is offered for your -arrest?" - -"I know." Lafitte shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. "I go to -offer my services to General Jackson." - -_"Gen-e-ral Jackson!_" echoed Piff-Paff. His jaws dropped. He stood -like one suddenly turned to stone while the chief's retreating -footsteps rang down the alleyway. "General Jack-_son!_" he repeated, -mechanically. "But he shall not!" - -With a roar of rage he leaped for the saber--his old saber which -hung by the forge. "Myself, I will slay the traitor Jack-_son_ -before M'sieu' Jean dishonors himself! I, Blaise Lefort, will save -him." - -He dashed out. Marcel followed, buckling on his cross-hilted sword -as he ran. - -"Nevertheless it is I who will destroy the traitor!" he muttered. -"I have already said it." - -The narrow streets of the old town presented a unique spectacle. -The tall dormer-window houses with their latticed balconies looked -down upon hurrying crowds almost as motley as those of the carnival. -But the faces of these men and women were earnest, grimly determined. - -And soldiers, soldiers everywhere! United States soldiers in trim -uniforms; Coffee's Tennesseeans in brown shirts and slouched hats; -Planche's gaily clad Creole infantry; D'Aquin's freemen of color; -Indians in blankets and leggings--all carrying guns, all stepping -briskly to drumbeat and fife-call. - -Pennons, guidons and banners tossed about in the orderly confusion; -American and French flags waved together from balconies and windows. - -"But, look!" exclaimed Marcel in pained astonishment, "our Creoles -are drilling with the Americans!" - -"They are mad!" growled Piff-Paff. "This General Jack-_son_ has -poisoned their hearts." - -In truth, the threatened attack on New Orleans by the British -had united Creoles and Americans. A few only of the former held -aloof--like old Lefort himself; these, honest in their convictions, -were uncompromising. - -Marcel set his teeth, gripping his sword. At the entrance to General -Jackson's headquarters in Royal Street they were questioned by a -sentry, who looked from the swarthy old man to the pale lad, and -let them pass. - -They hurried down the long, dim corridor, which opened upon a sunny -courtyard hung with blossoming rose vines. Huge water-jars were -ranged against the wall. A fountain played in the center, and -round the pool beneath, some soldiers in uniform were lounging and -gossiping. Marcel glanced curiously at these as he followed his -father up the winding stair. The arched hall above, with its Spanish -windows, opened into an anteroom. - -Father and son paused instinctively here among the shadows. The -large room beyond the folding doors, which were thrown open, was -filled with the afternoon sunshine; a table strewn with maps and -papers was placed near one of the long windows. Beyond it, in -an armchair, was seated a man in an attitude of rigid attention. -Several staff-officers were gathered about him. - -The Great Chief stood directly in front of the seated figure. He -had doubtless been speaking for some minutes. Now, holding out his -sword, he concluded: - -"And I offer my services and those of my Baratarians in this hour -of my country's peril to General Jackson." - -He spoke in English. Marcel, who was acquainted with the forbidden -tongue, glanced sidewise at his father. He saw that the old man -had also understood. Both father arid son, as if moved by the same -spring, made a step forward. - -But both paused. General Jackson had risen from his seat. The -light fell full upon his face as he reached out without a word and -grasped Lafitte's hand. - -At sight of the tall, martial figure, erect and commanding in the -simple uniform of the United States army, the compelling face, -with its crown of bristling silvered hair, the eyes that shone with -a curious, soft fire, the firm mouth and masterful chin, Marcel -Lefort's soul seemed drawn from his bosom as by an invisible hand. -A mist gathered before his eyes, his throat clicked, a mysterious -longing suddenly swept over him from head to foot. - -Before he knew what he was about he had traversed the antechamber -and entered the larger room, his footfalls on the bare polished -floor disturbing the dramatic silence. - -"My captain!" he cried, stopping short and lifting his eager, boyish -face to the Great Chief. "My general!" He turned with outstretched -sword to the greater chief beyond. He wished to say more, but the -throbbing of his heart was too loud in his ears. - -Suddenly Marcel heard a footstep sound behind him. His father! He -had quite forgotten his father. - -"He will slay me where I stand!" he groaned inwardly. - -A hand whose touch thrilled him was slipped under his arm. He felt -himself drawn to his father's side. - -"General An-drrew Jack-_son_,"--the old gunner jpoke with great -dignity and feeling although his English was queer,--"we haf come, -my son an' me, to hoffer ou' swo'de to dose United State'. Yes, my -general. If dose United State' will make us the honah to haccep'." - -"By the Eternal," cried General Jackson, surprised into his favorite -oath, "with such a spirit in the air, I would storm all the powers -of the world!" - -In less than a month the memorable Battle of New Orleans was -fought--January 8, 1815. The Baratarians, under command of Jean -Lafitte, rendered distinguished service in the short but bloody -and decisive engagement. The two batteries directed by Beluche and -Dominique You were especially commended in the general's official -reports. Piff-Paff and his son served side by side in Dominique -You's battery. - -When the battle was over, Marcel stood with his fellow gunners -on the parapet of Rodriguez Canal and looked out across the -field--smoke-hung under the cloudless morning sky. The British -dead, in their scarlet uniforms, were lying row on row, one behind -the other, like grain cut down by the mower's scythe. The boy's -heart sickened. But a prolonged cheer came ringing along the parapet. - -General Jackson was walking slowly down the line, stopping in front -of each command to salute the men and to praise their coolness and -courage. As he came up, the Baratarians broke into wild shouts. -The great commander shook hands with Lafitte and his brother, who -stood a little apart. - -"Well done, Baratarians!" he said, stepping into the midst of the -powder-grimed crew. His swift glance fell upon a lad whose luminous -eyes were fixed upon him. - -"Well done, my little creole!" he added, a rare smile flashing -across his worn face. - -"My general," said Marcel, saluting proudly, "me, I am an American!" - - - - -HUMPHRY DAVY AND THE SAFETY-LAMP - -By George C. Towle - - - -Few boys have ever led a happier, busier, or more varied existence -than did Humphry Davy. He was the son of a poor wood-carver, who -lived in the pretty seaside town of Penzance, in England, where -Humphry was born in 1778. Lowly, however, as was his birth, in -his earliest years Humphry gave many proofs that nature had endowed -him with rare talents. - -Some of the stories told of his childish brightness are hard to -believe. They relate, for instance, that before he was two years -old he could talk almost as plainly and clearly as a grown person; -that he could repeat many passages of "Pilgrim's Progress," from -having heard them, before he could read; and that at five years -old he could read very rapidly, and remembered almost everything -he read. - -His father, the wood-carver, had died while Humphry was still very -young, and had left his family poor. But by good-fortune a kind -neighbor and friend, a Mr. Tonkine, took care of the widow and her -children, and obtained a place for Humphry as an apprentice with an -apothecary of the town. Humphry proved, indeed, a rather troublesome -inmate of the apothecary's house. He set up a chemical laboratory -in his little room upstairs, and there devoted himself to all sorts -of experiments. Every now and then an explosion would be heard, -which made the members of the apothecary's household quake with -terror. - -Humphry began to dream ambitious dreams. Not for him, he thought, -was the drudgery of an apothecary store. He felt that he had in -himself the making of a famous man, and he resolved that he would -leave no science unexplored. He set to work with a will. His quick -mind soon grasped the sciences not only of mathematics and chemistry, -but of botany, anatomy, geology, and metaphysics. His means for -the experiments he desired to make were very limited, but he did -not allow any obstacle to prevent him from pursuing them. - -He was especially fond of wandering along the seashore, and observing -and examining the many curious and mysterious objects which he found -on the crags and in the sand. One day his eye was struck with the -bladders of seaweed, which he found full of air. The question was, -how did the air get into them? This puzzled him, and he could find -no answer to it, because he had no instruments to experiment with. - -But on another day, soon after, as he strolled on the beach, what -was his surprise and delight to find a case of surgical instruments, -which had been flung up from some wreck on the coast! Armed with this, -he hastened home, and managed to turn each one of the instruments -to some useful account. He constructed an air-pump out of a -surgeon's syringe, and made a great many experiments with it. - -Fortunately for Humphry, he formed a friendship with a youth who -could not only sympathize with him, but was of a great deal of use -to him. This was Gregory Watt, a son of the great James Watt, the -inventor of the steam-engine. Gregory Watt had gone to Penzance -for his health, and had there fallen in with the ambitious son of -the wood-carver. This new friend was able to give Humphry many new -and valuable hints and encouraged him with hopeful words to go on -with his studies and experiments. - -Already Humphry was getting to be known as a scientific genius -beyond the quiet neighborhood of Penzance. He had proposed a theory -on heat and light which had attracted the attention of learned -men; and at twenty-one he had discovered the peculiar properties -of nitrous oxide--what we now call "laughing-gas"--though he nearly -killed himself by inhaling too much of it. He had also made many -experiments in galvanism, and had found silicious earth in the skin -of reeds and grass. - -So famous indeed had he already become, that at the age of -twenty-two--when most young men are only just leaving college--he -was chosen lecturer on science at the great Royal Institution in -London. There he amazed men by the eloquence and clearness with -which he revealed the mysteries of science. He was so bright and -attractive a young man, moreover, that the best London society -gladly welcomed him to its drawing-rooms, and praises of him were -in every mouth. His lecture-room was crowded whenever he spoke. - -But he was not a bit spoiled by all this flattery and homage. He -worked all the harder; resolved to achieve yet greater triumphs -in science than he had yet done. An opportunity soon arose to turn -his knowledge and inventive powers to account in a very important -way. For a long time the English public had every now and then been -horrified by the terrible explosions which took place in the coal -mines. These explosions resulted often in an appalling loss of -human life. Their cause was the filling of the mine by a deadly -gas, called "fire-damp," which, when ignited by a lighted candle -or lamp, exploded with fearful violence. One day an explosion -of fire-damp occurred which killed over one hundred miners on the -spot. - -This event called universal attention to the subject, and Humphry -Davy was besought to try and find some means of preventing, or -at least lessening, similar calamities. He promptly undertook the -task, and set about it with all his wonted energy. The problem -before him was how to provide light in the mines in such a way that -the miners might see to work by it, and at the same time be safe -from the danger of fire-damp explosion. Many attempts had been made -to achieve this, but they had all failed, - -Davy began his experiments. He soon made several valuable discoveries. -One was that explosions of inflammable gases could not pass through -long narrow metallic tubes. Another was that when he held a piece -of wire gauze over a lighted candle, the flame would not pass through -it. As a result of his long and patient toil Davy was able at last -to construct his now famous _Safety-Lamp_, which has undoubtedly -saved the lives of thousands during the period which has elapsed -since it was invented. He presented a model of his new lamp to the -Royal Society, in whose rooms in London it is to be seen to this -day. - -It is a simple affair, being merely a lamp screwed on to a wire -gauze cylinder, and fitted to it by a tight ring. His idea was to -admit the fire-damp into the lamp gradually by narrow tubes, so -that it would be consumed by combustion. The Safety-Lamp was in -truth the greatest triumph of Humphry Davy's useful life. - -"I value it," he said, "more than anything I ever did." - -Honors of all kinds were showered upon him. Many medals were awarded -to him, and the grateful miners subscribed from their scant wages -enough to present him with a magnificent service of silver worth -$12,000. His discovery was hailed from every part of Europe. The -Czar Alexander of Russia sent him a beautiful vase, and he was -chosen a member of the historic Institute of France; while his own -government conferred upon him the coveted title of baronet. - -Sir Humphry Davy, as he was now called, died in the prime of life -and in the fulness of honor and fame. Fond of travel, and continuing -to the last his scientific studies, he went to the continent, and -took up his abode at Geneva, on the borders of one of the loveliest -of Swiss lakes. There he had a laboratory, where he could work at -will, and could also indulge his passion for fishing and hunting. - -But he was worn out before his time. He was attacked by palsy, and -passed away at Geneva in 1829, in the fifty-first year of his age. -There he was buried. A simple monument reveals where he lies in -the foreign churchyard; while a tablet in Westminster Abbey keeps -alive his memory in the hearts of his countrymen. - - - - -KIT CARSON'S DUEL - -By Emerson Hough - - - -"How much farther, François?" asked the leader of a little mountain -cavalcade which wound its way down a broad river valley in the heart -of the Rocky Mountains. "See, it is now noon, and the encampment -is not yet in sight. Shall we not stop and rest?" - -The speaker was a tall, thin man, whose face, browned by the sun -of the plains and mountains, none the less bore a refinement almost -approaching austerity. The man accosted was leaner and browner than -himself, and wore the full costume of the Western _engage_ of the -fur trade. - -"M'sieu' Parker," he replied, "halways you hask how far to ze -hencampment. I do not know. In the mountain we do no hask how far. -We push on ze horse. Thass all." - -"But the rendezvous--are you sure it is in this valley of the -Green?" - -"It is establish for ze month of August in ze valley of ze Green. -Those man of the mountain, he do not disappoint. This rendezvous -of ze year 1835, it may be ze last one for ze trappaire. But me, -François Verrier, say to you that you shall see ze rendezvous, -also ze trappaire, and ze trader, and ze Injin--hundreds of heem. -My faith! Zay shall see for ze first time ze missionaire to ze -Injin! M'sieu' Parker, you are not ze good father? _Eh bien_, you -shall make some little _priere_ for those _sauvages_." - -The thin face of Samuel Parker brightened. This land before his -view, majestic, beautiful, was as fabled and unknown as the continent -of lost Atlantis. It was a wild world, a new one. He, first to -answer that strange appeal from the wild Northwest,--that appeal -carried by the four Nez Perces Indians, who travelled in ignorance -and hope across half a continent to ask that the Book might be sent -out to them by the white man,--felt now exaltation swell within -his soul. - -What a meeting must be this, which he had pushed forward so eagerly -to discover! It was a gathering, as he had been well advised, not -in the name of religion or of politics, of art or science--hardly -even in the cause of commerce, although here the wild trappers and -hunters, absent from one year's end to the other in the mountains, -annually met, at some appointed spot in the Rockies, those bold -merchants who brought out to them stores of goods to trade for -furs. The trappers' rendezvous! He had heard of it a thousand tales -distorted and unreal. Truly there was work ahead. He caught up -the reins upon his horse's neck, forgot his weariness, and resumed -his way. - -His followers, a score or more of horsemen and pack-train drivers, -among whom rode a short sturdy young man, the future martyr-missionary, -Marcus Whitman, moved on, browned, gaunt, dust-begrimed, yet -cheerful. - -They had travelled for perhaps a mile or so down the valley when -the guide, riding abreast of his employer, suddenly pulled up his -horse and signed for his companion to pause. - -"M'sieu'," said he, "you think I know little of zis land. Behol'! -We are harrive' zis hour." - -He pointed. There, against the sky-line, on a projecting range of -the mountainside which sloped down to the edge of the valley, was -the figure of a mountain man, motionless, and evidently on guard. - -"_En avant!_" cried François, setting heels to his horse. "_V'la!_ -It is ze guard of ze encampment. Ride quick, _mes camarades!_" - -The train, packhorses and all, pushed forward at a gallop, which -soon broke into a wild run--the proper gait in trapper custom for -all who arrived at the mountain rendezvous. - -As they rounded the spur of rocks which had made the watch-tower -of the sentinel, the full scene burst upon their eyes. There was -a wide, sweet space in the valley, made as if for the very purpose -of the great rendezvous. A flat of green cottonwoods adjoined the -river-bank. "Benches," or natural terraces, of sweet grass rose -along the hillside a half-mile away. Hundreds of horses, picketed -or hobbled, grazed here and there. Others, favorite steeds of their -masters, stood tied at the doors of lodges, in front of which rose -long, tufted spears, in the heraldry of that land insignia of their -owner's rank. Teepees, a hundred and twoscore, skin tents of the -savage tribes and homes also of the whites, were grouped irregularly -over a space of more than half a mile. At the doors of many of -these, silent Indians sat and smoked. In the wide interspaces of -the village were many men, some of them dressed in brown buckskins, -others clad more gaudily. These passed to and fro, some on foot, -others riding furiously. Animation was in all the air. - -Shouts, cries, a tumult formed of many factors filled the air. -Babel of speech rose from Frenchmen, Spaniards, Canadians, English, -Scotch, Irish, and American backwoodsmen, and Indians of half a -dozen tribes. Horses, dogs, black-haired and blanketed women, and -children of divers colors moved about continually. The gathering -was heterogeneous, conglomerate, picturesque, savage. - -Samuel Parker, missionary to the Oregon tribes, and now come hither -to the mountain market of 1835 as knight-errant of the Gospel, -pulled up his horse at the edge of the encampment and gazed in -sheer amazement. His party--except Whitman, who reined in his horse -at his friend's side--passed on and joined the shouting throng. -Apparently they conveyed certain news as they rode; for now out of -the circling ranks of wild horsemen there swept toward the strangers -a group of yelling riders. - -Long ribbons and waving eagle feathers streamed from the manes and -tails of their ponies. Some riders, even of the white men, wore -the great war-bonnets of the northern tribes, the long crests of -feathers sweeping back upon the croups of the rough-coated steeds -they rode. Weapons were in the hands of all. Loud speech and many -oaths were on their lips. They might well have disturbed bolder -hearts than that of a peaceful missionary. - -The leader of the approaching band was a man of gigantic stature, -more than six inches above the six-feet mark. He was dark of hair -and eye; a wide mustache swept back across his face, and his heavy, -untrimmed beard, matted and sunburned at the edges, gave him an -expression savage and forbidding. - -Clad in the buckskin of a mountain trapper, none the less this -personage affected a certain finery. A brilliant sash encircled -his waist, his hat bore a wide plume. At his belt hung pistols, -and in his hand was a long rifle. He pulled up his horse squatting, -its nose high in air. - -"How, friend!" he cried. "Or _be_ you friend, who come thus without -word to Bill Shunan's camp?" - -"Sir," replied the missionary, "my name is Parker--Samuel Parker. -I am from far New England, and am bound upon my way to Oregon. -I have come aside from the Sublette Cutoff trail to be present at -this rendezvous. Yourself I do not know." - -"What! Not know Bill Shunan, the bully of the Rockies, and the -owner of this camp? Hark ye, stranger, ye're treading on dangerous -ground. I've whipped half a dozen men to-day, and driven every -fighter of the rendezvous back into his lodge. _They_ know Bill -Shunan, and they show him respect, as you shall yourself." - -Samuel Parker made no reply, and found no way to move forward, -even had he been sure that friends awaited him in the village. The -giant went on: - -"Now, what's your business, man? Ye look like no trapper nor good -mountain man. As for more Yankee traders, we've enough of them now, -and more than enough. Look ye at their packs, laid out there, half -of them not opened! The traders are robbing us mountain men at -this market. Two skins they ask for a pint of sugar, if one would -please his squaw. As much goes for a knife; and three skins for -coffee as much as you could put in a pint cup. Powder they hold as -high as gold-dust, and a blanket is worth a pair of horses. It's -robbery, and I'll have no more of it. If Jim Bridger and Bill -Williams, and their half-black Beckwourth, and Gervais, and Fraeb, -and their other offscourings of old Ashley, will not rebel against -such doings, then, for one, Bill Shunan is not afraid. My people -were French back in old Canada. It is the French who found the -Rockies, and who ought to own them! These Americans--I whip them -with switches! And so I'll whip you if ye come here as a trader -and give us no better measure than these others! Now, I say, who -are ye?" - -The dark eye of the missionary lighted again with its hidden fire. - -"I am a missionary," said he, "a man of the church, a minister -of the Gospel, as I would have said to you. I have come to this -encampment to hold divine services among you. Red men or white, we -are brethren, and we are sinners in common." The close-shut mouth, -the dull flush visible beneath the tan, the flash of the eye, all -bespoke him a man not devoid of courage. Yet his speech brought -only rage to the other. - -"Minister!" he cried. "By all the saints, no unfrocked priest -shall speak words in this camp of mine! Not even a good father of -the French has been present at a rendezvous of the bully boys of -the mountains; and who are you, to come intruding at the frolic -of the trappers? I'll have no sniveling Protestant here. So get ye -gone at once!" - -"Sir," said the minister, "I have ridden far, and I am not of a -mind to go back." He crowded his horse forward, the more so as he -saw approaching another band of men from the encampment. He could -only hope that they might be of a class not quite the same as this -desperado. A moment later these riders joined the group of parleyers. - -"How now, what is this?" cried out the tall man who led these -newcomers. "Who's the stranger? Does he carry news from the States?" - -"Back with ye, Bill Williams!" cried Shunan. "'Tis but a sniveling -preacher from the East, and I have told him he shall bring no psalms -here." - -The freshly arrived horsemen made small reply to Shunan's speech, -but bent a curious gaze upon the stranger. The latter saw at a -glance that these were no allies of the bully. Therefore he glanced -toward them as if in appeal. - -Without a word a half-score of them urged their horses round him, -and separated him from Shunan's party. - -"What!" cried Shunan. "You dispute me? I tell ye he will never -see the sun again if he pushes himself into this camp. What do ye -mean, you puny Yankees? Do ye want me to put ye on your death-beds, -as I have a couple of ye before to-day? Back with ye! For I say -this man shall not come into camp!" - -"Shunan," broke in a quiet voice, "who gives you right to issue -orders here?" - -The speaker was a young man, still in his twenties; and so far from -equaling in stature the giant whom he addressed, he was slight and -small, not over five feet six inches in height, although of good -shoulders and great depth of chest. - -He sat a dark-brown horse, fully caparisoned in the Spanish fashion. -His garb was of buckskin, but plain and devoid of ornamentation. -A wide hat swept over his well-tanned face, and from beneath its -brim there shone the steely glance of gray-blue eyes. - -Shunan, dumfounded, whirled his horse toward the speaker. - -"Shunan," repeated this man, in turn urging his own horse forward, -"you've made trouble enough in the encampment. You shall no longer -act the bully here. The stranger comes in peace, and he shall be -heard here if he likes. What!" and the blue eyes flashed. "Would -you issue orders at a meeting of the free men of the mountains--the -very place in all the world where every man who comes in friendship -is made welcome? This is our country. This is our encampment. The -law of what is right shall govern here; and I take it upon myself -to say this to you!" - -Silence fell upon all who heard these words. The last speaker -raised his hand as Parker would have spoken. The friends of the -young man now pressed closer about him. He did not give back, but -urged his mount still forward, until it breasted the cream-colored -horse which Shunan rode. The bully, half-sobered from his potations -by this stern situation, did not himself give back. - -"Who are you?" he cried. "By what right do ye question Bill Shunan? -Would ye be the next to be whipped with switches? There is but one -end to this, boy! Are ye ready for it?" - -"Have I ever been found unready?" asked the young man, quietly. -"I say again, this land is free. The stranger shall have meat and -robes at my lodge, and if he will speak, he shall have his say." - -In a rage Shunan spurred forward, his hand uplifted; yet the brown -horse and its rider receded not an inch. The issue was joined. -There must now be combat! - -"Not here!" cried old Bill Williams, suddenly. "Wait! Back to the -camp with ye all, and there let it be decided proper!" - -This speech met with sudden approval upon both sides. An instant -later the missionary's horse was swept forward in a rush which -carried both parties, intermingled, deep into the center of the -tented village. - -Well toward the middle of the encampment there was a large and -irregular space left unoccupied, a sort of plaza, devoted to common -use, and employed as meeting-ground in the trading operations of -the market, or the jollifications, which occupied far more of the -time. As the riders came into this open space Shunan and his party -drew off to the right. His antagonist sought out his lodge upon -the opposite side. He was followed here by several of his warmer -friends, Williams, Bridger, Fraeb, other men of the mountains at -one time known throughout the length and breadth of the West. - -"Sir," said the young man, turning toward Samuel Parker, "get you -down, and come within my house. Perhaps by this time you are used -to such. We bid you welcome. I shall return to you soon, after I -have settled this matter which has come up between me and yonder -ruffian." - -"I beseech you!" cried the missionary, reaching out an imploring -hand. "What is it you would do? Surely you do not mean--you would -not engage in combat with this man--you do not mean bloodshed? -This--on my account--no, no! Let me go." - -The quiet man whom he thus accosted made no answer at first, but -pushed back the hat from his brow and gazed upon the newcomer with -a kindly eye. - -"There is but one way," said he. "Bill, see to it that our friend -has good treatment here." The man addressed took Parker by the arm -and thrust him gently within the lodge. - -The young man now summoned another friend. "Gervais," he said, "go -to yonder bully, and say to him that unless his threats and boasts -cease, I shall be forced to kill him. Our bullets should be for -our enemies, but Shunan has made trouble enough; and he must go to -his lodge or meet me, man to man." - -"Are ye ready for him, boy?" asked Gervais. "How is the shoulder -where you caught the Blackfoot bullet last fall? Can you handle -the rifle?" - -"I'll not trust the shoulder," was the reply, "and will not risk -the rifle." He drew a pistol from his belt and looked at the priming -of the pan. "One shot," said he; "and it must do." - -"But he'll use his rifle." - -"Very well. Go to him and say that I shall come mounted, like -himself, and he may be armed as he likes. No man is my superior -on horse or with any weapon. Moreover, you shall see that I do not -seek so much to kill him as to end his boasting, and to restore -the law in this camp." - -Gervais sprang upon his horse and was off, calling out to others, -who drew near, the instructions which he had received. He approached -Shunan, who was now urging his horse round and round the open space -of the village, shouting defiance and uttering foul reproaches for -his antagonist, whom he announced himself eager to meet. Gervais -delivered his message. - -The bully continued to crowd his horse back and forth, pulling it -up so sharply that it was thrown upon its haunches now and again -in mid-career. He waved his long rifle over his head, and issued -a general challenge to all within reach of his voice. - -At this moment there rode out from the farther side of the circle -the champion of law and order. The horse which he bestrode came on -strongly and lightly, its head up. The rider had stripped off all -his accouterments, and rode a buckskin pad-saddle, Indian fashion. -About his waist was a belt, which bore no weapons. His long rifle, -at which weapon he had no master, did not rest upon the saddle -front. His hat was gone, and a handkerchief bound back his long -light hair. He rode forward lightly, easily, in confidence. - -Shunan, yelling, wildly, charged at once upon him. - -The young man sat erect; but when Shunan was still a score of yards -away, the brown horse leaped aside, its rider lying along its neck -as an Indian might have done, and swept round and to the rear of -Shunan. - -The bully, fumbling with his piece, endeavored to follow. Then he -saw the pistol barrel pointing under the neck of the brown horse, -and cold terror smote his soul. - -The two swept past again at full gallop, Shunan still not quite master -of his horse and weapon at the same time, for the long-barreled, -muzzle-loading rifle was difficult to manage from the back of a -plunging horse. They wheeled and passed yet again; but this time, -as they turned, they headed directly toward each other at a steady -pace. - -The spectators knew that in an instant the issue would be decided. - -Shunan jerked up his horse and threw his rifle sharply to his -face. His antagonist made no attempt to swerve, but instead spurred -forward sharply. The brown horse sprang breast to breast with the -cream-colored mustang. The two men were within arm's length. At -this minute there rang out two reports, almost at the same instant. -The horses sprang apart. - -The slighter man was still sitting erect. He swept his hand hastily -across his temple, where he felt a stinging burn. Shunan, dazed, -sat his horse for an instant, but his rifle dropped to the ground; -and as his horse sprang forward, he himself fell, and so lay, one -arm hanging limp and the other raised in the sign of surrender. - -The duel was over. The late friends of Shunan joined the riders -who now crowded into the open space from the opposite sides of the -arena. - -"Did he touch ye, boy?" cried old Bill Williams. - -"No, though he meant it well enough. See, there's a twist of hair -gone from the side of my head." - -"He got your bullet through the hand and wrist," said Williams, as -they turned away. "His right arm's done for, for a while. You were -a bit the first with your fire, my son," - -"I know it, and I knew I had need to be. I fired at his hand, and -knew I must be a shade the first. I knew if I held true, his aim -would be thrown out." - -As he spoke, he dismounted at the door of his own lodge. There -Samuel Parker met him, and cried, "Is it over? Is any one hurt? -Has there been murder done?" - -"There, there, friend," said old Bill Williams, gently, "you bring -here still your Yankee way of speech. Besides, 'tis no murder unless -some one is killed, and yonder bully Shunan will only have a sore -hand for a month or so. 'Twas a lesson that was well needed for -him. See now, the camp is quiet already. Men and women may venture -out-of-doors in peace and comfort. 'Tis but the law of the mountains -you have seen, man." - -"And as for the law of the Gospel," interrupted Gervais, "they -shall have that this night round the fire, if you wish to speak." - -The minister gazed from one to the other with emotions new to him. - -"And you, sir," he said, extending his hand to the young man who -had thus stoutly championed him, "who are you? Whom shall I thank -for this strange act--for this strange justice of the mountains, -as you call it?" - -The bronzed men who stood or sat their horses near at hand gazed -from one to another, smiling, At last old Bill Williams broke out -into a laugh. - -"Man," cried he, "'tis easily seen you're fresh from the States! -What, not know the best man in all the Rockies? There is but one -could have done this deed so well. We have few courts here, but -whenever we've needed a sheriff of our own we've had one, and here -he is. So you did not know Kit Carson!" - - - - -THE STORY OF GRACE DARLING - -Anonymous - - - -On the evening of Wednesday, September 5, the steamship Forfarshire -left Hull for Dundee, carrying a cargo of iron, and having some -forty passengers on board. The ship was only eight years old; -the master, John Humble, was an experienced seaman; and the crew, -including firemen and engineers, was complete. But even before the -vessel left the dock one passenger at least had felt uneasily that -something was wrong--that there was an unusual commotion among -officials and sailors. Still, no alarm was given, and at dusk the -vessel steamed prosperously down the Humber River. - -The next day (Thursday, the 6th) the weather changed, the wind -blowing N.N.W., and increasing toward midnight to a perfect gale. -On the morning of Friday, the 7th, a sloop from Montrose, making -for South Shields, saw a small boat labouring hard in the trough -of the sea. The Montrose vessel bore down on it, and in spite of -the state of the weather managed to get the boat's crew on board. - -They were nine men in all, the sole survivors, as they believed -themselves to be, of the crew and passengers of the _Forfarshire,_ -which was then lying a total wreck on Longstone, one of the outermost -of the Farne Islands. - -It was a wretched story they had to tell of lives thrown away -through carelessness and negligence, unredeemed, as far as their -story went, by any heroism or unselfish courage. - -While still in the Humber, and not twenty miles from Hull, it was -found that one of the boilers leaked, but the captain refused to -put about. The pumps were set to work to fill the boiler, and the -vessel kept on her way, though slowly, not passing between the -Farne Islands and the mainland till Thursday evening. It was eight -o'clock when they entered Berwick Bay; the wind freshened and was -soon blowing hard from N.N.W. The motion of the vessel increased -the leakage, and it was now found that there were holes in all the -three boilers. Two men were set to work the pumps, one or two of -the passengers also assisting, but as fast as the water was pumped -into the boilers it poured out again. The bilge was so full of -steam and boiling water that the firemen could not get to the fires. -Still the steamer struggled on, laboring heavily, for the sea was -running very high. At midnight they were off St. Abbs Head, when -the engineers reported that the case was hopeless; the engines had -entirely ceased to work. The ship rolled helplessly in the waves, -and the rocky coast was at no great distance. They ran up the sails -fore and aft to try and keep her off the rocks, and put her round -so that she might run before the wind, and as the tide was setting -southward she drifted fast with wind and tide. Torrents of rain -were falling, and in spite of the wind there was a thick fog. Some -of the passengers were below, others were on deck with crew and -captain, knowing well their danger. - -About three the noise of breakers was distinctly heard a little -way ahead, and at the same time a light was seen away to the left, -glimmering faintly through the darkness. It came home to the anxious -crew with sickening certainty that they were being driven on the -Farne Islands. These islands form a group of desolate rocks lying -off the Northumbrian coast. They are twenty in number, some only -uncovered at low tide, and all offering a rugged iron wall to any -ill-fated boat that may be driven upon them. - -Even in calm weather and by daylight seamen are glad to give them -a wide berth. - -The master of the _Forfarshire_ in this desperate strait attempted -to make for the channel which runs between the Islands and the -mainland. It was at best a forlorn chance; it was hopeless here; -the vessel refused to answer her helm! On she drove in the darkness, -nearer and nearer came the sound of the breakers; the passengers and -crew on board the boat became frantic. Women wailed and shrieked; -the captain's wife clung to him, weeping; the crew lost all instinct -of discipline, and thought of nothing but saving their skins. - -Between three and four the shock came--a hideous grinding noise, -a strain and shiver of the whole ship, and she struck violently -against a great rock. In the awful moment which followed, five of -the crew succeeded in lowering the larboard quarter-boat and pushed -off in her. The mate swung himself over the side, and also reached -her; and a passenger rushing at this moment up from the cabin and -seeing the boat already three yards from the ship, cleared the -space with a bound and landed safely in her, though nearly upsetting -her by his weight. She righted, and the crew pulled off with the -desperate energy of men rowing for their lives. The sight of agonized -faces, the shrieks of the drowning, were lost in the darkness and -in the howling winds, and the boat with the seven men on board was -swept along by the rapidly-flowing tide. - -Such was the story the exhausted boat's crew told next morning to -their rescuers on board the Montrose sloop. And the rest of the -ship's company--what of them? Had they all gone down by the island -crag with never a hand stretched out to help them? - -Hardly had the boat escaped from the stranded vessel when a great -wave struck her on the quarter, lifted her up bodily, and dashed -her back on the rock. She struck midships on the sharp edge and -broke at once into two pieces. The after part was washed clean -away with about twenty passengers clinging to it, the captain and -his wife being among them. A group of people, about nine in number, -were huddled together near the bow; they, with the whole forepart -of the ship, were lifted right on to the rock. In the fore cabin -was a poor woman, Mrs. Dawson, with a child on each arm. When the -vessel was stranded on the rock the waves rushed into the exposed -cabin, but she managed to keep her position, cowering in a corner. -First one and then the other child died from cold and exhaustion, -and falling from the fainting mother were swept from her sight by -the waves, but the poor soul herself survived all the horrors of -the night. - -It was now four o'clock; the storm was raging with unabated violence, -and it was still two hours to daybreak. About a mile from Longstone, -the island on which the vessel struck, lies Brownsman, the outermost -of the Farne Islands, on which stands the lighthouse. At this -time the keeper of the lighthouse was a man of the name of William -Darling. He was an elderly, almost an old man, and the only other -inmates of the lighthouse were his wife and daughter Grace, a girl -of twenty-two. On this Friday night she was awake, and through the -raging of the storm heard shrieks more persistent and despairing -than those of the wildest sea-birds. In great trouble she rose -and awakened her father. The cries continued, but in the darkness -they could do nothing. Even after day broke it was difficult to -make out distant objects, for a mist was still hanging over the sea. -At length, with a glass they could discern the wreck on Longstone, -and figures moving about on it. Between the two islands lay a mile -of yeasty sea, and the tide was running hard between them. The -only boat on the lighthouse was a clumsily built jolly-boat, heavy -enough to tax the strength of two strong men in ordinary weather, -and here there was but an old man and a young girl to face a -raging sea and a tide running dead against them. Darling hesitated -to undertake anything so dangerous, but his daughter would hear -of no delay. On the other side of that rough mile of sea men were -perishing, and she could not stay where she was and see them die. - -So off they set in the heavy coble, the old man with one oar, -the girl with the other, rowing with straining breath and beating -hearts. Any moment they might be whelmed in the sea or dashed against -the rocks. Even if they got the crew off, it would be doubtful if -they could row them to the lighthouse; the tide was about to turn, -and would be against them on their homeward journey; death seemed -to face them on every side. - -When close to the rock there was imminent danger of their being -dashed to pieces against it. Steadying the boat an instant, -Darling managed to jump on to the rock, while Grace rapidly rowed -out a little and kept the boat from going on the rocks by rowing -continually. It is difficult to imagine how the nine shipwrecked -people, exhausted and wearied as they were, were got into the boat -in such a sea, especially as the poor woman, Mrs. Dawson, was in -an almost fainting condition; but finally they were all gotten on -board. Fortunately, one or two of the rescued crew were able to -assist in the heavy task of rowing the boat back to Brownsman. - -The storm continued to rage for several days after, and the whole -party had to remain in the lighthouse. Moreover, a boatload which -had come to their rescue from North Shields was also storm-stayed. - -It is told of this admirable girl that she was the tenderest and -gentlest of nurses and hostesses, as she was certainly one of the -most singularly courageous of women. - -She could never be brought to look upon her exploit as in any way -remarkable, and when by-and-by honors and distinctions were showered -upon her, and people came from long distances to see her, she kept -through it all the dignity of perfect simplicity and modesty. - -Close to Bamborough, on a windy hill, lie a little gray church and -a quiet churchyard. At all seasons high winds from the North Sea -blow over the graves and fret and eat away the soft gray sandstone -of which the plain headstones are made. So great is the wear and -tear of these winds that comparatively recent monuments look like -those which have stood for centuries. On one of these stones lies -a recumbent figure, with what looks not unlike a lance clasped in -the hand and laid across the breast. Involuntarily one thinks of the -stone crusaders, who lie in their armor, clasping their half-drawn -swords, awaiting the Resurrection morning. It is the monument of -Grace Darling, who here lies at rest with her oar still clasped in -her strong right hand. - - - - -THE STRUGGLES OF CHARLES GOODYEAR - -By George C. Towle - - - -Never did any man work harder, suffer more keenly, or remain more -steadfast to one great purpose of life, than did Charles Goodyear. -The story of his life--for the most part mournful--teems with -touching interest. No inventor ever struggled against greater or -more often returning obstacles, or against repeated failures more -overwhelming. Goodyear is often compared, as a martyr and hero of -invention, to Bernard Palissy the potter. He is sometimes called -"the Palissy of the nineteenth century." But his sufferings were -more various, more bitter, and more long enduring than ever were -even those of Palissy; while the result of his long, unceasing -labors was infinitely more precious to the world. For if Palissy -restored the art of enamelling so as to produce beautiful works of -art, Goodyear perfected a substance which gives comfort and secures -health to millions of human beings. - -Charles Goodyear was born at New Haven, Connecticut, in 1801. He -was the eldest of the six children of a leading hardware merchant -of that place, a man both of piety and of inventive talent. When -Charles was a boy, his father began the manufacture of hardware -articles, and at the same time carried on a farm. He often required -his son's assistance, so that Charles's schooling was limited. He -was very fond of books, however, from an early age, and instead of -playing with his mates, devoted most of his leisure time to reading. - -It was even while he was a schoolboy that his attention was first -turned to the material, the improvement of which for common uses -became afterwards his life-work. "He happened to take up a thin -scale of India-rubber," says his biographer, "peeled from a bottle, -and it was suggested to his mind that it would be a very useful -fabric if it could be made uniformly so thin, and could be so prepared -as to prevent its melting and sticking together in a solid mass." -Often afterward he had a vivid presentiment that he was destined -by Providence to achieve these results. - -The years of his youth and early manhood were spent in the hardware -trade in Philadelphia and then in Connecticut; and at twenty-four -he was married to a heroic young wife, who shared his trials, and -was ever to him a comforting and encouraging spirit. From boyhood -he was always devout and pure in habits. On one occasion, soon after -his marriage, he wrote to his wife while absent from her: "I have -quit smoking, chewing, and drinking all in one day. You cannot form -an idea of the extent of this last evil in this city [New York] -among the young men." - -Charles Goodyear's misfortunes began early in his career. He failed -in business, his health broke down, and through life thereafter -he suffered from almost continual attacks of dyspepsia. He was, -moreover, a small, frail man, with a weak constitution. He was -imprisoned for debt after his failure; nor was this the only time -that he found himself within the walls of a jail. That was almost -a frequent experience with him in after life. - -It was under discouragements like these that Goodyear began his -long series of experiments in India-rubber. Already this peculiar -substance--a gum that exudes from a certain kind of very tall tree, -which is chiefly found in South America--had been manufactured into -various articles, but it had not been made enduring, and the uses -to which it could be put were very limited. - -There is no space here to follow Goodyear's experiments in detail. -He entered upon them with the ardor of a fanatic and the faith of -a devotee. But he very soon found that the difficulties in his way -were great and many. He was bankrupt, in bad health, with a growing -family dependent on him, and no means of support. Yet he persevered, -through years of wretchedness, to the very end. It is a striking -fact that his very first experiment was made in a prison cell. - -During the long period occupied by his repeated trials of invention he -passed through almost every calamity to which human flesh is heir. -Again and again he was thrown into prison. Repeatedly he saw -starvation staring him and his gentle wife and his poor little -children in the face. He was reduced many times to the very last -extreme of penury. His friends sneered at him, deserted him, called -him mad. He was forced many times to beg the loan of a few dollars, -with no prospect of repayment. One of his children died in the -dead of winter, when there was no fuel in the cheerless house. A -gentleman was once asked what sort of a looking man Goodyear was. -"If you meet a man," was the reply, "who wears an India-rubber -coat, cap, stock, vest, and shoes, with an India-rubber money purse -without a cent in it, that is Charles Goodyear." - -Once, while in the extremity of want, when he was living at Greenwich, -near New York, he met his brother-in-law, and said, "Give me ten -dollars, brother; I have pawned my last silver spoon to pay my fare -to the city." - -"You must not go on so; you cannot live in this way," said the -other. - -"I am going to do better," replied Goodyear cheerily. - -It was by accident at last that he hit upon the secret of how to make -India-rubber durable. He was talking one day to several visitors, -and in his ardor making rapid gestures, when a piece of rubber which -he was holding in his hand accidentally hit against a hot stove. -To his amazement, instead of melting, the gum remained stiff -and charred, like leather. He again applied great heat to a piece -of rubber, and then nailed it outside the door, where it was very -cold. The next morning he found that it was perfectly flexible; -and this was the discovery which led to that successful invention -which he had struggled through so many years to perfect. The -main value of the discovery lay in this, that while the gum would -dissolve in a moderate heat, it both remained hard and continued -to be flexible when submitted to an extreme heat. This came to be -known as the "vulcanization" of India-rubber. - -Two years were still to elapse, however, before Goodyear could -make practical use of his great discovery. He had tired everybody -out by his previous frequent assertions that his invention had been -perfected, when it had until now always proved a failure. Many a -time he had gone to his friends, declaring that he had succeeded, -so that when he really had made the discovery nobody believed in -it. - -He was still desperately poor and in wretched health. Yet he moved -to Woburn, in Massachusetts, resolutely continuing his experiments -there. He had no money, and so baked his India-rubber in his wife's -oven and saucepans, or hung it before the nose of her tea-kettle. -Sometimes he begged the use of the factory ovens in the neighborhood -after the day's work was over, and sold his children's very -school-books in order to supply himself with the necessary gum. At -this time he lived almost exclusively on money gifts from pitying -friends, who shook their heads in their doubts of his sanity. Often -his house had neither food nor fuel in it; his family were forced -to go out into the woods to get wood to burn. "They dug their potatoes -before they were half-grown, for the sake of having something to -eat." - -Goodyear was terribly afraid that he should die before he could make -the world perceive the great uses to which his discovery might be -applied. What he was toiling for was neither fame nor fortune, but -only to confer a vast benefit on his fellow-men. - -At last, after infinite struggles, the absorbing purpose of his -life was attained. India-rubber was introduced under his patents, -and soon proved to have all the value he had, in his wildest moments, -claimed for it. Success thus crowned his noble efforts, which had -continued unceasingly through ten years of self-imposed privation. -India-rubber was now seen to be capable of being adapted to at least -five hundred uses. It could be made "as pliable as kid, tougher -than ox-hide, as elastic as whalebone, or as rigid as flint." But, -as too often happens, his great discovery enriched neither Goodyear -nor his family. It soon gave employment to sixty thousand artisans, -and annually produced articles in this country alone worth eight -millions of dollars. - -Happily the later years of the noble, self-denying inventor were -spent at least free from the grinding penury and privations of his -years of uncertainty and toil. He died in his sixtieth year (1860), -happy in the thought of the magnificent boon he had given to mankind. - - - - -OLD JOHNNY APPLESEED - -By Elizabeth Harrison - - - -Many years ago on the sparsely settled prairies of America -there lived an old man who was known by the queer name of "Johnny -Appleseed" His wife had died long ago and his children had grown -up and scattered to the corners of the earth. He had not even a -home that he could call his own, but wandered about from place to -place, with only a few friends and little or no money. His face was -wrinkled, his hair was thin and grey, and his shoulders stooped. -His clothes were old and ragged and his hat was old and shabby. -Yet inside of him was a heart that was brave and true, and he felt -that even he, old and poor as he was, could be of use in the world, -because he loved his fellow-men, and love always finds something -to do. - -As he trudged along the lonely road from town to town, or made for -himself a path through the unbroken forest, he often thought of -the good God, and of how all men were children of the One Father. -Sometimes he would burst out singing the words of a song which he -had learned when he was a young man. - - -"Millions loving, I embrace you, -All the world this kiss I send! -Brothers, o'er yon starry tent -Dwells a God whose love is true!" - - -These words, by the way, are a part of a great poem you may some -day read. And they once so stirred the heart of a great musician -that he set them to the finest music the world has ever heard. -And now the great thought of a loving God and the great music of -a loving man comforted the lonely traveller. - -The old man wandered about from village to village, which in those -days were scattered far apart, with miles and miles of prairie land -stretching between them, and sometimes woodland and rivers, too, -separated one village from the next. At night he usually earned his -crust of bread and lodgings by mending the teakettle or wash-boiler -of some farmer's wife, or by soldering on the handle of her tin -cup or the knob to her tea-pot, as he always carried in one of his -coat pockets a small charcoal stove and a bit of solder. He always -carried under his arm or over his shoulder a green baize bag, and -when the mending was done he would oftentimes draw out of this -green bag an old violin and begin to play, and the farmer, as well -as his wife and the children, would gather around him and listen -to his strange music. - -Sometimes it was gay and sometimes it was sad, but always sweet. -Sometimes he sang words that he himself had written, and sometimes -the songs which had been written by the great masters. But mending -broken tinware and playing an old violin were not the only things -he did to help the world along. As he wandered from place to place -he often noticed how rich the soil was, and he would say to himself, -"Some day this will be a great country with thousands of people -living on this land, and though I shall never see them, they may -never read my verses or hear my name, still I can help them, and -add some things to their lives." - -So whenever a farmer's wife gave him an apple to eat he carefully -saved every seed that lay hidden in the heart of the apple, and -next day as he trudged along he would stoop down every now and then -and plant a few of the seeds and then carefully cover them with the -rich black soil of the prairie. Then he would look up reverently -to the sky and say, "I can but plant the seed, dear Lord, and Thy -clouds may water them, but Thou alone can give the increase. Thou -only can cause this tiny seed to grow into a tree whose fruit -shall feed my fellow-men." Then the God-like love that would fill -his heart at such a thought would cause his face to look young -again, and his eyes to shine as an angel's eyes must shine, and -oftentimes he would sing in clear rich tones-- - - - - "Millions loving, I embrace you, - All the world this kiss I send! - Brothers, o'er yon starry tent - Dwells a God whose love is true!" - - - -And he knew that God dwelt in his heart as well as in the blue sky -above. - -When the cold winters came and the ground was frozen too hard for -him to plant his apple seeds, he still saved them, and would often -have a small bag full of them by the time that spring returned -again. And this is how he came to be called "Old Johnny Appleseed." - -Though nobody took very much notice of what he was doing, he still -continued each day to plant apple seeds and each evening to play -on his violin. - -By-and-by his step grew slower and his shoulders drooped lower -until at last his soul, which had always been strong and beautiful, -passed out of his worn old body into the life beyond, and the -cast-off body was buried by some villagers who felt kindly towards -the old man, but who never dreamed that he had ever done any real -service for them or their children. And soon his very name was -forgotten. But the tiny apple seeds took root and began to grow, -and each summer the young saplings grew taller and each winter they -grew stronger, until at last they were young trees, and then they -were old enough to bear apples. As people moved from the east out -to the wild western prairies they naturally enough selected sites -for building their homes near the fruitful apple trees, and in -the springtime the young men gathered the blossoms for the young -maidens to wear in their hair, and in the autumn the fathers gathered -the ripe red and yellow apples to store away in their cellars for -winter use, and the mothers made apple sauce and apple pies and -apple dumplings of them, and all the year round the little children -played under the shade of the apple trees, but none of them ever -once thought of the old man who had planted for people he did not -know, and who could never even thank him for his loving services. - -Each apple that ripened bore in its heart a number of new seeds, -some of which were planted and grew into fine orchards from which -were gathered many barrels of apples. These were shipped farther -west, until the Rocky Mountains were reached. In the centre of each -apple shipped were more seeds, from which grew more apple trees, -which bore the same kind of apples that the wrinkled old man in -the shabby old clothes had planted long years before. So that many -thousands of people have already been benefited by what the poor -old man in the shabby old coat did, and thousands yet to come will -enjoy the fruits of his labor. - -It is true he never wore the armour of a great knight and never held -the title of a great general. He never discovered a new world, -nor helped his favorite to sit on the throne of a king. But perhaps -after all, though ragged and poor, he was a hero, because in his -heart he really and truly sang, as well as with his lips: - - - - "Millions loving, I embrace you, - All the world this kiss I send! - Brothers, o'er yon starry tent - Dwells a God whose love is true!" - - - -For the greatest of all victories is to learn to love others even -when they do not know it. This is to be God-like, and to be God-like -is to be the greatest of heroes. - - - - -THE LITTLE POST-BOY - -By Bayard Taylor - - - -Very few foreigners travel in Sweden in the winter, on account of -the intense cold. As you go northward from Stockholm, the capital, -the country becomes ruder and wilder, and the climate more severe. -In the sheltered valleys along the Gulf of Bothnia and the rivers -which empty into it, there are farms and villages for a distance -of seven or eight hundred miles, after which fruit-trees disappear, -and nothing will grow in the short, cold summers except potatoes -and a little barley. Farther inland, there are great forests -and lakes, and ranges of mountains where bears, wolves, and herds -of wild reindeer make their home. No people could live in such a -country unless they were very industrious and thrifty. - -I made my journey in the winter, because I was on my way to Lapland, -where it is easier to travel when the swamps and rivers are frozen, -and the reindeer-sleds can fly along over the smooth snow. It wras -very cold indeed, the greater part of the time; the days were short -and dark, and if I had not found the people so kind, so cheerful, -and so honest, I should have felt inclined to turn back, more than -once. But I do not think there are better people in the world than -those who live in Norrland, which is a Swedish province, commencing -about two hundred miles north of Stockholm. - -They are a hale, strong race, with yellow hair and bright blue -eyes, and the handsomest teeth I ever saw. They live plainly, but -very comfortably, in snug wooden houses, with double windows and -doors to keep out the cold; and since they cannot do much out-door -work, they spin and weave and mend their farming implements in -the large family room, thus enjoying the winter in spite of its -severity. They are very happy and contented, and few of them would -be willing to leave that cold country and make their homes in a -warmer climate. - -Here there are neither railroads nor stages, but the government has -established post-stations at distances varying from ten to twenty -miles. At each station a number of horses, and sometimes vehicles, -are kept, but generally the traveler has his own sled, and simply -hires the horses from one station to another. These horses are either -furnished by the keeper of the station or some of the neighboring -farmers, and when they are wanted a man or boy goes along with the -traveler to bring them back. It would be quite an independent and -convenient way of traveling, if the horses were always ready; but -sometimes you must wait an hour or more before they can be furnished. - -I had my own little sled, filled with hay and covered with -reindeer-skins to keep me warm. So long as the weather was not too -cold, it was very pleasant to speed along through the dark forests, -over the frozen rivers, or past farm after farm in the sheltered -valleys up hill and down, until long after the stars came out, and -then to get a warm supper in some dark-red post cottage, while the -cheerful people sang or told stories around the fire. The cold -increased a little every day, to be sure, but I became gradually -accustomed to it, and soon began to fancy that the Arctic climate -was not so difficult to endure as I had supposed. At first the -thermometer fell to zero; then it went down ten degrees below; then -twenty, and finally thirty. Being dressed in thick furs from head -to foot, I did not suffer greatly; but I was very glad when the -people assured me that such extreme cold never lasted more than two -or three days. Boys of twelve or fourteen very often went with me -to bring back their father's horses, and so long as those lively, -red-cheeked fellows could face the weather, it would not do for me -to be afraid. - -One night there was a wonderful aurora in the sky. The streamers -of red and blue light darted hither and thither, chasing each other -up the zenith and down again to the northern horizon with a rapidity -and a brilliance which I had never seen before. "There will be -a storm, soon," said my post-boy; "one always comes, after these -lights." - -Next morning the sky was overcast, and the short day was as dark as -our twilight. But it was not quite so cold, and I travelled onward -as fast as possible. There was a long tract of wild and thinly-settled -country before me, and I wished to get through it before stopping -for the night. Unfortunately it happened that two lumber-merchants -were travelling the same way, and had taken the horses; so I was -obliged to wait at the stations until other horses were brought -from the neighbouring farms. This delayed me so much that at seven -o'clock in the evening I had still one more station of three Swedish -miles before reaching the village where I intended to spend the -night. Now a Swedish mile is nearly equal to seven English, so that -the station was at least twenty miles long. - -I decided to take supper while the horse was eating his feed. They -had not expected any more travellers at the station, and were not -prepared. The keeper had gone on with the two lumber-merchants; but -his wife--a friendly, rosy-faced woman-prepared me some excellent -coffee, potatoes, and stewed reindeer-meat, upon which I made -an excellent meal. The house was on the border of a large, dark -forest, and the roar of the icy northern wind in the trees seemed -to increase while I waited in the warm room. I did not feel inclined -to go forth into the wintry storm, but, having set my mind on -reaching the village that night, I was loath to turn back. - -"It is a bad night," said the woman, "and my husband will certainly -stay at Umea until morning. His name is Neils Petersen, and I think -you will find him at the post-office when you get there. Lars will -take you, and they can come back together." - -"Who is Lars?" I asked. - -"My son," said she. "He is getting the horse ready. There is nobody -else about the house to-night." - -Just then the door opened, and in came Lars. He was about twelve -years old; but his face was so rosy, his eyes so clear and round -and blue, and his golden hair was blown back from his face in such -silky curls, that he appeared to be even younger. I was surprised -that his mother should be willing to send him twenty miles through -the dark woods on such a night. - -"Come here, Lars," I said. Then I took him by the hand, and asked, -"Are you not afraid to go so far to-night?" - -He looked at me with wondering eyes, and smiled; and his mother -made haste to say: "You need have no fear, sir. Lars is young; but -he'll take you safe enough. If the storm don't get worse, you'll -be at Umea by eleven o'clock." - -I was again on the point of remaining; but while I was deliberating -with myself, the boy had put on his overcoat of sheep-skin, tied -the lappets of his fur cap under his chin, and a thick woolen scarf -around his nose and mouth, so that only the round blue eyes were -visible; and then his mother took down the mittens of hare's fur -from the stove, where they had been hung to dry. He put them on, -took a short leather whip, and was ready. - -I wrapped myself in my furs, and we went out together. The driving -snow cut me in the face like needles, but Lars did not mind it in -the least. He jumped into the sled, which he had filled with fresh, -soft hay, tucked in the reindeer-skins at the sides, and we cuddled -together on the narrow seat, making everything close and warm before -we set out. I could not see at all, when the door of the house was -shut, and the horse started on the journey. The night was dark, -the snow blew incessantly, and the dark fir-trees roared all around -us. Lars, however, knew the way, and somehow or other we kept the -beaten track. He talked to the horse so constantly and so cheerfully, -that after a while my own spirits began to rise, and the way seemed -neither so long nor so disagreeable. - -"Ho there, Axel!" he would say. "Keep to the road,--not too far to -the left. Well done. Here's a level; now trot a bit." - -So we went on--sometimes up hill, sometimes down hill--for a long -time, as it seemed. I began to grow chilly, and even Lars handed -me the reins, while he swung and beat his arms to keep the blood -in circulation. He no longer sang little songs and fragments of -hymns, as when we first set out; but he was not in the least alarmed, -or even impatient. Whenever I asked (as I did about every five -minutes), "Are we nearly there?" he always answered, "A little -farther." - -Suddenly the wind seemed to increase. - -"Ah," said he, "now I know where we are; it's one mile more." But -one mile, you must remember, meant seven. - -Lars checked the horse, and peered anxiously from side to side in -the darkness. I looked also, but could see nothing. - -"What is the matter?" I finally asked. - -"We have got past the hills, on the left," he said. "The country -is open to the wind, and here the snow drifts worse than anywhere -else on the road. If there have been no ploughs out to-night we'll -have trouble." - -You must know that the farmers along the road are obliged to turn -out with their horses and oxen, and plough down the drifts, whenever -the road is blocked up by a storm. - -In less than a quarter of an hour we could see that the horse was -sinking in the deep snow. He plunged bravely forward, but made -scarcely any headway, and presently became so exhausted that he -stood quite still. Lars and I arose from the seat and looked around. -For my part, I saw nothing except some very indistinct shapes -of trees; there was no sign of an opening through them. In a few -minutes the horse started again, and with great labour carried us -a few yards farther. - -"Shall we get out and try to find the road?" said I. - -"It's no use," Lars answered. "In these drifts we would sink to -the waist. Wait a little, and we shall get through this one." - -It was as he said. Another pull brought us through the deep part of -the drift, and we reached a place where the snow was quite shallow. -But it was not the hard, smooth surface of the road: we could feel -that the ground was uneven, and covered with roots and bushes. -Bidding Axel stand still, Lars jumped out of the sled, and began -wading around among the trees. Then I got out on the other side, -but had not proceeded ten steps before I began to sink so deeply -into the loose snow that I was glad to extricate myself and return. -It was a desperate situation, and I wondered how we should ever -get out of it. - -I shouted to Lars, in order to guide him, and it was not long -before he also came back to the sled. "If I knew where the road -is," said he, "I could get into it again. But I don't know; and I -think we must stay here all night." - -"We shall freeze to death in an hour!" I cried. I was already -chilled to the bone. The wind had made me very drowsy, and I knew -that if I slept I should soon be frozen. - -"Oh, no!" exclaimed Lars cheerfully. "I am a Norrlander, and -Norrlanders never freeze. I went with the men to the bear-hunt -last winter, up on the mountains, and we were several nights in -the snow. Besides, I know what my father did with a gentleman from -Stockholm on this very road, and we'll do it to-night." - -"What was it?" - -"Let me take care of Axel first," said Lars. "We can spare him some -hay and one reindeer-skin." - -It was a slow and difficult task to unharness the horse, but -we accomplished it at last. Lars then led him under the drooping -branches of a fir-tree, tied him to one of them, gave him an armful -of hay, and fastened the reindeer-skin upon his back. Axel began -to eat, as if perfectly satisfied with the arrangement. The Norrland -horses are so accustomed to cold that they seem comfortable in a -temperature where one of ours would freeze. - -When this was done, Lars spread the remaining hay evenly over the -bottom of the sled and covered it with the skins, which he tucked -in very firmly on the side toward the wind. Then, lifting them up -on the other side, he said: "Now take off your fur coat, quick, -lay it over the hay, and then creep under it." - -I obeyed as rapidly as possible. For an instant I shuddered in the -icy air; but the next moment I lay stretched in the bottom of the -sled, sheltered from the storm. I held up the ends of the reindeer-skins -while Lars took off his coat and crept in beside me. Then he drew -the skins down and pressed the hay against them. When the wind seemed -to be entirely excluded Lars said we must pull off our boots, untie -our scarfs, and so loosen our clothes that they would not feel -tight upon any part of the body. When this was done, and we lay -close together, warming each other, I found that the chill gradually -passed out of my blood. My hands and feet were no longer numb; a -delightful feeling of comfort crept over me; and I lay as snugly -as in the best bed. I was surprised to find that, although my head -was covered, I did not feel stifled. Enough air came in under the -skins to prevent us from feeling oppressed. There was barely room -for the two of us to lie, with no chance of turning over or rolling -about. In five minutes, I think, we were asleep, and I dreamed -of gathering peaches on a warm August day, at home. In fact, I did -not wake up thoroughly during the night; neither did Lars, though -it seemed to me that we both talked in our sleep. But as I must have -talked English and he Swedish, there could have been no connection -between our remarks. I remember that his warm, soft hair pressed -against my chin, and that his feet reached no farther than my -knees. Just as I was beginning to feel a little cramped and stiff -from lying so still I was suddenly aroused by the cold wind on -my face. Lars had risen up on his elbow, and was peeping out from -under the skins. - -"I think it must be near six o'clock," he said. "The sky is clear, -and I can see the big star. We can start in another hour." - -I felt so much refreshed that I was for setting out immediately; -but Lars remarked very sensibly that is was not yet possible to -find the road. While we were talking, Axel neighed. - -"There they are!" cried Lars, and immediately began to put on his -boots, his scarf, and heavy coat. I did the same, and by the time -we were ready we heard shouts and the crack of whips. We harnessed -Axel to the sled, and proceeded slowly in the direction of the -sound, which came, as we presently saw, from a company of farmers, -out thus early to plough the road. They had six pairs of horses -geared to a wooden frame, something like the bow of a ship, pointed -in front and spreading out to a breadth of ten or twelve feet. -This machine not only cut through the drifts but packed the snow, -leaving a good, solid road behind it. After it had passed, we sped -along merrily in the cold morning twilight, and in a little more -than an hour reached the post-house at Umeå, where we found Lars' -father prepared to return home. He waited, nevertheless, until Lars -had eaten a good warm breakfast, when I said good-bye to both, and -went on towards Lapland. - -Some weeks afterwards, on my return to Stockholm, I stopped at the -same little station. This time the weather was mild and bright, -and the father would have gone with me to the next post-house; but -I preferred to take my little bed-fellow and sled-fellow. He was -so quiet and cheerful and fearless, that although I had been nearly -all over the world, and he had never been away from home,--although -I was a man and he a young boy,--I felt that I had learned a lesson -from him, and might probably learn many more if I should know him -better. We had a merry trip of two or three hours, and then I took -leave of Lars forever. - - - - -HOW JUNE FOUND MASSA LINKUM - -By Elizabeth Stuart Phelps - - - -June laid down her knives upon the scrubbing-board, and stole softly -out into the yard. Madame Joilet was taking a nap upstairs, and, -for a few minutes at least, the coast seemed to be quite clear. - -Who was June? and who was Madame Joilet? - -June was a little girl who had lived in Richmond ever since she could -remember, who had never been outside of the city's boundaries, and -who had a vague idea that the North lay just above the Chick-ahominy -River and the Gulf of Mexico about a mile below the James. She could -not tell A from Z, nor the figure 1 from 40; and whenever Madame -Joilet made those funny little curves and dots and blots with pen -and ink, in drawing up her bills to send to the lodgers upstairs, -June considered that she was moved thereto by witches. Her authority -for this theory lay in a charmig old woman across the way, who -had one tooth, and wore a yellow cap, and used to tell her ghost -stories sometimes in the evening. - -Somebody asked June once how old she was. - -"'Spect I's a hundred,--dunno," she said gravely. Exactly how old -she was nobody knew. She was not tall enough to be more than seven, -but her face was like the face of a little old woman. It was a queer -little face, with thick lips and low forehead, and great mournful -eyes. There was something strange about those eyes. Whenever they -looked at one, they seemed to cry right out, as if they had a -voice. But no one in Richmond cared about that. Nobody cared about -June at all. When she was unhappy, no one asked what was the matter; -when she was hungry, or cold, or frightened, Madame Joilet laughed -at her, and when she was sick she beat her. If she broke a teacup -or spilled a mug of coffee, she had her ears boxed, or was shut up -in a terrible dark cellar, where the rats were as large as kittens. -If she tried to sing a little, in her sorrowful, smothered way, -over her work, Madame Joilet shook her for making so much noise. -When she stopped, she scolded her for being sulky. Nothing that -she could do ever happened to be right; everything was sure to be -wrong. She had not half enough to eat, nor half enough to wear. -What was worse than that, she had nobody to kiss, and nobody to -kiss her; nobody to love her and pet her; nobody in all the wide -world to care whether she lived or died, except a half-starved kitten -that lived in the wood-shed. For June was black, and a slave; and -this Frenchwoman, Madame Joilet, was her mistress. - -Exactly what was the use of living under such circumstances June -never could clearly see. She cherished a secret notion that, if she -could find a little grave all dug out somewhere in a clover-field, -she would creep in and hide there. Madame Joilet could not find her -then. People who lived in graves were not supposed to be hungry; -and, if it were ever so cold, they never shivered. That they could -not be beaten was a natural consequence, because there was so much -earth between, that you wouldn't feel the stick. The only objection -would be leaving Hungry. Hungry was the kitten. June had named it -so because it was black. She had an idea that everything black was -hungry. - -That there had been a war, June gathered from old Creline, who told -her the ghost stories. What it was all about, she did not know. -Madame Joilet said some terrible giants, called Yankees, were coming -down to eat up all the little black girls in Richmond. Creline said -that the Yankees were the Messiah's people, and were coming to set -the negroes free. Who the Messiah was, June did not know; but she -had heard vague stories from Creline, of old-time African princes, -who lived in great free forests, and sailed on sparkling rivers in -boats of painted bark, and she thought that he must be one of them. - -Now, this morning, Creline had whispered mysteriously to June, as -she went up the street to sell some eggs for Madame Joilet, that -Massa Linkum was coming that very day. June knew nothing about -Massa Linkum, and nothing about those grand, immortal words of his -which had made every slave in Richmond free; it had never entered -Madame Joilet's plan that she should know. No one can tell, reasoned -Madame, what notions the little nigger will get if she finds it out. -She might even ask for wages, or take a notion to learn to read, -or run away, or something. June saw no one; she kept her prudently -in the house. Tell her? _No, no, impossible_! - -But June had heard the beautiful news this morning, like all the -rest; and June was glad, though she had not the slightest idea why. -So, while her mistress was safely asleep upstairs, she had stolen -out to watch for the wonderful sight,--the mysterious sight that -every one was waiting to see. She was standing there on tiptoe on -the fence, in her little ragged dress, with the black kitten in -her arms, when a great crowd turned a corner, and tossed up a cloud -of dust, and swept up the street. There were armed soldiers with -glittering uniforms, and there were flags flying, and merry voices -shouting, and huzzas and blessings distinct upon the air. There -were long lines of dusky faces upturned, and wet with happy tears. -There were angry faces, too, scowling from windows, and lurking in -dark corners. - -It swept on, and it swept up, and June stood still, and held her -breath to look, and saw, in the midst of it all, a tall man dressed -in black. He had a thin, white face, sad-eyed and kindly and quiet, -and he was bowing and smiling to the people on either side. - -"God bress yer, Massa Linkum, God bress yer!" shouted the happy -voices; and then there was a chorus of wild hurrahs, and June laughed -outright for glee, and lifted up her little thin voice and cried, -"Bress yer, Massa Linkum!" with the rest, and knew no more than -the kitty what she did it for. - -The great man turned, and saw June standing alone in the sunlight, -the fresh wind blowing her ragged dress, her little black shoulders -just reaching to the top of the fence, her wide-open, mournful -eyes, and the kitten squeezed in her arms. And he looked right at -her, oh, so kindly! and gave her a smile all to herself--one of -his rare smiles, with a bit of a quiver in it,--and bowed, and was -gone. - -"Take me 'long wid yer, Massa Linkum, Massa Linkum!" called poor -June faintly. But no one heard her; and the crowd swept on, and -June's voice broke into a cry, and the hot tears came, and she laid -her face down on Hungry to hide them. You see, in all her life, -no one had ever looked so at June before. - -"June, June, come here!" called a sharp voice from the house. But -June was sobbing so hard she did not hear. - -"Venez ici,--vite, vite! June! Voila! The little nigger will be -the death of me. She tears my heart. June, vite, I say!" - -June started, and jumped down from the fence, and ran into the -house with great frightened eyes. - -"I just didn't mean to, noways, missus. I want to see Massa Linkum, -an' he look at me, an' I done forget eberyting. O missus, don't -beat me dis yere time, an' I'll neber--" - -But Madame Joilet interrupted her with a box on the ear, and -dragged her upstairs. There was a terrible look on Madame's face. -Just what happened upstairs, I have not the heart to tell you. - -That night, June was crouched, sobbing and bruised, behind the -kitchen stove, when Creline came in on an errand for her mistress. -Madame Joilet was obliged to leave the room for a few minutes, -and the two were alone together. June crawled out from behind the -stove. "I see him,--I see Massa Linkum, Creline." - -"De Lord bress him foreber'n eber. Amen!" exclaimed Creline fervently, -throwing up her old thin hands. - -June crept a little nearer, and looked all around the room to see -if the doors were shut. - -"Creline, what's he done gone come down here fur? Am he de Messiah?" - -"Bress yer soul, chile! don' ye know better'n dat ar?" - -"Don' know nuffin," said June sullenly. "Neber knows nuffin; 'spects -I neber's gwine to. Can' go out in de road to fine out,--she beat -me. Can' ask nuffin,--she jest gib me a push down cellar. O Creline, -der's sech rats down dar now,--dar is!" - -"Yer poor critter!" said Creline, with great contempt for her -ignorance. "Why, Massa Linkum, eberybody knows 'bout he. He's done -gone made we free,--whole heap on we." - -"Free!" echoed June, with puzzled eyes. - -"Laws, yes, chile; 'pears like yer's drefful stupid. Yer don' -b'long--" Creline lowered her voice to a mysterious whisper, and -looked carefully at the closed door,--"yer don' b'long to Missus -Jolly no more dan she b'long to you, an' dat's de trufe now, 'case -Massa Linkum say so,--God bress him!" - -Just then Madame Joilet came back. - -"What's that you're talking about?" she said sharply. - -"June was jes' sayin' what a heap she tink ob you, missus," said -Creline with a grave face. - -June lay awake a long time that night, thinking about Massa Linkum, -and the wonderful news Creline had brought, and wondering when -Madame Joilet would tell her that she was free. - -But many days passed, and Madame said nothing about it. Creline's -son had left his master and gone North. Creline herself had asked -and obtained scanty wages for her work. A little black boy across -the street had been sentenced to receive twenty-five lashes for -some trifling fault, and they had just begun to whip him in the -yard, when a Union officer stepped up and stopped them. A little -girl, not a quarter of a mile away, whose name June had often -heard, had just found her father, who had been sold away from her -years ago, and had come into Richmond with the Yankee soldiers. -But nothing had happened to June. Everything went on as in the old -days before Master Linkum came. She washed dishes, and scrubbed -knives, and carried baskets of wood, so heavy that she tottered -under their weight, and was scolded if she dropped so much as a -shaving on the floor. She swept the rooms with a broom three times -as tall as she was, and had her ears boxed because she sould not -get the dust up with such tiny hands. She worked and scrubbed and -ran on errands from morning to night, till her feet ached so she -cried out with the pain. She was whipped and scolded and threatened -and frightened and shaken, just as she had been ever since she could -remember. She was kept shut up like a prisoner in the house, with -Madame Joilet's cold gray eyes forever on her, and her sharp voice -forever in her ear. And still not a word was said about Massa Linkum -and the beautiful freedom he had given to all such as little June, -and not a word did June dare to say. - -But June _thought_. Madame Joilet could not help that. If Madame -had known just what June was thinking, she would have tried hard -to help it. - -Well, so the days passed, and the weeks, and still Madame said -not a word; and still she whipped and scolded and shook, and June -worked and cried, and nothing happened. But June had not done all -her thinking for nothing. - -One night Creline was going by the house, when June called to her -softly through the fence. - -"Creline!" - -"What's de matter?" said Creline, who was in a great hurry. "I's -gwine to fine Massa Linkum,--don' yer tell nobody. Law's a massy, -what a young un dat ar chile is!" said Creline, thinking that June -had just waked up from a dream, and forthwith forgetting all about -her. - -Madame Joilet always locked June in her room, which was nothing -but a closet with a window in it, and a heap of rags for a bed. On -this particular night she turned the key as usual, and then went -to her own room at the other end of the house, where she was soon -soundly asleep. - -About eleven o'clock, when all the house was still, the window -of June's closet softly opened. There was a roofed door-way just -underneath it, with an old grapevine trellis running up one side of -it. A little dark figure stepped out timidly on the narrow, steep -roof, clinging with its hands to keep its balance, and then down -upon the trellis, which it began to crawl slowly down. The old wood -creaked and groaned and trembled, and the little figure trembled -and stood still. If it should give way, and fall crashing to the -ground! - -She stood a minute looking down; then she took a slow, careful -step; then another and another, hand under hand upon the bars. The -trellis creaked and shook and cracked, but it held on, and June -held on, and dropped softly down, gasping and terrified at what -she had done, all in a little heap on the grass below. - -She lay there a moment perfectly still. She could not catch her -breath at first, and she trembled so that she could not move. - -Then she crept along on tiptoe to the wood-shed. She ran a great -risk in opening the wood-shed door, for the hinges were rusty, -and it creaked with a terrible noise. But Hungry was in there. She -could not go without Hungry. She went in, and called in a faint -whisper. The kitten knew her, dark as it was, and ran out from the -wood-pile with a joyful mew, to rub itself against her dress. - -"We's gwine to fine Massa Linkum, you an' me, bof two togeder," -said June. - -"Pur! pur-r-r!" said Hungry, as if she were quite content; and June -took her up in her arms, and laughed softly. How happy they would -be, she and Hungry! and how Massa Linkum would smile and wonder -when he saw them coming in! and how Madame Joilet would hunt and -scold! - -She went out of the wood-shed and out of the yard, hushing the soft -laugh on her lips, and holding her breath as she passed under her -mistress's window. She had heard Creline say that Massa Linkum had -gone back to the North; so she walked up the street a little way, -and then she turned aside into the vacant squares and unpaved roads, -and so out into the fields where no one could see her. - -It was very still and very dark. The great trees stood up like -giants against the sky, and the wind howled hoarsely through them. -It made June think of the bloodhounds that she had seen rushing -with horrible yells to the swamps, where hunted slaves were hiding. - -"I reckon 'tain't on'y little ways, Hungry," she said with a shiver; -"we'll git dar 'fore long. Don' be 'fraid." - -"Pur! pur-r-r!" said Hungry, nestling her head in warmly under -June's arm. - -"'Spect you lub me, Hungry,--'spect you does!" - -And then June laughed softly once more. What would Massa Linkum -say to the kitty? Had he ever seen such a kitty in all his life? - -So she folded her arms tightly over Hungry's soft fur, and trudged -away into the woods. She began to sing a little as she walked, in -that sorrowful, smothered way, that made Madame Joilet angry. Ah, -that was all over now! There would be no more scolding and beating, -no more tired days, no more terrible nights spent in the dark and -lonely cellar, no more going to bed without her supper, and crying -herself to sleep. Massa Linkum would never treat her so. She never -once doubted, in that foolish little trusting heart of hers, that -he would be glad to see her, and Hungry too. Why should she? Was -there anyone in all the world who had looked so at poor June? - -So on and away, deep into the woods and swamps, she trudged cheerily; -and she sang low to Hungry, and Hungry purred to her. The night -passed on and the stars grew pale, the woods deepened and thickened, -the swamps were cold and wet, the brambles scratched her hands and -feet. - -"It's jes' ober here little ways, Hungry," trying to laugh. "We'll -fine him purty soon. I's terrible tired an'--sleepy, Hungry." - -She sat down there on a heap of leaves to rest, and laid her head -down upon her arm, and Hungry mewed a little, and curled up in -her neck. The next she knew, the sun was shining. She jumped up -frightened and puzzled, and then she remembered where she was, and -began to think of breakfast. But there were no berries but the -poisonous dog-wood, and nothing else to be seen but leaves and -grass and bushes. Hungry snapped up a few grasshoppers, and looked -longingly at an unattainable squirrel, who was flying from tree-top -to tree-top; then they went slowly on. - -About noon they came to a bit of a brook. June scooped up the water -in her hands, and Hungry lapped it with her pink tongue. But there -was no dinner to be found, and no sign of Massa Linkum; the sun was -like a great ball of fire above the tree-tops, and the child grew -faint and weak. - -"I didn't'spect it was so fur," groaned poor June. "But don't yer -be 'feard now, Hungry. 'Pears like we'll fine him berry soon." - -The sun went down, and the twilight came. No supper, and no sign -of Massa Linkum yet. Nothing but the great forest and the swamps -and the darkening shadows and the long, hungry night. June lay -down once more on the damp ground where the poisonous snakes hid -in the bushes, and hugged Hungry with her weak little arms, and -tried to speak out bravely: "We'll fine him, Hungry, sure, to-morrer. -He'll jes' open de door an' let us right in, he will; an' he'll -hab breakfas' all ready an' waitin'; 'pears like he'll hab a dish -ob milk up in de corner for you now,--tink o' dat ar, Hungry!" and -then the poor little voice that tried to be so brave broke down -into a great sob. "Ef I on'y jes' had one little mouthful now, -Hungry!--on'y one!" - -So another night passed, and another morning came. A faint noise -woke June from her uneasy sleep, when the sun was hardly up. -It was Hungry, purring loudly at her ear. A plump young robin lay -quivering between her paws. She was tossing it to and fro with -curves and springs of delight. She laid the poor creature down -by June's face, looking proudly from June to it, saying as plainly -as words could say, "Here's a fine breakfast. I got it on purpose -for you. Why don't you eat, for pity's sake? There are plenty more -where this came from!" - -But June turned away her eyes and moaned; and Hungry, in great -perplexity, made away with the robin herself. - -Presently June crawled feebly to her feet, and pushed on through -the brambles. The kitten, purring in her arms, looked so happy and -contented with her breakfast that the child cried out at the sight -of it in sudden pain. - -"O, I tought we'd git dar 'fore now, an' I tought he'd jes' be -so glad to see us!"--and then presently, "He jes' look so kinder -smilin' right out ob his eyes, Hungry!" - -A bitter wind blew from the east that day, and before noon the rain -was falling, dreary and chilly and sharp. It soaked June's feet and -ragged dress, and pelted in her face. The wind blew against her, -and whirled about her, and tossed her to and fro,--she was such a -little thing, and so weak now and faint. - -Just as the early twilight fell from the leaden sky, and the shadows -began to skulk behind the bushes, and the birds gathered to their -nests with sleepy twitter, she tripped over a little stone, fell -weakly to the ground, and lay still. She had not the strength to -get to her feet again. - -But somehow June felt neither troubled nor afraid. She lay there -with her face upturned to the pelting rain, watching it patter from -leaf to leaf, listening to the chirp of the birds in the nests, -listening to the crying of the wind. She liked the sound. She had -a dim notion that it was like an old camp-meeting hymn that she -had heard Creline sing sometimes. She never understood the words, -but the music came back like a dream. She wondered if Massa Linkum -ever heard it. She thought he _looked like it_. She should like to -lie there all night and listen to it; and then in the morning they -would go on and find him,--in the morning; it would come very soon. - -The twilight deepened, and the night came on. The rain fell faster, -and the sharp wind cried aloud. - -"It's bery cold," said June sleepily, and turned her face over to -hide it on the kitten's warm, soft fur. "Goo' night, Hungry. We'll -git dar to-mor-rer. We's mos' dar, Hungry." - -Hungry curled up close to her cold, wet cheek--Hungry did not care -how black it was--with a happy answering mew; but June said nothing -more. - -The rain fell faster, and the sharp wind cried aloud. The kitten -woke from a nap, and purred for her to stir and speak; but June -said nothing more. - -Still the rain fell, and the wind cried; and the long night and -the storm and the darkness passed, and the morning came. - -Hungry stirred under June's arm, and licked her face, and mewed -piteously at her ear. But June's arm lay still, and June said no -word. - -Somewhere, in a land where there was never slave and never mistress, -where there were no more hungry days and frightened nights, little -June was laughing softly, and had found some one to love her -at last. And so she did not find Massa Linkum after all? Ah!--who -would have guessed it? To that place where June had gone, where -there are no masters and no slaves, he had gone before her. - -And don't I suppose his was the first face she saw, as she passed -through the storm and the night to that waiting, beautiful place? -And don't I suppose he smiled as he had smiled before, and led -her gently to that other Face, of which poor little June had known -nothing in all her life? Of course I do. - - - - -THE STORY OF A FOREST FIRE - -By Raymond S. Spears - - - -For more than six weeks no rain had fallen along the southwest side -of the Adirondacks. The ground was parched. In every direction -from Seabury Settlement fires had been burning through the forest, -but as yet the valley of the West Canada had escaped. - -But one night a careless man threw a burning match into a -brush-heap. When morning came the west wind, blowing up the valley, -was ash-laden and warm with the fire that was coming eastward toward -the settlement in a line a mile wide. - -Soon after daybreak Lem Lawson met the fire on his way to -Noblesborough, and warned the settlement of its danger. One man -hastened to Noblesborough for the fire-warden, two went up the -West Canada to the lumber-camps. The rest of the male population, -including boys, hastened down the main road to an old log trail. - -It was hoped the fire might be stopped at the open the road afforded. - -With hoes and shovels the men dug a trench through the loam to the -sand, scattering the dirt over the leaves toward the fire. When -the first flames came along, they redoubled their efforts amid the -flying sparks and suffocating smoke, but without avail. The sparks -and great pieces of flaming birch curls carried the flames over the -road into the woods beyond the men, fairly surrounding them with -fire. - -The men could only go before it, pausing now and then to throw dirt -on a spark. Those who lived in the settlement glanced from side to -side, wondering if the fire would cross the brook, where they now -determined to make another and the last possible stand. - -The settlement was built along the brink of a steep side-hill. The -bed of the stream was only a few feet wide,--chiefly sand-bar and -dry boulders at this time,--and beyond it, toward the fire, was a -flat, or bottom, sixty rods wide, averaging not two feet above the -bed of the brook. - -Should the fire cross the brook, it would climb the hill and burn -the buildings. Then it would sweep across the narrow fields of -grass, or go round the ends of the settlement clearing, into the -"big woods." - -One of the fire-fighters was Will Borson, son of the man who had -thrown the match, and as he fought with his hoe along the road he -heard the men on each side of him cursing his father by name for -his carelessness. More than once these men turned on Will, and told -him he ought to put that fire out, since his father was to blame -for it. - -Will did his best. Sparks burned holes in his shirt; a flare of -sheet fire from a brush-heap singed his eyelashes and the hair over -his forehead. When old Ike Frazier cried out, "It's no use here -any more, boys!" Will was the last one to duck his head and run -for the road up the creek to the settlement. - -Half a dozen men were detailed to go to the houses and help the -women carry the furniture and other household goods out in the -fields to the watering-troughs; the rest hastened to the brook -and scattered along it, and threw water on the brush at the edge, -hoping the flames would be deadened when they came. - -Among them worked Will Borson, thinking with all his might and -looking up and down the creek as if the dry gray boulders, with the -scant thread of water oozing down among them, would give him some -inspiration. The width of the stream was only a few feet on an -average, and twenty feet at the widest pools, over which the flame -and sparks would quickly jump. - -The fire reached the flat at the foot of the ridge and came toward -the brook in jumps. The men worked faster than ever with their -ten-quart pails. Old Ike Frazier glanced up the stream, and saw -Will leaning on his hoe-handle, doing nothing. - -"Hi there!" yelled the man. "Get to work!" - -"You tell the men they want to be looking out!" Will called back. -"Something'll happen pretty quick!" With that he dropped his hoe -and went climbing up the side-hill toward his home at the top. -Mrs. Borson was just piling the last of her bedding on the wagon -when she saw Will coming toward her. He unhitched the horse from -the wagon, and had the harness scattered on the ground before his -mother could control herself enough to cry: - -"Those things'll be burned here! What are you taking the horse -for--we--we--" - -Then she sank to the ground and cried, while Will's younger brothers -and sisters joined in. - -Will did not stop to say anything, but leaped to the back of the -horse, and away he went up the road, to the amazement of those who -were taking their goods from the houses. But he was soon in the -woods above the settlement and out of sight of every one. - -He was headed for the dam. He had thought to open the little sluice -at the bottom of it, which would add to the volume of the water in -the stream--raise it a foot, perhaps. - -He reached the dam, and prying at the gate, opened the way. A stream -of water two feet square shot from the bottom of the dam and went -sloshing down among the rocks. - -"That water'll help a lot," he thought. Then he heard the roar of -the fire down the brook, and saw a huge dull, brick-colored flash -as a big hemlock went up in flame. The amount of water gushing from -the gate of the dam seemed suddenly small and useless. It would not -fill the brook-bed. In a little shanty a hundred yards away were -the quarrying tools used in getting out the stone for the Cardin -house. To this Will ran with all his speed. - -With an old ax that was behind the shanty he broke down the door. -Inside he picked up a full twelve-pound box of dynamite, and bored -a hole the size of his finger into one side. Then with a fuse and -cap in one hand and the box under his arm, he hurried back to the -dam. - -He climbed down the ladder to the bottom of the dam, and fixing -the fuse to the cap, ran it into the hole he had bored till it was -well among the sawdust and sticks of dynamite. He cut the fuse to -two minutes' length, and carried the box back among the big key -logs that held the dam. He was soon ready. He jammed the box under -water among beams where it would stick. A match started the fuse -going, and then Will climbed the ladder and ran for safety. - -In a few moments the explosion came. Will heard the beams in the -gorge tumbling as the dam gave way, and the water behind was freed. -Away it went, washing and pounding down the narrow ravine, toward -the low bottom. - -The fire-fighters heard the explosion and paused, wondering, to -listen. The next instant the roar of the water came to their ears, -and the tremble caused by logs and boulders rolling with the flood -was felt. Then every man understood what was done, for they had -been log-drivers all their lives, and knew the signs of a loosed -sluicegate or of a broken jam. - -They climbed the steep bank toward the buildings, to be above the -flood-line, yelling warnings that were half-cheers. - -In a few moments the water was below the mouth of the gorge, and -then it rushed over the low west bank of the brook and spread out -on the wide flat where the fire was raging. For a minute clouds of -steam and loud hissing marked the progress of the wave, and then -the brush-heaps from edge to edge of the valley bottom were covered -and the fire was drowned. - -The fires left in the trees above the high-water mark and the -flames back on the ridge still thrust and flared, but were unable -to cross the wide, wet flood-belt. The settlement and the "big -woods" beyond were saved. - -Sol Cardin reached the settlement on the following day, and heard -the story of the fire. In response to an offer from Will, he replied: - -"No, my boy, you needn't pay for the dam by working or anything -else. I'm in debt to you for saving my timber above the settlement, -instead." Then he added, in a quiet way characteristic of him, -"It seems a pity if wit like yours doesn't get its full growth." - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE JUNIOR CLASSICS *** - -This file should be named 6302-0.txt or 6302-0.zip - -Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US -unless a copyright notice is included. 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