[Illustration: Front Cover]

[Illustration]

THE BOOK

OF

ENTERPRISE & ADVENTURE;

BEING AN

EXCITEMENT TO READING. 

FOR

YOUNG PEOPLE. 

A NEW AND CONDENSED EDITION. 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ABSALON. 

LONDON

1851. 

PREFACE. 

The object of this Volume is that of inducing young people to read, tocultivate in them a habit of reading and reflection, and to excite theimagination, the feelings, and the better emotions of their nature in apleasurable and judicious manner. 

The pieces selected are such as will be likely to exert a beneficialinfluence upon the reader, to inspire him with heroic enthusiasm, and tolead him to despise danger. 

In our perpetually migrating population, no one can tell who will not becalled upon to brave the vicissitudes of "flood and field;" and to showhow perils may be surmounted, and privations endured with energy andpatience, is to teach no unimportant lesson. 

Nothing whatever has been introduced into this Volume, but such subjectsas will teach a dependence upon Divine Providence, in aid ofself-reliance and self-sacrifice, while details of war and bloodshedhave been studiously avoided. 

THE EDITOR. 

CONTENTS. 

ARABIAN HOSPITALITY, ETC. HOSPITALITY OF THE ARAB HORRORS OF AFRICAN WARFARE CROCODILE SHOOTING

REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF COURAGE IN A LADY

INDIAN FIELD SPORTS-- METHOD OF CATCHING BIRDS THE HYENA THE BEAR SAGACITY OF THE ELEPHANT ANECDOTES OF THE TIGER

DEATH OF SIR JOHN MOORE

PERSIAN TYRANNY

SKETCHES IN VIRGINIA-- ROCK BRIDGE WIER'S CAVE

THE CHRISTIAN SLAVE

VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE IN CALABRIA

ESCAPE FROM A SHIP ON FIRE

ANECDOTES, ETC. -- THE ALBATROSS VISIT TO A PENGUIN ROOKERY THE SEA ELEPHANT VISIT FROM THE NATIVES AT TERRA DEL FUEGO CHILIAN MODE OF CAPTURING WILD HORSES FIGHT BETWEEN A WHALE AND A KILLER WAR DANCES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS HISTORY OF PADDY CONNEL

EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM DROWNING

ADVENTURE IN THE DESERT, AND MURDER OF A SHEIKH

BOOK OF ENTERPRISE & ADVENTURE. 

~Arabian Hospitality--African Warfare, &c. ~

The following three extracts are from a work of considerable merit, intitled "The Crescent and the Cross. " It contains, not only muchvaluable matter relative to Egypt and Abyssinia, but many interestinganecdotes, of which we give a specimen. 

HOSPITALITY OF THE ARAB. 

In 1804, Osman Bardissy was the most influential of the Mameluke Beys, and virtually governed Egypt. Mehemet Ali, then rising into power, succeeded in embroiling this powerful old chief with Elfy Bey, anotherof the Mamelukes. The latter escaped to England, where he wasfavourably received, and promised assistance by our government againstOsman, who was in the French interests. At this time a Sheikh of Bedouinstood high in Osman's confidence, and brought him intelligence that Elfyhad landed at Alexandria. "Go, then, " said the old Bey, "surprise hisboat, and slay him on his way up the river; his spoil shall be yourreward. " The Sheikh lay in wait upon the banks of the Delta, and slewall the companions of the rival Bey: Elfy himself escaped in thedarkness, and made his way to an Arab encampment before sunrise. Goingstraight to the Sheikh's tent, which is known by a spear standing infront of it, he entered, and hastily devoured some bread that he foundthere. The Sheikh was absent; but his wife exclaimed, on seeing thefugitive, "I know you, Elfy Bey, and my husband's life, perhaps at hismoment, depends upon his taking yours. Rest now and refresh yourself, then take the best horse you can find, and fly. The moment you are outof our horizon, the tribe will be in pursuit of you. " The Bey escapedto the Thebaid, and the disappointed Sheikh presented himself to hisemployer. Osman passionately demanded of him if it was true that hiswife had saved the life of his deadliest enemy, when in her power. "Mosttrue, praised be Allah!" replied the Sheikh, drawing himself proudly up, and presenting a jewel-hilted dagger to the old Bey; "this weapon, " hecontinued, "was your gift to me in the hour of your favour; had I metElfy Bey, it should have freed you from your enemy. Had my wife betrayedthe hospitality of the tent, it should have drank her blood; and now, you may use it against myself, " he added, as he flung it at theMameluke's feet. This reverence for hospitality is one of the wildvirtues that has survived from the days of the patriarchs, and it issingularly contrasted, yet interwoven with other and apparently oppositetendencies. The Arab will rob you, if he is able; he will even murderyou, if it suits his purpose; but, once under the shelter of his tribe'sblack tents, or having eaten of his salt by the wayside, you have asmuch safety in his company as his heart's blood can purchase for you. The Bedouins are extortionate to strangers, dishonest to each other, andreckless of human life. On the other hand, they are faithful to theirtrust, brave after their fashion, temperate, and patient of hardship andprivation beyond belief. Their sense of right and wrong is not foundedon the Decalogue, as may be well imagined, yet, from such principles asthey profess they rarely swerve. Though they will freely risk theirlives to steal, they will not contravene the wild rule of the desert. Ifa wayfarer's camel sinks and dies beneath its burden, the owner draws acircle round the animal in the sand, and follows the caravan. No Arabwill presume to touch that lading, however tempting. Dr. Robinsonmentions that he saw a tent hanging from a tree near Mount Sinai, whichhis Arabs said had then been there a twelvemonth, and never would betouched until its owner returned in search of it. 

HORRORS OF AFRICAN WARFARE. 

There appears to be a wild caprice amongst the institutions; if suchthey may be called, of all these tropical nations. In a neighbouringstate to that of Abyssinia, the king, when appointed to the regaldignity, retires into an island, and is never again visible to the eyesof men but once--when his ministers come to strangle him; for it may notbe that the proud monarch of Behr should die a natural death. No men, with this fatal exception, are ever allowed even to set foot upon theisland, which is guarded by a band of Amazons. In another bordercountry, called Habeesh, the monarch is dignified with the title ofTiger. He was formerly Malek of Shendy, when it was invaded by IsmaelPasha, and was even then designated by this fierce cognomen. Ismael, Mehemet Ali's second son, advanced through Nubia claiming tribute andsubmission from all the tribes Nemmir (which signifies Tiger), the kingof Shendy, received him hospitably, as Mahmoud, our dragoman, informedus, and, when he was seated in his tent, waited on him to learn hispleasure. "My pleasure is, " replied the invader, "that you forthwithfurnish me with slaves, cattle, and money, to the value of 100, 000dollars. "--"Pooh!" said Nemmir, "you jest; all my country could notproduce what you require in one hundred moons. "--"Ha! Wallah!" was theyoung Pasha's reply, and he struck the Tiger across the face with hispipe. If he had done so to his namesake of the jungle, the insult couldnot have roused fiercer feelings of revenge, but the human animal didnot shew his wrath at once. "It is well, " he replied; "let the Pasharest; _to-morrow he shall have nothing more to ask_. " The Egyptian, andthe few Mameluke officers of his staff, were tranquilly smoking towardsevening, entertained by some dancing-girls, whom the Tiger had sent toamuse them; when they observed that a huge pile of dried stalks ofIndian corn was rising rapidly round the tent. "What means this?"inquired Ismael angrily; "am not I Pasha?"--"It is but forage for yourhighness's horses, " replied the Nubian; "for, were your troops oncearrived, the people would fear to approach the camp. " Suddenly the spaceis filled with smoke, the tent-curtains shrivel up in flames, and thePasha and his comrades find themselves encircled in what they well knowis their funeral pyre. Vainly the invader implores mercy, and assuresthe Tiger of his warm regard for him and all his family; vainly heendeavours to break through the fiery fence that girds him round; athousand spears bore him back into the flames, and the Tiger'striumphant yell and bitter mockery mingle with his dying screams. TheEgyptians perished to a man. Nemmir escaped up the country, crowned withsavage glory, and married the daughter of a king, who soon left him hissuccessor, and the Tiger still defies the old Pasha's power. The latter, however, took a terrible revenge upon his people: he burnt all theinhabitants of the village nearest to the scene of his son's slaughter, and cut off the right hands of five hundred men besides. So much forAfrican warfare. 

CROCODILE SHOOTING. 

The first time a man fires at a crocodile is an epoch in his life. Wehad only now arrived in the waters where they abound; for it is acurious fact that none are ever seen below Mineych, though Herodotusspeaks of them as fighting with the dolphins, at the mouths of the Nile. A prize had been offered for the first man who detected a crocodile, andthe crew had now been two days on the alert in search of them. Buoyed upwith the expectation of such game, we had latterly reserved our fire forthem exclusively; and the wild-duck and turtle, nay, even the vultureand the eagle, had swept past, or soared above, in security. At lengththe cry of "Timseach, timseach!" was heard from half-a-dozen claimantsof the proffered prize, and half-a-dozen black fingers were eagerlypointed to a spit of sand, on which were strewn apparently some logs oftrees. It was a covey of crocodiles! Hastily and silently the boat wasrun in shore. R. Was ill, so I had the enterprise to myself, andclambered up the steep bank with a quicker pulse than when I firstlevelled a rifle at a Highland deer. My intended victims might haveprided themselves on their superior nonchalance; and, indeed, as Iapproached them, there seemed to be a sneer on their ghastly mouths andwinking eyes. Slowly they rose, one after the other, and waddled to thewater, all but one, the most gallant or most gorged of the party. He laystill until I was within a hundred yards of him; then slowly rising onhis fin-like legs, he lumbered towards the river, looking askance at me, with an expression of countenance that seemed to say, "He can do me noharm; however, I may as well have a swim. " I took aim at the throat ofthis supercilious brute, and, as soon as my hand steadied, the verypulsation of my finger pulled the trigger. Bang! went the gun! whizz!flew the bullet; and my excited ear could catch the _thud_ with which itplunged into the scaly leather of his neck. His waddle became a plunge, the waves closed over him, and the sun shone on the calm water, as Ireached the brink of the shore, that was still indented by the wavingof his gigantic tail. But there is blood upon the water, and he risesfor a moment to the surface. "A hundred piasters for the timseach, " Iexclaimed, and half-a-dozen Arabs plunged into the stream. There! herises again, and the blacks dash at him as if he hadn't a tooth in hishead. Now he is gone, the waters close over him, and I never saw himsince. From that time we saw hundreds of crocodiles of all sizes, andfired shots, --enough of them for a Spanish revolution; but we nevercould get possession of any, even if we hit them, which to this dayremains doubtful. 

~Remarkable Instance of Courage in a Lady. ~

In the Life of Thomas Day, Esq. , an anecdote is related of Miss B----, afterwards Mrs. Day, shewing with what remarkable effect presence ofmind and courage can tame the ferocity of the brute creation. 

Miss B. Was, on one occasion, walking in company with another young ladythrough a field, when a bull came running up to them with all the marksof malevolence. Her friend began to run towards the stile, but wasprevented by Miss B. , who told her, that as she could not reach thestile soon enough to save herself, and as it is the nature of theseanimals to attack persons in flight, her life would be in great dangerif she attempted to run, and would be inevitably lost if she chanced tofall; but that, if she would steal gently to the stile, she herselfwould take off the bull's attention from her, by standing between them. Accordingly, turning her face towards the animal with the firmest aspectshe could assume, she fixed her eyes steadily upon his. It is said bytravellers, that a lion itself may be controlled by the steady looks ofa human being; but that, no sooner a man turns his back, than the beastsprings upon him as his prey. Miss B. , to whom this property of animalsseems to have been known, had the presence of mind to apply it to thesafety of her friend and of herself. By her steady aspect she checkedthe bull's career; but he shewed the strongest marks of indignation atbeing so controlled, by roaring and tearing the ground with his feet andhorns. While he was thus engaged in venting his rage on the turf, shecautiously retreated a few steps, without removing her eyes from him. When he observed that she had retreated, he advanced till she stopped, and then he also stopped, and again renewed his frantic play. Thus byrepeated degrees she at length arrived at the stile, where sheaccomplished her safety; and thus, by a presence of mind rarely seen ina person of her youth and sex, she not only saved herself, but also, atthe hazard of her own life, protected her friend. Some days afterwards, this bull gored its master. 

~Indian Field Sports. ~

We give a few anecdotes illustrative of the above, from a work intitled"Sketches of Field Sports, as followed by the Natives of India, " fromthe reading of which we have derived much pleasure. The authority is Dr. Johnson, East India Company's Service. 

He begins by informing his readers, that the "Shecarries" (or professedhunters) are generally Hindoos of a low caste, who gain their livelihoodentirely by catching birds, hares, and all sorts of animals; some ofthem confine themselves to catching birds and hares, whilst otherspractise the art of catching birds and various animals; anotherdescription of them live by destroying tigers. 

METHOD OF CATCHING BIRDS. 

Those who catch birds equip themselves with a framework of splitbamboos, resembling the frame of a paper kite, the shape of the top of acoffin, and the height of a man, to which green bushes are fastened, leaving two loop-holes to see through, and one lower down for their rodto be inserted through. This framework, which is very light, they fastenbefore them when they are in the act of catching birds, by which meansthey have both hands at liberty, and are completely concealed from theview of the birds. The rod which they use is about twenty-four feetlong, resembling a fishing-rod, the parts of which are inserted withinone another, and the whole contained in a walking-stick. 

They also carry with them horse-hair nooses of different sizes andstrength, which they fasten to the rod: likewise bird-lime, and avariety of calls for the different kinds of birds, with which theyimitate them to the greatest nicety. They take with them likewise twolines to which horse-hair nooses are attached for catching larger birds, and a bag or net to carry their game. 

Thus equipped, they sally forth, and as they proceed through thedifferent covers, they use calls for such birds as generally resortthere, which from constant practice is well known to them, and if anybirds answer their call they prepare accordingly for catching them;supposing it to be a bevy of quail, they continue calling them, untilthey get quite close; they then arm the top of their rod with a feathersmeared with bird-lime, and pass it through the loop-hole in theirframe of ambush, and to which they continue adding other parts, untilthey have five or six out, which they use with great dexterity, andtouch one of the quail with the feather, which adheres to them; theythen withdraw the rod, arm it again, and touch three or four more in thesame manner before they attempt to secure any of them. 

In this way they catch all sorts of small birds not much larger thanquail, on the ground and in trees. If a brown or black partridge answerstheir call, instead of bird-lime, they fasten a horse-hair noose to thetop of their rod, and when they are close to the birds, they keepdipping the top of their rod with considerable skill until they fastenthe noose on one of their necks; they then draw him in, and go oncatching others in the same way. It is surprising to see with what coolperseverance they proceed. In a similar manner they catch all kinds ofbirds, nearly the size of partridges. 

THE HYENA. 

A servant of Mr. William Hunter's, by name Thomas Jones, who lived at_Chittrah_, had a full grown hyena which ran loose about his house likea dog, and I have seen him play with it with as much familiarity. Theyfeed on small animals and carrion, and I believe often come in for theprey left by tigers and leopards after their appetites have beensatiated. They are great enemies of dogs, and kill numbers of them. 

The natives of India affirm that tigers, panthers, and leopards, have agreat aversion to hyenas, on account of their destroying their young, which I believe they have an opportunity of doing, as the parents leavethem during the greatest part of the day. The inhabitants, therefore, feel no apprehension in taking away the young whenever they find them, knowing the dam is seldom near. . . . Hyenas are slow in their pace, andaltogether inactive; I have often seen a few terriers keep them at bay, and bite them severely by the hind quarter; their jaws, however, areexceedingly strong, and a single bite, without holding on more than afew seconds, is sufficient to kill a large dog. They stink horribly, make no earths of their own, lie under rocks, or resort to the earths ofwolves, as foxes do to those of badgers; and it is not uncommon to findwolves and hyenas in the same bed of earths. 

I was informed by several gentlemen, of whose veracity I could notdoubt, that Captain Richards, of the Bengal Native Infantry, had aservant of the tribe of _Shecarries_, who was in the habit of going intothe earths of wolves, fastening strings on them, and on the legs ofhyenas, and then drawing them out; he constantly supplied his master andthe gentlemen at the station with them, who let them loose on a plain, and rode after them with spears, for practice and amusement. This manpossessed such an acute and exquisite sense of smelling, that he couldalways tell by it if there were any animals in the earths, and coulddistinguish whether they were hyenas or wolves. 

THE BEAR. 

Bears will often continue on the road in front of the palanquin for amile or two, tumbling and playing all sorts of antics, as if they weretaught to do so. I believe it is their natural disposition; for theycertainly are the most amusing creatures imaginable in their wild state. It is no wonder that with monkeys they are led about to amuse mankind. It is astonishing, as well as ludicrous, to see them climb rocks, andtumble or rather roll down precipices. If they are attacked by anyperson on horseback, they stand erect on their hind legs, shewing a fineset of white teeth, and making a cackling kind of noise. If the horsecomes near them, they try to catch him by the legs, and if they misshim, they tumble over and over several times. They are easily speared bya person mounted on a horse that is bold enough to go near them. 

SAGACITY OF THE ELEPHANT. 

An elephant belonging to Mr. Boddam, of the Bengal Civil Service, at_Gyah_, used every day to pass over a small bridge leading from hismaster's house into the town of _Gyah_. He one day refused to go overit, and it was with great difficulty, by goring him most cruelly withthe _Hunkuss_ [iron instrument], that the _Mahout_ [driver] could gethim to venture on the bridge, the strength of which he first tried withhis trunk, shewing clearly that he suspected that it was notsufficiently strong. At last he went on, and before he could get over, the bridge gave way, and they were precipitated into the ditch, whichkilled the driver, and considerably injured the elephant. It isreasonable to suppose that the elephant must have perceived its feeblestate when he last passed over it. It is a well known fact, thatelephants will seldom or ever go over strange bridges, without firsttrying with their trunks if they be sufficiently strong to bear theirweight, --nor will they ever go into a boat without doing the same. 

I had a remarkably quiet and docile elephant, which one day came homeloaded with branches of trees for provender, followed by a number ofvillagers, calling for mercy (their usual cry when ill used);complaining that the _Mahout_ had stolen a kid from them, and that itwas then on the elephant, under the branches of the trees. The _Mahout_took an opportunity of decamping into the village and hiding himself. Iordered the elephant to be unloaded, and was surprised to see that hewould not allow any person to come near to him, when at all other timeshe was perfectly tractable and obedient. Combining all thecircumstances, I was convinced that the _Mahout_ was guilty, and to getrid of the noise, I recompensed the people for the loss of their kid. Assoon as they were gone away, the elephant allowed himself to beunloaded, and the kid was found under the branches, as described by thepeople. I learnt from my _Sarcar_, that similar complaints had been madeto him before, and that the rascal of a _Mahout_ made it a practice toride the elephant into the midst of a herd of goats, and had taught himto pick up any of the young ones he directed; he had also accustomedhim to steal their pumpions and other vegetables, that grew against theinside of their fences like French beans, which could only be reached byan elephant. He was the best _Mahout_ I ever knew, and so great a roguethat I was obliged to discharge him. 

The very day that he left my service, the elephant's eyes were closed, which he did not open again in less than a fortnight, when it wasdiscovered that he was blind. Two small eschars, one in each eye, werevisible, which indicated pretty strongly that he had been made blind bysome sharp instrument, most probably by a heated needle. The suspicionwas very strong against the former keeper, of whom I never heardanything after. The elephant I frequently rode on, shooting, for manyyears after this, through heavy covers, intersected with ravines, rivers, and over hollow and uneven ground, and he scarcely ever made afalse step with me, and never once tumbled. He used to touch the groundwith his trunk on every spot where his feet were to be placed, and inso light and quick a manner as scarcely to be perceived. The _Mahout_would often make him remove large stones, lumps of earth, or timber, outof his way, frequently climb up and down banks that no horse could getover. He would also occasionally break off branches of trees that werein the way of the _Howdah_, to enable me to pass. 

Although perfectly blind, he was considered one of the best sportingelephants of his small size in the country, and he travelled at atolerably good rate, and was remarkably easy in his paces. 

ANECDOTES OF THE TIGER. 

An occurrence nearly similar happened to me soon after, which put an endto my shooting on foot. From that time to the period of my leaving_Chittrah_, which was many years after, I always went out to shoot on anelephant. The circumstance I allude to was as follows:--Fifty or sixtypeople were beating a thick cover. I was on the outside of it, with aman holding my horse, and another servant with a hog's spear; when thosewho were driving the cover called _Suer! Suer!_ which is the_Hindoostanee_ name for hog. Seeing something move the bushes abouttwenty yards from me, and supposing it to be a hog, I fired at the spot, with ten or a dozen small balls. Instantly on the explosion of my gun, atiger roared out, and came galloping straight towards us. I dipped underthe horse's belly, and got on the opposite side from him. He came withina few yards of us, and then turned off growling into the cover. 

When the people came out, they brought with them a dead hog, partlydevoured. These two cases, I think, shew clearly that tigers arenaturally cowardly. They generally take their prey by surprise, andwhenever they attack openly, it is reasonable to conclude that they mustbe extremely hungry; which I believe is often the case, as their killinganimals of the forest must be very precarious. It is the general opinionof the inhabitants, that when a tiger has tasted human blood he prefersit to all other food. A year or two sometimes elapses without any onebeing killed by a tiger for several miles round, although they are oftenseen in that space, and are known to destroy cattle; but as soon as oneman is killed, others shortly after share the same fate. This, Iimagine, is the reason why the natives entertain an idea that theyprefer men to all other food. I account for it otherwise. Tigers arenaturally afraid of men, and, in the first instance, seldom attack them, unless compelled by extreme hunger. When once they have ventured anattack, they find them much easier prey than most animals of the forest, and always to be met with near villages, and on public roads, withoutthe trouble of hunting about for them through the covers. 

A tigress with two cubs lurked about the _Kutkumsandy_ pass, and duringtwo months killed a man almost every day, and on some days two. Ten ortwelve of the people belonging to government (carriers of the post-bags)were of the number. In fact, the communication between the Presidencyand the upper provinces was almost entirely cut off. The government, therefore, was induced to offer a large reward to any person who killedthe tigress. 

She was fired at, and, adds Mr. J. , never . . . "heard of after;" fromwhich it may be presumed she was wounded. It is fortunate for theinhabitants of that country, that tigers seldom survive any wound; theirblood being always in a state predisposing to putrefaction, consequenceof the extreme heat, and their living entirely on animal food. . . . 

Two _Biparies_[1] were driving a string of loaded bullocks to _Chittrah_from _Palamow_. When they were come within a few miles of the formerplace, a tiger seized on the man in the rear, which was seen by a_Guallah_ [herdsman], as he was watching his buffaloes grazing. Heboldly ran to the man's assistance, and cut the tiger severely with hissword; upon which he dropped the _Biparie_ and seized the herdsman: thebuffaloes observing it, attacked the tiger, and rescued the poor man;they tossed him about from one to the other, and, to the best of myrecollection, killed him; but of that I am not quite positive. Both ofthe wounded men were brought to me. The _Biparie_ recovered, and theherdsman died. 

[Footnote 1: _Bipar_ signifies merchandise, and _Biparies_ are peoplewho buy grain, and other articles, which they transport from one part ofthe country to another on bullocks. ]

An elderly man and his wife (of the lowest caste of _Hindoos_, called_dooms_, who live chiefly by making mats and baskets) were each carryinghome a bundle of wood, and as they were resting their burdens on theground, the old man hearing a strange noise, looked about, and saw atiger running off with his wife in his mouth. He ran after them, andstruck the tiger on the back with a small axe: the tiger dropt the wife, who was soon after brought to me. One of her breasts was almost entirelytaken away, and the other much lacerated: she had also several deepwounds in the back of her neck, by which I imagine the tiger struck ather with his two fore paws; one on the neck, and the other on thebreast. This, if I may judge from the number I have seen wounded, istheir usual way of attacking men. The old woman was six months under mycare, and at last recovered. 

As an old Mahometan priest was travelling at mid-day on horseback, within a few miles of _Chittrah_, with his son, an athletic young man, walking by his side, they heard a tiger roaring near them. The son urgedhis father to hasten on; the old man continued at a slow pace, observingthat there was no danger, the tiger would not molest them. He then begancounting his beads, and offering his prayers to the Almighty; in the actof which he was knocked off his horse, and carried away by the tiger;the son ran after them, and cut the tiger with his sword; he dropped thefather, seized the son, and carried him off. The father was brought to_Chittrah_, and died the same day; the son was never heard ofafterwards. In this instance, I think, the tiger must have beenravenously hungry, or he would not have roared when near his prey; it iswhat they seldom or ever do, except in the very act of seizing. . . . 

Some idea may be formed how numerous the tigers must have been at oneperiod in Bengal, from the circumstance, that one gentleman is reportedto have killed upwards of three hundred and sixty. 

~Death of Sir John Moore. ~

From Mr. Southey's History of the Peninsular War, a work of sterlingmerit. 

Marshal Soult's intention was to force the right of the British, andthus to interpose between Corunna and the army, and cut it off from theplace of embarkation. Failing in this attempt, he was now endeavouringto outflank it. Half of the 4th regiment was therefore ordered to fallback, forming an obtuse angle with the other half. This manoeuvre wasexcellently performed, and they commenced a heavy flanking fire: SirJohn Moore called out to them, that this was exactly what he wanted tobe done, and rode on to the 50th, commanded by Majors Napier andStanhope. They got over an inclosure in their front, charged the enemymost gallantly, and drove them out of the village of Elvina; but MajorNapier, advancing too far in the pursuit, received several wounds, andwas made prisoner, and Major Stanhope was killed. 

The General now proceeded to the 42nd. "Highlanders, " said he, "rememberEgypt!" They rushed on, and drove the French before them, till they werestopped by a wall. Sir John accompanied them in this charge. He now sentCaptain Hardinge to order up a battalion of Guards to the left flank ofthe 42nd. The officer commanding the light infantry conceived at thisthat they were to be relieved by the Guards, because their ammunitionwas nearly expended, and he began to fall back. The General, discoveringthe mistake, said to them, "My brave 42nd, join your comrades:ammunition is coming, and you have your bayonets!" Upon this, theyinstantly moved forward. Captain Hardinge returned, and pointed out tothe General where the Guards were advancing. The enemy kept up a hotfire, and their artillery played incessantly on the spot where they werestanding. A cannon-shot struck Sir John, and carried away his leftshoulder, and part of the collar-bone, leaving the arm hanging by theflesh. He fell from his horse on his back; his countenance did notchange, neither did he betray the least sensation of pain. CaptainHardinge, who dismounted, and took him by the hand, observed himanxiously watching the 42nd, which was warmly engaged, and told him theywere advancing; and upon that intelligence his countenance brightened. Colonel Graham, who now came up to assist him, seeing the composure ofhis features, began to hope that he was not wounded, till he perceivedthe dreadful laceration. From the size of the wound, it was in vain tomake any attempt at stopping the blood; and Sir John consented to beremoved in a blanket to the rear. In raising him up, his sword, hangingon the wounded side, touched his arm, and became entangled between hislegs. Captain Hardinge began to unbuckle it; but the General said, inhis usual tone and manner, and in a distinct voice, "It is as well as itis; I had rather it should go out of the field with me. " Six soldiersof the 42nd and the Guards bore him. Hardinge, observing his composure, began to hope that the wound might not be mortal, and said to him, hetrusted he might be spared to the army, and recover. Moore turned hishead, and looking stedfastly at the wound for a few seconds, replied, "No, Hardinge, I feel that to be impossible. "

As the soldiers were carrying him slowly along, he made them frequentlyturn round, that he might see the field of battle, and listen to thefiring; and he was well pleased when the sound grew fainter. Aspring-wagon came up, bearing Colonel Wynch, who was wounded: theColonel asked who was in the blanket, and being told it was Sir JohnMoore, wished him to be placed in the wagon. Sir John asked one of theHighlanders whether he thought the wagon or the blanket was best? andthe man said the blanket would not shake him so much, as he and theother soldiers would keep the step, and carry him easy. So theyproceeded with him to his quarters at Corunna, weeping as they went. . . . 

The General lived to hear that the battle was won. "Are the Frenchbeaten?" was the question which he repeated to every one who came intohis apartment; and he expressed how great a satisfaction it was to himto know that they were defeated. "I hope, " he said, "the people ofEngland will be satisfied! I hope my country will do me justice, " Then, addressing Colonel Anderson, who had been his friend and companion inarms for one-and-twenty years, he said to him, "Anderson, you know thatI have always wished to die this way--You will see my friends as soon asyou can:--tell them everything--Say to my mother"--But here his voicefailed, he became excessively agitated, and did not again venture toname her. Sometimes he asked to be placed in an easier posture. "I feelmyself so strong, " he said, "I fear I shall be long dying. It is greatuneasiness--it is great pain. " But, after a while, he pressed Anderson'shand close to his body, and, in a few minutes, died without a struggle. He fell, as it had ever been his wish to do, in battle and in victory. No man was more beloved in private life, nor was there any general inthe British army so universally respected. All men had thought himworthy of the chief command. Had he been less circumspect, --had helooked more ardently forward, and less anxiously around him, and on allsides, and behind, --had he been more confident in himself and in hisarmy, and impressed with less respect for the French Generals, he wouldhave been more equal to the difficulties of his situation. Despondencywas the radical weakness of his mind. Personally he was as brave a manas ever met death in the field; but he wanted faith in British courage:and it is faith by which miracles are wrought in war as well as inreligion. But let it ever be remembered with gratitude, that, when someof his general officers advised him to conclude the retreat by acapitulation, Sir John Moore preserved the honour of England. 

He had often said that, if he were killed in battle, he wished to beburied where he fell. The body was removed at midnight to the citadel ofCorunna. A grave was dug for him on the rampart there, by a party of the9th regiment, the aides-du-camp attending by turns. No coffin could beprocured; and the officers of his staff wrapped the body, dressed as itwas, in a military cloak and blankets. The interment was hastened; for, about eight in the morning, some firing was heard, and they feared that, if a serious attack were made, they should be ordered away, and notsuffered to pay him their last duty. The officers of his staff bore himto the grave; the funeral service was read by the chaplain; and thecorpse was covered with earth. 

Thus, with a solemn splendour and a sad glory, closed the career of agallant but unfortunate commander. 

We subjoin the beautiful Ode on the Death of Sir John, written by theRev. Mr. Wolfe:--

 THE BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE. 

 Not a drum was heard, not a funeral-note, As his corse to the ramparts we hurried; Not a soldier discharged his farewell-shot O'er the grave where our hero we buried. 

 We buried him darkly at dead of night, The sods with our bayonets turning, By the straggling moonbeam's misty light, And the lantern dimly burning. 

 No useless coffin inclosed his breast, Not in sheet or in shroud we wound him, But he lay like a warrior taking his rest, With his martial cloak around him. 

 Few and short were the prayers we said, And we spoke not a word of sorrow; But we stedfastly gazed on the face that was dead, And we bitterly thought of the morrow. 

 We thought, as we hallowed his narrow bed, And smoothed down his lonely pillow, That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head, And we far away on the billow!

 Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone, And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him, -- But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on In the grave where a Briton has laid him. 

 But half of our heavy task was done, When the clock struck the hour for retiring; And we heard the distant and random gun That the foe was sullenly firing. 

 Slowly and sadly we laid him down, From the field of his fame fresh and gory; We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone-- But we left him alone with his glory. 

~Persian Tyranny. ~

Sir R. K. Porter, in his travels in Persia, met with the sufferer fromdespotic tyranny and cruelty whose story is here related. He informs us, that the benignity of this person's countenance, united with thecrippled state of his venerable frame, from the effects of hisprecipitation from the terrible height of execution, excited hiscuriosity to inquire into the particulars of so amazing a preservation. 

Entering into conversation on the amiable characters of the reigningroyal family of Persia, and comparing the present happiness of hiscountry under their rule, with its misery during the sanguinaryusurpation of the tyrant Nackee Khan, the good old man, who had himselfbeen so signal an example of that misery, was easily led to describe theextraordinary circumstances of his own case. Being connected with thelast horrible acts, and consequent fall of the usurper, a doubleinterest accompanied his recital, the substance of which was nearly asfollows:--

Having by intrigues and assassinations made himself master of the regalpower at Shiraz, this monster of human kind found that the governor ofIspahan, instead of adhering to him, had proclaimed the accession of thelawful heir. No sooner was the intelligence brought to Nackee Khan thanhe put himself at the head of his troops, and set forward to revenge hiscontemned authority. When he arrived as far as Yezdikast, he encampedhis army for a short halt, near the tomb on the north side. Being asinsatiable of money as blood, he sent to the inhabitants of Yezdikast, and demanded an immense sum in gold, which he insisted should instantlybe paid to his messengers. Unable to comply, the fact was respectfullypleaded in excuse; namely, "that all the money the city had possessedwas already taken away by his own officers, and those of the oppositeparty; and that, at present, there was scarce a tomaun in the place. "Enraged at this answer, he repaired, full of wrath, to the town, and, ordering eighteen of the principal inhabitants to be brought before him, again demanded the money, but with threats and imprecations which madethe hearers tremble. Still, however, they could only return the sameanswer--"their utter inability to pay;" and the tyrant, without amoment's preparation, commanded the men to be seized, and hurled fromthe top of the precipice in his sight. Most of them were instantlykilled on the spot; others, cruelly maimed, died in terrible agonieswhere they fell; and the describer of the dreadful scene was the onlyone who survived. He could form no idea of how long he lay afterprecipitation, utterly senseless; "but, " added he, "by the will of God Ibreathed again; and, on opening my eyes, found myself among the dead andmangled bodies of my former neighbours and friends. Some yet groaned. "He then related, that, in the midst of his horror at the sight, he heardsounds of yet more terrible acts, from the top of the cliff; and, momentarily strengthened by fear of he knew not what, for he believedthat death had already grasped his own poor shattered frame, he managedto crawl away, unperceived, into one of the numerous caverned holeswhich perforate the foot of the steep. He lay there in an expiringstate the whole night, but in the morning was providentially discoveredby some of the town's people, who came to seek the bodies of theirmurdered relatives, to mourn over and take them away for burial. Thepoor man, feeble as he was, called to these weeping groups; who, totheir astonishment and joy, drew out one survivor from the dreadful heapof slain. No time was lost in conveying him home, and administeringevery kind of assistance; but many months elapsed before he was able tomove from his house, so deep had been the injuries inflicted in hisfall. 

In the course of his awful narrative, he told us, that the noise whichhad so appalled him, as he lay among the blood-stained rocks, was indeedthe acting of a new cruelty of the usurper. After having witnessed theexecution of his sentence on the eighteen citizens, whose asseverationshe had determined not to believe, Nackee Khan immediately sent for adevout man, called Saied Hassan, who was considered the sage of theplace, and, for his charities, greatly beloved by the people. "Thisman, " said the Khan, "being a descendant of the Prophet, must know thetruth, and will tell it me. He shall find me those who can and will paythe money. " But the answer given by the honest Saied being precisely thesame with that of the innocent victims who had already perished, thetyrant's fury knew no bounds, and, rising from his seat, he ordered theholy man to be rent asunder in his presence, and then thrown over therock, to increase the monument of his vengeance below. 

It was the tumult of this most dreadful execution, which occasioned thenoise that drove the affrighted narrator to the shelter of any hole fromthe eye of merciless man. But the cruel scene did not end here. Even inthe yet sensible ear of the Saied, expiring in agonies, his execrablemurderer ordered that his wife and daughters should be given up to thesoldiers; and that, in punishment of such universal rebellion in thetown, the whole place should be razed to the ground. But this last actof blood on a son of the Prophet cost the perpetrator his life. For thesoldiers themselves, and the nobles who had been partisans of theusurper, were so struck with horror at the sacrilegious murder, andappalled with the threatened guilt of violating women of the sacredfamily, that they believed a curse must follow the abettors of such aman. The next step, in their minds, was to appease Heaven by theimmolation of the offender; and, in the course of that very night, aband of his servants cut the cords of his tent, which, instantly fallingin upon him, afforded them a secure opportunity of burying theirponiards in his body. The first strokes were followed by thousands. Sodetested was the wretch, that in a few minutes his remains were hewn andtorn to pieces. It does not become men to lift the veil which lies overthe whole doom of a ruthless murderer; but there is something in thelast mortal yell of a tyrant, whether it be a Robespierre or a NackeeKhan, which sounds as if mingled with a dreadful echo from the eternalshore. 

~Sketches in Virginia. ~

The Rock Bridge is described by Mr. Jefferson, late President of theUnited States, as one of the most sublime of the productions of Nature. It is on the ascent of a hill which seems to have been cloven throughits length by some great convulsion of Nature. 

Although the sides of the bridge are provided in some parts with aparapet of fixed rocks, yet few persons have resolution to walk to them, and look over into the abyss. The passenger involuntarily falls on hishands, creeps to the parapet, and peeps over it. Looking down from thisheight for the space of a minute, occasions a violent headache; and theview from beneath is delightful in the extreme, as much as that fromabove is exquisitely painful. 

The following beautiful sketch is from the pen of the Rev. John Todd, ofPhiladelphia, author of the Student's Manual, Simple Sketches, and otheradmired works. 

ROCK BRIDGE. 

On a lovely morning towards the close of spring, I found myself in avery beautiful part of the great valley of Virginia. Spurred on byimpatience, I beheld the sun rising in splendour, and changing the bluetints on the tops of the lofty Alleghany mountains into streaks ofpurest gold; and nature seemed to smile in the freshness of beauty. Aride of about fifteen miles, and a pleasant woodland ramble of abouttwo, brought myself and my companion to the great NATURAL BRIDGE. 

Although I had been anxiously looking forward to this time, and my mindhad been considerably excited by expectation, yet I was not altogetherprepared for this visit. This great work of nature is considered by manyas the second great curiosity in our country, Niagara Falls being thefirst. I do not expect to convey a very correct idea of this bridge; forno description can do this. 

The Natural Bridge is entirely the work of God. It is of solidlimestone, and connects two huge mountains together, by a most beautifularch over which there is a great wagon road. Its length from onemountain to the other is nearly eighty feet, its width aboutthirty-five, its thickness forty-five, and its perpendicular heightabove the water is not far from two hundred and twenty feet. A fewbushes grow on its top, by which the traveller may hold himself as helooks over. On each side of the stream, and near the bridge, are rocksprojecting ten or fifteen feet over the water, and from two hundred tothree hundred feet from its surface, all of limestone. The visitorcannot give so good a description of the bridge as he can of hisfeelings at the time. He softly creeps out on a shaggy projecting rock, and, looking down a chasm from forty to sixty feet wide, he sees, nearlythree hundred feet below, a wild stream foaming and dashing against therocks beneath, as if terrified at the rocks above. This stream is calledCedar Creek. He sees under the arch, trees whose height is seventy feet;and yet, as he looks down upon them, they appear like small bushes ofperhaps two or three feet in height. I saw several birds fly under thearch, and they looked like insects. I threw down a stone, and countedthirty-four before it reached the water. All hear of heights and ofdepths, but they here _see_ what is high, and they tremble, and _feel_it to be deep. The awful rocks present their everlasting butments, thewater murmurs and foams far below, and the two mountains rear theirproud heads on each side, separated by a channel of sublimity. Those whoview the sun, the moon, and the stars, and allow that none but God couldmake them, will here be impressed that none but an _Almighty_ God couldbuild a bridge like this. 

The view of the bridge from below is as pleasing as the top view isawful. The arch from beneath would seem to be about two feet inthickness. Some idea of the distance from the top to the bottom may beformed, from the fact, that as I stood on the bridge and my companionbeneath, neither of us could speak sufficiently loud to be heard by theother. A man, from either view, does not appear more than four or fiveinches in height. 

As we stood under this beautiful arch, we saw the place where visitorshave often taken the pains to engrave their names upon the rock. HereWashington climbed up twenty-five feet, and carved his own name, whereit still remains. Some, wishing to immortalise their names, haveengraven them deep and large, while others have tried to climb up andinsert them high in this book of fame. 

A few years since, a young man, being ambitious to place his name aboveall others, was very near losing his life in the attempt. After muchfatigue he climbed up as high as possible, but found that the person whohad before occupied his place was taller than himself, and consequentlyhad placed his name above his reach. But he was not thus to bediscouraged. He opened a large jack-knife, and, in the soft limestone, began to cut places for his hands and feet. With much patience andindustry he worked his way upwards, and succeeded in carving his namehigher than the most ambitious had done before him. He could nowtriumph, but his triumph was short; for he was placed in such asituation that it was impossible to descend, unless he fell upon theragged rocks beneath him. There was no house near, from whence hiscompanions could get assistance. He could not long remain in thatcondition, and, what was worse, his friends were too much frightened todo anything for his relief. They looked upon him as already dead, expecting every moment to see him precipitated upon the rocks below anddashed to pieces. Not so with himself. He determined to ascend. Accordingly he plies the rock with his knife, cutting places for hishands and feet, and gradually ascended with incredible labour. He exertsevery muscle. His life was at stake, and all the terrors of death rosebefore him. He dared not look downwards, lest his head should becomedizzy; and perhaps on this circumstance his life depended. Hiscompanions stood at the top of the rock, exhorting and encouraging him. His strength was almost exhausted; but a bare possibility of saving hislife still remained; and hope, the last friend of the distressed, hadnot yet forsaken him. His course upwards was rather oblique thanperpendicular. His most critical moment had now arrived. He had ascendedconsiderably more than two hundred feet, and had still further to rise, when he felt himself fast growing weak. He thought of his friends, andall his earthly joys, and he could not leave them. He thought of thegrave, and dared not meet it. He now made his last effort and succeeded. He had cut his way not far from two hundred and fifty feet from thewater, in a course almost perpendicular; and in a little less than twohours, his anxious companions reached him a pole from the top, and drewhim up. They received him with shouts of joy, but he himself wascompletely exhausted. He immediately fainted on reaching the top, and itwas some time before he could be recovered!

It was interesting to see the path up these awful rocks, and to followin imagination this bold youth as he thus saved his life. His namestands far above all the rest, a monument of hardihood, of rashness, andof folly. 

We lingered around this seat of grandeur about four hours; but, from myown feelings, I should not have supposed it over half an hour. There isa little cottage near, lately built; here we were desired to write ournames, as visitors of the bridge, in a large book kept for this purpose. Two large volumes were nearly filled in this manner already. Havingimmortalised our names by enrolling them in this book, we slowly andsilently returned to our horses, wondering at this great work of nature;and we could not but be filled with astonishment at the amazing power ofHim who can clothe Himself in wonder and terror, or throw around Hisworks a mantle of sublimity. 

WIER'S CAVE. 

About three days' ride from the Natural Bridge brought Mr. Todd and hiscompanions to a place called Port Republic, about twenty miles from thetown of Staunton. Here they prepared themselves to visit this othernatural curiosity. 

The shower was now over, which had wet us to the skin--the sun waspouring down his most scorching rays--the heavy thunder had gone by; wethrew around our delighted eyes, and beheld near us the lofty Alleghanyrearing his shaggy head. The south branch of the Shenandoah river, withits banks covered with beautiful trees, was murmuring at our feet--alovely plain stretched below us, as far as the eye could reach; and we, with our guide, were now standing about half way up a hill nearly twohundred feet high, and so steep that a biscuit may be thrown from itstop into the river at its foot--we were standing at the mouth of WIER'SCAVE. This cavern derives its name from _Barnet Wier_, who discovered itin the year 1804. It is situated near Madison's Cave, so celebrated;though the latter cannot be compared with the former. 

There were three of us, besides our guide, with lighted torches, and ourloins girded, now ready to descend into the cave. We took our torches inour left hands and entered. The mouth was so small that we could descendonly by creeping, one after another. A descent of almost twenty yardsbrought us into the first room. The cave was exceedingly cold, dark, andsilent, like the chambers of death. In this manner we proceeded, nowdescending thirty or forty feet--now ascending as high--now creeping onour hands and knees, and now walking in large rooms--the habitations ofsolitude. The mountain seems to be composed almost wholly of limestone, and by this means the cave is lined throughout with the most beautifulincrustations and stalactites of carbonated lime, which are formed bythe continual dripping of the water through the roof. These stalactitesare of various and elegant shapes and colours, often bearing a strikingresemblance to animated nature. At one place we saw over our heads whatappeared to be a _waterfall_ of the most beautiful kind. Nor could theimagination be easily persuaded that it was not a reality. You could seethe water boiling and dashing down, --see its white spray and foam--butit was all solid limestone. 

Thus we passed onward in this world of solitude--now stopping to admirethe beauties of a single stalactite--now wondering at the magnificenceof a large room--now creeping through narrow passages, hardly wideenough to admit the body of a man, --and now walking in superbgalleries, until we came to the largest room, called WASHINGTON HALL. This is certainly the most elegant room I ever saw. It is about twohundred and seventy feet in length, about thirty-five in width, andbetween thirty and forty feet high. The roof and sides are verybeautifully adorned by the tinsels which Nature has bestowed in thegreatest profusion, and which sparkle like the diamond, while surveyedby the light of torches. The floor is flat, and smooth, and solid. I wasforemost of our little party in entering the room, and was not a littlestartled as I approached the centre, to see a figure, as it were, risingup before me out of the solid rock. It was not far from seven feet high, and corresponded in every respect to the common idea of a ghost. It wasvery white, and resembled a tall man clothed in a shroud. I went up toit sideways, though I could not really expect to meet a ghost in a placelike this. On examination I found it was a very beautiful piece of thecarbonate of lime, very transparent, and very much in the shape of aman. This is called WASHINGTON'S STATUE--as if Nature would do for thishero what his delivered country has not done--rear a statue to hismemory. 

Here an accident happened which might have been serious. One of ourparty had purposely extinguished his light, lest we should not haveenough to last. My companion accidentally put out his light, and insport came and blew out mine. We were now about sixteen hundred feetfrom daylight, with but one feeble light, which the falling water mightin a moment have extinguished. Add to this, that the person who heldthis light was at some distance viewing some falling water. 

 "Conticuere omnes, intentique ora tenebant. "

We, however, once more lighted our torches; but, had we not been able todo so, we might, at our leisure, have contemplated the gloominess of thecavern, for no one would have come to us till the next day. In one roomwe found an excellent spring of water, which boiled up as if to slakeour thirst, then sunk into the mountain, and was seen no more. Inanother room was a noble pillar, called the TOWER OF BABEL. It iscomposed entirely of stalactites of lime, or, as the appearance wouldseem to suggest, of petrified water. It is about thirty feet indiameter, and a little more than ninety feet in circumference, and notfar from thirty feet high. There are probably millions of stalactites inthis one pillar. 

Thus we wandered on in this world within a world, till we had visitedtwelve very beautiful rooms, and as many creeping places, and had nowarrived at the end, --a distance from our entrance of between twenty-fourand twenty-five hundred feet; or, what is about its equal, half a milefrom the mouth. We here found ourselves exceedingly fatigued; but ourtorches forbade us to tarry, and we once more turned our lingering stepstowards the common world. When we arrived again at Washington Hall, oneof our company three times discharged a pistol, whose report was trulydeafening; and as the sound reverberated and echoed through one roomafter another till it died away in distance, it seemed like the moaningsof spirits. We continued our wandering steps till we arrived once moreat daylight, having been nearly three hours in the cavern. We were muchfatigued, covered with dirt, and in a cold sweat; yet we regretted toleave it. From the farther end of the cave I gathered some handsomestalactites, which I put into my portmanteau, and preserved as mementosof that day's visit. 

To compare the Natural Bridge and Cave together as objects of curiosity, is exceedingly difficult. Many consider the _Bridge_ as the greatestcuriosity; but I think the _Cavern_ is. In looking at the Bridge we arefilled with awe; at the Cavern with delight. At the Bridge we haveseveral views that are awful; at the Cave hundreds that are pleasing. Atthe Bridge you stand and gaze in astonishment; at the Cave awfulness islost in beauty, and grandeur is dressed in a thousand captivating forms. At the Bridge you feel yourself to be _looking_ into another world; atthe Cave you find yourself already _arrived_ there. The one presents tous a God who is very "wonderful in working;" the other exhibits the samepower, but with it is blended loveliness in a thousand forms. In each isvastness. Greatness constitutes the whole of one; but the other iselegant, as well as great. Of each we must retain lively impressions;and to witness such displays of the Creator's power, must ever beconsidered as happy events in our lives. While viewing scenes likethese, we must ever exalt the energy of creating power, and sink underthe thoughts of our own insignificance. The works of nature areadmirably well calculated to impress us deeply with a sense of themighty power of God, who can separate two mountains by a channel ofawfulness, or fill the bowels of a huge mountain with beauties, thatman, with all the aid of art, can only admire, but never imitate. 

~The Christian Slave. ~

We venture to extract another of Mr. Todd's Simple Sketches, socharmingly are they described. 

The sun had set, and I began to be anxious to find a place of rest forthe night, after a day's ride under a sultry sun. I was travelling inSouth Carolina, and was now not far from a branch of the Cooper river. The country here is a dead level, and its surface is covered with thinlyscattered pines. I came to an old church--it stood solitary; not a housein sight: it was built of wood, and much decayed. The breezes of eveningwere gently sighing through the tops of the long-leaved pines whichstood near; while still nearer stood several large live-oaks, whichspread out their aged arms, as if to shelter what was sacred. On theirlimbs hung, in graceful folds, the long grey moss, as if a mantle ofmourning, waving over a few decayed tombs at the east side of thechurch. These oaks give the place a very sombre and awful appearance;they seemed to stand as silent mourners over the dust of generationsthat had sunk into the grave, and waiting in solemn expectation thatothers would soon come and lie beneath their shade in the long sleep ofdeath. The time of day, and the sacredness of the spot, were socongenial to my own feelings, that I involuntarily stopped my horse. 

My curiosity was now excited by seeing a very aged negro standing andgazing steadily on a small decaying tomb. He seemed to be intent, anddid not observe me; his woolly locks were whitened by age; hiscountenance was manly, though it bore the marks of sorrow; he wasleaning on his smooth-worn staff, the companion of many years. I wassomewhat surprised on seeing this aged African silently meditating amongthe vestiges of the dead, and accordingly roused him from his reverie. He started at first, but his confidence was soon gained. There is aspring in the bosom of every Christian, which throws a joy into hisheart whenever he meets a fellow-christian during his pilgrimage herebelow. I found the old negro to be an eminent Christian, and we weresoon acquainted. I inquired what motive induced him, at that hour of theday, to visit these tombs. Instead of answering my question directly hegave me the following account of himself, in broken language:--

About sixty years ago, this negro was living under his paternal roof inAfrica. He was the son of a chief of a small tribe, the pride of hisparents, and the delight of his countrymen; none could more dexterouslythrow the dart; none more skilfully guide the fragile canoe over thebosom of the deep. He was not far from twenty years of age, when, on afair summer's morn, he went in his little canoe to spend the day infishing. About noon he paddled his bark to the shore, and, under theshade of a beautiful palmetto-tree, he reclined till the heat ofnoon-day should be passed. He was young, healthy, and active; he knewnone whom he dreaded; he was a stranger to fear, and he dreamed only ofsecurity, as he slept under the shade of his own native tree. Thus, while our sky is encircled with the bow of happiness, we forget that itmay soon be overspread with darkness. When this African awoke, he foundhis hands bound behind him, his feet fettered, and himself surrounded byseveral white men, who were conveying him on board of their ship;--itwas a slave-ship. The vessel had her cargo completed, and was ready tosail. As they were unfurling the sails, the son of Africa, with manyothers of his countrymen, for the last time cast his eyes upon hisnative shores. Futurity was dark, --was uncertain, --was despair. Hisbosom thrilled with anguish, as he threw his last farewell look over theplains of his native country. There was his native spot where his hadlived, there the home of his infancy and childhood, there the placewhere he had inhaled his earliest breath--and to tear him from these, seemed like breaking the very strings of his heart. 

[Illustration]

After a melancholy passage, during which the African was forced to weardouble the irons to receive double the number of lashes, that any ofhis companions received, on account of his refractory spirit, he was atlength landed and sold to a planter in the place where he now resides. There is nothing new, nothing novel or interesting, that ever takesplace in the life of a slave--describe one day, and you write thehistory of a slave. The sun, indeed, continues to roll over him; but itsheds upon him no new joys, no new prospects, no new hopes. So it waswith the subject of this narrative. His master was naturally a man of avery humane disposition; but his overseers were often little else thancompounds of vice and cruelty. In this situation the negro lost all hisnatural independence and bravery. He often attempted to run away, butwas as often taken and punished. Having no cultivated mind to which hecould look for consolation--knowing of no change that was ever to takeplace in his situation, --he settled down in gloominess. Often would hesend a silent sigh for the home of his youth; but his path shewed butfew marks of happiness, and few rays of hope for futurity were drawn byfancy's hand. Sunk in despondency and vice, he was little above thebrutes around him. 

In this situation he was accidentally met by the good minister of theparish, who addressed him as a rational and immortal being, and pressedupon him the first principles of religion. This was a new subject; forhe had never before looked beyond the narrow bounds before him, nor hadhe ever dreamed of a world beyond this. After a long conversation onthis subject, the minister made him promise that he would now "_attendto his soul_. "

The clergyman could not, for many months after this, obtain an interviewwith his new pupil, who most carefully shunned him. But though afraid tomeet his minister, he still felt an arrow of conviction in his heart. Wherever he went, whether asleep or awake, to use his own words, hispromise, "me take care of soul, stick close to him, " He now began inearnest to seek "the one thing needful". By the kindness of his masterhe learned to read his Testament, and to inquire more about Jesus. Hewas now very desirous to see his minister; and before a convenientopportunity occurred, he was in such distress of mind as actually toattempt two several times to kill himself. His minister visited him, conversed and prayed with him. 

"_Oh_, " he would say, "God never think such poor negro, he no love somuch sinner, he no before ever see such bad heart!" The mercy of Christ, and his compassion towards sinners, were explained to him, and his soulwas filled with "joy and peace in believing, " He now rejoiced andthanked God that he was brought from his native shores, as he had afairer country, and purer enjoyments presented to his view, after thescenes of this transitory world shall be over. He now became moreindustrious and more faithful. By uncommon industry he raised moneysufficient to purchase his own freedom. He next bought the liberty ofhis wife, and had nearly completed paying for that of his onlydaughter, when she was liberated by the hand of death. His wife soonfollowed her, and left this world a perfect void to the husband andfather. His every tie that bound him to earth was now broken. Having noearthly enjoyment, he now placed his affections on heaven above. It iseasy for the Christian to make rapid progress in holiness when notfettered by worldly cares. 

It was now dark, and I must leave my new acquaintance. I left him withhis face wet with tears, still standing beside the tomb--the tomb of hisold minister! This good man had been his faithful and constant guide, and though his ashes had been slumbering for years, the negro had notyet forgotten how to weep at their urn. I could not but admire thewonderful dealings of God, in order to bring men to himself. Happyminister! who hast been the instrument of covering a multitude of sins!Happy negro! his is not this world. Though no sculptured marble may tellthe traveller where he may shortly lie--though he never trod the thornyroad of ambition or power--though the trumpet of fame never blew theecho of his name through a gaping world--still those eyes, which willsoon be closed in death, may hereafter awake, to behold, undaunted, aworld in flames, and these heavens fleeing away. 

~Violent Earthquake in Calabria. ~

In nature there is nothing which can inspire us with so much awe asthose violent outbreakings which occasionally convulse the earth, creating fearful devastation, overthrowing cities, and destroying muchlife and property. The following is a description of one which occurredin Calabria and Sicily in the year 1783; and which, from its violence, overthrew many cities, creating an universal consternation in the mindsof the inhabitants of the two kingdoms. 

On Wednesday, the fifth of February, about one in the afternoon, theearth was convulsed in that part of Calabria which is bounded by therivers of Gallico and Metramo, by the mountains Jeio, Sagra, andCaulone, and the coast between these rivers and the Tuscan Sea. Thisdistrict is called the _Piana_, because the country extends itself fromthe roots of the Appenines, in a plain, for twenty Italian miles inlength by eighteen in breadth. The earthquake lasted about a hundredseconds. It was felt as far as Otranto, Palermo, Lipari, and the otherĘolian isles; a little also in Apuglia, and the _Terra di Cavoro_; inNaples and the Abruzzi not at all. There stood in this plain a hundredand nine cities and villages, the habitations of a hundred and sixty-sixthousand human beings; and in less than two minutes all these edificeswere destroyed, with nearly thirty-two thousand individuals of everyage, sex, and station, --the rich equally with the poor; for thereexisted no power of escaping from so sudden a destruction. The soil ofthe _Piana_ was granite at the base of the Apennines, but in the plainthe _debris_ of every sort of earth, brought down from the mountains bythe rains, constituted a mass of unequal solidity, resistance, weight, and form. On this account, whatever might have been the cause of theearthquake, whether volcanic or electrical, the movement assumed everypossible direction--vertical, horizontal, oscillatory, vorticose, andpulsatory; producing every variety of destruction. In one place, a cityor house was thrown down, in another it was immersed. Here, trees wereburied to their topmost branches, beside others stripped and overturned. Some mountains opened in the middle, and dispersed their mass to theright and left, their summits disappearing, or being lost in thenewly-formed valleys; others slipped from their foundations along withall their edifices, which sometimes were overthrown, but more rarelyremained uninjured, and the inhabitants not even disturbed in theirsleep. The earth opened in many places, forming frightful abysses;while, at a small distance, it rose into hills. The waters, too, changedtheir course; rivers uniting to form lakes, or spreading into marshes;disappearing, to rise again in new streams, through other banks, orrunning at large, to lay bare and desolate the most fertile fields. Nothing retained its ancient form, cities, roads, and boundariesvanished, --so that the inhabitants were bewildered as if in an unknownland. The works of art and of nature, the elaborations of centuries, together with many a stream and rock, coeval perhaps with the worlditself, were in a single instant destroyed and overthrown. . . . Whirlwinds, tempests, the flames of volcanoes, and of burning edifices, rain, wind, and thunder, accompanied the movements of the earth: all theforces of nature were in activity, and it seemed as if all its laws weresuspended, and the last hour of created things at hand. In the meantime, the sea between Scylla, Charybdis, and the coasts of Reggio and Messina, was raised many fathoms above its usual level; overflowing its banks, and then, in its return to its channel, carrying away men and beasts. Bythese means, two thousand persons lost their lives on Scylla alone, whowere either congregated on the sands, or had escaped in boats, from thedangers of the dry land. Etna and Stromboli were in more than usualactivity: but this hardly excited attention, amidst greater and graverdisasters. A worse fire than that of the volcanoes resulted from theincidents of the earthquake; for the beams of the falling houses beingignited by the burning heaths, the flames, fanned by the winds, were sovast and fierce, that they seemed to issue from the bosom of the earth. The heavens, alternately cloudy or serene, had given no previous sign ofthe approaching calamity; but a new source of suffering followed it, ina thick fog, which obscured the light of the day, and added to thedarkness of night. Irritating to the eyes, injurious to the respiration, fetid, and immoveable, it hung over the two Calabrias for more thantwenty days, --an occasion of melancholy, disease, and annoyance, both toman and to animals. . . . 

At the first shock, no token, in heaven or on earth, had excitedattention; but at the sudden movement, and at the aspect of destruction, an overwhelming terror seized on the general mind, insomuch, that theinstinct of self-preservation was suspended, and men remainedthunderstricken and immoveable. On the return of reason, the firstsentiment was a sort of joy at the partial escape; but they soon gaveplace to grief for the loss of family, and the overthrow of the domestichabitation. Amidst so many aspects of death, and the apprehension evenof approaching judgment, the suspicion that friends were yet alive underthe ruins was the most excruciating affliction, since the impossibilityof assisting them rendered their death--(miserable and terribleconsolation)--a matter of preference and of hope. Fathers and husbandswere seen wandering amidst the ruins that covered the objects of theiraffections, and, wanting the power to move the superincumbent masses, were calling in vain for the assistance of the bystanders; or haply theylay groaning, night and day, in their despair, upon the ruinousfragments. But the most horrid fate--(a fate too dreadful to conceive orto relate)--was theirs, who, buried alive beneath the fallen edifices, awaited, with an anxious and doubtful hope, the chances ofrelief--accusing, at first, the slowness, and then the avarice, oftheir dearest relations and friends; and when they sank under hunger andgrief--with their senses and memory beginning to fail them--their lastsentiment was that of indignation against their kindred, and hatred ofhumanity. Many were disinterred alive by their friends, and some by theearthquake itself; which, overthrowing the very ruins it had made, restored them to light. It was ultimately found, that about a fourth ofthose whose bodies were recovered, might have been saved, had timelyassistance been at hand. The men were chiefly found in attitudesindicating an effort at escape, the women with their hands coveringtheir face, or desperately plunged in their hair. Mothers werediscovered dead who had striven to protect their infants with their ownbodies, or lay with their arms stretched towards these objects ofaffection, when separated from them by intervening masses of ruin. 

~Escape from a Ship on Fire. ~

From the "Missionary Annual" for 1833. 

Many of the party, having retired to their hammocks soon after thecommencement of the storm, were only partially clothed, when they madetheir escape; but the seamen on the watch, in consequence of the heavyrain, having cased themselves in double or treble dresses, suppliedtheir supernumerary articles of clothing to those who had none. Wehappily succeeded in bringing away two compasses from the binnacle, anda few candles from the cuddy-table, one of them lighted; one bottle ofwine, and another of porter, were handed to us, with the tablecloth anda knife, which proved very useful; but the fire raged so fiercely in thebody of the vessel, that neither bread nor water could be obtained. Therain still poured in torrents; the lightning, followed by loud burstingof thunder, continued to stream from one side of the heavens to theother, --one moment dazzling us by its glare, and the next momentleaving us in darkness, relieved only by the red flames of theconflagration from which we were endeavouring to escape. Our firstobject was to proceed to a distance from the vessel, lest she shouldexplode and overwhelm us; but, to our inexpressible distress, wediscovered that the yawl had no rudder, and that for the two boats wehad only three oars. All exertions to obtain more from the ship provedunsuccessful. The gig had a rudder; from this they threw out a rope totake us in tow; and, by means of a few paddles, made by tearing up thelining of the boat, we assisted in moving ourselves slowly through thewater, providentially the sea was comparatively smooth, or ouroverloaded boats would have swamped, and we should only have escaped theflames to have perished in the deep. The wind was light, but variable, and, acting on the sails, which, being drenched with the rain, did notsoon take fire, drove the burning mass, in terrific grandeur, over thesurface of the ocean, the darkness of which was only illuminated by thequick glancing of the lightning or the glare of the conflagration. Oursituation was for some time extremely perilous. The vessel neared usmore than once, and apparently threatened to involve us in one commondestruction. The cargo, consisting of dry provisions, spirits, cottongoods, and other articles equally combustible, burned with greatviolence, while the fury of the destroying element, the amazing heightof the flames, the continued storm, amidst the thick darkness of thenight, rendered the scene appalling and terrible. About ten o'clock, themasts, after swaying from side to side, fell with a dreadful crash intothe sea, and the hull of the vessel continued to burn amidst theshattered fragments of the wreck, till the sides were consumed to thewater's edge. The spectacle was truly magnificent, could it even havebeen contemplated by us without a recollection of our own circumstances. The torments endured by the dogs, sheep, and other animals on board, atany other time would have excited our deepest commiseration; but atpresent, the object before us, our stately ship, that had for the lastfour months been our social home, the scene of our enjoyments, ourlabours, and our rest, now a prey to the destroying element; thesuddenness with which we had been hurried from circumstances of comfortand comparative security, to those of destitution and peril, and withwhich the most exhilarating hopes had been exchanged for disappointmentas unexpected as it was afflictive; the sudden death of the two seamen, our own narrow escape, and lonely situation on the face of the deep, andthe great probability even yet, although we had succeeded in removing toa greater distance from the vessel, that we ourselves should never againsee the light of day, or set foot on solid ground, absorbed everyfeeling. For some time the silence was scarcely broken, and the thoughtsof many, I doubt not, were engaged on subjects most suitable to immortalbeings on the brink of eternity. The number of persons in the two boatswas forty-eight; and all, with the exception of the two ladies, who borethis severe visitation with uncommon fortitude, worked by turns at theoars and paddles. After some time, to our great relief, the rain ceased;the labour of baling water from the boats was then considerablydiminished. We were frequently hailed during the night by our companionsin the small boat, and returned the call, while the brave andgenerous-hearted seamen occasionally enlivened the solitude of the deepby a simultaneous "Hurra!" to cheer each others' labours, and to animatetheir spirits. The Tanjore rose in the water as its contents weregradually consumed. We saw it burning the whole night, and at day-breakcould distinguish a column of smoke, which, however, soon ceased, andevery sign of our favourite vessel disappeared. When the sun rose, ouranxiety and uncertainty as to our situation were greatly relieved bydiscovering land ahead; the sight of it filled us with grateful joy, and nerved us with fresh vigour for the exertion required in managingthe boats. With the advance of the day we discerned more clearly thenature of the country. It was wild and covered with jungle, without anyappearance of population: could we have got ashore, therefore, many ofus might have perished before assistance could have been procured; butthe breakers, dashing upon the rocks, convinced us that landing wasimpracticable. In the course of the morning we discovered a nativevessel, or dhoney, lying at anchor, at some distance: the wind at thattime beginning to favour us, every means was devised to render itavailable. In the yawl we extended the tablecloth as a sail, and in theother boat a blanket served the same purpose. This additional help wasthe more seasonable, as the rays of the sun had become almostintolerable to our partially covered bodies. Some of the seamenattempted to quench their thirst by salt water: but the passengersencouraged each other to abstain. About noon we reached the dhoney. Thenatives on board were astonished and alarmed at our appearance, andexpressed some unwillingness to receive us; but our circumstances wouldadmit of no denial; and we scarcely waited till our Singalesefellow-passenger could interpret to them our situation and our wants, before we ascended the sides of their vessel, assuring them that everyexpense and loss sustained on our account should be amply repaid. 

~Anecdotes of the Albatross, &c. ~

The author of the following extracts is Mr. Augustus Earle, whose lifehas been one of wandering and peril, traversing every quarter of theglobe. The account of his residence for nine months among the NewZealanders is very interesting; but a description of their cannibalhabits will not suit the taste of many of our young readers. We shalltherefore accompany him to the Island of Tristan d'Acunha, upon which, by accident, he was left, where he amused himself hunting goats, seaelephants, albatrosses, and penguins; while, like another Crusoe, heoccasionally watched for the ship that should release him from hisisland prison. His work is intitled "Nine Months' Residence in NewZealand, " &c. 

THE ALBATROSS. 

Being a fine morning, I determined to ascend the mountain. As severalparties had before gone up, they had formed a kind of path: at least weendeavoured to trace the same way; but it requires a great deal of nerveto attempt it. The sides of the mountain are nearly perpendicular; but, after ascending about two hundred feet, it is there entirely coveredwith wood, which renders the footing much more safe; but in order toget to the wood, the road is so dangerous, that it made me almosttremble to think of it, --slippery grey rocks, and many of themunfortunately loose, so that when we took hold, they separated from themass, and fell with a horrid rumbling noise. Here and there were a fewpatches of grass, the only thing we could depend upon to assist us inclimbing, which must be done with extreme caution, for the least slip orfalse step would dash one to atoms on the rocks below. By keeping oureyes constantly looking upwards, and continuing to haul ourselves up, bycatching firm hold on this grass, after an hour's painful toil we gainedthe summit, where we found ourselves on an extended plain, of severalmiles expanse, which terminates in the peak, composed of dark grey lava, bare and frightful to behold. We proceeded towards it, the plaingradually rising, but the walking was most fatiguing, over strong rankgrass and fern several feet high, with holes concealed under the rootsin such a way, that no possible caution could prevent our occasionallyfalling down into one or other of them, and entirely disappearing, whichcaused a boisterous laugh amongst the rest; but it frequently happened, while one was making merry at the expense of another, down sunk thelaugher himself. A death-like stillness prevailed in these high regions, and, to my ear, our voices had a strange, unnatural echo, and I fanciedour forms appeared gigantic, whilst the air was piercing cold. Theprospect was altogether very sublime, and filled the mind with awe! Onthe one side, the boundless horizon, heaped up with clouds of silverybrightness, contrasted with some of darker hue, enveloping us in theirvapour, and, passing rapidly away, gave us only casual glances of thelandscape; and, on the other hand, the sterile and cindery peak, withits venerable head, partly capped with clouds, partly revealing greatpatches of red cinders, or lava, intermingled with the black rock, produced a most extraordinary and dismal effect. It seemed as though itwere still actually burning, to heighten the sublimity of the scene. Thehuge albatross appeared here to dread no interloper or enemy; for theiryoung were on the ground completely uncovered, and the old ones werestalking around them. This bird is the largest of the aquatic tribe; andits plumage is of a most delicate white, excepting the back and the topsof its wings, which are grey: they lay but one egg, on the ground, wherethey form a kind of nest, by scraping the earth round it. After theyoung one is hatched, it has to remain a year before it can fly; it isentirely white, and covered with a woolly down, which is very beautiful. As we approached them, they clapped their beaks, with a very quickmotion, which made a great noise. This, and throwing up the contents ofthe stomach, are the only means of offence and defence they seem topossess. The old ones, which are valuable on account of their feathers, my companions made dreadful havoc amongst, knocking on the head all theycould come up with. These birds are very helpless on the land, thegreat length of their wings precluding them from rising up into the air, unless they can get to a steep declivity. On the level ground they werecompletely at our mercy, but very little was shewn them; and in a veryshort space of time the plain was strewn with their bodies, one blow onthe head generally killing them instantly. Five months after, many ofthe young birds were still sitting on their nests, and had never movedaway from them; they remain there for a year before they can fly, andduring that long period are fed by the mother. They had greatlyincreased in size and beauty since my first visit to them. The semblanceof the young bird, as it sits on the nest, is stately and beautiful. Thewhite down, which is its first covering, giving place gradually to itsnatural grey plumage, leaves half the creature covered with down; theother half is a fine compact coat of feathers, composed of white andgrey; while the head is of a dazzling, silvery white. Their size isprodigious, one of them proving a tolerable load. Upon skinning them, on our return, we found they were covered with a fine white fat, which Iwas told was excellent for frying, and other culinary purposes; and theflesh was quite as delicate, and could scarcely be distinguished inflavour from lamb. Besides our albatross, the dogs caught some smallbirds, about the size of our partridge, but their gait was somethinglike that of the penguin. The male is of a glossy black, with a brightred hard crest on the top of the head. The hen is brown. They standerect, and have long yellow legs, with which they run very fast; theirwings are small and useless for flying, but they are armed with sharpspurs for defence, and also, I imagine, for assisting them in climbing, as they are found generally among the rocks. The name they give thisbird here is simply "cock, " its only note being a noise very muchresembling the repetition of that word. Its flesh is plump, fat, andexcellent eating. 

VISIT TO A PENGUIN ROOKERY. 

The spot of ground occupied by our settlers is bounded on each side byhigh _bluffs_, which extend far into the sea, leaving a space in front, where all their hogs run nearly wild, as they are prevented going beyondthose limits by those natural barriers; and the creatures who, at statedperiods, come up from the sea, remain in undisturbed possession of thebeaches beyond our immediate vicinity. The weather being favourable, welaunched our boat early in the morning, for the purpose of procuring asupply of eggs for the consumption of the family. We heard thechattering of the penguins from the rookery long before we landed, whichwas noisy in the extreme, and groups of them were scattered all over thebeach; but the high thick grass on the declivity of the hill seemedtheir grand establishment, and they were hidden by it from our view. Aswe could not find any place where we could possibly land our boat insafety, I and two more swam on shore with bags tied round our necks tohold the eggs in, and the boat with one of the men lay off, out of thesurf. I should think the ground occupied by these _birds_ (if I may beallowed so to call them) was at least a mile in circumference, coveredin every part with grasses and reeds, which grew considerably higherthan my head; and on every gentle ascent, beginning from the beach, onall the large grey rocks, which occasionally appeared above this grass, sat perched groups of these strange and uncouth-looking creatures; butthe noise which rose up from beneath baffles all description! As ourbusiness lay with the noisy part of this community, we quietly creptunder the grass, and commenced our plundering search, though thereneeded none, so profuse was the quantity. The scene altogether wellmerits a better description than I can give--thousands, and hundreds ofthousands, of these little two-legged erect monsters hopping around us, with voices very much resembling in tone that of the human; all openedtheir throats together: so thickly clustered in groups that it wasalmost impossible to place the foot without dispatching one of them. Theshape of the animal, their curious motions, and their most extraordinaryvoices, made me fancy myself in a kingdom of pigmies. The regularity oftheir manners, their all sitting in exact rows, resembling more theorder of a camp than a rookery of noisy birds, delighted me. Thesecreatures did not move away on our approach, but only increased theirnoise, so we were obliged to displace them forcibly from their nests;and this ejectment was not produced without a considerable struggle ontheir parts; and, being armed with a formidable beak, it soon became ascene of desperate warfare. We had to take particular care to protectour hands and legs from their attacks: and for this purpose each one hadprovided himself with a short stout club. The noise they continued tomake during our ramble through their territories the sailors said was, "Cover 'em up, cover 'em up. " And, however incredible it may appear, itis nevertheless true, that I heard those words so distinctly repeated, and by such various tones of voices, that several times I started, andexpected to see one of the men at my elbow. Even these little creatures, as well as the monstrous sea elephant, appear to keep up a continuedwarfare with each other. As the penguins sit in rows, forming regularlanes leading down to the beach, whenever one of them feels aninclination to refresh herself by a plunge into the sea, she has to runthe gauntlet through the whole _street_, every one pecking at her as shepasses without mercy; and though all are occupied in the sameemployment, not the smallest degree of friendship seems to exist; andwhenever we turned one off her nest, she was sure to be thrown amongstfoes; and, besides the loss of her eggs, was invariably doomed toreceive a severe beating and pecking from her companions. Each one laysthree eggs, and after a time, when the young are strong enough toundertake the journey, they go to sea, and are not again seen till theensuing spring. Their city is deserted of its numerous inhabitants, andquietness reigns till nature prompts their return the following year, when the same noisy scene is repeated, as the same flock of birdsreturns to the spot where they were hatched. After raising a tremendoustumult in this numerous colony, and sustaining continued combat, we cameoff victorious, making capture of about a thousand eggs, resembling insize, colour, and transparency of shell, those of a duck; and the takingpossession of this immense quantity did not occupy more than one hour, which may serve to prove the incalculable number of birds collectedtogether. We did not allow them sufficient time, after landing, to layall their eggs; for, had the season been further advanced, and we hadfound three eggs in each nest, the whole of them might probably haveproved addled, the young partly formed, and the eggs of no use to us;but the whole of those we took turned out good, and had a particularlyfine and delicate flavour. It was a work of considerable difficulty toget our booty safe into the boat--so frail a cargo--with so tremendous asurf running against us. However, we finally succeeded, though notwithout smashing a considerable number of the eggs. 

THE SEA ELEPHANT. 

I saw, for the first time, what the settlers call a _pod_ of seaelephants. At this particular season these animals lay strewed about thebeach, and, unless you disturb them, the sight of a man will notfrighten them away. I was determined to get a good portrait of some ofthem, and accordingly took my sketch-book and pencil, and seated myselfvery near to one of them, and began my operations, feeling sure I hadnow got a most patient sitter, for they will lie for weeks togetherwithout stirring; but I had to keep throwing small pebbles at him, inorder to make him open his eyes, and prevent his going to sleep. Theflies appear to torment these unwieldy monsters most cruelly, theireyes and nostrils being stuffed full of them. I got a good sketch of thegroup. They appeared to stare at me occasionally with some littleastonishment, stretching up their immense heads and looking around; butfinding all still (I suppose they considered me a mere rock), theycomposed themselves to sleep again. They are the most shapelesscreatures about the body. I could not help comparing them to anover-grown maggot, and their motion is similar to that insect. The facebears some rude resemblance to the human countenance; the eye is large, black, and expressive; excepting two very small flippers or paws at theshoulder, the whole body tapers down to a fish's tail; they are of adelicate mouse colour, the fur is very fine, but too oily for any otherpurpose than to make mocassins for the islanders. The bull is of anenormous size, and would weigh as heavily as his namesake of the land;and in that one thing consists their only resemblance, for no twoanimals can possibly be more unlike each other. It is a very curiousphenomenon, how they can possibly exist on shore; for, from the firstof their landing, they never go out to sea, and they lie on a stormybeach for months together without tasting any food, except consumingtheir own fat, for they gradually waste away; and as this fat or blubberis the great object of value, for which they are attacked andslaughtered, the settlers contrive to commence operations against themupon their first arrival, for it is well ascertained that they take nosustenance whatever on shore. I examined the contents of the stomach ofone they had just killed, but could not make out the nature of what itcontained. The matter was of a remarkably bright green colour. They havemany enemies, even in the water; one called the killer, a species ofgrampus, which makes terrible havoc amongst them, and will attack andtake away the carcass of one from alongside a boat. But man is theirgreatest enemy, and causes the most destruction to their race: hepursues them to all quarters of the globe. 

VISIT FROM THE NATIVES AT TERRA DEL FUEGO. 

During our stay, we had, at various times, visits from the natives. Theywere all at first very shy, but after they found our friendlydisposition towards them, they became more sociable and confiding. 

On the 11th of March three bark canoes arrived, containing four men, four women, and a girl about sixteen years old, four little boys andfour infants, one of the latter about a week old, and quite naked. Theyhad rude weapons, viz. Slings to throw stones, three rude spears, pointed at the end with bone, and notched on one side with barbed teeth. With this they catch their fish, which are in great quantities among thekelp. Two of the natives were induced to come on board, after they hadbeen alongside for upwards of an hour, and received many presents, forwhich they gave their spears, a dog, and some of their rude nativetrinkets. They did not shew or express surprise at anything on board, except when seeing one of the carpenters engaged in boring a hole with ascrew-auger through a plank, which would have been a long task for them. They were very talkative, smiling when spoken to, and often burstinginto loud laughter, but instantly settling into their natural seriousand sober cast. 

They were found to be great mimics, both in gesture and sound, and wouldrepeat any word of our language, with great correctness ofpronunciation. Their imitations of sounds were truly astonishing. 

Their mimicry became at length annoying, and precluded our getting atany of their words or ideas. It not only extended to words or sounds, but actions also, and was at times truly ridiculous. The usual manner ofinterrogating for names was quite unsuccessful. On pointing to the nose, for instance, they did the same. Anything they saw done they wouldmimic, and with an extraordinary degree of accuracy. On these canoesapproaching the ship, the principal one of the family, or chief, standing up in his canoe, made a harangue. Although they have beenheard to shout quite loud, yet they cannot endure a noise; and when thedrum beat, or a gun was fired, they invariably stopped their ears. Theyalways speak to each other in a whisper. 

The women were never suffered to come on board. They appeared modest inthe presence of strangers. They never move from a sitting posture, orrather a squat, with their knees close together, reaching to their chin, their feet in contact, and touching the lower part of the body. They areextremely ugly. Their hands and feet were small and well shaped; and, from appearance, they are not accustomed to do any hard work. Theyappear very fond and seem careful of their young children, though onseveral occasions they offered them for sale for a trifle. They havetheir faces smutted all over, and it was thought, from the hideousappearance of the females, produced in part by their being painted andsmutted, that they had been disfigured by the men previous to comingalongside. It was remarked, that when one of them saw herself in alooking-glass, she burst into tears, as Jack thought, from puremortification. 

Before they left the ship, the greater part of them were dressed in oldclothes, that had been given to them by the officers and men, who allshewed themselves extremely anxious "to make them comfortable, " Thisgave rise to much merriment, as Jack was not disposed to allow anydifficulties to interfere in the fitting. If the jackets proved tootight across the shoulders, which they invariably were, a slit down theback effectually remedied the defect. If a pair of trousers was foundtoo small around the waist, the knife was again resorted to; and in somecases a fit was made by severing the legs. The most difficult fit, andthe one which produced the most merriment, was that of a woman, to whoman old coat was given. This, she concluded belonged to her nether limbs, and no signs, hints, or shouts, could correct her mistake. Her feet werethrust through the sleeves, and, after hard squeezing, she succeeded indrawing them on. With the skirts brought up in front, she took her seatin the canoe with great satisfaction, amid a roar of laughter from allwho saw her. 

CHILIAN MODE OF CAPTURING WILD HORSES. 

A party of four or five horsemen, with about twenty dogs, were seenformed in an extended crescent, driving the wild horses towards theriver with shouts. All were armed with the lasso, which was swingingover their heads, to be in readiness to entrap the first that attemptedto break through the gradually contracting segment; the dogs servingwith the riders to head the horses in. They continued to advance, whensuddenly a horse with furious speed broke the line, passing near one ofthe horsemen, and for a moment it was thought he had escaped; the nexthe was jerked round with a force that seemed sufficient to have brokenhis neck, the horseman having, the moment the lasso was thrown, turnedround and braced himself for the shock. The captured horse now began torear and plunge furiously to effect his escape. After becoming somewhatworn out, he was suffered to run, and again suddenly checked. This wasrepeated several times, when another plan was adopted. The dogs were seton him, and off he went at full run, in the direction of anotherhorseman, who threw his lasso to entangle his legs and precipitate himto the ground. The dogs again roused him, when he again started, and wasin like manner brought to a stand. After several trials he becamecompletely exhausted and subdued, when he stood perfectly still, andallowed his captors to lay hands upon him. The shouts of the men, thebarking of the dogs, and the scampering of the horses, made the wholescene extremely exciting. 

FIGHT BETWEEN A WHALE AND A KILLER. 

This day, on board the Peacock, they witnessed a sea-fight between awhale and one of its many enemies. The sea was quite smooth, and offeredthe best possible view of the whole combat. First, at a distance fromthe ship, a whale was seen floundering in a most extraordinary way, lashing the smooth sea into a perfect foam, and endeavouring apparentlyto extricate himself from some annoyance. As he approached the ship, thestruggle continuing and becoming more violent, it was perceived that afish, apparently about twenty feet long, held him by the jaw, hiscontortions, spouting, and throes, all betokening the agony of the hugemonster. The whale now threw himself at full length from the water withopen mouth, his pursuer still hanging to the jaw, the blood issuing fromthe wound and dyeing the sea to a distance around; but all hisflounderings were of no avail; his pertinacious enemy still maintainedhis hold, and was evidently getting the advantage of him. Much alarmseemed to be felt by the many other whales around. These "killers, " asthey are called, are of a brownish colour on the back, and white on thebelly, with a long dorsal fin. Such was the turbulence with which theypassed, that a good view could not be had of them to make out morenearly the description. These fish attack a whale in the same way asdogs bait a bull, and worry him to death. They are armed with strongsharp teeth, and generally seize the whale by the lower jaw. It is saidthat the only part of them they eat is the tongue. The whalers give somemarvellous accounts of these killers, and of their immense strength;among them, that they have been known to drag a whale away from severalboats which were towing it to the ship. 

WAR DANCES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. 

Wishing to see their war-dances, I requested the chief Pomare to gratifyus with an exhibition, which he consented to do. The ground chosen wasthe hillside of Mr. Clendon, our consul's place, where between three andfour hundred natives, with their wives and children, assembled. Pomaredivided the men into three parties or squads, and stationed these atsome distance from each other. Shortly after this was done, I received amessage from him, to say that they were all hungry, and wanted me totreat them to something to eat. This was refused until they had finishedtheir dance, and much delay took place in consequence. Pomare and hiswarriors were at first immoveable; but they, in a short time, determinedthey would unite on the hill-top, which was accordingly ordered, although I was told they were too hungry to dance well. Here theyarranged themselves in a solid column, and began stamping, shouting, jumping, and shaking their guns, clubs, and paddles in the air, withviolent gesticulations, to a sort of savage time. A more grotesque groupcannot well be imagined; dressed, half-dressed, or entirely naked. Aftermuch preliminary action, they all set off, with a frantic shout, at fullspeed in a war-charge, which not only put to flight all the animals thatwere feeding in the neighbourhood, but startled the spectators. Afterrunning about two hundred and fifty yards, they fired their guns andhalted, with another shout. They then returned in the same manner, andstopped before us, a truly savage multitude, wrought up to apparentfrenzy, and exhibiting all the modes practised of maiming and killingtheir enemies, until they became exhausted, and lay down on the groundlike tired dogs, panting for breath. One of the chiefs then took an oldbroken dragoon-sword, and began running to and fro before us, flourishing it, and, at the same time, delivering a speech at the top ofhis voice. The speech, as interpreted to me, ran thus: "You are welcome, you are our friends, and we are glad to see you, " frequently repeated. After three or four had shewn off in this way, they determined they musthave something to eat, saying that I had promised them rice and sugar, and they ought to have it. Mr. Clendon, however, persuaded them to giveone of their feast-dances. The performers consisted of about fifteenold, and as many young persons, whom they arranged in close order. Theyoung girls laid aside a part of their dress to exhibit their forms tomore advantage, and they commenced a kind of recitative, accompanied byall manner of gesticulations, with a sort of guttural husk for a chorus. It was not necessary to understand their language to comprehend theirmeaning; and it is unnecessary to add, that their tastes did not appearvery refined, but were similar to what we have constantly observed amongthe heathen nations of Polynesia. Their impatience now becameungovernable; and hearing that the rice and sugar were being served out, they retreated precipitately down the hill, where they all set to mostheartily, with their wives and children, to devour the food. This, tome, was the most entertaining part of the exhibition. They did notappear selfish towards each other; the children were taken care of, andall seemed to enjoy themselves. I received many thanks in passing amongthem, and their countenances betokened contentment. Although they wereclothed for the occasion in their best, they exhibited but a squalid anddirty appearance, both in their dress and persons. 

 * * * * *

We now end our extracts from this very entertaining Work, --upon theresources of which we have so largely drawn, --by the history of PaddyConnel, as described by himself, and who had been a resident among theFeejeean savages for nearly forty years. 

HISTORY OF PADDY CONNEL. 

One day, while at the Observatory, I was greatly surprised at seeing onewhom I took to be a Feejeeman, enter my tent, a circumstance soinconsistent with the respect to our prescribed limit, of which I havespoken. His colour, however, struck me as lighter than that of anynative I had yet seen. He was a short wrinkled old man, but appeared topossess great vigour and activity. He had a beard that reached to hismiddle, and but little hair, of a reddish-grey colour, on his head. Hegave me no time for inquiry, but at once addressed me in broad Irish, with a rich Milesian brogue. In a few minutes he made me acquainted withhis story, which, by his own account, was as follows:--

His name was Paddy Connel, but the natives called him Berry; he was bornin the county of Clare, in Ireland; had run away from school when he wasa little fellow, and after wandering about as a vagabond, was pressedinto the army in the first Irish rebellion. At the time the Frenchlanded in Ireland, the regiment to which he was attached marched at onceagainst the enemy, and soon arrived on the field of battle, where theywere brought to the charge. The first thing he knew or heard, the drumsstruck up a White Boy's tune, and his whole regiment went over andjoined the French, with the exception of the officers, who had to flee. They were then marched against the British, and were soon defeated byLord Cornwallis; it was a hard fight, and Paddy found himself among theslain. When he thought the battle was over, and night came on, hecrawled off and reached home. He was then taken up and tried for hislife, but was acquitted; he was, however, remanded to prison, and busiedhimself in effecting the escape of some of his comrades. On this beingdiscovered, he was confined in the black hole, and soon after sent toCork, to be put on board a convict-ship bound to New South Wales. Whenhe arrived there, his name was not found on the books of the prisoners;consequently he had been transported by mistake, and was, therefore, setat liberty. He then worked about for several years, and collected asmall sum of money, but unfortunately fell into bad company, got drunk, and lost it all. Just about this time Captain Sartori, of the shipGeneral Wellesley, arrived at Sydney. Having lost a great part of hiscrew by sickness and desertion, he desired to procure hands for hisship, which was still at Sandalwood Bay, and obtained thirty-five men, one of whom was Paddy Connel. At the time they were ready to depart, aFrench privateer, Le Gloriant, Captain Dubardieu, put into Sydney, whenCaptain Sartori engaged a passage for himself and his men to theFeejees. On their way they touched at Norfolk Island, where the shipstruck, and damaged her keel so much that they were obliged to put intothe Bay of Islands for repairs. Paddy asserts that a difficulty hadoccurred here between Captain Sartori and his men about theirprovisions, which was amicably settled. The Gloriant finally sailed fromNew Zealand for Tongataboo, where they arrived just after the capture ofa vessel, which he supposed to have been the Port au Prince, as they hadobtained many articles from the natives, which had evidently belonged tosome large vessel. Here they remained some months, and then sailed forSandalwood Bay, where the men, on account of their former quarrel withCaptain Sartori, refused to go on board the General Wellesley: some ofthem shipped on board the Gloriant, and others, with Paddy, determinedto remain on shore with the natives. He added, that Captain Sartori waskind to him, and at parting had given him a pistol, cutlass, and an oldgood-for-nothing musket; these, with his sea-chest and a few clothes, were all that he possessed. He had now lived forty years among thesesavages. After hearing his whole story, I told him I did not believe aword of it; to which he answered, that the main part of it was true, buthe might have made some mistakes, as he had been so much in the habit oflying to the Feejeeans, that he hardly now knew when he told the truth, adding, that he had no desire to tell anything but the truth. 

Paddy turned out to be a very amusing fellow, and possessed an accurateknowledge of the Feejee character. Some of the whites told me that hewas more than half Feejee; indeed he seemed to delight in shewing hownearly he was allied to them in feeling and propensities; and, likethem, seemed to fix his attention upon trifles. He gave me a drollaccount of his daily employments, which it would be inappropriate togive here, and finished by telling me the only wish he had then, was toget for his little boy, on whom he doated, a small hatchet; and the onlyarticles he had to offer for it were a few old hens. On my asking him ifhe did not cultivate the ground, he said at once no; he found it mucheasier to get his living by telling the Feejeeans stories, which hecould always make good enough for them;--these, and the care of his twolittle boys, and his hens, and his pigs, when he had any, gave him ampleemployment and plenty of food. He had lived much at Rewa, and, untillately, had been a resident at Levuka, but had, in consequence of hisintrigues, been expelled by the white residents, to the island ofAmbatiki. It appeared that they had unanimously come to the conclusion, that if he did not remove, they would be obliged to put him to death fortheir own safety. I could not induce Whippy or Tom to give me thecircumstances that occasioned this determination; and Paddy would notcommunicate more than that his residence on Ambatiki was a forced one, and that it was as though he was living out of the world, rearing pigs, fowls, and children. Of the last description of live stock he hadforty-eight, and hoped that he might live to see fifty born to him. Hehad had one hundred wives. 

~Extraordinary Escape from Drowning. ~

The following Narrative of an extraordinary escape from drowning, afterbeing wrecked among the Rapids of the St. Lawrence, first appeared inthe _Liverpool Mercury_, the Editors of which state that they havepublished it by permission of the writer, who is a well-known merchantof great respectability in that city. We have extracted it from thepages of the _Edinburgh Magazine_, the Editor of which remarks, --"Wehave been induced to transfer it into our Miscellany, not merely fromthe uncommon interest of the detail, but because we happen to be able tovouch for its authenticity. "

On the 22nd day of April, 1810, our party set sail in a large schoonerfrom Fort-George, or Niagara Town, and in two days crossed Lake Ontarioto Kingston, at the head of the river St. Lawrence, distant from Niagaraabout 200 miles. Here we hired an American barge (a large flat-bottomedboat) to carry us to Montreal, a further distance of 200 miles; then setout from Kingston on the 28th of April, and arrived the same evening atOgdensburgh, a distance of 75 miles. The following evening we arrivedat Cornwall, and the succeeding night at Pointe du Lac, on Lake St. Francis. Here our bargemen obtained our permission to return up theriver; and we embarked in another barge, deeply laden with potashes, passengers, and luggage. Above Montreal, for nearly 100 miles, the riverSt. Lawrence is interrupted in its course by rapids, which areoccasioned by the river being confined in comparatively narrow, shallow, rocky channels;--through these it rushes with great force and noise, andis agitated like the ocean in a storm. Many people prefer these rapids, for grandeur of appearance, to the Falls of Niagara. They are from halfa mile to nine miles long each, and require regular pilots. On the 30thof April we arrived at the village of the Cedars, immediately belowwhich are three sets of very dangerous rapids (the Cedars, theSplit-rock, and the Cascades), distant from each other about one mile. On the morning of the 1st of May we set out from the Cedars, the bargevery deep and very leaky. The captain, a daring rash man, refused totake a pilot. After we passed the Cedar rapid, not without danger, thecaptain called for some rum, swearing, at the same time, that ---- couldnot steer the barge better than he did! Soon after this we entered theSplit-rock rapids by a wrong channel, and found ourselves advancingrapidly towards a dreadful watery precipice, down which we went. Thebarge slightly grazed her bottom against the rock, and the fall was sogreat as to nearly take away the breath. We here took in a great deal ofwater, which was mostly baled out again before we were hurried on towhat the Canadians call the "grand bouillon, " or great boiling. Inapproaching this place the captain let go the helm, saying, "Here wefill!" The barge was almost immediately overwhelmed in the midst ofimmense foaming breakers, which rushed over the bows, carrying awayplanks, oars, &c. About half a minute elapsed between the filling andgoing down of the barge, during which I had sufficient presence of mindto rip off my three coats, and was loosening my suspenders, when thebarge sunk, and I found myself floating in the midst of people, baggage, &c. Each man caught hold of something; one of the crew caught hold ofme, and kept me down under water, but, contrary to my expectation, letme go again. On rising to the surface, I got hold of a trunk, on whichtwo other men were then holding. Just at this spot, where the Split-rockrapids terminate, the bank of the river is well inhabited; and we couldsee women on shore running about much agitated. A canoe put off, andpicked up three of our number, who had gained the bottom of the barge, which had upset and got rid of its cargo; these they landed on anisland. The canoe put off again, and was approaching near to where Iwas, with two others, holding on by the trunk, when, terrified with thevicinity of the Cascades, to which we were approaching, it put back, notwithstanding my exhortations, in French and English, to induce thetwo men on board to advance. The bad hold which one man had of thetrunk, to which we were adhering, subjected him to constant immersion;and, in order to escape his seizing hold of me, I let go the trunk, and, in conjunction with another man, got hold of the boom, (which, with thegaff, sails, &c. , had been detached from the mast, to make room for thecargo, ) and floated off. I had just time to grasp this boom, when wewere hurried into the Cascades; in these I was instantly buried, andnearly suffocated. On rising to the surface, I found one of my handsstill on the boom, and my companion also adhering to the gaff. Shortlyafter descending the Cascades, I perceived the barge, bottom upwards, floating near me. I succeeded in getting to it, and held by a crack inone end of it; the violence of the water, and the falling out of thecasks of ashes, had quite wrecked it. For a long time I contented myselfwith this hold, not daring to endeavour to get upon the bottom, which Iat length effected; and from this, my new situation, I called out to mycompanion, who still preserved his hold of the gaff. He shook his head;and, when the waves suffered me to look up again, he was gone. He madeno attempt to come near me, being unable or unwilling to let go hishold, and trust himself to the waves, which were then rolling over hishead. 

The Cascades are a kind of fall, or rapid descent, in the river, over arocky channel below: going down is called, by the French, "Sauter, " toleap or shove the cascades. For two miles below, the channel continuesin uproar, just like a storm at sea; and I was frequently nearly washedoff the barge by the waves which rolled over. I now entertained no hopewhatever of escaping; and although I continued to exert myself to holdon, such was the state to which I was reduced by cold, that I wishedonly for speedy death, and frequently thought of giving up the contestas useless. I felt as if compressed into the size of a monkey; my handsappeared diminished in size one-half; and I certainly should (after Ibecame cold and much exhausted) have fallen asleep, but for the wavesthat were passing over me, and obliged me to attend to my situation. Ihad never descended the St. Lawrence before, but I knew there were morerapids a-head, perhaps another set of the Cascades, but at all eventsthe La Chine rapids, whose situation I did not exactly know. I was inhourly expectation of these putting an end to me, and often fancied somepoints of ice extending from the shore to be the head of foaming rapids. At one of the moments in which the succession of waves permitted me tolook up, I saw at a distance a canoe with four men coming towards me, and waited in confidence to hear the sound of their paddles; but in thisI was disappointed; the men, as I afterwards learnt, were Indians(genuine descendants of the Tartars) who, happening to fall in with oneof the passenger's trunks, picked it up, and returned to shore for thepurpose of pillaging it, leaving, as they since acknowledged, the man onthe boat to his fate. Indeed, I am certain I should have had more tofear from their avarice, than to hope from their humanity; and it ismore than probable, that my life would have been taken to secure them inthe possession of my watch and several half-eagles, which I had aboutme. 

The accident happened at eight o'clock in the morning. In the course ofsome hours, as the day advanced, the sun grew warmer, the wind blew fromthe south, and the water became calmer. I got upon my knees, and foundmyself in the small lake St. Louis, about from three to five miles wide;with some difficulty I got upon my feet, but was soon convinced, bycramps and spasms in all my sinews, that I was quite incapable ofswimming any distance, and I was then two miles from shore. I was nowgoing, with wind and current, to destruction; and cold, hungry, andfatigued, was obliged again to sit down in the water to rest, when anextraordinary circumstance greatly relieved me. On examining the wreck, to see if it was possible to detach any part of it to steer by, Iperceived something loose, entangled in a fork of the wreck, and socarried along. This I found to be a small trunk, bottom upwards, which, with some difficulty, I dragged up upon the barge. After near an hour'swork, in which I broke my pen-knife, trying to cut out the lock, I madea hole in the top, and, to my great satisfaction, drew out a bottle ofrum, a cold tongue, some cheese, and a bag full of bread, cakes, &c. , all wet. Of these I made a very seasonable, though very moderate use, and the trunk answered the purpose of a chair to sit upon, elevatedabove the surface of the water. 

After in vain endeavouring to steer the wreck, or direct its course tothe shore, and having made every signal (with my waistcoat, &c. ) in mypower, to the several headlands which I had passed, I fancied I wasdriving into a bay, which, however, soon proved to be the termination ofthe lake, and the opening of the river, the current of which wascarrying me rapidly along. I passed several small uninhabited islands;but the banks of the river appearing to be covered with houses, I againrenewed my signals with my waistcoat and a shirt, which I took out ofthe trunk, hoping, as the river narrowed, they might be perceived; thedistance was too great. The velocity with which I was going convinced meof my near approach to the dreadful rapids of La Chine. Night wasdrawing on; my destruction appeared certain, but did not disturb mevery much: the idea of death had lost its novelty, and become quitefamiliar. Finding signals in vain, I now set up a cry or howl, such as Ithought best calculated to carry to a distance, and, being favoured bythe wind, it did, although at above a mile distance, reach the ears ofsome people on shore. At last I perceived a boat rowing towards me, which, being very small and white-bottomed, I had some time taken for afowl with a white breast; and I was taken off the barge by CaptainJohnstone, after being ten hours on the water. I found myself at thevillage of La Chine, 21 miles below where the accident happened, andhaving been driven by the winding of the current a much greaterdistance. I received no other injury than bruised knees and breast, witha slight cold. The accident took some hold of my imagination, and, forseven or eight succeeding nights, in my dreams, I was engaged in thedangers of the Cascades, and surrounded by drowning men. 

My escape was owing to a concurrence of fortunate circumstances, whichappear almost providential. I happened to catch hold of various articlesof support, and to exchange each article for another just at the righttime. Nothing but the boom could have carried me down the Cascadeswithout injury; and nothing but the barge could have saved me belowthem. I was also fortunate in having the whole day. Had the accidenthappened one hour later, I should have arrived opposite the village ofLa Chine after dark, and, of course, would have been destroyed in therapids below, to which I was rapidly advancing. The trunk whichfurnished me with provisions and a resting-place above the water, I haveevery reason to think, was necessary to save my life; without it I musthave passed the whole time in the water, and been exhausted with coldand hunger. When the people on shore saw our boat take the wrongchannel, they predicted our destruction: the floating luggage, bysupporting us for a time, enabled them to make an exertion to save us;but as it was not supposed possible to survive the passage of theCascades, no further exertions were thought of, nor indeed could theywell have been made. 

It was at this very place that General Ambert's brigade of 300 men, coming to attack Canada, was lost; the French at Montreal received thefirst intelligence of the invasion, by the dead bodies floating past thetown. The pilot who conducted the first batteaux, committing the sameerror that we did, ran for the wrong channel, and the other batteauxfollowing close, all were involved in the same destruction. The wholeparty with which I was escaped; four left the barge at the Cedarvillage, above the rapids, and went to Montreal by land; two more weresaved by the canoe; the barge's crew, all accustomed to labour, werelost. Of the eight men who passed down the Cascades, none but myselfescaped, or were seen again; nor indeed was it possible for any one, without my extraordinary luck, and the aid of the barge, to which theymust have been very close, to have escaped; the other men must havebeen drowned immediately on entering the Cascades. The trunks, &c. , towhich they adhered, and the heavy great-coats which they had on, veryprobably helped to overwhelm them; but they must have gone at allevents; swimming in such a current of broken stormy waves wasimpossible. Still I think my knowing how to swim kept me more collected, and rendered me more willing to part with one article of support to gaina better. Those who could not swim would naturally cling to whateverhold they first got, and, of course, many had very bad ones. The Captainpassed me above the Cascades, on a sack of woollen clothes, which weredoubtless soon saturated and sunk. 

The trunk which I picked up belonged to a young man from Upper Canada, who was one of those drowned; it contained clothes, and about £70 ingold, which was restored to his friends. My own trunk contained, besidesclothes, about £200 in gold and bank notes. On my arrival at La Chine, Ioffered a reward of 100 dollars, which induced a Canadian to go insearch of it. He found it, some days after, on the shore of an island onwhich it had been driven, and brought it to La Chine, where I happenedto be at the time. I paid him his reward, and understood that aboveone-third of it was to be immediately applied to the purchase of acertain number of masses which he had vowed, in the event of success, previous to his setting out on the search. 

 * * * * *

~Adventure in the Desert, and Murder of a Sheikh. ~

I was awakened for a few minutes, as early as three o'clock on thefollowing morning, by the sound of many voices in loud and earnestconversation, amongst which I recognised that of Sheikh Suleiman; but asnoisy conversations at such early hours are by no means uncommon withthese restless spirits of the wilderness, I gave no heed to it, andcomposed myself for sleep again, intending to rise by about half afterfour, in order to get a dip in the Red Sea, before resuming the march;and this intention I fulfilled; but just while throwing on the fewclothes I had taken with me, I heard suddenly a loud strife of manytongues bursting forth, not in our encampment, but in a small copse orgrove of palm trees, about two hundred yards distant. At once thethought rushed upon my mind, that the Mezzeni had overtaken us, and weremeditating an attack, now that we were so near the place of their mainencampment. This was directly confirmed by the sound of a gun-shot inthe palm-grove, which was soon followed up by a second. I ran up towardsthe encampment as rapidly as possible; and just as I reached it, anothershot rang awfully upon my ear. I found our party in a state of thegreatest consternation, and gathered closely together, gazing wildlytowards the grove. The first thing I learnt, was the harrowing fact, that poor Suleiman had just been murdered by the Mezzeni! It was anastounding announcement. To what would this desperate blow lead--here, in the Desert? The prospect of further bloodshed was terrible. It wouldhave been insupportable, but for the influence of that inward calmnesswhich is the privilege of the children of God. We were braced up for theworst, and stood gazing upon the scene, in full expectation that out ofa deep and deadly spirit of revenge, we should be immediatelyoverpowered by the enemy, and held entirely at their mercy--as any shewof defence against so many as had now come down upon us, would have beenutterly futile, and might have led to the destruction of us all. Howwild and desolate this awful theatre of death appeared, while, with thesound of gun-shots still vibrating in our ears, we thought of Suleimanwrithing in his death-throes, and anxiously watched the movements of themurderers. We were motionless--almost breathless. Each man among usgazed silently upon his fellow. Our suspense was not of great duration, but long enough to get the heart secretly lifted up in communion with aGod of mercy. And there was sweet peacefulness in that briefexercise. . . . My worst fears were groundless. The hearts of all men arein God's hands. Our helplessness must have been a powerful matter oftemptation to the blood-stained men, over whom the departed soul ofSuleiman was hovering. But God restrained them. . . . 

Having slaughtered their victim, the Mezzeni (of whom above forty werecounted), quietly marched back towards Nuweibia, without exchanging evena word with us; leaving behind them the corpse of poor Suleiman--a sadmemorial of their malignant vengeance; while several others of theirtribe, who had been lying in ambush beyond the scene of terror, cameforth from their hiding-places, and joined their retreating comrades. 

My heart almost sickens at the recollection of this dreadfultransaction, while referring to the notes made on the spot, andcompiling from them the particulars of this sad page. 

As soon as the enemy had fairly departed, I took Hassenein with me, andadvanced carefully towards the copse of palm trees, where I found themangled body of poor Suleiman quite dead, but with the agony of thedeath-pang still visible on his sunburnt and swarthy features. It was aterrible sight, thus to behold the leader and confidential companion ofour wild route, lying as the clods of the valley, and saturated with hisown life-blood. And how, in a Christian's heart, was the sense of thesad reality heightened, by knowing that the poor sufferer was a followerof the false prophet--a Mahommedan--ignorant of Him who was "deliveredfor our offences, and raised again for our justification. " I have seendeath in many forms; but I never beheld it with so dread an aspect as ithere assumed. 

I was more than half inclined to withhold the minute particulars of thedark tragedy, when arriving at this part of my narrative; but they nowfasten themselves upon my mind, and I feel constrained to leave them onrecord. 

Suleiman had received three balls through his body, and foursabre-gashes on his head, which was also nearly severed from the trunk;and his right arm, which had been evidently raised in an attempt atwarding off a blow, was all but divided near the wrist. We returned tothe encampment, where our Arabs were sitting together, still terrified. At length a few of them who volunteered their aid, went and washed thebody--wrapped it in an unfolded turban, and prepared it for immediateinterment. They hastily formed a resting-place, about a mile upwards, towards the hills which skirted the plain in which we were encamped, byraising four walls of large loose stones. Having made all ready, theybrought up the remains of their leader, laid across the back of hiscamel, and, with deep emotion, deposited them in their final abode, arching it over with large masses of stone, and quitting it with whatappeared to me like deep expressions of vengeance against the tribe, onwhich lay the guilt of his murder. 

I turned away from the tomb with a heavy heart. . . . Was my way to theHoly City of my God to be tracked with blood?

On making a careful inquiry into the particulars immediately connectedwith this sad catastrophe, I collected the following:--It appeared, thatwhile we were resting on the previous day at Wadey el Ayśn, the Mezzenicame down in order to make a final effort at supporting, withoutbloodshed, their claim to conduct travellers through their territory toAkabah. Sheikh Furriqh was of the number, as I have already stated. Whenhe was about to retire, after an unsuccessful attempt, an Arab of histribe came and secretly informed him that his (Furriqh's) nephew hadbeen shot on the previous day by one of Suleiman's tribe, in referenceto the very question then pending. On receiving this information, Furriqh at once broke off all negotiation, and quitted the encampment. It is believed that Suleiman never knew the fact which had beencommunicated to Furriqh; but news was brought to him that the Mezzeniintended to pursue us with an increased force; and this quite accountsfor all the anxiety and timidity which he evinced during the afternoonand evening preceding his death. It appears that the Mezzeni, bent onaccomplishing their purpose, gathered together their force, and, following us at dromedary speed, arrived at the encampment as early astwo o'clock in the morning--that a deputation from them came toSuleiman, while some of the rest remained in the palm-grove, and otherswent in advance, and formed ambuscades--that Sheikh Furriqh was one ofthe deputation--that Suleiman shewed them the usual hospitality ofbreaking bread with them--that the conference ended without anyadjustment of the matter in dispute--that after the deputation hadretired to the copse, two Arabs of a neutral tribe, who had come with usfrom Mount Sinai, went to the Mezzeni in order to mediate, but wereunsuccessful--that while they remained Suleiman was sent for, and thathaving broken bread with the Mezzeni, he had a right to expect that hislife would be held sacred--that Suleiman had scarcely reached theadverse party, when Sheikh Furriqh said--"We do not care about themoney, but there is blood between us;"--that instantly one of theMezzeni shot him through the body, and that Furriqh cut him down withhis sabre, while two other shots which were fired took effect upon him. My recollection of Furriqh, from the first moment that he appeared inour caravan, is such as to convince me that he would readily commit suchan act as this--so subtle--so cruel--so cowardly--without one feeling ofremorse or misgiving. 

POPULAR JUVENILE BOOKS, Of established reputation, which may be safely placed into the hands ofChildren, blending Amusement with Instruction. 

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