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ACCOUNT OF A TIGER-HUNT.

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tion, Hatem ordered search to be made in the desert for all the camels of this kind, promising to pay for each double its value. The Arabs securely trusting in Hatem's word, collected a hundred camels, which he despatched to the king, loading the officer with presents. The sovereign of Damascus, amazed at such profusion, attempted to surpass it, and sent back to Hatem the same camels laden with precious stuffs. Hatem immediately summoned (1) those who had procured him these curious animals, and restored them with all their charge. On hearing this, the king of Damascus acknowledged himself overcome (2).

ACCOUNT OF A TIGER-HUNT.

(Letter from an English Officer, 8th Sept. 1815, in the India service.)

In the beginning of May 1815, our army, from the hot winds and weather, became so sickly that we were ordered into quarters. On the 6th we passed through a forest, and encamped on its skirts (3) near a small village, the head-man (4) of which came and entreated us to destroy a large tiger, which had killed seven of his men, and was in the daily habit of stealing his cattle, and had that morning wounded his son. Another officer and myself agreed to attempt the destruction of this

(1) To summon, appeler.

(2) Overcome, vaincu.
(3) Skirts, bords, extrémités.
(4) Head-man, chef.

monster.

We immediately ordered seven elephants and went in quest of the animal, whom we found sleeping under a bush; the noise of the elephants awoke him, and he made a furious charge on us; my elephant received him on her shoulder; the other six elephants turned about and ran off, notwithstanding the exertions of their riders, and left me in the above situation : I had seen many tigers and been at the killing of them, but never so large a one as this: the elephant shook the tiger off (1). I then fired two balls and he fell; but again recovering himself made a spring (2) at me and fell short, but seized the elephant by her hind leg; then receiving a kick from her, and a ball from me, he let go his hold and fell a second time; thinking he was disabled I very unfortunately dismounted with a pair of pistols, intending to put an end to his existence; when the monster, having only couched to take another spring, made it at that moment, and caught me in his mouth; but it pleased God to give me strength and presence of mind, and I immediately fired into his body; and finding that had little effect, I exerted all my strength and happily disengaged my arm: then directing my other pistol to his heart, I at length succeeded in destroying him, after having myself received five very severe wounds, some of which were at first thought mortal. However I eased the terror of the poor villagers, who appeared very grateful.

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SACRIFICE.

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THE SAGACIOUS INDIAN.

An Indian of Peru, who had lost a horse, discovered after diligent search, that a Spaniard had stolen it. He complained to a magistrate of the place, and the parties were ordered to appear; when the Spaniard offering to swear that the horse was his own, the poor Indian was on the point of losing his cause; but suddenly throwing his cloak over the horse's head, he said to the Spaniard : "If it be really your horse, you can surely tell of which eye he is blind." The Spaniard after some hesitation, depending on the chance of guessing (1), said it was his left." May it please your worship," said the Indian, taking the cloak off, "he is blind of neither." The judge perceiving the roguery (2) of the Spaniard, and admiring the natural acuteness (3) of the Indian, ordered the horse to be restored to him with cost of suit (4), and committed the thief to prison.

SACRIFICE.

The wife of a noble Venetian having lost her only son, gave herself up to the most lively grief. A friendly priest wishing to console her, bade her remember, how God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son.

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Ah! reverend father, replied she, "God would never have demanded such a sacrifice of a mother."

EDUCATION.

What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to a human soul. The philosopher, the saint, and the hero, the wise, the good, or the great man, very often lie concealed in a plebeian, which a proper education might have disinterred and brought to light.

(Spectator.)

EMULATION.

Emulation is a great incitement (1) to industry. Quintilian among his excellent rules for instructing youth, speaks to this purpose: Give me a child that is sensible of praise and touched with glory, and that will cry at the shame of being outdone (2), and I'll (3) keep him to his business by emulation. Reproof will afflict, and honour will encourage him, and I shall not fear to cure him of his idleness.

(1) Incitement, motif.

(2) To be outdone, être vaincu.

(3) I'll, abrégé de I will; voyez la table des abréviations, Grammaire pratique, p. 314.

FRENCH WOMEN.

COURAGE AND PRUDENCE.

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A warm heart requires a cool head. Courage without conduct, is like fancy without judgment, all sail and no ballast.

DESCRIPTION OF FRENCH WOMEN,
by SHERLOCK.

When a French lady comes into a room, the first thing that strikes you is, that she walks better, holds herself better, has her head and feet better drest, her clothes better fancied, and better put on (1), than any woman you have ever seen.

When she talks, she is the art of pleasing personified. Her eyes, her lips, her words, her gestures are all prepossessing (2). Her language is the language of amiableness; her accents are the accents of grace; she takes off all the insipidity of a compliment by turning it elegantly; and when she has a mind (3), she sharpens (4) and polishes the point of an epigram better than all the other women in the world.

Her eyes sparkle (5) with spirit; the most delightful sallies flash from her fancy; in telling a story she is inimitable; the motions of her body and the accents of her

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(1) Put on, mis.

(2) Prepossessing, prévenant.

(3) When she has a mind, quand elle le veut. (4) To sharpen, affiler, rendre piquant.

(5) To sparkle, étinceler.

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