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hole? Nay; and he knew not how it was caused. The muscles quivered in his vigorous limbs. You must have seen mussels adhering to the rocks. This is a humorous tale. The wild horse of the prairies has a long tail and a flowing mane. The stormy main has proved disastrous to many sailors. He has hurt his heel; and he'll find that the wound will not be easy to heal. Did you ever eat deer's flesh? Coals are dear this year.

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[A POOR old slave has been sent to labour in the rice-fields; but, overcome by weakness and fatigue, he sinks upon the ground, and falls asleep. He dreams of his native land, of his wife and children, of his warlike pomp, and of the freedom he had enjoyed in happier days, when, as a king, he had roamed where he pleased through the wilds of Africa. The driver approaches and lashes the dying man to force him to his work. But the whip of the brutal driver falls upon him in vain; for in that pleasant dream his soul has passed away, and he will feel no more the hardships and sorrows of his earthly lot.]

BESIDE the ungathered rice he lay,
His sickle in his hand;

His breast was bare, his matted hair
Was buried in the sand.

Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep,
He saw his native land.

Wide through the landscape of his dreams
The lordly Niger flowed;
Beneath the palm trees on the plain
Once more a king he strode;
And heard the tinkling caravans

Descend the mountain road.

He saw once more his dark-eyed queen
Among her children stand;

They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheeks,
They held him by the hand.

A tear burst from the sleeper's lids

And fell into the sand.

And then at furious speed he rode
Along the Niger's bank;

His bridle-reins were golden chains,
And, with a martial clank,

At each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel
Smiting his stallion's flank.

Before him like a blood-red flag
The bright flamingoes flew;

From morn till night he followed their flight,
O'er plains where the tamarind grew,
Till he saw the roofs of Caffre huts,

And the ocean rose to view.

At night he heard the lion roar,
And the hyena scream,

And the river-horse, as he crushed the reeds
Beside some hidden stream;

And it passed like a glorious roll of drums
Through the triumph of his dream.

The forests, with their myriad tongues,
Shouted of liberty;

And the blast of the desert cried aloud,`
With a voice so wild and free,

That he started in his sleep and smiled
At their tempestuous glee.

He did not feel the driver's whip,
Nor the burning heat of day;

For death had illumined the land of sleep,

And his lifeless body lay

A worn-out fetter that the soul

Had broken and thrown away!-Longfellow.

Slaves. Until lately negroes were frequently stolen from Africa and carried to the West Indies and America, where they were forced to work as slaves, and were often treated with great cruelty. In 1833 the British Parliament passed a law forbidding slave-labour in our colonies; and in 1865, after a war which lasted four years, the Northern States of America compelled the Southern States to free their slaves-thousands of whom had been employed in the rice-fields and cotton-plantations of the South.

Niger a large river of Western Africa.

Caravans-companies of merchants travelling together for security. The camels, which carry the merchandise, are decorated with bells, which tinkle as they move, and are heard from a considerable distance.

Flamin'go-a web-footed bird, found in the warm countries of Asia, Africa, and America. It is of a bright red colour.

Tam'arind a tree cultivated in tropical countries for its shade and fruit. It bears seed-pods, which are preserved and exported to other countries.

Caffre or Kaffir—an inhabitant of Kaffraria, in South Africa.

Spell and give the meaning of words similar to the following in sound-bear, bury, plain, rode, bridle, rein, martial, steel, reed, soul, rose, through, thrown, tear.

DICTATION.

Where did the general intend to marshal his army? He wrapped his martial cloak around him. Were you at the bridal feast? His bridle-reins were golden chains. Who now reigns in France? We have had heavy rains this autumn. His sword is made of steel. He who steals is a thief. John reads very distinctly. The duck's nest was among the reeds. The soul is immortal. The sharp stones cut the sole of his shoe, The ship was wrecked, and the captain was the sole survivor.

HOME, SWEET HOME.

'MID pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, Which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.

Home! home! sweet home!

There's no place like home!

An exile from home, splendour dazzles in vain;
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again;
The bird singing gaily that came at my call;
Give me these, and the peace of mind dearer than all.
Home! sweet, sweet home!

There's no place like home!-Payne,

LV.-A NARROW ESCAPE.

Ad-ven'-ture, accident.
An'-guish, pain, agony.
Be-wa'il-ing, lamenting.
Ca-re'er, course of life.
Con'-scious, aware.
De-spatch', kill.
De-vas-ta'-tions, ravag
Dis-char'ged, fired.
Dis'-trict, region.

E-rect'-ed, raised.

Faint-heart-ed, timid.

Fren'-zied, infuriated.

Grad'-u-al-ly, by degrees.
I-den'-ti-fy, recognise.

Ig'-no-rant, unenlightened.
In-flict'-ed, given.
In'-roads, invasions.
In-va'd-ed, attacked.
In-trep'-id, fearless.
Man-cu'vres, actions.
Ma-raud'-ers, robbers.
Mo'-men-ta-ry, fleeting, tran
sient.

Re-su'med, began again.
Su-per-sty'-tious, credulous.

Ter'-mi-na-ted, ended.

Wa'-ver-ing, hesitating, timid.

[DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE, the famous African traveller and missionary, was born at Blantyre, Lanarkshire, in 1813. In his boyhood he worked in the cotton mills at Blantyre; but, by dint of thrift and perseverance, he succeeded in giving himself a good education at Glasgow University. In 1840 he was sent as a missionary to South Africa. With the exception of some months spent at home in 1857 and 1864, he passed the rest of his life in Africa, exploring the wilds of that vast continent, and preaching the gospel to its heathen inhabitants. From time to time rumours of his death reached England; but an expedition, sent out by the Royal Geographical Society in 1868, proved that these rumours were unfounded. The great traveller was discovered alive and in fair health at Ujiji, in 1871, by Henry M. Stanley, who had been sent in search of him by the editor of the "New York Herald. He died at Ulala, in Central Africa, on the 1st May, 1873. His remains were carried by his faithful native attendants to the coast, and thence conveyed to England, where, on the 18th April, 1874, they were laid in Westminster Abbey by the side of the kings, poets, and heroes, whose names adorn the annals of our country.]

IN 1843 Livingstone settled as a missionary in Mabtosa, a beautiful valley in South Africa. Here he met with an adventure which nearly terminated his earthly career.

The natives of Mabtosa had long been troubled by lions, which invaded their cattle-pens by night, and even attacked the herds during the day. These poor people, being very ignorant and superstitious, thought that the inroads of the lions were caused by witchcraft. It was perhaps for this reason that all their attempts to drive away the animals were feeble and faint-hearted, and therefore unsuccessful.

It is well known that a troop of lions will not remain long in any district where one of their number has been

killed. So the next time the herds of Mabtosa were attacked, Livingstone went out with the natives to encourage them to destroy one of the marauders, and thus free themselves from the whole troop. They found the lions on a small hill covered with wood. The hunters placed themselves in a circle round the hill, and began to ascend, coming gradually closer to each other as they approached the summit.

Livingstone remained, along with a native teacher, on the plain below, to watch the manoeuvres of the party. His companion, seeing one of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within the circle of hunters, took aim and fired; but the ball only struck the stones at the animal's feet. With a roar of rage the fierce brute bounded away, broke through the ring, and escaped unhurt, the natives not having the courage to stand close and spear him as he passed.

The band again closed in and resumed their march. There were still two lions in the wood, and it was hoped that fortune would favour a second attempt to destroy one of them. But suddenly a terrific roar echoed from the hill, and the timid hunters quaked with fear. First one of the lions, and then the other, with streaming manes and glaring eyes, rushed down through the wavering ranks, and bounded away, free to continue their devastations.

As the party were returning home, bewailing their want of success, Livingstone observed one of the lions about thirty yards in front, sitting on a rock behind a bush. Raising his gun, he took steady aim, and discharged both barrels into the thicket. "He is shot! He is shot! was the joyful cry; and some of the men were about to rush in and despatch the wounded beast with

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