when the man who was on the lookout at the masthead of the Pinta, cried: "Land! land! land!"

There was a great stir on board.

"Where is the land?"

"There there! Don't you see it?"

The little, old-fashioned cannon was brought out and fired. No such sound had ever before been heard in those seas.

7. When the day dawned a green and sunny island was seen before them. It seemed indeed an earthly paradise-trees laden with flowers and fruit, thousands of birds singing among the leaves, groups of men, women, and children, gazing in wonder upon the ships. The sailors, lately so faint-hearted, were filled now with hope and delight. The anchors were dropped, the boats were lowered, and Columbus, in a scarlet robe, wearing his sword, went on shore.

8. As soon as he stepped from the boat Columbus knelt upon the beach and gave thanks to God; then, in the name of the king and queen of Spain, he took possession of the land, which he called San Salvador. The natives, filled with wonder at what they saw, gathered around. Some threw themselves into the water and swam out to the ships. Others brought bananas and yams and oranges, and strange birds, and gave them to the sailors. "Surely," thought they, "these wonderful beings who seem to have sprung from the sea are more than mere men like ourselves."

9. After this Columbus and his sailors visited many other islands, and were more and more delighted with what they saw. On every hand there were bright flowers, climbing vines, and groves of palm and banana trees. The sea

broke on pebbled beaches, the skies were blue, the air was sweet with the breath of blossoms; they imagined that they had found paradise.

10. They came at length to a very large island, where rivers of sweet water flowed into the sea. In their boats they rowed for some distance inland, up one of these smooth-flowing streams. Everywhere there were new beauties and new pleasures.

Surely this is a part of the Indies," said Columbus. And the sailors declared that they could live there always. 11. The natives, whom Columbus now called Indians, brought them some roots which they had roasted in hot ashes, and which they said were good for food. They called them "batatoes ;" and these were the first potatoes ever eaten by white men.

At another place the Indians had a very strange custom. They rolled up the dry leaf of a certain plant, lighted one end of the roll, and drew the smoke into their mouths at the other end.

"What is that?" asked the sailors.

“Tobacco!”

12. From Cuba the vessels sailed to another large island which the Indians called Haiti, but which Columbus named Hispaniola. The natives there were simple-hearted, kind, and honest. “They love their neighbors as themselves," said Columbus. One of the chiefs made a great feast of fish, fruits, and potatoes for the white strangers; and after the feast the natives had a dance. Columbus in turn ordered his sailors to go through the movements of a military parade. The Indians gazed in wonder upon the bright swords gleaming in the sunshine, and fell to the ground in fright when the little cannon was fired.

13. Columbus built a small fort on the island of Haiti, and, leaving a few men there to hold it until his return, he set sail for Spain. After passing the Azores Islands the ships were separated in a storm, and it was feared that all would be lost. But on the 15th of March, 1493, Columbus sailed into the harbor of Palos. There was a great stir in the old town as the news was carried quickly from house to house," Christopher Columbus has returned!” The bells were rung, cannons were fired, bonfires blazed. 14. A new world has been discovered!" cried every one. And there was no doubt of it, for Columbus had brought many things with him from the strange lands beyond the sea-six Indians, many curious birds, rolls of Indian cloth, bananas, potatoes, gold! Everybody was glad because of his success.

66

C. C. COFFIN.

THE MISER. A RUSSIAN FABLE.

1. “Is it worth while being rich if one is never to enjoy his riches, but only to spend his life in heaping up money? And of what use is great wealth, after all? We die and then leave it behind. No; if riches had fallen to my share,

I would not have hoarded my gains, as some men do, but I would have lived in true enjoyment of my wealth; my feasts should have been talked about far and near; and, besides, I would have done good to others, and given money to the poor."

2. So thought a poor man to himself, lying on his hard bed in a wretched hovel. Just at that moment a wizard came and stood before him. "You wish to be rich," said the wizard; "for I have heard you say so. I am always glad to help a friend, and so here is a purse for you. There is ducat in it no more; but as soon as you have taken one coin out of it you will find another in it all ready for you.

3. So now, my friend, your growing rich depends entirely upon your own wishes. Take the purse, and freely supply yourself from it until your craving is satisfied. Only bear this in mind—that, until you shall have flung the purse into the river, you are forbidden to spend a single ducat."

4. He spoke, and left the purse with the poor man. The man was almost beside himself with joy. But, as soon as he regained his senses, he began to handle the purse; and with what result? Scarcely could he believe it was not a dream. He had hardly taken one ducat out before another was already stirring in the purse.

5. Our poor friend now said to himself, "I will shake out a thousand ducats. Then, to-morrow, I shall be rich, and I will begin to live like a nobleman."

6. But the next morning he had changed his mind.

"It is true," he said, "I am rich now. But who isn't glad to get hold of a good thing? and why shouldn't I become twice as rich? It surely wouldn't be wrong for

me to spend another day over the prize. Here I have money for a country house; but if I might buy estates too, wouldn't it be stupid in me to lose such an opportunity? Yes, I will keep the wonderful purse. So be it. I will fast one day more; and after that I will have plenty of time for luxurious living."

7. But what happens? A day goes by, and then a week, a month, a year. Our poor man has long ago lost all count of the ducats. Meanwhile he eats scantily and lives sparingly. Scarcely has the day begun to break before he is back at his old work. Sometimes he makes up his mind to throw away the purse. But then his heart grows faint within him. He reaches the bank of the river, and then turns back again. He has not yet quite as much gold as he would like to have. He will wait till to-morrow.

"How can I possibly part with the purse," he says, "while it yields so rich a stream of gold?"

8. In the course of time our poor man has grown gray and thin and as yellow as his own gold. He does not even think of luxury now. He has become faint and feeble; health and rest are unknown to him. But still, with trembling hand, he goes on taking ducats out of the purse. He takes, and takes; and how does it all end? On the bench on which he used to sit gloating over his wealth-on that very bench he dies, in the act of counting the last coins of his ninth million.

NEW WORDS.

KRILOF.