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10. There are some very pleasing reminiscences associated with these little sports of boyhood. The lads, hurried by delightful anticipations, usually meet half an hour before the time appointed. They come with their "shining morning faces" full of glee, and talking of their expected success. In lieu of fire-arms they each carry a stick about eight feet long. They go along the old-fashioned worm-fences that skirt the woods, a crop of wheat or buckwheat has just been gathered, and the little hackee is busily engaged in collecting its winter store.

11. In every direction its lively chirrup is heard, with answering calls from adjacent parts of the woods, and here and there you may observe one mounted on the top of a fence-stake, chipping away as it were in exultation at his elevated seat. One of the tiny huntsmen now places his pole on a fence rail, the second or third from the bottom, along which the ground squirrel is expected to pass; a few yards behind him is another youngster, ready with his stick on another rail, in case the chipmuck escapes the first enemy. One of the juveniles now makes a circuit, gets behind the little hackee, and gives a blow on the fence to drive him towards the others, who are eagerly expecting him.

12. The unsuspecting little creature, with a sweep of his half-erected tail, quickly descends from the top of the fence along the stake, and, betaking himself to some of the lower rails, makes a rapid retreat. If no stone-heap or burrows are at hand, he runs along the winding fence, and as he is passing the place where the young sportsmen are lying in wait, they brush the stick along the rail with the celerity of thought, hitting the little creature on the nose and knocking him off. "He is ours," is the exulting shout, and the whole party now hurry to the spot. Perhaps the little animal is not dead, only stunned, and is carried home to be made a pet.

Audubon and Bachman.

CXXXI.-VISION OF BELSHAZZAR.

fes'-ti-val, feast; Fest.

deem, to estimate; dafürhalten; achten.
di-vine', godlike; göttlich.
trem'-u-lous, quivering; zitternd.

lore, wisdom; Weisheit.

ex-pound', to explain; auslegen.

can'-o-py, a covering over a throne or over a bed; Traghimmel; Baldachin.

The King was on his throne,

The Satraps throng'd the hall:
A thousand bright lamps shone
O'er that high festival.
A thousand cups of gold,

In Judah deem'd divine -
Jehovah's vessels hold

The godless heathen's wine!

In that same hour and hall,
The fingers of a hand
Came forth against the wall,
And wrote as if on sand:
The fingers of a man;·

A solitary hand

Along the letters ran,

And traced them like a wand.

The monarch saw, and shook,
And bade no more rejoice;
All bloodless wax'd his look,
And tremulous his voice.
"Let the men of lore appear,
The wisest of the earth,
And expound the words of fear,

Which mar our royal mirth."

Chaldea's seers are good,

But here they have no skill;
And the unknown letters stood
Untold and awful still.

And Babel's men of age

Are wise and deep in lore;
But now they were not sage,
They saw-but knew no more.

A captive in the land,

A stranger and a youth,
He heard the king's command,
He saw the writing's truth.
The lamps around were bright,
The prophecy in view;
He read it on that night,—
The morrow proved it true.
“Belshazzar's grave is made,
His kingdom pass'd away,
He, in the balance weigh'd,
Is light and worthless clay;
The shroud, his robe of state;
His canopy, the stone:

The Mede is at his gate!

The Persian on his throne!"

Byron.

CXXXII.-A VISIT FROM OLD NEPTUNE.

e-qui-noc'-tial line, Himmelsäquator.

brig, a vessel with two masts; Zweimaster.

al'-ti-tude, height; Höhe.

fore'-scut-tle, the cover of a hatchway; Lukenklappe.

cor'-di-al, hearty; herzlich.

lath'-er, foam from soap and water; Seifenschaum.

scar'-i-fy, to scratch; kraßen.

pitch, elevation of voice; Tonhöhe.

man'-date, a command; Befehl.
un-sa'-vor-y, tasteless; unschmackhaft.
mis-cel-la'-ne-ous, various; verschieden.

vis'-age, face; Gesicht.

oak'-um, old rope untwisted and picked loose; Werg.

ti-a'-ra, a triple crown; dreifache Krone.

di'-a-dem, a crown; Krone.

tri'-dent, a three-pronged scepter; Dreizack.

1. As we drew near the equinoctial line, I occasionally heard some talk among the officers on the subject of a visit from Old Neptune; and as there were three of the crew who had never crossed the line, it was thought probable that the old gentleman would visit the brig, and shake hands. with the strangers, welcoming them to his dominions.

2. A few days afterwards, when the latitude was determined by a meridian altitude of the sun, Captain Page ordered Collins to go aloft and take a good look around the horizon, as it was not unlikely something was in sight. Collins grinned, and went aloft. He soon hailed the deck from the fore-topsail yard, and said he saw a boat broad off on the weather bow, with her sails spread "wing and wing," and steering directly for the brig.

3. "That's Old Neptune himself!" shouted Captain Page, clapping his hands. "He will soon be alongside, Mr. Abbot," continued he, speaking to the chief mate, “let the men get their dinner at once. We must be prepared to receive the old gentleman!"

4. After dinner, Mr. Fairfield ordered those of the crew, including myself, who had never crossed the line into the forecastle, to remove one of the water casks. We had no sooner descended the ladder than the fore-scuttle was closed and fastened, and we were caught like rats in a trap. Preparations of a noisy character were now made on deck for the reception of Old Neptune.

5. An hour

a long and tedious one it appeared to those confined below-elapsed before the old gentleman got within

Hail. At length we heard a great trampling on the forecastle; and, anon, a gruff voice, which seemed to come from the end of the flying-jib-boom, yelled out, "Brig, ahoy!" "Hallo!" replied the captain.

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แ 'Have you any strangers on board?”

"Ay, ay!"

"Heave me a rope! I'll come alongside and shave them directly!"

6. A cordial greeting was soon interchanged between Captain Page and Old Neptune on deck, to which we prisoners listened with much interest. The slide of the scuttle was removed, and orders given for one of the "strangers" to come on deck and be shaved. Anxious to develop the mystery and be qualified to bear a part in the frolic, I pressed forward; but as soon as my hand appeared above the rim of the scuttle, I was seized, blindfolded, and led to the main deck, where I was urged, by a press of politeness I could not withstand, to be seated on a plank.

7. The process of shaving commenced, which, owing to the peculiar roughness of the razor and the repulsive qualities of the lather, was more painful and disagreeable than pleasant, but to which I submitted without a murmur. When the scarifying process was finished, I was told to hold up my head, raise my voice to its highest pitch, and say "Yarns!" I obeyed the mandate, as in duty bound; and to give full and distinct utterance to the word, opened my mouth as if about to swallow a whale, when some remorseless knave, amid shouts of laughter from the surrounding group, popped into my open mouth the huge tar-brush, well charged with the unsavory ingredients for shaving.

8. I now thought my trials were over. Not so. I was interrogated through a speaking trumpet on several miscellaneous subjects; but, suspecting some trick, my answers were brief and given through closed teeth. At length, Captain Page exclaimed, "Old Neptune, this will never do.

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