Give him a speaking trumpet also, and let him answer according to rule, and in ship-shape fashion, so that we can all hear and understand him."

9. I put the trumpet to my mouth, and to the next question attempted to reply in stunning tones, "None of your business!"—for I was getting impatient, and felt somewhat angry. The sentence was but half uttered when a whole bucket of salt water was hurled into the broad end of the speaking trumpet, which conducted it into my mouth and down my throat, nearly producing strangulation; at the same time, the seat was pulled from beneath me, and I was plunged over head and ears in the briny element.

10. As soon as I recovered my breath, the bandage was removed from my eyes, and I found myself floating in the long-boat, which had been nearly filled with water for the occasion, and surrounded by as jovial a set of fellows as ever played off a practical joke. Old Neptune proved to be Jim Sinclair, of Marblehead, but so disguised that his own mother could not have known him. His ill-favored and weather-beaten visage was covered with streaks of paint, like the face of a wild Indian on the war-path. He had a thick beard made of oakum; and a wig of rope-yarns, the curls hanging gracefully on his shoulders, was surmounted with a paper cap, fashioned and pointed so as to bear a greater resemblance to the papal tiara than to the diadem of the ocean monarch. In one hand he held a huge speaking trumpet, and in the other he brandished, instead of a trident, the ship's grains with five prongs.

11. The other strangers to Old Neptune were subsequently compelled to go through the same ceremonies, in which I assisted with a hearty good will; and those who did not patiently submit to the indignities received the roughest treatment. The shades of evening fell before the frolic was over, and the wonted order and discipline were restored.

J. S. Sleeper.

CXXXIII. EARLY HABITS OF WASHINGTON.

cruis'-ing, sailing to and fro; das Kreuzen.

as-sent', consent; Zustimmung.

ac-qui-esce', to comply; einwilligen.

war'-rant, a written document conferring a right; Bestallungsbrief. fal'-ter, to fail; wanken.

re-mon'-strance, earnest advice; Vorstellung.

nau'-tic-al, naval; marine; seemännisch.

di'-a-gram, a drawing; Zeichnung.

com'-pli-ca-ted, complexed; verwickelt.

ard'-u-ous, difficult; schwierig.

1. When about fourteen years of age, George Washington evinced a desire to enter the navy. The opportunity for gratifying it appeared at hand. Ships of war frequented the colonies, and at times were anchored in the Potomac. The inclination was encouraged by Lawrence Washington and Mr. Fairfax. Lawrence retained pleasant recollections of his cruisings in the fleet of Admiral Vernon, and considered the naval service a popular path to fame and fortune.

2. George was at a suitable age to enter the navy. The great difficulty was to procure the assent of his mother. She was brought, however, to acquiesce; a midshipman's warrant was obtained, and it is even said that the luggage of the youth was actually on board of a man-of-war, anchored in the river just below Mount Vernon.

3. At the eleventh hour the mother's heart faltered. This was the son whose strong and steadfast character promised to be a support to herself, and a protection to her other children. The thought of his being completely severed from her, and exposed to the hardships and perils of a boisterous profession, overcame even her resolute mind, and at her urgent remonstrances the nautical scheme was given up.

4. To school, therefore, George returned, and continued his studies for nearly two years longer, devoting himself especially to mathematics, and accomplishing himself in

those branches calculated to fit him either for civil or military service. Among these, one of the most important, in the actual state of the country, was land surveying.

5. In this he schooled himself thoroughly, using the highest processes of the art; making surveys about the neighborhood, and keeping regular field-books, some of which we have examined, in which the boundaries and measurements of the fields surveyed were carefully entered, and diagrams made, with a neatness and exactness as if the whole related to important land transactions, instead of being mere school exercises.

6. Thus, in his earliest days, there was perseverance and completeness in all his undertakings. Nothing was left half done, or done in a hurried and slovenly manner. The habit of mind thus cultivated continued throughout life; so that, however complicated his tasks and overwhelming his cares, in the arduous and hazardous situations in which he was often placed, he found time to do everything, and to do it well. He had acquired the magic of method, which of itself works wonders.

Washington Irving.

CXXXIV. THE RACCOON.

am'-ble, to move between a walk and a trot; tänzeln.

a-vid'-i-ty, greediness; Gier.

sa'-ti-ate, to satisfy; sättigen.

a-droit'-ly, skillfully; gewandt.

o'-va, eggs; Eier.

vo-ra'-cious-ly, with greedy appetite; gierig; gefräßig.
bay'-ou, the outlet of a lake; der Abfluß eines Sees.

ma-raud'-er, a plunderer; Plünderer.

in-dul-gence, gratification of one's desires; Befriedigung seiner Gelüste.

hav'-oc, waste; Verwüstung.

in-cal'-cu-la-ble, beyond calculation; unberechenbar.

om-niv'-o-rous, eating every thing; alles fressend.

re-lent'-less, unmerciful; gefühllos.

1. The raccoon is a cunning animal, is easily tamed, and makes a pleasant monkey-like pet. It is quite dexterous in the use of its fore-feet, and will amble after its master in the manner of a bear, and even follow him into the streets. It is fond of eggs, and devours them raw or cooked with avidity, but prefers them raw, of course, and, if it finds a nest, will feast on them morning, noon, and night without being satiated. It will adroitly pick its keeper's pockets of anything it likes to eat, and is always on the watch for dainties.

2. Being an expert climber, the raccoon ascends trees with facility and frequently invades the nest of the woodpecker, although it may be secure against ordinary thieves, by means of his fore-feet getting hold of the eggs or the young birds. He watches too the soft-shelled turtle when she is about to deposit her eggs, for which purpose she leaves the water, and, crawling on to the white sand-bar, digs a hole and places them underneath the heated surface. Quickly does the rogue dig up the elastic ova, although ever so carefully covered, and appropriate them to his own use, notwithstanding the efforts of the luckless turtle to conceal them.

3. Sometimes, by the margin of a pond, crouching among tall reeds and grasses, the raccoon lies still as dead, waiting with patience for some ill-fated duck that may come within his reach. No negro on a plantation knows with more accuracy when the corn is juicy than he, and he does not require the aid of fire to improve its flavor, but attacks it more voraciously than the squirrel or the black-bird, and is the last to quit the corn-field.

4. The favorite resorts of the raccoon are retired swampy lands well covered with lofty trees, and through which are small water-courses. In such places its tracks may be seen following the margins of the bayous and creeks, which it occasionally crosses in search of frogs and muscles which

are found on their banks. It also follows the margins of rivers for the same purpose, and is dexterous in getting at the shell-fish, notwithstanding the hardness of the covering with which nature has provided them.

5. When the Indian corn is ripening, the raccoons invade the fields to feast on the rich milky grain, as we have just stated, and as the stalks are too weak to bear the weight of these marauders, they generally break them down with their fore-paws, tear off the husks from the ears, and then munch them at their leisure. During this inviting season, the raccoon is not the only trespasser on corn-fields, but various animals are attracted thither to receive their portion, and even the merry school-boy shares the feast with them, at the risk of paying for his indulgence by incurring the necessity of a physician's prescription the next day.

6. The havoc committed in the Western States by squirrels and other animals is almost incalculable, and no vigilance of the farmer can guard against the depredations of these hungry intruders, which extend from farm to farm, and even penetrate to those embosomed in the forests, where settlements are few and far between.

7. The raccoon is not strictly a nocturnal animal; and although it generally visits the corn-fields at night, sometimes feeds on the green corn during the day; we have seen it thus employed during the heat of summer, and it will occasionally enter a poultry house at mid-day, and destroy many of the feathered inhabitants, contenting itself with the head and blood of the fowls it kills.

8. We add the following notes on a raccoon kept for a considerable time in a tame state, or partially domesticated. When it first came into our possession it was about onethird grown. By kind treatment it soon became very docile, but from its well known mischievous propensities we always kept it chained.