moan'-ing sound near her, as if made by some an ́-i-mal in great pain.

Call'-ing to mind the ad-vice' of the dog, to as-sist' the dis-tressed', she left the water, and, look'-ing round, she be-held' stretched on the ground at the foot of the rock, and al'-most at the point of death, the ver'-y dog that had for-mer-ly saved her life. She flew to him with all the haste she could; and asked, in what way she could serve him and what was his ail'-ment? The dog with much dif'-ficul-ty told her, that, in eat'-ing his din'-ner, a bone had got a-cross' his throat; and he should be choked, un-less it was speed'-i-ly re-moved'. If that is all, said the crane, with a joy'-ful air, I can soon put an end to your dis-tress', if you will but per-mit' me to pull the bone out. The dog glad'-ly con-sent'-ed; and the crane, put'-ting her long bill into the dog's throat, plucked up the bone that had given him so much un-ea'-și-ness, and which,

but for her time'-ly help, must have caused his death. Thus the dog was re-ward'-ed for hav'-ing done a good ac'-tion, and the crane was hap'-py in hav'-ing had it in her pow'-er to prove her grat'-i-tude, and make a re-turn' for the service which had been done to her when she was in dis-tress' and stood in need of as-sis'-tance.

THE KING OF THE FEN.

I will be king of the fen, said Croak'-er the frog, leap'-ing out of the brook on to the dry land. You king, indeed! said Sly'-boots, a fine fat field'-mouse, with a long tail and bright eyes, jump'-ing out of his hole at the foot of a hazel bush which grew near. I am lar'-ger than you, and I will be king, and the frogs shall be my sub'-jects and cut rush'-es, and bring me dried moss to line my nest. And Sly'-boots looked big, and strut'-ted a-bout', and gave him-self' a great man'-y airs. I will

nev-er con-sent' to be gov'-erned by a mouse, re-plied' the frog with a dis-dain'-ful air; fine'-ly king Sly'-boots would sound! Quite as well as king Croak'-er! re-tort'-ed the mouse. Then the frog flew in'-to a great passi'-on, and hopped so high, and croaked so loud, that the mouse crept a lit'-tle fur'-ther from him; for frogs, like chil'-dren, look ver'-y ug-ly when they are out of tem'-per: and Slyboots did not much like the i-de'-a of be'-ing touched by his cold paws; and he said to him-self', in spite of this frog look'-ing so fierce and speak'-ing so loud, I should not won'-der if he was a cow'-ard at heart. So he turned to the frog and said, as we both wish to be king of the fen, I know of no way of ending the dis-pute' but by sin'-gle com'-bat; and the one that wins the bat'-tle shall be king o-ver the oth'-er. Then, said the frog, I have no ob-jec'-tion to what you pro-pose', and we will each bring a friend to see fair play. To

mor-row at twelve o'clock I shall be read'-y to take the field; and if you fail to meet me here, I shall be king of the fen, and the mice shall be my servants: for Croak'-er thought Sly'boots was bra'-ver in word than in deed, as cow'-ards are often the fore'-most to talk of fight'-ing.

Then the frog re-tired' among the rush'-es, and the mouse ran home to his hole un'-der the nut tree. These two ri'-vals a-woke' next mor-ning by break of day, to pre-pare' for the com/-bat, which was to take place at noon. The frog was very much a-fraid' of Slyboots' sharp teeth and claws; so he fell to work and made him-self' a shield from the bark of an old wil'-low tree; and then he plucked a long rush for a spear. Now, said he, I am well armed: I have a shield to de-fend' my-self", and a spear to at-tack' the en'-e-my with: if I had but a val'-iant friend to be my sec'-ond in the fight, I should do very well.

I will be your sec'-ond, said a great pike rais'-ing his head a-bove' the water: and I will lie close to the bank, among these rush'-es; and

if you lose or break your spear come to me and I will pro-cure' you an-oth'-er. The frog was well pleased at this of'-fer. I shall beat Sly/-boots in a little time, said he, with such weapons, and so good a friend as the pike to stand by and help me. Slyboots, in the mean time, was not i̇'-dle; he sharpened his teeth and his claws, and chose a tight twig from the hazel bush, and said, I only want now a friend to be my sec'-ond and see fair play. A great kite who was hov'-er-ing near, said, Mr. Slyboots you may com-mand' my ser'-vi-ces at any hour you please to name; I will at-tend' you with great pleas'-ure to the place of meet'ing. Now Slyboots was some'-what a-fraid' of the kite, for he thought he had rath'-er a hun'-gry look a-bout' the eyes and beak; but he durst not re-fuse' his of'-fer lest he should

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