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"He leaned forward to light his pipe in the ashes, when instantly,
almost without thinking, I seized the hatchet, and struck him with all
my might.
"With a loud scream, I plunged into the woods toward home. Turning an
instant, I saw Mary spring up, totter, and fall. With another sharp
report came a twinge of pain in my side. Suddenly I fell, and in the
darkness of the woods, they passed on, leaving me stunned and nearly
dead.
"I will not tell you now, my dear Robbie, how I was cared for, and who
brought home little Mary and laid her to rest under the elm, beside
mother--but the bullet that struck me then, I still carry in my side,
and shall as long as I live.
"Many years have passed since that terrible day, but I can never forget
it. As long as the history of this country lasts, Indian Spring will be
remembered, and other boys will listen, with eyes as wide open as
yours, to the tale it has to tell."
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Should the second or third paragraph of the
lesson be read the faster?
When do we speak more rapidly--in telling an exciting story, or in
common conversation?
Do our feelings guide us when we speak slowly or rapidly?--when, we
speak quietly or forcibly?
Point out three paragraphs in the lesson that you would read as slowly
as Lesson XIII.; three that you would read more rapidly.
In reading rapidly, be careful not to omit syllables, and not to run
words together. (See Directions for Reading, page 42.)[05]
[05] See Lesson VII.
* * * * *
LESSON XV.
aft, _near the stern of a ship_.
anch'or, _a large iron for holding a ship_.
aimed, _directed or pointed at, as a gun_.
car'tridge, _a small case containing powder and ball_.
mood, _state of mind; temper_.
sul'try, _very hot_.
cleav'ing, _cutting through; dividing_.
dis cov'ered, _found out; seen clearly_.
buoys, _floats, made of wood, hollow iron, or copper_.
re sults', _what follows an act_.
* * * * *
AN ADVENTURE WITH A SHARK.
Our noble ship lay at anchor in the Bay of Tangiers, a town in the
north-west part of Africa.
The day had been very mild, with a gentle breeze sweeping to the
northward and westward. Toward the close of the day the sea-breeze died
away, and hot, sultry breathings came from the great, sunburnt desert of
Sahara.
Half an hour before sundown, the captain gave the cheering order to call
the hands to "go in swimming"; and, in less than five minutes, the forms
of our sailors were seen leaping from the arms of the lower yards into
the water.
One of the sails, with its corners fastened from the main yard-arm and
the swinging boom, had been lowered into the water, and into this most
of the swimmers made their way.
Among those who seemed to be enjoying the sport most heartily were two
boys, one of whom was the son of our old gunner; and, in a laughing
mood, they started out from the sail on a race.
There was a loud ringing shout of joy on their lips as they put off;
they darted through the water like fishes. The surface of the sea was
smooth as glass, though its bosom rose in long, heavy swells that set in
from the ocean.
One of the buoys which was attached to the anchor, to show where it lay,
was far away on the starboard quarter, where it rose and fell with the
lazy swell of the waves.
Towards this buoy the two lads made their way, the old gunner's son
taking the lead; but, when they were within about sixty yards of the
buoy, the other boy shot ahead and promised to win the race.
The old gunner had watched the progress of his son with great pride; and
when he saw him drop behind, he leaped upon the quarter-deck, and was
just upon the point of urging him on by a shout, when a cry was heard
that struck him with instant horror.
"A shark! a shark!" shouted the officer of the deck; and, at the sound
of those terrible words, the men who were in the water, leaped and
plunged toward the ship.
Three or four hundred yards away, the back of a monster shark was seen
cleaving the water. Its course was for the boys.
For a moment the gunner stood like one who had lost his reason; then he
shouted at the top of his voice for the boys to turn; but they heard him
not.
Stoutly the two swimmers strove, knowing nothing of the danger from the
shark. Their merry laughter still rang over the waters, as they were
both nearing the buoy.
O, what anxiety filled the heart of the gunner! A boat had put off, but
he knew it could not reach the boys in time to prevent the shark from
overtaking them.
Every moment he expected to see the monster sink from sight,--then he
knew all hope would be gone. At this moment a cry was heard on board
the ship, that reached every heart,--the boys had discovered their
enemy.
The cry startled the old gunner, and, quicker than thought, he sprung
from the quarter-deck. The guns were all loaded and shotted, fore and
aft, and none knew their temper better than he.
With steady hand, made strong by sudden hope, the old gunner pricked the
cartridge of one of the quarter guns; then he took from his pocket a
percussion cap, fixed it on its place, and set back the hammer of the
gun-lock.
With great exertions, the old man turned the heavy gun to its bearing,
and then seizing the string of the lock, he stood back and watched for
the next swell that would bring the shark in range. He had aimed the
piece some distance ahead of his mark; but yet a moment would settle his
hopes and fears.
Every breath was hushed, and every heart in that old ship beat
painfully. The boat was yet some distance from the boys, while the
horrid sea-monster was fearfully near.
[Illustration]
Suddenly the silence was broken by the roar of the gun; and, as the old
man knew his shot was gone, he covered his face with his hands, as if
afraid to see the result. If he had failed, he knew that his boy was
lost.
For a moment after the report of the gun had died away upon the air,
there was an unbroken silence; but, as the thick smoke arose from the
surface of the water, there was, at first, a low murmur breaking from
the lips of the men,--that murmur grew louder and stronger, till it
swelled to a joyous, deafening shout.
The old gunner sprung to his feet, and gazed off on the water, and the
first thing that met his sight was the huge body of the shark floating
on its back, the shot aimed by him having instantly killed it.
In a few moments the boat reached the daring swimmers, and, greatly
frightened, they were brought on board. The old man clasped his boy in
his arms, and then, overcome by the powerful excitement, he leaned upon
a gun for support.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--What paragraphs should be read rapidly? Does
the feeling require it?
Use _calling tones_ for the words, "A shark! A shark!"
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Syllabify, accent, and mark sounds of letters in the
following words: _Tangiers, Sahara, percussion, excitement, support_.
Tell the story in your own words, using the points in the following
Analysis.--1. Where the ship was. 2. The race. 3. The shark. 4. The
gunner's trial. 5. The result.
* * * * *
LESSON XVI.
scant'y, _not enough for use_.
hu'man, _belonging to man or mankind_.
cubs, _the young of wild animals_.
le'gend, _a story; a tale_.
soot'y, _blackened with smoke_.
scar'let, _of a bright red color_.
self'ish ly, _as if caring only for one's self_.
knead'ed, _pressed and rolled with the hands_.
dough, _unbaked bread or cake_.
* * * * *
A LEGEND OF THE NORTHLAND.
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter,
They can not sleep them through;
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges when it snows;
And the children look like bear's cubs,
In their funny, furry clothes:
They tell them a curious story--
I don't believe 'tis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know;
He came to the door of a cottage,
In traveling round the earth,
Where a little woman was making cakes,
In the ashes on the hearth.
And being faint with fasting--
For the day was almost done--
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it and thought it seemed
Too large to give away.
Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one;
But it looked, when she turned it over,
As large as the first had done.
Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer--
But she couldn't part with that.
For she said, "My cakes that seem so small
When I eat of them myself,
Are yet too large to give away."
So she put them on a shelf.
Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint;
And surely such, a woman
Was enough to provoke a saint.
And he said, "You are far too selfish
To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.
"Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring, and boring, and boring,
All day in the hard dry wood."
Then up she went through the chimney.
Never speaking a word;
And out of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird.
She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same,
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame.
And every country school-boy
Has seen her in the wood;
Where she lives in the trees till this very day
Boring and boring for food.
And this is the lesson she teaches:
Live not for yourselves alone,
Lest the needs you will not pity
Shall one day be your own.
Give plenty of what is given to you,
Listen to pity's call;
Don't think the little you give is great,
And the much you get is small.
Now, my little boy, remember that,
And try to be kind and good,
When you see the woodpecker's sooty dress,
And see her scarlet hood.
You mayn't be changed to a bird, though you live
As selfishly as you can;
But you will be changed to a smaller thing--
A mean and selfish man.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--In what manner should this lesson be read at
the beginning--quietly, or with much spirit?
On page 77, beginning with the second stanza, is what Saint Peter says
quiet and slow, or emphatic and somewhat rapid?[06]
Point out three places where two lines are to be joined and read as
one.
What two lines in each stanza end with similar sounds?
[06] See stanza number 12 of the poem.
* * * * *
LESSON XVII.
ex pres'sion, _a look showing feeling_.
a maze'ment, _great surprise; astonishment_.
mag'netisnm, _an unknown power of drawing or pulling_.
con tin'ued, _went on; stayed_.
test'ing, _trying_.
con ven'ience, _ease; the saving of trouble_.
ex per'i ments, _the trials made to find out facts_.
* * * * *
A FUNNY HORSESHOE.
"What a funny horseshoe!" said Charlie, "It has no holes for the nails!"
I looked up and saw that he had taken up a small "horseshoe magnet."
"Why that isn't a horseshoe," I said. "It's a magnet."
"Magnet! What's that?"
Charlie turned it over in his hands, and pulled the bar a little. The
bar slipped so that it hung only by a corner.
"Never mind," I said, as he looked up with a scared expression. "It
isn't broken. Put the bar back."
Charlie put it back, and it sprung into place with a sharp click.
"That's funny!" he cried again. "What made it jump so? And what makes it
stick? It doesn't feel sticky."
"We call it magnetism," I said. "Now, take hold of the bar, and see if
you can pull it straight off."
"I can't. It sticks fast."
"Pull harder."
Charlie braced himself for a strong pull. Suddenly the bar came off, and
he went tumbling backward.
"What did you say makes it hold so hard?" said he, getting up.
"Magnetism," said I again.
"But what is magnetism?"
"I couldn't tell you if I tried; but I think you could learn a great
deal about it with that magnet. You will find a lot of things in that
box that may help you."
Saying this, I left him to pursue his studies as best he could. When I
came back, I found him more puzzled than when I left him.
"That's the queerest thing I ever saw," he said. "Some things just jump
at it as though they were alive; some things it pulls; and some things
it doesn't pull a bit."
"That's a very long lesson you have learned," I said. "What does it
pull?"
"These," he said, pointing to a pile of things on one side of the box.
"And these things it doesn't pull."
"Let us see what you have in this pile," I said, looking at the first
little heap; "keys?"
"Trunk keys," said Charlie. "It doesn't pull door keys. I tried ever so
many."
"Try this key," said I, taking one from my pocket. "This is a trunk key.
See if the magnet pulls it."
"No-o," said Charlie, thoughtfully, "it doesn't; but it pulled all the
rest of the trunk keys I could find."
"Try this key to my office door."
Charlie tried it, and to his great amazement the key stuck fast to the
magnet.
"Surely," said I, "it pulls some door keys, and fails to pull some trunk
keys."
Charlie was more puzzled than ever. He looked at the keys, thought a
moment, then picked up my trunk key, and said: "This key is brass; the
rest are iron."
"That's so," I said.
"And all these door keys that the magnet didn't pull," he continued,
"are brass, too. Perhaps it can't pull brass things."
"Suppose you try. But first see if there are any brass things that the
magnet pulled."
Charlie looked them over. Then we tried the casters of my chair, and all
the other brass things we could find, none of which the magnet would
pull.
"There's no use in trying any longer," said Charlie. "It won't pull
brass."
"Then, there's another matter settled," I said. "The magnet does not
pull brass. Is there any thing else it does not pull?"
"Wood," said Charlie. "I tried lots of pieces."
"Any thing else?"
"Stones," said Charlie, eagerly.
"What are these?" I asked, holding up a couple of heavy stones he had
put among the things the magnet pulled.
"I guess I put those there by mistake," said Charlie, testing with, the
magnet a number of stones in the other pile.
"Try them," I said.
"O!" he said, as the magnet lifted them; "I forgot. It does lift some
stones."
"Well, what else have you in that pile of things the magnet did not
pull?"
"Glass, leather, lead, bone, cloth, tin, zinc, corn, and a lot of
things."
"Very well. Now let us see what the magnet does pull."
"Iron keys," said Charlie, "and nails."
"Here's a nail in this other pile."
"That's a brass nail. The magnet pulls only iron nails."
"What else have we in this pile?"
"Needles, hair-pins, screws, wire--iron wire," he added quickly. "Brass
wire doesn't stick, you know."
"How about this?" I asked, taking a small coil of copper wire from my
desk.
"I guess that won't stick," said Charlie. "Because that's copper wire,
and the magnet doesn't seem to pull any thing that isn't iron."
Much to Charlie's satisfaction, the magnet did not pull the copper wire.
Then I took up two stones, one rusty red, the other black, and said:
"What about these?"
"I guess they must have iron in them too," said Charlie. "Have they?"
"They have," I replied. "They are iron ores from which iron is made. Why
did you think there was iron in them?"
"Because they wouldn't have stuck to the magnet if there wasn't."
"Quite true. So you have learned another very important fact. Can you
tell me what it is?"
"The magnet pulls iron," said Charlie.
"Good," said I; "and it is also true that the magnet does not pull--"
"Things that are not iron," said Charlie.
"True again," I said. "So far as our experiments go, the magnet pulls
iron always, and never any thing else."
"But what makes it pull iron?"
"That I can not tell. We see it does pull, but just how the pulling is
done, or what makes it, no one has yet found out.
"For convenience we call the pulling power magnetism. You may keep the
magnet, and at some other time, I will tell you more about it."
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Name six words in the lesson, each of which is made
up of two words by leaving out letters.
Write out the two words in each case.
What is the name of the mark which shows the omission of letters?
Point out the _statement, command, question_, and _exclamation_ in
the sentences given below.
"O, isn't it a funny horseshoe!"
"Put the bar back."
"What made it jump so?"
"The magnet pulls iron."
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