exception of himself and one sailor. They had clung to their boat, succeeded in righting her, and brought her to shore with great difficulty.

"We got a gliff of your boat landing," continued he, "and we marked whereabouts; then, as we were short of hands, as ye may guess, we cam' round this hand to luik after ye, and yer salvage. Whereabout ha'e ye stowed yer goods? We couldna leet on them at a'. And yon gun-it's a canny make-what will ye be wantin' for it ?”

He pulled out his purse and shook it in the ears of the young men. "I don't wish to sell my gun!" said Harry, sharply.

The man took it out of his hands, examined it, handled it, then taking two sovereigns out of his purse, he put them down, saying

"It's a lang price for an auld gun, but I'm wanting it."

"Then you won't have it!" said Harry, with indignation. "My father gave ten sovereigns for it; but here, if you offered me fifty for it, I would not part with it."

Ye're

"Dinna set up your back like to that, laddie!" answered Mackenzie. "Be canny, my man; you're aiblins weel graithed for siller. gettin' a bonnie bit shealin' here—what say ye, Marlin ?" The sailor replied gruffly, "Foresail of captain's boat." "Ay, see there now!" said Mackenzie, artfully, "and we wanting a sail sairly. Ye'll ha'e to turn it ower to us, my braw laddies-ye see ye've nae claim on this bit canvas; but ye'll be nane the warse gin ye come alang wi' us.”

Just at this moment a shower of fruit from the boughs above dashed off the large hat of the Scotsman, who looked vindictively at the mischievous monkeys that had played him the trick, and muttered an imprecation; then, picking up one of the large orange plums, he exclaimed, as he devoured it with relish

"It's an ill wind that blaws naebody gude; they're just mangoes —cannie fair eating when ye canna come on a Ribston pippin."

The children eagerly followed the example of the stranger, and the mangoes, juicy and delicious as a peach, soon disappeared. Then, impatient of this delay, Harry and Dick, attended by Terry, and followed by their two unwelcome visitors, descended through the wood, and when they came within view of the sea, saw the boat, which they had concluded to be swamped, moored to the mangrove trees.

"There she lies!" said Mackenzie; "a canny craft for a bodie in a kittle trial. I've a hantle salvage shipped in her-but that's neither here nor there when we come at the reckoning. Now, laddies, where ha'e ye yer belangings?"

The boys led him round the headland, to show him the casks and

their bags.

"Biscuit and beef," said the 66 man; they'll mak' up our provisions brawly; hand in the kegs, and ye twa able laddies lend a hand, and tak' yer places. We'll aiblins come at Swan River, gin we get no farther. Rin awa to your mammy, Pat, you're nane needed here."

At first, the youths were struck dumb with the audacity of the man ; at last, Harry said: "We are willing to sail with you, but you surely cannot think we could be so inhuman as to abandon the woman and children?" "Hoot! hoot! laddie," replied Mackenzie; "think ye we can loa'i wi' sich like lumber? Walk saftly, mon; charity begins at hame. Wha e'er wad lay doon his ain life for a cletch of starved Irishers? And where's yer een, laddie-canna ye see yon boatie can never haud a' that lot, and weather yon uneasy sea? It'll be a hard set to get oursels in, forbye bairns. And here, ye laddie Dick, I'd like ha'e yon sail; them puir bodies ha'e na call for roof-trees."

"You'll not get it, then," said Dick, in a rage; "and you, Marlin, let our casks be; they're fairly our own, and we'd not mind standing up for our right."

"Ye fule bodies," cried Mackenzie, "what for canna ye come awa' wi' us? What ken ye but savages may come and harrow ye? Be gude laddies, and come awa'."

But Harry and Dick declined to be gude laddies after his fashion; they declined to help Mackenzie on his perilous trip; but with all their valour, they could not save their bread and beef. Harry levelled his gun at the spoiler, but Dick besought him to avoid bloodshed; and with indignation and distress, they saw the two powerful men place their much prized provisions in the boat, and then, showering abuse on them, row off.

Then Terry, who had been sobbing bitterly, said: "Och! would he be axin' yer honners to sail away from this, and laving the pair of twins, and the mother, and Dan and Rory, the craturs, let alone myself, Terence Byrne, and niver a pratee ground, nor a teeste of male, barrin' the plums. Sure isn't he the big rogue of the world, the ugly Scotchman that he is. Wouldn't I be givin' him the shillelagh, barrin' not rachin' him asy."

"We won't leave you, Terry," said Harry; "but, I say, Dick, we're two done 'coons. We never meant to go in for a lot of children and the old mother in our desert island. How in the world are we to find grub to feed them all? The greedy old curmudgeon! I'd like to see another gale come on to punish him."

And as they collected the remains of their property, Harry could not but agree that a voyage of a thousand miles in an open boat, might soften the man's heart. So they filled their pockets with the oysters with which the branches of the mangrove, which were washed by the tide, were covered, and plodded home to the anxious woman.

The youths rolled the casks to their own sleeping-place, covered it with ferns, and issued orders that no more should be taken without leave, and that the fish should be cooked. Ellen was a neat-handed woman; she gave the babes to Terry until she cleaned and broiled the delicate fish, and after this satisfactory refreshment the three boys set out to shoot some birds. They proceeded along the side of the brook for some time, until it was increased by several small tributary streams from the hills above, and spread widely over the flat ground. Tall stalks of grain rose amidst the water, which Harry, from his reading, recognized as paddy, or rice.

"I know it always grows in moist places," said he, "and it will be capital loot for us. Ellen can give the young chicks rice-pudding." "Puddings need milk and eggs, and an oven," said the prudent Dick. "What a damper you are, Dick," answered he. "Can't we get eggs from yon ducks' nests, and make an oven?"

"We have no spade," said Dick; on which Harry got angry, shot at a duck, missed it, and put the whole flock to flight.

"There, see what you have done by vexing me," said he; "you are such a slow coach, Dick.”.

"Slow and sure," replied Dick, who had contrived to cut a good sheaf of paddy with his knife, and Terry binding it with a twisted rope of the straw, and then lifting it on his head, set out to carry it to his mother.

"Now for the hill, Dick," said Harry; "we must see how far our domain spreads, and if we are the only inhabitants."

As they climbed through the wood, the fragrance of some tall trees, which were new to them, was delicious, and Harry longed for his "Book of Trees," that he might find out what the fruit could be.

"Oh, Harry, how spicy they smell!" said Dick, "just like the stuff they put in yule cakes and plum-puddings."

“Just so, Dick,” answered he; “I see it all-nutmeg; and the network covering of the shell is mace. I remember all about it; we must use this seasoning instead of salt; it will be a capital dodge. Now then, what is that pretty, rough-skinned green fruit? I do believe, by the smell of the flowers, this is an orange-tree, and some of the fruit may be ripe even now. It is lucky you brought out a bag, old man.”

"I meant it for gold," replied Dick; "but I'd as lief have oranges and nutmegs; they'll come in more useful."

"I say, Dick, must I shoot that green parrot ?" "If you can hit it," answered Dick.

"Don't chaff, but help, old fellow," said Harry. golden brown pigeon, and I'll bring down Poll."

"You take that

This time they succeeded, and soon filled a bag with birds. They reached the summit of the woody hill, to look into a valley rich with green glades, trees, and bright flowers; beyond the valley rose a dark hill, still higher than the first, from the top of which issued a dense smoke, and Harry cried out, "Here's a go! we've come on a volcano." "A burning mountain," exclaimed Dick; "we may be swallowed up living!"

"What bosh!” replied Harry; "there may be no eruption these fifty years. Let us get down into the valley, and take a turn round the grim mountain."

Dick never felt less valiant than when he followed his better instructed friend to the valley and the base of the mountain, until they reached a declivity sloping gradually to the sea, but so thickly wooded that they made their way slowly through. Suddenly Dick seized the arm of Harry, who was preceding him, and pointing to one side, whispered, "What's that?”

"A mango-tree, full of birds and monkeys," replied Harry, laughing. "Among the brechans," continued Dick.

Harry looked down at the ferns which spread over the damp soil, and started to see that they were broken and trampled down.

"Can it have been the Scotch fellow?" he said.

"No, no, he came round in the boat," replied Dick. "It will be either some big beast, or savages."

Big beasts never live in such small islands as this seems to be," said Harry.

At that moment, a light beautiful deer sprang across their path, and bounded down the wood.

"There the fellow is," cried Harry. "Let us follow, and shoot him." They pursued the deer; but Dick muttered, "Yon track was never made by that beast's hoof, I'll answer for it.”

They could now see the foaming waves through the trees, and Harry stepped upon a large mass of rock to survey the strand, but in a moment he leaped down, crying out, "They've seen me, Dick; make ready, we'll fight them!"

(To be continued.)

THE PILGRIM CHILDREN AND WHAT BEFELL

IN

THEM.

By J. G. EDGAR.

N the age of feudalism and chain mail, when feudal castles crowned every height, and mailed barons, with whom might was right, governed the countries of Europe with iron hand, one of the popes built a church on the isle of St. Peter to commemorate the most melancholy event recorded by the chroniclers of the Crusades. In fact, it was founded in honour of the children who, after being lured from their homes with the understanding that they were going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre, and taken on board ships to be sold as slaves to the Saracens, were shipwrecked during a storm near the rock of the Recluse; and it was built hard by the spot where had been buried such of the bodies as were cast up by the waves.

Now it was in the year 1213 that this crusade of children, which has always been, and still continues, one of the mysteries of modern history, took place. Fuller, speaking in his "Holy War" of the period when Jerusalem and the true cross, after being seized by Saladin, remained in the hands of the Saracens, tells us that when "in France, a boy went about singing in his own tongue :

'Jesus, Lord, repair our loss,

Restore to us thy blessed cross,'

numberless children ran after him, and followed the time their captain and chanter did set them: no bolts, no bars, no fear of fathers or love of mothers, could hold them back; but they would go to the Holy Land to work wonders there, till their merry music had a sad end,—all either perished on land or were drowned by sea."

It would seem, in fact, that the singing of this boy proved as effectual in rousing the enthusiasm of children in France as the preaching of Peter the Hermit or St. Bernard was on men and women ; and thousands of both sexes marked themselves with the cross, and vowed to go to the Holy Land. Moreover, the excitement, proving contagious, spread to Germany, where the business was eagerly promoted by a German named Nicholas, and went briskly forward. Some of the clergy, indeed, would appear to have set their faces against the enterprise