till our little ship would hold not another ingot. This done, I would sail straight for Jamaica, lodge my treasure in some colonial bank, purchase a large vessel, engage a numerous crew, and return at once for a fresh cargo of riches. What was to prevent me, indeed, from coming again and again, and carrying hence such wealth as no king or kaiser in all the world could boast?

Absorbed in dreams of untold grandeur and power, I felt neither fatigue nor heat, nor was conscious of the miles I traversed. There was now no fog, nor sign of fog, and the atmosphere was magically clear and bright. A soft air blew from the west. The rich grass of the savannah was thick with flowers. Even the mossy glades of the second forest were radiant with purple and scarlet berries, which I dared not taste, although they gave out a delicious odour. This forest proved more extensive than the first, and was more closely planted. All at once, just as I began to wonder how much farther it would lead me, I found myself upon the inner verge of the woods, with a strange and startling sight spread out like a panorama before my eyes.

The forest terminated abruptly, about half a mile from the foot of the mountain, and lay round it in one vast circular sweep, a zone of living green. Between these woods and the mountain lay the domes, obelisks, and ivy-mantled walls of a noble city, all deserted and in ruins. In the midst of these ruins rose the great solitary mountain towards which I had been journeying so long. More ruins were clustered about the base of it, and for some way up the lower slopes and buttresses of its sides. Above these came trees and underwood, and, towering higher still against the sky, a lofty peak of rock and rugged precipice. Examining this peak by the aid of my telescope, I saw some kind of small white edifice upon the very summit, surmounted, apparently, by a pyramidal ornament, supporting a glittering beacon. This beacon was the same that I had seen scintillating in the morning light, some ten miles off across the sea. I observed it long and earnestly. Was it made of glass, or of some reflecting metal? Did it revolve, or were these brilliant flashes, which seemed almost as if emanating from its very substance, mere refractions of the sunlight? These were questions which I found it impossible to solve without nearer observation. I could only turn my eyes away, dazzled and half blinded, and then press forward, more eagerly than ever, on my way.

(To be continued.)

"The meek ey'd morn appears, mother of dews."-Thomson.

HARRY UPTON'S "LARK."

BY ANNE BOWMAN.

CHAPTER IV.-THE SOLITARY OF THE LONELY ISLE.

OR my part," said Harry, "I don't believe these are human bones; how could the few savages who may inhabit this island get any one to devour, if it were not their infants or their grandmothers? These may be the bones of bears, or some other large beast; but, anyhow, it may be as well 'to run,' as we have no forces for a regular battle. But I'd like to have some birds; it would be stupid to go off emptyhanded."

"And the savages may be hearing us shoot," said Dick.

"Well, I won't say that would be pleasant, old Wisdom," replied Harry, so we won't mind the pigeons. Halloo! what's that?"

It was an arrow that only just missed its object, and a rustling in a thicket not far off proclaimed from whence it came. Harry, the reckless, would not retreat until he had fired into the thicket, and a loud yell showed that his shot had taken effect. But a dozen fierce faces appeared above the bushes, and swiftly as the boys fled, the flight of arrows that followed them had nearly proved fatal, for two actually pierced the straw hat of Harry. They were not many minutes in reaching the shore, calling out, as soon as they were within hearing, for the Byrnes to embark.

The mother, in alarm, clutched up her straggling children, and in a few minutes, the tide being up, they were fairly afloat-only just in time, for the savage assailants followed them to the strand, and discharged several volleys of arrows after them; but, by lying down in the boat, and allowing it to drift, they escaped the arrows, which passed over them. Fortunately, the savages had either soon expended their arrows, or become tired of their unprofitable warfare, for they desisted, and the voyagers sailed beyond danger, bearing away with them, besides the agreeable supply of fruit, broiled ducks and abundance of cooked eggs and potatoes, which enabled them for the next three days to endure their tedious voyage with some cheerfulness.

Then they had again to fall back on their prison fare, and they looked with longing eyes on the many rich-looking isles they passed, from some of which the spicy odour of their products proved an intolerable temptation.

"Plase yer honners," said Terence, "would it be a Christen man shoutin' on us, seeing he lanes to white, sure, musha! and we niver hearin' him at all, barrin' we see him houlding up the white rag, to spake to us."

Terence was very sharp-sighted, and the rest soon found he was correct they discovered the figure of a man on the shore of a small island, who appeared to be signalling them.

"Sure the cratur's in disthress!" cried Ellen, "and yer honners will niver be turning the back to him at all, in regard to the savages and the wild bastes being afther him, plase God; and he nading a cast in this same boat, that same being our duty altogether, the cratur!"

"The boat's over heavy-laden as it is," said Dick.

"We must stretch a point, anyhow, if it be a bad case," said Harry. "You know, old fellow, we were ready enough to speak hard words against that cowardly Scotch knave, when he sneaked off and left us in our trouble. We'll just make up to him, and hear what he wants from us."

They drew up towards the island, which lay far apart from any other, and was of temptingly rich appearance. They soon heard the voice of the man hailing them, but when they were near enough to distinguish him, Harry gave a long whistle and cried out,

"We have gone and done it, Dick. Hang me if it isn't that dirty dog, Mackenzie !"

"One wouldn't have chosen him out of a lot for a comrade," replied Dick; "but it would be hardly fair to turn away now."

"That's the vexation," said Harry. "I don't see that we can get out of it anyhow. But mind, Dick, we'll hold our own, for, I know the fellow will try to pick the teeth out of our head."

"He'd better not, or he'll find out we can bite," grumbled Dick, as they drew up the boat to the beach.

"By my troth," said the man, with great effrontery, "wha wou'd hae thought we'd clash together again? It's joost a Providence, laddies ; we'll share and share alike. I see ye've let on salvage fra' the auld ship, and it'll come in handy for me, alang wi' my ain belongings. Bring her in, laddies, while I rin to bring up my bits of things. How are ye graithed for proveesions? Here's lashings o' stuff here for

gethering in."

"Is the island inhabited?" said Harry, haughtily, out of patience with the cool impudence of the man.

"Eenhabited," replied he; "ay, ye'll likely ca' him an eenhabitant; an auld feckless carl! wi' his preachings and gibings. Does he think

that I'd be that fule body to fling awa my insurance papers? Folks mauna luik ower mickle anent ithers, and heed nought for their ain graithing. He's been ower yonner at the diggings, and ta'en some fancy that there were misdoings amang 'em. Then, hech! sirs, off he cam' like a shot, and draps doon here. Wha kens what he is? Wha kens if he hae siller, or if he be puir? He a'e keeps a quiet tongue anent his ain; but he's ower free in bullying me; sae, hinnies, I'll joost flit alang wi' ye."

Harry and Dick, much annoyed at the prospect of such an offensive passenger, resolved, at all events, to land and seek "the carl" he spoke of, who might afford them information, if not assistance. They had no occasion to seek him, for, by the time they had moored the boat, a tall, gentlemanly man, of middle age, in a sort of shooting-dress, came up to them and said,

Young men, are you here from curiosity or from distress?"

"When you look at our small boat and our large party, sir,” said Harry, "and hear that we had scarcely ever handled an oar till this necessity compelled us to try, you will, I think, agree that we might justly plead distress. But, for all that, we have had such frights with the savages of the islands that I hardly think we should have ventured to land here had we not been signalled by this man."

"And what does he require from you?" asked the stranger.

"A free passage," replied Harry, "to any shore to which it may please God to drift us; for we are as ignorant of our precise situation as of the means to reach a port. Yet we were very thankful when we picked up this boat, as it offered us the opportunity of escaping from savages and wild beasts."

Then Harry, encouraged by the friendly interest the stranger showed, related to him their whole history, not omitting Mackenzie's desertion of them in their utmost need.

"I have no doubt of your truth, young man," said the solitary, "and therefore I cannot think on what pretext Mackenzie can dare to claim assistance from you."

"Joost for charity," said the wily man. by,' and sae forth. I ken Scripter brawly."

"Do as ye would be done

"It is not the knowledge but the practice of piety that is laudable,” answered the stranger. "Did you remember that you ought to do as you would be done by when you abandoned these youths in their distress?"

"Ou! sirs," said Mackenzie, "I werena unweeling to tak' the laddies in, setting aside yon Irish fry. It stan's to reason I werena gaun to even