338

throw itself upon me, and to embrace me
‘n its monstrous coils. Dropping my
gun, by a single stroke of the paddles, I
made the canoe shoot up the stream out
of his reach. Just as I was escaping, I
could observe that the shot had taken ef-
fect, for blood was beginning to drop from
‘ts head. But the wound appeared rather
to have enraged than subdued him. Un-
fortunately all my shot was expended,
otherwise I would most certainly, at a
respectable distance, have given him a
salutation of the same kind as I had just
bestowed. All that I have described
passed in a much shorter time than I
have taken up in recounting it. 1 imme-
diately summoned help, and the snake
was soon captured. It measured nearly
forty feet in length.”

So"

How to treat Enemies.

oun Waite was a cross boy; he
would strike and pinch those with
whom he was at play, if they did

not do all that he chose, or that

he told them to do. He did not serve
big boys so, for he durst not, lest they
should hurt him, but he did so to boys
who were not as old and as strong as he
was. One day he was at play with a boy
at school who was not as old as he was.
This boy’s name was Ned Bell. They
had got a kite to fly, and Ned could not
run as fast as John told him to; so John
hit him a blow and gave him a black
eye. This made Ned cry; and Sam
Smith, who was near them, and who was
a boy of the same age of John, but not
quite so tall, said to Ned, “ Why do you
cry, Ned—who has hurt you ?” and Ned

   

THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

said, “It was John White who hurt me;
I could not run as fast as he told me to,
and he struck me.” At this, Sam Smith
said to John, “It would serve you right -
for me to strike you in the same way,
and you know I could hurt you if I chose
to try; but I do not wish to do wrong,
as you have done, Itisa shame that a
great boy like you, should strike a poor
child who is much less than you are.”
At this, all the boys came round them
and said, “Well done, Sam; you are a
brave boy to take the part of a poor child.
We like you for it, But as for John, we
will not play with him; we are none of
us as big as he is, and if we do not mind
all that he says to us, he will beat us; so
let us leave him. Come, Ned, do not cry,
but come and play with us.” So they
left John, and no one would play with
him. This went on for a week; he could
find no one to hold up his kite, or play at
ball, or peg-top with him. At last, Ned
Bell, who was a kind boy, and did not
like to see John so sad, went to him and
said, “John, I will play with you, for I do
not think you will hurt me now.” John
said, “No, Ned, I will not strike you;
and I am sure I wish I had not struck
you at all.” So they had a game at peg-
top, and John was kind, and did not say
or do across thing. Then Ned went to
the school-boys, and said to them, “ I
am quite sure you need not fear to play
with John White now; he is grown quite
good, and will not beat us, or be cross to
us; I have been at play with him for an
hour, and he is not like the same boy.”
When the boys heard this, they said,
“ Well, Ned, as it is you who speaks for
John, we will try him.” They did try
him, and from that time he grew as brave
and kind as Sam Smith.— Selected.