FOR CHILDREN. 805

WILLIAM TELL!

Comr, list to me, and you shall hear
A tale of what befel

A famous man of Switzerland,
His name was WiL.LIam TELL,

Near Reuss’s bank, from day to day,
His little flock he led,

By prudent thrift, and hardy toil,
Content to earn his bread.

Nor was the hunter’s craft unknown ;
In Uri none was seen

To track the rock-frequenting herd
With eye so true and keen.

A little son was in his home,
A laughing, fair-haired boy ;

So strong of limb, so blithe of heart,
He made it ring with joy.

His father’s sheep were all his friends,
The lambs he called by name ;

And when they frolicked in the fields,
The child would share the game.

1 In the centre of the little town of Altorf, near the lake
of Lucerne, there stands a stone fountain, surmounted with
the figures of William Tell and his son. It is said to cover
the spot on which the father stood when he took aim at the
apple on his child’s head. The following verses were sug-
gested by a visit to the place.

2n2