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though the master set us full before the wind, and gave instant orders to lighten every stitch of sail-and it was but little sail we had at the time to lighten still the vessel did not rise, but lay unmanageable as a log, with her gunwale in the water. On we drifted, however, along the south coast, with little expectation, save that every sea would send us to the bottom, until, in the first gray of the morning, we found ourselves among the breakers of the terrible bar of Findhorn; and shortly after, the poor Friendship took the ground right on the edge of the quicksands, for she would neither stay nor wear; and as she beat hard against the bottom, the surf came rolling over mast-high.

'Just as we struck,' continued Jack, 'the master made a desperate effort to get into the cabin. The vessel couldn't miss, we saw, to break up and fill; and though there was little hope of any of us ever setting foot ashore, he wished to give the poor woman below a chance with the rest. All of us but himself had got up into the shrouds, and so we could see round us a bit; and he had just laid his hand on the companion-hasp to undo the door, when I saw a tremendous sea coming rolling towards us like a moving wall, and shouted on him to hold fast. He sprang to the weather-backstay, and laid hold. The sea came tumbling on; and, breaking full twenty feet over his head, buried him for a minute's space in the foam. We thought we should never see him more; but when it cleared away, there was he still, with his iron grip on the stay, though the fearful wave had water-logged the Friendship from bow to stern, and swept her companion-head as cleanly off by the deck as if it had been cut with a saw. No human aid could avail the poor woman and her baby. Master could hear the terrible

choking noise of her dying agony right under his feet, with but a two-inch plank between; and the sounds have haunted him ever since. But even had he succeeded in getting her on deck, she could not possibly have survived. For five long hours, we clung to the rigging, with the seas riding over us all the time like wild horses; and though we could see through the snow-drift and the spray, crowds on the shore, and boats lying thick beside the pier, none dared to venture out to assist us till near the close of day, when the wind fell with the falling tide, and we were brought ashore more dead than alive by a volunteer crew from the harbour. The unlucky Friendship began to break up under us ere mid-day, and we saw the corpse of the drowned woman, with the dead infant still in its arms, come floating out through a hole in the side. But the surf soon tore mother and child asunder, and we lost sight of them as they drifted away to the west. Master would have crossed the firth himself to relieve your mind; but being less worn out than any of us, he thought it best to remain in charge of the wreck.'

[Write from dictation]

The destitute woman, who had been our companion as sole cabin-passenger from Peterhead, was alarmed at the heightening hurricane, and met at last with a sad fate. The boat itself was lost, and lay in the water an unmanageable wreck.

Oh that mine eyes might closed be
To what concerns me not to see;
That deafness might possess mine ear
To what concerns me not to hear;

That truth my tongue might ever tie
From ever speaking foolishly;
That no vain thought might ever rest,
Or be conceived in my breast.

THE ASS AND HIS MASTER.

Tomkins. What a fine morning! I'll off to neighbour Hodge's farm, and see if he is up with the sun. Fine day, neighbour Hodge!

Hodge. Yes, Master Tomkins; and I am turning it to account, as you see, by cleaning out my yard.

Tomkins. I am come to ask a favour of you, neighbour. Hodge. Speak, Master Tomkins; if it is in my power, you shall have what you want at once.

Tomkins. Will you lend me your donkey?

Hodge. Ah, I am so sorry, Master Tomkins; but I lent my donkey, early this morning, to my cousin Charles. [At this moment the donkey, who is all the while in the stable, begins to bray.]

Tomkins. Ha ha! neighbour Hodge, you hear! Your donkey says you have told a falsehood.

Hodge. What, neighbour! will you believe my donkey rather than me?

Tomkins. I should rather think so, neighbour.

[The above forms in itself an excellent dictation lesson.]

ANTONY CANOVA THE SCULPTOR.

[Spell and write]

territory, senator, beautifully, unexpected, numerous, congratulate, marvellous, introduced, banqueting, executed, acquaintance, exhibited, statuary, imagination, permanent, posterity, solicited, ceremony, occurred.

It was in the little village of Possagno, in the Venetian territory, that Canova first saw the light of day. Falieri the senator was lord of this village. One day he gave a great dinner, and there was served up to his guests the image of a lion beautifully formed in butter. This unexpected dish gave as much surprise to the senator as to his numerous guests. He ordered his cook to come up stairs, that he might congratulate him in presence of the party, so much pleased was he with the marvellous work of art. The cook was introduced into the banqueting-hall, and was so overwhelmed with congratulations, that the tears came into his eyes.

'You weep for joy?' said his master to him.

'No, my lord,' he replied; it is through despair at not having executed the work of art which is the object of so much admiration.'

'I should like to make the artist's acquaintance,' said

the senator.

The cook withdrew, assuring his master that his wish would be gratified; and in a few minutes returned, leading in the artist. He was a little peasant-boy, about ten years old, meanly clad, for his parents were poor. Poor as they were, however, these worthy people had exposed themselves to great straits, rather than deny to their son lessons in the art of sculpture which a professor had undertaken to give for a very moderate fee.

Antony Canova had early exhibited a strong faculty for statuary. He modelled clay when he could get it, and, with the help of his knife, carved little figures out of all the chips of wood he could lay his hands on. His parents were acquainted with the cook of Senator Falieri. On the morning of the great dinner, he came to impart the difficulty he had in giving a graceful finish to the table. He had exhausted all the resources of his skill and imagination; but he still wanted one of those effective dishes, capable of producing a great sensation, which rear on a solid basis the reputation of the cook of a great house. The little Canova thought for a minute, and then said: 'Do not trouble yourself; I shall soon come to you. Leave it to me, and I shall answer for it that your table will be complete.' The boy went as he had promised to the senator's house, shewed the cook the design of the figure which he meant to execute, answered for the success of the attempt, and cut the block of butter with that purity of imagination and perfect taste which he afterwards displayed in cutting blocks of marble. Surprised as the guests had been by the work, they were much more so when they beheld the workman. He was loaded with attentions, and from this time forth, Falieri was the patron of the young Canova.

The happy issue of the first attempt of the little peasant-boy, suddenly made his name famous, and opened up for him the road to permanent success. Falieri placed him as a pupil, in the studio of old Torretti, the best sculptor of the time. Two years after-that is to say, when Canova was only twelve years of age he sent to his patron a gift of two marble fruit-baskets of his own workmanship, which still adorn the Falieri palace at Venice.

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