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CARAVAN CROSSING THE DESERT

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the timid are seen rushing towards the centre, to escape being cut off as stragglers.

The second kind of caravan is the ne'ja, which consists of a whole tribe in 'migration, and which travels much more slowly. They carry with them, not their merchandise merely, but all their cattle, tents, and household stuff, together with their women, children, domestic animals, and poultry.

They move along at an easy rate, and the journey is pleasant enough so long as no enemy appears; but should they meet the bands of a hostile tribe while thus 'encumbered, it may chance to go hard with them. The battle which ensues is one in which quarter is neither asked nor given, the Arabs being much more bitter in their warfare against each other than in their 'encounters with Europeans. Sunset is the signal for the cessation of the strife, and the defeated party is al

lowed to make off in the night.

In these conflicts prisoners are never made, the conquerors preferring the heads of their victims to any ransom that could be offered.

From Marocco six caravans traverse the Sahara every year, when from two thousand to three thousand camels are loaded with European produce, and start for the distant countries of the interior. Some of these caravans penetrate as far into Soudan as Timbuctu. They bring thence gold dust, buffalo-skins, ivory, senna, alkali, rhinoceros-horns, indigo, diamonds, perfumes, gums, and other articles of commerce. On reaching the banks of the Niger, the Moors deposit their merchandise on a hill. They then retire, and the negroes advance and criticise the goods. After an examination of three days, they generally come to terms, and the business is done.

am'icable, friendly assist'ance, help. bartering, exchang'ing. brig'andage, plun'der. civilized', cultivated. compressed', squeezed. consumed', exhaust'ed. cul'tivate, till

custody, guardianship. des'titute, devoid. encoun ́ters, con'flicts.

1

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O'ases, fertile spots. The singular is | foam, or froth, rises to the top. This is the

oasis.

2 Grav'itates, has a bias or tendency, under the influence of the law of gravitation, by which bodies are drawn towards the centre of the earth. Water, therefore, always seeks the lowest level.

'Ferment', undergo fermentation; that change in organic substances by which their sugar, starch, &c., are decomposed.

A

yeast, or barm, used in making dough. Cider is a liquor made from apples.

Nomad'ic, leading a wandering life; properly, pastoral. Tribes which lead an unsettled, wandering life, are called ne mads.

'Car'avan, a company of travellers go ing across the desert, who combine for greater security.

QUESTIONS-What mistake is frequently made regarding the nature of the Sahara? What has led to this mistake? How do the guides find their way across the desert? What is the Tell? Where do the oases usually lie? With what does the date palm supply the dwellers in the desert? To what two nations do these inhabitants belong? Who are the Berbers? Where do they live? What is the ksar? What are the

marabets?

What part of the year do the Arabs spend in the wilderness? For what purpose do they leave it?

What are the two classes of caravans called? Which travels the more quickly? To what danger are they exposed? What is characteristic of Arab warfare? How many

caravans cross the Sahara from Marocco every year? How far do they penetrate! What do they bear thence?

THE LIGHT-HOUSE.

THE rocky ledge runs far into the sea,
And on its outer point, some miles away,
The light-house lifts its massive masonry,-
A pillar of fire by night,1 of cloud by day.
Even at this distance I can see the tides,

Upheaving, break unheard along its base;-
A 'speechless wrath, that rises and subsides
In the white lip and tremor of the face.
And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,
Through the deep purple of the twilight air,
Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light,
With strange, unearthly splendour in its glare.
Not one alone ;-from each 'projecting cape
And perilous reef along the ocean's verge,
Starts into life a dim, 'gigantic shape,

Holding its lantern o'er the restless surge. And the great ships sail outward and return, Bending and bowing, o'er the billowy swells; And ever joyful, as they see it burn,

They wave their silent welcomes and farewells.

They come forth from the darkness, and their sails Gleam for a moment only in the blaze;

And eager faces, as the light unveils,

Gaze at the tower, and vanish while they gaze.

The mariner remembers when a child,

On his first voyage, he saw it fade and sink; And, when returning from 'adventures wild, He saw it rise again o'er ocean's brink.

Steadfast, serene, 'immovable, the same

Year after year, through all the silent night, Burns on for evermore that 'quenchless flame, Shines on that inextinguishable light!

It sees the ocean to its bosom clasp

peace ;-

The rocks and sea-sand with the kiss of
It sees the wild winds lift it in their grasp,
And hold it up, and shake it like a fleece.
The startled waves leap over it; the storm
Smites it with all the scourges of the rain;
And steadily against its solid form

Press the great shoulders of the hurricane.

The sea-bird wheeling round it, with the din
Of wings and winds and solitary cries,
Blinded and maddened by the light within,
Dashes himself against the glare, and dies.
A new Prometheus,3 chained upon the rock,
Still grasping in his hand the fire of Jove,
It does not hear the cry, nor heed the shock,
But hails the mariner with words of love.
"Sail on!" it says, "sail on, ye stately ships;
And with your floating bridge the ocean span ;
Be mine to guard this light from all 'eclipse,—
Be yours to bring man nearer unto man!"

adven'tures, en'terprises.
bil'lowy, surging.
eclipse', obscura'tion.
gigantic, colos'sal.

grasping, hold ing.

hurricane, tem'pest.

immovable, stead'fast.

mad'dened, irritated.
mas'sive, bulky.
per'ilous, dangerous.
project'ing, outstanding.
quench'less, inextinguish-

able.
ra'diance, bright'ness.

LONGFELLOW.

sol'itary, lonely. speech less, voice'less. subsides', falls.

trem'or, quiv'ering from fear.

upheav'ing, swell'ing. van'ish, disappear'.

gigantic pie. It is necessary to defend with trellis-work the lights most exposed to visits of this kind. See Light-houses and Light-ships, by W. H. Davenport Adams.

A pillar of fire, &c.-The light-house | British light-ship, who made them into a is here compared to the cloud which led the children of Israel through the wilderness. (Exodus, xiii. 21.) The resemblance, however, does not go beyond the idea of a "pillar" bearing "fire," and the general notion of guidance implied in its purpose.

The sea-bird, &c.-It is an interesting fact that sea-birds are often attracted by the rays of a light-house, and dash themselves against the lantern, often breaking the glass as well as injuring themselves. In a single night at Cape de Bréhat (Bretagne, France) nine panes were shattered from this cause. On another occasion, at the same place, a wild duck forced its way through two rows of mirrors, and fell upon the lamp. A thousand of these birds were on one occasion caught by the crew of a

Prometheus, a fabled giant in Greek mythology, who was said to have formed men out of clay, and to have given them life by means of fire stolen from Heaven"the fire of Jove." This provoked the wrath of Jupiter, who ordered him to be bound to a rock on Mount Cau'casus, a vulture being placed near to torment him by preying continually on his flesh.

Be mine....be yours Let it be my duty-let it be your duty. This is a classical construction. Compare, in Latin, Est regis, it is (the duty) of the king; Sit meum, be it mine (my duty).

THE LAST FIGHT IN THE COLISEUM.

(b)

A.D. 404.

THE grandest and most renowned of all the ancient amphitheatres is the Colisa'um at Rome. It was built by Vespa'sian and his son Titus, the conquerors of Jerusalem, in a valley in the midst of the seven hills of Rome. The captive Jews were forced to labour at it; and the materials-granite outside, and

a softer stone within-are so solid, and so 'admirably built, that still, at the end of eighteen centuries, it has scarcely even become a ruin, but remains one of the greatest wonders of Rome.

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Five acres of ground were enclosed within the oval of its outer wall, which, outside, rises perpendicularly in tiers of arches one above another. Within, the galleries of seats projected for

THE COLISEUM.

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