THE CONSCRIPT AND HIS DOG.

an inch long, which she carefully sheltered from the wind in a pocket lantern. The light had scarcely glimmered on the ground, when the pavement yawned, close by the feet of the two females. "Now, Zuleima, my child, the only care of my life!" said Fatima,"were you strong enough to draw me out of the vault where our treasure lies, I would not entreat you to hasten down by these small perpendicular steps, which you here see. Fear not, my love! there is nothing below but the gold and jewels deposited by my father," "Mother," answered the tremu-ground beyond, presenting a clear aim to their lous girl, "I will not break the promise I have made you, though I feel as if my breathing would stop the moment I entered that horrible vault! Dear mother, tie the rope round my waist-my hands wants strength-you must support the whole weight of my body. Merciful Allah! my foot slips! Oh, mother, leave me not in the dark!"

The sergeant and the priest advanced; the two friends embraced and kissed each other.-Reaumer retired to a spot where the other soldier was standing; and, kneeling on the knee, leant his face on his hands, still convulsively and unconsciously grasping the spade, as if for a support: the other twelve men had formed a double line, about fourteen paces to the front Jean, who was between them and the embankment, his white clothed figure thus set in relief by the dark muskets. He knelt down on his right knee, resting on the other his left arm: he said in a firm voice-'I am ready.' The priest was about to bind a handkerchief about his eyes; but he said, 'No-I pray I may be spared that:-let me see my death; I am not afraid of it.' The priest, after consulting with the sergeant's looks, withdrew the handkerchief. Colon retired to the The vault was much deeper than the girl's place where Reaumer and the other soldier length and, upon slipping from one of the project were; and the priest, after having received from ing stones, the clink of coins scattered by her feet his penitent the assurance that he died 'in charity restored the falling courage of the mother.--- with all mankind,' and having bestowed on him There, take the basket, child---quick! fill it up a last benediction, and laid on his lips the kiss of with gold---feel for the jewels. I must not move Christian love, also retired on one side. Colon the lantern. Well done, my love! Another gave the word of command-Prepare:'-the basket full, and no more. I would not expose twelve muskets were brought forward:-'Preyou, my only child, for---yet the candle is long sent:'-they were levelled. The sergeant was enough fear not, it will burn five minutes. Hea- raising his cane as the last signal, to spare the vens! the wick begins to float in the melted victim even the short pang of hearing the fatal wax out, Zuleima!---the rope, the rope-word "Fire!' when Rolla, with a loud yell, sprang the steps are on this side?"

to his master's side. He had been startled from his slumber by the roll of the drum; and, looking up at what was going on, perceiving Jean left kneeling all alone, and all so silent, except Reaumer's faintly heard sobs, his instinct seemed to tell him his master was in some danger; his whining was unheard, or unheeded; he felt this too, and ceased it, but made a desperate effort to break the rope that held him, which, weakened as it was by his late gnawing and tugging at it when in the out house at Charolle, soon gave way, and, as above mentioned, he sprang with a yell to his master's side. But Jean's thoughts at that moment were too seriously engaged to heed even Rolla: he only raised his right arm, and gently put the dog aside, his own mild unflinching gaze still fixed on the soldiers before him. But the dog was not checked by the movement of his master; still whining, and with his ears beseechingly laid back, he struggled hard to get nearer to him.-Colon felt for Jean's situation, and made a sign to Reaumer (who, wondering at the pause since the last word of command, had raised his eyes,) that he should try to coax the dog off. He did so by whistling and calling, but, of course, quite in vain. It will be at once seen that, though this has taken some time in telling, all that passed from the time of Rolla's arrival was little more than the transaction of a moment. Still it was a delay, and the men were ready to fire; and Colon, not thinking the incident of sufficient weight to authorise a suspension of the execution, however temporary, muttered, 'Great pity LOVE-Seizes on us suddenly, without giving -the poor fellow will die too'-he turned his us time to reflect: our disposition or our weak-face again to his men; and was again about to ness favors the surprise: one look, one glance from the fair, fixes and determines us.

A faint groan was heard---Zuleima had dropped in a swoon over the remaining gold. At this moment all was dark again: the distracted mother scratched for the chasm; but it was closed.---| She beat the ground with her feet; and her agony became downright madness, on hearing the hollow sound returned from below. She now struck the flints of the pavement till her hands were shapeless with wounds. Lying on the ground a short time, and having for a moment recovered the power of conscious suffering, she heard her daughter repeat the words, "Mother dear mother, leave me not in the dark." The thick vault through which the words were heard, gave the voice a heart freezing, thin, distant, yet silver tone. Fatima lay one instant as on the flints, then raising herself upon her knees, dashed her head, with something like supernatural strength, against the stones. There she was found lifeless in the morning.

The tradition of this catastrophe led to report that the house was haunted; and it is still affirmed, that annually, in a certain night in December, Fatima, is seen between two black figures, who, in spite of her violent struggles to avoid the place where her daughter was buried alive, forced her to sit over the vault, with a basket full of gold at her feet. The efforts by which she now and then attempts to stop her ears, indicate that for an hour she is compelled to hear the unfortunate Zuleima crying, 'Mother, dear mother, leave me not in the dark!'

give the signal, when he was a second time interrupted by hearing loud shouts from behind

THE CONSCRPT AND HIS DOG-EXTRACTS.

185

him, accompanied by the discharge of a park of whimpered imploringly up to him-Jean looked cannon. He glanced towards the opposite hill for a moment in the emperor's face, but his gaze at his back, whereon the village stood, and there drooped, though without quailing, beneath that he saw all was confusion and bustle-officers of the piercing large gray eyes that were fixed galloping to and fro, and the men forming hur- upon him. After a short pause, Napoleon asked, riedly into a line, he hastily gave the word, 'As "Thine age? Lie down-down good dog!' for you were;' for along a line of road to the north Rolla was getting importunate. "Twenty-five east of the hill he saw a thick cloud of dust, years, sire,' Jean answered. 'Why hast thou from which quickly plunged out a group of disobeyed orders?' 'I could not help it, sire.' horsemen, evidently officers; the foremost not so 'Couldn't help it! How dost thou mean?' 'I tall as most of them, nor so graceful a rider as was so near my friends, and so longed to see many of them, tho' he sat firmly too, was recog- them, that indeed I could not help it, sire.' "Tis nized by Colon and his men (long before he was a strange excuse. Down! I say, good brute!' near enough for them to distinguish a single fea- but at the same moment that he said so, he unture of his face, by his grey frock coat, and gloved his hand, and gave it Rolla to lick: then, small flat three cornered cocked hat.) Colon after a short pause added, ‘And thou sawest thy gave the word of command, the soldiers shoul-parents?' 'Yes, sire, and I was returning to the dered their muskets, and prepared to salute; and regiment, when-"Ah! this is true, sergeant?' in another minute, Napoleon, at the head of his turning to Colon. 'Yes, sire, 'tis true,' answered staff, reined up on the top of the hill. He had he; 'we met him about three quarters of a league left the march of the grand army some leagues be-from-, I need not have asked, though, interhind, and ridden on towards Labarre, in order, rupted Napoleon; 'the man's face looked true. with his wonted watchfulness, to take the de-Thy name?' again addressing Jean. Jean Gatachment by surprise, and see what they were about. His eagle-eye, whose glance saw every thing like another's gaze, had at once detected the party on the hill, and he had ridden from the road at full speed up the slope to discover what the object of the meeting was: a glance, too, told him that; and while he was yet returning the salute of the men and their sergeant, he said, in a voice panting after his hard gallop, 'Hey, what's this?-a desertion?' 'Yes, sire-no sire; not exexactly,' stammered Colon. 'Not exactly! what then asked Napoleon, in a rather peevish tone, his face assuming more than its usual sternness; for hardly any thing more provoked him than hesitation on the part of those he addressed. 'Absence against orders, sire,' replied Colon. Aha! for how long? Is that his dog?" "Yes, sire: only a few hours. A few hours! who gave this order then?' 'General S- sire. What character does the man bear?' 'He is a brave man, sire. 'He is a Frenchman,' retorted Napoleon, proudly; 'but is he honest, and sober, and generally obedient" "Yes, sire, this is his first fault.' "M! how long has he served?'-'Three years last March, sire.'

A louder and higher toned 'M! escaped Napoleon; and his attention was at the same moment attracted by Reaumer, who, with a timid step, had approached the emperor, and kneeling on one knee, with clasped hands and broken voice, cried, "Oh! sire, if you-if you would spare his life-he is innocent of any intention to desert -that I can-' 'Are you his brother?' interrupted the emperor. 'No, sire,' answered Reaumer; 'his friend-his dear friend'-'And how know you what his intentions were?'-'He told them me, sire; he only went last night to see his friends, and would have returned the same night, but that I-I advised him to meet the regiment at Labarre; and I know- 'And what business hadst thou to advise a comrade in a breach of duty? Stand back to thy place.' And Reaumer retired, covered with shame.-Napoleon beckoned Jean to him; he came, and Rolla with him; and the latter, as tho' understanding the power and authority of the man his master thus obeyed, put his forepaws against his stirrup, and

vard, sire. Down, Rolla! I fear he is troublesome to your highness.' Napoleon smiled-perhaps at the title---and answered, 'No, no; poor Rolla, he is a fine dog. I shall inquire into this affair, Gavard; for the present I respite thee.' Jean knelt on his knee, and seized the emperor's hand to kiss it; but Napoleon said, 'Stay, stay; the dog has been licking it.' But this made no difference to poor Jean, who kissed it eagerly; and when Napoleon drew it away, it was wet with tears. He looked on the back of his hand a moment, and his lips compressed themselves as he did so. "They are tears of a brave man, sir,' said he, turning to a young of ficer at his side, on whose features the emperor's side glance had caught a nascent smile: Forward!' And at full gallop the party left the ground. Jean's feelings at this sudden escape from death, were like those of a man wakened from a frightful dream, before his senses are yet enough gathered together to remember all its circumstances. Jean had little time, however, to gather them on this occasion, for Reaumer's arms were, in a moment around his neck; and the hands of his comrades-those very hands that a minute before were about to deal him death-were now gladly grasping his; and their many congratulations on his escape ended in one loud shout of 'Live the Emperor."

It is a short step from modesty to humility: but a shorter one from vanity to folly, and from weakness to falsehood.-Lavater.

Some men use no other means to acquire respect, than by insisting on it; and it sometimes answers their purpose, as it does a highwayman in regard to money.-Shenstone.

Look out of your door, take notice of that man: see what disquieting, intriguing and shifting, he is content to go through, merely to be thought a man of plain dealing: three grains of honesty would save him all this trouble-alas! he has them not.-Sterne.

Four things are grievously empty-a head without brains, a wit without judgment, a heart without honesty, and a purse without money.

SUGAR CANE-WILLIAM HOTMAN-THE VOICE OF SPRING.

187

At New London, Connecticut, the following inscription is found on a grave stone. "On the 20th of October, 1781, 4,000 English fell upon this town, with fire and sword-700 Americans defended the fort for a whole day; but in the evening, about 4 o'clock, it was taken. The commander of the besieged delivered up his sword to an Englishman, who immediately stabbed him; all his comrades were put to the sword. A line of powder was then laid from the magazine of the fort to the sea, then to be lighted, thus to blow the fort up into the air. William Hotman, who lay not far distant, wounded by three strokes of the bayonet in his body, beheld it, and said to one of his wounded friends who was still also alive, "we will endeavor to crawl to this line; we will completely wet the powder with our blood; thus will we, with the little life that remains to us, save the fort and the magazine, and perhaps a few of our comrades, who are only wounded." He alone had strength to accomplish this noble design. In his thirtieth year he The sugar cane is generally admitted to be a his blood. His friends, and seven of his wounddied on the powder which he overflowed with native of China. Marco Polo the traveller, re-ed companions, by that means, had their lives vealed to the world the knowledge of this plant in the middle of the thirteenth century, though the following words in large characters:) "Here preserved." (After this simple narrative, are it was partially known much earlier. The plant rests William Hotman." was soon conveyed to America, Nubia, Egypt and Ethiopia, and early in the fifteenth century it appeared in Europe. Sicily took the lead in its cultivation, whence it passed to Spain, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. Shortly after the discovery by Columbus, this plant was conveyed to Hayti and Brasil, and soon spread through the West Indies.

In new and moist land the sugar-cane attains sometimes the height of twenty feet. It is always propagated from cuttings. The hoeing of a cane-field is a most laborious operation when performed, as it must be, under the rays of a tropical sun. The plough has of late years in some places superseded this mode of cultivation. The planting of canes does not require to be renewed annually. When ripe they are cut close to the ground, divided into convenient lengths, tied in bundles, and conveyed to the mill, where the juice is expressed by passing twice between cylinders. This is collected in cisterns and immediately subjected to heat. Lime, or lime water is added to separate the grosser particles, which, rising to the top, are removed. Very rapid boiling evaporates the water, and brings the syrup to such a consistency that it will granulate on cooling. Five gallons of juice yield six pounds of sugar, this being the produce of about one hundred and ten well grown canes.

The sugar is put into hogsheads pierced with