O sailor-boy! sailor-boy! never again

Shall home, love or kindred thy wishes repay; Unblessed and unhonored, down deep in the main,

Full many a fathom thy frame shall decay.

No tomb shall e'er plead to remembrance for thee.

Or redeem form or frame from the merciless

surge,

But the white foam of waves shall thy winding sheet be,

And winds in the midnight of winter thy dirge.

On a bed of green sea flowers thy limbs shall be laid,

Around thy white bones the red coral shall grow;

Of thy fair yellow locks threads of amber be made,

And every part suit to thy mansion below.

Days, months, years, and ages shall circle

away,

And still the vast waters above thee shall roll;

Earth loses thy pattern forever and aye,

O sailor-boy! sailor-boy! peace to thy soul!

THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON'

F

I

THE SHIPWRECK AND LANDING

OR many days we had been tempesttossed. Six times had the darkness closed over a wild and terrific scene, and returning light as often brought but renewed distress, for the raging storm increased in fury until on the seventh day all hope was lost.

We were driven completely out of our course; no conjecture could be formed as to our whereabouts. The crew had lost heart, and were utterly exhausted by incessant labor.

The riven masts had gone by the board, leaks had been sprung in every direction, and the water which rushed in gained upon us rapidly.

Instead of reckless oaths, the seamen uttered frantic cries to God for mercy, mingled with strange and often ludicrous vows, to be performed should deliverance be granted.

1. Defoe's Robinson Crusoe was so very popular that a host of imitations of it were written. Most of them have been entirely forgotten, but one, The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann Rudolph Wyss, proved so popular, especially with children, that it was translated from the original German into several languages, and new editions are still appearing, though the book was published in 1813.

The Swiss Family Robinson gives the story of a family who were cast away by shipwreck, on an uninhabited island. By no means all of the book is given here—many of the interesting adventures and ingenious experiments have been of necessity omitted; but the parts here given tell a continuous story.

Every man on board alternately commended his soul to his Creator, and strove to bethink himself of some means of saving his life.

My heart sank as I looked around upon my family in the midst of these horrors. Our four young sons were overpowered by terror. "Dear children," said I, "if the Lord will, he can save us even from this fearful peril; if not, let us calmly yield our lives into his hand, and think of the joy and blessedness of finding ourselves forever and ever united in that happy home above."

At these words my weeping wife looked bravely up, and, as the boys clustered round her, she began to cheer and encourage them with calm and loving words. I rejoiced to see her fortitude, though my heart was ready to break as I gazed on my dear ones. We knelt down together, one after another praying with deep earnestness and emotion. Fritz, in particular, besought help and deliverance for his dear parents and brothers, as though quite forgetting himself.

Our hearts were soothed by the never-failing comfort of childlike, confiding prayer, and the horror of our situation seemed less overwhelming. "Ah," thought I, "the Lord will hear our prayer! He will help us.'

Amid the roar of the thundering waves I suddenly heard the cry of "Land, land!" while at the same instant the ship struck with a frightful shock, which threw every one to the deck, and seemed to threaten her immediate destruction.

Dreadful sounds betokened the breaking up of the ship, and the roaring waters poured in on all sides.

THE SHIP WAS JAMMED BETWEEN HIGH ROCKS

Then the voice of the captain was heard above the tumult, shouting, "Lower away the boats! We are lost!"

"Lost!" I exclaimed, and the word went like a dagger to my heart; but seeing my children's terror renewed, I composed myself, calling out cheerfully, "Take courage, my boys! we are all above water yet. There is the land not far off; let us do our