Each palanquin had twelve bearers attached to it, and one torch-bearer.

4

My companion, being a great sportsman, had a whole squad s of dogs with him,-greyhounds, spaniels, and terriers. They were constantly starting off in pursuit of the game with which the jungle abounded. About two hours after we started, a magnificent elk crossed our path, and away my friend and I set after it, tearing away in hot pursuit, through the thorns, brambles, and underwood that impeded 5 our progress; but after a long chase the animal escaped.

We soon came to a spot where three roads met, and here we were much at a loss which to follow. We resolved at last to trust to the sagacity 6 of our horses, and reached, after half an hour's riding, a wide open clearing, where it was evident woodcutters had very recently been at work. In the corner farthest from us was a troop of about fifty elephants browsing on the lower branches of the trees. The horses we rode were pure Arabs, and were rather wild and headstrong. These, taking the bit in their mouths, carried us straight through the middle of the troop of elephants, which skurried off in all directions, trumpeting forth their terror in the most deafening way. But they soon recovered from their fright, and, setting up a roar of anger and defiance, came after us at a lumbering gallop and with prodigious speed. The track they made through the underwood seemed as if a hurricane had been sweeping through the jungle. The pursuit became hotter and hotter, till it positively assumed the aspect of a race. Cunning as10 they were ferocious, the brutes took short cuts, which threatened to head us; and at one time, for upwards of a mile, we were racing side by side, only separated by an impenetrable 11 hedge of prickly-pear, which for aught we knew, might at any moment have a gap in it that might seal our doom. Fortunately, this was not the case, and after a race of many miles at a break-neck speed, the elephants, on hearing the sound of people coming in our direction, turned tail all at once, and with loud trumpetings, dived into the thick recesses of the forest, and were no more seen.

OUTLINE.-1. Palanquin-travelling; from Hydrabad to Nagpore. 2. Nearly eighty men in cavalcade; twelve bearers to each palanquin, and one torchbearer.

3. My companion, a sportsman, fond of dogs; greyhounds, spaniels, and terriers at our heels. 4. Jungle abounds in game, which the dogs hunt. 5. Elk comes in sight; all the dogs after it; animal finally escapes.

6. Travellers come to a place where three roads meet; puzzled which to

follow. 7. They at last trust to the instinct of their horses; take a road leading to a clearing. 8. In one corner of this a number of wild elephants feeding. Their Arab horses wild and headstrong. 9. Are carried by them right through the middle of the herd; elephants trumpet and bellow with fear. 10. Soon recover themselves, however; come after the horsemen at a great pace. 11. Cunning of the ferocious brutes; they take short cuts to head the horsemen; for more than a mile, a prickly pear hedge only dividing them, the race continues side by side. 12. Horses and elephants gallop at break-neck speed for several miles; sound of approaching travellers heard; elephants give up and retire into the forest.

PHRASEOLOGY.-1. Cavalcade, company; troop. 2. Attached, belonging. 3. Squad, pack. 4. Constantly, every now and then. 5. Impeded, hindered; barred. 6. Sagacity, intelligence; instinct. 7. Skurried off, scampered; turned tail. 8. Recovered from, got the better of. 9. Assumed the aspect of, looked like; presented the appearance of. 10. Cunning, sly; crafty. 11. Impenetrable, solid.

Ex. 17.-PASS IT ON.

SOME rich peasants in a village in Brunswick, whose reigning prince was related to our own royal family, were in the habit,1 instead of going to church on Sunday, of assembling in an inn, and indulging themselves with copious draughts of beer, numerous pipes of tobacco, and scandal, to speak of nothing worse. This came to the duke's ears, and he determined to put a stop to it. Early one Sunday morning, therefore, when the bells had stopped ringing, a hussar in the duke's uniform, rode up to the door, alighted, and walked into the entrance hall. Seeing him about to proceed further, the landlord interfered and informed3 him that the room beyond was a private room into which no stranger was allowed to enter. Pushing the host aside, the hussar kicked open the door and entered. The room was filled with tobacco smoke, and in the gloom the appearance of many half-drunken revellers could be dimly seen, Upon the dark oaken tables stood numerous flagons of beer, out of which the thirsty topers were every now and then vigorously 5 refreshing themselves.

"Good morning," said the horseman.

"Good morning," returned the company, gruffly.

"This is far better than being at church; pipes and beer are infinitely to be preferred to saying one's prayers. Do you know the game of 'Pass it on,' neighbour?" said the new comer, addressing one of the company on the left.

"No," said the other, sulkily.

✓ Then, that's it," and a thundering smack on the man's ear,

apprised the company that the game had begun, and what the game was. The person struck, felt savage, and meditated revenge; but, casting an eye on the stalwarts build of the striker, he thought better of it, and administered a blow in his turn to his neighbour on the left.

The game went round the table till it came to the hussar, and the last recipient was making ready to give the former a fierce blow with interest, when the storm began again, this time from an opposite quarter. First it went round from left to right, but now from right to left.

Every man in the room, now boiling with rage, started to his feet. They made for the hussar in a body; but he, throwing aside his cloak, and showing the ducal star upon his breast, commanded 9 silence in a loud voice. All hats were now doffed; 10 humiliation and submission were seen on every face. "What a good-for-nothing pack you are," thundered the duke, "to come here, Sunday after Sunday, to smoke and drink beer, instead of going to church like honest men and good Christians. I have taught you one lesson, and woe betide you, if you need another. If you do, another will come who will play at 'Pass it on' in a sterner fashion 11 than I have done."

The company slunk off with faces white as chalk; and the landlord, with woful looks, had to listen to a long speech from the duke.

From that time, however, this village became, it is said, one of the most orderly and church-going in the duke's dominions. 12

OUTLINE.-1. Some rich peasants in a village in Brunswick are absent from church on a Sunday. 2. Pipes and beer in an inn preferred to their religious duties. 3. Reigning duke resolves to put a stop to these scandalous proceedings.

4. A hussar rides up to the inn one Sunday morning; makes his way into the entrance hall. 5. Landlord endeavours to prevent him from entering the room where the company is. 6. Kicks open the door and enters. 7. Appearance of the room. Flagons of beer upon the tables. 8. What the hussar says to the company. 9. He introduces a new game. Mode of playing it. 10. Company get enraged. 11. Onslaught meditated on the hussar. 12. At last he opens his coat and shows the ducal star. Dismay of the company. 14. Speech of the duke. 15. With pale faces the company slink off. 16. Landlord gets a rating from the duke. 17. The effects of this action on the habits of the village.

13.

PHRASEOLOGY.-1. In the habit of, accustomed to. 2. Scandal, personal talk. 3. Informed, told. 4. Gloom, obscurity. 5. Vigorously, actively; briskly. 6. Infinitely, very much; most assuredly. 7. Apprised, informed; acquainted. 8. Stalwart, sturdy; strong. 9. Commanded, ordered; called for. 10. Doffed, taken off. 11. Fashion, way; manner. 12. Dominions, territories; dukedom.

9

were covered over with smaller wood to the depth of several feet. Scarcely had he secured himself, when the Indians arrived on the river, screeching and yelling like so many demons. They were frequently on the raft during the day, and were seen through the chinks by Colter, who was congratulating himself on his escape, until the idea arose in his mind that they might set the raft on fire. In horrible suspense he remained all night, when, hearing no more of the savages, he dived from under the raft, and swam down the river a considerable distance, when he landed. His situation was still a very dreadful one; he was quite naked under a burning sun; the soles of his feet were entirely filled with the thorns of the prickly pear; he was hungry and could kill no game, although he saw abundance around; but, in spite of all these difficulties, he managed to reach Lisa's Fort, on the Yellowstone, after a tedious 10 journey of seven days, during which he subsisted on a root much esteemed by the Indians of the Upper Missouri.

OUTLINE.-1. Colter and Potts, beaver hunters; engaged in trapping on the upper waters of the Missouri. 2. Indians surprise them one morning; Potts is killed; Colter taken. 3. What to do with him? 4. The chief takes him out upon the prairie; "Save yourself if you can," he says. 5. War-whoop sounds; Colter goes off at speed; he is naked; the ground is covered with the prickly pear. 6. Six miles to go before reaching the river. 7. When half way across he turns his head. 8. He has distanced all the Indians but one. 9. Turns again; the savage within twenty yards of him. 10. Stops; spreads out his arms. 11. Indian attempts to throw his spear; stumbles in the act; shaft of his spear breaks. 12. Colter pins him to the ground with the iron head of the spear; continues his flight; reaches the river; plunges in. 13. Swims to a little island; a raft of timber is there. 14. Dives under it; gets his head above water between the logs. 15. Remains there all day. Indians often on the raft. 16. "Perhaps they may set fire to it," thought Colter. All night in horrible suspense. 17. Dives from under the raft; swims down the river; lands. 18. Is seven days' journey from the nearest fort; gets there however.

PHRASEOLOGY.-1. Examining, looking into or after. 2. Immediate, instant; precipitate. 3. Beckoned, made signs. 4. Remonstrated, argued; reasoned. 5. Acquired, got up; learned. 6. Released, liberated; let go. 7. Appalling, horrible; heart-sickening. 8. Continued, kept or held on in. 9. Suspense, doubt, or uncertainty. 10. Tedious, irksome; wearisome.

Ex. 16.-A RACE FOR LIFE.

ONE day we were travelling up from Hydrabad to Nagpore. We had so many palanquins and bearers in proportion, that the number of men in our cavalcade1 amounted to nearly eighty.

Each palanquin had twelve bearers attached to it, and one torch-bearer.

4

3

My companion, being a great sportsman, had a whole squad of dogs with him,-greyhounds, spaniels, and terriers. They were constantly starting off in pursuit of the game with which the jungle abounded. About two hours after we started, a magnificent elk crossed our path, and away my friend and I set after it, tearing away in hot pursuit, through the thorns, brambles, and underwood that impeded 5 our progress; but after a long chase the animal escaped.

We soon came to a spot where three roads met, and here we were much at a loss which to follow. We resolved at last to trust to the sagacity 6 of our horses, and reached, after half an hour's riding, a wide open clearing, where it was evident woodcutters had very recently been at work. In the corner farthest from us was a troop of about fifty elephants browsing on the lower branches of the trees. The horses we rode were pure Arabs, and were rather wild and headstrong. These, taking the bit in their mouths, carried us straight through the middle of the troop of elephants, which skurried off in all directions, trumpeting forth their terror in the most deafening way. But they soon recovered from their fright, and, setting up a roar of anger and defiance, came after us at a lumbering gallop and with prodigious speed. The track they made through the underwood seemed as if a hurricane had been sweeping through the jungle. The pursuit became hotter and hotter, till it positively assumed the aspect of9 a race. Cunning as10 they were ferocious, the brutes took short cuts, which threatened to head us; and at one time, for upwards of a mile, we were racing side by side, only separated by an impenetrable 11 hedge of prickly-pear, which for aught we knew, might at any moment have a gap in it that might seal our doom. Fortunately, this was not the case, and after a race of many miles at a break-neck speed, the elephants, on hearing the sound of people coming in our direction, turned tail all at once, and with loud trumpetings, dived into the thick recesses of the forest, and were no more seen.

OUTLINE.-1. Palanquin-travelling; from Hydrabad to Nagpore. 2. Nearly eighty men in cavalcade; twelve bearers to each palanquin, and one torchbearer.

3. My companion, a sportsman, fond of dogs; greyhounds, spaniels, and terriers at our heels. 4. Jungle abounds in game, which the dogs hunt. 5. Elk comes in sight; all the dogs after it; animal finally escapes.

6. Travellers come to a place where three roads meet; puzzled which to