been learned from Captain Smith's own writings. He was born in England and was educated in the free schools. Later he was apprenticed to a trade, but ran away at the age of fifteen in search of adventures in foreign lands. After many years of fighting in various countries, he was captured and sent into slavery. He escaped to Russia, however, and returned to England, where he joined an expedition sailing from London to found a colony in Virginia. This was in 1606, and Captain Smith was then about twentyseven years old. The story of how Pocahontas, daughter of the Indian chief Powhatan, saved his life during the early days of the colony, is taken from his own account of the incident in his "General History of Virginia.”

POCAHONTAS

Wearied arm and broken sword
Wage in vain the desperate fight;
Round him press a countless horde,
He is but a single knight.
Hark! a cry of triumph shrill

Through the wilderness resounds,
As, with twenty bleeding wounds,
Sinks the warrior, fighting still.

Now they heap the funeral pyre,
And the torch of death they light;

Ah! 't is hard to die by fire!

Who will shield the captive knight?
Round the stake with fiendish cry

Wheel and dance the savage crowd;
Cold the victim's mien and proud,

And his breast is bared to die.

horde, crowd.

Who will shield the fearless heart?
Who avert the murderous blade?
From the throng with sudden start,
See, there springs an Indian maid.
Quick she stands before the knight:
"Loose the chain, unbind the ring!
I am daughter of the king,
And I claim the Indian right!

Dauntlessly aside she flings

Lifted axe and thirsty knife;
Fondly to his heart she clings,
And her bosom guards his life!
In the woods of Powhatan,

Still 't is told by Indian fires

How a daughter of their sires

Saved a captive Englishman.

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY.

a-vert', turn aside; ward off.

pyre, pile or heap of wood for burn- sires, fathers; here used as ances

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY (1811-63) was a celebrated English novelist. His writings are remarkable for their true picture of life as the author saw it. His characters are real men and women who seem to the reader, after he has become acquainted with them, like old friends. In his earlier books, Thackeray delighted in holding up to ridicule the follies and vices of the time in which he lived, but his later novels show a more sympathetic view of human nature. As he himself wrote, "The laugh dies out as we get old, you see, but the love and truth don't, praised be God!" His best known novels are "Vanity Fair," "Pendennis," "Henry Esmond," "The Newcomes," and "The Virginians." His poetry consists mostly of ballads.

AN INVENTORY OF THE MAN-MOUNTAIN'S

POCKETS

In the following story, the author tells some of his experiences in the country of "Lilliput," where, after being shipwrecked, he swam ashore for safety, and was made a prisoner by the Emperor of the tiny people whom he calls "Lilliputians."

In about three weeks I made a great progress in learning their language; during which time the emperor frequently honored me with his visits, and was pleased to assist my masters in teaching me. We began already to converse together in some sort; and the first words I learned were to express my desire that he would be pleased to give me my liberty, which I every day repeated on my knees.

His answer, as I could comprehend it, was, that this must be a work of time, not to be thought on without the advice of his council, and that first I must swear a peace with him and his kingdom. However, that I should be used with all kindness; and he advised me to acquire by my patience and discreet behavior, the good opinion of himself and his subjects.

He desired I would not take it ill if he gave orders to certain proper officers to search me; for probably I might carry about me several weapons, which must needs be dangerous things, if they answered the bulk of so prodigious a person.

I said, his Majesty should be satisfied, for I was ready to strip myself and turn up my pockets before him. This I delivered, part in words, and part in signs. He replied, that by the laws of the kingdom, I must be searched by two of his officers; that he knew this could not be done without my consent and assistance; and he had so good an opinion of my generosity and

justice as to trust their persons in my hands; that whatever they took from me should be returned when I left the country, or paid for at the rate which I would set upon them.

I took up the two officers in my hands, put them first into my coat-pockets, and then into every other pocket about me. In one pocket there was a silver watch, and in another a quantity of gold in a purse. These gentlemen, having pen, ink, and paper about them, made an exact inventory of everything they saw; and when they had done, desired I would set them down, that they might deliver it to the Emperor.

This inventory I afterward translated into English, and it is word for word as follows:

"In the right coat-pocket of the Great Man-Mountain, after the strictest search, we found only one great piece of coarse cloth, large enough to be a foot-cloth for your Majesty's chief room of state.

"In the left pocket we saw a huge silver chest with a cover of the same metal, which we, the searchers, were not able to lift. We desired it should be opened, and one of us stepping into it found himself up to the mid-leg in a sort of dust, some part whereof, flying up to our faces, set us both a-sneezing for several times together.

"In his right waistcoat-pocket we found a prodigious bundle of white thin substances, folded one over another, about the bigness of three men, tied with a strong cable, and marked with black figures; which we humbly conceive to be writings, every letter almost half as large as the palm of our hands.

"In the left there was a sort of engine, from the back of which were extended twenty long poles, resembling the palisadoes before your Majesty's court; wherewith we conjecture the Man-Mountain combs his head, for we did not always trouble

him with questions, because we found it a great difficulty to make him understand us.

"In the large pockets on the right side of his trousers, we saw a hollow pillar of iron, about the length of a man, fastened to a strong piece of timber larger than the pillar; and upon one side of the pillar were huge pieces of iron sticking out, cut into strange figures, which we know not what to make of. In the left pocket another engine of the same kind.

"In the smaller pocket on the right side were several round, flat pieces of white and red metal, of different bulk; some of the white, which seemed to be silver, were so large and heavy, that my comrade and I could hardly lift them.

"In the left pocket were two black pillars irregularly shaped; we could not, without difficulty, reach the top of them as we stood at the bottom of his pocket. One of them was covered, and seemed all of a piece; but at the upper end of the other, there appeared a round white substance, about twice the bigness of our heads. Within each of these was inclosed a prodigious plate of steel; which, by our orders, we obliged him to show us, because we apprehended they might be dangerous engines. He took them out of their cases, and told us that in his own country his practice was to shave his beard with one of them, and cut his meat with the other.

"There were two pockets that we could not enter. Out of one of these hung a great silver chain, with a wonderful kind of engine at the bottom. We directed him to draw out whatever was at the end of that chain; which appeared to be a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal; for, on the transparent side, we saw strange figures circularly drawn, and thought we could touch them until we found our fingers stopped. by that lucid substance. He put this engine to our ears, which