grown so fat and plump, that the same space would no more admit him.

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"I am in a fine predicament," said he to himself. 'Suppose the master of the garden were now to come, and call me to account, what would become of me? I see my only chance to escape is to fast and half starve myself."

He did so with great reluctance. After suffering hunger for three days, he with difficulty made his escape. As soon as he was out of danger, he took a farewell view of the garden, the scene of his delight and trouble, and thus addressed it :

"Garden! garden! thou art indeed charming and delightful-thy fruits are delicious and exquisite; but of what benefit art thou to me? What have I now for all my labour and cunning? Am I not as lean as I was before ?"-Hebrew Tales.

THE SCOTSMAN AND THE SNAKE.

THE following thrilling tale of the peril to which a Scotch soldier was exposed is taken from "Chambers' Miscellany," and exhibits a fine instance of presence of mind and cool fortitude.

"In the vicinity of the barracks assigned to the European soldiers in India, there is usually a number of little solitary cells, where the disorderly members of the corps are confined for longer or shorter terms, by order of the commanding officer. In one of these, at Madras, on a certain occasion, was locked up, poor Jock Hall, a Scotsman, belonging to Edinburgh or Leith. Jock had got intoxicated, and being found in that condition at the hour of drill, was sentenced to eight days solitary imprisonment. Soldiers in India have their bedding partly furnished by the Honourable Company, and find the remainder for themselves. About this part of house furnishing, however, Hall

troubled himself very little, being one of those hardy reckless beings on whom privation and suffering seem to make no impression. A hard floor was as good as a down bed to Jock, and therefore, as he never scrupled to sell what he got, it may be supposed that his sleeping furniture was none of the most abundant or select.

Such as it was, he was stretched upon and under it one night in his cell, during his term of penance, and possibly was reflecting on the impropriety of in future putting an enemy into his mouth to steal away his brains,' when, lo! he thought he heard a rustling in the cell close by him. At this moment he recollected that he had not, as he ought to have done, stopped up an air-hole which entered the cell on a level with its floor, and also with the rock externally, on which the

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building was placed. A strong suspicion of what had happened, or was about to happen, came over Hall's mind, but he knew it was probably too late to do any good, could he even find the hole in the darkness, and get it closed. He therefore lay still, and in a minute or two heard another rustle close to him, which was followed by the cold slimy touch of a snake upon his bare foot! Who, in such a situation, would not have started and bawled for help? Jock did neither; he lay stone still, and held his peace, knowing that his cries would most probably have been unheard by the distant guard. Had his bed clothes been more plentiful, he might have endeavoured to protect himself by wrapping them closely around him; but this their scantiness forbade. Accordingly, being aware that, although a motion or a touch will provoke snakes to bite, they will not generally do it without such incitement, Jock held himself as still as if he had been a log. Meanwhile, his horrible bed-fellow, which he at once felt to be of great size, crept over his feet, legs, and body, and lastly over his very face. Nothing but the most astonishing firmness of nerve, and the consciousness that the moving of a muscle would have signed his death-warrant, could have enabled the poor fellow to undergo this dreadful trial. For a whole hour did the reptile crawl backwards and forwards over Jock's body and face, as if satisfying itself, seemingly, that it had nothing to fear from the recumbent object on its own part. At length it took up a position somewhere about his head, and went to rest in apparent security. The poor soldier's trial, however, was not over. Till daylight he remained in the same posture, flat on his back, without daring to stir a limb, from the fear of disturbing his dangerous companion. Never, perhaps, was dawn so anxiously longed for by mortal man. When it did come, Jock cautiously looked about him, arose noiselessly, and moved over to the corner of his cell, where there lay a pretty large stone. This

he seized, and looked for the intruder. Not seeing the snake, he became assured that it was under his pillow. He raised the end of this just sufficient to get a peep of the creature's crest. Jock then pressed his knee firmly on the pillow, but allowed the snake to wrigg❜e out its head, which he battered to pieces with the stone. This done the courageous fellow for the first time breathed freely.

When the hour for breakfast came, Jock, who thought little about the matter after it was fairly over, took the opportunity of the opening of the door to throw the snake out. When the officer whose duty it was to visit the cells for the day was going his rounds, he perceived a crowd round the cell door examining the reptile, which was described by the natives as of the most venomous character, its bite being invariably and rapidly mortal. The officer, on being told that it had been killed by a man in the adjoining cell, went in and inquired into the matter. 'When did you first know that there was a snake in the cell with you?' said he. About nine o'clock last night,' was Jock's reply. Why didn't you call to the guard?' asked the officer. I thought the guard wadna hear me, and I was feared I might tramp on't, so I just lay still.' 'But you might have been bit: did you know that you would have died instantly?' 'I kent that very weel,' said Hall; but they say that snakes winna meddle with you if you dinna meddle with them; sae I just let it crawl as it liket.' 'Well my lad, I believe you did what was best after all, but it was what not one man in a thousand could have done.' When the story was told, and the snake shown to the commanding officer, he thought the same, and Jock, for his extraordinary nerve and courage, got a remission of his punishment. For some time, at least, he took care how he again got into such a situation as to expose himself to the chance of passing another night with such a bedfellow."

MR. WAKEFIELD, in his "Adventures in New Zealand," gives high testimony to the value of christian instruction among that race of savages, when he thus describes the conduct of one of the chiefs, who had been brought under its influence:—

"Watanui was perhaps one of the native chiefs who best appreciated the value of the white man's presence and brotherhood. He had adopted the christian faith very warmly, and without in the least injuring his authority. He had always adopted a great degree of civilization. His house and clothes were always kept scrupulously clean: he and all his family wore clean clothes, and washed with soap in the stream every morning. The cooking was attended to with great care, and the food was always served up on carefullyscrubbed tin plates. In short, whenever I spent an hour at this little village, I felt that it was the residence of a gentleman. There was a quiet unobtrusive dignity in the well-regulated arrangements of the whole establishment. His servants did their work without orders and without squabbling; a harsh word was hardly ever heard. Every one vied in a sort of wish that the old gentleman should be comfortable; and it was pleasing to see him sitting in the house almost always surrounded by some of his family-the men all well shaved and combed, the women in clean frocks and blankets-busy at some sewing or other work; while his son or his daughter-in-law would be kindly teaching him to write on a slate. I remember how proud he was when he could write his name, and with what genuine kindness he pointed out his son Tommy's wife as having succeeded in teaching him, The family of Watanui, so united and homely, were indeed a notable instance of the success of Mr. Hadfield's sweet and gentle teaching."