It is almost impossible not to be angry with the waves, very hard to keep from shouting at them and cursing them. They seem to play so unfairly; to give their enemy no chance; to fall upon him from all sides at once; to hit him when he is down; to fling themselves on him most viciously when he is most embarrassed. The swimmer becomes infuriated against them and hates them as if they were living, treacherous, pitiless enemies; and indeed there seems something perversely human in their malignantly boisterous behaviour.

If Christmas denounced or cursed them, however, it was from the teeth inwards. He had far too much sense to waste any of his breath and his

"I

with regard to wind which would best save his face and eyes from the beating of the waves. shall do well enough for a good while longer," he thought, "if I don't freeze with cold." But heavens! how cold the water was! And how dreary the whole scene was-the grey sky: the black waves !

Christmas looked around everywhere when he could use his eyes to any advantage, but could see no sign of unfortunate Nat Cramp. It was probably a lucky thing for him that he did not see his late companion, for if he had he would certainly have tried to save him, and they would both in all probability have been washed ashore at Portstone

word, he gives two bangs to the handle of the reaping-hook that was keeping me up, and hap! it came in two. Good morning to you, Dan," says the spiteful little old blackguard, when he saw me cleanly falling down with a bit of the handle in my hand: I thank you for your visit, and fair weather after you, Daniel.' I had no time to make any answer to him, for I was tumbling over and over, and rolling and rolling at the rate of a fox-hunt. God help me,' says I, but this is a pretty pickle for a decent man to be seen in at this time of night: I am now sold fairly. The word was not out of my mouth, when whiz what should fly by close to my ear but a flock of wild geese, all the way from my own bog of Ballyasheenogh, else how should they know me? The old gander, who was their general, turning about his head, cried out to me, Is that you, Dan? The same, said I, not a bit daunted now at what he said, for I was by this time used to all kinds of derilment, and, besides, I knew him of old. Good morrow, to you,' says he, Daniel O'Rourke; how are you in health this morning! Very well, sir, says I. 'I thank you kindly, drawing my breath, for I was mightily in want of some. I hope your honour's the same. 'I think 'tis falling you are. Daniel,' says he. You may say that, sir,' says I. And where are you going all the way so fast!' said the gander. So I told him how I had taken the drop. and how I came on the island, and how I lost my way in the bog, and how the thief of an eagle flew me up to the moon, and how the man in the moon turned me out. Dan,' said he, I'll save you: put out your hand and catch me by the leg, and I'll fly you home. Sweet is your hand in a pitcher of honey, my jewel, says I, though all the time I thought in myself that I don't much trust you: but there was no help. so I caught the gander by the leg, and away I and the other geese flew after him as fast as hops.

"We flew, and we flew, and we flew, until we came right over the wide ocean. I knew it well. for I saw Cape Clear to my right hand sticking up out of the water. Ah my lord,' said I to the goose, for I thought it best to keep a civil tongue in my head any way, fly to land, if you please."

It is impossible, you see, Dan,' said he, for a while, because you see we are going to Arabia. "To Arabia?' said I; 'that's surely some place in foreign parts, far away. Oh! Mr. Goose; why then, to be sure, I'm a man to be pitied among you. Whist, whist, you fool, said he, hold your tongue; I tell you Arabia is a very decent sort of place, as like West Carbery as one egg is like another, only there is a little more sand there.

"Just as we were talking a ship hove in sight, scudding so beautiful before the wind: 'Ah! then, sir,' said I, will you drop me on the ship, if you please! We are not fair over it,' said he. We are,' said I. We are not,' said he: 'if I dropped you now, you would go splash into the sea.' 'I would not,' says I: 'I know better than that, for it's just clean under us, so let me drop now at once.'

If you must, you must,' said he. "There, take your own way; and he opened his claw, and faith he was right-sure enough I came down plump into the very bottom of the salt sea! Down to the very bottom I went, and I gave myself up then for ever, when a whale walked up to me. scratching himself after his night's sleep, and looked me full in the face, and never the word did he say, but lifting up his tail he splashed me all over again with the cold salt water, till there wasn't a dry stitch upon my whole carcass ; and I heard somebody saying-'twas a voice I knew too

Get up, you drunken brute, off of that;' and with that I woke up, and there was Judy with a tub full of water, which she was splashing all over me.- for, rest her soul! though she was a good wife, she never could bear to see me in drink, and had a bitter hand of her own!

"Get up, said she again; and of all places in the parish would no place srce your turn to lie down upon but under the old walls of Carrigaphooka? an uneasy resting I am sure you had of it. And sure enough I had; for I was fairly bothered out of my senses with eagles, and men of the moon, and flying ganders, and whales, driving me through bogs, and up to the moon, and downI to the bottom of the green ocean. If I was in drink ten times over, long would it be before I'd lie down in the same spot again, I know that."

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ONE TAKEN

BEAT Levers, what a plate; what a excntry: what a people. Think of ths-Chip—pra who have been in the buites

a matter of rowing at all. With any scrap of a al-12 manage it-we'll run across as quickly as a ferl; and we needn't take these lads at all. We'll leave the boat at Portstone, and have it sent bark to-morrow.”

-That's the best thing to do," said the railway porten, with at a proving nod.

The proposal was a great relief to the mother and a forze poding disappointment to the boys. Cinema gave the lads a shilling a-piece and that resoneled them to safety on shore. He paid what then we for the hire of the boat, which vis not very much, for she was an honest creature was denised even to consider the possibility of we got or injured.

may think that there is dar ger Te vast aan toe, and with a tremor of the A via Cararama wet down to fear, gow me that !"

T:

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