not much astonished to find that the brigands were inside. But he was astonished to see the collection of valuables that that cave contained: golden cups and leaves of frosted silver lay about the floor, precious stones sparkled on the walls, great acorn tubs and cob barrels held enough provision for an army; while in caskets of walnut and chests of beech, were stored fine webs and silken stuffs, and the maiden's hair which had been cut off by the ruffians to sell to the court wig-makers.

“Learn to know thy place, or thou shalt be taught,— beast," said the Ratti Captain to his lieutenant, as they went out together; “and now follow me to the road, where we will wait together for the Princess."

"I am no beast that thou art not as great a beast. I know the proverb; 'one beast makes many,'" retorted the lieutenant, furiously, "and I will not know thy secrets for nothing. Either I will have the Princess herself for my share of the spoil, or thou shalt swing."

"I tell thee, no!" roared the Captain, gnashing the teeth which had made him the terror of all Rodentia, and had gained him the nickname of Snaggio. “Die, traitor!" and he drew his sword to rush upon the other.

They had reached the road in front of the cave, and in their blind fury had not seen that two of the Princess's escort, in the shining scale armour worn by the Mandibles, were looking down over the edge of the heights above. They had not seen either that Rana.

had bounded swiftly but silently after them, grasping his broken gittern in his hand.

They were in the full heat of conflict, shrieking at each other, and fully occupied with cutting and thrusting, when amidst the din the Froglander sprang forward, and with one vigorous blow sent the broken gittern crashing full upon the Lieutenant's skull.

Snaggio was surprised, and reeled for a moment before this sudden attack; but as he saw his late antagonist go down, he was aware of a still more formidable foe; for while he held on to a tree to steady himself and plied his sword with great skill, Rana sprang round him, watching for an opportunity to strike at him with his strange weapon.

Never was there a more artful villain than Snaggio the Rattus, and it might have gone hard with Rana, if the Mandibles had not come down to look after the dead Robber, and, watching an opportunity, seized the Captain by the leg with one of their bill-hooks.

His attention was thus diverted for a moment, and with another crashing blow he was laid beside his Lieutenant.

You may be sure that the Princess, who, having come another way in consequence of the warnings of a friendly spy sent out by the Gadfly police, escaped this great peril, was full of gratitude to the Froglander for his timely aid; and she would have rewarded him, but that with all the pride of a Troubadour, he declined to receive any of her gifts except a bright keen sword

which had once belonged to a King of the Mandibles, and which he hid under his clothes.

Then the Princess and her escort went on their way; and Rana, who dreaded the return of the band or the arrival of the soldiery, went back to the cave, and after having pulled down the earth and rocks before its mouth, leaving only a white stone, that he might know where to find it again, also pursued his journey; but he left the high-road and lost himself in trying to find his way through the woods.

How the Froglander meets with Master Mus in the Woods, and, while he mends his Mandolin, listens to the story of the Fox.

A

GREAT many years ago, before the time referred

to in this story, and a long while before you and I and Mr. Tupper, were born, there lived a wise man who wrote a book of wise sayings called Proverbs. One of these proverbs says, that the man who can conquer himself is greater than he who takes a city in battle, and no doubt you have found it very hard work to fight against yourself many a time, and to beat down your angry temper, or kick out your greedy wishes, or to box the ears of your troublesome idleness.

Now, Rana, when he pulled down the earth and stones before the brigand's cave, had thought for a moment: "If I could only get back with all these treasures I should be as well off as some of the best people in Slosh, and who knows whether Master Frosch might not consent to my marriage with Sauriana."

But then he thought again and said to himself: “But this booty is no more mine than it was the robber's. I may find some of the rightful owners, and if not, it is my duty to give the larger part of it to the poor. Whether or not, I came out, not to seek wealth, but to do noble deeds and to hate meanness and oppression and deceit and lies, as a Troubadour should; so here goes." And then he set to work and pulled down all the stones and earth before the cave's mouth and worked till he was quite tired.

This is mentioned to show what a good thing it is always to remember what you really intend to do, and to act accordingly to set yourself to accomplish a noble task and never to let anything turn you from it.

His determination had such a rapid effect on Rana that when he resumed his journey he was quite a different person from the humble Parish Clerk who had set out from Slosh only two days before; and though he found himself alone in the vast solitudes of a forest, he had no fear, for he knew that he had tried to do his duty. There must be a way out of the woods somewhere, and the young Batrachian had always been so temperate that he could manage to live on such food as he could find in