last he took up a stone, and threw it up so high that it went almost out of sight. "Now then, little pigmy," said he, "do that if can." you 66 Very good," said the other; "your throw was not a bad one; but, after all, your stone fell to the ground: I will throw something that shall not fall at all.” "That you can't do," said the giant. But the tailor took his old hen out of the wallet, and threw her up in the air, and she, pleased enough to be set free, flew away out of sight. "Now, comrade,” said he, "what do you say to that?" "I say you are a clever hand," said the giant; "but we will now try how you can work.”

Then he led him into the wood, where a fine oak tree lay felled, "Now let us drag it out of the wood together." "Very well; do you take the thick end, and I will carry all the top and branches, which are much the largest." So the giant took the trunk, and laid it on his shoulder; but the cunning little rogue, instead of carrying anything, sat himself at his ease among the branches, and let the giant carry stem, branches, and tailor into the bargain. All the way they went he made merry, and whistled, and sang his song as if carrying the tree were mere sport, while the giant, after he had borne it a good way, could carry it no longer, and said, "I must let it fall." Then the tailor sprung down, and held the tree as if he were carrying it, saying, "What a shame that such a big lout as you cannot carry a tree like this!"

Then on they went together till they came to a tall cherrytree; and the giant took hold of the top stem, and bent it down to pluck the ripest fruit, and when he had done, gave it over to his friend that he, too, might eat; but the little man was so weak that he could not hold the tree down, and up he went with it swinging in the air. "Halloo!" said the giant," what now? Can't you hold that twig?” "To be sure I could," said the other; "but don't you see there's a huntsman, who is going to shoot into the bush where we stood; so I took a jump over the tree to be out of his Do way. do the same." you The giant tried to follow, but the tree was far too high to jump over, and he only stuck fast in the branches, for the tailor to laugh at him. “Well! you are a fine fellow, after all," said the giant ; so come home and sleep with me and a friend of mine in the mountains, to-night."

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The tailor had no business upon his hands, so he did as he was bid, and the giant gave him a good supper and a bed to sleep upon; but the tailor was too cunning to lie down upon it, and crept slyly into a corner, and slept there soundly. When midnight came, the giant came softly in with his iron walking-stick, and gave such a stroke upon the bed where he thought his guest was lying, that he said to himself, "It's all up, now, with that grasshopper; I shall have no more of his tricks." In the morning the giants went off into the woods, and quite forgot him, till all on a sudden they met him trudging along, whistling a merry tune; and so frightened were they at the sight, that they both ran away as fast as they could.

Then on went the little tailor, following his spuddy nose, till at last he reached the King's court, and began to boast very loud of his mighty deeds, saying he was come to serve the king. To try him, they told him that the two giants who lived in a part of the kingdom a long way off, were become the dread of the whole land; for they had begun to rob, plunder, and ravage all about them, and that if he was so great a man as he said, he should have a hundred soldiers, and should set out to fight these giants, and if he beat them, he should have half the kingdom. "With all my heart," said he; "but as for your hundred soldiers, I believe I shall do as well without them." However, they set off together till they came to a wood. "Wait here, my friends," said he to the soldiers; "I will soon give a good account of these giants;" and on he went, casting his sharp little eye here, there, and everywhere around him. After a while he spied them both lying under a tree, and snoring away till the very boughs whistled with the breeze.

"The game is won for a penny," said the little man, as he filled his wallet with stones, and climbed the tree under which they lay.

As soon as he was safely up, he threw one stone after another at the nearest giant, till at last he woke up in a rage, and struck his companion, crying out, "What did you strike me for?" "Nonsense! you are dreaming," said the other; "I did not strike you." Then both lay down to sleep again, and the tailor threw stones at the second giant, till he sprung up and cried, "What are you about? You struck me." "I did not," said the

other; and on they wrangled for awhile, till, as both were tired, they made up the matter, and fell asleep again.

But then the tailor began his game once more, and flung the largest stone he had in his wallet with all his force, and hit the first giant on the nose. "That is too bad," cried he, as if he was mad; "I will not bear it." So he struck the other a mighty blow. He, of course, was not pleased at this, and gave him just such another box on the ear. At last, a bloody battle began: up flew the trees by the roots, the rocks and stones went bang at one another's heads, and in the end both lay dead on the spot. "It is a good thing," said the tailor, "that they let my tree stand, or I must have made a fine jump." Then down he ran, and took his sword, and gave each of them a very fine wound or two on the breast, and set off to look for the soldiers. "There lie the giants," said he ; "I have managed to kill them; but it has been no small job, for they even tore up trees in their struggle." "Have you any wounds?" asked they. "That is a likely matter, truly," said he; "they have not touched a hair of my head. But the soldiers would not believe him till they rode into the wood, and found the giants weltering in their blood, and the trees lying around, torn up by the roots.

The king, after he had got rid of his enemies, was not much pleased at the thoughts of giving up half of his kingdom to a tailor; so he said, "You have not yet done: in the palace court lies a bear with whom you must pass the night, and if, when I rise in the morning, I find you still living, you shall then have your reward." Now he thought he had got rid of him, for the bear had not yet let anyone go away alive who had come within reach of his claws. "Very well," said the tailor; I am willing." So when evening came, our little tailor was led out, and shut

up

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with the bear, who rose at once to give him a friendly welcome with his paw. "Softly, softly, my friend," said he: "I know a way to please you." Then, at his ease, and as if he cared nothing about the matter, he pulled out of his pockets some fine walnuts, cracked them, and ate the kernels. When the bear saw this he took a great fancy to having some nuts too; so the tailor felt in his pocket, and gave him a handful, not of walnuts, but nice round pebbles. The bear snapped them up, but could not crack one of them, do what he would. "What a clumsy thickhead thou art!"

thought the bear to himself; " thou cans't not crack a nut to-day." Then said he to the tailor, "Friend, pray crack me the nuts.” "Why, what a lout you are," said the tailor, " to have such a jaw as that, and not to be able to crack a little nut! Well, engage to be friends with me, and I'll help you." So he took the stones, and slyly changed them for nuts, put them in his mouth, and crack! they went. "I must try for myself, however," said the bear; "now I see how you do it, I am sure I can do it myself." Then the tailor gave him the cobble stones again, and the bear lay down, and worked away as hard as he could, and bit and bit with all his force, till he broke all his teeth, and lay down quite tired.

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But the tailor began to think this would not last long, and that the bear might find him out, and break the bargain; so he pulled a fiddle out from under his coat and played him a tune. As soon as the bear heard it, he could not help jumping up, and beginning to dance; and when he had jigged away for a while, the thing pleased him so much that he said, " Hark ye, friend! is the fiddle hard to play upon?" "No! not at all!" said the other; “look ye, I lay my left hand here, and then I take the bow with my right hand, thus, and scrape it over the strings there, and away it goes merrily, hop, sa, sa ! fal, lal, la !” “ Will you teach me to fiddle?" said the bear, "so that I may have music whenever I want to dance?" "With all my heart; but let me first look at your claws; they are so very long, that I must first clip your nails a little bit." Then the bear lifted up his paws one after another, and the tailor screwed them down tight, and said, "Now wait till I come with my scissors.” So he left the bear to growl as loud as he liked, and laid himself down on a heap of straw in the corner, and slept soundly. In the morning when the king came, he found the tailor sitting merrily eating his breakfast, and could no longer help keeping his word. Thus the little man became a great man.

THE true and proper estimate of human life is to be taken not from the years through which it was protracted, but from the good actions by which it was distinguished.

Life of Columbus.

(ABRIDGED FROM IRVING'S LIFE.)

CHAPTER XI.-CONCLUSION.

N this chapter we shall give a short account of the remainder of the life of Columbus. The chief interest

centres upon his voyage, his discovery, and his triumph; the latter part of his history is of a mournful character, and shows how shamefully the world is accustomed to treat its greatest men.

In the second expedition of Columbus, as the conversion of the heathen was professed to be the great object of these discoveries, twelve churchmen were chosen to accompany it. The queen took great interest in the welfare of the natives, and gave strict orders that they were not to be cruelly treated. On arriving at Cuba, he found that the small garrison he had left had been attacked by a body of warlike Indians, and completely destroyed, in spite of the efforts of the friendly chief who protected them. Columbus invited this chief to visit him on board one of What his ships, where he was greatly astonished at all he saw. most amazed him was the horses. He had never seen any but the smallest quadrupeds, and gazed with awe at the grandeur of these noble animals; their great strength, terrific appearance, yet perfect docility.

While he was going round the island of Cuba, it was his custom to erect crosses in all remarkable places, to denote the discovery of the country, and its subjugation to the Catholic faith. This was done on the banks of a river with great ceremony on a Sunday morning, and a service was performed. The natives looked on with awe and wonder; but when it was ended, an old man of fourscore made a speech to Columbus in the Indian "I am told," said he, "that thou hast lately come to these lands with a mighty force, and hast subdued many countries, spreading great fear among the people. Know that, according to our belief, the souls of men have two journeys to perform after that they have departed from the body: one to a place dismal,

manner.