"Rather," said Dalison; "but people think better of it sometimes. Would you like to come a little nearer, Trevor, and then you will see that he does it correctly?"

"You need not be insolent, Dalison," exclaimed Trevor, his face growing crimson as he heard these taunts. "I was sent for by one of the masters, or I should have been here to prevent what you have already done to Johnstone; and now I warn you to bully him no more."

"You mean to fight me, then?" inquired Dalison.

"I mean to prevent you from bullying Johnstone, if I can." "That comes to the same thing. Well, if you like to have a good thrashing first, and see Johnstone offer sacrifice afterwards, instead of seeing him do it at once, I'm sure I have not the least objection."

Brackley and Stapleton again attempted to interfere, but without producing any impression on either party. The combatants stripped off their jackets, and a ring was formed. As every one had foreseen, Trevor proved no match for his stronger and more skilful antagonist. But his pluck and resolution protracted the fight longer than any one could have expected; and when he was at last obliged to succumb by a heavy blow on the head, Dalison's face exhibited some very evident symptoms that his victory had not been gained without severe punishment. boys looked on almost in silence, and without any of the eager interest which they usually showed in such encounters; and at its conclusion Brackley made another attempt to induce Dalison to push the thing no further.

The

"There, Dalison," he said, "you have gained the day. Frank can't resist you any longer. Won't that be enough, without making the poor little beggar do it?"

A slight applause followed this speech, which had the effect of provoking still further Dalison's irritation. His was not one of those tempers that are satisfied with success; and the pain of the blows and the obstinate resistance with which he had been met only roused him to greater anger.

"No," he exclaimed, savagely, "it won't do, Brackley, and that is all about it. Don't you interfere;" and again stepping up to Arthur, he seized him by the collar, and began, with Heath's help, once more to drag him towards the altar.

Arthur had stood by during the fight, with the same expression of face which he had worn from the moment when they had discovered him in the room,-an expression so peculiar that, if the attention of the boys had not been drawn off to other matters of interest, it could not have failed to engross it. It was not fear, and it scarcely seemed to be anger;

but rather dogged and resolute expectation of some unforeseen and disastrous result. He made no resistance, but walked quietly by Dalison's side to the required spot, and the next minute Joyce would have assumed his seat, if a strange and unexpected incident had not intervened.

Trevor was still leaning against the shoulder of Billy Waters, who had been his second in the battle. He had scarcely recovered his consciousness, and was too weak to interfere further in Arthur's defence. Joyce, as he passed him, could not forbear a taunt, which was scarcely heard by the boy himself, but roused the indignation of the bystanders. "Shame! shame!" was the general cry, and a rush was made, which obliged him to step hurriedly on one side, or he would have been thrown down by his assailants. In doing so he came sharply into collision with the chair, which, covered with shawls and cushions, stood ready for Juggernaut's reception; and it was overturned on the floor. A cry of horror and amazement broke from the boys. The uppermost shawl had been dislodged by the fall, and from its folds a live adder of the largest size had disengaged itself, which, as though sensible of the presence of enemies, was now writhing and hissing on the floor. The boys stared for a few moments at this strange and alarming spectacle. Then a general rush to the door followed; and in two minutes the snake, the Indian boy, and Frank Trevor, who was still too much exhausted to be sensible of what was passing, remained the only occupants of the apartment.

(To be continued.)

THE DROWNING AND THE DROWNED.

BY J. E. AYLMER.

A

LTHOUGH we all know that "accidents will happen in the best regulated families," my own experience convinces me that inany so-called accidents are neither more nor less than the natural results of ignorance, often, I fear, too, wilful ignorance. One of the commonest of these falsely designated accidents is drowning. Boys may or may not be able to swim; it often seems to matter little at the hour of danger—as, for want of a simple acquaintance with a few easy rules, the best swimmers are often helpless, or are placed in even greater danger than those they literally risk their own lives to succour. Among the readers of "Every Boy's Magazine," must be many who have practical knowledge of the truth of this, and to whom the following plain and easily remembered rules, intended for the guidance of those who, being able to swim, go in aid of their drowning fellow-creatures, will, I trust, be acceptable and useful. The author of them, Mr. Joseph H. Hodgson, of Sunderland, better known in the neighbourhood by the name of the "Stormy Petrel," is perhaps more competent (says the "Life Boat Journal") to pronounce a practical opinion on the subject than any other person in the United Kingdom, having made the science his study from boyhood, and thereby been, under Providence, the happy means of saving more persons from a watery grave, by his own skill and coolness, than any other person in these islands; and I would beg every boy who reads these rules to treasure them in his memory, as none of us know how soon, or unexpectedly, we may be called upon to give evidence of our ability, and the use we have made of the reason and talents entrusted to us by the Father of all good.

Instructions for Saving Drowning Persons by Swimming to their Relief.

1. When you approach a person drowning in the water, assure him, with a loud, firm voice, that he is safe.

2. Before swimming in to save him, divest yourself as far and as quickly as possible of all clothes; tear them off if necessary; but if there is no time, loose, at all events, the string at the foot of your drawers

(supposing them to be tied), as otherwise they will fill with water and drag you. Kick off your shoes or boots; you can always do that, even in the most urgent case, and you cannot swim well with either on, independently of the tendency they have to produce cramp.

3. On swimming to a person in the sea, if he be struggling, do not seize him then, but keep off for a few seconds, till he gets quiet; for it is sheer madness to take hold of a man when he is struggling in the water; if you do, you run a great risk.

4. Then get close to him, and take fast hold of the hair of his head; turn him as quickly as possible on to his back, give him a sudden pull, and this will cause him to float; then throw yourself upon your back also, and swim for the shore; both hands having hold of his hair, you on your back, he also on his, and of course resting on you, his back to your stomach. In this way you will get sooner and safer ashore than by any other means, and you can easily thus swim with two or three persons. The writer has often, by way of experiment, done it with four, and gone with them forty or fifty yards in the sea. One great advantage of this method is, that it enables you to keep your head up, and also to hold the person's head up you are trying to save. (N.B.—It is of primary importance that you take fast hold of the hair, and throw both the drowning man and yourself on your backs.) After many experiments, I find this vastly preferable to all other methods. You can in this manner float nearly as long as you please, or until a boat or other help is obtained.

5. I believe there is no such thing as a death grasp; at least it must be unusual, for I have seen many persons drowned and have never witnessed it. As soon as a drowning man begins to get feeble and to lose his recollection, he gradually slackens his hold until he quits it altogether; no apprehension need be, therefore, felt on that head when attempting to rescue a drowning person.

6. After a person has sunk to the bottom, if the water be smooth, the exact position where the body lies may be known by the air bubbles, which will occasionally rise to the surface, allowance being of course made for the motion of the water, if in a tideway or stream, which will have carried the bubbles out of a perpendicular course in rising to the surface. A body may often be regained from the bottom, before too late for recovery, by diving for it in the direction indicated by the bubbles.

The author of course means a full-grown man. A boy can do the same in due proportion to his strength.

7. On rescuing a person by diving to the bottom, the hair of the head should be seized by one hand only, and the other used in conjunction with the feet in raising yourself and the drowning person to the surface.

8. If in the sea, it is sometimes a great error to try to get to land. If there is a strong "outsetting" tide, and you are swimming either by yourself or having hold of a person who cannot swim, then get on to your back and float till help comes. Many a man exhausts himself by stemming the billows for the shore on a back-going tide, and sinks in the effort; when, if he had floated, a boat, or other aid, might have been obtained.

Such are the instructions given by Mr. Hodgson, who assures us that they hold good either in a calm or stormy sea. Presence of mind and nerve, more than even physical strength, are necessary, and I have heard of an instance where a brave little fellow, only thirteen years of age, actually saved his father, who had taken a fit, by his coolness and presence of mind, keeping the body floating until help came.

When an apparently drowned body is got to shore, the first thing, of course, is to send for a medical man, blankets, and dry clothing; but there must be no waiting for these necessaries. Every second is of vital importance; therefore the patient must be treated instantly, and on the spot, in the open air, whether afloat or ashore. The great points to be met are, first and immediately, the restoration of breathing, and the prevention of any further diminution of the warmth of the body; and secondly, after breathing is restored, the promotion of warmth and circulation.

The efforts to restore breathing, and to prevent any further diminution of the warmth of the body, must be commenced immediately and energetically; any one with common sense, and aware of the simple means by which his fellow-being's life may be saved, can make these efforts, which must be continued for SEVERAL HOURS, or, until a medical man has pronounced life extinct. The first thing being to restore natural breathing, all endeavours to promote warmth and circulation must be deferred until the first object has been attained. The following directions, by Dr. Hall, are simple, and, as far as human power can teach, irresistible.

Directions for Restoring the apparently Drowned.

1. Place the patient face downwards, with one of the arms under the forehead; in which position all fluids will escape by the mouth, and the