Now to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter out. Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd's old threelegged cat; so he took her with him, and as the poor thing limped along with some trouble, she stuck up her tail straight in the air. The wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground; and when they espied their enemies coming, and saw the cat's long tail standing straight in the air, they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with; and every time she limped, they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them; so they said they should not like this way of fighting, and the boar lay down behind a bush, and the wolf jumped up into a tree. Sultan and the cat soon came up and looked about, and wondered that no one was there. The boar, how ever, had not quite hidden himself, for his ears stuck out of the bush: and when he shook one of them a little, the cat, seeing something move, and think ing it was a mouse, sprang upon it, and bit and scratched it, so that the boar jumped up and grunted, and ran away, roaring out, "Look up in the tree, there sits the one who is to blame." So they looked up, and espied the wolf sitting amongst the branches; and they called him a cowardly rascal, and would not suffer him to come down till he was heartily ashamed of himself, and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan. No. V. SNOW-DROP. IT was in the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling around, that a certain queen sat working at a window, the frame of which was made of fine black ebony; and as she was looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops which sprinkled the white snow, and said, "Would that my little daughter may be as white as that snow, as red as the blood, and as black as the ebony window-frame !" And so the little girl grew up; her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood, and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snow-drop. But this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud that she could not bear to think that any one could surpass her. She had a magical looking. glass, to which she used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say, Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is the fairest? tell me who?" And the glass answered, "Thou, queen, art fairest in the land.” beautiful; and when she was seven years But Snow-drop grew more and more old, she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen herself. Then the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to consult it as usual, "Thou, queen, mayst fair and beauteous be, But Snow-drop is lovlier far than thee!" When she heard this, she turned pale with rage and envy; and called to one of her servants and said, "Take Snow-drop away into the wide wood, that I may never see her more." Then the servant led her away; but his heart melted when she begged him to spare her life, and he said, "I will not hurt thee, thou pretty child." So he left her to herself; and though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her in pieces, he felt as if a great weight was taken off his heart when he had made up his mind not to kill her, but leave her to her fate. Then poor Snow-drop wandered along through the wood in great fear; and the wild beasts roared about her, but none did her any harm. In the evening she came to a little cottage, and went in there to rest herself, for her little feet would carry her no further. Every thing was spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white cloth, and there were seven little plates with seven little loaves, and seven'little glasses with wine in them; and knives and forks laid in order: and by the wall stood seven little beds. Then, as she was very hungry, she picked a little piece off each loaf, and drank a very little wine out of each glass; and after that she thought she would lie down and rest. So she tried all the little beds; and one was too long and another too short, till at last the seventh suited her ; and there she laid herself down, and went to sleep. Presently in came the masters of the cottage, who were seven little dwarfs that lived among the mountains, and dug and searched about for gold. They lighted up their seven lamps, and saw directly that all was not right. The first said, "Who has been sitting on my stool?" The second, "Who has been eating off my plate?" The third, "Who has been picking my bread?" The fourth, “Who has been meddling with my spoon?" The fifth, "Who has been handling my fork?" The sixth, "Who has been cutting with my knife?" The' seventh, "Who has SNOW-DROP. been drinking my wine?" Then the first looked round and said, "Who has been lying on my bed?" And the rest came running to him, and every one cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. But the seventh saw Snow-drop, and called all his brethren to come and see her; and they cried out with wonder and astonishment, and brought their lamps to look at her, aud said, "Good heavens! what a lovely child she is!". And they were delighted to see her, and took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn till the night was gone. In the morning, Snow-drop told them all her story; and they pitied her, and said if she would keep all things in order, and cook and wash, and knit and spin for them, she might stay where she was, and they would take good care of her. Then they went out all day long to their work, seeking for gold and silver in the mountains; and Snow-drop remained at home: and they warned her, and said, "The queen will soon find out where you are, and so take care and let no one in." But the queen, now that she thought Snow-drop was dead, believed that she was certainly the handsomest lady in the land; and she went to the glass and said, "Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is the fairest? tell me who?" And the glass answered, "Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land; [shade, But over the hills, in the greenwood Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made, [and she There Snow-drop is hiding her head, 1 lovelier far, O queen! than thee." Then the queen was very much alarmed; for she knew that the glass always spoke the truth, and was sure that the servant had betrayed her. And she could not bear to think that any one lived who was more beautiful than she was; so she disguised herself as an old pedlar, and went her way over the hills to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then she knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" Snow-drop looked out at the window, and said, "Good day, good woman; what have you to sell? "Good wares, fine wares," said she ; "laces and bobbins of all colours." I will let the old lady in; she seems to be a very good sort of body," thought Snowdrop; so she ran down, and unbolted the door. "Bless me!" said the old woman, "how badly your stays are 137. laced! Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces." Snow-drop did not dream of any mischief; so she stood up before the old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and pulled the lace so tight, that Snow-drop lost her breath, and fell down as if she were dead. "There's an end of all thy beauty," said the spiteful queen, and went her way home. In the evening the seven dwarfs returned; and I need not say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-drop stretched upon the ground motionless, as if she were quite dead. However, they lifted her up, and when they found what was the matter, they cut the lace; and in a little time she began to breathe, and soon came to life again. Then they said, "The old woman was the queen herself; take care another time, and let no one in when we are away." When the queen got home, she went straight to her glass, and spoke to it as usual; but to her great surprise it still said, "Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land; But over the hills, in the greenwood Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling shade, have made, There Snow-drop is hiding her head; and she Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee." And it Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice to see that Snow drop still lived; and she dressed herself up again in a disguise, but very different from the one she wore before, and took with her a poisoned comb. When she reached the dwarfs' cottage, she knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" But Snow-drop said, I dare not let any one in." Then the queen said, "Only look at my beautiful combs," and gave her the poisoned one. looked so pretty that she took it up, and put it into her hair to try it; but the moment it touched her head the poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless. "There you may lie," said the queen, and went her way. But by good luck the dwarfs returned very early that evening, and when they saw Snow-drop lying on the ground, they thought what had happened, and soon found the poisoned comb. And when they took it away, she recovered, and told them all that had passed; and they warned her once more not to open the door to any one. Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and trembled with rage when she received exactly the same answer as before; and she said, "Snow-drop shall die, if it costs me my life." So she went secretly into a chamber, and prepared a poisoned apple: the outside looked very rosy and tempting, but whoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed herself up as a peasant's wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs' cottage, and knocked at the door; but Snow-drop put her head out of the window, and said, "I dare not let any one in, for the dwarfs have told me not." "Do as you please," said the old woman, "but at any rate take this pretty apple; I will make you a present of it.” "No," said Snowdrop, "I dare not take it." "You silly girl!" answered the other, "what are you afraid of? do you think it is poison. ed? Come, do you eat one part, and I will eat the other." Now the apple was so prepared that one side was good, though the other side was poisoned. Then Snow-drop was very much tempted to taste, for the apple looked exccedingly nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could refrain no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth, when she fell down dead upon the ground. "This time nothing will save thee," said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it said, "Thou, queen, art the fairest of all the fair." And then her envious ears was glad, and as happy as such a heart could be. When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home, they found Snow.drop lying on the ground: no breath passed her lips, and they were afraid she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for the little girl seemed quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they proposed to bury her, but her cheeks were still rosy, and her face look ed just as it did while she was alive; so they said, "We will never bury her in the cold ground." And they made a coffin of glass, so that they might still look at her, and wrote her name upon it, in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. And the coffin was placed upon the hill, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And the birds of the air came too, and bemoaned Snow-drop: first of all came an owl, and then a raven, but at last came a dove. And thus Snow-drop lay for a 'long long time, and still only looked as though she were asleep; for she was even now as white as snow, and as red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and called at the dwarfs house; and he saw Snow-drop, and read what was written in golden letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and earnestly prayed them to let him take her away; but they said, "We will not part with her for all the gold in the world." At last however they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin: but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of apple fell from between her lips, and Snow-drop awoke, and said, "Where am I?" And the prince answered, "Thou art safe with me." Then he told her all that happened, and said, "1 love you better than all the world: come with me to my father's palace, and you shall be my wife." And Snow-drop consented, and went home with the prince; and every thing was prepared with great pomp and splendour for their wedding. To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-drop's old enemy the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine rich clothes, she looked in the glass, and said, "Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, "Thou, lady, art loveliest here, 1 ween; When she heard this, she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity were so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride. And when she arrived and saw that it was no other than Snow-drop, who, as she thought, had been dead a long while, she choked with passion, and fell ill and died; but Snow-drop and the prince lived and reigned happily over that land many many years. We are indebted to "Grimm's popular German Stories" for the preceeding Tales SERPENTS AT BOMBAY. Here too lurks the small bright speckled Cobra Manilla, whose fangs convey instant death; some experiments were tried on wild dogs; their ears were pressed between two boards, and the tips then presented to the snake, who bit them; the parts were cut off as expeditiously as possible, but the dogs died in a few seconds.-Maria Graham's India. WONDERFUL PASSAGE, &c. The Spirit of the Magazines. WONDERFUL PASSAGE IN (From Blackwood's Magazine.) ABOUT this time there arose a great sough and surmise, that some loons were playing false with the kirkyard, howking up the bodies from their damp graves, and harling them away to the College. Words canna describe the fear, and the dool, and the misery it caused. All flocked to the kirk yett; and the friends of the newly buried stood by the mools, which were yet dark, and the brown newlycast divots, that had not yet ta'en root, looking, with mournful faces, to descrive any tokens of sinking in. I'll never forget it, I was standing by when three young lads took shools, and, lifting up the truff, proceeded to howk down to the coffin, wherein they had laid the grey hairs of their mother. They looked wild and bewildered like, and the glance of their een was like that of folk out of a mad-house; and nane dared in the world to have spoken to them. They didna even speak to ane anither; but wrought on wi' a great hurry, till the spades struck on the coffin lid-which was broken. The dead-claithes were there huddled a' thegither in a nook, but the dead was gane. I took haud of Willie Walker's arm, and lookit down. There was a cauld sweat all ower me;losh me! but I was terribly frighted and eerie. Three mair were opened, and a just alike; save and except that of a wee unkirstened wean, which was aff bodily, coffin and a'. There was a burst of righteous indig nation throughout the parish; nor without reason. Tell me that doctors and graduates maun ha'e the dead; but tell it not to Mansie Wauch, that our hearts maun be trampled in the mire of scorn, and our best feelings laughed at, in order that a bruise may be properly plaistered up, or a sair head cured. Verily the remedy is waur than the disease. But what remead? It was to watch in the session-house, with loaded guns, night about, three at a time. I never likit to gang into the kirkyard after darkening, let a be to sit there through a lang winter night, windy and rainy it may be, wi' nane but the dead around us, Sauf us! it was an unco thought, and garred a' my flesh creep; but the cause was gude---my corruption was raised---and I was determined no to be dauntoned. 139 I counted and counted, but the dread day at length came. And I was summonsed. All the leevelang afternoon, when ca'ing the needle upon the labroad, I tried to whistle Jenny Nettles, Niel Gow, and ither funny tunes, and whiles crooned to mysell between hands; but my consternation was visible, and a' wadna do. It was in November; and the cauld glimmering sun sank behind the Pent lands. The trees had been shorn of their frail leaves; and the misty night was closing fast in upon the dull and short day; but the candles glittered at the shop windows, and leery-light-the-lamps was brushing about with his ladder in his oxter, and bleezing flamboy sparking out behind him. I felt a kind of qualm of faintness and down-sinking about my heart and stomach, to the dispelling of which I took a thimblefull of spirits, and, tying my red comforter about my neck, I marched briskly to the session-house. A neighbour, (Andrew Goldie, the pensioner,) lent me his piece, and loaded it to me. He took tent that it was only halfcock, and I wrapped a napkin round the dog-head, for it was raining. No being acquaint wi' guns, I keepit the muzzle aye away from me; as every man's duty is no to throw his precious life in jeopardy. A firm was set before the sessionhouse fire, which bleezed brightily, nor had I ony thought that such an unearthly place could have been made to look half so comfortable either by coal or candle; so my speerits rose up as if a weight had been ta'en aff them, and I wondered in my bravery, that a man like me could be afread of onything. Nobody was there but a touzy, ragged halffins callant of thirteen, (for I speered his age,) wi' a desperate dirty face, and lang carotty hair, tearing a speldrin wi' his teeth, which lookit lang and sharp aneugh, and throwing the skin and lugs intil the fire. We sat for amaist an hour thegither, cracking the best way we could in cic a place; nor was onybody mair likely to cast up. The night was now pitmark; the wind soughed amid the head-stanes and railings of the gentry, (for we maun a' dee); and the black corbies in the steeple-holes cackled and crawed in a A' at ance we heard fearsome manner. a lonesome sound; and my heart began to play pit-pat-my skin grew a' rough, like a poukit chicken-aud I felt as if I didna ken what was the matter with me. It was only a false alarm, however, being the warning of the clock; and in a minute or twa thereafter, the bell struck ten. Oh, but it was a lonesome and dreary sound! Every chap gaed through my breast like the dunt of a fore-hammer. Then up and spak the red-headed laddie:-" It's no fair; anither should hae come by this time. I wad rin awa hame, only I'm frighted to gang out my lane. Do ye think the doup of that candle wad carry i' my cap ?" "Na, na, lad; we maun bide here, as we are here now. --- Leave me alane! Lord safe us! and the yett lockit, and the bethrel sleepin' wi' the key in his breek pouches! We canna win out now though we would," answered I, trying to look brave, though half frightened out of my seven senses;---"Sit down, sit down; I've baith whisky and porter wi' me. Hae, man, there's a cauker to keep your heart warm; and set down that bottle," quoth I, wiping the saw-dust aff n't with my hand, "to get a toast; l'se warrant it for Deacon Jaffery's best brown stout." The wind blew higher, and like a hurricane; the rain began to fall in perfect spouts; the auld kirk rumbled, and rowed, and made a sad soughing; and the boutrie tree behind the house, where auld Cockbern that cuttit his throat was buried, creakit and crazed in a frightful manner; but as to the roaring in the burn, it was past a' power of description. To make bad worse, just in the heart of the brattle, the grating sound of the yett turning on its rusty hinges was but too plainly heard. What was to be done. I thought of our baith rinning away; and then of our locking oursells in, and firing through the door; but wha was to pull the trigger? Securities, and recommended me to try my luck; for which purpose, he offered to introduce me to his particular friend Mr. Manasseh Mordecai, a remarkably prudent young gentleman, who had recently entered the Foreign Stock Exchange, and, as he assured me, was already comfortably tiled in, as the phrase is. Put on my best coat, told Jem to look after the shop, and accompanied Macnab to Mr. Mordecai's counting-house, whose tilbury was at the door, a bright pea-green picked out with red, and brass mouldings, piebald horse, and harness covered with brazen ornaments; a boy-groom in the gig, in a sky-blue livery, with silver shoulder-knots, varnished hat, silver lace, and cockade; altogether the genteelest and smartest equipage I had ever seen. Went up-stairs, and found young gentleman aforesaid damning his clerk's eyes, because he had forgotten to order the turtle soup and pine-apples to be sent to his countryhouse the day before, when Ben Bubbleton dined with him. Took us into an inner room about six feet square, and upon being informed the nature of our errand, declared with an oath that every man was a cursed ass, if he had a little money in his pocket, not to make his fortune as he had done: that it was plain sailing, a hollow thing, clear as daylight, and sure as a gun; for Ben Bubbleton had called in New Court, and ascertained that Nathan meant to make an immense purchase in Poyais, which he had no doubt would run up ten or twenty per cent. in consequence, and was out-and-out the cheapest thing in the inarket for a buyer. Desired him accordingly to invest my nine hundred pounds in that stock; when he exclaimed, with a contemptuous look, "Psha! what will you get by that? If it runs up twenty per cent. there is but a paltry hundred and eighty profit. No, if you are a fellow of any spirit and talent, you will lodge this money with me as a security, and let me buy you a lot for the end of the month, before which time I shall probably be able to sell it again Monday-Received a visit from Mr. with a profit of some thousands." Macnab, the attorney, who paid me nine Thought it a pity not to be a fellow of hundred pounds, being the amount of the spirit and talent, and consented accordlegacy left to my wife by Farmer Mump-ingly to this proposition; when he inford, of Ipswich, her late uncle, for which we gave him our joint discharge. Took him into the parlour behind the shop, when Mrs. S. had returned upstairs, and consulted him as to the employment of this large sum; when he informed me that all the world were making fortunes in South American (To be continued.) HEBDOMADARY OF "No wonder they were caught by South Sea schemes, Who ne'er enjoy'd a guinea, but in dreams; sold, For millions of imaginary gold;- quired whether I had any other dibbs, any more blunt, or stumpy, which Macnab explained to mean any more money; and I replied that I had saved nearly six hundred pounds in business, which I kept in Exchequer bills" Exchequer bills!" exclaimed Mr. Mordecai: "what folly! Make up the fifteen hundred |