GEORGIE'S PRESENT; OR TALES OF NEWFOUNDLAND. BY MISS BRIGHTWELL _Author of "Annals of Industry and Genius, " etc. Etc. _ [Blank Page] Contents. CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. GEORGIE'S PRESENT; OR, TALES OF NEWFOUNDLAND. CHAPTER I. It was a beautiful May-day morning when George Green rose at an earlyhour; for it was his birthday, and he had not been able to sleep so longas usual, for counting of the joyful anniversary. "Ten years old, are you indeed, my boy?" said his father, who foundMaster George eagerly awaiting him in the breakfast parlour. "Yes, papa;and I am to have a whole holiday, and mamma has promised to take me tospend the afternoon at Aunt Baker's, and--but I must not tell you thatnow, for it is a secret!" [Illustration] The afternoon visit was evidently the great treat in George's esteem;and pleased indeed did he look, as he started with his mother for theParsonage-house in which his aunt lived. Mrs. Baker was the daughterof Mr. Ward, an excellent clergyman, who had for several years been amissionary in Newfoundland. After his death, his widow and daughterreturned to England, and found a home in the country village where someof their family lived, and where Maria Ward soon married the clergymanof the parish, her widowed mother consenting to become one of herhousehold. Mrs. Ward was a charming old lady, lively and intelligent, and full ofgoodness. Her heart seemed always overflowing with love, and though nolonger able to labour in the missionary field as she had done in thedays of her early womanhood, she was at heart a missionary still, regarding with delight the progress of that great and gloriouscause--the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom upon earth. On the afternoon of the fair May-day, when little George and his motherpaid their visit to the Parsonage, Mrs. Ward was sitting in her best biband tucker, prepared to do honour to the occasion. Close by her side, upon the hearth, lay a splendid Newfoundland dog, which every now andthen looked up at her with affectionate eyes that seemed to say, "Howmuch I love you. " "Ah, Boxa!" said the old lady, fondly caressing the head of the animal, "I don't know what you'll say to me I have actually given away one ofyour pups: at all events, I have promised it, which is the same thing. " At that moment Master George popped his merry face in at the openwindow, and greeted Mrs. Ward with a shout of joyous laughter. "DearGranny, you didn't know you were talking aloud; and how indeed were youto guess that I was so close at hand to overhear you? Ah! how glad I amthat you mean really to let me have the beautiful pup. I have chosen aname for it already: it shall be called Newfy, because its mother camefrom Newfoundland. " "Its grandmother you should say, my dear, " replied Mrs. Ward; "Boxa'smother came over with me from Newfoundland, and a wonderful animal shewas for cleverness and beauty; but after all, she could not compare withdear old Box, her sire. He was a marvel of sagacity, and did feats whichI really believe have never been surpassed. " While the old lady was speaking, her grandson had jumped in at thewindow, and was standing beside her, eagerly listening. "You know, dear grandmamma, " he said, "this is my birthday, and I havecome to spend half of it with you and aunt; and, first, we are to have awalk, then to take tea together, and, to finish up, you will tell me allabout Newfoundland and what you have seen there, ending with the historyof the wonderful dog. " "Stay, stay, my love, " said Mrs. Ward; "it is impossible that I shouldtell you all I have seen in Newfoundland. I can, however, give you anaccount of some of your dear grandfather's missionary journeys, in whichhe met with many adventures, and, at the close of one trip, fell in withthe good man to whom the wonderful dog Box belonged. " "That's just what I should like, " said George; and immediately hehastened to find his grandmother's bonnet and shawl, in which she wasquickly arrayed for the walk. [Illustration] It was a bright sunshiny afternoon, and as the little party strolledthrough the village street, they found half the women and children ofthe place, sitting in the doorways, or playing about on the roadside. By-and-by they came to the green, where there was a crowd of boys justturned out of school, a large knot of them clustering round a littleItalian boy, who had found his way to the village with his hurdy-gurdy, upon which he was playing, while, tied to a string, he carried a littlemonkey, perched upon his shoulder. George was eager to join the groupand see the antics of Jacko, who sat grinning and holding a littlecap for money, into which a boy flung a halfpenny, and then asked theItalian where he came from. But the answer was unintelligible to him, for it was given in a strange tongue, and George was soon tired oflistening to the music and watching the monkey. In the meantime his grandmother had walked on, accompanied by herdaughter, and they were now slowly crossing the common. A few minutes'brisk run brought George to their side, when he began chatting about theboy and his monkey. "I have no liking for those animals, " said Mrs. Ward; "indeed, the verysight of a monkey makes me shudder with a feeling of aversion. I oncesaw a trick played by one of them which made a lasting impression uponmy mind. " "Tell me about it, dear grandma, " said George, "while you rest for awhile under this warm hedge upon your camp-stool which I have broughtfor you. " "Well, " she said, seating herself at her grandson's request, "it is astrange story, but quite true. It happened many long years ago, when Iwas a young married woman, voyaging to Newfoundland, in the good ship_Sarah Ann_, with your grandfather, who was then starting for themissionary station to which he had been appointed. We were drawing nearto land; and after a long and weary voyage, you may imagine how eagerlyall eyes were strained to catch the first sight of the yet distantshore. "Among the passengers was one young lady, a sweet, gentle creature, who quite won my heart by her winning manners. She had with her herfirst-born child, an infant at the breast, and was going to Quebec tojoin her husband, a military man there. She had come with the rest of uson deck when the glad summons was heard, 'Land in sight!' and was seatedupon a sofa, with the child in her lap. The captain very politely handedhis glass to the ladies who stood near him, and directed them how tocatch a glimpse of the shore, which they were just able to discern. When they had all had a peep, he turned to the young lady whom I havementioned, and asked if she would like to look. She thanked him, androse for the purpose, first cautiously laying her sleeping baby upon thesofa. She then advanced a few steps, and took the glass he presented toher; but scarcely had she raised it to her eye when a shout was heardfrom one of the sailors--'Stop him! stop the monkey; he's got thechild!' Every eye was turned in the direction to which the man pointed;and there we saw the ship's monkey, a favourite animal with the sailors, of which they made a great pet, climbing up a rope which he held in onehand, while with the other he hugged close to him the helpless infant!Up, up, to a towering height the wretched brute climbed, while wefollowed him with our eyes in breathless alarm. Suddenly a loud screamwas heard: it was the voice of the poor agonized mother, who would havefallen senseless to the ground, had not one of the gentlemen caught herin his arms. She was carried down in a state of unconsciousness to thecabin, and left to the care of the stewardess. " [Illustration: desc. Ship's rigging in night storm] "No one on deck had moved an inch. Indeed, they scarcely seemed tobreathe, so intense was the excitement felt in watching the movements ofthe animal. Presently, a faint cry was heard, --the child was evidentlyfrightened; perhaps hurt by the pressure of the brute's arm. At once themonkey paused: he seemed to perceive there was something amiss; for, taking his station in some part of the rigging, he tried to act the partof nurse, rocking the baby to and fro, and patting its back. In themeantime the captain was at his wits' end to know what course was thebest to pursue. At first he ordered one or two of the men to go aloft inpursuit. But this only increased the evil, for the animal, seeing itselfchased, hastened to climb a still higher spar; and the terrible fearwas suggested that, if driven too closely, he might drop his preciousburden, in order thus to secure the use of both his arms. " "Oh, grandmamma, how shocking!" cried George, his interest evidentlyreaching a climax at this point of the tale. "Shocking indeed, " said Mrs. Ward; "the very idea was enough to makeone's blood run cold. What was to be done? There was, happily, present avery experienced old seaman, who now ventured to suggest a plan which hethought might possibly turn out successful: at all events, as he said, it could do no harm. His advice was, that everybody should be ordered toquit the deck, sailors and all, so that not a creature should be visibleon board. The few men whose presence was necessary to manage the shipwere alone suffered to remain at their post, and they were directed tokeep quiet, and to conceal themselves as much as possible from view ofthe monkey. The captain determined to try this scheme, and his orderswere immediately obeyed. We all hastened down accordingly, and waitedthe issue in suspense. For some minutes a profound silence reigned. By-and-by the captain, who had placed himself at a point where he couldwatch unseen what was going forward, announced that the monkey wasdescending cautiously from his perch. By his actions it seemed as thoughthe creature felt at a loss to account for the unwonted solitude ondeck. His curiosity was awakened, and he must needs come down and seewhat it meant. "Slowly and cautiously he slipped from yardarm to yardarm, approachingnearer and nearer to the deck; at last he reached it, still carrying thechild with a firm grasp. In a moment he was seized by two lusty sailorswho were lying in wait behind a coil of rope; and the precious freighthe carried was borne in triumph down to the cabin. What a scene it was!The poor mother was just recovering from the long death-like swoon inwhich she had lain, when the infant was placed in her arms, perfectlyuninjured, although cold, and its little face blanched as if withterror. At first it seemed as though the sudden revulsion of feeling wastoo much for her, and she appeared about to sink once more into a stateof insensibility; but the next moment, feeling the little creaturenestling close to her bosom, she clasped it to her, while the tearstrickled down her cheeks. " "I wonder whether they punished the monkey for playing such a trick, "said George. "I really think, my dear, " said Mrs. Ward, "that themischievous brute escaped the flogging which he richly deserved: onething is certain, he never had the chance of playing nurse to Mrs. Ray'sbaby again. " [Illustration] CHAPTER II. The rays of the evening sun were now sinking beneath the horizon, shedding a golden glory over the landscape, and speaking in fair promiseof a fine day on the morrow. "It is time we went home again, before thedews begin to fall, " said Mrs. Ward, as she rose from her seat; andthen, pointing to the western sky, she added: "How beautiful!--'Theseare thy glorious works, Parent of good. Let us praise God, whose gloryis shown in the works of His hands; for day unto day uttereth speech;night unto night showeth knowledge. ' I hope you, my dear George, willnever be one of those who have eyes that see not, and ears that cannothear. Your dear grandfather was only a little boy when he began to thinkof the great things of another world, and at the age of fifteen hesolemnly devoted himself to the service of God his Saviour. " "Dear Grandmamma, I should like to know more about him. You promised totell me about one of his journeys in Newfoundland; and now here we are, home again, and tea is set out in readiness, as I can see through theopen window. " The little party was soon comfortably seated at the socialmeal, when Master George's health was pledged in the cup "that cheersbut not inebriates;" and he regaled himself on choice plum-cake made bythe dear old lady herself for that special occasion, taking care, everynow and then, to break off a bit and throw it to Boxa, who sat by hisside, wagging her tail, in evident expectation of tit-bits. "Shall we have candles?" asked Mrs. Ward, when the tea-things werebeing removed, "or would you like best to sit in the twilight and watchthe rising moon?" "I vote for twilight and the moon, " said George, placing hisgrandmother's arm-chair in a cozy nook, from which she could see abroad;and then, seating himself on the stool at her feet, he waited till sheshould begin the promised story. "It was in the spring of the year, 1835, when your grandfather undertooka tour of visitation to the southern and western shores of Newfoundland, for the purpose of ministering to the scattered families in the remotesettlements of that region. He left me at St. John's in the month ofMarch, as travelling over the snow in the island is considered lessdifficult in that month than walking overland is at any other season ofthe year. When we parted I knew that he was going on a laborious andpainful journey, but I had formed no idea of the dangers to which hewould be exposed, or my heart would indeed have sunk within me. Hetook with him a guide to pilot him through the country; a man who wasreckoned very skilful and experienced, and who had lived some time withthe Micmac Indians, one of the aboriginal tribes. They had not advancedfar on their way when they missed the route, and could only ascertainthe points of the compass by observing the inclination of the topmostbranches of the juniper or larch trees. " "How could they know by that means, grandmamma?" "Because the juniper or larch always points to the east, thus affordingthem a secure indication, by means of which they regained the path sometime after night-fall. "This was rather a bad start, and as it turned out, seemed ominous ofevil to the travellers. As they proceeded on their way, your grandfatherstopped at various places to preach, administer the sacraments, andvisit the sick; and, in many instances, the poor people received himgladly, being like sheep scattered without a shepherd in solitaryplaces, far from the means of grace. In one house which he visited hewas moved with compassion at the sight of the poor ailing mother of thefamily. 'Ah sir!' said she, 'if any of us be sick or sore, there is noone to come near us, or to care for our souls. ' "I doubt not you have often heard the saying, 'One half the world littleknows how the other half lives;' and, indeed, we have but little ideaof the shifts to which thousands of our fellow men are put, and of thediscomforts and troubles of their daily life. These people lived, forthe most part, in wretched cabins, which swarmed with men, women, andchildren, while every nook and corner not thus occupied was filled withpigs, fowls, sheep, or dogs; and the thick smoke, or, as the peopleemphatically call it, 'cruel steam, ' is most distressing to theeyesight, which suffers greatly in consequence. " "But, why don't they make chimneys, and let it out grandma?" "They have a sort of rude chimney constructed of upright planks stuffedbetween with moss; but the danger of the fire is great; indeed it isalways a necessary to have buckets of water at hand ready to throw uponthe flames. In some places the chimneys were fortified against thisdanger by being lined all the way up with a coating of tin, which isfound to last some years. " "I should be very sorry to have to live with the Newfoundlanders ifthey have such houses as these; it seems more like what we read of thesavages in their wigwams. " "Well, George, your grandfather fell in with some of these people, aparty of Indians from Canada; and, as it was late at night when hereached their wigwams, the guide begged to be allowed to pass the nightwith them. This they courteously permitted, and showed every hospitalityto their unexpected guests. It was a curious sight, the whole party, men, women, and children, lying around the fire in the middle of thetent, upon spruce boughs, spread like feathers, to form the couch. Thesoftest and cleanest deer skin was most courteously offered to theguest, and he passed the night very comfortably, truly thankful for theaccommodation thus afforded him, and without which he must have sufferedgreatly from exposure to the weather, for the snow fell fast duringseveral hours. " At this point of her narrative Mrs. Ward rang for a candle, and desiredthe servant to bring her writing desk. "I shall find there, " she said, "the original MS. Given me by my dear husband on his return from thisjourney. He wrote it amid much difficulty, for very frequently the inkwould freeze in spite of all the precautions he took. Paper, too, wasvery scanty, and had it not been for boxes, containing a supply of thisarticle, which had been washed on shore from different wrecks, he wouldhave found it impossible to procure enough for the purpose. Anxious, however, to preserve a diary of each day's proceedings, he persevered tothe best of his power, and the result was this scroll, now discolouredby age, and some of the leaves a good deal torn, but the hand is clearand legible throughout. I think you will like to have me read youa short extract, giving an account of a very dangerous part of hisexpedition. But, in the first place, I should mention that, whentravelling into the interior, he was obliged to walk in Indian rackets, or snow-shoes, a very difficult matter to one unaccustomed to theiruse. " "Why difficult, grandma? I thought snow-shoes kept you from slipping, and made it much easier to walk in winter. " [Illustration] "The snow-shoes of which I speak, my dear, are very different fromanything you have ever seen; nor could you imagine it possible to travelin them if you had a pair now before you. The racket is a machineconsisting of a sort of net-work stretched upon ledges made of very hardwood. They are about two feet and a half long, and fourteen inchesbroad; and in the middle is fitted a kind of shoe, lined with wool orhair, which is tied on to the ankle. By means of these strange snow-shoes, the feet are prevented from sinking into the soft, deep snow. Even the Indians, shod in this fashion, occasionally meet with heavyfalls, especially when descending very steep hills; and a foreignerfeels terribly awkward and at a loss when first he attempts to use them. They are exceedingly fatiguing, too, as they become very heavy when wet;and the wearer is compelled to walk with long and rapid strides, inorder to prevent the rackets from striking against each other. Sometimes, when the day's journey was a long one, the faithful terrierwhich accompanied your grandfather throughout the whole route would howlfor very exhaustion; and whenever his master stopped to look about him, or to set his compass, the poor brute would scratch about and makehimself a bed for a few minutes' rest in the soft snow. " "Poor Doggy!" said George, "I can pity him for I remember once when Iwalked some miles through the snow, and my shoes got clogged up, I wasso tired, what Uncle Tom called 'dead beat, ' that I could not helpcrying the last mile before I reached home. " "Imagine, then, your grandfather starting and making the best of his wayover the snow-clad country until the afternoon began to warn him that hemust make a halt. At about four o'clock the traveller has to begin hispreparation for the night's lodging, and this he does by clearing awaythe snow (which is sometimes ten feet deep) from a square space; forwhich purpose he makes a rude shovel, cut out of the side of somestanding tree; and, as snow does not adhere to wood as it does to iron, this is the best thing to be used in removing the snow. When the groundis quite cleared, the wood for the fire is laid in the centre, abouta foot of loose snow being left round the space in which it is to bekindled. Upon this, the spruce or fir branches, which easily break offwhen bent sharply backwards, are laid all one way, with the lower partof the bough upwards. Thus the bed is made. The excavated snow formsa lofty wall round the square; and here the traveller lies, with nocovering from the weather, nor any other shelter than the walls of snowon each side of his cavern, and the surrounding trees, may afford. " "I wonder, " said George, "how they got a light to make the fire with;perhaps by rubbing two pieces of wood together. " "Your guess, though ingenious, is not correct, my dear, " said Mrs. Ward, "there is a certain yellow fungus which grows on the hazel tree thatsupplies tinder to the Indian, who is never without flint and steel; andhe has a very expert method of rapidly whirling moss and dry leaves andbark in his hands, so as to cause a draught, and in a wonderfully shorttime he succeeds in making a cheerful blaze. " "And what has he to eat?" "Plenty of venison, for there are large flocks of deer in the country. You will wonder where these creatures find pasture; I will tell you. Atthe time when your grandfather travelled, the whole land was coveredwith snow, excepting on the tops of some of the hills, from which thesnow had melted. These lofty, bare spots are called 'naps, ' and theyresemble island meadows in an ocean of snow. Upon these, the deer weregrazing leisurely, like cattle, in numerous herds. They go in quest offood from one of these naps to another, in places near water, whichafter long frost becomes exceedingly scarce; in the interior, the tracksof the deer were as thick as of cattle in the snow in a well-stockedfarmyard. There were, beside, plenty of ptarmigan, which abounded onthese hills, searching for a species of cranberry, a food of which theyare very fond. " "Vension and grouse! dainty dishes, indeed, dear granny; after all, thatis not quite a land of barrenness. " "Nay, child! there is provision made in all places of our heavenlyFather's dominions for the supply of the necessities both of man andbeast. But I must hasten on, or you will be weary of my tale. " [Illustration] CHAPTER III. "In addition to the first guide, your grandfather now engaged one of theIndians with whom they had passed the night, to accompany him. The threecheerfully proceeded on their route, and for the first few days enjoyedvery brilliant weather, and made so much progress upon the hard snow, that I believe they had nearly traversed a third of their destined routeacross to St. George's Bay. "But now they began to suffer severely from the state of their eyeswhich became exceedingly painful, and no wonder; for by day they wereexposed to the full glare of the sun upon the wide expanse of snow, and all night to the red glare of the fire, together with the pungentwood-smoke, which proved a constant trial to the sight. At length theybecame almost blind, and to add to their distress, provisions began tofail them. They had counted on securing plenty of game as they wentalong, and no one ever thinks of carrying provisions for more than a dayor two into the interior with them. Now, unhappily, this resource was atan end; for not one of the three could see well enough to use a gun, or, indeed, bear to look upwards. "What follows is very sad; it is touchingly told in the journal, and Iwill read the account as it is there given:--'The atmosphere now becameso thick, that, had we not been troubled with snow-blindness, we couldnot have seen more than a few yards, and could not possibly have madeour way in an unknown country. "'These Newfoundland fogs are fearful things; they surpass, indeed, theimagination of Europeans. You seem to be actually in cloud-land; fornothing but cloud is visible above, around, and beneath. This state ofthings lasts often for days; now it is a bright white, as though the daywere struggling through; now it becomes shaded, and now almost night. Sometimes there are little openings, and you catch a clean vista betweentwo walls of vapour, but it is presently shut out by the rolling massesof fog. I could compare it to nothing but ghost-land; nothing is realexcept the danger!" "Were you ever in such a fog as that, grandmamma?" asked George. "Yes, George; once at sea we were overtaken by a most fearful andprolonged fog; never in my life did I experience such feelings of aweand alarm as during that weary week. "But I must tell you of that another time. Your grandfather often usedto recall his emotions when travelling in that thick cloud. One day theyrested in the icy chamber they had dug for the night's resting-place, and he said, 'That was indeed an oratory;' and fervently did we pray, 'Give us our daily bread, ' and 'Lighten our darkness we beseech Thee, OLord. ' "The tears dropped fast when he thought of my anxiety on his account, and of the probability that his usefulness was at an end, and that weshould meet no more on earth. "At length he came to the resolution to retrace his steps, hoping tomake the scanty supply of biscuit which still remained hold out untilthey could regain the spot where the Indians had encamped, and wherethey had buried some venison. Of the three travellers, he suffered leastfrom snow-blindness, which he thought was owing to the fact that he hadkept a black gauze veil over his face at mid-day, and had resolutelyadhered to his purpose of not rubbing his eyes. He was, therefore, bestable to guide his companions. He thus describes the plan on which heproceeded:--'Maurice, the Indian, would open his eyes now and then tolook at my compass;--we could not see for fog more than one hundredyards; he would fix on some object as far as the eye could reach, andthen shut his eyes again, when I would lead him up to it. On reaching ithe would take another look, and we then started for the next point. Itwas literally a case of the blind leading the blind. "In this manner, by forced marches, we were enabled to reach, by sevenor eight in the evening, the same spots at which we had halted on ouroutward march at four each day. Thus we were spared the labour ofdigging and clearing away the snow, to which, in our enfeebledcondition, we were quite unequal. The stint of food was now so smallthat I advised my companions not to eat any quantity at a time, butto take a piece the size of a nutmeg when hunger was most craving. Wegathered also each day, on our return, about as many partridge berriesas would fill a wine glass apiece, and these we found both refreshingand nutritive. They had ripened in the autumn, and had been buried underthe snow all the winter, so that they resembled preserved fruit inflavour, and reminded me of a rich, clarety grape. "One great privation in this winter travelling is the want of water. Wewere obliged to content ourselves with the supply gotten from the snow, melted by the smoky fire. This water, together with the wind, had theeffect of parching and cracking my swollen lips to such a degree, thatwhen, after an interval of eight days, I had an opportunity of surveyingmy face in a piece of broken glass, I was at a loss to recognise my ownfeatures. The most scorching heat of summer is not so injurious to theskin as the effect of travelling in the snow at this season. ' "After this tedious fashion, stage by stage, the wanderers slowlyproceeded, until at length, by God's mercy, they reached the place wherethe Indian wigwams had been left. During the latter part of their routethey heard continually the noise of the woodpeckers upon the bark ofthe trees, which is considered a certain sign of approaching rain, adownfall of which they much feared. The weather was beginning to soften, and consequently the ice lost its firmness, and it became both difficultand dangerous to get so far as this place, but by great effort theyaccomplished it. Nor was your grandfather satisfied to trust to theimperfect shelter the tents afforded, but persevered in journeying onto the hut built for the winter crew, and which he knew was at no greatdistance from thence. "Scarcely had he reached this spot when the rain fell in torrents, andtruly thankful did he feel that he had a roof to protect him, instead ofbeing in one of those miserable un-roofed snow-caves, which had for somany nights been his only retreat during all weathers. For a timehe suffered greatly both in his eyes and from the smarting of hiscold-blistered face, which, together with the fatigue he had endured, rendered it necessary that he should repose for some days beforeventuring on his journeyings again. I shall not trace his onwardprogress, which continued to be attended with much difficulty anddanger. His nerves became at length so shattered by his great exertions, that, when travelling along the coast, where he had to pass over verylofty cliffs, the sight of these dizzy precipices would so affecthim that he burst into tears, and experienced all the symptoms offainting. Once when clinging by his hands and knees upon the edge of asteep cliff, he felt as though he must inevitably loose his hold, inwhich case the fall would have been certain death. Closing his eyes, hebreathed an earnest ejaculatory prayer, and supported by an invisiblearm, and strengthened with new vigour, he felt empowered to maintain hishold, and, gradually advancing, reached the bottom in safety. " [Illustration] "Oh, how glad you must have felt when you saw him home again, safe andsound, dear granny. " "I did, indeed, my love, and with thankful heart acknowledged thegoodness of our heavenly Father. Nothing but the strong sense of dutycan sustain the heart under such anxiety as falls to the lot of thefaithful missionary and his family. Love divine is the constrainingand blessed principle that bears the fainting spirit up. 'We love Himbecause He first loved us. ' Let that, my own dear boy, be your motto;and then if you lose your life in the service of your Lord, you willfind it again in eternal joy. " CHAPTER IV. After a short pause, Mrs. Ward said, with a smile, "You will be wishingto hear the story of Boxa's ancestor, a dog, as I have said, deservingof renown. It chanced, in one of his official journeys, your grandfathervisited a part of the coast peculiarly fatal to European vessels, especially to those outward bound to Quebec in the spring; the shore inthe neighbourhood being very low, and the ledges of rock extending farout to sea. On one of the islands which he visited, he took up his abodein a neat cabin belonging to a planter, where he found welcome shelter, and a cheerful fire made from the wreckwood scattered abundantly uponthe shore. There was a family of children, a merry group of boys andgirls, who kept jingling in their hands some sort of playthings. "What have you got there, my boys?' he asked. They showed him theirtreasures, which proved to be bunches of small desk and cabinet keys, that had been picked up from the wrecks--a melancholy kind of toy, hecould not help thinking. By-and-bye the good wife spread the hospitableboard, at which he was invited to take his seat. He looked with surpriseat the plates which she placed upon the deal table. They were verybeautiful old china ware, and several pieces of a modern elegantbreakfast set of dragon china, which had been ranged upon the shelves ofthe cabin alongside of the most common earthen crockery. These also hadbeen cast ashore by the waves in boxes. When he asked to wash his hands, a fine huckaback towel, neatly marked with initial letters, was handedhim. On inquiry, he learned that it had come from a wreck in which therewere several ladies. "There was something inexpressibly painful to the sensitive heart ofmy dear husband, in being thus surrounded by tokens of calamity. Heinquired, with a sigh, whether any efforts had been made to help thesufferers? "'Oh, yes!' said his host, a worthy man, though rough in his address andappearance. 'Yes! we do our best, but it is very seldom our help comesin time to be worth much. Once or twice we have saved a solitary seamanby throwing a rope, or by sending in our dogs to drag others ashore; andsome years ago there were seven men wrecked in the night, unknown to us. When the morning came, I was out early and discovered footmarks alongthe shore, which told me a tale I could read plain enough. I knew therehad been a fearful gale some hours before, and my mind misgave me thatthese poor creatures, whose footsteps I saw, would perish of hunger inthe interior, where they could find nothing to eat, and where there wasnot a solitary cottage at which they could get help. "'Well; I determined to track them, and I called up my brother, who wasa strong, active young fellow; and we followed them, and found them atlast, just as they had given up all hope, and had laid down to die. Forthree days and nights they had tasted neither food nor drink. When firstthey caught sight of us, I shall never forget their faces. Haggard andstarved, as they looked, they cried for joy, and kissed our hands, andbade God bless us!'" "And would they really have died, do you think, grandmamma, if the twomen had not overtaken them?" said Georgie, eagerly. "No doubt, my love, such would have been their fate. After hearing thistale, your grandfather retired early to rest, being weary with thefatigues of a long and exhausting day's journey. He slept soundly, andthough the wind, which had blown a strong gale when he landed, increasedduring the night to a hurricane, his slumbers were undisturbed forseveral hours. At length he was aroused by a loud uproar, for which atfirst he could not account. When he had quite regained consciousness, hefound that, in addition to the noise of a raging tempest, there werethe shouts and cries of men outside the cabin, and loud talking in thechamber beneath. "It was evident that something unusual had occurred to disturb thehousehold. Hastily rising and dressing himself, he made the best of hisway downstairs, and there he found the wife of his host busily engagedin chafing the hands and arms of a poor half-drowned lad who had justbeen brought into the cabin and laid upon the floor. He, it appeared, had been cast ashore by a heavy swell, but there were others beside himwho were still in danger. "'Could you manage, sir, to stand against the wind, perhaps you couldcarry this coil of rope; they may be wanting it, ' said the woman. Inanother minute your grandfather was battling against the storm, makinghis way along the rugged shore in the direction of a small group of menwho proved to be his host, with a younger brother and the two men whohad manned the boat in which he had himself come to the island. "It was a fearful sight. The sea was in a white foam, the whole airfilled with spray, and the wind blowing heavily. Not far from shore wasa boat with a part of the exhausted crew from a vessel wrecked in theoffing. The breakers made it impossible that the poor fellows shouldeffect a landing. A terrible death seemed their inevitable fate. Just atthe moment your grandfather reached the point, he saw his host leap intothe sea, his object being to give the men a rope. It was at the peril ofhis life he took that desperate leap. His favourite dog, Boxa, saw andinstantly followed his master. The two rose in a moment, and were borneby the swell toward the boat. They had nearly reached it when itcapsized. Moir--that was the name of the gallant man--seized one of theseamen, and, wonderful to tell, succeeded in bringing him safe to shore. In the meantime, Boxa, following his master's example, caught hold ofanother of the poor drowning creatures, and began to drag him along. Itproved, however, that the dog's hold had fastened upon the seaman'ssouth-wester cap, which came off in the water. The animal evidently wasnot aware of what had happened, and, not perceiving the diminution inthe weight of his burden, was proceeding to make his way to land withthe cap only. [Illustration] "'The poor fellow is lost!' cried the bystanders on thepoint. "But no! they presently saw the sailor clutch hold of the dog'stail, ---it was a fine, handsome, large tail, George;--and in this mannerhe was towed to land in safety. Imagine how glad he must have been whenhe found himself on terra firma! His first act was to give thanks toGod, and then he threw his arms around Boxa, caressing him again andagain, and loading him with fond epithets, part in English, part inSwedish. He was a young Swede, a fine, handsome youth, about twentyyears of age. Without loss of time he was conducted to the house, wherehe shared the kind attentions of the mistress; but she had soon anotherand a more difficult case in hand. "The master of the wrecked vessel, who was one of the boat's crew, wasrescued from a watery grave by the further exertions of Moir and hiscompanions, and was carried in a perfectly insensible state to thehouse. Some hours elapsed before he was conscious of anything thatwas passing around him. He seemed, indeed, so completely gone, thatevery one had given him over, when some faint symptoms of returning lifeappeared. "In the meantime the day wore on, and your grandfather, feeling that hecaused additional trouble to the family by his prolonged stay undersuch circumstances, was very desirous to leave the island as soon aspossible. The state of the weather, however, continued such as to renderit impossible he should attempt to put to sea, and he passed anothernight and a part of the following day with the friendly planter, whoseheroic exertions on behalf of the shipwrecked crew had greatly exaltedhim in the opinion of his visitor. "During the early part of the night the two sat up together, there beinga dearth of sleeping accommodation, for the beds were all given up tothe sailors; and for some hours they conversed together on topics ofmutual interest. "Moir was a pious man, and his early history had been one of strikingadventure. As he sat by the fireside, quietly narrating various passagesof his past life, his faithful dog crouched close beside him, dozing andevidently dreaming at intervals; for he made strange noises, and paddledwith his fore-feet, as though he were still struggling with the waves. His master looked fondly on the animal, and said, -- "'You'd hardly credit, sir, the surprising sagacity of these dogs. Someof them are perfect wonders. They have more sense, really, it seems, than many so-called Christians, and I have sometimes thought they mustreason. "'Boxa is a fair specimen of the race, and I could tell you some of hisdoings which would make you ask--Is it possible? I have known him helpto carry to shore some light spars which the captain of a vessel in theharbour desired him to convey to the land-wash, in order that a boat'screw might be saved the trouble of taking them. Another dog belongingto the same wharf, whether of his own accord, or being pressed into theservice, took to helping him at this work for a time; he soon tired, however, and, in the middle of his second turn, thought proper to swimto shore without his spar. "'When Boxa saw what he was up to, he quietly made his way to land withhis own turn, and then went in search of the runaway, and gave hima sound thrashing; in short, his arguments were so unanswerable andconvincing that the culprit returned to his work, and without moreado, set to and persevered at it, till every spar that had been thrownoverboard was rafted to shore by the combined labour of the two dogs. ' "'That was certainly a very sagacious and knowing proceeding, ' said yourgrandfather, 'and I do not wonder you are so much attached to your dog. ' "'O sir, that's only a sample I give you of his sense and cleverways. What I value him so much for it his fidelity to myself, and hisattachment to the whole family. As to the children, be they never sosmall, we can always leave them without fear in his charge for hours;and to crown his good deeds, I must tell you he saved the life of theyoungest of the fry. The child was playing close to the water-side, andfell in. There was nobody near, and how the dog found it out we nevercould tell; he was some distance off, and a few minutes before, when mywife passed that way, she saw him lying asleep, to all appearance assound as a church door. But he must have heard the little one cry; for, certain it is, he had dragged her out, and was licking her little faceand hands when the mother came back from her errand. You'll not wonderafter that to hear that we would one and all of us share our last crustwith Boxa. ' "'I do not, indeed, my good friend, ' said your grandfather; 'and I mustsay I should be heartily glad to possess a dog of the breed having thesame admirable qualities; for I have just lost my good old terrier, atried and faithful animal, which I brought with me from England. He diedof old age, about a month ago, and sadly shall I miss him. ' "Moir made no answer at the time, but the next day, shortly before hisguest departed, the worthy man made his appearance alongside the boat asit was pushing off, and handed in a hamper which, he said, contained apup of the right sort, if his reverence would please to accept of it. This pup was no other than the mother of Boxa, and an excellent animalshe proved to be--faithful, sagacious, and patient; in short, a worthyscion of such a stock. "I need not, I am sure, by way of conclusion, sing the praises of Boxaherself, for you know as well as I can tell you her many good qualities;and therefore I have only further to say that I hope Newfy--as you havenamed him--will turn out all that could be wished. " "Thank you, thank you, dear grandmamma, " said George, who had listenedwith such fixed attention to the last part of Mrs. Ward's narrative, that he had not once moved upon his stool; "I am so pleased with my pet, I shall not know how I can thank you enough. I think, if you please, Iwill run and fetch him out of the kennel, and put him into the basket Ibrought, hoping you would let me carry him home with me to-night. " [Illustration] "Do so, George, " said his mother, folding up the handkerchief she hadbeen embroidering, "and in the meantime I will put on my bonnet, for itis time we were on our way home. " No sooner said than done. In five minutes George and Mrs. Green had saidgood-bye and were crossing the common in the direction of their ownhome. "What a happy day it has been, mamma, " said our little friend, "and howglad I am I have such a nice birthday present;" and he bent down to takea peep through the wicker-work of the basket. "And I am so glad, dear boy, that you have enjoyed your treat, " repliedhis mother. "May you see many happy, returns of this day; and may eachsucceeding year find you wiser and happier. " Here ends the story of Georgie's Present; but, as I think my youngreaders may like to know how the Newfoundland pup turned out, I willjust tell them that he is now a full-grown, handsome young dog, --thegreat favourite and inseparable companion of my friend George, whoassured me, not long ago, that of all his possessions there is none heprizes more highly than Newfy.