a very silly boy; and it is better for you to be sensible of your folly than to pretend to make excuses which nobody believes."

Henry blushed and held down his head. "And now, Henry," said Mr. Dalben, "I am going to speak to you upon a subject which every little boy should understand; the subject on which I am speaking is courage: do you know what courage is, Henry ?" asked Mr. Ďalben.

"Yes, uncle: courage is not being afraid."

"I do not think that explanation will quite do," said Mr. Dalben; "because then a poor idiot, whom I once knew, who could never be taught that fire would burn or water drown, and who laughed heartily at a violent storm of thunder and lightning, might be called the most courageous person in the world: because he would take a lighted stick and dance about his mother's house with it in his hand, and would jump about on the brink of a deep well, do you think this person deserved to be called courageous?"

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No, uncle," said Henry.

"Well then," said Mr. Dalben, "we must have some other explanation of true courage than that of not being afraid; there are occasions, Henry, when the bravest man is, and ought to be, afraid. But true courage consists in two things; the first of which is, not being afraid where no danger is; and the second is, the having such self-command as shall enable a person to do what is right and proper in cases of real difficulty and distress."

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But, uncle," said Henry, "little boys don't always know when there is real danger, and when there is no danger. You know, uncle, that children are very ignorant, and have not tried so many things as grown people."

"And therefore," returned Mr. Dalben, "6 because children are ignorant, kind parents have been given to them; and they are early taught to trust these parents, and they may be sure, that, unless they are very odd sort of parents, they will not lead them into danger; therefore it is a mark of want of confidence, and of a blameable degree of cowardice, when a child refuses to follow a kind father who calls him to attend him, whatsoever he may suppose the danger be which he is required to encounter: the fault you were guilty of to-day was want of confidence in me; which, after all you know of me, indicated a blameable degree of timidity."

"Uncle," said Henry, "I am very sorry; and if I might get up, I would come and beg your pardon."

"Well, my dear boy," said Mr. Dalben, "we have said enough on this subject for the present, and all is made up; and now let us enjoy the prospect. Observe how gently the boat glides along the stream, while the scene changes every moment; what a variety of beautiful trees and bushes present themselves one after another to our view, and how quiet and retired these scenes are." "Oh! uncle," said Henry, "the river is wider just before us; it looks like a large pool or lake; and what a deep shade the trees cast upon it!"

"Of what do these beautiful prospects lead you to think, my dear boy?"

"Of the time of the millennium, uncle," said Henry, "when streams shall break forth in the deserts. And now, uncle, I see between those trees a high bank at a little distance, nearly covered with woods, excepting just at the very top, and there is a green field at the very top, and a white horse feeding in that field; how beautiful that horse looks! how quietly it seems to feed! it reminds me of a picture you used to show me when I was a little boy, the picture of the horse feeding while the lion lay by his side. Why, uncle, every thing I see here reminds me of some pleasant thing you have taught me about Christ's kingdom upon earth."

"How pleasant it is," said Mr. Dalben, "to have such a happy time as that to look forward to,my boy. Some little boys are so unfortunate as never to have heard of the glory of Christ's kingdom on earth, and such have not half the pleasure in looking upon beautiful scenes as you have."

By this time they were come in sight of a large hollow oak-tree growing upon the edge of the water. "Oh! uncle," said Henry," what a curious tree! I should like to go on shore and see that tree."

"Well, sir," said the man who rowed the boat, "if your uncle has no objection, we will draw up to the bank, and you shall get out and see that tree."

Accordingly the boat was turned to the shore, and they all got out. The tree was quite hollow, and the inside of the trunk decayed, although the branches were flourishing and looked green and fresh. "Oh! uncle," said Henry, putting his head through a hole in the side of the trunk, "what a large place there is in the inside! I should like to get in."

"No, Henry," said Mr. Dalben, "you must not get inbecause you would probably be covered with dust and mould; but you may, if you please, put your head through the hole on the side of the trunk and look in."

Henry availed himself of his uncle's permission, and looking up towards the head of the tree he suddenly drew back, exclaiming, "Oh! uncle, I see some frightful black things hanging by their claws upon the sides and tops of the hollow."

Mr. Dalben smiled, and said, "I suppose you are now glad, Henry, that you followed my advice, and did not get your whole body into the tree. But do you know what those creatures are which have caused you so much fear?"

"I reckon," said the miller's man, "that what little master has seen are the bats, which often hide themselves in the trunks of hollow trees. About dusk I have seen many of these creatures flying about this place."

"Bats!" repeated Henry, peeping again into the tree; "I never saw a bat very near, though I have seen them in the dusk flying about, and flapping their wings against every thing which came in their way, as if they could not see before them."

"Don't disturb them, master," said the man, "otherwise they will perhaps come out of their hole now, and flap themselves in your face; and I am thinking that you would be running into the water to get free of them."

"You have not much opinion of Henry's courage, my friend," said Mr. Dalben.

;

The man smiled, and Henry looked a little ashamed however, Mr. Dalben bade the little boy leave the tree; and taking him by the hand, he put him again into the boat, as they had not yet reached the spot to which they were bound.

"Uncle," said Henry," what are bats? Are they birds or beasts?"

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They are something between both," replied Mr. Dalben; "but they are of the first class; there are twenty-five different sorts of these animals in various parts of the world; four of which are found in England.

"In the East Indies," continued Mr. Dalben," and the west of Africa, there is a kind of this creature named

the vampire bat, so called because it is said to suck blood; it is a very ugly creature; the length of its body is about eight inches, the extent of the wings about three feet, and each wing is provided with a strong claw, by which it hangs to the branches of trees. Some of these creatures grow to an enormous size. In the East Indies bats are found living in the roofs of inhabited houses in immense numbers; and at dusk these creatures issue out from their holes; and being dazzled by the lamps and chandeliers, which are commonly lighted at that time, render themselves extremely annoying to every person in the house. I knew a lady once," proceeded Mr. Dalben, "who, being ill and confined to her bed, saw one of the largest of these creatures, whose long ears resembled horns, sitting on the head of her bed."

"Oh!" said Henry, "how frightened she must have been!"

"No," said Mr. Dalben, "she was not frightened, though she took measures, you may be sure, to get rid of this dismal-looking visiter. But," continued Mr. Dalben, "the bats in England are not so sociable as they are in India. They generally reside in hollow trees, barns, and towers of churches, and old ruins and castles; and, indeed, in most other countries, such are their chief abodes; and this will help us to understand these words of the prophet, who foretells a time when 'the idolaters of the earth shall cast their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made each for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats.'-Isaiah ii. 20."

“Oh !” said Henry, "no doubt that will be when the Lord is King over all the earth. How curious it is, uncle! every thing we see reminds us of that happy period."

By this time the boat had made a little turn, and they were come in sight of a very old cottage, standing in a garden about a hundred paces from the river, and shaded on the background by a number of high trees. At the same moment that they saw the cottage, their ears were saluted with a tinkling sound like that of a bunch of keys rattling against a brass pan.

"As sure as I am here," said the miller's man, "Betty Hodges's bees are playing. Come, sir, let us make haste; mayhap master never saw bees hived-and it's

a wonderful curious sight." So the man pushed towards the bank, and they all got out of the boat.

"Bees playing, uncle?" said Henry, as he walked towards the cottage; แ "what is that? what does it

mean?"

"make

"You shall see, Henry," said Mr. Dalben; haste, and I will explain it all to you by-and-by."

Mr. Dalben, and Henry, and the miller made the best of their way towards the cottage, being regaled as they went along by the merry tinkling of the keys against the frying-pan.

When they approached the cottage, which, as I before observed, was not far from the river, they perceived that every individual of the family, consisting of an old grandmother, a daughter, and five or six young children, were collected in the garden, where there were several bee-hives. The garden was full of bees, who were, as the miller said, playing about in all directions, and filling the air with their murmurs; which, added to the tinkling of the keys, rendered it difficult to hear a word that was said.

When Mr. Dalben approached the little garden-wicket, he made Henry stand still, directing him to observe what was passing, and not to be alarmed if the bees approached him and buzzed in his ears.

The miller in the mean time had advanced into the garden, having offered his services to hive the bees as soon as they settled.

In a short time Mr. Dalben pointed out to Henry that the bees which had but just now been scattered all over the garden, were settling on a bough of an apple-tree, on which they presently were so thickly collected that they formed a cluster nearly as large as a man's head, but more in the shape of a cone. Henry and Mr. Dalben now entered the garden, where, near to where the bees were collected, the old woman had placed a little round table, on which she had spread a large white cloth. She now produced a new hive which had been rubbed within with the leaves of the nut-tree, and placed upon the white cloth two cross sticks.

"What is all that for?" said Henry.

"You will soon see," said Mr. Dalben.

The miller then took the new hive, and putting it under the cluster of bees, he shook the bees into it, and