10. The peasant came at the time appointed, dressed in his "Sunday's best," and found the Guidman in the same disguise he had worn in his adventure on the bridge of Cramond.

11. James conducted his visitor through the state apartments, and was not a little amused by his simple-hearted astonishment at the splendor and grandeur. At length he asked if he would like to get a peep at the king.

12. "By all means!-if I can do so without offending His Majesty," replied John. "Oh, no fear of that," said James; "a cat may look at a king,' you know." "But how shall I know his grace from all the great nobles around him? Will he wear his crown?"

13. "No; but he will wear a hat or bonnet,—all the rest will be bareheaded." He then led his friend into a great hall, filled with noblemen and officers of the court. John looked curiously about him for a moment, and then whispered: "Where is he? where is he? I can't see him.”

14. "Didn't I tell you that you would know him by his hat?" "I' faith, then," exclaimed John, “it must be either you or I, for they are all bareheaded but us two."

15. The king and courtiers laughed heartily at this; and when John Howieson left the palace, it was as the owner of the farm at Braehead, which

he and his descendants were always to possess, on condition that he should ever be ready to present a basin of water and a napkin for the king to wash his hands whenever he should pass the bridge of Cramond or visit Holyrood Palace.

16. This form, in remembrance of the service done his king by John Howieson, was observed by him and his family down to the time of George the Fourth of England.

1. Eminence, precipice, Gaelic, expeditions, disguise, excursions, sturdily, recompense, grandeur, exclaimed, courtiers, descendants.

2. Where is Stirling? What is a "royal residence"? When was James the Fifth king? What is meant by "take to their heels"? Did the king tell the truth? Did men ever wear bonnets? What letter is omitted in "I' faith"? What is a courtier ?

LXXXVII. DIRGE FOR A SOLDIER.

1. Close his eyes; his work is done!
What to him is friend or foeman,

Rise of moon or set of sun,

Hand of man or kiss of woman?
Lay him low, lay him low,
In the clover or the snow!

What cares he? he cannot know:
Lay him low!

2. As man may, he fought the fight,
Proved his truth by his endeavor;
Let him sleep in solemn night,
Sleep forever and forever.
Lay him low, lay him low,

In the clover or the snow!

3. Fold him in his country's stars,
Roll the drum and fire the volley!
What to him are all our wars?
What but death-bemocking folly?
Lay him low, lay him low,
In the clover or the snow!

4. Leave him to God's watching eye,

Trust him to the hand that made him

Mortal love weeps idly by:

God alone has power to aid him.

Lay him low, lay him low,

In the clover or the snow!

What cares he? he cannot know:
Lay him low!

1. Dirge, foeman, bemocking, mortal, volley.

2. Why should honors be paid to the dead soldier? Explain

"roll the drum," "hand of man,'
""in the clover."

the rhyming words in the fourth stanza?

What are

LXXXVIII. THE SIMOON.

1. It was about noon, and such a noon as a summer solstice can offer in the unclouded Arabian sky over a scorched desert, when abrupt and burning gusts of wind began to blow by fits from the south, while the oppressiveness of the air increased every moment till my companion and myself mutually asked each other what this could mean, and what was to be its result. We turned to inquire of Selim, but he had already wrapped up his face in his mantle, and, bowed down and crouching on the neck of his camel, replied not a word.

2. His comrades, the two Sherarat Bedouins, had adopted a similar position, and were equally silent. At last, after repeated interrogations, Selim, instead of replying directly to our questioning, pointed to a small black tent, providentially at no great distance in front, and said, "Try to reach that; if we can get there we are saved." He added, "Take care that your camels do not stop and lie down ;" and then, giving his own beast several vigorous blows, he relapsed into muffled silence.

3. We looked anxiously toward the tent; it was yet a hundred yards off, or more. Meanwhile the gusts grew hotter and more violent, and it was only by repeated efforts that we could urge our beasts forward. The horizon rapidly darkened to a deep violet hue, and seemed to draw in like a curtain on

every side; while, at the same time, a stifling blast, as though from some enormous oven opening right on our path, blew steadily under the gloom; our camels, too, began, in spite of all that we could do, to turn round and round, and to bend their knees, preparing to lie down. The Simoon was fairly upon us.

4. We had followed our Arab's example by muffling our faces; and now, with blows and kicks, we forced the staggering animals onward to the only asylum within reach. But we were yet in time; and at the moment when the worst of the concentrated poison blast had reached us, we were already prostrate, one and all, within the tent, with our heads well wrapped up, almost suffocated indeed, but safe; while our camels lay without like dead, their necks stretched out on the sand awaiting the passing of the gale.

5. On our first arrival the tent contained a solitary Bedouin woman, whose husband was away with his camels in the Wady Sirham. When she saw five handsome men rush thus suddenly into her dwelling, without a word of leave or salutation, she very properly set up a scream to the tune of the four crown pleas, murder, arson, robbery, and I know not what else. Selim hastened to reassure her by calling out, "These are friends," and, without more words, threw himself