the toss of a farthing. He knew he had now the cards in his own hands, and resolved to play them to the best advantage. The result is soon told. Before he would permit the grim tyrant to descend from the cherry-tree, he exacted a fresh promise that he would not visit him or his wife again for twenty years. And, seeing that there was no help for it, he was compelled to enter into this engagement, upon which Hans allowed him to come down, and away he went, cursing him for a knave, and wishing him and his old wife at the devil.

By these ingenious devices the Dutch fisherman contrived to add twenty years to his wife's existence, and not less than forty to his own, a proof that if he was long-winded he was also somewhat of a longheaded fellow, and could see farther through a millstone than many people of far greater pretensions.

The twenty additional years, like the previous term, passed away, and Death, for the third time, made his appearance. By this time, the desire of longer life had ceased to actuate either Hans or Alice. Infirmity

had fallen upon them: their hearing, their sight, their enjoyments, had all become blunted, while their former friends had passed away, leaving them like two aged trees, standing desolate and alone in the midst of a wilderness. Existence was thus distasteful to both; and, when Death appeared, he found them seated side by side, anxiously longing for his approach. Away, then, they went together-he glad to get the mastery of such troublesome subjects, and they themselves glad to go along with him.

The cherry-tree still stands in the middle of what was once Hans Holder's garden, and the chair yet occupies its wonted place at the chimney-nook; but, alas both tree and chair have lost their mysterious properties. It is to be hoped, however, for the behoof of the next story-telling occupant of the fisherman's cottage, that the same tall, red-haired gentleman who communicated such marvellous powers to them may, if he be still in the land of the living, be inclined to renew the gift, and thus afford some future writer an opportunity of producing a new tale upon the subject, equally veracious with the present, and much more ably told.

A NIGHT NEAR MONTE VIDEO.

[The incidents recorded in the following narrative are strictly true. They were related to me by a naval officer, lately deceased, and himself the hero of the story, which was drawn up by me at his particular request.]

IT was in the year 18-, when the frigate to which I belonged was stationed off Monte Video, that the following events took place. I shall state them simply, and without any attempt at embellishment, convinced that the plain facts will speak for themselves, and that they do not require to be heightened by the aid of fancy.

The captain had given permission to a brother officer, whom I shall denominate Brooks, and myself, to enjoy a few days' sport on shore. Taking advantage of this leave, we furnished ourselves each with a fowling-piece and a game-bag, and sallied forth on our expedition, intending to pass the night in the city, and to amuse ourselves in the same way daily till the period of our leave had expired. Being both good shots, and falling in with plenty of game, we filled our bags in the course of a few hours.

This unexpected luck suspended our operations, and, as the evening was fast coming on, we felt the necessity of arriving at Monte Video before we should be overtaken by darkness-no pleasant event in a country to whose roads we are entire strangers, more especially as we had reason to believe that they were infested during the night by banditti. Impressed with these feelings, we made the best of our way towards the city, hoping to reach it by sunset. In this country, lying though it does beyond the tropics, there is little or no twilight. Darkness succeeds almost instantly to light. When the sun's disk disappears, he has done with us, and in ten minutes there is as little trace of his existence as if he did not exist at all.

While moving smartly along, under the load of our bags and fowling-pieces, the latter of which, in case of danger, we took the precaution to keep charged, we met with a tall, swarthy man, in the costume of a serjeant. He was strongly and, indeed, handsomely made, but his expression of countenance was peculiar and ferocious. He had enormous black whiskers, long, sweeping mustachès, and dark, penetrating, demon. looking eyes. On meeting, he saluted us with a civility rather at variance with his forbidding air; and I took the opportunity of asking him, in Spanish, if we were on the road to Monte Video. "Gentlemen," said he, in the same language, "at your present rate of travelling, you will be there in an hour and a half: but, in the unsettled state of the country, I would caution you against going farther.

The sun will be

down immediately, and the roads are not safe after nightfall." We thanked him for his civility, but nevertheless proceeded on our way, while he took the opposite direction.

Scarcely, however, had we gone ten yards, when he called after us; and, on turning round to see what he wanted, he asked if we were French or English. My companion replied that we were English, when the man's countenance instantly darkened: he looked at us sternly, then walked hastily on, "I do not half like that man's appearance," said I. " Nor do I," answered Brooks; "there is something peculiarly forbidding about him." No more was said. We continued walking half an hour longer, when the sun went down, leaving us in darkness. But the obscurity, though great, was not so strong as altogether to hide near objects the massy foliage of the trees, the outlines of cattle, browsing upon the road-side, and the huts, which here and there loomed against the darkness, were more or less visible. We held our way through the gloom quickly, but with caution, fearful of no danger, yet keeping a look-out in case of the worst, and fully prepared to give any person who courted a hostile meeting a cordial reception in the shape of a volley of small shot.

In a few minutes, the solemn silence of the night was broken by the sound of a horse's feet at some distance behind. We paused, and a white horse flew past us, at a good round pace, bearing two men upon its back. One of them-him who rode in front-I