As soon as the tiger has entered the area the gates are closed: a short time is allowed him to examine his new situation, which he does with much apparent caution and trepidity. The opportunity is now watched, when the tiger is farthest from the gate, to open it, and introduce the buffalo. Nothing can surpass the animation displayed at this moment! The buffalo, on entering the area, smells the tiger, and becomes instantly agitated with eagerness for the affray. His eyes sparkle with fury, as he quests round for the skulking enemy; which is generally attacked the instant it is distinguished. The buffalo merely stops to shake his head and rake the ground, for a few seconds, with his foot; then places himself in a posture for attack : his face is brought parallel to the surface of the ground, his horns pointing forwards, his tail indicating both his determination and his vigour; he then rushes forward at his full speed. It has happened that at such moments buffaloes have not been able to check themselves; but have run up against the enclosure with a tremendous force, shaking some of the holders aloft, and wounding the lower range of the spectators. But the cautious tiger rarely fails to shift his ground, as the buffalo approaches, thus causing the latter to bend in his course, and consequently diminishing the force of the attack, as well as rendering the aim less certain.

However formidable the horns of the buffalo may be, still, experience shows that the tiger's skin is sufficiently strong to withstand such thrusts as the spectator would deem irresistible. It requires a smart ball to penetrate their glossy short coating of fur, and the natural pliancy of the hide; so with the horns the tiger is more bruised than gored, unless they are more than usually pointed at the

extremities.

When the combat is over, and the tiger is slain, such is the state of the buffalo that it is extremely dangerous to approach him. He is so much excited, that he cannot distinguish friend from foe, and will run at any who may come in his way. The keepers, therefore, allow some time to pass before they go into the area, throwing him some wet hay, and laving him with water, after which he is carefully driven back to his lair.

ON THE DEATH OF MY FIRST-BORN.

SLEEP breathes at last from out thee,
My little patient boy,

And balmy rest about thee

Smooths off the day's annoy;

I sit me down and think

Of all thy winning ways,

Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink,

That I had less to praise.

Thy sidelong pillowed meekness,
Thy thanks to all that aid,
Thy heart, in pain and weakness,
Of fancied faults afraid;
The little trembling hand

That wipes thy quiet tears;-
These, these are things that may demand
Dread memories for years.

Sorrows I've had, severe ones,
I will not think of now,

And calmly, 'midst my dear ones,
Have wasted with dry brow;
But when thy fingers press
And pat my stooping head,
I cannot bear the gentleness,-
The tears are in their bed.

Ah, first-born of thy mother,
When life and hope were new,
Kind playmate of thy brother,
Thy sister, father, too
My light where'er I go,

My bird, when prison-bound,
My hand-in-hand companion-no,
My prayers shall hold thee round.

To say, "He has departed"—
"His voice-his face-is gone."
To feel impatient-hearted,
Yet feel we must bear on;

Ah, I could not endure

To whisper of such woe, Unless I felt this sleep insure That it will not be so.

THE CHASE.

A PASSAGE OF NEGRO LIFE.

In a large shed formed of rafters of bamboo raised on a wooden post and covered with a thatch of palm leaves, an assemblage of negroes were seated in a dense mass; they were about two hundred in number, and were to be embarked on the following day in the Portuguese schooner, of which Gonzales Quipodo had recently embarked as second mate; and he had now come with the slave dealer, Dark Diego, to examine the lot. They were all manacled and fettered, and for the most part fastened together. They had been drawn from all the surrounding territories within a distance of several hundred miles, and were soon to be divided, parents from children, husbands from wives, in spite of all the laws of nature and humanity, and sold to slavery. Gonzales was not familiar with such scenes; and even Dark Diego had seldom beheld so depressed a group as that which in the silence of sorrow occupied one corner of the shed, and preserved such dignity as seem to indicate their superiority to the rest of their miserable associates, They were all fine specimens of symmetry; their colour was of a dark copper hue rather than black, and their features bold, regular, and commanding. Their general appearance indeed was rather that of Arabs than negroes. Their hair was abundant, and by most of them it was allowed to fall in long twisted locks over their shoulders, but a few who appeared to be of a higher order than the rest, had it disposed after a singular fashion; it was first gathered about the head, and there parted in the form of a turban, giving a peculiar but not unpleasing effect to the countenance; but what was most remarkable was their air of grave and proud resignation by which they were distinguished; and in the timid and clinging devotion of a female to one of the most conspicuous of the group there was an illustration of woman's devotedness, which throughout the world is always found the same.

"This must be a real prize!" said Gonzales, as Dark Diego chucklingly pointed out the group to him. "Wherever did you get

them."

"Old King Flintoe brought them here from the great fair at Bocqua," replied the trader. "There has been some hard fighting between the Felatahs (to whom these people belong) and the Bornous; and thousands of prisoners have been taken. Many have been killed because there was no market for them; and it's dear keeping goods there's no call for."

"I could get a market for them quickly," exclaimed Gonzales, under the impulse of sudden temptation.

"I know you could, my friend," said the sordid old dealer," and this is an opportunity which seldom occurs in a man's lifetime. There

N. S. VOL. XXXIV.

I

is a chance for a bold enterprising fellow to make as much in a year as few can realize in a lifetime."

"I am too dull to understand obscure speaking," said the Portuguese, "speak out, and let me know what you mean?"

"Presently, my son," said the cool and crafty trader, "but let us hear first what this Felatah prince has to say: he has sent me two messages, and is eager to say something:" then calling for a negro interpreter he began questioning the Felatah.

"Massa," said the negro, "Prince say his broder is great king in big city; plenty of elephants teeth, plenty ostrich feather, plenty of bars of gold; if you'll send to his broder he will give good ransom: great."

"I'm not such a fool," said Dark Diego with a sneer.

"He'll sell

for ten bars to the traders, which is better than a promise of twenty, I may never realize."

When the prisoner, a tall and stately man, understood the reply, a singular change came over his countenance. He bent his face to the ground, but could not lull the working in his swarthy features of powerful emotions. At last he said, "Tell the white chief that all I care for is the safety of my wife. Let her be ransomed, and I will go to slavery with content.'

Diego approached the female, who clung the closer to her husband as the trader came nearer her, and violently snatching her away, held her in his brawny arms for some seconds, and then cried aloud," She's a fine one! no mistake about a price for her, twenty bars of gold offered in many places," and he laughed at the prospect of the slave fetching so much.

"If the sum be laid at the white chief's feet at this moment," said the Felatah," will he be satisfied and let Liamma go?"

The trader, greatly surprised, answered in the affirmative, and ordered that the manacles should be taken off the captive's wrists. In a few moments the order was obeyed, and the Felatah then thrusting his long powerful fingers into the matted mass of hair arranged about his head, began with great effort and evident pain to pull asunder the twisted meshes, and at length when the eyes of all present were fixed on him in silent wonder, he drew forth twenty rings of pure gold and laid them on the ground. His wife clung upon him as if intreating not to be allowed to depart from him.

"Say to the white chief," calmly remarked the Felatah, "that here is the treasure which I have carried for some years to aid me in the hour of need: let him take it for the ransom of one who is dearer to me than liberty, and send her back to that loved home whence we were torn, and which I shall never see again!"

The

Dark Diego laughed when this was interpreted to him. Taking up the money, he said, "tell the fool that this is no ransom. money is mine. When I bought him and the girl, I bought their heads and all that was upon them; though I did not expect to make so good a bargain."

A glance of wild indignant despair was the only response of the slave. He folded his arms around the wife of his bosom, and for some moments was lost in silent grief, whilst Diego pointed out to Gonzales the fine quality of the gold, and then in a whisper referred again to the chance which a brave fellow had of going up the country and returning with his canoes full of Felatahs. "Alas!" he said, "that I am too old! If I were not, I would offer to share the fortune with you." They then proceeded to Diego's house, where the bargain was concluded, and many hours were spent over brandy. The confederates were aroused suddenly by loud outcries from the shed, and hurrying away to ascertain the cause, they found that Diego's slaves, who had been put as a watch over the captives, had gone to sleep at their posts, and taking advantage of their negligence, the Felatah prince, whose manacles Diego had, in his desire to enlist Gonzales in his service, forgotten to replace, had managed to break the fetters of his wife and escape with her. The slaves, terrified at the idea of their master's wrath, had forthwith begun to whip the remaining Felatahs, by way of demonstrating their attention to their charge. This, however, did not satisfy Diego, who no sooner understood what had occurred than he seized a whip and with terrible imprecations wielded it with such effect upon the backs and limbs of the neglectful guardians as to elicit screams of pain. "Why do you stay to punish these fellows," asked Gonzales, "the fugitives will escape.

"Never fear," replied the trader, with a demoniac expression of countenance, and at the same time coolly hanging up the scourge. "We need not be in a hurry. You never saw a slave chase yet, Gonzales; you shall see one now. Bring out the dogs there, you skulking villains."

Quickly two bloodhounds of the African breed were led out from a small hut; they were rather more than two feet high; their colour reddish tan, deepening nearly to black on the upper part of the body, and both possessing evidently strength and speed; they fawned upon the trader as he held them by the leash, testifying their pleasure at the sight of him. Diego called for the manacles which the Felatah and his wife had worn, and threw them down before the dogs. When they had snuffed at these attentively for a few moments, he led them to the spot in the shed which the prisoners had occupied, and then removed the leash from their necks. The hounds with their nostrils to the ground began to make short turns about the place, gradually extending the circle of their movements, until a loud bark announced that they had found the scent: both then started for the west, and Diego, calling upon his companion to follow his example, threw himself upon a horse and followed. "We shall have them now in half an hour," he said.

"And alive?" asked Gonzales.

Yes," replied the trader, with a grin, "if they don't dispute the dogs' authority."