PROLOGUE. SWISS family, whom the prospects of fortune summoned to America, had embarked at Havre on board a merchant vessel intended to transport a body of emigrants to the New World. A distant relative of M. Starck (such was the name of the head of this family) had recently died, bequeathing his estates to his cousin, on condition that the latter settled upon them in America with his children. Six individuals, the father, the mother, and four children of different ages and characters,-composed this little family. The eldest child, who was named Frederick, was fifteen years old-a tall handsome boy, full of strength and agility, with a clear brain, a good heart, but more skilful in physical than in mental exercises; not, however, deficient in intelligence, though less clever than his brother Ernest. The latter, thirteen years of age, was of a slow, and even a somewhat slothful temperament; but naturally attentive, observant, and meditative, he constantly occupied himself in the pursuit of knowledge. He had a special inclination for natural history, and had already acquired a wide acquaintance with that fascinating science the result of his experiments and his observations. The third boy, whose name was Rudly (a pet abbreviation for that of Rudolph), was twelve years old. A frank, talkative giddy-pate, he was somewhat presumptuous, bold, and enterprising, but withal an excellent lad, whose good qualities of heart compensated for the levity of his disposition. Finally, the youngest of all, whom his mother and brothers agreed in calling "Little Fritz," was a boy only eight years of age, very lively but very gentle, whose studies had been retarded by a feeble childhood. He knew nothing as yet; but being attentive and obedient, would quickly acquire that degree of instruction proper for his age and talents. M. Starck was a man in the prime of life, a sincere Christian, wholly devoted to the exact discharge of his duties as a citizen and a father. The admirable education which he had received, combined with his extensive reading, enabled him to bring up his children under his own eye, and to accustom them at an early age to those habits of order and industry to which he himself owed the prosperity he had hitherto enjoyed. He was desirous that Practice should go hand in hand with Theory, and especially that his sons should supply themselves with a variety of things for which the majority of children too frequently invoke the assistance of their servants and seniors. While still in their childhood, therefore, they learned to handle with tolerable adroitness the saw and hammer, and not a plank or a nail was fixed in the house without displaying the more or less skilful handiwork of the young carpenters. Bred up in the country, and almost all of them gifted with a robust constitution, they learned to brave, without danger to their health, the heat, the cold, the rain, and all the extremes of the different seasons. Accustomed to visit the stables and outhouses of their father's farm, they were neither afraid of horses, or cattle, nor of any other kind of domestic animals. At need they could even feed, harness, or drive them. Their father, while thus inuring them to labour and fatigue, was anxious not only to strengthen their constitution, and to lift them above the thousand puerile fears which children too often feel at the sight of animals, but to give them that practical knowledge of the things of common life which can never be acquired from books, and which, by teaching children to rely on their own resources, eventually makes them more useful to their fellow-men, and endows them with a noble independence. Little did he think, however—this wise and thoughtful father-that in this way he was providing his sons with the means, not only of extricating themselves from the most terrible dangers, but more, of ensuring their prosperity and the welfare of all their family. 66 M. Starck's admirable wife, whom he most frequently called my good Elizabeth," was the true type of "a mother of a family." Solely occupied with the cares of her household, she ruled therein with gentleness and good humour. Her love for her children was as enlightened as it was profound; the earnest piety which inspired her soul preserved her from a misjudged weakness towards their faults, but it was seldom that her mild remonstrances proved ineffectual to control them; their respect for her was equal to their affection. Summoned, as we have said, to take possession of a rich inheritance in the New World, M. Starck, in the hope of securing for his family a more advantageous future, did not hesitate to bid farewell to his country and embark for Philadelphia. The beginning of their voyage was singularly fortunate. According to his time-honoured custom, M. Starck took advantage of the novel circumstances which surrounded them to augment his children's stock of practical knowledge. The order and admirable arrangement which prevailed on board the vessel, the intelligent and well-regulated toils of its crew, the wonders of the compass, the capabilities of the helm, all those grand achievements of the art of navigation wherein the powers of calculation and equilibrium work so many marvels, were, during the voyage, a daily and inexhaustible source of instruction and astonishment for the sons of M. Starck. They learned from the sailors to make and unmake those seamen's knots which are at once so simple and so indissoluble; they exercised themselves in hauling in the cables, in working the capstan; and when the carpenter had any repairs to make, were ever ready to assist him. Frederick laboured industriously with an enormous auger; Rudly with his mallet dealt heavy blows on the wooden plugs; and if Ernest did not appear to take so industrious a part as his brothers, he was not the less busy in making a host of curious or useful observations on the manner in which the artizan executed his tasks, whether he shifted, almost unaided, huge logs of timber, or raised them by means of the lever ;-in a word, nothing escaped his vigilance, and he thus enriched his mind and memory with numerous facts which were destined soon to prove of great utility. They had already reached lat. 40° N., and all things conspired to cherish the hope that in ten days their voyage would be ended, when suddenly the winds, hitherto favourable, completely changed, and raged with such fury that, spite of all the skill and energy of the crew, their ship was driven out of her course, a wanderer in unknown seas. A terrible storm arose, and for ten days and nights continued to increase in vehemence. In these terrible circumstances M. Starck and his eldest son, the only one who could take an active part at the pumps, evinced the utmost zeal and self-devotion. But at length, overcome by fatigue, they threw themselves on a mattress in the stern-cabin, where the mother, surrounded by her children, knelt in prayer, and commended to the mercy of God the cherished objects of her affection. While they thus snatched a brief repose, a great clamour was heard upon deck. . . . But we shall now leave M. Starck himself to continue the narrative of this deplorable event, as well as of the strange incidents which followed. May its perusal prove agreeable to our young readers, while demonstrating this important truth, that whatever the severity of the misfortunes with which it is the will of God at times to chasten us, Providence never abandons those who do not abandon themselves! Again she plunges ! hark! a second shock IX days the storm had raged in unbridled fury. On the seventh, far from showing any signs of abatement, it seemed to increase in violence. We were driven towards the southeast, and no one knew in what region we should find ourselves; the ship, all whose masts had gone by the board, leaked heavily; her crew, spent with so many weary days and sleepless nights, no longer addressed themselves to a toil which they considered useless: instead of the usual oaths or noisy songs, only tardy ejaculations of devotion, or low moans of despair, might now be heard; in a word, the alarm and terror were general, and |