of his person visible, except the sole of one foot, which is fastened over the horse's back as a purchase by which to pull himself to an upright position.

3. In this attitude he can ride for any distance, and, moreover, can use with deadly effect either his bow or his fourteen-foot lance. One of their favorite modes of attack is to gallop toward the enemy at full speed, and

then, just before they come within range, to drop upon the opposite side of their horses, dash by the foe, and pour upon him a shower of arrows directed from under the horses' necks, and sometimes even from under their bodies-the warriors themselves being wholly protected by the bodies of their flying steeds.

4. Sometimes the Comanches try to steal upon their

enemies by leaving their lances behind them, slinging themselves along the sides of their horses, and approaching carelessly, as though it were a troop of wild horses, roaming without riders. A quick eye is needed to detect this ruse, which is generally betrayed by the fact that the horses always keep the same side toward the spectator, which would seldom be the case were they wild and unrestrained in their movements.

5. Every warrior has one favorite horse, which he never mounts except for war or the chase, using inferior animals on ordinary occasions. Swiftness is the chief quality for which the charger is selected, and for no price could the owner be induced to part with him. Like all uncivilized people, he treats his horse with a strange mixture of cruelty and kindness. While engaged in the chase, for example, he spurs and whips him most ruthlessly; but the moment he returns, the horse is handed over to his women, who greet him with caresses and provide for his comfort, as though he were the most cherished member of the family.

6. The mode in which these Indians supply themselves with horses is bold and strange. In various parts of the country large bands of horses have run free for many years, so that they have lost all traces of domestication, and have become as truly wild as the buffalo or antelope-assembling in herds, which are headed by the strongest and swiftest animals.

7. It is from these herds that the warriors supply themselves with the horses which have of late years become absolutely necessary to them; and in most cases they are captured in fair chase. When a Comanche wishes to catch a fresh horse, he mounts his best steed and goes in search of the nearest herd. When he comes as near as he desires without being discovered, ho

dashes toward them at full speed, and, singling out one of the horses as it gallops along hampered by the multitude of its companions, throws his lasso over its neck.

8. When the noose has fairly settled, the hunter leaps off his own steed-which is trained to remain standing on the same spot until it is wanted-and allows himself to be dragged along by the affrighted animal, which soon falls, in consequence of being choked by the lariat.

9. Then the hunter comes cautiously up-holding the lariat tight enough to keep the animal from entirely recovering its breath, and yet sufficiently loose to guard against strangulation--and at last is able to place one hand over its eyes and the other over its nostrils. The horse is now at his mercy.

10. In order to impress upon it the fact of its servitude, he hobbles its fore feet for a time, and fastens a noose to its lower jaw; but within a wonderfully short period he is able to remove the hobbles, and ride his conquered prize into camp. During the time occupied in taming the horse, it plunges in the wildest manner; but after this one brief battle, it yields the point and becomes the willing slave of its master.

CAPTAIN HOBBES.

SELF-RELIANCE.

Man is his own star, and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early, or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill.

JOHN FLETCHER.

LESSON XXIX.

THE DREAM OF EUGENE ARAM.

PART FIRST.

Wick'ets, gate-like frames used | Re mōte', far from; distant.

in playing cricket.

Ush'er, an assistant teacher.

U'ni vers'al, affecting all.

Sprites, souls; spirits.

WAS in the prime of summer time,

'TWA

'Tnd evening calm and cool,

And four-and-twenty happy boys

Came bounding out of school:

There were some that ran, and some that leapt,
Like troutlets in a pool.

2. Away they sped with gamesome minds,
And souls untouched by sin;

To a level mead they came, and there
They drove the wickets in;
Pleasantly shone the setting sun
Over the town of Lynn.

3. Like sportive deer they coursed about,
And shouted as they ran,

Turning to mirth all things of earth,
As only boyhood can;

But the usher sat remote from all,
A melancholy man!

4. His hat was off, his vest apart,

To catch heaven's blessed breeze;

For a burning thought was in his brow,
And his bosom ill at ease:

So he leaned his head on his hands, and read
The book between his knees!

5. Leaf after leaf, he turned it o'er, Nor ever glanced aside;

For the peace of his soul that book he read

In the golden even-tide:

Much study had made him very lean,
And pale, and leaden-eyed.

6. At last he shut the ponderous tome,
With a fast and fervent grasp,
He strained the dusky covers close,
And fixed the brazen hasp:
"O God! could I so close my mind,
And clasp it with a clasp!"

7. Then, leaping to his feet upright,
Some moody turns he took,-

Now up the mead, then down the mead,
And past a shady nook,—
And, lo! he saw a little boy
That pored upon a book!

8. "My gentle lad, what is't Romance or fairy fable?

Or is it some historic page

you

read

Of kings and crowns unstable?"

The young boy gave an upward glance,-
"It is, "The Death of Abel.""

9. The usher took six hasty strides,
As smit with sudden pain,-

Six hasty strides beyond the place,
Then slowly back again;

And down he sat beside the lad,

And talked with him of Cain;