AN ENCOUNTER WITH SLAVE HUNTERS.

"Friend," said Phineas, suddenly stepping to the front, and meeting him with a push from his long arms, "thee isn't wanted here."

Down he fell into the chasm, crackling down among trees, bushes, logs, loose stones, till he lay, bruised and groaning, thirty feet below. The fall might have killed him, had it not been broken and moderated by his clothes catching in the branches of a large tree; but he came down with some force, however-more than was at all agreeable or convenient.

[The tale goes on telling us that the cowardly hunters, seeing their leader upset, scampered down the rock and fled.] Well, do stop, then," said Eliza, "and do something for that poor man; he's groaning dreadfully."

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'It would be no more than christian," said George, "let's take him up and carry him on."

"And doctor him up among the quakers!" said Phineas; 'pretty well that! Well, I don't care if we do. Here, let's have a look at him;" and Phineas, who, in the course of his hunting and backwoods life, had acquired some rude experience of surgery, kneeled down by the wounded man, and began a careful examination of his condition.

"Marks," said Tom feebly, "is that you, Marks?"

"No; I reckon 't an't, friend," said Phineas. "Much Marks cares for thee, if his own skin's safe. He's off, long ago.' "I believe I'm done for," said Tom. "The cussed sneaking dog, to leave me to die alone! My poor old mother always told me 't would be so.'

"La sakes! jist hear the poor crittur! He's got a mammy, now," said the old negress. "I can't help kinder pityin' on him."

"Softly, softly; don't thee snap and snarl, friend," said Phineas, as Tom winced and pushed his hand away.

Thee has no chance, unless I stop the bleeding." And Phineas busied himself with making some off-hand surgical arrangements with his own pocket-handkerchief, and such as could be mustered by the company.

"You pushed me down there," said Tom, faintly.

"Well, if I hadn't, thee would have pushed us down, thee sees," said Phineas, as he stooped to apply his bandage. There, there-let me fix this bandage. We mean well to thee; we bear no malice. Thee shall be taken to a house where they'll nurse thee first rate-as well as thy own mother could."

AN ENCOUNTER WITH SLAVE HUNTERS.

In men of his class,

Tom groaned, and shut his eyes. vigour and resolution are entirely a physical matter, and ooze out with the flowing of the blood; and the gigantic fellow really looked piteous in his helplessness.

on.]

[They lift the wounded man into the wagon, and move on. What do you think of him?" said George, who sat by Phineas in front.

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'Well, it's only a pretty deep flesh-wound; but then tumbling and scratching down that place didn't help him much. It has bled pretty freely-pretty much dreaned him out, courage and all; but he'll get over it, and maybe learn a thing or two by it."

"I'm glad to hear you say so," said George. "It would always be a heavy thought to me if I'd caused his death, even in a just cause.'

"Yes," said Phineas, "killing is an ugly operation, any way they'll fix it-man or beast. I've been a great hunter in my day, and I tell thee I've seen a buck that was shot down, and a dying, look that way on a feller with his eye that it reely most made a feller feel wicked for killing on him; and human creatures is a more serious consideration yet, bein', as thy wife says, that the judgment comes to 'em after death. So I don't know as our people's notions on these matters is too strict; and, considerin' how I was raised, I fell in with them pretty considerably."

"What shall we do with this poor fellow ?" said George.

Oh, carry him along to Amariah's. There's old Grandmam Stephens there-Dorcas, they call her-she's most an amazin' nurse. She takes to nursing real natural, and an't never better suited than when she gets a sick body to tend. We may reckon on turning him over to her for a fortnight or so."

A ride of about an hour more brought the party to a neat farm-house, where the weary travellers were received to an abundant breakfast. Tom Loker was soon carefully deposited in a much cleaner and softer bed than he had ever been in the habit of occupying. His wound was carefully dressed and bandaged, and he lay languidly opening and shutting his eyes on the white window-curtains and gently-gliding figures of his sick room, like a weary child. And here, for the present, we shall take our leave of the party.

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

THE SLAVE AND HIS MASTER.-A slave in the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, who had received the gospel, was forbidden by his master to attend the meetings any more; and threatened to be flogged if he did. The poor slave, with truly christian meekness, only answered, “I must tell the Lord that!" This reply had such a powerful effect on the master's mind, that he afterwards allowed him, and all the rest of his slaves, freely to hear the gospel. He has since heard it himself, and permitted preaching in his own house. Thus the Lord employed "the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty."

THE SERVANT AND HIS MASTER.-Mr. R. Rogers, an old nonconformist minister, being once in company with a gentleman of very little seriousness, he told him, "Mr. Rogers I like your company very well, but you are so precise!" Oh, sir,” replied he, "I serve a precise Master."

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THE PREACHING CARPENTER.-Mr. Newton tells of a pious carpenter who used to expound in a room. When he came to a difficult verse, he would say, "We shall pass over this," for he was a humble man. It would be well if some other preachers would do as the carpenter did, and not waste time in trying to unravel mysteries which do not affect the salvation of men, or the comfort of believers.

THE BLACKSMITH WHO WOULD BE A PARSON.-When Dr. Andrews became a bishop, a distant relation, a blacksmith, applied to him to be made a gentleman, i. e., to be ordained and provided with a good benefice. "No," said the bishop, " you shall have the best forge in the country; but not be a parson.' The bishop was a sensible man, and served the blacksmith right.

A GRAND MAYOR'S DINNER, at Norwich, in 1564, cost £2 13s. 11d. A citizen spoke and said, "Huzza for all our friends who have a penny in their purse, and an English heart in their bellies, to keep out Spanish Dons and papists, with their faggots to burn our whiskers !"

and

PLAIN DEALING.-Sinner, do not deceive thyself to hope for heaven, and do the work of hell; if thou dost expect to go in with Christ, and enjoy God and glory hereafter, daily use the means, go in the way of heaven here. There is an agreement between the way and the end; they answer one another as face answereth face in the water; or as wax and the seal; the voice and the echo do answer each other. If thy heart and life ery heaven, heaven, then thy end or death will cry heaven; but if life and practice cry hell, hell, thine end, like the echo to the voice, will cry hell, hell. As men brew they drink, and receive wages according to their work.

THE FIRESIDE.

DIGNITY OF THE CHRISTIAN-Christian, hath thy renewed heaven-born soul the impress of the divine image upon it? Cæsar's coin had Cæsar's image. Is holiness to the Lord engraven upon thy heart? There is a resplendent beauty in the believer; no son so much like a father, no daughter so much like her mother, as the saint is like God. What is brave silken habit upon the body, earrings, jewels upon the neck, plaited hair, curls, towers, spots, and paints on the face and forehead, to a sanctified heart. Grace is glory in its nonage, and glory is grace grown up to its perfect stature. The time cannot be long between a christian's conversion and his coronation.

POWER OF FAITH.-Faith makes all evil good to us, and all good better; unbelief makes all good evil to us, and all evil worse. Faith laughs at the shaking of the spear; unbelief trembles at the shaking of a leaf. Faith finds food in-famine, and a table in the wilderness. In greatest danger faith answers, "I have a great God; when outward strength is broken, faith answers, "The promises are strong still." Then faith pulls out the sting of trouble, and draws out the wormwood of every affliction.

The Fireside.

ON MOTHERS CONDUCTING FAMILY WORSHIP.

We can see no good reason why a christian mother, in the husband's absence, should not be willing and happy to gather the children as usual, read the accustomed scripture, and then offer up an appropriate prayer. There is nothing unfeminine or indelicate in it, nothing that need be embarrassing, nothing at all so difficult or inappropriate as when praying in the presence of females alone, as many are accustomed to do in their social meetings. While, on the other hand, we think it quite as practicable as it is christian, and are fully persuaded that as soon as the first embarrassment is over, this would become a service which the lonely wife would be exceedingly reluctant to give up, on account of the encouragement and comfort it gave her. During those few moments, she would seem to meet the absent one at the throne of grace, and hold sacred intercourse there. How much less anxiety, too, would she probably feel, after having thus committed herself, and all her precious interests, unto Him who has promised to care for those who cast all their cares on him. We are also confident that the happiest influence would go forth from such a daily service upon children and others who might chance to witness it. It would more than perpetuate the daily service; the fact that the mother assumes it rather than have it once omitted, will deepen the wonted impression of it; and to our watchful Father in heaven we are sure it

THE PENNY POST BOX.

would be one of the sweetest offerings that earth can send up before him.

We plead for the service also on the very good ground of its influence upon the absent husband and father. Wherever he may be, he is apt to be thoughtful, if not sad, when the hour of family worship at home comes round; and we make appeal to any christian father to say whether anything could give him purer satisfaction in his absence than to know that at the appointed hour his household are at their accustomed place, while the wife leads their thoughts to God, or intercedes with him for his blessing upon them and upon their absent head.

The Penny Post Box.

THE UNTAXED LOAF QUESTION.

We put aside a letter or two which we have received, that we may ourselves say a few words to our many readers on this important question-a question than which none can be more important to fathers, and mothers, and children-for they all eat bread. During the present month, and during some of its hottest days, and they were very hot, a General Election has been carried on for Members of Parliament upon the question whether bread should be again taxed or not. At the time we write this, the Elections are not completed, but so far we believe they are on the side of the Untaxed Loaf. Indeed, that would be a very bold Government and a very bold Parliament which would dare to tax the poor man's loaf again. And the gentlemen who would desire to do it, or attempt to do it, ought to be ashamed of themselves, for they can have bread whether it be dear or cheap; but if it be dear, the poor, with their low wages, cannot then buy enough for themselves and their children. The fact is, that the landlords who wish to tax the poor man's loaf are not honest men. They pretend to do this for the sake of the farmers and the labourers, when every one knows that they do it all for their own benefit; that they may keep up their rents. And the farmers are beginning to find this out. We are just come back from a County Election, at which formerly there used to be hundreds of farmers; but this morning there were not a score to be seen! They all stayed away. We asked the gentlemen where they were, and they said they were making hay! The fact is, they would not come to be bamboozled by esquires and parsons any longer, and we were glad they did not. Their absence was like voting blank against the landlords. If any talk to you about taxing corn, tell them it is a rich-rate for them that are already rich enough, and you will have nothing to do with it. GOD sends us all cheap bread, and no man has any right to tax it. July 15, 1852.