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As we had now a strong breeze in our teeth, and as our ship was deep, and did not lie near the wind, we beat about for a good while and made but little of it. A clouded moon shone out upon the sea, and showed it heaving in a strange and tempestuous manner, so that we could not hope that the wreck would hold together for many hours. All this while, the captain walked restlessly about the deck, with his nightglass in his hand, frequently looking out a-head, and appearing to be in great agitation of mind.

"It is going of a fool's errand," said the boatswain, "to seek for these poor fellows. Their last day's cruize is over I'll warrant them, and all we can do for them now is to hope that they have got into snug and quiet births aloft, in a better harbour than the one they have left here." "Amen!" said the mate. The captain turned away from them, and his feet struck hard against the deck, as he paced it irregularly fore and aft.

It was noon next day ere we reached the place where we conjectured the wreck had been, but not a vestige of it remained. The air was now clear, and the sea stretched far and wide, but nothing was to be seen to indicate either that the unhappy sufferers still existed, or that they had been entombed in the waves. The mate and some of the more experienced seamen advised that we should forthwith proceed on our voyage, as it was impossible that the wreck could have outlived the tempest of the night; but the captain was now as anxious to save the lives of these poor men, as he had before been averse to it. His conscience seemed to reproach him for his inhumanity, and he seemed to feel that he would one day be made to account for the sufferings of his fellow-creatures, which he had refused to compassionate. Even when he acknowledged that there was no hope of meeting with the wreck, still he persisted in the search, and a considerable time was spent before he consented to quit the spot. We beat about for several days, but at length we were obliged, with heavy hearts, to stretch away on our

course.

The captain, during the rest of our voyage, seemed much disturbed in his mind. Sometimes he was observed to steal out of his cabin at night, and stand at the bows of the vessel, as if watching for a sail, till morning.

After we had arrived in port, and discharged our cargo, I quitted the ship, as did the whole of my comrades-for we liked not to sail any longer with our captain. He, however, in a short time set out again for Jamaica-but he was never afterwards heard of.

Whatever may have been his fate, it is certain that he never reached the end of his voyage.

THE MIGRATIONS OF A SOLAN GOOSE.*

"WELL, Bryce," said Mrs Maxwell one day to her housekeeper, "what has the gamekeeper sent this week from Maxwell Hall ?” "Why, madam, there are three pair of partridges, a brace of grouse, a woodcock, three hares, a couple of pheasants, and a solan goose."" A solan goose!" ejaculated the lady; "what could induce him to think I would poison my house with a solan goose?" "He knows it is a dish that my master is very fond of," replied Mrs Bryce. "It is more than your mistress is," retorted the lady; "let it be thrown out directly before Mr Maxwell sees it."

The housekeeper retired, and Mrs Maxwell resumed her cogitations, the subject of which was how to obtain an introduction to the French noblesse who had recently taken up their abode in Edinburgh. "Good heavens!" said she, as she hastily rung the bell," how could I be so stupid?-there is nothing in the world that old Lady Crosby is so fond of as a solan goose, and I understand she knows all the French people, and that they are constantly with her.-Bryce," she continued, as the housekeeper obeyed her summons, "is the goose a fine bird?"—" Very fine indeed, madam; the beak is broken, and one of the legs is a little ruffled, but I never saw a finer bird."—" Well, then, don't throw it away, as I mean to send it to my friend Lady Crosby, as soon as I have written a note. Mrs Bryce once more retreated, and Mrs Maxwell, having selected a beautiful sheet of note paper, quickly penned the following effusion:

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"My dear Lady Crosby, permit me to request your acceptance of a solan goose, which has just been sent me from Maxwell Hall. Knowing your fondness for this bird, I am delighted at having it in my power to gratify you. I hope that you continue to enjoy good health. This is to be a very gay winter. By the bye, do you know any one who is acquainted with the French noblesse? I am dying to meet with them. Ever, my dear Lady Crosby, yours truly, M. MAXWELL."

Lady Crosby being out when this billet reached her house, it was opened by one of her daughters. "Bless me, Maria!" she exclaimed to her sister, "how fortunate it was that I opened this note; Mrs Maxwell has sent mamma a solan goose!"-" Dreadful!" exclaimed Eliza; "I am sure if mamma hears of it she will have it roasted immediately, and Captain Jessamy, of the Lancers, is to call to-day, and you know, a roasted solan goose is enough to

*By one of the Authors of "The Odd Volume," "Tales and Legends," &c.

contaminate a whole parish.-I shall certainly go distracted!"→ "Don't discompose yourself," replied Maria; "I shall take good

care to send it out of the house before mamma comes home; meanwhile, I must write a civil answer to Mrs Maxwell's note. I dare say she will not think of alluding to it; but, if she should, mamma, luckily, is pretty deaf, and may never be a bit the wiser." —“ I think,” said Eliza, "we had better send the goose to the Napiers, as they were rather affronted at not being asked at our last musical party; I dare say they will make no use of it, but it looks attentive."-" An excellent thought," rejoined Maria. No sooner said than done; in five minutes the travelled bird had once more changed its quarters.

"A solan goose !" ejaculated Mrs Napier, as her footman gave her the intelligence of Lady Crosby's present. "Pray, return my compliments to her ladyship, and I feel much obliged by her polite attention. Truly," continued she, when the domestic had retired to fulfil this mission, "if Lady Crosby thinks to stop our mouths with a solan goose, she will find herself very much mistaken. I suppose she means this as a peace-offering for not having asked us to her last party. I suppose she was afraid, Clara, my dear, you would cut out her clumsy daughters with Sir Charles." "If I don't, it shall not be my fault," replied her amiable daughter. "I flirted with him in such famous style at the last concert, that I thought Eliza would have fainted on the spot. But what are you going to do with the odious bird?"-" Oh, I shall desire John to carry it to poor Mrs Johnstone." "I wonder, mamma, that you would take the trouble of sending all the way to the Canongate for any such purpose; what good can it do you to oblige people who are so wretchedly poor?"-" Why, my dear," replied the lady, "to tell you the truth, your father, in early life, received such valuable assistance from Mr Johnstone, who was at that time a very rich man, as laid the foundation of his present fortune. Severe losses reduced Mr Johnstone to poverty; he died, and your father has always been intending, at least promising to do something for the family, but has never found an opportunity. Last year, Mrs Johnstone most unfortunately heard that he had it in his power to get a young man out to India, and she applied to 'Mr Napier on behalf of her son, which, I must say, was a very ill-judged step, as showing that she thought he required to be reminded of his promises, which, to a man of any feeling, must always be a grating circumstance; but I have often observed, that poor people have very little delicacy in such points; however, as your papa fancies sometimes that these people have a sort of claim

on him, I am sure he will be glad to pay them any attention that costs him nothing."

Behold, then, our hero exiled from the fashionable regions o the West, and laid on the broad of his back on a table, in a small but clean room, in a humble tenement in the Canongate, where three hungry children eyed with delight his fat legs, his swelling breast, and magnificent pinions. "Oh, mamma, mamma,” cried the children, skipping round the table, and clapping their hands, "what a beautiful goose! how nice it will be when it is roasted! You must have a great large slice, mamma, for you had very little dinner yesterday. Why have we never any nice dinners now, mamma?"—" Hush, little chatter-box," said her brother Henry, a fine stripling of sixteen, seeing tears gather in his mother's eyes. "My dear boy," said Mrs Johnstone, "it goes to my heart to think of depriving these poor children of their expected treat, but I think we ought to send this bird to our benefactress, Lady Bethune. But for her, what would have become of us? While the Napiers, who owe all they have to your worthy and unfortunate father, have given us nothing but empty promises, she has been a consoling and ministering angel, and I should wish to take this opportunity of showing my gratitude; trifling as the offering is, I am sure it will be received with kindness."-"I am sure of it," replied Henry; " and I will run and buy a few nuts and apples to console the little ones for losing their expected feast."

The children gazed with lengthened faces as the goose was carried from their sight, and conveyed by Henry to the house of Lady Bethune, who, appreciating the motives which had dictated the gift, received it with benevolent kindness. "Tell your mother, my dear," said she to Henry, "that I feel most particularly obliged by her attention, and be sure to say that Sir James has hopes of procuring a situation for you; and if he succeeds, I will come over myself to tell her the good news." Henry bounded away as gay as a lark, while Lady Bethune, after having given orders to her butler to send some bolls of potatoes, meal, and a side of fine mutton, to Mrs Johnstone, next issued directions for the disposal of the present she had just received.

"La, madam!" exclaimed Mrs Bryce, as she once more made her appearance before her mistress, "if here be not our identical solan goose come back to us, with Lady Bethune's compliments! I know him by his broken beak and ruffled leg; and as sure as eggs are eggs, that's my master's knock at the door!"-" Run, Bryce! fly!" cried Mrs Maxwell in despair; put it out of sight! give it to the house-dog!"

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Away ran Mrs Bryce with her prize to Towler; and he, not

recollecting that he had any favour to obtain from any one, or that he had any dear friends to oblige, received the present very gratefully, and, as he lay in his kennel,

66 Lazily mumbled the bones of the dead;"

thus ingloriously terminating the migrations of a solan goose.

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