Dip them in or wet them with cold water in the first place, or what is still better apply to them snow or ice. In this way they are warmed more slowly and gradually; and with a great deal more safety. In general, however, there is a still more excellent way of managing. It is to avoid becoming so excessively cold as to be tempted to injure ourselves. There is seldom any need of freezing ourselves, or even of becoming so cold as to expose ourselves to so much suffering. And let me assure you, reader, whether you believe it or not, that "an ounce of prevention," in almost every possible case, "is worth" at least "a pound of cure." sist it with all your might, or you are gone; at least if you are alone. You will sleep quietly, it is true; but your sleep will be the sleep of death. When the French army, under Bonaparte, were retreating from Moscow, they were, in one instance, so much exposed to cold that numbers died. They would begin to feel languid and drowsy, and insist on sitting down; but if they did so, and were disturbed by nobody, they usually rose no more. One surgeon, who knew the danger, and had aroused and saved many, at last began to feel the same sleepiness himself, and-strange to tell!-yielded to it. He was awaked, however, by somebody else, and finally lived to reach his native home, and relate the story. A most solemn warning of the danger there is in such cases; and a wonderful There is one danger to which people, who are so very cold all over, as to be on the point of freezing to death, are exposed. I allude to drowsiness. When ly narrow escape! this drowsiness comes on, you must re THE BIG LIE. ANECDOTE, AND PROVERBS. You have all heard about the savage custom of scalping. When an Indian warrior slays his enemy, he cuts off the skin from the top of the head; and this is called the scalp. There is a curious story connected with this custom. During the old French war, an Indian slew a Frenchman who wore a wig. The warrior stooped down and seized the hair for the purpose of securing the scalp. To his great astonishment, the wig came off, leaving the head bare. The Indian held it up, and, examining it with great wonder, exclaimed in broken English, "Dat one big lie!" He that knows not when to be silent, knows not when to speak. Haste makes waste, and waste makes want. turn them off, or scold them,when their curiosity prompts inqui ry; on the contrary, he was quite glad to have his children ask questions. A savage, said his father, is a human being, who has never been taught or instructed. Just what you might have been, perhaps, had you been born where the people have no schools, or books,or churches, or bibles, or teachers, or ministers, and where they do not know how to make houses or clothes or shoes. Here is the picture of a savage, my son. It is such a savage as is found in New Zealand, many thousand miles off. Those marks in his face are intended to represent marks which the New Zealanders make on their faces, by means of paint, so deep and lasting that they never wear out; it is called tattooing. The dress which he wears is a piece of skin, with the hair outward, covering his body; and partly covering his arms and legs. On his head are feathers; in his ears and on his breast, ornaments; and in his hand, a spear. Savages, you see, know something. They know how to make weapons of war, and ornaments for their bodies. But we need not go so far as New Zealand to find savages. There are thousands of them within the limits of the United States. The people whom we call Indians are most of them savages. Some of the tribes, it is true, are partly civilized; but in general, they are still quite savage. We sometimes say of civilized persons, that they are savage. By this we mean that they are like savages. They are rude in their manners and dirty in their habits; besides being passionate, revengeful, fierce and cruel. How sad a thing it is to see savage people in the midst of civilized society, where there NOTE. Hawkseye, whose story fol- STORY OF HAWKSEYE, AN INDIAN CHIEF. It was on a hill which commanded a fine prospect, in one of the counties of western New York, that the venerable Hawkseye, his squaw Pomouse, their two children, and an old water spaniel resided. Many were the wonderful exploits of this distinguished chief. His sagacity, wisdom and prudence have rendered him as renowned among the red men, as was Solomon among the Israelites. Undoubtedly, much of the wisdom of this venerable Indian was interred with his bones, yet enough sur vives to convince us that he possessed no small share of a good common understanding. It is a trite remark, that but a small share of the wisdom of the wise survives them. So let it be with Hawkseye and his descendants. It is my purpose to mention a very few of the incidents, in the closing scenes, of the eventful life of this celebrated Indian. It would be impossible for me to follow him through his daily avocations, (although this might afford much in STORY OF HAWKSEYE. struction,) or to say how many deer Hawkseye killed, how many ears of corn his wife roasted, or how many times his children played in the woods. All these things I must pass over, and only mention those circumstances which relate to the subject. It was on a time, so says our story, several weeks having passed away in a monotonous manner, when Hawkseye became tired of the dulness of his situation, and looked forward with pleasure to the beginning of the next week, when he intended to give himself a holiday, and enjoy the pleasures of hunting and fishing. Like him, many of us look forward to the time when we can lay aside our studies, and pay or receive visits from our friends with pleasure. The night before Hawkseye set out, he made ready his bow, arrows, and fishing tackle; and the next morning, after a short repast, left the house, say ing to Pomouse, as he went out, The Great Spirit preserve you safely till I return. He passed slowly down the hill accompanied by his faithful dog, and nothing occurred till he had proceeded about a mile, when he saw a huge rattlesnake coiled in his path. Hawkseye, being as superstitious as his forefathers, immediately stopped, pulled out his pipe, and began to smoke it, which he thought would appease the snake's anger; after which he addressed him, calling him Grandfather, and begging him to take charge of his family during his absence. The snake 331 seemed pleased with his attentions, and went on his way. Hawkseye, after passing up and down several small hills, and crossing a wide plain, about noon reached the beautiful lake Honeoye, on the banks of which he found a canoe, probably left there by some other Indian. Without stopping to inquire to whom the boat belonged, he stepped into it and rowed out to the middle of the lake. After catching a sufficient quantity of fish for his dinner, he returned to the shore, kindled a fire, and made a hearty meal. About two o'clock in the afternoon he began to climb the hills which surrounded the lake, resolved in his own mind not to fatigue himself so much as to be unable, on his return home, to go about his proper business. Here we may learn a lesson from Hawkseye. When we are engaged in any amusement, we should not play so hard as to wear out both body and mind; but be prepared to enter upon our respective duties with alacrity. But to continue the history. As Hawkseye passed under a lofty oak, he saw a bear, sitting on one of the largest limbs. He levelled an arrow at him which sunk deep into his head, but did not immediately kill him. On being wounded, the bear tumbled down from the tree, and began to moan piteously. Hawkseye stood by, laughing; then coming up closer to him, he said, "Hark you, bear, you are no warrior, but a coward; for if you were a warrior, you would not whimper so, like an old woman. You understand me very well," said he to the bear, "for you look ashamed enough;" so saying, Hawkseye despatched him with his tomahawk, and carried off the bear's scalp as a trophy of his wonderful victory. After spending several days in this way, and having hunted to his heart's content, he turned his steps toward home. When he had proceeded about half way, he saw a deer a short distance from him, in the thicket. He proceeded cautiously along till within shooting distance, when he fired and brought the deer to the ground. Feeling pretty thirsty, he ran up and applying his mouth to the wound, refreshed himself with the warm blood. He then took off the skin, and having reserved as much of the flesh as he thought he should want, he gave the remainder to his dog. After resting an hour in the shade, he proceeded homewards, and about the middle of the afternoon reached his wigwam. As he entered the door he saw Pomouse seated within, and said to her, in the Indian language, I am returned. She answered him, I am glad. He then sat down, and she related every thing which had happened during his absence. She then hung the large iron kettle over the fire, and put in a piece of the venison which Hawkseye had brought home; the remaining piece being hung, as they thought, in a safe place. The meat lay very quietly in the pot, except when put in motion by the poker of Pomouse. The old water dog, whose appetite had been much improved by his late jaunt, occasionally received a blow from the poker for trying to take what did not belong to him. Towards night, the whole family were ready to sit down to supper. They all seated themselves on the ground in a circle, with the venison on a piece of bark in the centre, and a gourd shell of fresh water, made up their meal. Having eaten as much as necessity required, and the remainder being put by for the morrow, Hawkseye commenced talking to his family, as was the custom of his forefathers; and, as it may not be uninteresting, I will repeat the substance of his conversation here. 66 Hawkseye, after saying much about his ancestors, began to display his wisdom about astronomy, &c. "My children," said he, you once asked me to explain something to you, which, as I am not now occupied, I will endeavour to do. You have seen the moon, which so kindly gives us light, suddenly turn black and withdraw its shining. The way I account for this is, a large cod-fish is trying to swallow the moon, so I make as much noise as possible, and by and by the fish gets frightened, and swims away. You no doubt remember to have often heard a loud noise in the air, which so much frightened you. Now this is nothing more nor less (continued Hawkseye) than the voice of monsters, flying in the air. The earth on which we live is a square, and is placed on the |