land over which he rules as king, then am I a rebel, for I have done all these, and only because of my words did the king, my father, take up arms against the might and power of Rome. I am the chief rebel." Now the prefect saw that the girl spoke the truth, and that she had indeed kept her pledge. Thy father and his city are pardoned," he announced after a few moments. "Remain thou here, thou and thy companions, as hostages for Britain until such time as I shall determine upon the punishment due to one who is so fierce a rebel against the power of Rome." So the siege of Camalodunum was raised, and the bloodless rebellion ended. Constantius the prefect took up his residence, for awhile within King Coel's city. Then at last he returned to his command in Gaul and Spain, well pleased with the spirit of the little girl whom, so he claimed, he still held in his power as the prisoner of Rome. chop'py, rough with waves. trai'tors, those who betray. co'hort, a division of the Roman army. ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS. pre'fect, a Roman officer. com'pact, an agreement. ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS (1846-1902) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. When he was thirteen years old, his parents removed to New York City, where the boy was educated in the Free Academy. He was fond of literature and history, and early became a writer. Most of his books are very interesting to young people. Among them are "Historic Boys," "Historic Girls," in which this story of "Helena" is found, and "The Century Book for Young Americans." The selection is used by permission of G. P. Putnam's Sons. AMONG THE PEARLS I "You "Here we are, M. Arronax," said Captain Nemo.. see that inclosed bay? Here, in a month, will be assembled the JULES VERNE numerous fishing-boats of ex porters, and these are "Happily, this bay is well situated for that kind of fishing. It is sheltered from the strongest winds; the sea is never rough here,-a condition that makes it favorable for the divers' work. We will now put on our dresses, and begin our walk." Soon we were enveloped to the throat in india-rubber clothing; the air apparatus was fixed to our backs by braces. . One last question remained to ask Captain Nemo. "And our arms?" asked I; "our guns?" "Guns! what for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with a dagger, and is it not surer than lead? Here is a strong blade; put it in your belt, and we start." I looked at my companions; they were armed like us, and, more than that, Ned Land was brandishing an enormous harpoon, which he had placed on the boat before leaving the Nautilus. Then, following the captain's example, I allowed myself to be dressed in the heavy copper helmet, and our reservoirs of air were at once in activity. An instant after, we were landed, one after the other, in about two feet of water upon an even sand. Captain Nemo made a sign with his hand, and we followed him by a gentle declivity, till we disappeared under the waves. Over our feet, like coveys of snipe in a bag, rose shoals of fish, of a genus that have no other fins but their tail. I recognized the Javanese, a real serpent, two and a half feet long, of a livid color underneath, which might easily be mistaken for a conger eel, if it were not for the golden stripes on its sides. The heightening sun lit the mass of waters more and more. The soil changed by degrees. To the fine sand succeeded a perfect causeway of boulders, covered with a carpet of small plant-like animals. About seven o'clock we found ourselves at last surveying the oyster-banks, on which the pearl-oysters are produced by millions. In a moment there opened before us a large grotto dug in a picturesque heap of rocks and carpeted with all the thick warp of the submarine flora. After descending a rather sharp declivity, our feet trod the bottom of a kind of circular pit. There Captain Nemo stopped, and with his hand indicated an object that I had not yet perceived. It was an oyster of extraordinary dimensions, a giant of its kind. I approached this wonderful mollusk, which adhered to a table of granite, and there isolated, developed itself in the calm waters of the grotto. Captain Nemo was evidently acquainted with the existence of this bivalve. He seemed also to have a particular reason for making sure of its condition. The shells were a little open. The captain came near and put his dagger between to prevent them from closing. Then with his hand he raised the membrane with its fringed edges, which formed a cloak for the creature. There, between the folded plaits, I saw a loose pearl, whose size equaled that of a cocoanut. Its globular shape, perfect clearness, and admirable luster made it altogether a jewel of ' highest value. Carried away by my curiosity, I stretched out my hand to seize it, weigh it, and touch it; but the captain stopped me, made a sign of refusal, and quickly withdrew his dagger. The two shells closed suddenly. I then understood Captain Nemo's intention. In leaving this pearl hidden in the mantle of the bivalve, he was allowing it to grow slowly. Each year the secretions of the mollusk would add new concentric layers. I estimated its value at five hundred thousand pounds at least. After ten minutes Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. I thought that he had halted with a view to returning. No; by a gesture he bade us crouch beside him in a deep fissure of the rock, and his hand pointed to one part of the liquid mass, which I watched attentively. About five yards from me a shadow appeared, and sank to the ground. The disquieting idea of sharks shot through my mind, but I was mistaken; and once again it was not a monster of the ocean that we had anything to do with. It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, who, I suppose, had come to glean before the harvest. I could see the bottom of his canoe anchored some feet above his head. dived and went up successively. He A stone cut in the shape of a sugar-loaf, and held between his feet, while a rope fastened him to the boat, helped him to descend more rapidly. This was all his apparatus. Reaching the bottom, about five yards deep, he dropped on his knees and filled his bag with oysters picked up at random. Then he went up, emptied it, pulled up his stone, and once more began the operation, which lasted thirty seconds. The diver did not see us. The shadow of the rock hid us from sight. And how should this poor Indian ever dream that men, beings like himself, should be there under the water, watching his movements, and losing no detail of the fishing? Several times he went up in this way, and dived again. He did not carry away more than ten oysters at each plunge, for he was obliged to pull them from the bank to which they adhered. And how many of those, for which he risked his life, had no pearl in them! I watched him closely, and for half an hour no danger appeared to threaten him. ex-port'ers, those who send things de-cliv'i-ty, a sharp descent. I was beginning to accustom myself to the sight of this interesting fishing, when suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make a gesture of terror, rise, and make a spring to return to the surface of the sea. I understood his |