passing and repassing among the pits, looking with careful attention about them, whispering to one another, motioning with their chins, and winking their eyes in the direction of the grave.

The Spaniards now grew suspicious themselves, and, uneasy and fearful, they decided to take the body from the place it was in and bury it somewhere else, so that if the Indians searched for it, they would not be so sure of finding it, and the search would be more difficult. For, as the Spaniards knew and said, if the Indians suspected that a body was buried there, they would dig the whole plain up with their hands, and never rest until they found it. And if they found that the body was that of De Soto, then they would wreak upon him, dead, what they would not dare even think of in his presence, living.

Then came the inspiration to bury their leader in the Great River itself which he had discovered; there, and there alone, said the officers, would the body be safe from savage insult and outrage. His good friend Juan d'Añasco, and four other captains undertook to sound for a proper place. Taking with them a Biscayan sailor who was clever with the lead, they rowed over in the evening to the middle of the river, and while pretending to fish, sounded it, and found in the channel a depth of nineteen fathoms. There they decided should be the grave.

As there were no stones in that region with which to weight the body and sink it to the bottom, they had a large oak tree felled, in the trunk of which was hollowed out a place the length of a man. De Soto's body was taken up and placed in the oak. There he lay as in a coffin, and the opening was carefully closed.

The cavaliers and priests carried the trunk to a boat, and rowing out to midstream, and recommending the soul of their

leader to God, they dropped his body overboard-saw it sink to the bottom of the Mississippi-the mighty bed for the mighty sleep.

GRACE KING was born in New Orleans in 1852. She has written a number of books as well as many short stories for the magazines. "De Soto and His Men in the Land of Florida" is the name of one of her books on historical themes. "New Orleans, the Place and the People," and "Balcony Stories" are among her most interesting books. "The Burial of De Soto " is here given with the consent of the Macmillan Company.

1. De Soto was buried in the Mississippi River. He had discovered the Mississippi River.

De Soto was buried in the Mississippi River, which he had discovered. 2. De Soto discovered the Mississippi River. He died in 1542.

De Soto, who discovered the Mississippi River, died in 1542.

3. The driver carries a stick. The stick is four feet in length and two inches in thickness. The stick is armed at one end with a long iron spike.

The driver carries a stick, which is four feet in length and two inches in thickness, and which is armed at one end with a long iron spike. Combine: 1. He darted through a window. The window was open.

2. The good child dreams of trees. The trees bear delicious fruit. 3. The otter's name was Mons. He improved greatly.

The sentences that you have made are called complex sentences. A complex sentence consists of two or more parts called clauses. The most important of these clauses is called the independent clause; the other or others are the dependent clauses.

Draw lines under the independent clauses in your sentences.

THE MAGNET

In days of old there was a shepherd whose name was Magnes. One of Magnes' sheep went astray, and he went to the mountains to search for it.

He reached a spot where there were only bare rocks. As he

walked over the rocks, he began to be conscious that his boots were adhering to them. He felt them with his hand. The rocks were dry, and did not stick to his hands. He started to walk on; still his boots stuck fast.

He sat down, took off one of his boots, and holding it in his

hands, began to touch the rocks with it. When he touched them with the leather on the sole, it did not adhere; but when he touched them with the nails, then they adhered.

Magnes had a crook with an iron point. He touched the stones with the wood; it did not adhere. But when he touched them with the iron, it clung so powerfully that he had to pull it away by main force.

Magnes examined the stone, saw that it was like iron, and carried some pieces home with him. From that time they understood this stone, and called it touchstone, or magnet.

Magnets are found in the ground in the form of iron ore. The best iron is obtained from such ore.

If a piece of iron is put on the magnetic ore, the iron also begins to attract other pieces of iron. And if a steel needle is placed on a magnet and kept there for some time, then the needle itself becomes a magnet and is able to attract iron to itself.

If a needle is magnetized by being left some time with a magnet, and is balanced on a point in such a way that it will move freely on the point, then no matter in which way the magnetic needle is turned, as soon as it is set free, it will come to rest with one end pointing to the south, the other pointing to the north. The north-seeking end is called the south pole and the south-seeking end, the north pole.

If two magnetized needles are laid side by side with their like poles adjoining, the ends will repel each other; but if laid together with unlike poles adjoining, the ends will attract each other. If a magnetic needle is broken in two, then again each half will attract at one end and repel at the other. And if it is broken again, the same thing will happen. No matter how

many times it is broken, it will always be the same like ends repelling, unlike ends attracting; just as though the magnet pushed with one end and pulled with the other. And however often you break it, one end will always push and the other pull.

Before the magnet was discovered men did not dare to sail very far out on the sea. Whenever they sailed out of sight of land, they could judge only by the sun and the stars where they were going. But if it was stormy, and the sun and stars were hidden, they had no way of telling where their course lay; so the vessel would often drift before the wind, and be dashed on the rocks and go to pieces.

Until the discovery of the magnet men did not sail on the ocean far from land; but after it was discovered, they made use of the magnetic needle balanced on the point so as to turn freely. By means of this needle they could tell in which direction they were sailing. With the magnetic needle they began to make long voyages far from land, and afterwards they discovered many new countries.

There is always on board ship a magnetic needle, called the compass. They have also a measuring line with knots at the stern of the ship. The line is so constructed that it unwinds and tells how fast the vessel is sailing.

Thus it is, that sailors can tell where they are at a given time, and whether they are far from land, and in which direction they are going.

a-stray', out of the right way. ad-her ́ing, sticking to.

LEON TOLSTOI.

mag'ne-tized, made to have the

power to attract iron or steel. con-struct ́ed, made and adjusted.