er knook twenty living men on the head than hear one blow given to a dead one." So saying, and having again briefly entreated my care of his sister, he followed the corpse out, while the unfortunate maniac, quite contrary to my expectations made no farther opposition. She leant for a time against the window without speaking a word, and when I tried to persuade her to return, very calmly replied," with all my heart. To what purpose should I stay here since they have taken my father from me? They'll hang him now, and I can not help it." "My poor girl, your father is dead." Nancy smiled contemptuously, and, passing her hand across her brow as if exhausted, said, "I am ready to faint; will you be kind enough to fetch me a glass of water." She did, indeed, seem ready to drop, and I went down into the kitchen to fetch the water. Seven or eight smugglers were there keeping watch over the peasants, and the sentinel, mistaking me for an enemy, levelled his pistol at my head; but the priming flashed in the pan, and, before he could repeat the attack, an old man, who had often seen me with Frank, stepped between us just in good time to save me by his explanation. Upon telling him my purpose he directed me to the well in the yard, at the same time putting a lantern into my hand with a caution to "look to the rotting tackling."--A caution that was not given without good reason, for the wood-work round the well was so decayed that it would scarcely bear the action of the cylinder. In a few minutes 1 had drawn up the bucket, and hastened back to Nancy with a jug full of the water. To my great surprise she was gone, and I now saw-too late indeed, that her request for water was merely a trick to get rid of me, that she might the better escape, though, what her farther object in it might be, 1 could not possibly divine. It was not long, however, before I learnt this too; for on looking out of the window, I saw her, with the lamp still in her hand, pushing out to sea in a small skiff, that was half afloat, and held only by a thin cable. How she contrived to throw off the rope I know not, but she did contrive itperhaps she had the knife with her, and cut it. Be this as it may, she was pushing off amidst the breakers that burst about her most tremendously, and kept up a most violent surf for at least half a mile from the shore. Was not this under the idea of rescuing her father? In an instant I gave the alarm, and the smugglers, leaving the peasants to do their worst, hurried off with me to the beach. Nancy was now about a hundred yards from the shore in the midst of a furious surge, for though it was too dark to see her, the glimmer of the lamp was visible every now and then as the boat rose upon the waters. "By G-d! it's of no use," said the old smuggler," No skiff can get through them breakers." "Well, but she has." "Not yet, Master-see-the light's gone- it's all up with her now." The light had indeed gone, and not as before to rise again with the rise of the waters. Minute after minute elapsed, and still all was dark upon the waves, and the next morning the corpse of Nancy Woodriff was found on the sands, about half a mile from the place where she had first pushed off amid the breakers. Original Poetry. (Monthly Magazines.) FAREWELL TO MY FRIENDS. Oh! wear no mourning weeds for me, when I am laid i'the ground; And lay the heartease on my breast, meet emblem there 'twill be: And when the church-bell tolls for me its last long heavy knell— My nurse!-Oh she will only wait till I am fast asleep; 1 My dog!-poor fellow !-let him not know hunger, hardship, wrong- My dwelling-that will pass away to those, when I am gone, My flowers-that in deep loneliness have been as friends to me- My picture that's already yours, resemblance true, ye say; So then, I've nothing more to ask, and little left to give; And so farewell, my dear good friends! And farewell, world! to thee- 3 SCOTTISH SONG. BY ALLAN CUNNINGHAM. THOU hast vow'd by thy faith, my Jeanie, And I have sworn by my faith, my Jeanie, Foul fa' the hand wad loose sic band, Thy white arm wad be a pillow to me, And love wad winnow o'er us his kind wings, And sweetly we'd sleep, and soun': The wind is sweet amang the new flowers, THE FARMER AND THE COUNSELLOR. A Counsel in the Common Pleas, In bullying, bantering, browbeating, So having tipp'd the wink to those Who kept their laughter bottled down "Well, Farmer Numscull, how go calves at York ?" "Why-not, Sir, as they do wi' you, But on four legs instead of two.' IT'S HAME AND IT'S HAME. BY ALLAN CUNNINGHAM. THE following Song is noticed in the introduction to the Fortunes of Nigel, and part of it is sung by Richie Moniplies. It is supposed to come from the lips of a Scottish Jacobite exile. The chorus is old. 1. It's hame and it's hame, hame fain would I be, O, hame, hame, hame to my ain countree; There's an eye that ever weeps, and a fair face will be fain, The lark shall sing me hame in my ain countree. 2. It's hame and it's hame, hame fain would I be, O hame, hame, hame to my ain countree; The green leaf of loyalty's beginning for to fa', But I'll water't with the blood of usurping tyrannie, And green it will grow in my ain countree. 3. It's hame and it's hame, hame fain I would be, 4. It's hame and it's hame, hame fain would I be, For the following short, but agreeable account of an excursion into the interi rior of Norway, we are indebted to Mr. William Bullock; whose object, the procuring of a herd of Rein-deer,* will explain several of the allusions in his letter, which contains as natural and spirited a sketch of the Country and its inhabitants as we have ever seen comprised within so small a compass, and presented in so unaffected a form.] Roraas, March 8, 1822. Dear, AS I imagined a detailed account of my route from Christiana to this place would be neither amusing nor interesting, I shall only remark that I performed the journey in four days, the first two on horseback; and afterwards in sledges which I think a pleasant mode of conveyance. On the evening of the first, and morning of the second day, I passed a part of Lake Moisen, the largest body of fresh water in Norway, and I believe upwards of 80 miles long, though not more than 7 broad. I several times left the road, and followed for miles the course of the Glomme, a rapid river, but at this time hard frozen; and on Sunday evening last I arrived at Roraas in good health and spirits. My first inquiries, on Monday morning, were for the Laplanders, or, as they are here called, Fins. There were none in the town, but I was informed that at Northveigan, about 24 miles distant, I should find eight coys or houses. I immediately determined to visit them, and for that purpose laid in a stock of brandy and tobacco, without which, I was given to understand, it would be impossible to conclude any kind of a bargain with them; and having engaged a guide with a couple of sledges, I set out early on Tuesday morning, accompanied by my Interpreter. Our way lay up a small river which runs from the great Lake Oresund, and there being but little snow upon the ice, we found the travelling delightful. The morning was extremely cold, but, wrapt in my reinskin coat, wolf gloves, fin shoes, and large boots, I felt as warm and comfortable as if seated beside a good fire in London. We had proceeded about six miles, when my guide pointed out a party of Fins, with their sledges and So great deer, coming towards us. was my anxiety to meet them, that I put my horse into a full gallop, and in a few moments put myself into the snow by upsetting my sledge; this a little cooled my ardour, and I thought it prudent, on regaining my seat, to proceed at a more moderate pace. The Fin party consisted of six men and four women; they all saluted me by taking off their caps, and seemed not a little astonished at finding a person amongst them who could neither speak Norwegian nor Finish. On my Interpreter's telling them I was an Englishman from London, and the person with whom Jans and his wife lived, they all at once exclaimed-" Ya so, Jans an Caren, ya so, ya so." Caren's brother was one of the party, but like the rest, made few enquiries after her. On my asking if they had any deer to sell, they wished to know if we had not a dram to give them: this we refused, as we could not get to it without great trouble; upon which a Swedish Fin said, he could not think what kind of people we were, not to have so much as a drop of brandy. The deer, when we met, seemed in the last stage of exhaustion, their tongues hanging out and panting as if ready to drop, but upon the signal being given, they instantly set off at a long swinging trot, and their drivers sprung dextrously to their seats. I observed that in consequence of the sledges being laden, both men and women sat astride on them. After watching their progress for a few minutes we again renewed our journey,and in a short time arrived at a farm-house, where we stopped to feed our horses. Nailed over the door, I with grief of heart saw a pair of the Red-throated *See Ath. vol, x. p. 206. Diver, and on going in found a string of their eggs, as well as those of the great Cock of the wood and Ptarmagan. Here we got excellent boiled milk and flap bread; having partaken of which and refreshed our horses, we again set out for Northveigan. As we advanced we found the snow deeper, and the track we were to follow scarce discernible. Upon hearing my Interpreter call out, I looked back, and could but just see his hat and his horse's tail; he had gone too near the edge of the path, his horse missed its footing, fell headlong into the soft snow, and dragged driver and sledge after him they were not without some difficulty extricated from their disagreea ble situation. This accident made us more careful, and we proceeded so slowly that it was near 12 o'clock before we arrived at some houses, three miles distant from the place of our destination. Here we found the wife of the person at whose abode we were to stop, who, having heard that one of her neighbour's cows was sick, had come over in her sheas or snow-skates to see the patient. When she understood we were to be her visitors, she gave her sheas to our guide, and putting on her jacket of rein calf-skin, took her station behind my sledge. I offered her my seat, but she would by no means accept of it. After passing an arm of Lake Oresund, our road lay through a wood, trackless as if no foot had passed it for ages, though our Hostess had gone that way in the morning, and no snow had fallen in the interval; but the wind drifting the lighter particles of that already fallen, soon fills up all traces of those who traverse these wintry deserts. On my arrival 1 presented a letter from the Director of the copper-works at Roraas to the burly looking master of Northveigan: who, though his dress and general appearance reminded me strongly of the hero of Old Mortality, was as good-natured a simple fellow as I ever met with. After having set before us boiled fish, called Seak, caught in the neighbouring lake, he offered to accompany us to the Fins, who were sitting (as it is 14 ATHENEUM VOL 12. here termed) about three miles distant. I was too anxious to get amongst these extraordinary people to refuse his of fer. Having taken off my large boots, retaining only a pair of shoes made of rein-skin, we set out, taking with us a small keg of brandy, which we determined to administer as sparingly as possible; but without which it was needless to go, if we expected to be treated civilly. After a little more than an hour's walk, the barking of three or four small dogs informed us we were approaching the Coy, and a few minutes afterwards, a full chorus of between twenty and thirty curs welcomed us to the abodes of these children of nature. At first I only observed one man, standing with his hands thrust into the breast of his Mud, or upper garment: seeing we were strangers, he busied himself in driving away the swarm of dogs which surrounded us, and invited us into his coy (I was going to say, but I think improperly, as every house contains three and often four large families). On entering we found several women at work, some making purses, others clothes, a couple dressing skins, and two or three men lolling on the reindeers' hides spread for the purpose of sitting or sleeping on. They immediately moved to make room for us, and one of the women prepared a seat for me, by covering her work-box with a skin; but this place of honour I was soon obliged to relinquish ; being raised by it about a foot from the ground, I was under the necessity of bending for ward, which brought my face so much over the fire that my eyes would have been great sufferers had I maintained my post. By pushing the box from under me, and putting myself on a level with the inhabitants of the mansion, I found my situation much more comfortable. Accustomed as I had been to the Fins, and acquainted as I was with their manner of living, it was not without difficulty I could bring myself to think the miserable hut in which I was seated, was not rather a temporary retreat from the storm which had just arisen, than the chosen residence of the beings who surrounded me. |