own indolence, or to some calamity lately befallen him. From it will be seen that the average native of Uganda has an abundance and a variety of good food, that he is comfortably lodged, as far as his wants require, is well and often married, and is secure from enemies so far as a powerful sovereign and warlike multitudes can command security. Still, there is one thing more that is necessary for his happiness-protection from his sovereign. XXII. JOHN BULL AND BROTHER JONATHAN. BY JAMES KIRKE PAULDING.' JOHN BULL was a choleric' old fellow, who held a 10 good manor in the middle of a great mill pond, and which, by reason of its being quite surrounded by water, was generally called "Bullock Island." Bull was an ingenious man, an exceedingly good blacksmith, a dexterous cutler, and a notable weaver besides. He was, in 15 fact, a sort of Jack-at-all-trades, and good at each. In addition to these, he was a hearty fellow, a jolly companion, and passably honest, as the times go. But what tarnished all these qualities was an exceedingly quarrelsome, overbearing disposition, which was always getting 20 him into some scrape or other. The truth is. he never heard of a quarrel going on among his neighbors but his fingers itched to take a part in it; so that he was hardly ever seen without an arm in a sling or a bruised eye. Such was Squire Bull, as he was commonly called 25 by the country people, his neighbors-one of those odd, testy, grumbling, boasting old fellows that never get credit for what they are, because they are always pretending to be what they are not. The squire was as hard a hand to deal with indoors as out, sometimes treating his family as if they were not the same flesh and blood, when they happened to differ with him in 5 certain matters. One day he got into a dispute with his youngest son, Jonathan, who was familiarly called Brother Jonathan, whether churches ought to be called churches or meetinghouses, and whether steeples were not an abomina-10 tion. The squire, either having the worst of the argument or being naturally impatient of contradiction--I can't tell which-fell into a great passion, and declared he would drive such notions out of the boy's head. So he went to some of his doctors, and had them draw 15 up a prescription made of thirty-nine different articles, many of them bitter enough to some palates. This he tried to make Jonathan swallow; and, finding he made wry faces, and would not do it, fell upon him and beat him soundly. After this he made the house so 20 disagreeable to him that Jonathan, though as hard as a pine knot and as tough as leather, could bear it no longer, Taking his gun and ax, he put himself into a boat and paddled over the mill pond to some new lands, to which the squire pretended to have some sort of claim. 25 Jonathan intended to settle the lands, and build a meetinghouse without any steeple as soon as he grew rich enough. When he got over, he found that the land was quite in a state of nature, covered with wood, and inhab-30 ited only by wild beasts. But, being a lad of spirit, he took his ax on one shoulder and his gun on the other, marched into the thickest of the wood, and clearing a place, built a log hut. Pursuing his labors, and hand ling his ax like a notable woodman, he in a few years cleared the land, which he laid out into thirteen good farms; and building himself a large house, which he partly furnished, began to be quite snug and comfortable. But Squire Bull, who was getting old and stingy, and besides was in great want of money, on account of his having lately been made to pay heavy damages for assaulting his neighbors and breaking their heads-the squire, I say, finding Jonathan was getting well to do in 10 the world, began to be very much troubled about his welfare; so he demanded that Jonathan should pay him a good rent for the land which he had cleared and made good for something. He made up I know not what claim against him, and under different pretences 15 managed to pocket all Jonathan's honest gains. In fact, the poor lad had not a shilling left for holiday occasions; and had it not been for the filial respect he felt for the old man, he would certainly have refused to submit to such impositions. 20 But for all this, in a little time Jonathan grew up to be very large of his age, and became a tall, stout, doublejointed, broad-footed cub of a fellow, awkward in his gait and simple in his appearance, but having a lively, shrewd look, and giving the promise of great strength 25 when he should get his growth. He was rather an odd-looking chap, in truth, and had many queer ways: but everybody who had seen John Bull saw a great likeness between them, and declared he was John's own boy, a true chip of the old block. Like the old squire, he was apt to be blustering and saucy, but in the main was a peaceable sort of careless fellow, that would quarrel with nobody if you let him alone. He used to dress in homespun trousers, and always wore a linsey 30 Woolsey' coat, the sleeves of which were so short that his hand and wrist came out beyond them, looking like a shoulder of mutton; all of which was in consequence of his growing so fast that he outgrew his clothes. While Jonathan was coming up in this way, John 5 Bull kept on picking his pockets of every penny put into them; till at last, one day when the squire was even more than usually pressing in his demands, which he accompanied with threats, Jonathan started up in a passion, and threw a teakettle' at the old man's head.10 The choleric squire was hereupon exceedingly enraged, and after calling the poor lad an undutiful, ungrateful, rebellious rascal, seized him by the collar, and forthwith a furious scuffle ensued. This lasted a long time; for the squire, though in years, was a capital boxer. At 15 last, however, Jonathan got him under, and before he would let him up, made him sign a paper giving up all claim to the farms, and acknowledging the fee simple' to be in Jonathan forever. XXIII. SAINT JONATHAN. BY JOHN G. SAXE.' THERE'S many an excellent Saint: St. Nicholas, so jolly and quaint ; St. Andrew, the saint of the Scot; Is the mightiest saint of the lot! 20 25 He wears a most serious face, Well worthy a martyr's possessing; But it isn't all owing to grace, But partly to thinking and guessing. In sooth, our American Saint Has rather a secular bias, And I never have heard a complaint He's fond of financial improvement, To rank with his calendar neighbors ?" One day when a flash in the air Split his meetinghouse fairly asunder, Quoth Jonathan, "Now-I declare 10 15 They're dreadfully careless with thunder !" 20 So he fastened a rod to the steeple; And now when the lightning comes round He keeps it from building and people By running it into the ground! Reflecting, with pleasant emotion, On the capital job he had done, Quoth Jonathan, "I have a notion Improvements have barely begun ; If nothing's created in vain (As ministers often inform us), The lightning that's wasted, 'tis plain, Is really something enormous !" 25 30 |