Natalie

lory o'er th

gentle winds th

joy upon thy

well, bark

HEM

knows when we s

old fear thrillin

reezes up the

'S "ROMEO A

the low, clear voice of the Sea-flower soothe the weary spirits of Mrs.

f Nant., Capt. I. W. Grosvenor, eighty days from home; had taken seventy barrels of sperm oil, an

me in less than two years, at that rate, and then he pr

ded; but for all that, my son, you will meet with many hardships, of which you little know. I would wish you never to follow the sea, my boy, but if you are still determined upon it, when your father returns I shall have to give my consent, th

told him of his father, who had gone away over the blue water, to get such pretty things for his boy, had grown to be a tall lad of fifteen years; and well might she have been proud of he

in my heart, and wherever I go, in whatever circumstances I am placed, I will be true to y

h; that she had been selfish in wishing to have him always near her; and she observed th

ears are of innocence, frisk the tender lambs, who taste only of the sweets of the green pasture:--"I shall see what old ocean is made of." Far away in coral dells, where the nymphs of ocean tune their harps in praise to Nature's God, the Sea-flower loves to ramble, as if she had been a child in time long past, and the mysteries of ocean were that childhood's home. Ah, loved one, thou dost not pause to find what 'tis which makes thy heart to beat in unison w

he prayers of your mother." As she retired early for the night, feeling slightly indisposed, she met the gaze of Harry, which was fixed upon her, attributing its uncommon earnestness to a determination on his part t

oulder, where they remained, until Sea-flower, reminding him of the lateness of the hour, was about to retire, when her brothe

who are always so light-hearte

r. I was thinking of mother; it is a comfort to me tha

time when father shall come home; and I think she flatters herself that she can dissu

glow of the fire-light, the Sea-flower must have noticed his agitation, as she looked up for the go

r this night's execution, laid fast hold of him. Can it be possible that the boy is about to forget those last words of his mother? No, they are still sounding in his ear; and his promise, "I will not forget the prayers of my mother." But does he consider, in the step which he is about to tak

fresh courage; every nerve thrills with new life, and kissing the inanimate canvas, as if it were indeed his dear mother and sister, he tore himself away from home. Walking rapidly down the deserted street, without venturing a look back, he passes many an endeared object; the old white church, where he has been accustomed to worship, Sunday after Sunday, for many years, holds high its head in the bright moonlight, and the hands of the old town clock upon the tower, seem to beckon him to return. He falters; it would seem as if the very doors of the church would open and receive him. Throwing down the bundle, he kneels upon the door-stone, and breathes a prayer to heaven, to bless those who will enter therein when he shall be gone. Pressing his lips to the cold stone where they have trod, he rises, when lo! standing by his s

ines were cast off, and the ship began to recede from the shore. O, Harry, could you leave the companion of your infancy thus, made fast to a yard rope, to shiver in the night air? It was his only alternative, for in taking Neptune with him he well knew would be robbing the hous

ho will save my poor Nep?" and fell fainting upon the deck. Fortunately the hard-hearted man had missed his mark for once, and by the light of the moon, the poor fellow was seen, just under the bows, struggling feebly, as if about to give up, when an old tar, who had heard Harry's cry for help, sprang with the ra

re, to come to his senses at his leisure, and if I'm not greatly mistaken, he's but a young runaway at best; but we might as well keep him now, he'll do for testing the strength of our

n he had gained strength sufficient to raise himself upon one arm, he looked around in the darkness, perfectly bewildered; but as the remembrance of his situation slowly came to him, he called aloud, in agony of spirit, "Nep! poor drowned Neptune!" tossing upon his hammock, his arm came in contact with the creature's shaggy coat

t that light?" asked Sampson

t any one had dared to enter his room without orders; and giving Harry a few friendly hints, as to what his liberties would be, under their commander, he drew out a mysterious looking bottle from his jacket-sleeve, and diluting a small quantity of its contents, gave it to Harry to drink, which in his weak condition did not come amiss. Turning to the dog,

g water. They had left Nantucket miles behind. Sampson, who was on duty, seeing the boy looking out, as if he had come to the conclusion that the island had been submerged, shook out a reef in the line which he was mak

hat kitten got to mewing? Bear a hand there, and squ

the cross-trees, and in a twinkling had reached the masthead, calling out in a voice whic

by the smile upon the face of every man on deck, t

head,

aye,

e fog bank to your leeward,

pocket compass which he had about him, sung out, "East-south-east by east, sir, two p

ds to pipe down. As Mr. Sampson passed him, he doffed his tarpaulin, remarking, "

a cold, stormy night had he been ordered to take his turn in the watch, upon deck, in spite of the petitions of the men to fill his place; and he would walk the deck for hours, to keep from becoming benumbed with the cold; but, as his mother had predicted, the hardships and dangers to which he was exposed did not serve to dampen his spirits, and for that very reason, did the captain shower upon him many abuses; for in spite of his cruel treatment toward him, he never had had the pleasure of seeing him look anything but cheerful. At such times, when the wind was howling fiercely, and the salt spray came dashing over the deck, freezing upon the cheek of the youthful mariner, but never penetrating that heart, which was warmed by the remembrance of other days, the boy would think of home, of his mother, and as he uttered the name of the

up; every man was at his post, making ready for the coming scene of action; not as a man-of-war, in the charging of cannon, the priming of musketry, and the brandishing of swords, a battle between man and man, but the boats were lowered, the harpoons were got out, and everything was made ready for an encounter with the monster o

ld be borne,--they knew not whither. A couple of hours passed, and the fog did not lift. Night was coming on, and from the increased darkness, together with a low, rumbling noise of the sea, it was evident a storm was brewing. Harry anxiously walked the quarter deck; it would be certain destruction if they remained in that position till night should overtake them. The boy called to the men, asking what was to be done; but they in terror could do nothing but lament their situation, calling out against the captain for leaving them in such a state. Harry hesitated; what was done must be done speedily. To take in sail was his first thought; then, with the assistance of the clumsy seamen, he rolled out a small cannon-piece, and for one long hour did he keep up an incessant fire. The coming storm was now plainly discernible; the distant rolling of thunder was heard, the sea was agitated, and occasionally a flaw would shake the rattlings. They were in momentary expectation that the storm would burst upon them. Harry had left his firing, and ascending the hurricane deck, stood with folded arms,

waiting his time. Nature seems terrified, yet that boy knows no fear. Crash succeeds crash; ah, who can describe the scene! He alone who has stood upon the frail plank, which only separates him from death. Again a terrific crash,--their masts have gone by the board! It would seem that the enraged billows were bent upon their destruction. Still their stout bark is unwilling to give up, and trembling

een wrought in a few hours. Their masts had been carried away, the decks had been swept cl

his footing," exclaimed the captain, as he saw the boy appear above deck; "I was in hopes he

lease, but God knows there's not a man aboard but owes his life to that boy. I have no mutinous designs, sir, but at such a moment as

to seize Sampson by the throat, when a

or no captain! Hurrah! HURRAH!! HURRAH!!!" sho

ubordination, setting his authority at defiance; but he was a coward, and they were whole-hearted seamen, who would not see the innocent trampled upon,

ll leakage had been made near the bows, and that was soon repaired by the carpenter, who proceeded to rig jury

, apparently in a sinking condition. The captain appeared to take little notice of her, and as the mate ventured

Ah, boy, it is even so! but he is not a man. Harry could endure the thought no longer, as fainter and fainter grew the reports, as they bore awa

im; he cannot have the hear

will be the penalty

e is the least possibility of his hearing me, and wh

cried Sampson;

urn. "Think, if it were your father, brother, or a son, in that hopeless

his pistols; but his strength failed him, the dog had met his teeth in the wound received by the mismanagement of the harpoon, tearing the flesh nearly from off his limb. It really was a pitiable sight to behold. Faint from the loss of blood, he was carried below, where his wound was dressed by one of the men, having no regular surgeon aboard, consequently its fatality was not realized. The groans and writhings of the sufferer were heart-rending; all day long did he rave, imploring Sampson, who attended him, to "take the fiend away! that he was being devoured alive!" and thus did he toss upon his bed till toward evening, when a change for the worse came over him. Sampson saw that the seal of death was stamped upon his features, and at set of sun,

d a tear over the uncoffined burial of his persecutor; but his heart was filled with gratitude, as he looked into the peerless night,--gratitude to Him who has given us a soul, that we may admire the works of his hands. As Harry sat musing, turning from the heavenly orbs to their semblance on the bosom of the placid waters, he observed, as it were, a fallen star,

eetheart, likely; but I suppose it will make but little difference with her, if she hears he's among the missing, she can just as well set

ain's berth, "you are inclined to give the fair ones no quarters. I shou

actly; I never had much notion for s

e fright

a little skeery, for fear I sh

n is a craft sailing without a compa

ole-souled woman in my life, and she has gone--where such as she do g

ampson? come, sp

Harry was delighted with the prospect before him, and laying the little curiosity, which would remind him of a sad event in his voyage, away with his bible, he