The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-02-09
Ttc Californian.
IuE rIir. BOYS AND GIRLS
DOCTOR KANE.

ufbuuIHlU I'LL tEc .tI- Vll lSIc vi IsuZOu AuCIS
were Cinnamon there, and copper-colored
Indians small, fierce negroes. and wild Ia
guls 4 strange, motley crowd qucerly dress
ri. and looking mena:ingy at slim youth
who stood among them. The youth had said
hs would 20 down into the crater OF the burn
ing mountain. "Bu'." said the rough 1ndi-
ans and .i"grocs, the bad spirits dwell there
no man who goes down into their smoking
den can come out alive" I'VE shall see
that" replied the youth, smiling.
And he babe them tie bamboo rope
round hi, body and lower him down. They.
ROT liking the business, but still not daring to
refuse, held the end of the rope, and lowered
away till the slim youth was hidden by the
smoke Of tho burning mountain. and the
rrags and cnIers. Then they ,hivered and
trcmbIed in their supersti,ious fright, until
the slim youth pulled the rope sharply. as a
sisn that he hal Seen enough, and wanted to
be hauled ur. They hauled him up safely at
the top: and when they saw that he was still
alive. and smieI as pleasantly as before, they
began to think he was something more than
man.
Some Of the negroes. who thought he had
insulted their gol., attacked him soon after
wards, and tried 10 kill him. But the slim
youth made such work among them with his
sword and pistols, that they very quickly fled
leaving ever 80 many Of their companions
dead on the ground
From sle TO isle, in the great Indian Archi
v.Isgo, this bold youth roamed, under the
burning sun BY day, and the deadly dews by
night. Whatever nature had planted there.
that was rarest ard strangcst, he saw: for he
had a fierce passion for knowledge, this
youth.
4 few months more, and YOU might have
seen him among the jrt-back Nubians on
the distant border, of Egypt - roofing Out
queer old relics Of the times Of the PharaOhs,
and rovin. through the deserts. where few
white men have ever trod and. on the lus-
~ ruins Of the great Greek cities, cropping
through the vine-lraves and tine moss for
some traces of the va,or and the genius that
hal once sholc there.
Yet another year and the voutl. was on
W. coa.: Of africa - \ surgeon IN = United
States vessel. Not far from The cruising
ground were the slave -mar,s. where the will!
African kings Sci. their subjects al a dollar
head. Th'!er,' said tie youth, ",nu-t
Co." And he went. On the way he caught
the Ideally African fever and every one said:
Poor fellow il will be his last cruise,
They sent him home to Philadelphia, that
he might die there : and his family and his
friends Went over him, and thought it hard
tia. one 80 young and so p~olnisi nS should
die
Wills the. were weeping the vouth-his
name is ELISHA krHT kANE-sto'e down
10 Washington. and went to see Preaidcn!
Folk. He looked 50 hacgari. with his trem-
Hing limbs and ,haycn head, that people
wondered what he had como to do there -
Iic let them know lie wanted to serve IN
the war against '1rxi,o. The President sent
him oil directly with dispatches.
On hi. way to the army, he fell in with a
party of Mcxirans attacked them at til, head
CT hi. escort. AMI made them prisoners. On
te bal nearly killed Will; sword-thrus: in
the fray : it We hardly over, when Nr. Kane
was kn.elin:; beside hr': tying up his a't>ry
with piece Of pack thread. But the brig
an,is WHO Conquered his escort were not will
ins that ally lives should be spared. They
said they must have tie prisoners 10 put them
to death. Dr.. Kane i. feel them. S.andnc
between them and the prisoners, he shot the
fist briyan!. and looked 81 fierce. with his
revolver. frs. pointed At ole and then at an
other. that they fell hack Sowing, aid the
Mex, ~, were sey"d.
A few moro years, AMI tn, rowing youth.
now strong, COOL and learned man, /. a.
moas .hc eternal ices of the p,,ar reyions-
X. il surgeon Of tie Grinn,l Expedition. in
search Of Sir JOAN Franklin ard wherever
knowledee is TO be g,ined or risk run, or
strsng' sights seen in those wild ice-wor!ds,
there vou nav he sure he will be found, as
bold, rs smiling. as active a, ever.
At HOME again. it is tc who tells US what
the Ar;ic voyacers have done, and he who
ecems 10 know the most-of all Anne ri-ans-
about those fearful kingdoms of frost So
when :he government sends another shin
there, he is appointed to command it. AMI
other long wears he spends in the midst of ice.
ber.~, and frozen SEES, and bleak islands
where th"re never grew green leaf; leaves
his his ship at last, and comes back to us, in
spite o. all, safe once nl,re-fioi bless him
AID now he is with Us /: bat not for long.
fancy. There is a talk OF more Artc yova.
res AMI who shall command them but Kane
\ rulnor o.. Journeys to Africa. to the deserts.
where no white man has ever been: who
could explore 50 wei! as he? DANGERS to be
overcome, doubts to be cleared up knowledge
to he gained everywhere he will not be idle.
Much a. he has done. and learned as he has
proved himself, he is vet only thirty-thrce
years Q! age the best half Of his life is vet to
come.