The Monticellonian., 1894-09-21

[ the fierce reptile, while the shock would be pretty sure to dislodge the senseless lad from the shelf, and thus bring him down into the power of his voraeious enc my.
 The youth lost no time il heading his boat toward the rock. But the cutter was some fathoms from it, when the keel caught in a submerged sandbank Drawing his sword, Ralph sprang out, and quickly waded toward the rock Slight ledges and pro i truding spurs on it's front would en- able him, he thought to climb up to his brother in fact, there was no other way of reaching him. The young officer held his sword ready for use, in ease the crocodile. close to which he would be obliged to pass, should ven ture to attack him.
 Ralph, however, kept his eyes fas- tened upon the crocodile.
 The monster turned it's head when he was near it and snapped at hun.
 He avoided it by stepping sideways; then he commenced to strike and thrust vigorously at it's jaws with his
 
 broke his blade in two with it's teeth as it twisted it's body around. Think ing il would leave him, Ralph sprang to the rock. Just then little Frank recovering his senses, gave slight cry and fell from the ledge above. The young officer SAW him in time to catch him in his arms. As he turned to convey him to the cutter, he per ceived that the crocodile, now be- tween him and the boat, with open jaws, was prepared to renew the at tack.
 He set his confused brother upon his feet in the shallow water, and draw ing the single-barrellcd navy pistol which he carried in his belt, he fired at the creatures big, yawning mouth. But, owing to the animals sheering d little to seize the boy, now on one side of his protector. it received the shot on the edge of its jaw
 Twisting itself away from the twain, it commenced, as if in blended rage aud pain, to thrash the shallows with it's hard, bony tail
 As Ralph was conveying his brother past the reptile, toward the boat. his le Gt ankle caught between two small underwater rocks, and was temporari- ly sprained.
 Never mind said Frank, as the hurt youth dragged himself along with difficulty, 'l am now able to walk. You need hot carry me. will help you.
 He disengaged himself from Ralphs arms. seized his hand and tried to as sist him. The crocodile had turned by this time toward the two. for another attack. But they were now within q yard of the cutter, and though suffer- ing excruciating pain, the young off ger caught mp his brothers light form and tossed him into the boat. The crocodile was close to Ralph. but he contrived to escape 1t with q forward movement and to roll himself across the gunwale of the cutter He went over on his back with his head on the edge of the bow. While he was try ing te turn aud right himself, which his sprain would hinder his doing quickly, the hideoHs open jaws of the monster appeared over the bow. They were very near the head of the pros trate youth, He would not be able to move it in time to elude those horri- ble fangs But at this critical mo- ment his young brother. who had no- ticed that the crocodile's jaws were on line with the swivel, sprang forward with ready decision and discharged the piece.
 Never was shot more effective. It plowed it's way nearly through the full length of the huge reptiles body, kill ing the animal almost instantly. Ralph praised his brother for the quick judg- ment and swift action which had thus been the means of saving him from terrible fate.
 In fact, the presence of mind and promptitude shown by the little fellow on this occasion won the admiration and applause of all the seamen aboard the ship, when, in time. it was ma.le known to them
 Not long after the gun had been fired, the rising of the tide foated the cutter clear of the sandbanl1 en- ab,ing Ralph, with Franks assist anee, to get back to the landing place fronting the hut, where some of the sailors who had returned from their vain search for the lad ioyfully hailed his appearance Franks explanations about the canoe, as we'll aGS of his situ- ation on the rock, verified his broth CTS previous eonjeetures on the sub iect. The boy had gone to the canoe to convey it to the cutter had been pursued by the crocodile, and by wig orous paddling had reached the water cavern. So close to him then was the reptile that as he sprang out of the canoe to climb the tree the jaws of the monster closed over the frail ves- sel, partly crushing it. Bottom up, and with Franks cap, which had fallen from his head, caught on the broken wood, the little craft had drifted off with the current, to be afterward found by Ralph as de scribed Rufus Hall, in N '. Ledger
 Original.
 John Hoolxham Frere was a scholar and a man of much literary ability, but one of those whose work. for some reason, finds a very slight hearing But even if his literary work should be quite forgotten, the stories of his absence of mind will live as long as in- congruous error continues to amuse. One day he sat repeating some verses to Mir John Murray, i'll Mr. Murray $ office, and his host became so inter- ested in the poem that he asked the