Joan Of Arc
: True Stories Of Wonderful DeedsIn a village in the green country of France, there once lived a girl
named Joan. She spent her days in sewing and spinning, and in minding
her father's sheep.
At that time there was a sad war in France, and the English had won many
battles. Joan was grieved to hear of the trouble of her country. She
thought of it night and day, and one night she dreamt that an angel
came, and told her to go and help the F
When Joan told her friends of this dream, they laughed at her.
"How can a poor girl help the prince?" asked they.
"I do not know," replied Joan; "but I must go, for God has sent me." So
she went to the prince, and said: "Sir, my name is Joan. God has sent me
to help you to win the crown of France."
They gave Joan a suit of white armour, and a white horse, and set her at
the head of the army. She led the soldiers to fight, and the rough men
thought she was an angel, and fought so bravely that they won many
battles.
Then the prince was crowned King of France.
When this was done, Joan felt that her work was over. "I would that I
might go and keep sheep once more with my sisters and my brothers; they
would be so glad to see me," pleaded she. But the king would not let her
go. So Joan stayed; but her time of victory was past. Soon, she was
taken prisoner by the English, and cruelly burned to death. She died as
bravely as she had lived, and her name will never be forgotten.
AFLOAT WITH A TIGER.
A traveler in faraway India relates the following thrilling adventure
with a tiger: From the heavy rain which falls upon Indian mountains the
low-lying country is liable to such sudden floods that every year many
beasts, and even human beings, are drowned ere they can make their
escape to the higher grounds. On one occasion a terrible flood came up
so suddenly that I had to spend a day and night in an open canoe in
consequence, during which time I had good opportunities of seeing the
good and bad effects produced by them. I lived at the time in a mat
house, situated upon a hill which I supposed was quite above high-water
mark, but an old Mahometan gentleman having told me that, when he was a
little boy, he recollected the water once rising higher than the hill, I
took the precaution of keeping a canoe in a small ditch close at hand.
The rainy season began, and daily the river rose higher. One morning we
noticed that the mountain tops were covered with heavy banks of dark
clouds, though no rain fell out on the plain where we were; but we
noticed many animals, a leopard among others, sneak out of the high
grass and make for hilly ground. The most curious thing, however, was
the smart manner in which rats and even grasshoppers came scampering
away from the threatening danger. These latter came in such crowds
toward my bungalow that not only the fowls about the premises had a good
feed on them, but kites and crows began to swoop down in such numbers
that the air was filled with their cries and the noise of their rushing
wings.
While watching the immense destruction of these insects we were
startled by the outbreak of the thunderstorm high up on the mountains,
but far above the peals of thunder rose the terrible sound of rushing
water. Animals now came tearing out of the lowlands too terrified to
notice whither they went, so that I stood ready, gun in hand, in case
any of the dangerous kind should try to seek an asylum on my particular
hill; but with the exception of a huge wild boar, who had to be shot as
he charged up the slope, all took refuge elsewhere.
Soon the water burst through the river bank, spreading over the country,
sweeping down the tall grass jungle and surging and roaring round our
hill. Packing all that was valuable in small parcels, we gathered them
in a heap, hoping that the flood would subside ere it reached the
building. All round about large trees, uprooted by the terrible force of
the deluge, were swept along, several animals vainly trying to keep a
footing among their roots and branches. At last the water reached the
steps of the house; so, pulling our boat close up, we stepped in with
what we could save and hung to the wooden posts of the building, vainly
trusting that the worst had come; but it was not so, for we soon had to
leave go the post and pass the boat's rope round a tree. The water then
rushed in, the house toppled over, and it and its contents were swept
away by the flood.
In a short time the tree began to shake and bend, so we knew that it was
being uprooted; therefore, letting go the rope, we launched forth upon
the seething waste of waters and were whirled away. Onward we rushed
through masses of logs, branches, the remains of houses, and such like
wreck, having to be very careful that our frail vessel did not get upset
or crushed. Twice we made for the tops of hills that showed themselves
above water, but on approaching them we found that they had been taken
possession of by wild animals.
Here a tiger crouched on a branch of a tree, seemingly too much alarmed
at his perilous position to molest the half-dozen deer that crowded
timidly together right underneath his perch. Up above him the smaller
branches were stocked with monkeys, who looked very disconsolate at
their enforced imprisonment. As we swept past, the tiger raised his
head, gave a deep growl and showed his teeth, then crouched down again
as if fully aware of his helplessness, and we had too much to think of
ourselves to interfere with him.
Gaining the open country, the scene was one of desolation; but the
current was not so strong, so we turned round, seeing the flood was
going down, and by nightfall we had got back to where the house had
stood. Every vestige of the once pretty homestead had disappeared, with
sheep and cattle, though the fowls had managed to find a roost on the
topmost branches of some orange trees, which alone remained to mark the
spot.
As the moon rose, the mountaineers came down from the villages, and,
embarking on rafts and in canoes, went round the different hills,
shooting and spearing the animals that had swum there; and truly the
sight of such a hunting scene was an exciting one. Here a stout stag,
defending himself with his antlers as best he might against the
spearsmen, kept up a gallant fight till death.
The tiger we had seen in the morning took to swimming, and on being
wounded with a spear turned on the nearest canoe, upsetting the hunters
into the water, where a desperate encounter took place; but he was
eventually dispatched by a blow from an ax--not, however, before he had
clawed some of his pursuers most severely.
At daylight the water had entirely gone down, and a thick, muddy deposit
covered all the lowland, while an immense number of snakes, scorpions,
and other unpleasant creatures lay dead in all directions, upon which
and the drowned animals vultures, crows and kites were feeding.
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