Yet this so lazy man I've often seen Hurrying and bustling round the busy green; LESSSON XLIX. A Remarkable Escape.-MCCLUng. 1. THE late William Kennan, of Flemming county, Kentucky, at that time a young man of eighteen, was attached to the corps of rangers, who accompanied the regular force under General St. Clair. He had long been remarkable for strength and activity. 2. In the course of the march from Fort Washington, he had repeated opportunities of testing his astonishing powers in that respect, and was universally allowed to be the swiftest runner of the light corps. 3. On the evening preceding the action, his corps had been advanced a few hundred yards in front of the first line of infantry, in order to give a seasonable notice of the enemy's approach. Just as the day was dawning, he observed about thirty Indians within one hundred yards of the guard ire, advancing cautiously towards the spot where he stood, together with about twenty rangers e rest being considerably in the rear. 4. Supposing it to be aere scouting party, as usual, and not superior in number to the rangers, he sprang forward a few paces, in order to shelter himself in a spot of peculiarly rank grass, and firing with a quick aim upon the foremost Indian, he instantly fell flat upon his face, and proceeded with all possible rapidity to relead his gun; not doubting for a moment, but that the rangers would maintain their position, and support him. 5. The Indians, however, rushed forward in such overwhelming masses, that the rangers were compelled to fly with precipitation, leaving young Kenran in total ignorance of his danger. 6. Fortunately, the Captain of his company had observed him when he threw himself in the grass, and suddenly shouted aloud, "Run, Kennan! or you are a dead man!” 7. He instantly sprang to his feet, and beheld Indians within ten feet of him, while his company was already more than one hundred yards in front. Not a moment was to be lost. He darted off with every muscle strained to its utmost, and was pursued by a dozen of the enemy with loud yells. 8. He first pressed straight forward, to the usual fording place, in the creek, which ran between the rangers and the main army; but several Indians who had passed before he arose from the grass, threw themselves in the way, and completely cut him off from the rest. 9. By the most powerful exertions he had thrown the whole body of pursuers behind him, with the exception of one young chief, who displayed a swiftness and perseverance equal to his own. In the circuit which Kennan was obliged to take, the race continued for more than four hundred yards. The distance between them was eighteen feet, which Kennan could not increase, or his enemy diminish 10. Each for the time put his whole soul into the race. Kennan as far as he was able, kept his eye upon the motions of his pursuer, lest he should throw the tomahawk, which he held aloft in a menacing attitude, and at length, finding that no other Indian was immediately at hand, he determined to try the mettle of his pursuer in a different manner and felt for his tomahawk, in order to turn upon him. 11. It had escaped from its sheath, however, while he lay in the grass, and his hair almost lifted the cap from his head, when he found himself totally disarmed. As he had slackened his pace for a moment, the Indian was almost within reach of him, when he resumed the race; but the idea of being without arms, lent wings to his flight, and for the first time he saw himself gaining ground. 12. He had watched the motion 3 of his pursuer too closely, however, to pay proper attention to the nature of the ground before him, and he suddenly found himself in front of a large tree which had been blown down, and upon which brush and other impediments lay to the height of eight or nine feet. 13. The Indian, who had heretofore not uttered the slightest sound, now gave a short, quick yell, as if secure of his victory. Kennan had not a moment to deliberate. He must clear the impediment at a leap, or perish. 14. Putting his whole soul into the effort, he bounded into the air with a power which astonished himself, and clearing limbs, brush, and every thing else, alighted in perfect safety upon the other side. 15. A loud yell of astonishment burst from the band of pursuers, not one of whom had the hardihood to attempt the same feat. 16. Kennan, as may be readily imagined, had no leisure to enjoy his triumph; but dashing into the bed of the creek, upon the margin of which his feat had been performed, where the high banks would shield him from the fire of the enemy, he ran up the stream until a convenient place of fered for crossing, and rejoined the rangers in the rear of the encampment, panting from the fatigue of exertions which have seldom been surpassed. LESSON L. Some Account of William Penn. 1. WILLIAM PENN, the founder of Pennsylvania, was the son of an English admiral, who left at his death, a large estate to his son, and a considerable claim upon the government for money advanced by him to carry on several important expeditions, when the finances of England were exhausted. 2. He early embraced the religion of the Quakers, who were then a new sect in England, and were persecuted by the government on account of their religious opinions; and as there was no hope of his obtaining his demand against the Government, he prevailed upon them to grant him a tract of land in the newly-settled country of North Amerca, which, in honor of his father, they called Pennsyl vania. 3. Here he invited all his friends who suffered persccution; and one of the first laws he enacted for the government of his new province, was the most perfect toleration of all religions; for, said he, persecution has taught me to observe and reprove mischiefs in government, and now it is in my power to settle one, I propose to leave myself, and my successors, no power of doing mischief, that the will of one man may not hinder the good of a whole country. 4. But this was not all; he took the utmost care to protect the Indians in their rights, and to prevent the encroachments of white men. For this purpose, he ordered all goods sold to the Indians to be first tested; that wrongs done to Indians should be punished as those done to white men; and that all differences should be settled by twelve men, six planters, and six Indians. 5. These stipulations in favor of the poor natives will forever immortalize the name of William Penn; for, soaring above the prejudices and customs of other adventurers, who considered them as lawful prey, whom they might defraud at pleasure, he considered them as brethren, and rational beings, who, in proportion to their ignorance, were entitled to his fatherly protection and care. 6. Soon after his arrival, he had a meeting with the In dians, to confirm the treaty; for his scrupulous morality did not permit him to look upon the king's patent as sufficient to establish his right to the country, without purchasing it by fair and open bargain of the natives, to whom only it properly belonged. 7. Near the city of Philadelphia, there was an elm tree of a prodigious size, to which the leaders on both sides repaired. Penn appeared in his usual dress, and, on his arrival, he found the sachems and their tribes assembling They were seen in the woods as far as the eye could reach, and locked frightful, both on account of their number, and their arms. The Quakers were unarmed, and but a hand ful in comparison. 8. Wie. the sachems were all seated, William Penn is said to have addressed the chief of them in the following words: Great Spirit, who made us and thee, and who rules in beaven and earth, knows that I and my friends have a hearty care to live in friendship with thee, and to serve thee to the Lost of our power. 9. "It is not our custom to use hostile weapons against our fellow-creatures, for which reason we have come unarmed. Our object is not to do injury, and thus provoke the Great Spirit, but to do good. We are now met on the broad path-way of good faith and good will, so that no advantage is to be taken on either side." 10. The great elm-tree, under which this treaty was made, became celebrated on that account, and when the British were quartered near it, during the war of American independence, their general so respected it, that, when his soldiers were cutting down every tree for firewood, he placed a sentinel under it, that not a branch of it might be touched. 11. A few years ago it was blown down, when it was split into wood, and many cups, bowls and other articles made of it, to be kept as memorials. As to the roll of parchment, it was shewn to govornor Kei h, at a conference, in 1722, about forty years after it was signed; and a respec table missionary informs us, that between the years 1770 and 1780, the Indians minutely related to him what ha passed between William Penn and their forefathers. LESSON LI. Excellence of the Bible.-NOAH WEBSTER. 1. For a knowledge of the human heart, and the char acters of men, it is customary to resort to the writings of Shakspeare, and of other dramatic authors, and to biogra phy, novels, tales, and fictitious narrative. 2. But whatever amusement may be derived from such writings, they are not the best authorities for a knowledge of inankind. 3. The most perfect maxims and examples for regulating your social conduct and domestic econoiny, as well as the best rules of morality and religion, are to be found in the Bible. 4. The history of the Jews presents the true character of man in all its forms. 5. All the traits of character, good and bad; all the passions of the human heart; all the principles which guide and misguide men in society, are depicted in that short history with an artless simplicity that has Lo parallel in modern writings. 6. As the maxims of wisdom or prudence, the Proverbs |