hey came no more. But they tell the tale
That, when fogs are thick on the harbor reef,
The mackerel-fishers shorten sail;
For the signal they know will bring relief,
For the voices of children, still at play
In a phantom-hulk that drifts alway
Through channels whose waters never fail.

It is but a foolish shipman's tale,
A theme for a poet's idle page;
But still, when the mists of doubt prevail,
And we lie becalmed by the shores of age,
We hear from the misty troubled shore
The voice of the children gone before,
Drawing the soul to its anchorage!

BRET HARTE.

=HELPS TO STUDY=

Read the poem and tell the story found in it. Why was every one so
"cold and white"? What was the great danger? What happened to
prevent the sailors' getting to the hulk? What is the tale that is
told? What is the thought the poet leaves with us in the last
stanza?

A HUNT BENEATH THE OCEAN

This story is taken from _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_,
the book that foreshadowed the modern submarine. Monsieur Aronnax,
a scientist, with two companions, Ned Land and Conseil, was rescued
at sea by a strange craft, the _Nautilus_, owned and commanded by
one Captain Nemo, who hated mankind and never went ashore on
inhabited land. Monsieur Aronnax remained on the submarine for
months in a kind of captivity and met with many wonderful
adventures. It should be noted that modern inventions have already
outstripped many of the author's imaginings.

On returning to my room with Ned and Conseil, I found upon my table a
note addressed to me. I opened it impatiently. It was written in a bold
clear hand, and ran as follows:

"November 16, 1867.

To Professor Aronnax, on board the _Nautilus_:

Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax to a hunting party, which will
take place to-morrow morning in the forest of the island of Crespo. He
hopes that nothing will prevent the professor from being present, and he
will with pleasure see him joined by his companions."

"A hunt!" exclaimed Ned.

"And in the forests of the island of Crespo!" added Conseil.

"Oh, then the gentleman is going on [v]_terra firma_?" asked Ned Land.

"That seems to be clearly indicated," said I, reading the letter once
more.

"Well, we must accept," said Ned. "Once more on dry land, we shall know
what to do. I