hen went and laid themselves under some bushes in an adjacent wood,
where they fell asleep; but alas! their sleep was very short, for in
less than an hour, they were awakened with such terrible howlings of
wild beasts as was scarce ever heard, tigers, wolves, and lions, hunting
for their prey, with eyes that glared like balls of fire, rushed by them
every instant: in this dreadful situation, expecting every moment to be
torn in pieces, Harry Harmless requested them all to betake themselves
to prayer to God Almighty to guard and protect them from the terrible
dangers which now surrounded them. But oh, shame to tell, not one of
them, except Harry Harmless himself, could repeat, or indeed had ever
learned a single prayer; upon which, Harry, justly concluding, that
those naughty boys who had so totally neglected their duty to their
Creator, could have no claim whatever to his protection, thought he
should be in more safety alone than in such wicked company, therefore
moved to a distance from them, and kneeled down to prayer by himself;
and he had not left them but a few minutes before two monstrous lions
came and devoured every one of them: after they had eaten these wicked
boys, they went up to Harry Harmless, but instead of devouring him, as
they had the others, they seemed as fond of him as a dam of her young,
licked his face and hands with their tongues, and then lay down quietly
upon the ground by his side: for God Almighty had heard his prayers, as
he always will those of all good little boys and girls, and had
converted the natural rage and fierceness of these dreadful beasts into
the meekness and gentleness of lambs. When morning came, Harry found he
had wandered so far from home, that he could not tell which way to
return, but as he was sitting on the side of a bank, reflecting on the
danger and folly of keeping such naughty company, and the many wicked
ways little boys are too often undesignedly led into by that means, he
was surprised by the neighing of a horse, and looking round, there was
the prettiest milk-white little creature galloping towards him that ever
was seen, with a little bridle on, and a saddle and stirrups on his
back, and running directly up to Harry, he fell down on his knees,
seemingly to invite him to get on his back; Harry was almost afraid to
trust himself on the little horse at first, but recollecting that the
same Almighty hand which had rescued him from the paws of the lions,
could protect