life of a gentleman who asked
to be allowed to accompany him.

On the morning of June 15th, the loud report of a cannon told the
inhabitants of Boulogne that he intended to start. At seven o'clock he
and Romain stepped into the gallery and the balloon was released. With
majestic slowness they rose into the air and sailed out over the sea;
but a moment later the wind, that had so long been his enemy, drove them
back. The crowd watched with great anxiety. Twenty-seven minutes after
starting, the balloon, at a height of one thousand seven hundred feet,
was still only a short distance away. Then, to the horror of the
spectators, Pilatre de Rozier was seen to make a gesture of alarm, and
the next moment a blue flame leapt from the summit of the balloon. With
terrible speed the unfortunate aeronauts were dashed to the earth. A
horseman, who tells the terrible story, galloped to the spot in the
hope of finding them still alive. Pilatre de Rozier lay in the gallery
quite dead, with scarcely a bone in his body unbroken, and the young
Romain lived only to mutter an incoherent word or two.

In memory of the sad event an obelisk was erected on the place where
they fell, and in the cemetery at Wimille, their place of burial is
marked by the stone carving of a flaming balloon.

JOHN LEA.

NO HURRY.

Here is a story which a missionary lately told his congregation.

Some evil spirits were consulting together as to the best way to lead
men astray.

One said, 'Let us go and tell them there is no God.'

Another said, 'Let us tell them there is no Heaven.'

But the third said, 'Let us go and tell them there is no hurry!'

'No hurry' often leads to more harm than many deliberate wrong acts.

X.

THE LITTLE BUSH-BOY.

A fine leopard had just been killed by an English hunter in South
Africa. The beautiful skin was speedily stripped off its back and
reserved for home use. While this operation was going on the native
beaters gathered eagerly round, assuring their master that the lair of
the dead leopard was well known, and that its mate was there with
probably a couple of young cubs; would he not like to have them? Not a
doubt about it! the master would like to secure the little ones alive;
but how? One leopard had doubtless been destroyed, but the other parent
was still alive and would have to be dealt with; while to rob a mother
leopard of her young was an act from which even the boldest of English
sportsmen m