on of
character, and proved that he was not very well fitted to be a ruler of
men.

They were liable to be attacked by brigands from the mountains, too, so
that ceaseless vigilance was needed. Some friendly Arab bands joined
them on the road; so, when they reached Derne, Eaton found himself at
the head of quite an army. Here he was met by two American ships, and
with their help he bombarded the town, and took it by assault, driving
the wild Arabs who were defending it back to the mountains. Now Eaton
was in a situation to dictate his own terms to the usurper Yusef Bey,
since he had brought Hamet Caramelli triumphantly into his own city of
Derne, and had driven all enemies before him. He had laid his plans to
march on Tripoli, drive off the usurper, and deliver his poor captive
countrymen at the edge of the sword, when suddenly his successful career
was brought to an end in rather a mortifying way. Yusef, frightened out
of his defiance, consented to come to terms with Colonel Lear, American
Consul-General at Algiers. If Colonel Lear had not been too hasty in
concluding a treaty which forced the United States to pay sixty thousand
dollars ransom money, when not a cent should have been given, and left
the cruel Yusef safe on his throne, General Eaton might have marched on
Tripoli with his victorious army, restored Hamet, and let the captives
go in triumph.

Most people agreed that but for Eaton's promptness and bravery the
troubles might have lasted much longer; and when he returned to America,
soon after, he was received with great distinction by his countrymen,
who made him quite an ovation. The Massachusetts Legislature voted him
ten thousand acres of land in the district of Maine. The remainder of
his life was passed in his pleasant home at Brimfield, Massachusetts,
where he died June 1, 1811, at the age of forty-seven.

Aaron Burr tried to draw Eaton into his famous conspiracy, but Eaton was
a firm patriot, and refused with horror to play the traitor. Wishing to
make his true sentiments known, once for all, he gave this toast at a
public banquet, in Burr's presence: "The United States--palsy to the
brain that shall plot to dismember, and leprosy to the hand that will
not draw to defend our Union!"

THE HARE AND THE BADGER.

A Story from the Japanese.

BY WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIFFIS.

A good while ago there lived near the Clack-clack Mountains an old man
and his wife, who, having no child, made a great deal