in me a momentary
feeling of hatred for him. He was loudly roaring with laughter, doubling
and undoubling himself in exaggerated mirth. I felt that the situation
was not in the least funny, and that Billy was simply--and in very bad
taste--taking his revenge.

[Illustration: "I struggled up."]

And that was how we began to learn ski-running.

THE MUSIC OF THE NATIONS.

IX.--INSTRUMENTS OF PALESTINE.

[Illustration]

In the Great Synagogue of Aldgate, in London, a very fine specimen of
the Shophar or Ram's Horn is blown on New Year's Day, and on the Day of
Atonement.

This particular kind of trumpet is interesting because it is the only
known instrument used uninterruptedly from the earliest times to the
present day.

The Shophar is first mentioned in the Old Testament, when the Lord
descended upon Mount Sinai; it is frequently alluded to throughout the
Bible, and takes a prominent place in the Vision of St. John, or Book of
Revelation.

We must all remember, too, the description in Joshua of the downfall of
Jericho, at which the mighty blast from the rams' horns, with the great
shout of the Israelites, shook the walls to the ground and gave the
stronghold to the conquerors.

Shophar is the Hebrew name for what is usually translated 'ram's horns.'
It simply consists of a ram's horn flattened by the force of intense
heat, and blown through a very small opening or mouthpiece.

[Illustration: The Shophar or Ram's Horn.]

Shells have in many nations been used in similar fashion, and to-day the
ceremonies of the Buddhist religion are accompanied by the sound of
these primitive trumpets.

In ancient and modern times, whether in civilised or barbarous nations,
great events, such as the accession of monarchs or proclamations of war
and peace, have been announced by the sound of the trumpet. The
accession of the despotic rulers of Egypt many thousand years ago, and
of King Edward the Seventh in our own time, was proclaimed in much the
same fashion by herald and trumpeters. The original use of trumpets
probably had its origin in Egypt, and the frequent intercourse of that
country with Greece probably accounts for its introduction there. The
Greeks are said to have used it first in the Trojan war, when it took
the place of the rough conch shells, which had in their turn replaced
the ancient battle signal of the flaming torch. One of the coveted
prizes of the Olympic games was awarded for the best trumpet s