t an hour's fellowship with Ben, under the
exciting circumstances in which we find them, had led him to think Ben
a very good fellow, notwithstanding the crime he had committed. I
shall do my young reader the justice to believe he hopes Harry will be
a better boy, and obtain higher and nobler views of duty. It must be
remembered that Harry had never learned to "love God and man" on the
knee of an affectionate mother. He had long ago forgotten the little
prayers she had taught him, and none were said at the poorhouse. We
are sorry he was no better; but when we consider under what influences
he had been brought up, it is not strange that he was not a good boy.
Above every earthly good, we may be thankful for the blessing of a
good home, where we have been taught our duty to God, to our
fellow-beings, and to ourselves.

The young navigators talked lightly of the present and the future, as
the boat floated gently along through the gloomy forest. They heard
the Redfield clock strike twelve, and then one. The excitement had
begun to die out. Harry yawned, for he missed his accustomed sleep,
and felt that a few hours' rest in his bed at the poorhouse was even
preferable to navigating the river at midnight. Ben gaped several
times, and the fun was really getting very stale.

Those "who go down to the sea in ships," or navigate the river in
boats, must keep their eyes open. It will never do to slumber at the
helm; and Harry soon had a practical demonstration of the truth of the
proposition. He was so sleepy that he could not possibly keep his eyes
open; and Ben, not having the care of the helm, had actually dropped
off, and was bowing as politely as a French dancing master to his
companion in the stern. They were a couple of smart sailors, and
needed a little wholesome discipline to teach them the duty of those
who are on the watch.

The needed lesson was soon administered; for just as Ben was making
one of his lowest bows in his semi-conscious condition, the bow of the
boat ran upon a concealed rock, which caused her to keel over to one
side, and very gently pitch the sleeper into the river.

Of course, this catastrophe brought the commander of the expedition to
his senses, and roused the helmsman to a sense of his own delinquency,
though it is clear that, as there were no lighthouses on the banks of
the river, and the intricacies of the channel had never been defined
and charted for the benefit of the adventurous navigator