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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 i|^.-...... ©up^rtgj^t f rt* 
 
 , Shelf _^£..4j G 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
OUR TRAVELLING PARTY 
 
 TO 
 
 THE ALPS AND RHINE, 
 
 BY \^ 
 
 DANIEL C. EDDY. 
 
 ft>^ 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 D. LOTHROP & COMPANY, 
 
 FRANKLIN ST., CORNER OF HAWLEY. 
 
}^^'^ 
 
 ^v'^ 
 
 the library 
 of congress 
 
 washingtomt! 
 
 COPYRIGHT 
 
 1882, 
 
 Bv DANIEL C. EDDY. 
 
 PRINTED BY 
 C. . W . S T U D L, E V & CO. 
 
 ELECTBOTTPED AT THE 
 iOSTON STEREOTYPE FOU.NDKT-, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. eA»lE 
 
 I. Pointed Gothic 11 
 
 II. Crossing the Simplon 26 
 
 III. The Ice-fields .40 
 
 IV. Taking a Bath at Leuk .56 
 
 V. Lake Leman 67 
 
 VI. Home op Calyin and Land of Tell. ... 84 
 
 Vll. Mammoth Organ. — Curious Clock. ... 98 
 
 VIII. The Gambler's Paradise Ill 
 
 IX. The Heights of Heidelberg 128 
 
 X. Frankfurt- on-the-Main 144 
 
 XI. On the Rhine 156 
 
 XII. Bishop Hatto's Tower 169 
 
 Xni. The Seyen Sisters 186 
 
 XIV. LuRLEi, the River Siren 202 
 
 XV. ROLANDSECK AND DrACHENFELS 214 
 
 XVI. Eau de Cologne 223 
 
 XVII. Homeward Bound , . 238 
 
 (8) 
 
ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Hospice op the Grimsel 1 
 
 Glacier of the Ehone 10 
 
 Swiss Cottage 45 
 
 Swiss Cheesemaker 91 
 
 Zurich. 101 
 
 CONVERSATldNSHAUS 117 
 
 Castle of Heidelberg 139 
 
 Oberwesel 197 
 
 :9) 
 
THE ALPS AND THE RHINE. 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 POINTED GOTHIC. 
 
 PERHAPS there is no journey of an equal 
 distance in the world that has such varied 
 scenery as a tour from the flower-decked plains 
 of Italy, over the snow-clad Alps and seas of 
 crystal, down the winding, arrowy Rhine, on 
 whose banks the feudal castles stand, as grand 
 old monuments of a buried age. Wliatever 
 may be a man's tastes, he is sure to find them 
 gratified. If he loves the gentle slope, the green 
 meadow, the opening vista, the dim haze, the 
 quiet beauty of a rural scene, he will be de- 
 lighted with the enchanting surroundings of Lago 
 Maggiore and Lake Leman, or with the valleys of 
 the Ticino or the Rhine. If he delights in the 
 bold, rough, mountainous scenes, where sublim- 
 ity seems to sit enthroned in rocky grandeur, he 
 
 (11) 
 
12 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 will find enough to satisfy him in the mountain- 
 ous regions of Switzerland, where old Mont 
 Blanc towers aloft in snowy state, the monarch 
 of mountains. Does he love wild, awful passes, 
 leaping cascades, and ice-hung galleries of na- 
 ture ? He will find them all amid the terrific 
 scenery of the Gemmi and the Grimsel. Does 
 he want something to lead him back to the days 
 of chivalry, to the times of knightly valor ? He 
 will have it when he comes within sight of Ro- 
 landseck and Drachenfels. 
 
 Such a tour, embracing this grand variety, is 
 before us in the present volume. We are at 
 Milan, that has hardly ceased to rock with the 
 roar of battle and the crash of arms, and the 
 streets of which are still full of French soldiers. 
 Before we leave it, we must go and see its cen- 
 tral object of interest, a cathedral unlike any 
 other in the world, and in its own style surpass- 
 ing any other. St. Peter's is grander, York 
 Minster is more impressive, but the dome of Mi- 
 lan is the most exquisite and tasteful of all that 
 class of structures. At a distance it looks like 
 a mammoth bunch of lances, and near at hand 
 it has the appearance of a frozen city. 
 
 " This cathedral is the pride of Milan," said 
 Mr. Percy. 
 
 " You should say, the pride of Italy," sug- 
 gested Mr. Tenant. 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 13 
 
 " Beautiful ! " murmured Walter to himself. 
 
 Minnie stood looking at the edifice, silent and 
 thoughtful, and at length she exclaimed, — 
 
 - What a thing ! " 
 
 '' A thing ? " queried Walter, looking re- 
 proachfully at her. 
 
 " Yes, bub, see those pinnacles by thousands 
 rising in the air, one above another. It is like 
 nothing I have ever seen." 
 
 " How beautiful the ornaments, and how elab- 
 orate the carvings ! " 
 
 " See the images in the niches — one, two, 
 three, five, ten, twenty — so many that I cannot 
 count them." 
 
 " They are not images, sis." 
 
 " What are they, if they are. not images ? " 
 
 " Statues." 
 
 " Pray what is the difference. Sir Philoso- 
 pher ? " 
 
 "Ah, — yes, — well, — but there is a differ- 
 ence." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " I don't hardly know, but believe the word 
 statue is more commonly applied to the figure 
 of a man in bronze and marble, while image is 
 used for a figure of man or beast." 
 
 " A distinction without much difference," 
 laughingly remarked Mr. Tenant. 
 
14 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yes," said Minnie, with some degree of sar- 
 casm, " I understand it all, bub, a statue is an 
 image, and an image is a statue." 
 
 Walter looked quite discomfited, while Min- 
 nie asked, — 
 
 ** How many of these statues are there on the 
 building ? " 
 
 " There are seven thousand of them," replied 
 Mr. Tenant. 
 
 '' 0, dear ! " 
 
 " And there are niches for three or four thou- 
 sand more." 
 
 " Can it be so ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " How large are they ? " 
 
 " Much larger than life." 
 
 " They do not look so." 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but if they should be taken 
 from the niches, you could not reach to the 
 shoulders, even if you were as tall as I am." 
 
 " Come, let us go in," said Mr. Percy ; and 
 they all entered the cathedral. 
 
 The edifice was full of people, gathered at a 
 funeral service of some distinguished person. 
 The high pillars were wound around with black 
 velvet, which only contrasted with the marble 
 arches, and with the rich and costly decorations 
 of the altar. 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 15 
 
 " I'm lost ! " whispered Walter. 
 
 " Lost ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 "Yes, I'm lost." 
 
 " Are you crazy ? " 
 
 " No, I am lost in amazement.'' 
 
 " Then we had better send the valet de place 
 to find you." 
 
 Walter laughed at Minnie's reply. The grand 
 funeral service commenced; the solemn dirge 
 swept through the house : the wild wail of the 
 organ sounded like the voice of a spirit, and the 
 impression was awful. 
 
 ^' When you write to mother, Walter," said 
 Minnie afterwards, " how will you describe this 
 cathedral ? " 
 
 " I should have no language of my own that 
 I could use." 
 
 " Whose could you borrow ? " 
 
 " I know of two or three descriptions, written 
 by travellers." 
 
 " How do they speak of it ? " 
 
 " One calls it ' a forest of pinnacles with sculp- 
 tured saints and angels, glittering like frostwork 
 in the light of the setting sun — 
 
 An aerial host 
 Of figures, human and divine, 
 "White as the snows of Apennine 
 Indurated by frost.' " 
 
16 THE PEBCY FAMILY. 
 
 " That is good, but it does not come up to the 
 cathedral itself." 
 
 " No language can come up to that. It seems 
 to me to be a perfect specimen of art." 
 
 " Gome, children," said Mr. Percy. 
 
 ^' You are not going yet — are you ? " asked 
 Walter. 
 
 " We are going up." 
 
 "Up! up! up where?" said Walter to him- 
 self. 
 
 " Up where ? " shouted Minnie so loud as to 
 be heard all around, and to call the attention of 
 people to her. 
 
 "• Why, into the dome, and on top of the build- 
 ing among the pinnacles," replied her father. 
 
 " All right, sir ; go ahead," laughingly replied 
 the girl, turning to Walter. 
 
 They went up over winding stairs, through 
 dark passages and long corridors, until they were 
 as high as they could go, and the view was 
 grand. 
 
 *' Walter, I'll tell you what I was thinking 
 about." 
 
 ''What was it, puss?" 
 
 " I was thinking that we were birds, and had 
 made our nest up here in a forest of pinnacles, 
 hanging or growing between earth and heaven." 
 
 " What kind of birds ? " 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 17 
 
 " 0, no matter what kind." 
 
 " How grand ! " Walter kept saying to him- 
 self, much to the amusement of his older friends 
 — " this sea of pinnacles, the city bathed in sun- 
 set, the distant Alps lying back against the sky, 
 and all nature in a blaze of glory ! " 
 
 While the lad was looking off upon the dis- 
 tant Alps, Minnie was gazing down into the city, 
 upon the roofs and streets that seemed, from the 
 top of the church, to be a mass of tiles and 
 bricks. They reached the earth again just as 
 the bells of the numerous churches were ringing 
 for some evening festival, and entered the hotel 
 weary with the long, hard climb up among the 
 pinnacles of the temple. 
 
 " How will you dine — at table d^hote, or at a 
 private table?" asked a servant entering the 
 room. 
 
 " Private table," said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " I agree with you," said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " So do I," added Walter. 
 
 " I do not, pa," said Minnie. 
 
 " Do you want to go to the table d'hote ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, if you will let me." 
 
 " You may, child, but you will not have so 
 comfortable a dinner as if you should take it 
 with us." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 VOL. V. 2 
 
18 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " You know my objections to the public table. 
 The cooking is so curious and extravagant, 
 that to us, who are accustomed to plain food, it is 
 not wholesome." 
 
 " I made myself sick at the common table, 
 last time I went," said Walter. 
 
 " 0, you ate too much." 
 
 " No, it was not that ; I could not get enough 
 to eat." 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Percy, " we will order our 
 dinner, and Minnie can go down to the table." 
 
 So Walter gave Minnie his arm, and took her 
 to the table, and gave her to the charge of an 
 American friend there, who was accompanied 
 by ladies, and retired. But an hour afterwards, 
 while the three were in a private dining room, 
 partaking of a good wholesome dinner, cooked 
 in English style, Minnie came in. 
 
 " Ah, Min, are you here after more dinner ? " 
 
 " Yes, bub." 
 
 " But you have been to the table there an 
 hour." 
 
 " I know it." 
 
 " And have not had enough ? " 
 
 " No ; let me sit down at your table." 
 
 " You may, sis," said Mr. Tenant, " if you 
 will confess the leanness of the table d'hote, and 
 give a description of what you dined on." 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 19 
 
 « Well, I will." 
 
 " Begin then." 
 
 "No; fill my plate first." 
 
 The plate was filled, and Minnie gave a de- 
 scription. 
 
 " I will give the courses in order, as near as I 
 can remember. First dish was rice soup, about 
 two table spoonfuls, and the moment the plate 
 was empty it was hurried away ; roast beef, a 
 piece two inches square, very thin and very lean, 
 dry and highly spiced ; a little pie about as large 
 as a silver dollar, — it might have been rat pie, 
 for all I could tell ; a small bird, hardly larger 
 than a canary, all bones, stufied with burning 
 spices ; a little piece of mutton, very nice, very 
 small, and very soon eaten ; salad with fixings, 
 in homoeopathic doses; jelly in such limited 
 quantity that whoever took all he wanted would 
 take the whole." 
 
 " Bah, do stop," cried Walter. 
 
 The little girl did stop, and ate a very nice 
 dinner with her friends, and declared she never 
 would go to the public table again, if she could 
 help it. 
 
 Here at Milan is an old amphitheatre, in a good 
 state of preservation. It will accommodate 
 thirty-two thousand persons, and has a spacious 
 arena, which was once used for gladiatorial exhi- 
 
20 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 bitions. When our party was there it was all dec- 
 orated with red and gold for a public festival. 
 The arena had been flooded, and there was to be 
 a naval engagement for the amusement of the 
 people. As the children saw the extensive prep- 
 arations that were being made, they were enthu- 
 siastic. 
 
 " We will all go," said Minnie. 
 
 "Yes," replied her brother, "we would not 
 lose this spectacle for any thing." 
 
 "There is one unfortunate thing about it," 
 said Mr. Percy. 
 
 "What is that?" asked both children at 
 once. 
 
 " The exhibition comes on Sunday." 
 
 " Sunday ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "What! on the Lord's day?" asked Walter 
 in astonishment. 
 
 " I should think," said his father, " that you 
 had travelled enough to know that in Europe 
 not much reverence and respect are paid to the 
 Sabbath." 
 
 " I know that, but did not suppose a public 
 structure like this would be open on the Sab- 
 bath, especially as it is just beneath the shadow 
 of that awe-inspiring cathedral." 
 
 " Do you want to go to-morrow afternoon ? " 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 21 
 
 '* No, pa, you know we do not. If we should 
 go to such an entertainment on Sunday, know- 
 ing, as we do in relation to this one, what we 
 should see, we should not dare to meet our dear 
 mother again, and look into her face," said Min- 
 nie earnestly. 
 
 " I am glad you think of your mother. Her 
 kind heart would be pained if she knew you vio- 
 lated the Sabbath. The separation of months 
 is enough without her hearing that you have 
 used the Sabbath for an unholy purpose." 
 
 " Then," added Walter, " I remember what 
 God has said." 
 
 " What ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " ' Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it 
 holy.' " 
 
 " I will take you this afternoon to an exhibi- 
 tion which will interest you." 
 
 " What is it ? " asked they both. 
 
 " You remember the picture in the west room 
 of our house in Cambridge, over the mantel." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " A steel plate engraving of the ' Last Sup- 
 per.' " 
 
 " Do you know who originated the picture ? " 
 
 " No, sir," answered Minnie^ 
 
 " Do you, my son ? " 
 
22 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; it is engraved from a painting of 
 Leonardo da Yinci." 
 
 " Can you tell me who he was ? " 
 
 " Only that he was a noted painter." 
 
 " Can you tell us any thing about him, father ? " 
 asked Minnie. 
 
 " Yes, he was born in 1451, and " 
 
 " What does da stand for in his name ? " 
 
 " Wait and I will tell you. He was a native 
 of Vinci. Da means of. He was Leonardo of 
 the town of Yinci." 
 
 "Ah, ha! that is it, then." 
 
 " Though he was a painter of great eminence, 
 he did not devote his time wholly to that art." 
 
 "What did he do?" 
 
 " He was in public life, and held some offices 
 under the government, and the painting of the 
 Last Supper is nearly all that remains of his 
 works." 
 
 " Is that painting in Milan ? '^ 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " It is on the wall of an old convent of the 
 Dominicans of Sta. Maria delle Grazie." 
 
 " Shall we see it ? " 
 
 " Yes ; the convent is now used for barracks, 
 but we will go there." 
 
 After dinner they rode out, and found the 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 23 
 
 monastery, and went into the refectory where 
 the fresco is. It has been retouched and amended 
 until its former beauty is injured if not destroyed. 
 Many persons were there to look at it, and the 
 gentlemen of our party studied it for a long 
 time. 
 
 " I remember," said Mr. Tenant, " what Prime 
 says about the central figure in this group, — 
 the Saviour." 
 
 " What does he say ? " asked Mr. Percy. 
 
 " He says, in an enthusiastic description of 
 this picture, that ' the head of the Christ is the 
 only head that ever came up to his conception of 
 the Saviour's. Rubens and Eaphael never satis- 
 fied him, but when he saw in this face the God 
 and the man so blended, he cried out, My Lord, 
 and my God ! ' " 
 
 " That is high praise, but deserved." 
 
 " Yes, I think so." 
 
 Walter bought an engraving of the painting 
 by Raphael Morghen, and they left the monas- 
 tery, and rode towards the centre of the city. 
 As they rode along, Mr. Tenant put to Minnie 
 the following question : — 
 
 " Do you know why an establishment where 
 bonnets are made and sold is called a millinery 
 establishment ? " 
 
 « No, sir.'' 
 
24 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yon young ladies, who deal so much in mil 
 linery articles, should know." 
 
 " Should ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 ' ' Then, perhaps, you can tell me why that ugly- 
 looking steeple top you have on your head is 
 called hatJ^ 
 
 " The word from which it is derived signifies 
 to defend or ward off,''^ 
 
 " Walter and I," said the little girl, " vote 
 that answer unsatisfactory, because your steeple 
 top is always in the way, an incumbrance rather 
 than a shield. But about millinery." 
 
 " The word comes from this place. Long ago 
 this kind of work was done here to a great ex- 
 tent, and thus the name Milan-evj was given to 
 that branch of industry." 
 
 " That is a fact worth remembering." 
 
 "What will you remember most in this 
 place?" asked Walter of his sister. 
 
 " I don't know, and I am sure I couldn't tell. 
 What shall you remember most distinctly ? " 
 
 " The cathedral.'' 
 
 " 0, yes." 
 
 " It is so unique, and imlike any thing else 
 that we have seen, that it is engraved on my mem- 
 ory ; and should I live a hundred years, I should 
 never lose from my recollection the outlines and 
 
POINTED GOTHIC. 25 
 
 grand filling tip of this noble structure, which 
 I have described in a letter to mother, under the 
 head of " Pointed Gothic." 
 
 The children were very sure that they should 
 never forget this cathedral, and seldom does any 
 one who ever looks on it forget its glorious out- 
 lines and its elaborate finish. Once seen it is 
 never to be forgotten. It fixes itself in the 
 mind, stamps itself in the memory, and years 
 after the visit to Milan is made the traveller 
 calls up, as one of the notable days of his life, 
 that on which he stood and gazed upon that 
 grand consummation of architectural beauty. 
 
26 THE PERCY FAMILY, 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 CllOSSINa THE SIMPLON. 
 
 " pROSSING the Simplon ! I thought yon 
 
 v^ were going over the Alps," said Minn is, 
 as the party left the hotel in Milan to take the 
 cars for the Simplon. 
 
 " Min, you are a simple-ton ! " replied Walter. 
 
 " Quite complimentary, bub ! But why am I 
 a simpleton ? " 
 
 " Because, after all we have talked about it, 
 you do not understand where we are going." 
 
 " We are going over the Simplon ; I under- 
 stand that." 
 
 " And the Simplon is a pass over the Alps, 
 Simplon being the name of one single mountain, 
 and Alps the name of the whole ridge." 
 
 " Ah, ha ! " 
 
 " Here we are at the diligence office, — an 
 early start, — five o'clock in the morning," said 
 Mr. Tenant. 
 
 They took seats in the omnibus, and were 
 soon on their way. The road was admirable, and 
 the horses tolerable, and the progress about five 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 27 
 
 miles an hour. When they arrived at Novara 
 they found a train of cars just starting for Arena, 
 and took seats at once. When they reached 
 Arena, which is on Lago Maggiore, they met 
 with some trouble, and were furnished with some 
 amusement, mingled with vexation. On leaving 
 the cars they found a steamer just ready to sail, 
 but they did not know where she went. Tliey 
 expected to find a diligence, but it did not ap- 
 pear, and they could find no one who could con- 
 verse in French or English. They did not dare to 
 take the steamer, and they could not find the 
 stage. They went to a hotel, but failed to make 
 any body understand what they wanted, and for 
 a while stood in the street undecided which way 
 to go. The steamer left her anchorage and went 
 puffing over the lake, and the prospect of our 
 travellers getting on was any thing but favorable. 
 They asked a well-dressed man who was passing 
 by, but he only laughed at them : the boys in 
 the street gathered around the party and hooted : 
 ragged men with their hands in their pockets, 
 and dirty women with pipes in their mouths, 
 came out of the houses and stood around them 
 with shrugs and expressive gestures. Mr. Ten- 
 ant came nearer losing his temper than at n:.y 
 time during the journey. 
 
 " Miserable town ! " he exclaimed. 
 
28 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Miserable people, I should think," replied 
 Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Ah, pa," said Minnie, " the people look 
 very good-natured and hospitable. We seem to 
 be the miserable ones." 
 
 They all laughed at this, and the frown faded 
 from Mr. Tenant's face. He was provoked with 
 the people, and thought them very stupid, when 
 the trouble was with himself in being enraged at 
 meeting annoyances in travelling through a coun- 
 try the language of which he did not under- 
 stand. But soon a diligence came in sight, and 
 Mr. Percy turned to ask where it was going to, 
 but did not succeed in finding out. 
 
 " Is that diligence going to the Simplon ? " 
 
 The people shook their heads. 
 
 " To Milan ? " 
 
 They shook their heads 
 
 " To Novara ? " 
 
 They shook their heads. 
 
 " Stupid dolts ! " 
 
 They shook their heads. 
 
 The diligence had now reached the place 
 where they stood, and the driver, seeing a crowd 
 in the street, stopped to ascertain what it was. 
 Our party appealed to him, but could not make 
 him understand any thing. 
 
 He yelled in Italian. 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 29 
 
 They conversed in English and French. 
 
 At last Mr. Tenant caught up his carpet bag 
 and threw it upon the diligence, and ordered 
 the driver to put on the rest of the baggage. 
 
 " I am going in this shabby vehicle," he said. 
 
 " Where ? " asked Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Any where." 
 
 " But it may not be going where we want to 
 go to." 
 
 " I don't care much where it goes to, as long 
 as it goes out of this miserable, dirty town." 
 
 " Well, we will go with you." 
 
 They all got into the diligence, and found just 
 seats enough for themselves. They did not know 
 where they were going, and for a time did not 
 dare to ask. 
 
 " Mr. Tenant," said Minnie, " you are de- 
 cidedly out of sorts." 
 
 '' Who could help being out of sorts — mad, 
 if you will have it so ? " 
 
 " I could." 
 
 " Ah ! " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Mr. Percy soon thought it time to inquire 
 where the diligence was going to. He found a 
 man who could converse in French, and from 
 him learned that the party were in the right car- 
 riage and on their way in the right direction. 
 
30 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 This restored the good feelings of all ; and the 
 cloud swept away even from Mr. Tenant's brow, 
 who had been more distracted than usual. He 
 was generally the coolest and most dispassionate 
 of the whole company. From two o'clock until 
 eight in the evening they rode on, through a 
 country of surpassing loveliness. The lower 
 Alps were soon seen, and in the hazy atmosphere 
 presented an ever-varying appearance, now rough 
 and rugged, and then the smoothly-roUiided 
 cone ; now bare and desolate, and anon crowned 
 with verdure and covered with foliage. The 
 road all along was delightful and pleasant. 
 Formed for the march of armies, it was broad, 
 smooth, level, and destitute of ruts and gullies. 
 It winds around the base of the mountains, whose 
 sides are covered with vines and foliage of vari- 
 ous kinds, from out of which peep, now and then, 
 the cottage of the peasant, the church-tower, 
 and the humble, unostentatious village, and 
 whose summits are concealed by the ever shift- 
 ing clouds. The children were very much 
 pleased, especially as they rode along the shores 
 of Lake Maggiore, within sight of the pictur- 
 esque Island of Isola Bella, the seat of Count 
 Borromeo, which rises from the bosom of the 
 dark wave like a star shining tiu'ough a night 
 cloud. 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 31 
 
 At eight o'clock they reached Domo d'Ossola, 
 a mean Italian town just at the foot of the Sim- 
 plon. 
 
 " What a place ! " exclaimed Mr. Percy. 
 
 " A place, indeed!" replied Mr. Tenant; "one 
 traveller describes it as ' a dirty town, with a 
 smell of garlic, and red-capped, mahogany-legged, 
 lazy lazzaroni lounging through the streets.' " 
 
 " I smell the garhc, Mr. Tenant," said Minnie. 
 
 " And I have seen the red-capped lazzaroni," 
 added Walter. 
 
 " Supper ready ! " from Mr. Percy, interrupted 
 their uncomplimentary remarks, and they went 
 into the little dining room of the hotel, in front 
 of which they had been conversing, where they 
 had beefsteak and coffee, of the character of 
 which an opinion may be formed by the follow- 
 ing remarks : — 
 
 " This steak tastes as if it had been cooked on 
 ashes," said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " The coffee looks as if it was made of ink," 
 added Mr. Percy. 
 
 " The eggs taste as if they were laid by the 
 hens that Noah carried into the ark." 
 
 The gentlemen laughed at Minnie's comment 
 on the eggs, but Walter replied, — 
 
 " I find the steak palatable, the coffee toler- 
 able, and the eggs decidedly good." 
 
32 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " I guess you are hungry, Walter," said Min- 
 nie. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And you eat with your eyes shut." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Then, perhaps, you can relish your supper." 
 
 The party were now called to the diligence, 
 which was about to start. They arrived at the 
 foot of the Simplon, and entered the grand pass, 
 just at nightfall, and, until nine the next morn- 
 ing, continued to ascend over the splendid road 
 which the genius of Napoleon built amid those 
 frowning heights, and over which his armies 
 passed in midwinter, now overwhelmed by the 
 avalanche, and anon emerging from the danger, 
 to pour themselves upon the smiling fields be- 
 low. The scenery was wild and awful. On one 
 side towered the high peaks, from which swept 
 down the cold, icy wind ; on the other side 
 were deep ravines and terrible precipices, which 
 yawned as if eager to devour an army. Now 
 they passed the refuge houses ; the convent, at 
 the gate of which stood a large St. Bernard dog, 
 ready for duty ; beautiful cascades leaping down 
 from cliff to cliif; piles of snow in midsummer; 
 and many a huge rock projecting overhead, and 
 ready to fall upon the head of the traveller. 
 
 Yet up, up, they went, until they reached the 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 33 
 
 oO>«t^Oo 
 
 Gorge of Gondo, a magnificent gallery, cut five 
 hundred and ninety-six feet through the hard 
 rock, down over which the water tumbles with 
 ceaseless roar. For a while they stood in that 
 gorge wondering and amazed at what they saw, 
 and then went on again to new scenes. All 
 that night they continued to climb, the impres- 
 sions of awe becoming deeper every moment. 
 There is every thing in that wild scene to make 
 one forget the narrow occupations of earth, and 
 lift up his soul to God. The stupendous heights ; 
 the yawning caverns ; the everlasting roar of the 
 descending torrents ; the dark night and the 
 dawning morning ; the hospice of the monks ; 
 the exposure to the descending avalanche ; the 
 galleries hewn out of solid rock, dripping with 
 water and hung with icicles ; the wet, misty 
 clouds which now sweep down upon us, and 
 anon roll back, and leave the traveller in moon- 
 light and starlight, — all increase the interest 
 and awfulness of the ascent. The cold was in- 
 tense, though not greater than they expected. 
 The snow was lying in drifts on the sides of the 
 mountains, and above them, in the gorges, shone 
 the glaciers. 
 
 At day dawn they reached the tavern on the 
 Simplon, where they took breakfast. The fare 
 was poor, but the ride of the night had made 
 VOL. V. 3 
 
34 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 the appetite excellent, and the coarse bread and 
 honey set before the hungry tourists were de- 
 voured speedily. From this point the two gen- 
 tlemen, with Walter, walked to the highest grade 
 of the pass, and at length the cross, which marks 
 the turning-point, standing in its loneliness, was 
 seen — a truthful emblem, suggesting holy 
 thoughts to the travellers in their dreary march. 
 As Walter ran ahead with another young man, 
 who, with our party, left the diligence behind, 
 Mr. Tenant, making a snow ball, threw it at the 
 lad, and nearly took oif his cap. 
 
 " Ah," said Walter, turning round, '' that is 
 your game — is it ? " 
 
 Just as he said so a huge mass of snow, thrown 
 by Mr. Tenant, came full in his face, almost 
 smothering him. He uttered a quick cry, above 
 which arose the merry shout of the perpetrator 
 of the act. But Walter rallied, and brushed the 
 snow from his face. 
 
 " It is a poor rule that won't work both ways," 
 he said, as he caught up some snow and formed 
 it into snowballs, and threw them with great ra- 
 pidity at Mr. Tenant. The young man with 
 Walter also went into the fun with much zeal, 
 and soon it became a drawn game between Wal- 
 ter and his young friend on one side, and the 
 two gentlemen on the other. For about five 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 35 
 
 minutes a vigorous snowballing was kept up in 
 grand style. At length a well-directed ball from 
 the hand of Walter struck the hat of Mr. Ten- 
 ant, and taking it from his head, sent it over the 
 cliff into the valley below. 
 
 " G-one," said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " That is so," added Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Can't I get it ? " asked Walter, sobered 
 down at once from his hilarity by the event. 
 
 " No, it is gone." 
 
 " I am sorry, indeed I am." 
 
 " It is not your fault, Walter," said Mr. Ten- 
 ant ; " I commenced the game. I wanted to 
 have some snowballing on the Alps in midsum- 
 mer, and have had it." 
 
 " Yes, but I knocked off your hat." 
 
 " I know it, and though I regret the loss of 
 that, yet even at that expense I would not lose 
 the exhilaration of the game of snowballing." 
 
 Mr. Tenant tied a silk handkerchief around 
 his head, and waited for the diligence to come 
 up. Among his baggage he had a cap, which he 
 put on, and was well laughed at by Minnie for 
 his defeat, as she called it, in his game with 
 Walter. 
 
 " How high are we ? " asked Walter of his 
 father, when the excitement of the snowballing 
 had subsided. 
 
36 THEPERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " The Simplon pass is about six thovis&nd 
 seven hundred feet." 
 
 " What is the St. Gothard." 
 
 " Six thousand eight hundred feet." 
 
 " What is the Splugen ? " 
 
 '' The same as the St. Gothard." 
 
 " What is the Great Bernard ? " 
 
 '^ About eight thousand feet." 
 
 " I have read," said Minnie, *^' so much about 
 the Alpine passes, that I thought it more dan- 
 gerous to cross than we have found it." 
 
 " There is little danger in summer." 
 
 " But what made M'Donald's pass so terri- 
 ble ? " 
 
 " He crossed long before these roads were laid 
 out, making a road for himself. He crossed, too, 
 in midwinter." 
 
 '' Well, I never had any correct idea of what 
 it was to cross the Alps. I wish you would ex- 
 plain to me something about the avalanches that 
 I have heard of." 
 
 " One who has never seen this region of ice," 
 said Mr. Percy, " can hardly have a conception 
 of it. Here, in the heat of summer, while the 
 fertile plains of Italy, and the vineyards of 
 France, and the orchards of Germany are blush- 
 ing with flowers, hanging with fruit, and radiant 
 with beauty, these everlasting piles of Bunless 
 
CROSSING THE SIM PL ON. 37 
 
 snow and ice remain in mountainous forms, un- 
 melted from age to age, and commanding tlie 
 wonder of all who gaze upon them. The ava- 
 lanches are of two kinds. One is called the 
 dust avalanche, which consists of masses of 
 loose, light snow, which gets shaken together by 
 the wind, and then begins to roll down the moun- 
 tain, turning and increasing in size as it comes^ 
 until to the people who see it from below it seems 
 as if the mountain itself was turning over and 
 rolling down towards you. But the danger of 
 these is comparatively small. They generally 
 break, and lose their power before they have ac- 
 complished much mischief. But there is another 
 kind. These are composed of masses of hard ice, 
 that become detached from the main masses by 
 the action of the water. Sometimes the ice lays in 
 layers, and the top layer of acres is at once dis- 
 lodged, and comes thundering down the moun- 
 tain sides. Then woe to whatever stands in the 
 way of this terrible agent of ruin. On, on, it 
 comes ; villages are in its path, but they are 
 swept away as if they were made of glass ; trees 
 are torn up by the wind that the formidable mass 
 sets in motion ; fearful explosions take place as 
 the ice cracks and breaks, and the devastation is 
 perfect. The traveller over the Alps is some- 
 times startled with what appears to him like dis- 
 
88 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 tant thunder in one continuous roll. ' He turns 
 his eye upon the neighboring mountain, and sees 
 one of these a^'alanches pouring itself down upon 
 the plains below, assuming all kinds of fantastic 
 shapes, dashing on as if the earth itself was to 
 be overwhelmed. He thanks Grod, even if he be 
 a sceptic, that he is not in the path of that awful 
 power, which armies could not avert, which no 
 walls of iron or stone could turn aside." 
 
 They were now descending the mountains on 
 the Swiss side, rattling along, now holding on to 
 the side of the rickety diligence, anon bursting 
 forth with exclamations of surprise at the grand 
 and awful scenes around them. On their way 
 they came to Brieg, a town that occupies the po- 
 sition at the foot of the mountain on one side 
 that Porno d'Ossola does on the other side. They 
 tarried here oiily long enough to dine, and then 
 pressed on to Martigny. 
 
 The baggage was thrown from the diligence 
 with violence at the door of one of the hotels, 
 but when Mr. Tenant entered and asked for 
 apartments, they were not to be had. The house 
 was all full, and the answers to the numerous 
 questions asked were not very courteous. They 
 tried one or two public houses and received the 
 answer, 
 
 " AU full." 
 
CROSSING THE SIMPLON. 89 
 
 " We will sleep on lounges or on the floor." 
 
 " All full." 
 
 At length they found a hotel that was not full, 
 and it proved to be the best in the mean little 
 town, and there found a home for the night. 
 
 It was very hard for the children to sleep. 
 They had seen so much, and anticipated so much, 
 that they were restless and wakeful, though they 
 had no rest the night previous. Walter, as soon 
 as he fell asleep, began to dream of falling from 
 a high precipice, and cried out so loud that his 
 father was obliged to wake him. Soon he was 
 asleep again, dreaming about avalanches and 
 snow storms. So all night in his dreams he was 
 among frightful dangers, and tottering over steep 
 mountains. Minnie did not sleep much better, 
 but groaned in her dreams so hard that her 
 father began to fear that she was sick. 
 
40 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter III. 
 
 THE ICE EIELDSo 
 
 EAELY the next morning all was interest and 
 excitement. The two children were tip be- 
 fore the sun, and when breakfast was ready had 
 talked over their plans for the day with the most 
 intense satisfaction. When the morning meal 
 was finished, the whole company, prepared to 
 visit the fields of ice, stood in front of the hotel. 
 Minnie was put upon a mule, and a guide 
 stood at the bridle. Walter was similarly 
 mounted, and a guide walked by his side. 
 The two gentlemen told their guides to go be- 
 hii)'!. Thus the party started, while a great 
 crowd stood looking on with as much interest as 
 if a like scene had not been witnessed a thou- 
 sand times. As they moved slowly on, at mule 
 pace, they had time for conversation, and many 
 were the questions asked by the children about 
 the ice fields. 
 
 " What are those long poles which the guides 
 carry called, father," asked Minnie. 
 
 " They are Alpine-stocks." 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 41 
 
 " What are glaciers ? " 
 
 " They are immense fields of ice, and the ice 
 differs from common ice, being little particles of 
 congealed snow." 
 
 " Are glaciers very extensive among the 
 Alps ? " 
 
 " Yes, there are said to be, in Switzerland and 
 its immediate neighborhood, about one thousand 
 five hundred square miles of glacier surface." 
 
 " What is the most famous ? " 
 
 "The Mer de Glace.r 
 
 " What does Mer de Glace mean ? " 
 
 " Sea of glass." 
 
 " ! How extensive is that ? " 
 
 " It is many miles long." 
 
 " Shall I see the glaciers ? " 
 
 " You will see enough to satisfy you." 
 
 " Please tell me more about them." 
 
 " What do you want to know ? " 
 
 " Why, how they are formed, how they look, 
 and what they are like. I have heard so much 
 about them that I want to learn all I can." 
 
 " Well, drive your mule up as near me as 
 possible, and I will tell you." 
 
 " There, I can hear every word you say." 
 
 " The glaciers are formed by the melting of 
 the snow, and the water, freezing, forms vast 
 flakes or fields of crystal. Glaciers are found 
 
42 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 at about eight thousand feet elevation : above 
 are the snow regions, pure, white, unsullied. The 
 action of cold and heat throws these glaciers 
 into different shapes and forms. Sometimes 
 they rise like a castle with its towers and tur- 
 rets ; sometimes they are spread out like vast 
 fields of colored glass, beautiful to the eye, and 
 inspiring the imagination with a thousand fan- 
 cies. When these glaciers begin to move, they 
 come down into the valleys, fill them up, and so 
 change the atmosphere that summer is not long 
 enough to melt them out, and there they lie 
 from age to age. The famous Mer de Glace was 
 thus formed, and the mountain gorge, visited 
 now by so many travellers as a field of ice, was 
 once a blooming Swiss valley." 
 
 " Can it be ? " 
 
 '' So it is supposed." 
 
 They now began to ascend the Forclaz. Mr. 
 Tenant was leading the way, and Walter fol- 
 lowed, singing at the top of his voice, to a very 
 unmusical tune, — 
 
 " Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains ; 
 
 TT'hey" crowned him long ago 
 On a throne of rocks in a robe of clouds, 
 
 With a diadem of snow. 
 Around his waist are forests braced, 
 
 The avalanche in his hand ; 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 43 
 
 But ere it fall, that thundering ball 
 
 Must pause for my command. 
 The glacier's cold and restless mass 
 
 Moves onward day by day ; 
 But I am he who bids it pass, 
 
 Or makes its ice delay. 
 I am the spirit of the place, 
 
 Could make the mountain bow 
 And quiver to his caverned base — 
 
 And what with me wouldst tJwu f " 
 
 The way was very rough, and to these travel- 
 lers seemed very dangerous ; and fifty times Min- 
 nie wished she had not come, though she was 
 not willing to confess it. Her mule did not 
 stumble, though he bore her along the edge of 
 tremendous precipices, and her little heart trem- 
 bled as she saw the peril to which she was ex- 
 posed. If Walter felt any fear he did not man- 
 ifest it by word or look. He was calmly en- 
 gaged in contemplating the grandeur of the 
 scene. The pass was made, and the party de- 
 scended safely into the Val du Trient, and 
 stopped at a neat Swiss cottage, and took some 
 refreshments. Minnie, being very weary, went 
 to bed, and the rest of the company resolved 
 upon an excursion suggested by the guides. 
 They were soon upon the Forclaz, some four 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea, in the 
 midst of scenes of indescribable grandeur. In 
 
44 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 one direction they could look off upon the town 
 of Martigny, which they left that morning. At 
 length they returned, and taking Minnie with 
 them, went on. All at once Walter, who was in 
 advance of the rest, shouted, — 
 
 " Eureka ! Eureka ! " 
 
 " What have you found now ? " asked Mr. 
 Tenant, riding up. 
 
 " The most beautiful prospect in the world," 
 
 " Pho." 
 
 " Gome and see it." 
 
 " Grand ! " was the exclamation of the gentle- 
 man, as he reached Walter's side, and saw what 
 had called forth the lad's enthusiasm. 
 
 There, far down below, was the valley of 
 Ghamouni, while seeming to rise above it, as if 
 about to descend upon it, was old Mont Blanc, 
 the monarch mountain, all misty and dim, and 
 having on the everlasting nightcap of snow 
 and ice. 
 
 " Now the rest of the way will be easy," said 
 Minnie, who had had about enough of glaciers. 
 
 " What makes you think so ? " asked her 
 father. 
 
 " Because it is all down hill." 
 
 " That may be a reason why it will be more 
 difficult.'? 
 
 " 0, mercy ! " cried the child. 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 47 
 
 " What ? what ? " 
 
 They all turned to where Minnie pointed 
 with her finger, and were in consternation to see 
 that the mule on which Mr. Tenant rode had 
 lost his footing, and that both beast and rider 
 were rolling over in the soft snow. For a mo- 
 ment a terrible fear stopped their very breath as 
 they gazed upon the scene. 
 
 " He is safe," cried Mr. Percy, relieving the 
 fears of the children at once, as he saw Mr. Ten- 
 ant regain his feet. The mule also saved him- 
 self, and when the others reached the place where 
 Mr. Tenant was, that gentleman was mounted 
 and ready to rejoin them, having learned a les- 
 son of experience, and narrowly escaped with 
 his life. 
 
 " Did you hurt you ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " Not much." 
 
 " How came you to fall ? " 
 
 " It was my carelessness ; I drove the mule 
 faster than it was safe for him to go." 
 
 They reached Chamouni that night, having 
 had a wild but interesting and toilsome day. 
 Minnie better understood what glaciers are than 
 she did in the morning, and Walter had his head 
 full of information and interesting particulars. 
 At Chamouni, Minnie was turned over to the 
 care of several American ladies who were there, 
 
48 THEPERCY FAMILY. 
 
 and the other three persons of the party spent a 
 week in climbing about among these mountains 
 of snow and ice. When they went to Mer de 
 Glace, Walter had a pair of strong shoes, with 
 iron nails in them, on his feet, and he had a pair 
 of green spectacles on his face. The object of 
 the spectacles was to save his eyes from the glare 
 of the ice, which often seriously affects the sight. 
 At night, when they returned, the boy told his sis- 
 ter that in all his travels he had never seen any 
 thing like Mer de Glace. 
 
 " Was it grander than the ocean ? " she asked. 
 
 " Yes, it was." 
 
 " Was it grander than the mountains of South- 
 ern Austria, over which we rode ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Grander than St. Peter's." 
 
 "Pho! St. Peter's! a playhouse! what is that 
 to what I have seen to-day ? " 
 
 " Grander than Vesuvius ? " 
 
 " Yes — about — quite — a little more — I 
 don't know." 
 
 " Well, that is an intelligible answer, truly." 
 
 " I think it is grander than Yesuvius." 
 
 " Well, that is a straightforward answer." 
 
 During the time spent at Chamouni, the gen- 
 tlemen of the party saw much of the wild sce- 
 nery of the Alps. They tried the pass of the 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 49 
 
 Tete Noire, slept a night in the hospice of the 
 Grimsel, went up the Jungfrau, became ac- 
 quainted with the monks of St. Bernard, met 
 with several hair-breadth escapes and remark- 
 able adventures. At length they found them- 
 selves all united again at Martigny, where the 
 guides were paid and discharged, and prepa- 
 rations were made to go on into Switzerland. 
 The night after the arrival of the company at 
 Martigny, Walter awoke with a terrible feeling 
 in his feet. He tried to sleep, but could not. 
 The pain became more and more intolerable, 
 until he could endure it no longer. 
 
 " Father," he called to Mr. Percy, who slept 
 
 in an adjoining room. " Father ! " 
 
 '' Hey ? what ? who calls ? " inquired Mr. 
 Percy, half awake. 
 
 " Father, I call." 
 
 " You, my son?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 "What is the matter?" 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Then go to sleep." 
 
 " I cannot sleep." 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " My feet feel very bad. They are in great 
 pain." 
 
 VOL. V. 4 
 
50 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 " What is the matter with them ? " 
 
 " I camiot tell you." 
 
 " Well, they are tired. Go to sleep, and they 
 will be well in the morning." 
 
 He tried to sleep, but the more he tried the 
 more he could not, and at length called again, — 
 
 " Father." 
 
 " What say ? " 
 
 " Please come and see what the matter is with 
 my feet." 
 
 " Don't they feel any better ? " 
 
 "No, sir. 
 
 Mr. Percy came into Walter's room, got a 
 candle, and looked at the poor boy's feet. 
 
 " Something is the matter," he said. 
 
 " How do they look ? " 
 
 " Badly, my son." 
 
 " They feel very badly." 
 
 " They must be attended to." 
 
 He rang the bell, and the sound was heard 
 through the silent house. 
 
 " Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle." 
 
 Nobody answered. 
 
 " Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle," again. 
 
 No response. 
 
 " Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle," still louder. 
 
 Soon a tread was heard in the hall, and a 
 knock at the door. 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 51 
 
 " Come in." 
 
 " What is wanted, sir ? " 
 
 " Have you a physician in the house ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Can you tell what is the trouble with this 
 poor lad's feet ? " 
 
 " Let me see them." 
 
 The servant looked at Walter's feet, and his 
 countenance lighted as he said, — 
 
 " I know." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " They are only snow-blistered." 
 
 " Onlp ! " groaned Walter. 
 
 " What can you do for them ? " asked Mr. 
 Percy. 
 
 " Cure them." 
 
 "That is good — doit." 
 
 The servant ran out and obtained a prepara- 
 tion of brandy and some other articles, and at 
 once proceeded to bathe the feet of the suffering 
 boy, who soon, under the operation, fell asleep, 
 and woke in the morning with his feet nearly as 
 well as ever. 
 
 Then they were ready to leave Martigny, and 
 taking the diligence, — dilatory as Minnie per- 
 sisted in calling it, — started for Geneva. 
 
 " This is a wonderful country," said Mr. Ten- 
 ant, as they were riding along. 
 
52 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 '^ Yes," answered Mr. Percy. " Rousseau says 
 that in Switzerland ' nature unites all seasons in 
 one instant, all climates in one spot.' " 
 
 u Yery true." 
 
 " Father," said Minnie. 
 
 " What is it, child ? " 
 
 " I want to know one thing." 
 
 " Two things you shall kno vV if I can tell 
 you." 
 
 " Only one at a time." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " What is the dreadful swjllhig I see on the 
 necks of the people here ? " 
 
 " It is called the ' goitre.' " 
 
 " What is the cause of it ? " 
 
 " The cause is not known fully." 
 
 " What is supposed to be the cause ? " 
 
 " Some attribute it to the use of snow water." 
 
 " Is it never found when snow water is not 
 drank." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Then it cannot be that." 
 
 " There are also many cretins found here." 
 
 " What are ' cretins ' ? " 
 
 " Idiots." 
 
 " Are they numerous." 
 
 " Yes, Walter met seventeen in passing through 
 one village." 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 53 
 
 " What produces cretins ? " 
 
 " That is as much unknown as the cause of 
 the goitre." 
 
 " How terrible ! " 
 
 " I have seen these goitres in America and in 
 England." 
 
 " What part of England do you find them in ? " 
 
 " They are found in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and 
 in other parts of England, in limestone districts 
 mostly." 
 
 " Is it called goitre in England and America? " 
 
 " I have never heard any name given to it in 
 our country, but in England it is called the 
 ^ Derbyshire neck.' " 
 
 " Does the same cause produce the goitre and 
 idiocy both ? " 
 
 " Probably." 
 
 " What do scientific men say about it ? " 
 
 " I remember what Coxe says." 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " He says, ' The same causes which generate 
 goitres prohahly operate in the case of idiots ; 
 for wherever goitres prevail to a considerable de- 
 gree, idiots invariably abound ; such is the nice 
 and inexplicable connection between our bodies 
 and our minds, that the one ever sympathizes 
 with the other ; and it is by no means an ill- 
 grounded conjecture, that the same causes which 
 
64 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 affect the body sliould also affect the mind ; or, 
 in other words, that the waters which created 
 obstructions and goitres should also occasion 
 mental imbecility. Although these idiots are 
 frequently the children of goitrous parents, and 
 have usually those swellings themselves, yet they 
 are sometimes the offspring even of healthy par- 
 ents, whose other children are properly organ- 
 ized, and are themselves free from guttural ex- 
 crescences. I observed several children, scarcely 
 ten years old, with very large goitres. These 
 tumors, when they increase to a considerable 
 magnitude, check perspiration, and render those 
 who are afflicted with them exceedingly indolent 
 and languid.' " 
 
 " 0, dear me ! I should not want to live here." 
 
 " Ah, you change your tune," said Walter ; 
 " yesterday you were wishing you could live in 
 this country all your days." 
 
 " But how should I look with a goitre on my 
 neck ? " 
 
 "It would not improve your beauty — your 
 looks, I mean. As to beauty, you cannot boast 
 of " 
 
 " There, take that, bub, for your impudence ; " 
 Dried the child, snapping her brother on the ear. 
 
 " Just as I mean, Min." 
 
 " Well, Master Walter, if you wish to banter, 
 
THE ICE FIELDS. 55 
 
 let me ask bow you would appear if you were a 
 cretin." 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Never mind, children," said Mr. Percy ; 
 " thank the wise and good Father that you have 
 neither of these dreadful maladies ; that the goi- 
 tre does not abound where you live, and that 
 idiocy has not afflicted either of you." 
 
 Then Mr. Percy endeavored to impress on the 
 minds of his young charge the obligations to 
 gratitude under which they were placed, in con- 
 sequence of having been endowed with reason, 
 intelligence, health, and having received their 
 existence in a land where there are so many 
 blessings lavished alike on rich and poor. 
 Amid those sublime exhibitions of nature it 
 was easy for Mr. Percy to turn the thoughts of 
 his children up to God, and from the wonderful 
 creation itself they were directed to the infinite, 
 unseen Creator, who is the same yesterday, to- 
 day, and forever, whose existence has no past, 
 no future, but is ever present; whose name is 
 [Am. 
 
66 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter IY. 
 
 TAKING A BATH AT LEUK. 
 
 " T EUK ? " queried Walter to himself, as he 
 
 ■^ heard his father say they should stop at 
 Leuk. " What is there, I wonder ? " 
 
 " Father," he added, " why do you stop at 
 Leuk ? " 
 
 " To take a bath, my son." 
 
 " A bath ? " 
 
 " Yes," 
 
 " I should not think you would stop for that. 
 We have had bathing enoiigli all through these 
 mountainous regions." 
 
 " It is not merely for a bath that we stop." 
 
 " What is it then ? " 
 
 " There are some singular things about the 
 bath that v^e wish to stop for." 
 
 " Then the baths of Leuk have medicinal 
 quahties." 
 
 '' Yes, they are said to have." 
 
 '^ I shall be glad to stop if there is any thing 
 to sec." 
 
 " YwA will find enough to amuse you at 
 
TAKING A BATH AT LEUK. 5T 
 
 Leuk, for such bathing you have never seen 
 before." 
 
 Leuk is a small village, which the traveller 
 passes on his way from the Simplon to Geneva. 
 The hot springs are about four thousand six 
 hundred feet above the sea, and the way to them 
 is difficult. But they are said to have many 
 virtues, and invalids resort to them in great 
 numbers. Our travellers were induced to visit 
 them only from motives of curiosity. Tlie way 
 to the springs is cut in the rock, and one takes 
 a sweat in getting to them. 
 
 " A man must have the rheumatism very ob- 
 stinately," said Mr. Tenant, " if it does not yield 
 to the exertion of getting up to these baths." 
 
 " Your collar is yielding, Mr. Tenant," said 
 Minnie. 
 
 " Is it ? '' asked he, feeling for his collar, 
 which was all wilted down. 
 
 After some exertion they reached the baths, 
 and entering an anteroom, the regulations, in 
 French, were put into their hands. 
 
 ^' Read them, Walter — can you ? " asked his 
 father. 
 
 " I will try, sir." 
 
 Walter read on a while, as well as he could, 
 translating as he read. 
 
 " Ah, Mr. Tenant, here is one rule that will 
 apply to you." 
 
58 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 " What is it about ? '^ 
 
 " It relates to corpulent persons." 
 
 " But I am not corpulent." 
 
 " No ; but it also relates to heavy persons. 
 You are tall and of good weight." 
 
 " Read it, and let me judge." 
 
 " Here it is : ' For a person over ten years of 
 age four porters are necessary ; if he is above 
 the ordinary weight, six porters ; but if he is of 
 an extraordinary weight, and the commissary 
 judges proper, two others may be added, but 
 never more.' " 
 
 " That must apply to persons more corpulent 
 and weighty than any of us." 
 
 " But what does that mean ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " You will understand when you get through 
 this establishment. You know that heavy per- 
 sons are carried up the steep steps cut in the 
 stones. They are assisted in their bathing 
 arrangements, I suppose ; but we shall see." 
 
 " Walter, is there no regulation that applies 
 to me ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Read it." 
 
 " This will apply to you : ' A fine of two francs 
 will be imposed on any one who does not conduct 
 in a proper manner while in this building, or is 
 guilty of any impropriety in entering or leaving 
 the bath.' " 
 
TAKING A BATH AT LBUK. 69 
 
 *' Now, that is impudent ! " 
 
 " What is impudent ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Why, that rule." 
 
 " What is there wrong about the rule ? " 
 
 " Not the rule. I didn't mean that, but the 
 application of the rule to me." 
 
 " That is where the shoe pinches, Min." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Well, here is another rule : ' No one is per- 
 mitted to enter these baths without being clothed 
 in a long, ample, and thick mantle, under the 
 penalty of a fine of two francs.' " 
 
 Having examined the rules, the two gentlemen 
 decided not to bathe, but the children thought 
 they would try it. As they were not imder the 
 physician's care, they were not limited as to the 
 length of time they were to remain in the water. 
 Suitably arrayed, the children entered the bath 
 together. It had a temperature of one hundred 
 and twenty degrees of Fahrenheit; and was any 
 thing but comfortable. Benches are under the 
 water, so that bathers can sit down ; and as those 
 who are sick often remain in six or eight hours, 
 they are obliged to take their meals in the water. 
 The two gentlemen went in and sat down in a 
 little gallery around the bath, where they could 
 converse with the children, who soon pleaded to 
 be taken out. They had had enough of the Leuk 
 baths. 
 
60 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " I don't see why people should like to come 
 here," said Minnie, as she stood with the rest of 
 the party, an hour afterwards, looking at the 
 bathers. 
 
 " Nor I," added Walter. 
 
 " I suppose," said their father, " that they do 
 not come here for pleasure, but for health." 
 
 " Have you ever heard of any one who has 
 been cured here ? " 
 
 " No ; but the waters are medicinal, and Dr. 
 John Forbes says, ' The baths are employed for 
 many chronic diseases, but their greatest reputa- 
 tion is in cutaneous diseases, scrofula, chronic 
 rheumatism, and indolent gout. Of their great 
 efficacy in many such cases, as well as in others of a 
 different description, we have sufficient proof in 
 actual experience ; and this is a result that might 
 be fairly expected from so powerful an agency 
 as hot water, when applied in the manner it is 
 applied here. Immersion in a fluid of a tem- 
 perature approaching or exceeding that of the 
 human blood, for a fourth or third part of every 
 twenty-four hours, during the space of a month 
 or two, must produce some important modifica- 
 tion in the actual condition of the animal func- 
 tions ; and it would be strange if this modifica- 
 tion were not sometimes beneficial, as well as 
 sometimes injurious. It could be easily shown. 
 
TAKING A BATH AT LEUK. 61 
 
 on physiological grounds, how this should be so, 
 as it is known by actual experiment to be so.' " 
 
 ^' I wish I knew all the arrangements here." 
 
 " I have a paper in my hand which gives them 
 to some extent." 
 
 " Read it, pa," said Minnie. 
 
 " Walter may." 
 
 Walter took the paper, and read in a voice 
 distinct enough to be heard by the company, 
 and yet too low to disturb others, the following 
 statement of the manner of conducting the baths, 
 to every word of which Minnie listened : ' The 
 full routine of bathing occupies no less than 
 eight hours a day. The patients enter at four 
 o'clock in the morning ; at six o'clock coffee is 
 placed on the floating tables, for those who like 
 it, and at eight o'clock they retire, partake gen- 
 erally of a good breakfast, and then return to 
 bed for two hours. At twelve o'clock they re- 
 enter the bath, remain there for four hours, and 
 to this succeeds another hour's bed, dinner ad 
 libitum, and an hoar's good walking on the 
 promenade. In the evening balls and concerts 
 relieve the ennui of fashionable life. There are 
 lodging houses and baths, supported by volun- 
 tary contributions, for the poor Germans. The 
 treatment is reputed to be oppressive to the 
 spirits, and very debilitating. One might sup- 
 
62 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 pose that it would be resorted to only when all 
 other expedients had failed ; but this, assuredly, 
 is not the case. During the season, which lasts 
 for three or four months, the hotels are gener- 
 ally pretty well filled with French and Swiss 
 visitors, and a few Germans. For the rest of 
 the year all the doors and windows of the hotels 
 are boarded up, and the place is almost deserted, 
 from its being at such an elevation on the moun- 
 tains.' " 
 
 " Ugh ! " exclaimed Minnie. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Why, to think I have been in that bath ! " 
 
 "What of it?" 
 
 " With people who have all kinds of diseases. 
 No knowing but I have caught something.'' 
 
 The gentlemen laughed at her, and in the 
 laugh she joined ; and soon they all left the 
 baths, and were on board the diligence towards 
 Geneva. Having rode to Bex they dined, and 
 took the cars for Yilleneuve. A circumstance 
 took place at Bex which was pleasing to them 
 all. As Mr. Tenant was purchasing the car 
 tickets, just before starting, he had a little con- 
 versation with the ticket master ; at the close of 
 which a gentleman, accompanied by a tall, pale 
 lady, dressed in deep mourning, approached him 
 and said, — 
 
TAKING A BATH AT LEUK. 63 
 
 " Allow me to ask, sir, are you an English- 
 man ? " 
 
 " No, sir, an American," replied Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " All, I am happy to meet with you. I am an 
 American myself. What part of the States are 
 you from ? " 
 
 " From Cambridge, Massachusetts." 
 
 " I am from the Granite State." 
 
 " Ah, I was born there. God bless the noble 
 state ! Here is my card," handing the stranger 
 a card with his (Mr. Tenant's) name on it. 
 
 '' I am Franklin Pierce," said the stranger, 
 who at once entered into conversation with Mr. 
 Tenant. 
 
 " Minnie, Minnie ! " said Walter, who had 
 listened to the above conversation. 
 
 " What, bub ? " 
 
 " That gentleman talking with Mr. Tenant — 
 and now being introduced to father — is Ex-Presi- 
 dent Pierce." 
 
 " You don't say so, though." 
 
 " He said his name was Franklin Pierce." 
 
 " That may be. If he had said his name was 
 George Washington, that would not have proved 
 him to be the first president of our country." 
 
 *' No ; but this gentleman looks like pictures 
 which I have seen of the ex-president." 
 
 " I have never seen any." 
 
M THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 " I must find out; " and the boy drew nearer 
 the gentlemen, and Mr. Percy, seeing him, said, 
 " Come here, children ; " and then turning to 
 the stranger, he added, " These are my children, 
 who are travelling with us. President Pierce." 
 
 The ex-president at once took the hands of the 
 children, asking them how they liked to travel 
 so far away from home, what they had seen in 
 their tour, and when they were to return home. 
 All these questions the children answered in 
 such an intelligent manner that the distinguished 
 gentleman seemed much pleased. 
 
 As the cars were about to start, Mr. Pierce 
 said, " We should be pleased to take seats in the 
 same car with you;" and with this arrange- 
 ment the whole Percy party was much pleased. 
 
 When seated in the cars the conversation 
 turned on home and native land ; and the chil- 
 dren listened with much pleasure to the enthusi- 
 astic declarations of the distinguished personage 
 once at the head of the government, that of the 
 United States, is the best country on the face of 
 the globe. At Villeneuve they separated, our 
 party entering the steamer that was to bear them 
 over Lake Leman. 
 
 " How did you like liim, Minnie ? " asked 
 Walter, as the ex-president turned away. 
 
 ''He is splendid!" 
 
■i&KlMQ A BATH AT LEUK. 65 
 
 •^ A fine man, I think." 
 
 ^' How pleasant he was ! " 
 
 " Yes, just as affable as if he had never held 
 an office." 
 
 " I'll tell jou, Walter." 
 
 " What will you tell ? " 
 
 " If women are ever allowed to vote, I will 
 vote for him. Hurrah ! " 
 
 " You are not a woman." 
 
 " I shall be if I live." 
 
 " It will be a long time before women will 
 vote." 
 
 " I don't think so, if what Mr. B. said in his 
 lecture last winter is true." 
 
 '" I remember it, but " 
 
 " No buts, Walter ; the time will come." 
 
 " But how pale his wife was ! " 
 
 " I noticed it." 
 
 " She is sick, and with her husband is staying 
 here for health." 
 
 " She is dressed in mourning." 
 
 " Yes ; don't you remember that dear little 
 boy that was killed about the time Mr. Pierce 
 became president ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " He was killed near Andover, by a disaster 
 on the railroad." 
 
 " She must feel sad." 
 VOL. v. 5 
 
66 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yes ; how would mother feel if one of us 
 should be killed ! " 
 
 " 0, dear, don't talk of it." 
 
 ^' I can't help thinking about it sometimes, 
 when we are in danger If we should die mother 
 would feel so bad. 
 
 " Dear mother ! precious mother ! " sobbed 
 Minnie, regardless of the people that were stand- 
 ing around. 
 
 '' Come, children," said Mr. Percy, approach- 
 ing at this moment, " the steamer will go soon. 
 What, crying, Minnie ? " 
 
 " No, pa, I was only thinking." 
 
LAKE LEMAN. 67 
 
 Chapter Y. 
 
 LAKE LEMAN. 
 
 "TTELYETIA! Father, the name of this 
 
 J-X steamer is Helvetia ! What is she named 
 for ? What is the meaning of the word ? Was 
 Helvetia a man, a mountain, or a lake ? " asked 
 Minnie, all in one breath. 
 
 " Neither man, mountain, nor lake." 
 
 " Then it is a fancy name." 
 
 " No." 
 
 " What then I " 
 
 " Helvetia was the ancient name of Switzer- 
 land." 
 
 " That was it ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Then we are travelling among the modern 
 Helvetians." 
 
 " Among the modern Helvetii, if you please." 
 
 " I don't see the difference." 
 
 " Perhaps you do not." 
 
 " But see, father, we are going — she has 
 started." 
 
 " I see we are going. Now, children, you will 
 
68 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 have a sail over one of the most beautiful lakes 
 in the world, stopping as often as there is any 
 thing to interest us ; so remember and keep your 
 eyes open." 
 
 The steamer went out upon the lake in fine 
 style. The day was beautiful, and as a large 
 awning was stretched over the deck, it was very 
 pleasant sailing. But they had not gone far 
 before Minnie espied something that at once 
 arrested her attention. 
 
 "- See," she said, " there are three trees grow- 
 ing right up out of the water." 
 
 "Where?" asked Walter. 
 
 " Right ahead 1 Don't you see ? " 
 
 " Yes, I see now." 
 
 Mr. Percy now approached, and asked the 
 children to take particular notice of the trees. 
 
 " What for ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Because there is an island beneath the sur- 
 face, now concealed from view, but when the 
 w^ater is lower it is seen distinctly." 
 
 " What island, pa ? " 
 
 " One that Byron writes about." 
 
 " 0, I know — in the Prisoner of Chillon." 
 
 " Yes. Can you repeat what he says about the 
 island, for the benefit of your sister ? " 
 
 " I think I can." 
 
 " Well, do so." 
 
LAKELEMAN. 69 
 
 Walter thought a moment, and then repeated 
 tliese words : — 
 
 " And then there was a little isle, 
 Which in my very face did smile, 
 
 The only one in view : 
 A small, green isle, — it seemed no more, — 
 Scarce broader than my dungeon floor ; 
 But in it there were three tall trees, 
 And o'er it blew the mountain breeze, 
 And by it there were waters flowing, 
 And on it there were young flowers growing 
 Of gentle breath and hue." 
 
 " But where is the island, father ? " asked the 
 girl. 
 
 " Under water, child." 
 
 '' Overflowed ? " 
 
 " Yes, when Byron wrote, the lake was low, 
 and the island in sight." 
 
 They had now swept on by the island, and 
 were fast approaching one of the most interest- 
 ing places on the lake. 
 
 " A castle, father," cried Walter. 
 
 " Yes, children." 
 
 They all looked forward, and saw the hage ed- 
 ifice standing just by the shore, with a water 
 front, presenting a unique but pleasing object to 
 the eye. 
 
 " Do we stop here, pa ? " asked Minnie. 
 
TO THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yes, for an hour." 
 
 " Will you visit the castle ? " 
 
 " Yes, we stop for that." 
 
 " What is the castle noted for ? " 
 
 " Walter can tell you." 
 
 " Can you, bub ? " 
 
 " Yes ; it is noted for the imprisonment of 
 Bonnivard." 
 
 " Bonaparte ! Was he ever imprisoned 
 here ? " 
 
 ^' Not Bonaparte, but Bonnivard." 
 
 " Bonnivard ? Who was he ? " 
 
 " He was a patriot, who, for a vain endeavor 
 to break the chain which was on his people, was 
 brought to this place, and thrown into a dun- 
 geon." 
 
 The steamer had now reached the landing, 
 and in a few minutes the party was at the castle. 
 As they entered, Walter repeated what he had 
 committed to memory long before : — 
 
 " Chillon, thy prison is a holy place, 
 
 And thy sad floor an altar ; for 'twas trod 
 
 Until its very steps have left a trace 
 
 Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod, 
 
 By Bonnivard ! May none those marks efface ! 
 For they appeal from tyranny to God." 
 
 They went down into the dungeon occupied 
 
LAKE LE MAN. 71 
 
 by Bonnivard. It is a dark arch, below the level 
 of the lake, and a shiver passed over the frames 
 of the children as they entered. 
 
 " I must know more of Bonnivard," said 
 Minnie ; " this place is yet a mystery." 
 
 " I think I can explain," said her father to 
 her. " Bonnivard was prior of St. Victor, and 
 he aroused the people of Geneva to rebel against 
 the heartless Duke of Savoy. He was driven 
 from his home, and here incarcerated." 
 
 " Are these his footmarks ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Why did he always walk in one place so as 
 to wear the stone away ? " 
 
 " Byron explains it. He puts into the mouth 
 of the poor prisoner the following language : — 
 
 •< There are seven pillars of Gothic mould, 
 In Chillon's dungeons, deep and cold ; 
 There are seven columns, massy and gray, 
 Dim with a dull, imprisoned ray. 
 * * * * 
 
 And in each pillar there is a ring. 
 
 And in each ring there is a chain ; 
 That iron is a cankering thing ; 
 
 For in these limbs its teeth remain, 
 With marks that will not wear away 
 Till I have done with this new day, 
 "Which now is painful to these eyes, 
 Which have not seen the sun so rise 
 For years. 
 
72 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 They chained us each to a column stone | 
 And we were three — yet each alone ; 
 We could not move a single pace ; 
 We could not see each other's face." 
 
 " And was this the pillar to which he was 
 chained ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Did Bonnivard die here ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 ^' He says, ' We were three ! ' " 
 
 " Yes, two brothers were imprisoned with 
 him." 
 
 " Did they die here ? " 
 
 " They did." 
 
 '' Please tell me the circumstances — do." 
 
 " The two brothers, who were shut up with 
 Bonnivard in this cell, pined and died. He laid 
 their limbs to rest, but no one came to bury them ; 
 and for two years the only companions the good 
 man had were the dead forms of his two loved 
 relatives." 
 
 " Has Byron said any thing about either of 
 these brothers ? " 
 
 " He has ; perhaps Walter knows what he 
 said." 
 
 " Yes, sir, I do,'' answered Walter. " I have 
 read that so mucli that I can repeat it." 
 
LAKE LEMAN. 73 
 
 " Well, repeat it." 
 
 Walter repeated the following : — 
 
 ♦« I said my nearer brother pined ; 
 I said his mighty heart declined ; 
 He loathed and put away his food ; 
 It was not that 'twas coarse and rude, 
 For we were used to hunters' fare, 
 And for the like had little care. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 My brother's soul was of that mould 
 "Which in a palace had grown cold, 
 Had his free breathing been denied 
 The range of the steep mountain's side ; 
 But why delay the truth ? — he died ! " 
 
 " How did Bonnivard escape ? " asked Min- 
 nie. 
 
 " He remained here until the Duke of Savoy 
 lost his power, and Geneva was free. Then the 
 patriots came and opened his dungeon.'* 
 
 " Was he glad ? " 
 
 " What do you think ? " 
 
 " 0, 1 know he must have been glad." 
 
 " What do you think the first question h* 
 asked was ? " 
 
 " I do not know." 
 
 " Guess." 
 
 " Perhaps about his parents." 
 
 "No." 
 
 '' About his property." 
 
74 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 "No.'' 
 
 " About where he should go." 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Then I cannot guess ; what was it ? '' 
 
 " Is Geneva free ? " 
 
 " What did they tell him ? " 
 
 " That Geneva was free." 
 
 When they had looked about the dungeons 
 long enough, the children were taken to see a 
 beam to which they were told two hundred Jews 
 had been hung. 
 
 " Two hundred of them ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " It could not be. The beam would not hold 
 so many." 
 
 " They were not hung at once, but when one 
 lot was hung, another lot was brought." 
 
 " What did they do with them after they were 
 dead ? " 
 
 " Threw them into the lake." 
 
 " 0, how awful ! " 
 
 " A hundred years ago the world was very 
 cruel." 
 
 " I should think it was, from what we see of 
 instruments of torture and prisons. The trap 
 doors, dark passages, cold dungeons, and wicked- 
 looking instruments, show us that this must 
 once have been a fearful place." 
 
LAKE LE MAN. 75 
 
 As they again stepped on board the steamer, 
 Walter said, — 
 
 " Byron was not truthful." 
 
 " Why do you say so ? " asked his father. 
 
 " Because he says what is not true in relation 
 to this lake." 
 
 " Ah, Byron's descriptions are regarded as 
 very truthful and very beautiful." 
 
 " But look here ; how deep is this water here ? " 
 
 " Not very deep ! " 
 
 " Well, hear what Byron says about it : — 
 
 « Lake Leman lies by Chillon's walls : 
 A thousand feet in depth below 
 Its massy waters meet and flow : 
 Thus much the fathom line was sent, 
 From ChiUon's snow-white battlement.'" 
 
 " The poet took the liberty, so often used by 
 verse-makers, of adding about seven hundred 
 feet to the depth of the lake." 
 
 " Then it is only three hundred feet deep ? " 
 " It is very much less than that in this vicinity." 
 "• Why did not Byron state the fact ? " 
 " Perhaps he supposed the lake to be a thou- 
 sand feet in depth here beneath the castle walls, 
 as it is that depth farther out." 
 
 " What place is this we are coming to ? " 
 asked Minnie, interrupting the conversation be- 
 tween Walter and her father. 
 
T6 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Vevay." 
 
 " How pretty it looks on the shore of the lake ! " 
 
 " It is a very pleasant town." 
 
 The boat had now reached the landing, and 
 Walter was about to leap on shore, when Mr. 
 Percy, who did not wish to stop, cried to him, — 
 
 " Where are you going, my son ? " 
 
 " On shore." 
 
 " No, no, I veto that." 
 
 " Don't you wish to stop here ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 Walter came back to the party, disappointed 
 by the decision of his father ; while Minnie 
 asked, — 
 
 " What does veto mean ? I hear you say, ' I 
 veto that ! ' What does the word come from, 
 and what does it mean ? " 
 
 " It is Latin," replied her father, " and means 
 ' I prohibit,' or ' I forbid.' " 
 
 " Then, when I hear that the governor of the 
 state has vetoed a law, it means that he has pro- 
 hibited it." 
 
 " You do not hear that the governor vetoes 
 laws'' 
 
 " I thought I did." 
 
 " No ; he vetoes bills in the legislature." 
 
 " What is the difference between a bill and a 
 law ? " 
 
LAKE LBMAN. 77 
 
 '•' A bill is the draught before the legislature, 
 .ipon which that body acts. It does not become 
 a law until it has been passed by the House of 
 Representatives and Senate, and signed by the 
 governor." 
 
 " I see ; the bill is a law just as an egg is a 
 chicken." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " 
 
 " Why, the bill is law unhatched." 
 
 They all laughed at Minnie's comparison ; and 
 while they were talking about these things, the 
 steamer approached Lausanne. 
 
 " We shall certainly land here," said Walter. 
 
 " Yes, and remain a few days," replied his 
 father. 
 
 Having disembarked they took an omnibus 
 and rode to Hotel Gibbon. On the way they 
 were supprised to find the streets full of people, 
 and on every side signs of general rejoicing. 
 
 " What is it, father ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " I do not know." 
 
 " They are celebrating our arrival, Walter," 
 said Minnie. 
 
 " Hush, silly girl." 
 
 "Let us inquire," said Mr. Tenant; and he 
 asked a gentleman who was in the omnibus, 
 and received all the information he wished. 
 
 At every turn they were met with new demon- 
 
78 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 strations of joy. The people were in the midst 
 of a great national festival. Arches spanned the 
 streets ; flags of various colors were suspended 
 from the windows ; mottoes, wreaths, and ever- 
 greens adorned the public and private buildings, 
 and music was sounding in every street. The 
 inhabitants, dressed in gala-day attire, filled the 
 streets; cannon sounded from the neighboring 
 heights ; bells sent out a merry peal from every 
 tower ; and all the various signs of some great 
 fete met them at every step they took. 
 
 " What does the gentleman say it is ?" asked 
 Minnie of Mr. Tenant, who had been conversing 
 with the stranger in French. 
 
 " He says that the occasion of all this is 
 the occurrence of the annual shooting match, 
 which calls together multitudes from all parts 
 of Switzerland. This festival is conducted with 
 great enthusiasm. The people of the various 
 cantons meet here, and spend a whole week in 
 target shooting." 
 
 " Do they have prizes ? " 
 
 "Yes; this gentleman says they have prizes 
 of from five francs to five thousand francs 
 awarded ; and on this occasion it is estimated 
 that forty thousand persons from abroad are in 
 the city.'' 
 
 " Shall we see the shooting ? " 
 
1.AKELEMAN. 79 
 
 " Certainly.'' 
 
 They reached the hotel, and took tea in the 
 garden that was once the arbor in which Gibbon 
 wrote the last page of his work, " The Decline 
 and Fall of the Roman Empire." As they sat 
 in the arbor, around a table spread with sump- 
 tuous taste, they heard the shouts of the citizens 
 on one side, and saw the crescent-shaped lake, 
 more than fifty miles long, stretched out on the 
 other. As soon as tea was finished, the children 
 persisted in going out to witness the festivities. 
 They passed through streets decorated with 
 flowers and festooned with flags, beneath arches 
 bearing patriotic inscriptions. The shooting 
 ground was laid out in an open square, enclosed 
 on all sides by temporary buildings erected for 
 the purpose. In front was a stupendous wooden 
 arch, under which the masses enter the grounds. 
 This arch was gayly decorated with flowers and 
 festoons, giving it quite a fairy-like appearance. 
 On one side, as they entered, was a long pile of 
 buildings for the sale of fancy articles, such as 
 visitors would wish to carry away with them to 
 their distant homes. In another place was a 
 monstrous eating-house, rough, but neat and 
 comfortable, and which, some one said to them, 
 would seat four thousand persons at once. The 
 party went up and down among the rude tables, 
 
80 THEPERCYFAMILT. 
 
 which were all occupied by women, all covered 
 with flowers and wreaths, and men, some in 
 military costume, and some in blouses ; all chat- 
 tering and merry as could be. 
 
 " Where are the shooters ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Some of them are here, and others are at 
 the sport, if we can judge by the sound of the 
 rifles.'' 
 
 " Let us go and see." 
 
 They went out, and found in the background, 
 opposite the entrance, was the building for the 
 shooters. This was divided into different com- 
 partments, each having a clerk, who kept an 
 account of the shots fired. The targets were in 
 the rear, at a distance, as they were told, of four 
 hundred and fifty feet. The Swiss carabine was 
 employed by the marksmen, and they used it 
 with wonderful accuracy. 
 
 After seeing the shooting for half an hour, 
 they all wandered back to the centre, where 
 something struck the eye of Minnie. 
 
 " What is that ? " she asked. 
 
 " I don't know," replied her father. 
 
 " Let us go and see," said Walter. 
 
 They soon found out what the building was— 
 a small circular oratory, or glass house, a sort 
 of crystal palace, in which were the prizes. The 
 building being of glass, the prizes, which were 
 
LAKELEMAN. 81 
 
 hung up, could be seen. Here were purses, 
 through which the shining gold was visible, 
 silver and gold plate, splendid watches, musical 
 Instruments, and such like. 
 
 " Beautiful things," exclaimed Minnie. 
 
 " I should like to shoot," said Walter ; " I 
 think I could get a prize." 
 
 " I think you would find your prize a blank," 
 answered his father. 
 
 " There is something out here," remarked 
 Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked both the children. 
 
 " We will go and see," replied Mr. Tenant. 
 
 They went out to the place, and found about 
 two thousand people, men and women, dancing 
 on the ground. The loose sand was disturbed, 
 and the dust enveloped them, but did not seem 
 to diminish their sport. The party wandered 
 about the grounds until late in the evening, and 
 then returned to the hotel. In the morning 
 they went out again, and found things very 
 much as they had seen them the night before. 
 They also visited the cathedral, and some other 
 places of interest, and having remained in Lau- 
 sanne two days, took the steamer one afternoon 
 for Geneva. 
 
 As they approached Morges, Walter noticed 
 that a man was hoisting a flag, and he watched 
 VOL. V. 6 
 
82 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 his movements. When the folds of the flag were 
 thrown open, he saw that it was a huge black 
 banner. 
 
 " What does that mean ? " he asked of the 
 gentlemen. 
 
 They could not tell. 
 
 " I know," cried Minnie. " We are on board 
 a pirate." 
 
 "Phaw!" 
 
 " Pirates always carry a black flag." 
 
 " There are no pirates on this lake, Min." 
 
 " Well, what can it be ? " 
 
 " I think we can find out," said Mr. Tenant; 
 " you wait and I will go and ask some of these 
 gentlemen. — I have found out," said he, a few 
 minutes afterwards. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked they all. 
 
 " Last Sabbath," he said, " this steamer ran 
 into a pleasure yacht, and sunk her." 
 
 " On Sunday ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " That is what comes of breaking the Sabbath. 
 Does this steamer run on Sunday ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 u y^Qj^Q any lives lost ? " 
 
 " Yes, seventeen." 
 
 " Who were they ? " 
 
 '^ Mostly young ladies belonging to good fami 
 lies in the town." 
 
LAKELEMAN. 88 
 
 « How sad 1 " 
 
 " Yes ; the whole place is arrayed in mourn- 
 ing." 
 
 " Whose fault was it ? " 
 
 " The blame is said to belong to the chief 
 officer of this boat." 
 
 " Is he here now ? " 
 
 " No ; he is in prison, and in due time will be 
 tried for the reckless waste of human life." 
 
 Thus conversing the steamer passed by the 
 town of RoUe, which has a little island in its 
 harbor, around which the steamer passes to get 
 to the landing, and by Noyon, in which they saw 
 a castle or tower, — which looked^ as Walter 
 said, as if it might have a history, — and arrived, 
 just as the sun was setting, at Geneva, the city 
 of Calvin. 
 
 ^.-^^s^ib^s^^^^^^S^-^^s^^ 
 
84 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 HOME OF CALVIN AND LAND OF TELL. 
 
 THE party were on the alert the next morning 
 for the " sack of Geneva," as "Walter termed 
 it ; and at breakfast the plans were discussed. 
 
 " Children," said Mr. Percy, " do you know 
 any thing about this city ? " 
 
 " 0, yes, father; we have studied it well in all 
 the Guide Books," answered Walter. 
 
 " I know something of it, as you will see, when 
 I become your cicerone, to lead you about," said 
 Minnie. 
 
 " Where, then, do you want to go ? " 
 
 ^' Every where," said they both. 
 
 " Where first ? " 
 
 ^' To the house where Calvin lived," was Min- 
 nie's answer. 
 
 '' I would like to have you go and see Dr. 
 Merle d'Aubigne, to whom you have letters of 
 introduction," said Walter. 
 
 " Well, as the carriage is ready, we will go 
 out." 
 
 They rode first to St. Peter's Church, where 
 
LAND OF TELL. 85 
 
 Calvin used to preach. The church has been 
 altered, but the old canopy and pulpit still re- 
 main. Then they went to the house where 
 Calvin used to live. It is situated in an obscure 
 street. They entered the dark and dismal gate- 
 way, and knocked at the door of the room which 
 was once the study of the reformer. 
 
 " Can it be possible," asked Walter, " that 
 the great reformer ever lived here ? " 
 
 " Yes. Up these very stairs, and into this 
 cheerless study, the men who were associated 
 with Calvin went, and held communion. Kin- 
 dred spirits they were, engaged in a kindred 
 cause. Here those volumes were written which 
 have left such an indelible impress upon the 
 world." 
 
 " But, father, how the people who live in 
 this house stare at us ! " 
 
 " They care nothing for Calvin, and hardly 
 know who he was, and look upon those who 
 come with reverence to survey the premises, very 
 much as the barbarians of Italy look upon the 
 artists who cross sea and land to study the works 
 of the great masters." 
 
 Leaving the study, they went to the graveyard, 
 where with Calvin sleep Sir Humphry Davy 
 and many other noble men. 
 
 " Where is the monument ? " asked Minnie. 
 " I don't see it." 
 
86 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " There it is," answered her father. 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " Why, just before you." 
 
 " I don't see." 
 
 And well the child might fail to see, in the 
 humble monument to which she was pointed, the 
 resting place of the greatest man of Geneva. 
 Nothing but a square stone is over it, rising 
 about a foot from t]ie ground, on which are the 
 simple letters, "J. C," telling the traveller 
 where he sleeps. 
 
 " Why is his grave so unhonored ? " asked 
 Walter of his father. 
 
 " It is not unhonored. Thousands of all creeds 
 come to pay their tribute to his greatness." 
 
 " But why no better monument ? " 
 
 " This plain stone was put there in accordance 
 with his own dying injunction, in which he 
 strictly forbade the erection of a costly monu- 
 ment." 
 
 From the graveyard they went to the library 
 of -Geneva, famous for its ancient manuscripts, 
 and its antique books and pictures. 
 
 " We have not been where I most wish to go," 
 said Walter, as they stood in the street. 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " To see D'Aubigne." 
 
 " We will go there now." 
 
HOME OF CALVIN, LAND OF TELL. 87 
 
 They were soon at the gate of D'Aubigne's 
 residence, and sending in their letters of intro- 
 duction, (which documents Mr. Percy was always 
 averse to using when it could be avoided,) were 
 soon admitted. The great and good historian 
 talked with the children, and interested them 
 very much, while, in what they said about their 
 own dear native land he also seemed much in- 
 terested. On the following Sabbath, they heard 
 him preach, and during their stay in Geneva 
 received from him several little attentions. 
 
 On leaving Geneva they took steamer on the 
 lake to Lausanne, where they took the cars for 
 Yverdun, at which place they took a steamer on 
 Lake Neufchatel. At a town of the same name 
 with the lake, they left the steamer and took 
 one much smaller, and which did not draw so 
 much water, and pursued their way along a nar- 
 row river, some twenty miles long, but scarcely 
 wide enough for the tiny steamer to cross. 
 Walter thought he could leap ashore, so near 
 the bank did they go. Often the keel was drag- 
 ging on the muddy bottom ; and when a pas- 
 senger wanted to land, the steamer drew up to 
 the side of the stream, and a plank was laid from 
 the vessel to the shore, and the passenger walked 
 over it, and the paddles began to move again. 
 
 They reached the little town of Biel, — which 
 
88 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 the young reader will see by looking on a map 
 of Switzerland, — and here occurred an incident 
 which amused the children very much. They 
 wished to go to Olten that night, and it was 
 almost dark when they reached Biel. The depot 
 was full of cars, several trains going out at once. 
 Our party did not know which to take, and they 
 tried to inquire. For a time they were unsuc- 
 cessful. At length they found a conductor who 
 understood a few words of English, and they 
 appealed to him. They pointed at one train, 
 and said, — 
 
 " Olten ? " 
 
 " No," shaking his head. 
 
 They pointed to another train, and said, — 
 
 "Olten?" 
 
 Then they told him, the best way they could, 
 that they wanted to go to Olten. He replied, 
 pointing to where they were standing, — 
 
 " Stay put ; I come." 
 
 They understood that he wished them to stay 
 where they were until he came to them. But 
 they saw one train after another leave the depot, 
 until there was but one left. 
 
 " On board," cried Mr. Percy, and he threw 
 his carpet bag into the car, and pushed in the 
 children. Mr. Tenant followed ; and on inquiry 
 they found that they were on board the right 
 train. 
 
HOME OP CALVIN, LAND OP TELL. 89 
 
 " Guess work is as good as any," said 
 Walter. 
 
 " If you only guess right," added Minnie. 
 
 Late in tlie evening they reached Olten, and 
 drove to the only hotel in the place, over the 
 door of which Walter read, — 
 
 " Hotel Yon Arx." 
 
 Perhaps the reader will be willing to inquire 
 what the name of the hotel means ; for, after the 
 Percy children found out, they had a good laugh 
 over it. From Olten they went on to Zurich, 
 where the peace conferences were held after the 
 late war in Italy, and a view of which we give. 
 They also went up into the region made famous 
 by the exploits of William Tell, and stopped one 
 night in Altorf, near which place he was born. 
 That evening, as they sat in their rooms in the 
 little mean inn, Minnie asked her father to tell 
 her about the hero. 
 
 " What hero ? " he asked. 
 
 " Of course I mean William Tell." 
 
 " Well, he was born near here, in circum- 
 stances of poverty, his father being a peasant of 
 Biirgeln. Tell was one of a number of men 
 who formed a league to resist Austrian tyranny, 
 and for this was proscribed and ill treated. At 
 length the Austrian governor " 
 
 " What was his name ? " 
 
90 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Gessler." 
 
 " I have read of him in our school books." 
 
 '' Do you remember what he did that aroused 
 the vengeance of the Swiss ? " 
 
 " No, I believe I do not." 
 
 " Do you, "Walter ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " What was it he did ? " 
 
 " He put his cap on a pole, and had it carried 
 through the streets, and required the people, 
 when they saw it, to imcover their heads." 
 
 " 0, yes," cried Minnie. " I know that, but I 
 didn't think." 
 
 " Tell wouldn't uncover his head," added Mr. 
 Percy. 
 
 " What did Gessler say to that ? " 
 
 " He was indignant, and condemned Tell, for 
 what he called insolence, to shoot at an apple 
 on the head of his own son. Tell knew his 
 dexterity with the arrow so well that he did not 
 hesitate. The tyrant stood by and saw it done ; 
 and when the apple was carried away, and the 
 lad left unharmed, he commended Tell. But 
 Just as he was doing so an arrow fell from be- 
 neath his frock. 
 
 " ' What is this arrow for ? ' said Gessler. 
 
 " ' To kill thee, if I had hit my son,' replied 
 Tell. 
 
SWISS CHEESEMAKER. 
 
HOME OF CALVIN, LAND OF TELL. 93 
 
 " ' Well, miscreant, thou slialt yet suffer,' 
 shouted the enraged governor. 
 
 " Tell was bound and taken in a boat upon 
 Lake Lucerne, and while crossing a storm arose, 
 and the boatman could not control the little 
 craft, and asked Gessler if he would unbind 
 Tell and let him assist. After a time the terri- 
 fied wretch consented, and Tell took the oars." 
 
 " Was he very strong, father?" queried Min- 
 :nie. 
 
 " He was." 
 
 " What did he do ? " 
 
 " He took the oars, and in the fierceness of the 
 storm turned the boat back towards the shore 
 which they had so recently left." 
 
 " Did he reach it ? " 
 
 " Yes, he reached the shore, and bringing the 
 boat close to a rock, sprang out." 
 
 " Good ! " 
 
 " Yes, it was a good leap for liberty." 
 
 " What then occurred ? " 
 
 " When Gessler saw that Tell was about to 
 escape, he ordered his minions to surround the 
 rock." 
 
 " 0, that is too bad." 
 
 " It was just right." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " Because, when the soldiers were gathering 
 
94 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 around the rock, headed by the tyrant himselfj 
 Tell let fly an arrow and shot him." 
 
 " Did he ? " 
 
 " Yes ; and the soldiers, many of whom sym- 
 pathized with Tell, who had just saved their 
 lives, fled." 
 
 " What followed ? " 
 
 " A general insurrection, and a long war, 
 that did not end until long after Tell was 
 dead." 
 
 " How did he die ? " 
 
 " He lost his life in an inundation." 
 
 " I thought," said Walter, " that he lost his 
 life at the battle of Morgarten." 
 
 " No, you are mistaken there." 
 
 " Do the Swiss people think much of Tell ? " 
 asked Minnie. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Have they reared any monuments to his 
 memory ? " 
 
 " Yes ; after his death a chapel was erected 
 on the rock where he sprang ashore, and for 
 many years the people in large -numbers used to 
 visit the spot." 
 
 " What became of the little boy who had the 
 apple on his head ? " 
 
 " I think there is no information on that sub- 
 ject." 
 
HOME OF CALVIN, LAND OF TELL. 95 
 
 " Are the Swiss a very brave people ? " 
 
 " Yes ; their history is full of heroic deeds." 
 
 " Mr. Tenant says there is something in the 
 wildness of the scenery to inspire heroism." 
 
 " It is so. A people living in a cold, severe, 
 mountainous region are apt to be more hardy 
 and vigorous than in milder climes. The Ital- 
 ians, you noticed, were enervated, and often 
 cowardly. These Swiss peasants brave all sorts 
 of danger. New England owes much to her 
 climate for the stern, rugged virtues of her 
 people." 
 
 " How do the people of Switzerland support 
 themselves ? " asked Walter. " I do not see." 
 
 " Many of them live on very small means. If 
 you could know how little it takes to support a 
 Swiss family among the mountains, you would 
 be surprised." 
 
 " How is it, father ? " 
 
 " A large family of children will be supported 
 by a few goats." 
 
 " It must be small support. 
 
 " And yet they are as contented as we, who 
 have thousands of dollars." 
 
 " They have many cows here, I see." 
 
 " Yes ; some of the cows are very fine, 
 and from their milk an excellent cheese is 
 made." 
 
06 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " What do the cows all have little tinkling 
 bells around their necks for ? " 
 
 " It is partly custom, and partly to find them 
 more easily when they wander." 
 
 " I am told by Mr. Tenant that the cheeses 
 are made here so that they are kept a long 
 time." 
 
 " I believe so. It has been said that M. Ea- 
 mond boasted of having eaten some, at the table 
 of the cure of Lauterbrunnen, which had been 
 made sixty years. And it is said that ' the cure 
 of Ferden, wishing to present a visitor with what 
 he deemed a delicacy, had a cheese served up 
 which he said was of the venerable age of a 
 hundred years.' " 
 
 "Do you suppose that true ? " 
 
 " No ; I think it an exaggeration." 
 
 " Do any Swiss cheeses go to America ? " 
 
 " 0, yes"." 
 
 " Have we ever had any at our table ? " 
 
 " Yes, occasionally." 
 
 " What is it called ? " 
 
 " Schabzieger cheese." 
 
 '' If, when we get home, you ever have any, 
 let me know." 
 
 " If I think of it I will." 
 
 " 0, dear, I am tired." 
 
 " It is time for you to go to bed. Take sis 
 
HOME OF CALVIN, LAND OP TELL. 97 
 
 5 
 
 and show her to her room, and then retire your- 
 self. Where is Minnie ? " 
 
 " She is asleep. Wake up, Min." 
 
 " What do you want ? " asked the girl, yawn- 
 ing. 
 
 " I want you to go to bed." 
 
 " I am ready. Good night, father. Good 
 night, Mr. Tenant." 
 
 " Good night," said each of the gentlemen, 
 and the children were gone. 
 VOL. V. 7 
 
98 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 MAMMOTH ORGAN. CURIOUS CLOCK. 
 
 BEFORE leaving Switzerland, the party visited 
 Friburg, as Walter was very anxious to 
 see the wonderful organ at that place. A party 
 was made up, and the organist sat down to evoke 
 the matchless melody, and the moment the 
 sweet sounds began to roll out, conversation 
 was suspended, and every one gave attention but 
 Minnie. 
 
 " Who made this organ, bub ? " she asked. 
 
 " Hush." 
 
 " How many stops has it ? " she asked, after 
 a moment's pause. 
 
 " Hush." 
 
 " What is he playing ? " she queried. 
 
 "Don't trouble me now," answered Walter, 
 lost in the dreamy gush of sounds. 
 
 The organist was playing that famous piece of 
 music which is so well adapted to bring out the 
 wonderful power and excellence of the instru- 
 ment — the Storm. First are heard the low, 
 plaintive notes, as if the wind was sighing oil 
 
MAMMOTH ORGAN. CURIOUS CLOCK. 99 
 
 the distant mountains ; then it approaches, 
 swelling louder and longer, gathering force 
 and strength, until it sweeps on with driving 
 rain and rattling thunder ; and a person lis- 
 tening for the first time almost imagines him- 
 self in the midst of leaping avalanches, destruc- 
 tive tornadoes, and howling tempests. 
 
 " What do you think of that, Min ? '' asked 
 Walter, afterwards. 
 
 " Terrific music ! " 
 
 " Wasn't it, though ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I was almost frightened." 
 
 "I was not frightened, for I had read of 
 this noble instrument. It has been frequently 
 heard by travellers, who have been nervously 
 affected by it." 
 
 " Have they described it ? " 
 
 " Yes ; several of them have described the 
 organ, and have stated the effect on themselves 
 when they have heard it." 
 
 '^ Who has written ? " 
 
 " Several persons; and among others I remem- 
 ber that Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe says that, 
 while hearing this music, she felt herself lost in 
 a snow storm, in winter, on the pass of Great 
 St. Bernard." 
 
 " I wish I could feel so." 
 
 "Whyr* 
 
100 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Because I should have all the sensation of 
 being lost, and none of the danger." 
 
 Mr. Tenant, overhearing this conversation, 
 asked the children if they did not remember in 
 the music one wild note running through the 
 whole. 
 
 " Yes," said they both. 
 
 "Do you remember what Mrs. Stowe says 
 about that?" 
 
 " I never read Mrs. Stowe's description," re- 
 plied Minnie. 
 
 " Walter has ; for was he not quoting it ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the boy ; " but I only re- 
 member what she says about being lost on St. 
 Bernard. What does she say about the one 
 wild note ? " 
 
 " ' One note there was,' she says, ' of strange, 
 terrible clangor — bleak, dark, yet of lurid fire 
 — that seemed to prolong itself through all the 
 uproar like a note of doom, cutting its way to 
 the heart like the call of the last archangel. I 
 felt myself alone, lost in a boundless desert, 
 beyond the abodes of men ; and this was a call 
 of terror — stern, savage, gloomy — the call as 
 of fixed fate and absolute despair.' " 
 
 " I heard the discordant note," said Walter, 
 " but it did not make me feel like that. It went 
 piercing to my bones, but not so terribly as that." 
 
MAMMOTH ORGAN. CURIOUS CLOCK. 103 
 
 ^' When boys write journals and women make 
 books, they exag " 
 
 " Tut ! tut ! tut ! Miss Pert." 
 
 " I was only telling " 
 
 " An untruth." 
 
 " No, indeed ; I would not do that." 
 
 " But here we are at the diligence office, so 
 we will let the organ go now." 
 
 The next place at which the party stopped, 
 after leaving Friburg, was Berne, where was a 
 very wonderful clock, which at noon performs 
 many remarkable feats ; but as the children saw 
 a more noted one afterwards, a description of 
 this is omitted. From Berne they went on to 
 Basle, a fine town of about fifty thousand inhab- 
 itants, where they had the first view of the 
 Rhine. 
 
 " Where do you intend to stop ? " asked Wal- 
 ter, as he saw his father looking over the list of 
 hotels. 
 
 " I do not know. There are several good 
 hotels." 
 
 " What are they ? " 
 
 " One is Les Trois Rois^ 
 
 " What a name I " shouted Minnie. 
 
 " I suppose it sounds curious to your ears." 
 
 " What does it mean ? " 
 
 " The Three Kings." 
 
104 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " That is simple enough. Wliat is another ? " 
 
 " La Couronne.^' 
 
 " Worse still ! What is that ? '' 
 
 " The Crown." 
 
 " Is there another ? " 
 
 " Yes ; La Cigogne.^^ 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " The Stork." 
 
 " Any more ? " 
 
 " Yes ; Hotel de SauvageJ^ 
 
 " I know what that is." 
 
 " Do you ? " 
 
 " Yes ; that is Hotel of the Indian." 
 
 " The ' Wild Man ' is better." 
 
 " Let us take that, father." 
 
 " Why do you prefer that ? " 
 
 " I know," said Walter. 
 
 " No you don't. What do you think ? " 
 
 " Because you think Hotel Wild Man is a 
 good place for a wild girl to stop at." 
 
 " That is too bad, Walter ! " said Mr. Tenant, 
 laughingly. 
 
 They allowed Minnie to have her choice, and 
 the whole party spent a very pleasant day in 
 Basle, visiting churches, and in looking about the 
 town, which has more the appearance of a Ger- 
 man than a Swiss city. Before leaving Basle, a 
 discussion took place as to liow they should go — 
 whether by cars or steamer. 
 
MAMMOTH ORGAN. CURIOUS CLOCK. 105 
 
 '' There is nothing to see upon the Rhine for 
 many miles," said Mr. Percy, " and I think we 
 had better take the cars, stopping as we may 
 think best." 
 
 " I agree with you," replied Mr. Tenant, 
 " and of course it will please the children, if it 
 pleases us." 
 
 " Yes, sir," answered Walter. 
 
 "I don't know about that," responded Min- 
 nie, much to the amusement of the rest. 
 
 They took the cars on the German side of the 
 Rhine, and, crossing the river at Strasburg, 
 entered that city just at night, and on the mor- 
 row went to the cathedral. The spire of this 
 edifice was a source of much interest to the 
 children, especially to Walter, who had a long 
 list of high steeples, and heavy bells, and large 
 buildings. 
 
 " This is four hundred and seventy-four feet 
 high," remarked Walter. 
 
 " It looks like lace, just as the Antwerp stee- 
 ple did," added Minnie. 
 
 ''- When was this built, father?" asked Walter. 
 
 " It was finished in 1318." 
 
 " Then it is very old." 
 
 " How old ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 '' You can calculate — can you not ? " 
 
 " I suppose I can ; but if you would tell me, 
 it would be a shorter way of getting at it." 
 
106 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 "^ And the shorter way of getting at it would 
 be the means of your forgetting it before you 
 get out of Strasburg." 
 
 " Let me calculate. It is now 1859, and if 
 this was built in 1318, that number, substracted 
 from the other, leaves five hundred and forty- 
 one years as the age of this steeple." 
 
 " All right, though clumsily got at, sis." 
 
 " Come, children, let us go into the minster," 
 said Mr. Percy ; " it is near noon, and we must 
 be sure to see the clock." 
 
 " The clock ! What of that ? " asked Minnie, 
 as they went in. 
 
 " A remarkable piece of mechanism, as you 
 will see." 
 
 They found others pressing in, and soon they 
 were gathered where they could see the instru- 
 ment, which is almost as large as a country cot- 
 tage. It tells the time of day, calculates the 
 changes of the seasons, tells all about the moon, 
 when it quarters and fulls, is an explanation and 
 illustration of the movements of the planets, and 
 shows the times of eclipses and comets. It also 
 plays several tunes, though not in the best style 
 of art. As the children stood looking at it, a 
 military company appeared on the face, marched, 
 countermarched, performed various evolutions, 
 and retired from the field. Then old father 
 
MAMMOTH ORGAN. CURIOUS CLOCK. 107 
 
 Time, with his scythe, came out, and showed his 
 withered face, six thousand years old. 
 
 The children were much pleased with this 
 exhibition, but Mr. Tenant would not stay and 
 see it through, as he said one view of the front 
 of the edifice was worth a thousand clock exhi- 
 bitions. And so, indeed, it is ; for the front of 
 the church is elegant and exquisite enough in 
 its carvings to justify the declaration that the 
 building " looks as if it was placed behind a rich 
 open screen, or in a coil of woven stone." 
 
 They visited the monument of Guttenburg, 
 who, it is claimed, originated printing in 1436, 
 which is a very neat, tasteful thing. As they 
 stood before it, Walter asked his father, — 
 
 " Was printing originated here ? " 
 
 " Three cities claim the honor." 
 
 " What ones ? " 
 
 " The Dutch say that Laurence Jansoen in- 
 vented printing at Haarlem, in 1430. The peo- 
 ple of Mentz claim that Guttenburg invented 
 printing there." 
 
 " What about John Faust ? " 
 
 " He was connected with Guttenburg, but not 
 until a few years later." 
 
 ■ "I should like to have you give me some facts 
 about the art of printing." 
 
 " I will, at some time. No art has done more 
 
108 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 to elevate and bless the world. At first, print- 
 ing was very rude. The old presses were cum- 
 bersome things, and it was very tedious to work 
 them. But now the patent presses have made 
 printing a wonder to the world. The huge 
 cylinder press used by the London Times runs 
 off twelve thousand sheets an hour, or two hun- 
 dred a minute. Some time, when we are in the 
 cars, and have leisure and opportunity to go into 
 this, I will give you a history of the art of print- 
 ing, from the beginning, and you will find it of 
 much interest." 
 
 " I don't see how editors gather so much news, 
 day after day." 
 
 " It is very laborious. No one who has never 
 been connected with the press knows how much 
 labor and talent it requires to give variety and 
 value to a daily paper." 
 
 On the evening of the day of the visit of the 
 party to Strasburg, Mr. Tenant said, — 
 
 " There is a dish here, peculiar to this city, 
 — so it is said, — that I would like to taste." 
 
 " What is it ? " asked his friend. 
 
 " It is called Pates de fois gras^ 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 '' It is a dish made of the livers of geese." 
 
 " Ugh ! " exclaimed Minnie. 
 
 " The creatures," continued Mr. Tenant, "are 
 
MAMMOTH ORGAN, CURIOUS CLOCK. 109 
 
 shut up alone, and by various stuffing processes, 
 the liver is made to attain an inordinate size." 
 
 Mr. Tenant said so much about the dish,. that 
 they all went out, and at an eating establishment 
 found it, but by unanimous vote afterwards pro- 
 nounced it not worth eating. 
 
 " Is there any thing more to see ? " asked Mr. 
 Tenant, the next morning. '' If not, we had 
 better start early on our way." 
 
 " I want to ride," replied Mr. Percy, " to 
 Brand Strasse." 
 
 " Where is that ? " asked both children. 
 
 " It is Fire Street." 
 
 " Fire Street ! " said Walter ; "why so called, 
 and what is there ? " 
 
 "It is called Fire Street because there two 
 thousand Jews were burned." 
 
 " Burned ! How ? " 
 
 " In one vast bonfire." 
 
 " Terrible ! What were they burned for ? " 
 
 " They were accused of poisoning the wells 
 and fountains." 
 
 " Did they do it ? " 
 
 " No ; the people were dying of the plague." 
 
 " When was it ? " 
 
 " In 1348." 
 
 " What cruelties the people of these nations 
 in Europe have been guilty of ! I should be 
 
llO THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 afraid the Lord would sweep them away with a 
 flood." 
 
 " You remember that there is a promise that 
 the world shall not be destroyed by water again, 
 and the rainbow is God's beautiful emblem that 
 his promise shall not fail." 
 
 " I should think, then, that the earth would 
 open and swallow them up." 
 
 " It is because God is so merciful and kind 
 that wicked nations are not destroyed. The 
 great King bears with his rebellious subjects 
 much longer than earthly monarchs would." 
 
 The company rode to the place where the 
 bonfire was once kindled, and found every thing 
 changed, of course, but were made sad by the 
 painful memories of the dreadful deed. Then 
 they crossed the river, and took cars again for 
 a new field of study and reflection. 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. Ill 
 
 Chapter YIII. 
 
 THE GAMBLER'S PARADISE. 
 
 AS they rode away from Strasburg, the con- 
 versation turned on what they had seen, 
 and the clock was a prominent theme of inter- 
 est. Minnie did not see how an instrument so 
 intricate as that must be could be kept in run- 
 ning order, and her father told her that for 
 many years it did not go at all. The maker of 
 it died, and no one was able to repair it when 
 it had once stopped. Mr. Tenant referred to 
 several noted clocks — one at Berne, another 
 at Yersailles, and others at other places. 
 
 " There have been wonderful watches, as well 
 as clocks, Minnie," said her father. 
 
 " I should think it would be harder to make 
 a watch perform such feats, than a clock." 
 
 " Why so ? " 
 
 " Because the machinery in one must be so 
 much more delicate than in the other." 
 
 " Perhaps it is so ; but I have read that ' dur- 
 ing the reign of Catharine II., of Russia, an 
 ingenious Russian peasant, named Kulubin, con- 
 
112 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 structed a musical watch to perform a single 
 chant. The machine was about the size of an 
 egg, within which was a representation of the 
 tomb of our Saviour, with the Eoman sentinels 
 on watch. On pressing a spring, the stone 
 would be rolled from the tomb, the sentinels fall 
 down, the angels appear, the holy women enter 
 the sepulchre, and the same chant which is 
 sung on Easter eve be accurately performed.' " 
 
 " I should like to have seen that watch ; it 
 must have been a curiosity." 
 
 " It was so, indeed." 
 
 "How did people measure time before they 
 had clocks and watches ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " By hour-glasses, sundials, and the clep- 
 sydra." 
 
 " What is the clepsydra ? " 
 
 " It was an instrument used by the ancients 
 for measuring time." 
 
 " Yes, so I supposed ; but how ? " 
 
 " By the gradual discharge of water from 
 one vessel into another." 
 
 " A sort of water hour-glass." 
 
 " Exactly so." 
 
 " When were real clocks invented ? " 
 
 " Some time in the thirteenth century." 
 
 " When were clocks put on steeples ? " 
 
 " Some time in the fourteenth century." 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 113 
 
 " Were clocks invented before or after 
 watches ? " 
 
 *' They were invented and used much earlier." 
 
 " Who invented watches ? " 
 
 " One Peter Hele, in 1512." 
 
 " What kind of things were they ? " 
 
 " Yery rude and imperfect, compared with 
 ours. The improvements have been made 
 gradually." 
 
 " Were they always called watches ? " 
 
 " No ; they have been known by different 
 names ; at one time they were called Nuremberg 
 eggsy 
 
 " Where are watches made most extensively ? " 
 
 " In Switzerland ; but in other countries are 
 very extensive manufactures. But here we 
 are at Baden-Baden," continued Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Why do you call it Baden-Baden ? " 
 
 '' It is so named to distinguish it from other 
 Badens in Switzerland and in the vicinity of 
 Vienna." 
 
 " How large is it ? " 
 
 " It has about six thousand permanent inha,b- 
 itants ; but this number is swollen by thousands 
 in the summer season." 
 
 " Is it a watering place ? " 
 
 *'Yes." 
 
 " Is it on a river ? " 
 VOL. v. 8 
 
114 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yes, on the Oss, a very insignificant stream. 
 It is built on the slope of a hill which is crowned 
 by a castle. The Margraves of Baden lived 
 here for six hundred years." 
 
 " What government is it under ? " 
 
 ''Under the Grand Duke of Baden, who 
 comes here to reside part of the year, but who 
 has a castle on the Rhine, which I will point out 
 to you when we sail down that river." 
 
 " See, we are stoppmg." 
 
 " Yes, we are there." 
 
 They left the cars, and went up into the town, 
 which just at evening seemed very beautiful and 
 serene, and Walter suggested at once that they 
 should stop long enough to have a fine season of 
 rest and recreation. This was agreed to by all. 
 
 The next day was spent in writing letters to 
 friends at home, on the part of Walter ; and in 
 mending her clothes, and doing other necessary 
 sewing, by Minnie. The two gentlemen strolled 
 about the town, and obtained a very correct idea 
 of the place, found out what would interest 
 themselves and the children, and prepared for 
 an easy, comfortable time for a week. 
 
 The succeeding day was the Sabbath, and it 
 dawned in quiet loveliness. 
 
 " There is an English church here, Walter," 
 Baid Mr. Tenant, as they sat at breakfast. 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 115 
 
 " A Church of England establishment, or a 
 church in which the service is in English ? " 
 asked the boy. 
 
 " Both." 
 
 " Then we can spend a quiet Sabbath. I have 
 not heard a sermon in English since I left 
 Rome." 
 
 " You forget." 
 
 ''Do I ? I cannot recall any sermon in 
 English that I have heard." 
 
 " Did not your father read one of Massillon's 
 sermons last Sabbath ? " 
 
 " 0, yes ; but that was not preaching, you 
 know." 
 
 They went to the church, which was well 
 j&lled with a quiet, attentive audience, where 
 they heard a very interesting sermon. On their 
 way from church, Mr. Percy said, — 
 
 " We shall not dine until five, and it is no 
 use for us to go to our rooms." 
 
 " Well," returned Walter, " let us wander 
 away from the town, and get into the forests, 
 where we can be quiet." 
 
 " No, I have another purpose in view." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " It will surprise you both." 
 
 " What can it be ? " said Minnie to herself. 
 
 " I wish to take you to a gambling house." 
 
116 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " A gambling house ! " cried both the chil« 
 dren, in astonishment. 
 
 " Yes, the greatest gambling house in the 
 world." 
 
 " But have you not told me never to enter a 
 gambling place ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And will you take us to one ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Why, father, you must be crazy." 
 
 ^' No, I am perfectly sane." 
 
 " But what would mother say ? " 
 
 " She would go with us, if she was here." 
 
 " What ! my mother in a gambling place ? " 
 
 " I mean just what I say." 
 
 " And on Sunday, too ? " 
 
 " Yes, on Sunday." 
 
 " But how can you reconcile this with your 
 principles ? " 
 
 " I will tell you. Gambling is carried on 
 here to a great extent, but differently from what 
 you have conceived of it in America. Sunday 
 is the day when the most money is made and 
 lost. I want you to go, that the spectacle you 
 see may be a sermon more eloquent than the 
 one you have just heard. You will hear no 
 noise ; there will be no confusion ; all will be 
 orderly and quiet, and you will receive a lesson 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 119 
 
 which will impress your mind more seriously 
 with the evils of gambling than any discourse 
 our pastor ever preached at home. I shall take 
 you there, just as a minister would draw a pic- 
 ture of the scene to deepen the effect of a dis- 
 course. If there was confusion, I should not go." 
 
 " I must, of course, submit to your judgment; 
 but it does seem so strange ! " 
 
 " You will see through it before we have 
 made our visit out." 
 
 The party directed their way towards the cen- 
 tre of the town, to the seat of the pleasure seek- 
 ers ; and it being now afternoon, they found the 
 unhallowed occupations in full tide of success. 
 That the reader may understand what is now to 
 be related, it will be necessary to describe the 
 arrangement of things at Baden. The centre 
 of pleasure is the Conversationshaus, a large 
 building profusely decorated and arranged for 
 gambling and balls. On a line with this edifice, 
 which is an elegant structure, are other build- 
 ings for reading room, cafe, and various other 
 purposes. In front is an open area for prome- 
 nades. This area is surrounded with fancy 
 stalls for the sale of all kinds of light articles, 
 toys, and refreshments. The view of the in- 
 terior of the Conversationshaus, occupied by 
 many people, is on the preceding page. 
 
120 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 This centre of pleasure draws thousands of 
 people from all parts of Europe. So extensive 
 are the gambling operations, that the house and 
 grounds are rented for thirty thousand dollars 
 per annum. Sunday is the liveliest day of the 
 week, and a right-minded person can learn a 
 moral lesson by looking in upon the scene, 
 such as can be taught him nowhere else. Our 
 party reached the grounds, and were soon in 
 front of the Conversationshaus. 
 
 " This does not look like a gambling house," 
 said Walter. 
 
 " It looks like a palace," said Minnie. 
 
 " Yet," replied Mr. Percy, " it is one of the 
 worst gambling places on earth." 
 
 " Shall we go in, pa ? " asked the little girl. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Is there no danger ? " 
 
 " None whatever." 
 
 They entered, and the children noticed that 
 all the men took off their hats, as if they were 
 entering a parlor or a church. They found 
 themselves in a large room magnificently deco- 
 rated. Gentlemen and ladies were walking 
 about or lounging on cushioned seats. In ante- 
 rooms the gambling was going on. Men and 
 women were engaged in the various games. At 
 one table the rouge-et-noir players were chan- 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 121 
 
 ging gold by the handful, and at another, roulette 
 players were risking immense stakes. At the 
 head of each table were men with little wooden 
 rakes, with which they raked in or pushed away 
 the gold. Minnie noticed that some of the most 
 desperate gamblers were women, and a gentle- 
 man told her that some of the women were the 
 wives of dukes and lords. 
 
 " How still it is ! " whispered Minnie to her 
 brother. 
 
 " Yes ; no conversation above a whisper is 
 allowed here." 
 
 " It does not appear like gambling." 
 " Not at all ; I never saw any thing like it." 
 As they stood there, they noticed a young 
 man come up to the table with a napoleon in 
 his hand. He had a care-worn look and a very 
 anxious face as he bent over the group of 
 players. 
 
 " That is his last piece of gold," whispered 
 Mr. Percy to Walter. 
 " How can you tell ? " 
 " By his looks. Watch the result." 
 They had not long to watch. The young man 
 waited until he deemed the propitious moment 
 had come, and then threw his money on the 
 table ; and had he been playing for his soul, he 
 could not have manifested more solicitude. A 
 
122 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 moment he gazed, and then saw his money swept 
 from him. With a look of mingled desperation 
 and woe he rushed away. 
 
 " Poor fellow ! " said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " Foolish fellow ! " exclaimed Mr. Percy. 
 
 They saw a woman, with jewelled hands, ap- 
 proach and put down an immense sum with a 
 careless look, and when she lost it all, she turned 
 away, biting her lips with grief. 
 
 " The gambling is heavy and desperate," said 
 Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " Yes," replied his friend, " and I think we 
 have seen enough." 
 
 " I have, father. I would like to leave," said 
 Walter. 
 
 " Not quite yet," coaxingly said Minnie ; but 
 her father was decided, and they all moved away. 
 
 " What effect has this had on your mind, 
 Walter ? " asked Mr. Tenant, as they were walk- 
 ing to the hotel." 
 
 " One that I shall never forget." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " 0, it is dreadful ! The silence, the order, 
 the awful look' of interest and excitement! I 
 would not be a gambler for all the world." 
 
 *' I would not have you one for ten thousand 
 worlds." 
 
 " If I had not always hated gambling, I think 
 
THE GAMBLEE's PARADISE. 123 
 
 I should now. The very splendor of the place 
 makes it more dreadful." 
 
 " So all say who come here. The hushed 
 breath, the solemn stillness, broken only by the 
 clink of gold, make one afraid, as he looks on." 
 
 When they reached the hotel, Mr. Percy took 
 his children into his room, and kneeling down, 
 breathed out a prayer that his dear boy might 
 be impressed with horror at the scene he had 
 witnessed, and might profit by the sermon which 
 had been preached him by vice itself. 
 
 The writer thinks that the party had bet- 
 ter staid away from the Conversationshaus on 
 the Sabbath, though doubtless the scene is im- 
 pressive, and to a mind not yet debauched by 
 crime, well calculated to restrain from vice ; 
 and it is introduced here to give a full idea of 
 the wickedness of Baden. 
 
 The next morning they all arose early, and 
 went up to see the Schloss, or old castle, in the 
 crypts or vaults of which is an old secret tribunal 
 of the middle ages. Murray throws a little light 
 on the dark dens of cruelty. He says, that, 
 " according to tradition, prisoners, bound fast in 
 an arm chair, and blindfolded, were let down by 
 a windlass into these dark, mysterious vaults 
 and winding passages, excavated out of the solid 
 rock on which the castle is founded. The dun- 
 
124 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 geons were closed, not with doors of wood or 
 iron, but with solid slabs of stone, turning upon 
 pivots, and ingeniously fitted. Several of them 
 still remain ; they are nearly a foot thick, and 
 weigh from twelve hundred to two thousand 
 pounds. In one chamber, loftier than the rest, 
 called the Rack Chamber, (Folter-Kammer,} 
 the instrument of torture stood ; a row of iron 
 rings, forming a part of the apparatus, still re- 
 mains in the vault. In a passage adjoining 
 there is a well or pit in the floor, now boarded 
 over, originally covered with a trap door. The 
 prisoner upon whom doom had been passed, was 
 led into this passage, and commanded to kiss an 
 image of the Virgin, placed at the opposite end ; 
 but no sooner did his feet rest upon the trap 
 door, than it gave way beneath his weight, and 
 precipitated him to a great depth below, upon a 
 machine composed of wheels armed with lan- 
 cets, by which he was torn to pieces. The secret 
 of this terrible dungeon remained unknown, un- 
 til, as the story goes, several years after it had 
 ceased to be used, a little dog fell through the 
 trap door, and an attempt was made to rescue 
 him, when the fragments of the ponderous 
 wheels, set round with rusty knives, with por- 
 tions of bones, rags, and torn garments adhep 
 ing to them, were found." 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 125 
 
 Could the vaults and secret passages of all 
 the castles of the old world tell their tales of 
 guilt and crime, the heart of the world would 
 cease to beat. Whether the above account is 
 true or not, certain it is that these dungeons 
 were once used for dreadful purposes. The 
 children shuddered as they walked through 
 them, and noted the memorials of cruelty. 
 
 Thus three or four days passed by, and the 
 party were about to leave the town, when Mr. 
 Tenant remarked, — 
 
 " We have had no baths since we have been 
 here." 
 
 " 0, yes, we have," cried all. 
 
 " I mean, we have not taken the bath at the 
 place where it is given scientifically — for the 
 health, you know." 
 
 " That is true, but as I am well, I shall not 
 try it," answered Mr. Percy. 
 
 " I thought I should go out and try, and I 
 hope some of you will go with me." 
 
 " I'll go," said Walter. 
 
 ^' Then I will remain at the hotel with Minnie, 
 and have the trunks all packed by the time you 
 return." 
 
 " All right," said Mr. Tenant; and they started. 
 
 They found the place where the baths were 
 administered, and entered the building, a wet, 
 
126 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 dismal place, and met a man divested mostly 
 of his clothing, who asked them if they wished 
 baths. 
 
 " We do," replied Mr. Tenant. 
 
 "What kind?" 
 
 " I don't know ; what kind have you ? " 
 
 " Vapor bath — very good." 
 
 " Let me see what it is." 
 
 The man opened a box full of holes, and let 
 the steam pour in, enough to take the flesh off 
 the bones, and told the gentleman he was to 
 pack himself into the box and shut himself in. 
 
 " That will parboil you," said Walter. 
 
 Mr. Tenant thought so too ; so he asked what 
 other baths they had. The man took him into a 
 room, and showed him a place where hot water, 
 almost boiling, came down upon the victim's 
 body. Mr. Tenant shook his head. 
 
 " This is a water torture establishment," he 
 said. 
 
 '' Yes," replied the man, " a water-cure es- 
 tablishment." 
 
 " I cannot go that hot water, in the middle 
 Df summer." 
 
 " Will you have a bed bath ? " 
 
 " A bed bath ? What is that ? " 
 
 " Come and see." 
 
 The man led him into another room, where 
 
THE gambler's PARADISE. 127 
 
 there were several beds arranged along by the 
 wall, and began to explain how the bed bath 
 was taken. The conversation caused some 
 of the patients to bob up their heads, and Mr. 
 Tenant perceived that two or three of them 
 were women. He wanted no more, but turning 
 back, gave the matter up in despair, and returned 
 to the hotel, greatly amused with his adventure. 
 When he related it to Mr. Percy and Minnie, 
 they enjoyed it very much, and many a joke did 
 they have at Mr. Tenant's expense. 
 
 " Farewell, most beautiful and most wicked 
 place we have yet seen," exclaimed Walter, as, 
 sitting in the cars, the town disappeared from 
 view, and they were hurried onward with great 
 rapidity. " Farewell, ye gambling fraternity, 
 that use God's day for unhallowed purposes, and 
 God's beautiful earth for scenes of sin." 
 
 " What are you mumbling to yourself, bub ? " 
 asked Minnie, who failed to hear a single word 
 her brother said. 
 
 Walter did not reply. 
 
 — ^55=^^^^S4*^S>V^^^''* 
 
128 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 
 HEIGHTS or HEIDELBERG. 
 
 IN the same car with our party was a monk, 
 with whom Mr. Percy had a long conversa- 
 tion in the Latin language. 
 
 " Why do you converse in Latin, father ? " 
 asked Walter. 
 
 "■ Because this man does not understand Eng- 
 lish nor French." 
 
 " Then we can say what we will, and he will 
 not understand us." 
 
 " He will know nothing of what you say, if 
 you talk English; but I hope you would say 
 nothing about him that you would not wish him 
 to hear." 
 
 " 0, certainly not. But what language does 
 he speak ? " 
 
 " He converses in Latin very fluently, but his 
 vernacular is Italian." 
 
 " What do you mean by 'his vernacular' ?" 
 asked Minnie. 
 
 " The language of his native country." 
 
 " What kind of a monk is he ? " 
 
HEIGHTS OF HEIDELBEEG. 129 
 
 " A capuchin." 
 
 " There were many of that order in Rome ; 
 but I did not think to inquire why they are 
 called capuchins ? Why is it ? " 
 
 " The capuchin monks are of the order of St. 
 Francis. The name comes from the article he 
 has upon his head." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " A capuccio." 
 
 " And what is that ? I don't get at it yet." 
 
 " That is a hood. You see he has it on his 
 head. Sometimes he wears it thrown back upon 
 his shoulders." 
 
 " What does the monk tell you ? Does he 
 give you any information such as would be 
 valuable to a travelling gentleman and lady, 
 like Walter and me ? " 
 
 " No ; we have been talking about the old 
 relics of barbarism which you saw in the cas- 
 tle. He says that bad men must have used 
 them. He appears to be a simple-hearted, kind 
 man." 
 
 A ride of about three hours brought our trav- 
 ellers to Heidelberg. There were no incidents 
 worth relating on the way, and the children de- 
 clared it a dull route ; but the moment they 
 reached Heidelberg they were excited, and alive 
 with interest. 
 
 VOL. V. 9 
 
130 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 " See the soldiers," exclaimed Minnie, as they 
 were riding to the hotel. 
 
 " Where ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Why, all about you, with fatigue uniform 
 on." 
 
 " I don't see them." 
 
 " Don't see them ! are you blind, bub ? " 
 
 "No, Min ; but I don't see any soldiers." 
 
 " Well, there are dozens of them on the steps 
 of that building there, and here come some on 
 horseback ; and — and they are all around." 
 
 " Those are not soldiers." 
 
 " What are they ? " 
 
 " Students." 
 
 " Students in uniform ! " 
 
 " Yes ; the uniform is only a cap with red or 
 gold band, indicating the class to which they be- 
 long, or the secret society with which they act." 
 
 " How do you know that ? " 
 
 " Mr. Tenant tells me so." 
 
 Several students pn horseback now came rid- 
 ing by, and Minnie waved her handkerchief to 
 them, and in response they lifted their caps. 
 They reached the hotel, dined, and then went 
 up to see the castle, a prominent object of in- 
 terest to the stranger. This castle stands on the 
 heights back of the town, and combines the 
 grandeur of the fortification with the beauty of 
 
HEIGHTS OF HEIDELBERG. 131 
 
 the palace. They took a winding foot-path 
 which led to the venerable edifice, and found it 
 a hard but interesting walk, and stood upon the 
 noble terrace, from which they had a grand view 
 of the town nestling in the valley below, with 
 the Neckar flowing through it. 
 
 " When was this castle built ? " asked Walter 
 of his father. 
 
 " In the middle ages. It was erected by dif- 
 ferent electors, at different periods, each one 
 adding something to the extensive pile." 
 
 " What has ruined it, as we see ? " 
 
 " It has been pillaged by war, set on fire, and 
 struck by lightning." 
 
 The children stood on the terrace a long time, 
 looking out upon the natural beauty of the land- 
 scape, and asking questions about the castle. 
 Then they went all over the ruins, climbed up 
 among the broken walls, and went into dark 
 chambers, wondering as they went at the vast- 
 ness of the edifice. They came to a part of the 
 castle, which the guide, supposing they were 
 English, showed them with much enthusiasm, as 
 the English Palace. 
 
 " Why is it called the English Palace ? " Wat 
 ter asked. 
 
 " Because it was erected for an English prin- 
 cess," replied the cicerone. 
 
132 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Who was she ? " 
 
 " Elizabeth Stuart, granddaiighter of Mary, 
 Queen of Scots, who married the elector, Fred- 
 erick v., and came here to dwell." 
 
 " Have you ever read any thing about Eliza- 
 beth Stuart?" 
 
 "No," said both the children. "What of 
 her ? " 
 
 " She wanted her husband to be King of Bo- 
 hemia, the crown being offered to him." 
 
 " Did he decline it ? " 
 
 " He did not wish to be king ; but she said she 
 would rather eat dry bread at a king's table, 
 than be feasted at the board of an elector." 
 
 " Was her wish gratified ? " 
 
 " Yes, she became queen, and came to want. 
 At some time, when I have leisure, I will tell 
 you the whole story. She saw the time when 
 she could not get even dry bread to eat, without 
 begging it." 
 
 Having looked about the castle, they went 
 down into the vaults below. As they were de- 
 scending, Minnie asked, — 
 
 " What are you taking us down here for ? " 
 
 " To see a wine cask," replied Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " I don't want to see it." 
 
 " Don't say that, for you will be glad to see it 
 when you reach the vaults." 
 
HEIGHTS OF HEIDELBERG. 133 
 
 " I have seen casks before, and I don't know 
 why I should come down over these stones, and 
 become so weary, just to see a cask." 
 
 " It is a different cask from any that you hav^ 
 ever seen." 
 
 " Well, lead on ; it matters not to me whether 
 it be dead kings or wine casks that I am to see." 
 
 " There it is," said the guide. 
 
 " 0, monstrous ! " exclaimed Minnie. 
 
 " Whew ! " was Walter's comment. 
 
 These exclamations were drawn out by a sight 
 of the famous Heidelberg Tun, as it is called, a 
 mammoth wine cask, which is an object of in- 
 terest to all who visit the castle. 
 
 " That is a monster ! " said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Have you the tape, father ? " asked Walter. 
 
 '' Yes." 
 
 " Let me take it and measure the cask." 
 
 The tun was lying on its side, and over it was 
 a platform, on which dances are sometimes held. 
 The lad, with his measuring tape, wen tup to 
 the platform, and with the help of Minnie, who 
 stood below, soon took the dimensions. The 
 figures surprised them all; for, large as it 
 seemed, the cask was larger than it at first 
 appeared. 
 
 " How long do you find it to be, Walter V " 
 asked his father. 
 
134 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Thirty-six feet." 
 
 " How high is it, as it lies on the side ? " 
 
 " Twenty-four feet." 
 
 " Measure the thickness of the staves, and see 
 what that is." 
 
 " Eight inches thick," answered Walter, meas- 
 uring the staves. 
 
 " When was this made, father ? " asked the 
 daughter. 
 
 " Long before you were born." 
 
 " That is not definite, pa." 
 
 '' It was constructed in 1751." 
 
 " Then it is over a hundred years old/' 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 '' Has it ever been full of wine ? " 
 
 " Yes, three times." 
 
 '' When was it filled last ? " 
 
 " In 1769." 
 
 " How much wine will it hold ? " 
 
 " Eight hundred hogsheads." 
 
 " Whew ! " was Walter's exclamatiouo 
 
 " How many bottles would that be ? " 
 
 " Walter may calculate for you." 
 
 The lad inquired as to how he should go to 
 work to make the estimate, and very soon re- 
 plied, — 
 
 " It will hold about two hundred and eighty- 
 three thousand and two hundred bottles," 
 
HEIGHTS OP HEIDELBERG. 135 
 
 When they had seen the tun, and were 
 about to retire, the guide asked Minnie to 
 open a door which was at hand. Unsuspect- 
 ingly she did so, and out sprang a huge doll, 
 which the guide told them was made by a ser- 
 vant of the elector, who had the tun built. The 
 start given the child, by the appearance of the 
 image, brought the rich blood to her cheeks, 
 and made her little heart beat faster. 
 
 They did not forget to visit the library and 
 museum of the castle; after which they went 
 out and stood again upon the terrace, where 
 for some time they admired the beauty of the 
 prospect. As they looked on, Mr. Tenant re- 
 marked, — 
 
 " Heidelberg is said to be one of the most 
 charming places in Europe, blending more natu- 
 ral beauties than almost any other city." 
 
 " I think it is beautiful ; but I have seen 
 places more beautiful," said Minnie. 
 
 " Other places," observed Mr. Tenant, " are 
 often seen at a glance. Heidelberg must be studied. 
 A vivacious Frenchman, Victor Hugo, has said 
 that ' Heidelberg requires more than a visit — 
 more than a summer's residence — nothing short, 
 indeed, of a lifetime ; ' and one of our own matter- 
 of-fact Americans adds, ' Heidelberg is one of the 
 few German cities where I feel as if I could live 
 
136 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 and die, and be laid away to my lost repose, in 
 perpetual content. It has every thing which a 
 man of literary feeling could wish for — beauty 
 of scenery, scholarly and artistic advantages, 
 cultivated society, freedom and quiet.' " 
 
 " That is high praise." 
 
 " Certainly it is, but not unmerited." 
 
 At this point Mr. Percy advanced from a dis- 
 tant part of the terrace, and said, — 
 
 " I have a plan." 
 
 " What is it ? " they all asked. 
 
 " Why, it is this : the hill rising behind the 
 castle is the Konigstuhl, and from the top one of 
 the best views in the world is obtained. I pro- 
 pose that we go up and take the view." 
 
 " Agreed," said Walter. 
 
 " I will go," added Mr. Tenant, " but would 
 like to stay all night and see the sun set, and 
 rise again to-morrow. The view is said to be 
 glorious." 
 
 " What say to that, children ? " asked Mr. 
 Percy. 
 
 " I would like to go," replied the boy. 
 
 " Of course I would," added the girl. 
 
 The guide was sent to the town for such arti- 
 cles as were needed for the night, and soon re- 
 turned with the carpet bags, and a carriage, into 
 which they all entered, and in three quarters of 
 
HEIGHTS OF HEIDELBERG. 13? 
 
 an hour were at the Kolilhof, a small inn on 
 the hill. From this place they had a glorious 
 view. 
 
 " There is Ebersteinberg Castle," said Mr. 
 Tenant, looking through a glass. 
 
 "I see it," answered Walter. 
 
 " And there is a spire in the distance, as far 
 off as I can see. I can just discern its outlines." 
 
 "■ In which direction ? " 
 
 Walter pointed, and Mr. Tenant and the others 
 were soon able to see it. 
 
 " What is it, guide ? " some one asked. 
 
 " That is the spire of Strasburg Cathedral." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " It is, sir," answered the guide, decidedly. 
 
 " But Strasburg is ninety miles away." 
 
 " And you see the steeple." 
 
 " Can it be so ? " 
 
 " Certainly, sir." 
 
 While they were thus engaged heavy clouds 
 rolled over the sun, and shut out what they 
 had hoped to see — the sunset. Their disap- 
 pointment was very great ; and though the 
 evening passed pleasantly, they were sorely tried. 
 And with sunrise it was the same. The clouds 
 obscured the king of day, and he came up un- 
 seen ; and many were their regrets as they rode 
 down. 
 
138 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 " Walter is so disappointed that he has no 
 scrap of poetry for the occasion," said Minnie. 
 
 " I am not always quoting poetry," answered 
 the lad. 
 
 " Perhaps," remarked Mr. Tenant, " he has 
 none appropriate to our disappointment." 
 
 '' Yes, I have." 
 
 '' 0, what is it ? " 
 
 '' It has been in my mind all the morning. 
 This is it: — 
 
 * Seven weary up-hill leagues we sped 
 
 The setting sun to see ; 
 Sullen and grim he went to bed ; 
 
 Sullen and grim went we. 
 Nine sleepless hours of night we passed 
 
 The rising sun to see ; 
 Sullen and grim he rose again ; 
 
 Sullen and grim rose we.' " 
 
 " Pretty good, Walter, all but the ' seven 
 leagues,' and the ' nine sleepless hours.' I have 
 had five hours of delicious sleep," said Minnie. 
 
 " What kind of sleep is delicious sleep ? " 
 
 " 0, the kind of sleep you have when you are 
 too weary to dream, and too quiet to wake." 
 
 They were now driving down liill at a rapid 
 rate, and were soon in the streets below, on their 
 way to the university. Tliey met many of the 
 students in the streets, and were courteously 
 saluted as they passed along. They visited the 
 
CABTLE OF HEIDELBERG. 
 
HEIGHTS OF HEIDELBERG. 141 
 
 numerous edifices, saw the library, and became 
 acquainted with the officers. 
 
 A few days were spent in Heidelberg, most 
 profitably and pleasantly, and the children made 
 many acquaintances among the students. Min- 
 nie declared she would not believe the stories 
 that are told about the duels fought by the stu- 
 dents ; but one of them, a boasting young fellow, 
 assured her that he had been principal in seven, 
 and showed her a scar which he had received in 
 one of them. 
 
 " Barbarous ! " replied the child. 
 
 He endeavored to defend the duelling prac- 
 tices of the students, but she would not hear 
 him. 
 
 " Go away; Idon'twanttotalk with a duellist." 
 
 And so the time in Heidelberg passed away. 
 
 " En route for — for somewhere," exclaimed 
 Walter, as they left the beautiful town. 
 
 " For Frankfurt-on-the-Main," said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " There are two places I would like to have 
 visited on our way down through this coun- 
 try." 
 
 " What places ? " asked Minnie of her brother. 
 
 " One is Worms, where assembled the famous 
 diet in 1521, when Luther appeared before the 
 lEmperor Charles V., to defend the heretical 
 opinions he had embraced." 
 
142 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " What is a diet ? " 
 
 " A convention of ecclesiastics and princes to 
 deliberate on grave matters." 
 
 " What was the other place you would like to 
 have stopped at ? " 
 
 " Constance." 
 
 " Constance ! I have heard of that city. 
 What took place there ? " 
 
 " John Huss was burned there." 
 
 " 0, yes, I remember. Tell me about it." 
 
 " Father tells me that the condemnation of 
 Huss took place in a handsome Gothic cathedral, 
 which now stands, nearly nine hundred years 
 old. The spot where the martyr stood when the 
 sentence of death was passed upon him, is 
 pointed out to all who visit the place." 
 
 " I should like to see it." 
 
 " So should I. I wish we had thought of it, 
 and persuaded father to stop there." 
 
 " What else is there ? " 
 
 ^' The old Dominican convent, now used for 
 a nobler purpose, — as a cotton-printing estab- 
 lishment, — where Huss was imprisoned, is also 
 seen. The council chamber where he was tried, 
 his Bible, and many mementoes of cruelty still 
 exist, and the stranger wanders through the 
 streets, beholding at every turn something to 
 remind him of the stern, iron reformer, whose 
 
HEIGHTS OP HEIDELBERG. 
 
 143 
 
 burning took place in this city, on which his 
 blood now rests. So says father." 
 
 " I wish we had stopped." 
 
 " Well, you know we could not stop every 
 where, and as some places must be omitted, 
 those might as well be left out as acy '' 
 
 " Frankfurt in sight ! " said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " Hurrah ! " 
 
144 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter X. 
 
 FRA^^iKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 
 
 THE party arrived at Frankfurt one day, and 
 at the hotel where they took lodgings found 
 several Americans, some of whom they knew. 
 With them they passed a few days very pleas- 
 antly, and heard much news from home. Frank- 
 furt is a town of seventy thousand inhabitants, 
 the seat of the German diet, a quiet, opulent 
 place, the residence of many men of note. The 
 stranger passes his time quite pleasantly, and 
 finds much to take up liis attention. 
 
 *' Frankfurt-on-the-Main ? " said Minnie to 
 herself. " I wonder why it is called so." 
 
 " Why do you think it is called so?" asked 
 her father, who overheard her. 
 
 " I don't know, but I suppose." 
 
 " Well, what do you suppose ? " 
 
 " I think I have heard of Frankfurt-on-the- 
 Rhine, and I suppose this is Frankfurt-on-the- 
 Main to distinguish it from that, and to show" 
 that it is not on the river, but on the main 
 land." 
 
PRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 145 
 
 Her father smiled. 
 
 « Isn't that right ? " 
 
 « No." 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " Because you are as far out of the way as you 
 can be." 
 
 '' Well, why is it ? " 
 
 " Because the town is on a river, it has the 
 term ' on-the-ikfam,' applied to it." 
 
 " There seems to be a contradiction then." 
 
 "No, the river on which this town is situated, 
 is the Main." 
 
 « 0, ho ! " 
 
 " You see now." 
 
 " Yes, pa ; but I never knew it before, and I 
 have always thought it was called so to distin- 
 guish it from a Frankfurt on the river." 
 
 " Remember what I have told you." 
 
 " I surely shall. But what is to be seen here? 
 I don't like what I have seen." 
 
 " The Dom is here." 
 
 " The Dom ! What is that ? " 
 
 " The cathedral." 
 
 " The cathedral ! Why do you call it the 
 Dom ? " 
 
 " The word Dom was applied, ages ago, to the 
 pope ; afterwards to lesser ecclesiastics, and at 
 length to cathedrals." 
 
 VCL. V. 10 
 
146 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " In Rome I heard cathedrals and large 
 churches called ' Basilicas.' " 
 
 '' Yes." 
 
 " Is the Dom worth seeing ? " 
 
 '^ I can tell you better after I have seen it 
 myself." 
 
 " How old is it ? " 
 
 " It was commenced in 1415, and carried on 
 for a century, and left unfinished." 
 
 " Is it still unfinished ? " 
 
 *' Yes." 
 
 " What is in it ? " 
 
 " Some monuments, and pictures, and some 
 other matters of interest." 
 
 " I have seen so many monuments and pic- 
 tures that I don't care about seeing any more." 
 
 Afterwards, when they rode out to the Stadel 
 Museum, Minnie altered her mind about pic- 
 tures. There were some there that she looked 
 on with great interest. One in particular was 
 greatly admired. 
 
 '^ What is that ? " she asked her father, point- 
 ing to a large and striking picture in one of the 
 rooms. 
 
 " That is the Trial of Huss before the Council 
 of Constance." 
 
 " I have heard about his martyrdom, and 
 \^ould like to know all about him." 
 
FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 147 
 
 " What would you like to know ? " 
 
 " The facts in his history." 
 
 " He was a Bohemian, born in 1373, and edu- 
 cated at the University of Prague." 
 
 " Yes, we were there." 
 
 " He was a preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel, 
 as it was called, in Prague, and being made con- 
 fessor to Queen Sophia, became very distin- 
 guished." 
 
 " Confessor ! I thought he was a Protestant." 
 
 " While confessor to the queen he became ac- 
 quainted with the writings of Wickliffe, the re- 
 former." 
 
 " Before you go any further, pa, please tell me 
 exactly what a confessor is." 
 
 " In the Bomish church, auricular confession 
 is practised. The penitent goes to the confessor, 
 and tells him what sins he or she has committed. 
 The kings and queens were accustomed in other 
 days to have a particular confessor, and often 
 the pope made the appointment. Huss was the 
 confessor of this queen. He was to hear her 
 penitential discourse, and absolve her." / 
 
 " Yes, sir, that is what I thought it was." 
 
 " When. Huss had read the writings of Wick- 
 liffe, he agreed with them, and began to preach 
 them, and denounced image worship, confession, 
 monastic life, and many other things practised 
 
148 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 by the church of Rome. Pope Alexander Y. 
 knew what was going on, and summoned Huss 
 to Rome, but he would not go. The pope there- 
 fore instigated Shynko, the Archbishop of Prague, 
 to persecute him. The preaching at Bethlehem 
 chapel was abandoned, and at length Huss was 
 summoned to appear before the council of Con- 
 stance ; and here you see him in the midst of the 
 shaven-crowned ecclesiastics." 
 " How calm he looks ! " 
 " Yes, he seems very self-possessed." 
 "And how bloodthirsty those priests look ! " 
 " Yes, they are eager for his condemnation." 
 " How did the council decide ? " 
 " That he was a heretic, and worthy of death." 
 " I should not have thought tliat Huss would 
 have come to the council." 
 
 " He was promised protection and a safe re- 
 turn." 
 
 " By whom ? " 
 
 " By Sigismund, the emperor." 
 " Why did he allow him to be condemned ? " 
 " Because, like Pilate, he feared the people." 
 " How soon did they execute him ? " 
 " A short time after his condemnation. He 
 went to the stake with smiles at the rage of his 
 nies." 
 Had he no friends ? " 
 
PRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 149 
 
 " Yes, very many friends ; and after his death 
 they rallied under the name of Hussites, and 
 took dreadful vengeance on his murderers. 
 Convents were burned, churches sacked, and 
 monks murdered. The Bohemians formed in 
 legions under the command of a knight, one 
 John Ziska, and the whole land trembled be- 
 neath their march." 
 
 " How glad Huss would have been to have 
 known all this ! " 
 
 " No, he would have been very sorry." 
 
 " Sorry ! " 
 
 " Yes ; he was a kind man, and his pious 
 heart would have been shocked at the deed^i 
 perpetrated by the Hussites. But come, we 
 cannot spend any more time over this picture. 
 Let us go." 
 
 The next day they visited the house in which 
 Gothe was born. They saw his father's coat of 
 arms over the door, and by paying a small sum 
 were permitted to go into the room where the 
 greatest German poet first saw the light. Min- 
 nie not seeming to know who Gothe was, Mr. 
 Percy told her that he was a poet who was born in 
 Frankfurt in 1749. His father was a doctor of 
 law, and his son, inheriting his noble genius, rose 
 to distinction as a poet and a statesman. His 
 writings have been numerous, and his essays on 
 the fine arts are much aduaired. 
 
150 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " I remember," said Walter, " to have heard 
 a lecture on Gothe before our lyceum last win- 
 ter." 
 
 " Yes, and that lecture was an admirable por- 
 traiture of the distinguished man who was born 
 in this very room where we stand." 
 
 " Let is go to the next place," said Minnie. 
 " I don't care about Gothe." 
 
 The next place was the house where the 
 famous Rothschild family was cradled. The old 
 house in which these eminent men, who have 
 held the purse of nations, were born, situated in 
 the Judengasse, or Jews Street, was an object of 
 curiosity. Minnie had a hundred questions to 
 ask about the wealthy Jews, and Mr. Percy gave 
 her all the information he could, which indeed 
 was very little. He told them that the father 
 of the Rothschilds, Mayer Anselm, was born 
 here in 1743 ; that he had five sons, who have 
 grown immensely rich. 
 
 " Was the father rich ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " He was born poor, and was educated as a 
 teacher, then became a small banker, and at 
 length established a house which became known 
 all over the world." 
 
 " What were the sons names ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Anselm, Solomon, Nathan, Charles, and 
 James." 
 
FEANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 151 
 
 " Do they all live here ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Where do they live ? " 
 
 " If they are all living now, Anselm is in this 
 city ; Solomon in Berlin, Nathan in London ; 
 Charles in Naples, and James in Paris." 
 
 " How large is their business ? " 
 
 " It is quite impossible for me to tell." 
 
 " A single circumstance," added Mr. Tenant, 
 " will show you, children, that it is enormous." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " In a period of twelve years from 1810, these 
 brothers supplied different European govern- 
 ments, in absolute loans and securities, with the 
 immense sum of five hundred millions of dollars." 
 
 " What governments ? " 
 
 " England, France, Prussia, Russia, Austria, 
 Naples, and some other powers, were their 
 creditors." 
 
 " Well, it is wonderful that such rich men 
 came out of such a box as this ! " 
 
 From the house of the Rothschilds they went 
 to the house of Luther, where they saw his bust 
 in front of the building, with a Latin inscription ; 
 and the children had many questions to ask 
 about Luther. And though they had heard all 
 the facts before, they were scarcely less interested 
 than when first they heard them. 
 
152 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Thus two or three days were spent in Frank- 
 furt, and then the party proceeded down the 
 Khine. On the morning of starting, Walter 
 remarked, — 
 
 " Tliis is my birthday, the 14th of August." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Mr. Tenant ; " how old are 
 you ? " 
 
 " Well, I hardly know. We have been about 
 the country so much, and the months have come 
 and gone so fast, that I must count up and see." 
 
 " What a boy ! don't know how old he is ! " 
 cried Minnie. 
 
 " Yes, I do. I was eleven years and about eight 
 months old when we left home, and so I must 
 be thirteen now, as we have been away one year 
 and about four months." 
 
 " You have grown since you left home, and 
 have become much changed." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " You look more manly, and you have more 
 color in your cheeks." 
 
 " I am almost eleven," said Minnie, " and I 
 guess mother will think we have both grown," 
 
 " She will think you have grown very ." 
 
 " Bah ! bah ! " exclaimed Minnie, putting her 
 hand over Walter's mouth. 
 
 " The carriage is ready to take us to the cars/' 
 said Mr. Percy, entering the room. 
 
PEANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 153 
 
 They were soon conveyed to the depot, and 
 entering the cars, rode to Castel, where the 
 steamer was to be taken on the Rhine. There 
 is nothing at Castel worth the trouble of stop- 
 ping for, and travellers hurry at once into the 
 boat, or sit a while on the pier waiting for her 
 to get up steam. 
 
 " There is a large city opposite us," remarked 
 Walter, as they stood on the landing looking 
 about. 
 
 " Yes," replied his father, without paying 
 much attention to what the boy was saying. 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " Mayence, and it has thirty-six thousand in- 
 habitants." 
 
 " What could be seen there ? " 
 
 '' Not much." 
 
 "Do you think we had better pass so large a 
 city without seeing it ? " 
 
 " I think so. What time we have remaining 
 will be as well spent elsewhere. There is one 
 monument, however, that I would like to have 
 pointed out to your sister." 
 
 " What is it, pa ? " shouted the child. 
 
 " Have you ever heard of Heinrich von Meis- 
 sen." 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Have you, Walter ? " 
 
154 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 « No, sir." 
 
 " Who was he ? " asked Minnie, " and what 
 of him?" 
 
 " He was an ecclesiastic, and a very great 
 favorite with the ladies — he was called the 
 ladies' minstrel." 
 
 " Poets are always favorites with the ladies," 
 remarked Mr. Tenant. 
 
 "Not always," answered Minnie; " here is 
 an exception. But about this ladies' poet, 
 pa?" 
 
 " When he died, eight ladies supported his 
 bier." 
 
 " What ! carried it ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " He must have been a favorite." 
 
 " They also poured wine, mingled with their 
 tears, upon the coffin." 
 
 " Silly women." 
 
 " I think so too ; but it shows how popular he 
 was." 
 
 " What else is the city noted for ? " asked 
 Walter. 
 
 " St. Boniface once lived here." 
 
 " What saint was he ? " 
 
 " An Englishman, who, in the eighth century, 
 came into Germany, converted thousands of 
 Germans to the Catholic faith, and for many 
 
FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN. 
 
 155 
 
 years labored with much devotion as a real friend 
 of the people." 
 
 A band now struck up a lively air, close by, 
 and the children ran to hear the sweet strains 
 that sounded wildly over the winding Rhine. 
 
 " What does that remind you of, Walter ? " 
 asked Minnie. 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " It reminds me of something." 
 
 "Of what?" 
 
 "Of home." 
 
156 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter XI. 
 
 ON THE RHINE. 
 
 ""I7ATHER, let me purchase the tickets," 
 
 -L said Walter, as the time arrived for them 
 to start. 
 
 " You may get your own, my son." 
 
 " Where shall I buy it for ? " 
 
 " For Cologne." 
 
 So Walter went and purchased his ticket 
 through to Cologne, and paid for it twenty-four 
 francs ; and soon all were on board, sailing down 
 the river. The children went from one end of 
 the boat to the other, looking at every thing they 
 saw on the banks. They had not gone far when 
 the boat began to lessen the speed, and soon a 
 man went along the deck, shouting, — 
 
 " Wiesbaden ! Wiesbaden ! " 
 
 The vessel drew up to the landing, and about 
 twenty persons came on board, and as many 
 went ashore. 
 
 "Wiesbaden!" said Minnie to Walter; "I 
 have heard of that place ; I must find Mr. Ten- 
 ant, and have him tell me what there is there." 
 
ON THE RHINE. 157 
 
 Just then she espied that gentleman coming 
 towards her, and she called to him^ — 
 
 " I saj, Mr. Tenant." 
 
 " What do you want, dear ? " 
 
 " What is Wiesbaden famous for ? " 
 
 " It is a watering place, like Baden." 
 
 " Why don't we stop there ? " 
 
 " Because we saw gambling enough at Baden, 
 and we should only have a repetition of the same 
 scenes." 
 
 " Is there a great Conversationshaus, as at 
 Baden ? " 
 
 " A long building, called the Kursaal, which 
 is devoted to dancing, gambling, and like things." 
 
 " Are there baths ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " And fountains ? " 
 
 " Yes ; the most noted fountain is the Koch- 
 brunnen." 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " A hot spring, which is used for drinking 
 purposes by invalids, who go early in the morn- 
 ing to drink." 
 
 " How hot is the water ? " 
 
 " The temperature is said to be one hundred 
 and fifty-six degrees of Fahrenheit." 
 
 " Do they drink it hot ? " 
 
 " Yes, as hot as they can bear it." 
 
158 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " How does it taste ? " 
 
 " Like chicken broth, it is said." 
 
 " That must be curious water." 
 
 " It is very curious water, and I will read you 
 a description of it by an English tourist, who 
 came and tasted it." 
 
 " Who was he ? " 
 
 " Sir Francis Head." 
 
 " What does he say ? " 
 
 Mr. Tenant read as follows : " If I were to say 
 that, while drinking it, one hears in one's ears 
 the cackling of hens, and that one sees feathers 
 flying before one's eyes, I should certainly greatly 
 exaggerate ; but when I declare that it exactly 
 resembles very hot chicken broth, I only say 
 what Dr. Grenville said, and what, in fact, every 
 body says, and must say, respecting it, and cer- 
 tainly I do wonder why the common people 
 should be at the inconvenience of making bad 
 soup, when they can get much better from 
 nature's great stock-pot, the Kochbrunnen of 
 Wiesbaden. At all periods of the year, sum^ 
 mer and winter, the temperature of this broth 
 remains the same ; and when one reflects that 
 it has been bubbling out of the ground, and 
 boiling over, in the very same state, certainly 
 from the time of the Romans, and probably from 
 the time of the flood, it is really astonishing 
 
ON THE RHINE. 169 
 
 what a most wonderful apparatus there must 
 exist below, what an inexhaustible stock of pro- 
 visions to insure such an everlasting supply of 
 broth always formed of the same eight or ten 
 ingredients, always salted to exactly the same 
 degree, and always served up at exactly the 
 same heat ! One would think that some of the 
 particles in the recipe would be exhausted : in 
 short, to speak metaphorically, that the chickens 
 would at last be boiled to rags, or that the fire 
 would go out for want of coals ; but the oftener 
 one reflects on this sort of subjects, the oftener 
 is the old-fashioned observation forced upon the 
 mind, that let a man go where he will, Omnipo- 
 tence is never from his view." 
 
 " 0, I wish we had gone ashore. I would like 
 to have tasted the chicken broth." 
 
 They had now shot by Wiesbaden, and were 
 fast approaching Riidesheim, where are several 
 ruined castles. Mr. Percy pointed the children 
 to the Bromserburg, close to the water, and re- 
 lated several legends connected with the quad- 
 rangular structure. He also pointed out the 
 Bromserhof, a castle standing in the middle of 
 the town, as if guarding it from foes. 
 
 " Is there a legend connected with that ? " 
 asked Walter. 
 
 " I presume there is, but I do not know what 
 it is." 
 
160 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Can you tell me, Mr. Tenant ? " asked the 
 lad. 
 
 " Yes, I believe I remember it. This castle 
 was a long time the residence of the Bromser 
 family. John Bromser was a noble knight, who 
 in the crusade went to Palestine, where he was 
 taken prisoner. Here he was confined for a 
 long time, using in vain every means to escape. 
 He had at home a beautiful daughter, whom he 
 loved very much. While he lay in his dungeon 
 he thought of her, and made a vow to God, that 
 if he was delivered from the hands of the Sara- 
 cens, he would devote that young, fair girl to 
 the church." 
 
 " To the church ? " queried Minnie. 
 
 " Yes, send her to a convent." 
 
 " Did he do so ? " 
 
 " Let me tell the story. At length Bromser 
 was liberated, and returned to Germany, remem- 
 bering his vow with sorrow at every step he took. 
 He loved his child ; and now, as he was on his 
 way to his ancient halls, he thought how deso- 
 late those halls would be without her who had 
 been the light of his home and the pride of his 
 life. But he had made a vow, and like that 
 made by Jephthah, of which you have read in the 
 Bible, it must be fulfilled. When he arrived, 
 his daughter was the first to rush out and meet 
 
ON THE RHINE. 161 
 
 him, and when she saw how pale he was, she 
 wept upon his bosom. 
 
 " Soon recovering herself, she led him into the 
 castle, and told him how lonely she would have 
 been during his absence, but for the presence of 
 a young nobleman to whom she had given her 
 heart, and promised her hand. When he heard 
 that, he wept, and told her of the vow which 
 he had made, and that she must soon prepare 
 herself for a convent. She was at once filled 
 with consternation, and began to plead with 
 him. 
 
 " ' Dear father, spare me ! ' she cried. 
 
 ^' ' Gisela, I cannot.' 
 
 " ' Father, you must ; by all your love to me, 
 you must.' 
 
 " ' Gisela, I tell you I cannot.' 
 
 "^ By all my love to Rudolph, you must.' 
 
 " But she pleaded in vain. His heart was fixed 
 on the sacrifice she was to make, and nothing 
 could move him." 
 
 " What a wretch! " responded Minnie. 
 
 " He was only acting in accordance with the 
 spirit of his times. Parents then disposed of 
 their children without consulting their wishes, 
 or even asking their consent. We live in better 
 days." 
 
 " Did he put her into a convent ? " 
 VOL. V. 11 
 
162 THE PEEOY FAMILY. 
 
 " No." 
 
 '' Why not, when he said he would ? " 
 
 "Ah, that is the saddest part of it." 
 
 " Did she poison herself? " 
 
 " No ; but finding all her entreaties disre- 
 garded, and resolved not to enter a convent, 
 she " 
 
 " I don't blame her for that resolve." 
 
 " She went one wild night, and threw herself 
 from the battlements into the waters below." 
 
 " 0, dear ! What did her lover do ? " 
 
 " The legend does not say." 
 
 " What did her father do ? " 
 
 " He was inconsolable, and wildly rushed up 
 and down the river, shrieking his daughter's 
 name : ' Gisela ! Gisela ! come to me, come to 
 me !' 
 
 " But she did not come ; her body floated 
 down the Rhine, and was found by some fisher, 
 men, who carried it to the castle." 
 
 " Is there any more ? " 
 
 " No ; only that John Bromser never smiled 
 again. The superstitious people who live along 
 the river say that Gisela' s beautiful form is some- 
 times seen moving up and down the banks, her 
 hair dishevelled, and her white robes dripping 
 with water." 
 
 " Do they believe that ? " 
 
ON THE RHINE. 163 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " They must be superstitious." 
 
 " They say that her sad, mournful, dirge-like 
 song, as it breaks forth full of tearful melody, is 
 heard far and wide along the resounding shores, 
 or echoing from cliif to cliff." 
 
 " Does any body live in the tower now ? " 
 
 " Yes, some poor people occupy it as a resi- 
 dence, and they show the family furniture, and 
 the chain with which the knight was bound in 
 Palestine. They also have a picture which they 
 tell you is a portrait of the beautiful Gisela." 
 
 While Mr. Tenant was relating this story, the 
 steamer was going on, and old castles were seen 
 on every side. Sometimes they were on the 
 very shore of the river, and the waters lazily 
 splashed against the wave-washed stones. Some- 
 times they were on steep cliffs and beetling 
 crags, as if they were about to fall over of their 
 own weight. Then they would be seen nestling 
 in the forests, the trees of which seemed en> 
 deavoring to hide the majestic ruins, and conceal 
 their decayed beauties. And then they were on 
 the very hill tops, like giants stretching out their 
 arms, sleepless sentinels, ever on guard. Some 
 of these castles were in extensive ruin, some 
 half decayed, and others occupied and in a tol- 
 erable state of preservation. 
 
164 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 At one of the stopping places, a richly-dressed 
 lady, accompanied by two gentlemen, came on 
 board. Her hands were covered with rings, and 
 her appearance indicated a person in good cir- 
 cumstances. At length the trio procured a table, 
 and, taking out their cards, began to gamble. 
 Money changed hands fast, and the attention 
 of all on board was drawn to the transaction. 
 Soon the lady took out some cigars from her 
 reticule, and calling for a match, lighted tlie 
 cigar, and began to smoke and puff away like 
 a man. 
 
 " See her, Walter," exclaimed Minnie, in 
 astonishment. 
 
 " Yes, I see her," answered the boy. 
 
 " A lady with a cigar in her mouth ! " 
 
 " I never saw such a thing before. I have 
 seen many women with pipes, but never saw one 
 with a cigar." 
 
 " She is so elegantly dressed, too ! " 
 
 " And how gracefully she does it ! See how 
 she rolls out those clouds of smoke." 
 
 And there, almost all day, this woman sat on 
 the deck, with the cigar in her handsome mouth, 
 and the cards in her jewelled hands, gambling, 
 without one evidence of shame. But the chil- 
 dren were so engrossed in the scenery of the 
 river, that they did not pay much attention to 
 her. 
 
ON THE RHINE. 165 
 
 " Glorious ! " would Minnie exclaim. 
 
 " Magnificent river ! Royal Rhine ! " would 
 Walter respond. 
 
 " Royal Rhine, that is fitly worded, Walter," 
 said Mr. Tenant. 
 
 " It is not original with me. Dr. J. Addison 
 Alexander, in a graceful little poem, styles the 
 river the ' royal Rhine.' " 
 
 " I never saw the poem." 
 
 " I have it in my scrap book." 
 
 " Get it and read it." 
 
 Walter took out his scrap book, and read the 
 following apt lines, to which not only our party, 
 but several English people who were near, lis- 
 tened with great attention : — 
 
 «« I hail thee as an ancient friend, 
 And as I cross thy line, 
 My democratic knee I bend, 
 To greet thee, royal Rhine. 
 
 «' The day and hour when last we met 
 Come o'er me like a dream ; 
 As then I saw, I see thee yet, 
 Unchanging, changeful stream. 
 
 " The rush of waters o'er thy bed 
 Distracts my laboring brain — 
 Forever dying, never dead. 
 Buried, and born again. 
 
 " What is the secret of thy life ? 
 What holds thy channel fast 
 
166 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Amidst the elemental strife, 
 The earthquake, and the blast ? 
 
 " Why is it that the swollen tide, 
 Which ever northward sweeps. 
 So warily on either side 
 Its well-marked station keeps ? 
 
 «« Why dost thou not, old Rhine, at length 
 Break thy ignoble chains, 
 And mustering all thy mighty strength, 
 Submerge th' adjacent plains ? 
 
 <«Thou art a king among the streams. 
 Thou river, deep and broad ; 
 In regal pomp thy service gleams — 
 To man, but not to God. 
 
 *«Thy full, deep current, bold and proud, 
 In his almighty view, 
 Is but the sprinkling of a cloud, 
 A drop of morning dew. 
 
 '* Though thou shouldst empty every riU, 
 And drain the neighboring land, 
 Thy giant waters could not fill 
 The hollow of his hand. 
 
 <« The same almighty hand, that dri 
 Thy current to the sea, 
 Can well control it when it strives 
 And struggles to be free. 
 
 <« And if at times that hand grows slack, 
 And lets thee do thy worst. 
 He brings thee still at pleasure back, 
 And rules thee as at first. 
 
ON THE RHINE. 167 
 
 «* So, when I bend my stubborn knee, 
 To greet thee, royal Rhine, 
 I render homage, not to thee. 
 But to thy Lord and mine." 
 
 " A pretty poem, the force of which one feels 
 when floating on the bosom of this beautiful 
 river ; and I am glad you preserved the scrap, 
 and put it in your book," said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " I have many beautiful things collected and 
 preserved in my book. Whenever I see a scrap 
 of prose or poetry which I like, I cut it out of 
 the paper, and put it here." 
 
 " It is a good plan, my son. When we re- 
 turn home, I will procure for you an Index 
 Rerum, — a book prepared with an index of sub- 
 jects, — in which you can arrange all the pieces 
 you have preserved." 
 
 " I have long wanted such a book as that. I 
 saw one on the table of Mr. Falkner, one day, 
 when he called me to him. As it lay open be- 
 fore me, I read, ' Let a young man, when he 
 begins life, be in the habit of making an index 
 to what he reads that is truly valuable, and at 
 the age of thirty -five or forty, he has something 
 of his own which no price could purchase. 
 Many would think hundreds of dollars well 
 spent, could they purchase what they have 
 thrown away, and what each one might easily 
 
168 
 
 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 '^ That is very true. It is the language of an 
 eminent clergyman, who prepared that manual, 
 and whose intercourse with men gives evidence 
 that he has practised on his own theory." 
 
 " I shall value such a book." 
 
 " It cannot fail to do you a good service, if 
 you use it properly." 
 
 " I wish you would get me one in England^ 
 and let me be using it on my voyage home." 
 
 " I will try to get one there." 
 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 169 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 BISHOP HATTO'S TOWEH. 
 
 ^"FHE legends of one place were scarcely told 
 ^ before another castle came in sight, which 
 had some curious traditions connected with it. 
 The children went from one excitement to an- 
 other, and all day long were asking questions 
 and receiving answers. They made much sport 
 of the curious tales told them of the towers on 
 the river sides, some of them overgrown with 
 ivy, and some of them looking as if they were 
 all ready to tumble down on the heads of any 
 who might enter them. 
 
 But in none of them were they more inter- 
 ested than in Bishop Hatto's Tower, near Bingen. 
 The story of that old ruin was told by Mr. Ten- 
 ant, who had read it somewhere, and who gave 
 it to the children in a style that pleased them 
 very much. The two gentlemen and their 
 young charge were all standing together when 
 Bingen came in sight, and the children saw the 
 tower. 
 
 " What is it ? '' asked Walter. 
 
170 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " It is Bishop Hatto's Tower," replied Mr. 
 Tenant. 
 
 " Who was he ? " 
 
 " He was once Bishop of Mayence, and a very 
 cruel man, the constant friend, favorite, and 
 counsellor of the wicked Emperor Otho." 
 
 " Who was Emperor Otho ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " He was a haughty, selfish, cruel sovereign 
 of Germany, born in 955, and had a father and 
 son who bore the same title. Bishop Hatto was 
 his friend, and led him into various wild and 
 extravagant schemes, and incited him to many 
 acts of crime and barbarity." 
 
 " What about the tower ? " 
 
 " There is a very curious story connected 
 with it." 
 
 " Let us hear it." 
 
 " The tradition is, that in q^ time of famine 
 the bishop had large stores of grain in his barns 
 at Mayence. For a time he sold it at most exor- 
 bitant prices, and as long as the money lasted 
 the people had bread to eat. But so inordinate 
 were the demands of the unprincipled owner, 
 that at length the poor creatures had nothing to 
 buy with. The bishop had all their money, and 
 they were left in a starving condition. As hun- 
 ger impelled them, they came to the residence of 
 the bishop and begged for food, and as often as 
 they came were sent empty away." 
 
171 
 
 " What a cruel man ! " said Minnie. 
 
 " Yes ; any man who has grain, in a time of 
 famine, and does not allow the starving people 
 to feed on it, is himself unfit to live." 
 
 " And more unfit to die," suggested Mr. 
 Percy. 
 
 " Yery true ; unfit for earth or heaven." 
 
 " Well, go on with the story," said the little 
 girl. 
 
 " The bishop at length became wearied of the 
 calls of the people, and determined to destroy 
 them." 
 
 " Destroy them ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What for ? " 
 
 " To get rid of their prayers for bread." 
 
 " And he a bishop ! " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I thought bishops were among the best of 
 men." 
 
 " Some have been, and some are among the 
 worst of creatures." 
 
 " Are they not ministers of religion ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but the German princes were often 
 politicians and statesmen as well as priests ; 
 and at times the bishops became very corrupt 
 men." 
 
 " Did such men preach ? " 
 
172 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " No ; they had vicars and assistants who atv 
 tended to all the religion, while their superiors 
 gave themselves up to political intrigues, dissi- 
 pation, and crime." 
 
 " Well, did Bishop Hatto destroy the people ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " How did he do it ? " 
 
 " He sent out his servants in all directions, 
 and told them that they could have as much 
 grain as they wanted." 
 
 " 0, lie killed them with kindness, you mean." 
 
 " Let me tell you. He sent to these poor peo- 
 ple, telling them that at a certain hour the barns 
 would be open. Thus he enticed hundreds of 
 them into one of his mammoth storehouses, and 
 when the place was full, the monster caused the 
 huge oaken doors to be closed, and the building 
 set on fire." 
 
 " What, while they were inside ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What a monster ! " 
 
 " Did they all burn ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes ; so the tradition goes. When their 
 dreadful cries fell on the air, and their shrieks of 
 woe resounded far and wide, he laughed, and 
 told his friends to hear the ' mice whistle.' " 
 
 " The mice whistle ! What did he mean b)f 
 that ? " 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 173 
 
 "' Simpl)^, that the screams of these poor peo- 
 ple were but the whistling of mice to him." 
 
 " That, you say, occurred at Mayence." 
 
 " The tradition says it did." 
 
 " What, then, has it to do with the tower." 
 
 " I will tell you. The tradition runs, that 
 soon after this, the rats and mice began to make 
 dreadful inroads upon the bishop. They devoured 
 his grain ; they gnawed at his doors ; they found 
 their way into his sleeping chamber ; they tore 
 his clothes ; and at length fell upon his body. 
 The bishop saw them every where ; he was over- 
 run, and his life was placed in jeopardy." 
 
 " Good ! he ought to have been eaten up by 
 them." 
 
 '' So I say," added Walter. 
 
 '' He found he could not stay in Mayence ; if 
 he did he would be devoured. So he thought 
 of this castle on the Rhine, which belonged to 
 him, and determined to remove here. He came, 
 but was no sooner installed in his new home 
 than the rats found him out, and began to throng 
 around him. They swam the Rhine, climbed 
 the hill, and scaled his castle walls." 
 
 "Good! good!" 
 
 " What, Min ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Why, that he should be tormented with 
 rats." 
 
174 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 '' Not one," said Mr. Tenant, " could saj 
 that his fate was worse than he deserved." 
 
 '^ Did they eat him all up ? " 
 
 " Yes ; so the tradition says." 
 
 " Those are the rats for me ! " 
 
 " The story goes, that they entered the castle, 
 ate all the furniture, gnawned to pieces the valu- 
 able pictures, frightened off all the servants, and 
 at length, falling on the bishop, actually devoured 
 him." 
 
 " What an awful end ! " 
 
 '' Yes, if all this was true." 
 
 " But is the whole false ? " 
 
 " No. There was such a bishop, and there 
 was a famine in the land, and the bishop did de- 
 coy many into his barns, and burn them there ; 
 but that he was eaten by rats seems to want con- 
 firmation." 
 
 " He ought to have been." 
 
 " Perhaps so ; however, it is said he died a 
 horrid death, by a very loathsome disease." 
 
 " Have you never heard this story before, 
 children ? " asked their father. 
 
 " No, sir," said both. 
 
 " It has been wrought into a quaint poem, and 
 I have it here." 
 
 " 0, do read it." 
 
 " My eyes have already been tried to-day, and 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 175 
 
 I must be excused from reading. Here is the 
 poem. Walter, you may read it." 
 
 Waiter read in a clear, but low tone, the fol- 
 lowing verses : — 
 
 " The summer and autumn had been so wet, 
 That in winter the corn was growing yet ; 
 'Twas a piteous sight to see all around 
 The grain lie rotting on the ground. 
 
 «* Every day the starving poor 
 Crowded around Bishop Hatto's door, 
 For he had a plentiful last year's store ; 
 And all the neighborhood could tell 
 His granaries were furnished well. 
 
 <* At last Bishop Hatto appointed a day 
 To quiet the poor without delay ; 
 He bade them to his great barn repair, 
 And they shall have food for the winter there. 
 
 <• Rejoiced at such tidings, good to hear, 
 The poor folk flocked from far and near ; 
 The great barn was full as it could hold 
 Of women and children, and young and old. 
 
 «' Then, when he saw it could hold no more, 
 Bishop Hatto he made fast the door ; 
 And while for mercy on Christ they call, 
 He set fire to the barn, and burned them all. 
 
 " « r faith 'tis an excellent bonfire ! ' quoth he, 
 ' And the country is greatly obliged to me, 
 For ridding it, in these times forlorn. 
 Of rats that only consume the com.* 
 
176 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 « So, then, to Ms palace returned he, 
 And he sat down to supper merrily, 
 And he slept that night like an innocent man; 
 But Bishop Hatto ne'er slept again. 
 
 *' In the morning, as he entered the hall 
 Where his picture hung against the waU, 
 A sweat like death all o'er him came, 
 For the rats had eaten it out of the frame. 
 
 << As he looked there came a man from his farm ; 
 He had a countenance white with alarm ; 
 ' My Lord, I opened your granaries this morn, 
 And the rats had eaten all your corn.' 
 
 " Another came running presently. 
 And he was pale as pale could be ; 
 « Fly ! my lord bishop, fly ! ' quoth he ; 
 ' Ten thousand rats are coming this way ; 
 The Lord forgive you for yesterday ! ' 
 
 *« ' I'll go to ray tower on the Rhine,' replied he ; 
 * 'Tis the safest place in Germany ; 
 The walls are high, and the shores are steep. 
 And the stream is strong, and the water deep ! ' 
 
 <* Bishop Hatto fearfully hastened away. 
 And he crossed the Rhine without delay. 
 And reached his tower, and barred with care 
 All the windows, doors, and loopholes there. 
 
 «< He laid him down, and closed his eyes ; 
 But soon a scream made him arise ; 
 He started, and saw two eyes of flame 
 On his pillow, from whence the screaming came. 
 
 <' He listened and looked ; it was only the cat; 
 But the bishop he grew more fearful for that ; 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 17T 
 
 For she sat screaming, mad with fear, 
 
 At the army of rats that were drawing near. 
 
 " For they have swum over the river so deep, 
 And they have climbed the shores so steep, . 
 And now by thousands up they crawl 
 To the holes and windows in the wall. 
 
 '* Down on his knees the bishop fell, 
 And faster and faster his beads did he tell. 
 As louder and louder, drawing near, 
 The saw of their teeth without he could hear. 
 
 << And in at the windows, and in at the door. 
 And through the walls, by thousands they pour. 
 And down through the ceilmg and up through the floor, 
 From the right and the left, from behiiid and before. 
 From within and without, from above and below ; 
 And all at once to the bishop they go. 
 
 ** They have whetted their teeth against the stones, 
 And now they pick the bishop's bones ; 
 They gnawed the flesh from every limb, 
 For they were sent to do judgment on him." 
 
 As Walter finished the reading, various com- 
 ments were made on the poem, and on the bishop, 
 and all agreed that he deserved to be eaten by- 
 rats whether he was or not. 
 
 As they passed rapidly along, Mr. Percy pointed 
 the children to the distant hills, which were all 
 covered with vines, and remarked, — 
 
 " Those hill-sides are terraced, and if we were 
 up among them we should find the vines covered 
 with grapes." 
 
 VOL. V. 12 
 
178 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 '^ How long has wine been made ? " asked 
 Walter. 
 
 '' I do not know ; its origin dates back into 
 very distant obscurity." 
 
 "I should like to know who made the first 
 wine." 
 
 " The Greeks attributed the origin of wine to 
 Bacchus, and the Egyptians to Osiris." 
 
 " They had it in the times of Noah," added 
 Minnie. 
 
 " Yes," replied Mr. Percy, " they must have 
 manufactured the article in the earliest ages of 
 the world." 
 
 " Why don't we have wine manufactured ex- 
 tensively in our country ? " 
 
 " The climate is too cold for the grapes." 
 
 " What is the latitude for wines ? " 
 
 " Between thirty-five and fifty degrees." 
 
 " I have heard that much of the wine drank 
 in our country is spurious." 
 
 " Yes, it is so ; and the effect is observable in 
 the rapid fall of the young men who begin to 
 use it. The Bible says, ' Wine is a mocker,' 
 and those who use the compounds called wine, 
 which circulate among our young people, find it 
 to be so." 
 
 " I wonder young men use it." 
 
 " I hope you will always wonder, and never 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 179 
 
 use it yourself. Strict abstinence is the only 
 safe rule for a young man. If a boy begins to 
 drink beer, or cider, or wine, he will soon go to 
 more potent draughts, and is in constant danger 
 of becoming a drunkard." 
 
 " I noticed," remarked Mr. Tenant, " that 
 there is some kind of a festival at Bingen. The 
 streets and houses are hung with banners." 
 
 " Have you any idea what it is ? " asked 
 Walter. 
 
 " No ; the people are always having some 
 kind of festivities, fetes^ or shows, boat races, 
 horse races, cat races, or something of the 
 kind." 
 
 " Cat races ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " How can that be ? " 
 
 " I read the other day that at Liege, in Bel- 
 gium, on a recent occasion, a dozen cats were 
 taken out a few miles from the town and let 
 loose. The owner of the first cat that returned 
 was to have a prize." 
 
 " Were they taken out in the daytime." 
 
 " No, they were carried out in bags, and emp- 
 tied out just at midnight." 
 
 '' What was the result ? " 
 
 " The first cat came in in one hour, and the 
 last not until some time after daylight, and a 
 
180 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 large number of persons came together to see 
 the prize conferred." 
 
 " On the cat or its owner ? " 
 
 " Its owner." 
 
 " How very senseless that must be ! " 
 
 " About as senseless as many other things 
 they have in Belgium, Holland, and Germany ; 
 about as senseless as some things we have at 
 home." 
 
 " I have seen a statement recently that illus- 
 trates the power of ancient customs in these 
 German towns," said Mr. Percy. 
 
 " What is it, father ? " 
 
 " There are two towns not far distant from 
 where we are. One of them is Lambrekt, and 
 the other is Deidesheim. It seems that the par- 
 ish of Lambrekt have some privileges in the 
 forests of Deidesheim, for which the former 
 place obligated itself, in the middle ages, to 
 send once a year, with certain formalities, to 
 the latter town, a he goat. The animal must, 
 on the third Whitsun holyday, be led by the 
 youngest citizen of Lambrekt, by a cord, across 
 the hills, and delivered at a certain place in 
 Deidesheim before sunrise. The animal must 
 be perfect, sound, and good-conditioned. The 
 messenger, if he arrives in season, is to be well 
 received, his wants attended to, and in the after- 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 181 
 
 oo^asjoc 
 
 noon the goat is to be sold at public auction. 
 The people of Lambrekt have often proposed to 
 pay a sum of money instead of sending the goat ; 
 but to this the inhabitants of Deidesheim will not 
 consent." 
 
 " Why not ? " 
 
 " Because they wish to have the conditions 
 broken, so that the people of Lambrekt shall 
 have no privileges in their forests." 
 
 " Well, what next ? " 
 
 '' A few years ago the goat brought was in 
 very bad condition, and the people of Deidesheim 
 refused to receive him. A lawsuit between the 
 two towns was the consequence, and tliis law- 
 suit has just been decided, after having lasted 
 eight years." 
 
 " How was it decided ? " 
 
 " The legal trib\inals decided in favor of the 
 town of Lambrekt, on the ground that the goat 
 was in good condition when he started, and 
 ordered that this year eight goats be sent, 
 one for every year since the suit commenced. 
 The people of Lambrekt sent the goats, but un- 
 fortunately the young men who carried them 
 were overtaken by a storm, and did not arrive 
 until after sunrise." 
 
 " So they forfeited the conditions/' 
 
 *^Yes." 
 
182 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " What then occurred ? " 
 
 " The people of Deidesheim assembled as usual 
 on the morning of the 25th of May, in the gray 
 of the morning, to receive the goats. But as the 
 sun was about to rise, the excitement became 
 intense, for the messengers had not appeared. 
 The news flew abroad, the whole town came to- 
 gether, and when the sun arose, the whole place 
 echoed with shouts of joy. The conditions were 
 again broken, and the rights were forfeited." 
 
 " Why didn't the goats come ? " 
 
 " They did, but too late." 
 
 " What delayed them ? " 
 
 " They started from Lambrekt in season, but 
 a storm overtook them, and they arrived just 
 after the sun rose." 
 
 " What was done then ? " 
 
 " The people of Deidesheim took the goats for 
 the past seven years, but refused the last — the 
 one for this year." 
 
 " Did the man carry him back ? " 
 
 " No ; all day long the animal stood tied to a 
 post, unfed, and the messenger was received 
 with scorn wherever he went." 
 
 " Will the people of Lambrekt give it up 
 now ? " 
 
 " No, another lawsuit will be the result." 
 
 " Well> that is a most curious circumstance." 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 183 
 
 " Yes ; and it illustrates the old customs of 
 the people of Central Europe." 
 
 " How old are these rights claimed by the 
 town of Lambrekt ? " 
 
 " I do not know, but probably hundreds of 
 years." 
 
 " I should have supposed that these customs 
 would have died out long ere this." 
 
 " No ; they are as lasting as their towers and 
 castles, and defy all modern innovations. There 
 were many other curious customs, of which I 
 will tell you at some time when we are at lei- 
 sure." 
 
 " I will be sure to remember your promise." 
 
 " I see we are now approaching some other 
 interesting places, which you must see and know 
 about." 
 
 " Before you stop talking about Bingen, tell 
 me about the emperor who was confined in the 
 ruin called the Klopp. I read that there was 
 such a prison here." 
 
 " Yes, my son, the Emperor Henry lY. was 
 confined here." 
 
 "For what?" 
 
 " He was imprisoned by his son, who wished 
 to reign in his stead." 
 
 " Tell us about it — will you, father ? " asked 
 Minnie. 
 
184 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Henry lY . was born in 1050, and came to 
 the throne when he was but five years old, and 
 entered upon the administration of government 
 at the age of fifteen. He at length became great 
 and powerful, and by some means incurred the 
 displeasure of Hildebrand, then reigning as 
 pope, under the title of Gregory YH., who sum- 
 moned him to Rome. Henry refused to go, and 
 caused the ecclesiastics of his empire to renounce 
 allegiance to the pope. Hildebrand excommu- 
 nicated him ; and so awed were the superstitious 
 people, that they denounced the monarch. 
 Henry soon found himself without friends, and 
 was obliged to seek reconciliation with the 
 pope." 
 
 " How did he do it ? " 
 
 " He crossed the Alps to meet the pope, who 
 was at the fortress of Canossa, with the Countess 
 Matilda, one of his firm friends. Three days 
 he was compelled to stand barefoot, and almost 
 naked, at the door of the fortress, ere he could 
 be admitted. At length he was allowed to see 
 the pontiff, who granted him absolution." 
 
 " But how was he imprisoned here ? " 
 
 " Yarious changes occurred with him after 
 his reconciliation with Gregory. His eldest son, 
 Conrad, rebelled against him, and endeavored 
 to overturn his throne, but was defeated, and 
 
BISHOP HATTO'S TOWER. 185 
 
 died in disgrace. The emperor then caused his 
 second son, Henry, to be elected in his place, 
 but made him take an oath that he would not 
 disturb the empire while his father lived. This 
 oath Henry Y. disregarded, and seizing his 
 father by stratagem, shut him up in the Klopp, 
 from which he escaped, and died in disgrace at 
 Liege." 
 
 " What an unnatural son ! " 
 
 " Yes ; like Absalom, he wanted his father's 
 throne." 
 
 " And got it." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
186 THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter XIII, 
 
 THE SEVEN SISTERS. 
 
 ""OHEINSTEIN! That," said Mr. Percy, 
 
 J-V " is one of the restored ruins. It was 
 once in a sad state of decay, but has been re- 
 paired and beautified." 
 
 " By whom ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " By the Prince of Prussia, Frederick, who 
 makes it a summer residence. When Berlin is 
 sweltering in the sun, he brings his family here, 
 and spends a few months in quiet leisure. The 
 castle is fitted up with all the dreamy magnifi- 
 cence of feudal times, and resembles the old 
 palaces of the knights of the middle ages." 
 
 " I wish we could go on shore at some of 
 these interesting places. I don't like to be 
 shooting down this river as fast as tide and steam 
 can carry us." 
 
 " We cannot stop ; you must see these castles 
 from a distance, and let imagination do the 
 rest." 
 
 " I see a road running along the edge of the 
 river ; is it a railroad ? " 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 187 
 
 " No ; a common road, on a shelf, as it were, 
 just beneath the rock, and over the water. It is 
 a sort of turnpike, and a toll was anciently levied 
 on all Jews who passed over it — a tax. The 
 owners of the road had little dogs trained to 
 detect Jews, and when crowds of persons were 
 going along, these dogs would leap upon the 
 person of any Hebrew." 
 
 " Do you believe that ? " 
 
 " That a toll was formerly taken of Jews we 
 know., but the other part rests upon the uncer- 
 tain statement of the guide books." 
 
 " Look," said Mr. Tenant ; " see that tower 
 rising above the houses." 
 
 " Yes," said Walter ; " what is it, sir ? " 
 
 "The village in front is Neider-Heimbach, 
 and the castle is Heimburg. Just back of that 
 is a ruin, once very famous as the head quarters 
 of a robber clan. It is the castle of Sonneck." 
 
 " Is there any tradition connected with it ? " 
 
 "Yes, it is said that this ruin was once a 
 strong and handsome tower. Its owner was a 
 man who had many vassals, and who sallied out 
 and plundered the people wherever he could 
 find them. In the middle ages, when each 
 knight was a sovereign, and made the laws for 
 the regulation of his own estates, they were often 
 robbers." 
 
188 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " I thought," said Walter, " the knights were 
 men of great honor." 
 
 " We should think many of them were very- 
 dishonorable, if they lived in our times. This 
 knight was a brave, handsome man, who was 
 feared for hundreds of miles around. One day, 
 when riding alone near Mayence, he saw a young 
 woman, standing on the bank of the river, look- 
 ing over into the water. For a while she was 
 unconscious of his presence ; but as soon as she 
 saw him, she fled to her servants, who were at, a 
 little distance waiting for her. The bold knight 
 at once conceived the idea of carrying her away 
 to his castle. So, hiding himself, he watched 
 her, and soon saw her enter a noble castle. He 
 understood very well that she was the daughter 
 of a princely baron, and the betrothed of a young 
 knight, a friend and favorite of the emperor. 
 But this did not deter him from the execution 
 of his purpose. He lingered around the castle 
 until evening, and with the help of a trusty 
 servant, seized the maiden, and mounting his 
 horse, started down the river. But the shrieks 
 of the captive alarmed the inhabitants of the 
 castle, and soon the retainers of the baron, on 
 fresh horses, were in pursuit. After ten miles 
 of hard riding, five of the pursuers reached the 
 Bide of the robber. With the maiden on his 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 189 
 
 arm, he fought with desperation, and soon two 
 of his foes were biting the dust in death. At 
 length, finding the odds against him, and seeing 
 his servant cut down at his side, the robber was 
 obliged to release the girl to save his own life. 
 He threw her from him, and with muttered 
 curses, spurred his horse into a gallop, and left 
 his pursuers in possession of his victim." 
 
 " He was a bold fellow." 
 
 " And bad as bold." 
 
 " Hid he give up the idea of getting the girl ? " 
 
 " No ; some months afterwards, at the head 
 of a large company of armed men, he attacked 
 the castle of the baron, and after a desperate 
 fight, bore away the maiden, and took her to 
 Sonneck." 
 
 " What did her father do ? " 
 
 " He went and found the young knight to 
 whom his daughter was betrothed, and he went 
 to his friend, the Emperor Rudolph, and de- 
 manded an army, which was granted. Placing 
 himself at its head, the knight marched down 
 the country and besieged the robber in his strong- 
 hold, and at length, finding a way into the tower, 
 put the garrison to flight. The robber, seeing 
 himself conquered, went into the chamber of 
 the maiden, and told her that her lover had ob- 
 tained entrance to the castle, and was on his 
 
190 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 way to her chamber, but would never see her 
 alive. Just as her heart was beginning to beat 
 with hope, he plunged a dagger into her bo- 
 som, and turned to meet the enraged knight, 
 who was entering the room." 
 
 " What a wretch ! " 
 
 " The knight sprang upon him and dashed 
 him to the floor, and then turned to the maiden, 
 who gave him one look of affection, and died in 
 his arms." 
 
 " What did they do with the robber ? " 
 
 " The soldiers took him and tore him limb 
 from limb ; and the young knight was so ex- 
 asperated, that he set his men to pulling the 
 tower down, and they did not leave it until it 
 was a pile of ruins." 
 
 " When was that ? " 
 
 " In the year 1282." 
 
 " What town is this that we are at now ? " 
 
 " Lorch." 
 
 " What of it ? " 
 
 "It is one of the oldest on the banks of the 
 Khine." 
 
 " What is there of interest about it ? " 
 
 " Nothing, except a curious phenomenon 
 called the ' Whisperthal.' It is a place where 
 the north wind issues, which produces some 
 curious sounds. The rocky ascent which you 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 191 
 
 see is called the ' Devil's Ladder,' and the 
 castle on the top is Nollingen." 
 
 Soon the steamer was opposite Bacharach. 
 Mr. Tenant told the children that this was a 
 place well worth seeing. It is a walled town, 
 and has twelve towers, very substantially built, 
 but having only three sides. 
 
 " Why is that ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " The side of the towers towards the town is 
 open, and it is supposed that they were built so, 
 tiiat an enemy securing one of them could not 
 keep it, nor turn the batteries on the town. All 
 exposed to the people in the streets, invaders 
 would soon be destroyed." 
 
 " You said that the name of the town was 
 Bach " 
 
 " Bacharach." 
 
 " Curious name." 
 
 " Yes ; there is a rock in the river below, 
 called Bacchi Ara, or the Altar of Bacchus, and 
 it is supposed the name of this town came from 
 tliat." 
 
 " Shall we see the rock ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What about the castles ? " 
 
 " You see it has old ruins." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " The old fortress you see on the hill, behind 
 
192 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 the town, is Stahleck. Just below is a church 
 you cannot see, all in ruins now. It is the 
 Church of St. Werner. Some time, ages ago, 
 a boy, the son of Jewish parents, was murdered 
 some distance below this." 
 
 " Murdered ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " What for ? How ? By whom ? " 
 
 " He was crucified by those who hated the 
 Jews, and his body thrown into the Rhine. The 
 story is, that the body of the murdered boy, 
 instead of floating down with the current, which 
 is very strong there, floated up to where we are. 
 Here it was found and buried with great pomp, 
 and this church built over the spot." 
 
 " Why do they let the church stay in ruins?" 
 
 " The faith in the story has died out. The 
 Swedes destroyed the church in what is called 
 the ' thirty years' war,' and it has never been 
 restored." 
 
 " Look here ! " cried Minnie. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " A house in the middle of the river, and we 
 are driving right against it." 
 
 " Mr. Tenant, what is it ? " asked the lad, 
 looking forward. 
 
 " A castle." 
 
 " What one ? " 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 193 
 
 oo>S^o<^ 
 
 " The Pfalz." 
 
 " The pf-alts ! What is that ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " The Pfalz means the Palatinate, and was 
 built by Louis the Bavarian, as a toll house on 
 the Rhine, and here a toll was taken for a long 
 time." 
 
 " Was it an island, or were the foundations 
 laid in the bed of the river ? " 
 
 " It was an island — a rock in the river. 
 When this fortress was built, the Countesses Pal- 
 atine came here in times of sickness, to be away 
 from the noise of the main land, and in time of 
 war to be safer than on the shore. It has also 
 been used as a prison, and down beneath the 
 tide are dungeons deep and dark, and cham- 
 bers filled with instruments of torture. If it is 
 well garrisoned, it is a very strong defence, and 
 could hardly be taken without a very great 
 effort." 
 
 " What class of prisoners have been confined 
 here?" 
 
 " State prisoners, or those imprisoned for 
 political offences ; and I have been told, though 
 it is not probable, that there are rocky caverns 
 beneath the Rhine, filled with human bones." 
 
 " You frighten me." 
 
 " You would be frightened to go in and see 
 the dungeons." 
 
 VOL. V. 13 
 
194 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " How fortunate we are to live in a better age, 
 when such atrocities have ceased ! " 
 
 " Cruelty is not yet banished from the world. 
 If the prisons of Naples and Rome are evef 
 opened, fearful histories will be revealed." 
 
 " Here we are down at Schonberg," said Mr. 
 Percy, interrupting the conversation. 
 
 " And what new revelation does it bring ? " 
 asked Walter. 
 
 " It introduces us to the Seven Sisters." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " 
 
 " Look over on the other side of the boat, and 
 tell me what you see." 
 
 " Several rocks, against which we shall strike, 
 unless the helmsman steers right." 
 
 " How many of them ? " 
 
 " Seven." 
 
 " They are called the Seven Sisters." 
 
 " What have the seven rocks to do with the 
 castle on shore ? " 
 
 " I will tell you what the tradition is. It is 
 said that in the castle lived seven beautiful 
 maidens, and though they were besieged with 
 lovers, they did not wish to marry." 
 
 " Hum ! " said Minnie. 
 
 " The neighboring knights endeavored in 
 every possible way to persuade them to enter 
 the marriage state, but were unsuccessful. At 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 195 
 
 length seven of them "resolved to use force. In 
 those days the laws were not so protective as 
 now, and the ladies knew that resistance would 
 be in vain, and to avert the danger, resolved 
 to escape from the castle, and surrender it to 
 the knights, rather than comply with their 
 wishes. So they said to a deputation of the 
 chivalrous men, that on a certain day they would 
 be ready to meet them and select their husbands 
 from the gentry of the neighborhood. The day 
 came, and the knights in large numbers assem- 
 bled. The ladies proposed that the choice be 
 decided by lot, and professed a willingness to 
 abide the issue. The lots being cast, the seven 
 ugliest of the knights were selected. The ladies 
 withdrew, as they said, to prepare for the bridal, 
 which they insisted should take place at once. 
 The seven knights ^ aited long for their brides, 
 and began to be impatient of their delay, when, 
 on looking from the tower upon the river, they 
 saw the seven maidens escaping in a boat, down 
 the river. The gallant men rushed to the shore, 
 and implored them to return ; but they only 
 answered the plea with derisive shouts and 
 boisterous laughter. But the story goes that 
 the gods of the river were angry with the fair 
 fugitives, because they would not wed, as all 
 beautiful maidens should do, and overturned 
 
196 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 their boat, and metamorphosed the seven sisters 
 into seven rocks, which are now named for 
 them." 
 
 " And that was the last of them, then." 
 
 " No." 
 
 " What ! did they come to life again ? " 
 
 " No ; but the tradition runs that, while the 
 morning star shines bright, they resume their 
 original forms, and may be heard singing, — 
 
 ♦* * The morning star shines from afar 
 On mount and ruin gray ; 
 Upon the shore we sing once more, 
 
 Till glows the coming day ; 
 Let no rude power disturb the hour, 
 
 No rough wind shake the vine, 
 Lurlei prolong our plaintive song, 
 That swells above the Rhine. 
 
 Thou morning star of hope to me, 
 Thou star of hope to me ! 
 
 " * O, may the train that fills yon plain, 
 With merry hearts to-day, 
 "With joy and love, blessed from above 
 
 Be innocent as gay. 
 Pride once our own, we must atone, 
 
 And ne'er remission know. 
 
 Save when afar the morning star 
 
 With holy light doth glow. 
 
 Thou morning star of hope to me. 
 Thou star of hope to me ! ' " 
 
 " That tradition is a silly one," said Minniec 
 
OBEBWESEIm 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 199 
 
 ^^ So I think ; but travellers all hear it, and 
 t\£ handbooks give it with a great deal of grav- 
 ity. Just below where the seven sisters, pet- 
 rifled and wave-washed, lay in the river, a 
 round tower rose on the shore, and near it a 
 fine town was seen, and Mr. Percy told the chil- 
 dren the town was Oberwesel, and the tower one 
 of the most noted on the Rhine. A view of this 
 tower we give. The handsome edifice, seen on 
 the hill back of the tower, is the Church of 
 Our Lady, and is one of the finest specimens 
 of Gothic architecture in Germany. Many of 
 the inhabitants of the town were on the shore, 
 as Tthe steamer glided by, and some of them 
 shouted and waved their hats, and the ladies 
 on board the steamer waved their handkerchiefs 
 in return. But the current is so rapid, and the 
 steamer under such headway, that Oberwesel, 
 the round tower, the Church of Our Lady, and 
 the people on the shore, soon faded from sight. 
 
 Near Oberwesel, the steamer passed one of 
 those huge rafts which are often seen on the 
 Rhine. The rafts are composed of trees cut in 
 the German forests, and which are of enormous 
 size. They are chained together, and on some 
 of them are little houses, with families; and 
 often two or three hundred persons go down, in 
 this way, on one float. Mr. Murray says, '' The 
 
200 THE PERCY FAlVriLY. 
 
 boatmen are often accompanied with their wives 
 and families, spinning, knitting, tailoring, dress- 
 making; poultry, pigs and other animals are found 
 on board, and several butchers are attached to 
 the suite. A well-supplied boiler is at work night 
 and day in the kitchen ; the dinner hour is 
 announced by a basket stuck upon a pole, at 
 which signal the pilot gives the word of com- 
 mand, and the workmen run from all quarters 
 to receive their messes. The provision carried 
 on these voyages down the river is said, for one 
 of the largest rafts, to be forty-five thousand 
 pounds of bread, thirty thousand of fresli and 
 dried meat, fifteen thousand pounds of butter, 
 ten thousand pounds of cheese, fifty sacks of 
 dried vegetables, five hundred tuns of beer, 
 eight butts of wine, and other articles in pro- 
 portion. At present the rafts are not so large 
 as formerly ; instead of being nine hundred feet, 
 they are by law limited to seven hundred in 
 length, and two hundred and fifty feet in breadth. 
 They draw three feet of water. The smallest 
 rafts require four hundred men to manage them. 
 A single float is commonly the property of a 
 great number of shareholders, and sometimes, 
 at the end of the voyage, in Holland, brings 
 one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. 
 The annaal amount of timber floated down this 
 
THE SEVEN SISTERS. 20\ 
 
 way, every year, and sold in Holland, is about 
 eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The 
 voyage down is sometimes six weeks, and some 
 times, though rarely, it is completed in eight 
 or ten days." 
 
 These facts Mr. Percy gave the children, as 
 they were passing one of these immense floats, 
 on which were hundreds of human beings. 
 
202 THE PEECY FAMILY, 
 
 Chapter XIV. 
 
 LUELEI, THE RIVER SIREN. 
 
 " T OOK out for the siren," said Mr. Tenant 
 
 -^ to the children. 
 
 " What is the siren ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " Why, children, here is the most dangerous 
 part of the Rhine. Yonder you see the Lurlei 
 Rock ; near it is the Gewirr, a whirlpool, which 
 makes this place very dangerous for small boats 
 and rafts. There is also an echo to the rock, 
 which has a very mysterious effect, as it bounds 
 from cliff to cliff." 
 
 "But about the siren ? " 
 
 " 0, yes ; there is a superstition that this rock 
 is haunted by Lurlei, the beautiful river nymph, 
 who lures boatmen from the safe places into her 
 cataracts, where they are destroyed. She is sup- 
 posed to sit on these brown cliffs and sing her 
 witching songs." 
 
 " How absurd ! " 
 
 " Yes, and yet many believe it, even now." 
 
 " The boatmen we have heard singing all day, 
 ar.d T sliould like to hear Lurlei." 
 
LURLEI, THE RIYER SIREN. 
 
 203 
 
 " The boatmen are supposed by the tradition 
 to come along unconscious of the presence of 
 the sprite, singing as thej come, while Lurlei 
 charms them : — 
 
 Lurlei. Ah ! come, boatmen, come to me. 
 
 Boatmen. We are boatmen, we are boatmen, 
 
 On the bright and sunny Rhine, 
 
 And its clear and sparkling waters 
 
 Fair and smooth around us shine. 
 Who enjoys so much pure pleasure 
 
 As the dwellers on our stream. 
 When in merry rowing measure 
 
 Splashing oars and bright eyes gleam ? 
 Lurlei. Ah ! come, boatmen, come to me. 
 Boatmen. We are boatmen, we are boatmen. 
 And a merry life is ours ; 
 Feathered spray and waters sparkle 
 
 All around like fairy showers ; 
 And the nymphs and fauies singing. 
 
 As we glide along the shore, 
 Are new pleasures ever bringing. 
 While we merrily ply the oar. 
 Lurlei. Ah ! come, boatmen, come to me. 
 'Boatmen. Hark ! hark! the waves call us to join their wild 
 chorus — 
 They're murmuring sad at our unwonted stay ; 
 The waters are dancing in madness before us, 
 They sigh that we linger — we hasten away. 
 We go, O, we go, to deep, hidden recesses ; 
 
 We go to the shadowy ocean's dark caves. 
 Where amber and coral the sea-weed caresses — 
 We hasten to join in the song of the waves. 
 
204 THE PEUCY FAMILY. 
 
 " I declare, Mr. Tenant, you talk as earnestly 
 as if you believed all this." 
 
 " I don't believe a word of it." 
 
 " Nor I," answered Minnie. 
 
 "Nor I," said Walter. 
 
 " And yet, many persons, living along these 
 banks, do believe it. They say she has often 
 lured the passing mariner into the cataracts at 
 her feet, where she destroyed them. Many per- 
 sons have perished here, and the ignorant people 
 of the Rhine believe the beautiful enchantress is 
 now sometimes seen on the top of the rock, sing- 
 ing and shining as of old. There are many who 
 will say they have seen her, and heard her." 
 
 " 0, fudge I " said Walter; " I am sick of these 
 stories." 
 
 " I am not," answered Minnie ; " please tell 
 me about Lurlei." 
 
 " One tale that is told of her is this : the 
 Elector Palatine had an only son, who was much 
 beloved, not only by his father, but by all who 
 knew him. He was hunting one day at the foot 
 of the crags, when Lurlei saw him, and was just 
 about to commence her charm song, and lure 
 him to destruction, when she felt her bosom 
 filled with love ; and though she longed to be- 
 witch and destroy the youth, this new emotion, 
 which she had never felt before, caused her to 
 
THE RIVER SIREN. 205 
 
 remain silent, without discovering herself to 
 him. For a long time after this nothing was 
 seen or heard of her ; but this young man was 
 wonderfully prospered in whatever he undertook. 
 The most troublesome horses were tamed by his 
 voice ; his feet always led him, too, in the chase, 
 where there was the most game ; and often, 
 when he would lie down to rest, his ears were 
 saluted with ravishing music from unknown 
 sources. One day he was lost in the forest ; the 
 more he tried to find the way out, the more he 
 became entangled, and the deeper he became 
 involved. At length he climbed a high rock, 
 and his eyes were at once fastened upon a female 
 of surpassing beauty, who stood before him, her 
 face half concealed by a transparent veil, and 
 her person enveloped in drapery that but dimly 
 concealed her voluptuous form. The young 
 man, knowing who it was, and feeling his dan- 
 ger, closed his eyes for a moment, and when he 
 opened them, he found himself at the gate of 
 his father's castle. From that time he became 
 possessed with the insane desire to see the lovely 
 enchantress again. He communicated his wish 
 and related his experience to his tutor, a wise 
 old man, who endeavored with much earnestnei>s 
 to dissuade him from pursuing the matter fur- 
 ther. The father of the young man, becoming 
 
206 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 possessed of the facts, obtained for his son a 
 presentation at court, in hopes that absence 
 would break up tlie dangerous delusion. But the 
 day before he was to start from home, he went 
 out with his tutor upon the Rhine, and turn- 
 ing his boat towards the Lurlei rock, approached 
 nearer and nearer to the fatal influence. All at 
 once, the tutor, who had been himself engaged 
 in sketching some object in his scrap book, raised 
 his eyes, and seeing where they were, exclaimed j 
 ' My lord, are you blind ! Do you not see Lurlei 
 rock straight before you ? For God and the Yir- 
 gin's sake, turn ! ' But the young man steered 
 on, and just at that moment Lurlei appeared 
 upon the rock, and commenced her song. The 
 boat, drawn by an invisible hand into the mael- 
 strom, was overturned ; the waves bore the tutor 
 over to the opposite shore, but the young man 
 had disappeared. The tutor returned to the 
 castle, and requested a company of soldiers, that 
 he might go and capture the enchantress, and 
 save, if possible, the young man. He went, and 
 reaching the crag, met the sprite, who said from 
 behind her misty veil, — 
 
 " ' Whom seek you, friend ? ' 
 
 " ' The vile witch ! ' the tutor angrily replied. 
 
 " ' Be not angry ! ' said Lurlei. 
 
 " ' Where is our young master, vile one ? ' 
 
LURLEI, THE RIVER SIREN. 20V 
 
 " ' Would you see him ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes. Where is our beloved Edgar ? ' 
 
 " The sprite made no answer, but waved hei? 
 hand ; the mountain trembled, tempests rolled 
 down the sky, the thunder rattled, and amid it 
 all Lurlei stood radiant in her celestial beauty. 
 The tutor was dumb ; the sprite took off her 
 necklace of coral, threw it into the sea, and all 
 was calm again ; then spreading her veil, and 
 singing her songs, she descended to her watery 
 caverns, and as the waters parted, the tutor saw 
 his young master, with a face radiant with love, 
 come and meet her. The legend supposes that 
 the young Edgar, changed to a sprite, still lives, 
 in unfading youth, with the beautiful Luilei, in 
 the coral caves, far down below. The boatmen 
 of the river always mutter their prayers when 
 they pass the spot." 
 
 " I don't believe any thing about these tradi- 
 tions," said Minnie ; " but they certainly invest 
 the river with interest." 
 
 " That is so ; and when we search back and 
 see what the tradition comes from, we generally 
 find that it is some interesting fact." 
 
 " I have read," said Walter, " of the Grotto 
 of Lurlei." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
208 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Simply a cave near the rock, where lives a 
 hermit, who gets his living by discharging a 
 pistol close to the rock." 
 
 " What for ? " 
 
 " To awaken the echo, of which I told you." 
 
 " Is there any thing remarkable about the 
 echo ? " 
 
 " Yes ; it repeats itself fifteen or twenty 
 times." 
 
 " 0, we must go ashore." 
 
 " We can't." 
 
 "We are losing much, by going down this 
 river so rapidly." 
 
 " Perhaps we are, but we have no time to go 
 in any other way." 
 
 " Children, we are coming to St. Goar," said 
 Mr. Percy. 
 
 " What saint is that ? " 
 
 " A town where many travellers leave the 
 •steamer, and where I should like to leave it." 
 
 " St. Goar — was he a saint ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Was this town named for him ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Please tell me something about it. I want 
 to learn all I can." 
 
 " St. Goar was a hermit, who lived here in 
 the seventh century, and who performed many 
 miracles." 
 
RIVER SIREN. 209 
 
 " I thought miracles were confined to the early 
 ages." 
 
 " He pretended to perform them." 
 
 " What miracles ? " 
 
 "He did several things which have become 
 traditionary." 
 
 " What were they ? " 
 
 " Among other things, he turned all the little 
 birds on the church tower to birds of paradise." 
 
 " What else ? " 
 
 " He hung his coat upon a sunbeam." 
 
 " Any thing more ? " 
 
 " He threw up a piece of stone, and catching 
 it in his hand as it descended, turned it to gold." 
 
 " How absurd that such stories should live ! " 
 
 " And more strange, that even at this day 
 they should find believers." 
 
 " The idea of hanging a coat upon a sunbeam, 
 reminds me of the description given by a poet 
 of the relics seen in Rome." 
 
 " What relics ? " 
 
 " The poet enumerates them thus : — 
 
 << ' A ray, imprimis, of the star that shone 
 To the wise men ; a phial full of sounds, 
 The musical chimes of the great bell that hung 
 In Solomon's temple ; and though last, not least, 
 A feather from the angel Gabriel's wing, 
 Dropped in the Virgin's chamber.' " 
 
 VOL. V. 14 
 
210 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Yery good, "Walter." 
 
 " But here we are coming to some other ob- 
 jects of interest." 
 
 " You must keep on the watch. The tra- 
 ditions we can have any time, but this is the 
 only view of the river that will come into our 
 tour." 
 
 They passed rapidly by the fortress of Rhein- 
 fels, once a nest for robbers, but blown up by 
 the French in 1794. It is an extensive ruin, 
 and the eye of the traveller lingers upon it, as 
 the steamer darts down the river. Next they 
 came to the twin towers of Sternberg and Lie- 
 benstein, which Mr. Tenant pointed out to the 
 children. 
 
 " We see them," said Walter. 
 
 " I have a story about them." 
 
 " We will hear it," said Minnie. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Walter, who was tired 
 of the ridiculous traditions. 
 
 " The towers are called ' The Brothers.' They 
 were once owned and occupied by two brothers, 
 Henrich and Conrad. These brothers, though 
 loving each other very much, were entirely un- 
 like. Henrich, the elder, was cool, calm, dis- 
 passionate, and venturous to a fault. Conrad, 
 the younger, was wild, impetuous, but generous 
 and amiable. Both were noble and elevated in 
 
LURLEI, THE RIVER SIREN. 211 
 
 their tastes, and pure in their lives. Unknown 
 to each other, they both loved Hildegarde. The 
 lady inclined to Conrad, and when the elder 
 brother saw it, he nobly resolved to leave the 
 field, and yield the prize to his younger and 
 more fortunate relative. He buckled on the 
 armor of the crusaders, and went to Palestine, 
 where he was distinguished for his bravery. 
 His frequent letters awakened in the bosom of 
 Conrad a desire to go to Palestine, and to the 
 great grief of Hildegarde, he set forth. Tlie 
 wars ended, and Henrich returned. By and 
 by came tidings in no ways favorable to the con- 
 stancy of the fickle Conrad, who, on parting, 
 had vowed eternal fidelity to the maiden. At 
 length he came back, not alone, but with a 
 beautiful but frail Greek wife. Hildegarde's 
 heart was broken, and Henrich, iricensed be- 
 yond measure, challenged Conrad to fatal com- 
 bat. When distances had been measured, and 
 the weapons were grasped for life or death, Hil- 
 degarde rushed between them, and commanded 
 them to desist. They obeyed, and coldly turned 
 from each other. Hildegarde went into a con- 
 vent. Henrich lived in seclusion at Leibenstein, 
 and Conrad built the. tower of Sternberg, and 
 resided there. At length his Greek wife fled 
 with another lover. Having spent his fortune, 
 
212 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 she deserted him. He then went, broken-hearted 
 and penitent, to his brother, who forgave him, 
 and the rest of their days they lived together at 
 the castle of the elder." 
 
 " Here we are at a city — what is it, father ?" 
 inquired Walter. 
 
 " Coblentz." 
 
 Here the steamer stops an hour, and they all 
 went on shore. They found Coblentz to be a 
 strongly-fortified town of twenty-six thousand 
 inhabitants. They went to several churches, 
 rode through the streets, took a lunch, and 
 drove back to the steamer. 
 
 " Can we not have time to go to the monu- 
 ment of General Marceau, before we go on 
 board," asked Walter. 
 
 " Who is he, and what do you know about his 
 monument ? " 
 
 " I have read of him in history. In our 
 school reader there is an account of his fall. 
 He was killed at the battle of Altenkirchen." 
 
 " But how do you know about his monu- 
 ment ? " 
 
 " Byron tells about it." 
 
 " What does he say ? " 
 
 " I do not recollect the whole, but he begins 
 thus : — 
 
 «« *By Coblentz, on a rise of gentle ground, 
 There is a small and simple pyramid, 
 Crowning the summit of the verdant mound,' " 
 
LUELEI, THE RIVEE SIREN. 213 
 
 " Ah, yes, I remember the lines, but we have 
 no time to visit the spot." 
 
 " Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong," went 
 the bell. 
 
 " All aboard ! All aboard ! " shouted Minnie, 
 who was already on the deck. 
 
 " Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong-dong." 
 
 " Hurry up, Walter," said Minnie. 
 
 " Hurry along, Mr. Percy," added Mr. Tenant. 
 
 They were soon on board, and the little 
 steamer, with a monstrous lurch, shot out into 
 the rapids and went leaping on. 
 
 When they were fairly out in the river, the 
 bell rang again, and the passengers were called 
 to dinner ; and at the table, set on deck, they 
 found a plain but ample meal. The chiiui-en, 
 however, did not wish to stay at the table. 
 There were objects of interest on laK i, and 
 they preferred gazing at them. 
 
^14 THE PERCY FAMILY, 
 
 Chapter XY. 
 bolandseck and drachenfels . 
 
 JUST below Coblentz are the towers of Ro- 
 landseck and Drachenfels, two ruins nearly 
 opposite each other. The tradition connected 
 with these towers interested the children. Ro- 
 landseck stands on a wild rock, and when viewed 
 from the river, is a very interesting object. 
 Drachenfels, or Dragon Rock, rises abruptly 
 from the edge of the river, and is crowned with 
 the tower, and a view of Cologne, twenty miles 
 distant, is obtained from the top. 
 
 " Do you remember Byron's description of 
 Drachenfels ? " asked Mr. Tenant of Walter. 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Have you ever read it, Minnie ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Have you, friend Percy ? " 
 
 " I have read it, but cannot repeat it." 
 
 " Can you, Mr. Tenant ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " I don't know ; my memory is growing poor, 
 I find. Almost every such thing I committed to 
 memory when a boy has left me now." 
 
ROLANDSEOK AND DRACHENFELS. 215 
 
 " Do try to give it to us." 
 " I will try, 
 
 <« « The castled crags of Drachenfels 
 
 Frown o'er the wide and winding Ehine, 
 Whose breast of waters broadly swells 
 
 Between the banks which bear the vine ; 
 And hills all rich with blossomed trees, 
 
 And fields which promise corn and wine, 
 And scattered cities crowning these, 
 
 Whose far white walls along them shine, 
 Have strewed a scene which I could see 
 With double joy wert thou with me. 
 
 *' ' And peasant girls with deep blue eyes. 
 And hands which offer early flowers, 
 Walk smiling o'er this paradise ; 
 
 Above, the frequent feudal towers 
 Through green leaves lift their walls of gray. 
 
 And many a rock which steeply towei.^, 
 And noble arch in proud decay. 
 
 Look o'er this vale of vintage bowers ; 
 
 But one thing want these banks of Rhine — 
 Thy gentle hand to clasp in mine ! 
 
 «< ' The river nobly foams and flows, 
 
 The charm of this enchanted ground, 
 And all its thousand turns disclose 
 
 Some fresher beauty varying round. 
 The haughtiest breast its wish might bound 
 
 Through life to dwell delighted here ; 
 Nor could on earth a spot be found 
 To nature and to me so dear, 
 
 Could thy dear eyes, in following mine, 
 Still sweeten more these banks of Rhine. 
 
£16 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " But the story — the legend — you have not 
 told us that," said Minnie. 
 
 " No ; but I will do so. The old knight of 
 Drachenfels, as the tradition goes, had a lovely 
 daughter, who " 
 
 " A lovely daughter always comes in." 
 
 " Who was beloved by young Roland, of Ro- 
 landseck, and who loved him in return. The 
 father of the maiden saw with joy the attach- 
 ment which was springing up between his dear 
 child and Roland, for the latter was a fair and 
 gallant young knight. But war called Roland 
 from home, and he was absent many months. 
 The war ended, and he returned, and a strange 
 scene met his eye. The castle was being be- 
 sieged by a robber knight, who had taken ad- 
 vantage of the temporary absence of the lord. 
 Roland comprehended the whole at a single 
 glance ; he saw that the retainers of Drachenfels 
 were falling, one by one, and that not a moment 
 was to be lost. With the war cry of his ancient 
 house, and with the few servants that accompa- 
 nied him, he at once plunged into the thickest 
 of the fight. The robber knight gave way, and 
 his men began to flee, when a new foe appeared. 
 It was the old lord himself. His visor was down, 
 and Roland could not recognize him, and the old 
 man, supposing Roland to be the robber^ at once 
 
HOLANDSECK AND D R A C H ENFI:L S . 217 
 
 attacked him, and the father fell by the hand of 
 the lover. When the maiden found that Roland 
 had slain her sire, she yielded herself to hopeless 
 grief, and bidding him adieu, went into a neigh- 
 boring convent. Roland built this castle of Ro- 
 landseck, whence, from the windows, day by day, 
 he could look out and see the convent that con- 
 tained his heart's treasure. One day, as he kept 
 his melancholy watch, he heard the convent bell 
 toll, and soon after he saw a funeral procession 
 pass out. His heart told him who was going to 
 her grave. And ever after that he was accus- 
 tomed to stand at the window and watch that 
 grave, all day, all night. Often he would not 
 leave it for his food, which his servants were 
 obliged to bring to him. One day he was found 
 dead at the window, the dead eyes open, and 
 glaring on a distant grave." 
 
 Thus they went by one old ruin after another, 
 hearing the tales of romance with which each is 
 invested. These castles are now the haunts of 
 robbers. The apartments once trod by beautiful 
 women and brave knights are now trodden by 
 thieves and assassins, though here and there one 
 is seen in good preservation, and occupied by 
 some noble family, who endeavor to keep up the 
 ancient style and show. 
 
 Bonn is on the bank of the river, and has a 
 
218 ~ THE PEECY FAMILY. 
 
 good cathedral, a fine university, and as the 
 steamer passed it, the students were seen, in 
 their peculiar style of dress, thronging the 
 streets and lounging on the pier. 
 
 " Is the university a noted one ? " asked Wal- 
 ter. 
 
 '' Yes," answered his father. 
 
 " Can you tell me of any one who has grad- 
 uated here ? " 
 
 '' Yes ; Prince Albert, the husband of Queen 
 Victoria, was once a student here." 
 
 " I should like to go on shore." 
 
 " It would be pleasant to do so, but time will 
 not allow us to stop at these interesting places 
 on the river. It would take weeks to travel 
 from Mayence to Cologne, as leisurely as yon 
 would wish to do." 
 
 " How far are we from Cologne ? " 
 
 " About a steamer trip of an hour." 
 
 " What shall we find between here and there ? " 
 
 " Nothing of interest." 
 
 " Shall we have no more traditions ? " 
 
 " No ; the beauty of the Rhine, or rather its 
 historic interest, lies between Mayence and 
 Bonn." 
 
 " Then we can sit down and rest." 
 
 " Yes, if you desire to do so." 
 
 " I certainly do ; my head and eyes ache 
 badly.'' 
 
BOLANDSECK AND DRACHENFELS. 219 
 
 So Walter sat down under the awning, and 
 leaning liis aching head against the rail, was 
 soon sound asleep ; and his father, knowing how 
 weary he was, put a handkerchief so as to shade 
 his face, and left him. Minnie ran about the 
 steamer, asking questions of every person she 
 could find who could talk English. 
 
 At length the towers and steeples of Cologne 
 appeared in view, Walter was aroused from his 
 troubled sleep, and the whole party began prep- 
 arations for landing. After every thing was 
 ready, and Mr. Percy stood with an opera glass 
 in his hand, looking upon the distant city, and 
 Mr. Tenant sat in a chair, with Minnie leaning 
 on his shoulder, and Walter sitting on a box 
 behind him, the latter said, — 
 
 " And now we are to bid adieu to the winding 
 Rhine, the king of rivers." 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Tenant ; " and my eye was 
 just resting on Childe Harold's adieu to this river, 
 which is very beautiful, and every word of which 
 I feel." 
 
 " Please read it." 
 
 '' Well, draw up close to me, and I will do so." 
 
 Mr. Tenant then read the following verses in 
 a low but distinct tone of voice, while the cliil- 
 dren, with eager interest, reached forward to 
 hear every word : — 
 
220 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 •' On the banks of the majestic Rhine, 
 There Harold gazes on a work divine, 
 A blending of all beauties ; streams and dells, 
 Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, cornfield, mountain, vine^ 
 And chiefless castles breathing stern farewells 
 
 From gray but leafy walls, where ruin greenly dwells. 
 
 "And there they stand, as stands a lofty mind. 
 Worn, but unstooping to the baser crowd, 
 All tenantless, save to the crannying wind, 
 Or holding dark communion with the cloud, 
 ihere was a day when they were young and proud, 
 Banners on high, and battles passed below ; 
 But they who fought are in a bloody shroud. 
 And those which waved are shredless dust ere now, 
 
 And the bleak battlements shall bear no future blow. 
 
 «' Beneath these battlements, within those walls, 
 
 Power dwelt amidst her- passions ; in proud state 
 
 Each robber chief upheld his armed halls, 
 
 Doing his evil will, nor less elate 
 
 Than mightier heroes of a longer date. 
 
 What want these outlaws conquerors should have 
 
 But history's purchased page to call them great, 
 
 A Avider space and ornamented grave ? 
 Their hopes were not less warm, their souls were full as brave 
 
 *' In their baronial feuds and single fields. 
 What deeds of prowess unrecorded died ! 
 And love, which lent a blazon to their shields, 
 With emblems well devised by amorous pride. 
 Through all the mail of iron hearts would glide ; 
 But still their flame was fierceness, and drew on 
 Keen contest and destruction near allied, 
 And many a tower for some fair mischief won 
 
 Saw the discolored Rhine beneath its ruin run. 
 
ROLANDSECK AND DRACHENFELS. 221 
 
 "But thou, exulting and abounding river, 
 Making thy waves a blessing as they flow 
 Through banks whose beauty would endure forever, 
 Could man but leave thy bright creation so. 
 Nor its fair promise from the surface mow 
 "With the sharp scythe of conflict, — then to see 
 Thy valley of sweet waters, were to know 
 Earth paved like heaven ; and to seem such to me. 
 Even now what wants thy stream ? — that it should Lethe ba 
 
 "A thousand battles have assailed thy banks, 
 But these and half their fame have passed away, 
 And Slaughter heaped on high his weltering ranks ; 
 Their very graves are gone, and what are they ? 
 Thy tide washed down the blood of yesterday, 
 And all was stainless, and on thy clear stream 
 Glanced with its dancing light the sunny ray ; 
 But o'er the blackened memory's blighting dream, 
 Thy waves would vainly roll, all sweeping as they seemo 
 
 " Adieu to thee, fair Rhine ! How long delighted 
 
 The stranger fain would linger on his way ! 
 
 Thine is a scene alike where souls united 
 
 Or lonely contemplation thus might stray ; 
 
 And could the tireless vultures cease to prey 
 
 On self- condemning bosoms, it were here, 
 
 "Where nature, nor too sombre nor too gay. 
 
 Wild, but not rude, awful, yet not austere, 
 [s to the mellow earth as autumn to the year. 
 
 " Adieu to thee again ! a vain adieu ! 
 There can be no farewell to scene like thine : 
 The mind is colored by thy every hue ; 
 And if reluctantly the eyes resign 
 Their cherished gaze upon thee, lovely Rhine, 
 
222 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 'Tis with the thankful glance of parting praise. 
 More mighty spots may rise, more glaring shine, 
 But none unite in one attaching maze 
 The brilliant, fair, and soft — the glories of old days. 
 
 <'The negligently grand, the fruitful bloom 
 Of coming ripeness, the white city's sheen, 
 The rolling stream, the precipice's gloom, 
 The forest's growth, and Gothic walls between 
 The wild rocks shaped as they had turrets been, 
 In mockery of man's art ; and these withal 
 A race of faces happy as the scene. 
 Whose fertile bounties here extend to all, 
 Still springing o'er thy banks, though empires near them fall.'' 
 
 As the last word was uttered, the steamer 
 reached the landing, and the passengers began 
 to rush ashore. The party waited until the 
 rush was over, and then quietly went out of the 
 steamer, and stood on the pier in the midst of a 
 crowd of hackmen and porters, who were clam- 
 orous and uncivil in their importunity. Mr. 
 Percy selected a sober, industrious-looking dri- 
 ver, and told him to take them all to Hallan- 
 discher Hof ; and soon they were at the door of 
 that excellent hotel, which has two fronts, — ■ 
 one towards the city, and the other towards the 
 royal Rhine. 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 223 
 
 Chapter XYI. 
 
 EAU DE COLOGNE. 
 
 I^HE hotel to which the party went in Cologne 
 - was full of people, there being much travel- 
 ling at this season of the year. The front to- 
 wards the town is not pleasant, Cologne being a 
 very filthy city ; but the river side of the house, 
 commanding views up and down the Rhine and 
 the villages on the opposite side of the river, is 
 very fine. When Mr. Percy went in, he asked 
 for apartments for himself and party. The ser- 
 vants were glad to see him, and ready to accom- 
 modate him, but took him up over two long 
 flights of stairs into some dingy rooms on the 
 town side of the house, where the view was 
 blocked out by walls of brick and stone, and 
 into which, from the streets below, came up the 
 peculiar stench of the place. Mr. Percy told 
 the servant that the rooms would not do for him 
 — that the party must be accommodated on the 
 river side of the house. 
 
 " That is impossible," said the servant. 
 " How impossible ? " 
 
224 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " The apartments on the river side are all 
 full." 
 
 " Is there no room any where ? " 
 
 " None at all." 
 
 Mr. Percy was inclined to yield, and make the 
 best of it ; but Mr. Tenant, stepping up at that 
 moment, said, — 
 
 " Then we must find another hotel." 
 
 " All in town are full, sir." 
 
 " We will try them and see." Then turning 
 to Mr. Percy, he said, " We had better see what 
 we can do ; we shall get the plague if we stay 
 here." 
 
 The party wen-t down to the office, took their 
 carpet bags, and were about going to another 
 hotel, when the servant, with a polite bow, 
 said, — 
 
 " Stop, gentlemen, and we will see what we 
 can do for you." 
 
 " Ah," said Mr. Tenant, " that looks like it." 
 
 Soon the servant reappeared, and took them 
 up into a fine room, twenty-five feet long and 
 eighteen wide, with two ante-rooms, and said, — 
 
 " We have cleared this for you." 
 
 " This will do," replied Mr. Percy, 
 
 And well it might do. The room had three 
 large windows opening upon the river ; the ceil- 
 ing was high, and the walls beautifully frescoed 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 225 
 
 cO^aS^Oc 
 
 with Rhine scenery, and the children at once 
 recognized some of the castles they tiad seen 
 that day, and all the fixtures and articles of fur- 
 niture were really very elegant. 
 
 " What made the servant tell you such a story 
 as that, father ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " I don't know ; but as there is another boat 
 to arrive to-night, and as river-side rooms are in 
 great demand, I presume they are keeping the 
 apartments that overlook the river for those who 
 will not have those on the other side. Some 
 travellers take their rooms in haste, without 
 thinking of the disadvantages of a town-side 
 view." 
 
 " Ah, I see through it now ; but I should think 
 he would be ashamed of himself, to tell a wicked 
 lie about so small a matter." 
 
 " Well, we are finely convenienced. Napoleon 
 could ask for no better apartments than we have 
 furnished us here. We can sit this evening, and 
 look up and down the Rhine, see the boats on 
 the river, enjoy the refreshing breezes, and sleep 
 soundly when we go to bed." 
 
 Cologne, or Koln, in the German, is^a town of 
 one hundred thousand inhabitants. It derives 
 its name from the mother of Nero, who was born 
 here, who called it Colonia Agrippina, and is a 
 place of considerable note. The old Roman 
 VOL. v. 15 
 
226 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 wall, and various relics of the past, are yet visible. 
 It has figured largely on the pages of history. 
 All the morning of the day on which our travel- 
 lers arrived, Mr. Percy spent in giving the chil- 
 dren historical reminiscences of the place, and 
 they were very much interested by the recital. 
 
 The next morning they went out to see what 
 was to be seen. 
 
 " Where shall we go first ? " asked the lad. 
 
 '' To the cathedral, of course," was the reply. 
 
 So they wended their way to this edifice, 
 which, in some particulars, is most remarkable. 
 
 " This is the central object of interest here," 
 said Mr. Percy to Walter, as they reached the 
 cathedral. 
 
 " It is unfinished, I see." 
 
 " Yes ; though it was begun in 1272, it is not 
 yet completed. ' 
 
 " Who built it ? " 
 
 " Archbishop Conrad, of Hochsteden, was the 
 master spirit in its erection, but the name of the 
 architect is lost." 
 
 " How large is it ? " 
 
 " Five hundred and eleven feet long, two 
 hundred and thirty-one feet in breadth ; the 
 choir is one hundred and sixty-one feet high, 
 and all the rest of the edifice, you see, is well pro- 
 portioned. If the original plan of this church 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 227 
 
 had been carried out, it would have been a more 
 magnificent structure than the Cathedral of 
 Milan, or St. Peter's at Eome." 
 
 " If the name of the architect was lost, how 
 do they know what the original plans were ? " 
 
 " Views of the edifice, as it was intended to 
 be, are yet in existence." 
 
 " What is that thing I saw standing on one 
 of the towers, when I entered ? " 
 
 " What did it look like ? " 
 
 "• A derrick, I judged it to be." 
 
 " 0, yes, I know. That is a crane that was 
 put up here hundreds of years ago." 
 
 " Hundreds of years ago ? " 
 
 " Yes ; when the work on the towers was pro- 
 gressing it was used by the masons to get the 
 stones up with. About one hundred years ago 
 it was taken down ; but on the very day when it 
 was removed, a terrific thunder storm swept over 
 the building, and the lightnings struck the tower 
 where it had stood, and the superstitious people, 
 seeing this, at once hoisted the crane to its place 
 again." 
 
 " I see they are at work on it now." 
 
 " Yes ; government is doing something to fin- 
 ish it, and money for the building is being col- 
 lected by a society organized for the purpose." 
 
 "• Who is architect of the edifice now ? " 
 
228 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " Zwirner." 
 
 " How much money has been expended 
 on it ? " 
 
 "It is impossible to tell ; but it must have 
 reached millions of dollars." 
 
 " Whew ! " 
 
 " And the architect estimates that it will cost 
 at least three millions seven hundred and fifty 
 thousand dollars." 
 
 " What beautiful windows ! " exclaimed Min- 
 nie, the party having entered the cathedral. 
 
 " Yery fine indeed," replied Mr. Percy ; " they 
 were a present from King Louis, of Bavaria." 
 
 " How many did he give ? " 
 
 " Five." 
 
 " Have they any relics here ? " 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 " What relics ? " 
 
 " In a curiously wrought silver case behind 
 the altar are said to be the bones of three kings 
 of Cologne, who were the Magi who went to 
 Bethlehem when Christ was born." 
 
 " Pho ! " 
 
 " The people believe it, and the silver oratory 
 where they are was once all covered over with 
 precious stones and jewels." 
 
 '' Where are they now ? " 
 
 " Many of them have been taken away in times 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 229 
 
 of war; but the casket is still rich with them, 
 some say to the amount of one million two hun- 
 dred thousand dollars." 
 
 The party went to the altar, and saw the ora- 
 tory, and many were the expressions of wonder 
 at it. They also went into the sacristy, wlicre 
 they saw what purported to be a bone of Matthew 
 the Evangelist, and some other relics. 
 
 " Look here, children," said their father. 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " Look at this slab." 
 
 " What of it ? " 
 
 " Beneath it lies buried the heart of Mary of 
 Medici." 
 
 " Who was she ? " asked Minnie. 
 
 " She was a weak, ambitious woman, wife of 
 Henry lY. of France. After the death of her 
 husband she reigned as regent, but administered 
 the government so badly, and had so much 
 trouble with her ministers, that she was ban- 
 ished from the kingdom, and died in great des- 
 titution in this city." 
 
 The party remained in the cathedral a long 
 time wondering, and then rode to the church of 
 St. Ursula, which is filled with bones, forming a 
 most disgusting spectacle to one who does not 
 sympathize with the veneration of relics." 
 
 " father ! " exclaimed Minnie. 
 
230 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 " What are these ? " cried Walter j in astoii- 
 ishment. 
 
 " Bones — only dry bones, my son." 
 
 " Whose bones are they ? " 
 
 " Of St. Ursula and eleven thousand virgins." 
 
 " Who was St. Ursula ? " 
 
 " A traditionary character." 
 
 " Please explain all this — do, pa." 
 
 " This St. Ursula was, according to the Catho- 
 lic legend, the daughter of a British king. With 
 eleven thousand of her maidens she started from 
 Britain towards Rome, which city she intended 
 to visit on a pilgrimage. She performed her 
 devotions in the holy city, and, under the escort 
 of her lover, Conrad, and a number of valiant 
 knights, commenced her return, and reached 
 Cologne, where she was met by the Huns, and 
 the whole expedition slaughtered. The bones, 
 gathered by devout Catholics, have been depos- 
 ited here in this church, and you see them set 
 into the wall, and stacked up all about." 
 
 " Where are the bones of Ursula herself? " 
 
 " They are behind the altar ; we will go and 
 see." 
 
 They went, and saw the bones, and they also 
 saw one of the jars which held the water which 
 Christ turned into wine at Cana of Galilee, or 
 what the priests said was one of them." 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE, 231 
 
 " Is there any foundation for this tradition ? " 
 
 " I think not." 
 
 " Where, then, did these bones come from ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell, but they were probably gath- 
 ered for this purpose from all possible sources." 
 
 " What singular taste the people must have to 
 cling to such a tradition, and keep up this dis- 
 gusting show ! " said Walter. 
 
 " The church is a great source of revenue, 
 and thousands come here to see it. There is 
 another church filled up in the same manner." 
 
 " Do not go to it." 
 
 " No ; we shall not have time to see it. It is 
 the Church of St. Geveon, and we are told it ' is 
 lined with the bones of the Theban Legion of 
 six thousand martyrs, slain, according to the 
 legend told here, either on this spot or at Xan- 
 ten, in the time of the persecution of Diocletian.' " 
 
 During the day they went to several churches ; 
 among which were Santa Maria, in Capitolio, so 
 called because it stands where an old Roman 
 capitol used to stand, and which, as Hope says, 
 " internally resembles a Greek church, and is, 
 in fact, a counterpart of one existing among the 
 ruins of Seleucia, since round its semicircular 
 absides and east end run internally semicircular 
 rows of columns supporting round arches ; " the 
 Apostles' Church, an old structure of eight hun- 
 
232 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 dred years' standing; the Jesuit Church, which 
 contains many relics, among the most interest- 
 ing of which are the crosier of Francis Xavier, 
 and the rosary of Ignatius Loyola ; and several 
 others of great beauty, and containing some fine 
 paintings. 
 
 As they went about the streets, they were sur- 
 prised at the foul stench that seemed to arise on 
 every side, and fill the air with pestilence. 
 
 " It's too bad ! " exclaimed Minnie. 
 
 " What is too bad, sis ? " asked her brother. 
 
 " That so fine a city should be kept in such 
 a filthy condition." 
 
 " The houses are drained into the streets, and 
 all visitors are struck with the filthiness of the 
 town," said Mr. Tenant. ^^ The stench has been 
 commemorated in prose and poetry." 
 
 " Poetry ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes ; some of the sharpest and most cutting 
 things ever put into verse have been written 
 about this city, which should be one of the best 
 drained and cleanest cities on the Rhine. The 
 sarcastic Coleridge exclaims, — 
 
 *< Ye nymphs, who reign o'er sewers and sinks, 
 The River Rhine, it is well known. 
 Doth wash your city of Cologne : 
 But tell me, nymphs, what power divine 
 Shall henceforth wash the River Rhine ? " 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 233 
 
 " This is the last place that I should suppose 
 the famous Cologne water would come from," 
 remarked Walter. 
 
 " Cologne water ! 0, that is just what I 
 wanted," cried Minnie. 
 
 " Well, child, your can have as much as you 
 want of that," replied her father. 
 
 " Where can we get it ? " 
 
 " We can obtain it of Jean Marie Farina, 
 the " 
 
 " That name I have seen on Cologne bottles ; 
 who was he ? " 
 
 "He is the heir and successor of the origi- 
 nal inventor of Eau de Cologne, or Cologne 
 Water." 
 
 So, at the suggestion of Minnie, they all went 
 to the store, and Mr. Percy bought a box of Co- 
 logne, consisting of six bottles, for which he paid 
 one dollar and fifty cents. 
 
 The party remained two or three days in 
 Cologne, and had a very fine time. They met 
 there several Americans, and became acquainted 
 with some of the residents. The children went 
 into the cathedral every day, and it seemed as 
 if Walter never would tire of the beautiful win- 
 dows presented by the King of Bavaria. On 
 the evening before leaving Cologne, as they 
 sat looking out of their windows upon the Rhine, 
 
234 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 covered with boats, and lighted with many 
 colored lanterns, Mr. Percy said, — 
 
 " Our European tour is now nearly ended, 
 and it becomes a question what we shall do. 
 The time we intended to be absent has expired. 
 We have spent in Europe as much time as we 
 supposed would carry us through Europe and 
 Palestine ; and now the question is, whether we 
 can give another winter to travel, and visit East- 
 ern lands or not." 
 
 "I am for home," said Mr. Tenant ; ^' we 
 have given attention to the countries through 
 which we have travelled, and I feel that my ware- 
 house will not allow me to spend another winter 
 away from it, however pleasant the tour would be." 
 
 " But shall we not see Palestine ? " asked 
 Walter. " I want to go home, and still I want 
 to see the Oriental lands, about which we have 
 heard so much." 
 
 " I would rather go home, and come out 
 again," said Minnie. 
 
 " Well, friend Tenant," said Mr. Percy, " you 
 have decided that you must go home." 
 
 " I think so." 
 
 " Well, children, I will tell you what I will 
 propose." 
 
 " We shall readily fall in with your decision," 
 said the lad. 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 235 
 
 " Of course," added his sister. 
 
 '' Then I propose that we take a short route 
 to London, and then to America ; and if we 
 live and prosper, I will give the children an 
 Eastern tour in about two years. The two years 
 will give them time for reading; they will be 
 more mature in judgment and better able to 
 make profitable the time we spend abroad." 
 
 " That is a good suggestion," remarked Mr. 
 Tenant. 
 
 " And what say you, Walter ? " 
 
 " That will suit me, only I don't want to give 
 up the idea of going to Egypt and Palestine, at 
 some time." 
 
 '^ Certainly not. But what does Minnie say ? " 
 
 " 0, it meets my wishes entirely. I want to 
 see Cambridge, and mother, and little Charlie, 
 who, I suppose, will be a large boy by this time." 
 
 " Then we will consider that decided, and I 
 will make arrangements for an immediate 
 return." 
 
 That night Mr. Percy sat down and wrote to 
 a friend in London, asking him to secure pas- 
 sages for the party, in the steamer that was to 
 sail on the 28th of August, from Liverpool to 
 Boston. Having sealed his letter, he sent it to 
 the post office, and it was soon on its way to 
 London. 
 
286 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 The next day at noon the party started in the 
 cars for Antwerp. At Yerviers, on the line be- 
 tween Prussia and Belgium, the passports were 
 examined, and the baggage overhauled, the in- 
 vestigation being very light. In the evening 
 they reached Antwerp, where they stopped that 
 night. The next day they embarked on board 
 the little steamer Rhine for London, at which 
 place they arrived after a voyage of about six- 
 teen hours. And glad they were to be once 
 more in the metropolis of England, where the 
 people seemed so much like those met at home. 
 
 On repairing to the hotel, Mr. Percy found a 
 budget of letters, which he read with much in- 
 terest. There were also letters for Walter and 
 Minnie, and some for Mr. Tenant. During the 
 day the following note from the gentleman to 
 whom Mr. Percy wrote in relation to the passage 
 home was received : — 
 
 Berkeley Square, Aug. 20, 1859. 
 
 Dear Sir: Your note came duly to hand, 
 and the matter of business to which it related 
 has been attended to. Your passage is en- 
 gaged in the steamer Asia, Captain Lott, which 
 sails on the 28th instant. Yourself and son 
 will occupy one stateroom. Your friend will 
 find a berth, No. 24, in a stateroom already 
 
EAU DE COLOGNE. 237 
 
 occupied in part by an estimable English gentle- 
 man. Your daughter will share the stateroom 
 of a Quakeress, who has kindly consented to 
 attend to all Minnie's wants. I think you will 
 all be comfortably situated, and trust you will 
 have a pleasant voyage to your own America. 
 Hoping that you will call on me before you 
 leave, and as far as possible, make my house 
 your home while in England, 
 
 I subscribe myself, yours obediently. 
 
 " All right ! " remarked Mr. Percy, on folding 
 the letter. 
 
 " What ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Arrangements are made for our return ; we 
 go in the Asia, at the time set." 
 
 " Is the Asia a safe steamer ? " 
 
 " Safe enough, but slow." 
 
 Having a few days left, the party travelled 
 leisurely towards Liverpool, stopping on the way, 
 and arrived at the great commercial city on the 
 afternoon before the Asia was to sail. The even- 
 ing was spent in making little purchases, and in 
 carefully packing the baggage ; and near mid- 
 night they all retired to rest, to dream of — ■ 
 Home. 
 
238 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Chapter XVII. 
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 ONE beautiful Saturday morning, the whole 
 party repaired to the steamship, which was 
 anchored out in the Mersey, and were soon on 
 board. All was hurry and confusion — passen- 
 gers getting their baggage on board, tender fare- 
 well words being spoken, hurried messages de- 
 livered to those about to depart, and the merry 
 songs of the seamen, who were attending to their 
 duty on the deck. 
 
 At the time indicated, the moorings were cast 
 off, and the steamer began to move down the 
 Eiver Mersey, which seemed alive with commerce, 
 whitened by sails, cut into briny foam by tugs 
 and drag boats, and restless beneath the uses to 
 which it is put. 
 
 " Do you remember, Walter," said Mr. Percy, 
 '^ the day when you sat on the pier yonder, and 
 looked off upon the Mersey ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 '' Well, you have seen much and learned much 
 since then." 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 239 
 
 " 0, indeed I have." 
 
 " And now, as you are returning home, I want 
 you to devise some way to deepen in your own 
 mind the impression that has been made. This 
 you can do by re-writing your journal, and add- 
 ing such incidents as you may remember, by 
 reading books which relate to the countries 
 through which you have passed, and by writing 
 out essays which you can hand to Mr. Falk- 
 ner as your compositions in school. I will my- 
 self ask him to assign you subjects, in which 
 you can avail yourself of the information you 
 have gained." 
 
 " I will do as you tell me, father. I have 
 already thought of several ways in which I can 
 put my facts to valuable use." 
 
 " Do so, my son, and you will not have trav- 
 elled in vain. Some people go through all the 
 countries we have seen, and do not know any 
 thing about them. They might as well have 
 remained at home." 
 
 " I know it is so, for before I left home to 
 come to Europe, I asked two or three men, who 
 had been in Germany, Italy, France, and other 
 countries, for information, and they did not 
 know what to tell me. I then resolved that 
 when I should be in distant lands, I would keep 
 my eyes and ears open." 
 
240 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 oo:^o<= 
 
 " Have you done so ? " 
 
 " You will find out, in time. I have learned 
 much more than you have any idea of." 
 
 The Asia was soon out at sea, and the dark 
 night came on, many of the passengers were sea- 
 sick, and among the rest Mr. Percy and Walter. 
 Minnie and Mr. Tenant escaped without very 
 serious illness. The voyage was of some inter- 
 est, though not as pleasant as the one out. What 
 occurred, and how Walter employed his time, the 
 young reader may judge by the following pas- 
 sages from his journal : — 
 
 At Sea, August 30, 1859. 
 
 We came on board on Saturday. I soon be- 
 came sick, and took my berth, and have not had 
 courage to crawl on deck until to-day — Mon- 
 day. On Sabbath day no religious service was 
 held on board, though father says there are sev- 
 eral clergymen with us ; but the passengers 
 are nearly all seasick, and the steamer appears 
 very dull, and many of the passengers have not 
 yet left their staterooms. We are now pitching 
 about, and I am hardly able to write, but felt a 
 desire to fill out a few pages, hoping thereby I 
 might turn my mind from the sickish feeling I 
 have all the time. 
 
 As I wish to employ my time usefully on my 
 way home, I have concluded to spend an hour 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND 
 
 241 
 
 English. 
 
 French. 
 
 Austrian. 
 
 Prussian. . 
 
 Hamburg. 
 
 Tuscan. . 
 
 Neapolitan 
 
 lombardic. 
 
 each day in filling out some tables which will be 
 of use to me hereafter, and I will employ my 
 hour to-day in making out a table of the moneys 
 of the countries through which we have passed, 
 turned into federal money : — 
 
 $ cts. m. 
 
 "Guinea, 5 00 
 
 Sovereign, 4 84 
 
 Crown, 1 10 
 
 Shilling, 22 2 
 
 Penny, 2 
 
 'Louis-d'or, 4 51 6 
 
 Napoleon, 3 84 1 
 
 •{ Pive Franc Piece, ... 93 
 
 Franc 18 6 
 
 [Sou, 10 
 
 fDucat, 2 27 
 
 ; Sovereign, ...... 4 84 
 
 I Rix Dollar, 97 
 
 [Florin, 49 
 
 C Thaler, 69 
 
 iRix Dollar, 69 
 
 r Double Mark, .... 30 
 
 -{ Marc Banco, .... 35 
 
 [Pix Dollar, 1 05 
 
 Crovm, 1 06 
 
 , Ducat, 80 
 
 Lira, 10 
 
 This table I shall make more perfect some 
 other time. But, dear me, I feel so seasick. 
 I must lay down my pen. 
 VOL. V. 16 
 
242 
 
 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 Aug. 30, 1859. 
 
 Pleasant day on the ocean ; not a sail in sight; 
 no incidents ; and for the want of something to 
 do, I have been seeking out the pronunciation 
 of some of the names of cities and towns which 
 I find in my journal, (and which the reader will 
 find in this series of books,) and here is the bast 
 I have been able to do : — 
 
 Maynootli, . . .pronounced . . . ma-noth'. 
 
 Drog-heda, " 
 
 droh'e-da. 
 
 Armagh, " 
 
 ar-ma'. 
 
 Garroch, " 
 
 garok'. 
 
 Locli Lomond, " 
 
 lok-lo'mond. 
 
 lioch Leven, " 
 
 16k-15v'en. 
 
 Lahore, " 
 
 la-hor'. 
 
 Trafalgar, « 
 
 traf-al-gar'. 
 
 Thames, " 
 
 temz. 
 
 Woolwich, « 
 
 wtil'ij. 
 
 Warwick, 
 
 wor'ik. 
 
 Calais, « 
 
 ka-la'. 
 
 Paris, « 
 
 par-e'. 
 
 St. Cloud, « 
 
 sang-kl6'. 
 
 Versailles, « 
 
 ver-salz'. 
 
 Brussels, « 
 
 briis'elz. 
 
 Scheldt, « 
 
 skelt. 
 
 Cologne, « 
 
 ko-lon'. 
 
 Haarlem, " 
 
 har'lem. 
 
 Enkhuizen, « 
 
 enk-hoi'zen. 
 
 Hague, «' 
 
 Mg. 
 
 Kiel, « 
 
 kel. 
 
 Prague, « 
 
 prag. 
 
 Vienna, « 
 
 vi-en'a. 
 
 Trieste, « 
 
 tri-est'. 
 
 Ticino, « 
 
 ti-che'no. 
 
 Bereguardo, « 
 
 ba-ra-gwar'do. 
 
 BufFalora, " 
 
 hdf-a-lo'ra. 
 
 Novara, «« 
 
 no-va'ra. 
 
 Romagnano " 
 
 ro-man-ya'no. 
 
 Sesia, 
 
 sa'se-a. 
 
HOMEWAED 
 
 BOUND. 
 
 — 
 
 -^>0>@:^0. 
 
 
 
 Lago Maggiore, . 
 
 , .pronounced . 
 
 . la'go ma-j5'ra. 
 
 San Giorgio. 
 
 iC 
 
 
 sang-jor'jo. 
 
 Pontecurone, 
 
 it 
 
 
 p6n-ta-c6-ro'na. 
 
 Valenza, 
 
 <c 
 
 
 va-len'za. 
 
 Mont Cenis, 
 
 u 
 
 
 mong-sa'ne. 
 
 Susa, 
 
 n 
 
 
 s6'sa. 
 
 Torino, 
 
 cc 
 
 
 to-re'no. 
 
 Geneva, 
 
 (C 
 
 
 ge-ne'va. 
 
 Oberstein, 
 
 u 
 
 
 o'ber-stm. 
 
 Oberwald, 
 
 11 
 
 
 o'ber-valt. 
 
 243 
 
 dear, I am tired of this, and must put away 
 my writing for to-day. The steamer is pitching 
 terribly, and I begin to feel seasick. 
 
 Sept. 3, 1859. 
 
 The weather is quiet to-day, and the steamer 
 is ploughing through the waters at a rapid rate. 
 But we are having a long passage. I this morn- 
 ing had a talk with Captain Lott, who gave me 
 much valuable information about ocean navi- 
 gation. He seemed pleased that I should ask 
 him so many questions, and told me he had not 
 seen a lad for years who seemed so willing to 
 learn. I told him that that was what father 
 took me abroad for — to learn. He replied, 
 " If you ask as many questions of every body as 
 you do of me, and remember all the answers that 
 are given you, you will learn more than most 
 men do, who visit Europe." He then asked me 
 where we had travelled, what places we had 
 seen, and I thought was trying to quiz mo a 
 
244 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 little, to see how much I knew about the places 
 we have visited. I am amused to see how many 
 people treat boys as if they did not know any 
 thing. Some men, who tell me stories, talk to 
 me as if I could understand words of one sylla- 
 ble only. And many of the books written for 
 boys, are written as if we did not know how to 
 think. Hum ! — to use one of Minnie's words. 
 
 Sept. 8, 1859. 
 
 Here we are, sailing into Halifax ; the whole 
 place is hung with banners, and is lively with 
 music and merriment. I am told that the occa- 
 sion of all this is a regatta, which is to take place 
 in the spacious harbor. The boats, beautifully 
 decorated and finely manned, are all ready, and 
 soon they will set off. The steamer usually 
 stops about two hours in this place to take in 
 coal, but to-day we shall be obliged to stop six 
 hours to get in coal and to take out the baggage 
 and freight, as men are so much engaged in the 
 regatta that they cannot be hired to work. Four 
 or five of the employees of the steamboat com- 
 pany are all who will do any thing. Well, it is 
 an ill wind that brings no good. We shall have 
 an opportunity to see the regatta, and find out 
 something about the people of Halifax. I must 
 drop my pen — father is calling me to go up 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND 
 
 245 
 
 into the town a while. The day is a very fine 
 one, and we shall enjoy it much. So here I go. 
 
 Sept. 9, 1859. 
 
 We shall arrive in Boston to-night, and 0, how 
 happy we shall be! On the day we started from 
 Liverpool I made an estimate of the distance we 
 should sail each day. I find that the calculation 
 was wrong. It might have done for the Persia, 
 but not for the Asia. I will give the estimate 
 and the real progress. We sailed at noon on 
 Saturday. 
 
 
 
 
 Estimate. 
 
 Heal Sailing. 
 
 To Sunday noon, August 
 
 29, 
 
 250 
 
 223 
 
 " Monday 
 
 (( (( 
 
 30, 
 
 255 
 
 220 
 
 " Tuesday 
 
 < (( 
 
 31, 
 
 265 
 
 200 
 
 '< Wednesday 
 
 « September 
 
 1, 
 
 275 
 
 200 
 
 " Thursday 
 
 ( (( 
 
 2, 
 
 280 
 
 202 
 
 " Friday « 
 
 < (( 
 
 3, 
 
 285 
 
 230 
 
 *« Saturday « 
 
 u 
 
 4, 
 
 285 
 
 226 
 
 *' Sunday 
 
 ( (( 
 
 5, 
 
 295 
 
 254 
 
 <' Monday 
 
 l( (( 
 
 6, 
 
 300 
 
 264 
 
 «« Tuesday 
 
 i « 
 
 7, 
 
 300 
 
 278 
 
 «« AVednesday ' 
 
 C i( 
 
 8, 
 
 
 220 
 
 " Thursday mi 
 
 dnight «♦ 
 
 9, 
 
 
 360 
 
 2877 
 
 So I have made a great mistake in my reckon- 
 ings, and have been two or three days on the 
 water longer than I expected ; but we shall be 
 at home to-night. 
 
246 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 About nine o'clock at night the Asia passed 
 the lower light, and went on towards the city, 
 The children were both on deck, and anxious to 
 get ashore ; and soon they saw in the dark night 
 the outlines of the city, with its chimneys and 
 steeples looming up before them. It was so 
 dark that the steamer was a long time getting 
 up to the pier, but those on board could see a 
 crowd of friends on the shore, but could not dis- 
 tinguish them. At length the stern of the 
 steamer came near the wharf, and a gentleman, 
 getting upon the railing of the pier, shouted, — 
 
 " Is Mr. Percy on board ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the gentleman named. 
 
 " Are all well ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Who is it ? " asked Walter. 
 
 " Uncle Winthrop." 
 
 " Ah, uncle Winthrop ! How do you do ? 
 How is mother ? " 
 
 "Well." 
 
 " And Charlie ? " 
 
 " Well." 
 
 " Is mother there ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Walter ! " shouted a new and more juvenile 
 voice. 
 
 " What ? " 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 247 
 
 " I say, Walter ! " 
 
 " Who is it ? " 
 
 " Don't you know my voice ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Can't you tell who it is ? " 
 
 " No. Who is it ? " 
 
 " Harry St. Clair." 
 
 " Ah, Harry, how do you do ? " 
 
 " First rate.' 
 
 " How is it that you are up so late to-night ? " 
 
 " Father let me take Sorrel and come over 
 after you. Your uncle Winthrop will take Mr. 
 Tenant and your father, and I am to take you 
 and Minnie. How is she ? " 
 
 " Well, she is here, trying to climb up, where 
 she can see something." 
 
 " Harry ! " cried the girl. 
 
 " Hurrah, Min ! " 
 
 " We will get on shore in a minute." 
 
 " I know it." 
 
 The steamer had now drawn up to the wharf, 
 and soon the children sprang ashore, and in a 
 few minutes the two gentlemen were seated in a 
 carriage with uncle Winthrop, and the children 
 were in the chaise with Harry St. Clair, who, 
 notwithstanding some bad habits, was really a 
 noble boy. On they went, across the ferry, up 
 Hanover Street, on towards Cambridge. The 
 
248 THE PERCY FAMILY. 
 
 way seemed long to the children, so eager were 
 they to get home. 
 
 " Do you suppose mother will be up ? " asked 
 Minnie. 
 
 " Certainly," replied Walter. 
 
 " But you know it is late — after midnight." 
 
 " Mother knows that we are coming, and of 
 course she will be up, ready to receive us." 
 
 Soon the house was in siglit, and these chil- 
 dren were clasped in the fond maternal arms, 
 and the family, separated so long, was again 
 united ! 
 
 -^^^^^^^^'t^^^^V^^^— 
 
THE PERCY FAMILY IN EUROPE, 
 
 BY REV. DAWTEL C. EDDY, D. D. 
 In Five "Volumes, Beautifully Illustrated. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM THE PREFACE. 
 
 The author proposes to follow a travelling party through the prin- 
 cipal countries of Europe, into Egypt, Palestine, and Greece. Though 
 the successive volumes will be connected in name and style, and will 
 be issued as a serial, a few months intervening between them, each 
 one will be complete in itself. 
 
 NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 
 VISIT TO IRELAITD. 
 
 A large amount of pleasing information in a small compass.— 
 Salem Observer. 
 
 Clear and accurate. — Christian Mirror. 
 
 Having been over most of the ground, we can bear testimony to the 
 fideUty of most of the descriptions here given.. — Zioii's Advocate. 
 
 Written in a pleasing, conversational style. — Boston Traveller. 
 
 Exceedingly attractive in its style. — Lowell Citizen. 
 
 "Written in an engaging style, and makes the scenery, geography, 
 and manners and customs of Ireland, almost as vivid and familiar as 
 if one was looking upon them with his own eyes. — N. Y. Independent. 
 
 Well worthy of a place in every juvenile library.— ilficZi. Ch. Herald. 
 
 The author shows a happy faculty of telUng a story, which is at 
 once amusing and instructive ; and while it is free from childish non- 
 sense, is at the same time adapted to young minds. — Prov. Journal. 
 
 A valuable and entertaining book. — Keene Sentinel. 
 
 Highly interesting to children. — Christian Secretary. 
 
 We hope the readers will be reckoned by thousands. — Bee. 
 
 Just the thing for young people. — Franklin Bern. 
 
 The author writes in a popular and graphic style, and brings out 
 things which those who follow him in nis travels will wish to know. 
 — Boston Recorder. 
 
 The plan of the series is pleasing and attractive. A merchant with 
 two children travels through the principal countries of Europe, seeinff 
 every thing worthy of noto. We think this will be one of the most 
 popular series of books for youth ever published. — Boston Trans. 
 
 (1) 
 
2 NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 
 
 SCOTLAND AISTD EDSTGLAJSTD. 
 
 One advantage possessed by Dr. Eddy is, that he has successively 
 travelled over the ground which he pictures. The aim of the writer 
 at a style above the merely childish, at the same time that it is simple 
 and intelligible, is praiseworthy. The youth of our times are too 
 Avell informed, and too well cultivated in the use of proper language, to 
 require extreme simplifying. This has well been avoided ; and the 
 result is, a book that will be read with improving interest by young 
 people generally. — Watchman and Reflector. 
 
 The letters received from home, the surprises, and the little inci- 
 dents which come naturally along, give it quite the air of reality. — 
 Boston Advertiser. 
 
 The author of these books is a descriminating observer, an easy, 
 sprightly writer. Let parents be sure and finathese rare books. — 
 Phiiadelphia Chronicle. 
 
 This is the most interesting and instructive series of books for 
 children we have met with for a long time. — Christian Times. 
 
 A very handsome volume of an entertaining and instructive series. 
 — -^'. Y. Observer. 
 
 The plan of the series Mr. Eddy is carrying out extremely well, 
 and while he writes so simply as to enlist the sympathies of his 
 readers, he tells them much that is new. His style is attractive to 
 youth, and the series will be successful. — Sat. Evening Gazette. 
 
 A work of merit and interest, inferior to none m the juvenile 
 department. — Herald of Liberty. ^ 
 
 "Written in fine style, and in language perfectly intelligible to chil- 
 dren. — Fall lUver News. 
 
 Very instructive and attractive, — Bailouts Pictorial. 
 
 The vividness of a good panorama. — Lynn Reporter. 
 
 Adapted to youth, yet will interest and instruct adult readers. — 
 Guide to Holiness. 
 
 We hope our notice will induce some publisher to reprint it. — 
 London Fi-eeman. 
 
 In one very important respect, Mr. Eddy's books, it seems to us, 
 are much superior to Abbott's ; that is, they presume that a youth 
 kiioics something, and that the young reader has a few grains of 
 common sense, and can exercise his reasoning f&cnltY. — Milford 
 Journal. 
 
 The history and the descriptions of the different places are given 
 in the simplest language possible, and much valuable information is 
 impartr-d, drawn out, as it Avere, naturally by the pertinent questions 
 of the little children. — Rlustrated News. 
 
 Much reliable iaformation, in a very small compass. — Eastern 
 Argwi. 
 
 Judging from the volume before us, the series will be as interest- 
 ing as the KoUo Books. — Christian Freeman. 
 
 Simple and interesting style, well adapted to youthful minds. — 
 Bulletin. 
 
 The excellent Percy series. — Proy. Journal. 
 
NOTICES OF THE PEESS. 
 
 All the readers of the former book will be sure to possess this. — 
 N. Y. Chronicle. 
 
 Here is a book for boys and girls, ay, and for old men, and if there 
 are such thing-s, old women too. Here at our own fireside with the 
 "Percy Family," we can look at Scotland and England, and see 
 something that is worth seeing between Glasgow and Dover ; and 
 here within sight of Bunker Hill, and within ear-shot of the Old 
 South, we can peep into Windsor Castle, and pleasantly smile at tlie 
 mati-imonial squabbles of royalty. 
 
 Here we can read the size of St. Paul's, and read the inscription in 
 the " Bloody Tower " of the Tower of London. Pleasant gossip here 
 is with the Percy Family ; and here are some pretty little wood cuts. 
 Buy the Percy Family, papa, for Walter. Buy the Percy Family, 
 mamma, for Minnie. — Sat. Ev. Express. 
 
 This is another instalment of Dr. Eddy's description of a tour iu 
 Europe, under the familiar style of dialogue between a father and his 
 little son. The questions of the boy in regard to the wonderful 
 sights that met his eye are so clearly and graphically answered by 
 the father, as to bring" the scenes before the mind of the reader v,-\\h. 
 a vivid distinctness. The numerous illustrations add increased in- 
 terest to the work. — Christian Secretary, Hartford. 
 
 Described in terms intelligible to the young. — Ch. Observer. 
 
 Free from childish nonsense, yet adapted to youthful minds.— 
 Salem Gazette. 
 
 We predict a great success. — Religious Herald. 
 
 Much valuable information. — Boston Post. 
 
 Well calculated to interest young readers. — Am. Bap. 
 
 A very interesting and valuable series. — Bangor Whig. 
 
 It is well written. — Hampshire Gazette. 
 
 Those who have read it speak of it in the highest terais.— Sen- 
 tinel, Middletoion, Conn. 
 
 It is a book written for children, and contains many pleasant and 
 useful accounts of scenes and manners abroad, as witnessed by a 
 party of juveniles who are supposed to be companions on a journey. 
 The plan of the book is a good one, and the author has so individu- 
 alized his characters as to give their several comments each a special 
 mtere^t. — XorfolJo Co. Journal. 
 
 The author is a distinguished clergyman, and in the present work 
 his talents for graceful and captivating writing are well sho^vn. It 
 IS a book for youth, for whose minds it is evidently fitted..— City 
 Items, Phila. 
 
 The work is intended for juveniles, and details a tour through Scot- 
 land and England. It is written in a pleasing and instructive stvle, 
 and IS an excellent book to place iu the hands of the young, Avho Avill 
 gain an amount of information here which it would take months to 
 acquire elsewhere. — Am. Union. 
 
 These books are well printed and illustrated, and should go into 
 cysry family. They are valuable for young or old. — X. Y. Post. 
 
NOTICES OF THE PRESS 
 
 PABIS TO AMSTERDAM. 
 
 Truly a valuable collection of little books for little folks. — Newark 
 Daily Adv. 
 
 Written in a sprightly, conversational style ; a pleasant companion 
 for young or old. — Mich. Ch. Herald. 
 
 The young will not fail to be pleased. — Ch. Observe?-, Phila. 
 
 Dr. Eddy is doing the youth of this generation good service,— 
 Beverly Citizen. 
 
 The author will receive the thanks of multitudes of children. — 
 Olive Branch. 
 
 Every family in which there are youno- persons who may expect to 
 visit Europe one of these days, should have this book read iu its 
 midst. There could be no pleasanter entertainment for a long win- 
 ter's evening. It is a kind of imaginary tour of Europe made by a 
 family, is written by one who is thoroughly acquainted with the 
 scenes that he describes, and its perusal would prepare one to make 
 the same tour in reality with pleasure and profit. The chief value 
 of the book is, that it teaches one how to travel in Europe with ad- 
 vantage. It opens the way like a skilful pioneer, and especially to 
 France, which, to the generality of Americans, is almost a sealed 
 book. We all know more or less of England, our mother country. 
 Besides being our ancestral birthplace, it has fuurnished and is still 
 furnishing us with much of our daily reading, while of the interior 
 life of France we know but very little. We know even more of 
 Switzerland and Italy than of France It is time, then, for a nearer 
 and better acquaintance ; and this little book, which has been written 
 with a clear understanding of the necessities of the case, may serve 
 as an excellent introduction. Every young person who reads it now 
 would find it a mentor and a guide in future years. — Phenix, Brat- 
 tlehoro\ 
 
 Wise discretion and discrimination have been used. — Lowell 
 Courier. 
 
 It is sufficient recommendation to say that it is from the pen of 
 Rev. D. C. Eddy, of Boston. — Worcester Daily Times. 
 
 Great variety of information in a pleasing style. — Atlas and Bee. 
 
 The first two numbers of this series have been very successful, and 
 the present volume is quite up to the mark of its predecessors. Aided 
 by very neat engravings, the text describes, hi narrative form, the 
 numerous interesting sights and curiosities of Paris and Amsterdam, 
 conveying a clear idea of them to the juvenile reader. The style is 
 spirited and lively, and many pleasant anecdotes are introduced. 
 Books like these have a high educational value ; they prepare young- 
 readers for more elaborate works, an<l produce impressions of local- 
 ities and manners that are never obliterated. — Welcome Guest. 
 
 The reader is here taken through various places of interest in 
 France, Holland, and Belgium. The chapters on " French Royalty " 
 and the " Field of Waterloo " are worthy of special mention, as con- 
 veying in a nutshell a large amount of political and historical in- 
 formation to the ready comprehension of the youthful reader. The 
 series thus far is meeting with deserved appreciation. — Boston Con- 
 gregationalist. 
 
NOTICES OF THE PRESS 
 
 Admirably adapted to old and young. —Am. Union. 
 
 A manner calculated to interest and please, as well as instruct the 
 young. — Sat. Evening Gazette. 
 
 Mr. Eddy has a vigorous style, which imparts interest to whatever 
 he writes. Then he has the happy faculty, in his sketches, of seizing 
 upon the commonalities of life,— just what the great mass of people 
 want to know about, — and presenting them with the air of natural- 
 ness. This is mauirest in the little volume before us, which will 
 be read with interest. — Christian Era. 
 
 Very attractive to the young. — Home Monthly. 
 
 It needs no commendation to those who have read the previous 
 numbers. — Mother's Journal. 
 
 The Percy Family will prove prime favorites with the young, for 
 they are on an extensive tour in Europe, and the account of their 
 experience is entertaining and instructive. The first two volumes 
 of the series have met with great success, and the third takes the 
 travellers through a very interesting region. The illustrations also 
 are novel and excellent. The narrative is lively, and makes the 
 reader almost feel that he is one of the party The series will give 
 the little stay-at-homes a vivid impression of a trip to and through 
 Europe. — Salem Register. 
 
 "Well fitted to the taste of the young, and adapted to do them good 
 by interesting them in real scenes and incidents. — Boston Eecorder. 
 
 Very entertaining volumes. — Western Watchman. 
 
 Interesting and edifying. — Prov. Post. 
 
 The plan of Tlie Percy Family series is excellent, and should be 
 very popular. — Leslie's Illustrated. 
 
 We are weary of the monotony of successive books of travel, tell- 
 ing us only that " one more unfortunate" has used his eyes in favora- 
 ble localities to very little purpose, and returning, wielded his pen with 
 even less. A Boston book firm are publishing a series of travelling 
 sketches on a different plan. The writer, Rev. D. C. Eddy, the well- 
 known Baptist preacher, takes his representative tourists, the Percy 
 family, over the familiar ground, and narrates their impressions of 
 whatever, in each locality, is fitted to invite the attention of an intel- 
 ligent man, or to touch the heart of a kind one. The young Amer- 
 icans of the party, with an inquisitiveness proper to the sex of one 
 and the age and nation of both, draw from their elders just the facts 
 and illustrations we are glad to meet, and which leave clearer ideas 
 of scenes worth remembering than many a more ambitious produc- 
 tion. — Springfield Republican. 
 
 It strikes us as an admirable plan, admirably executed, for carry- 
 ing youn^ people on foreign travels without leaving their own fire- 
 sides. The father and his children are making the tour from Paris to 
 Amsterdam. About all the novelties the children ask questions, and 
 the father explains ; and much information is given in the most 
 attractive way. We commend the pretty book to our young readers. 
 — Presbyterian. 
 
 This book is written in a style peculiarly pleasing, and the author 
 has done a good service for the rising generation. We are glad to 
 see the childish nonsense which often fills such works left out, and 
 solid, useful information substituted. — Troy Whig. 
 
6 NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 
 
 THE BALTIC TO VESUVIUS. 
 
 A rare volume of the " Percy Family" series, entitled " The Baltic 
 to Vesuvius." It is an interesting account of a journey from Prussia 
 to Italy, well adapted to attract the minds of the young. — Boston 
 Transcript. 
 
 The fourth volume in this interesting series has been published, 
 and carries the reader through a portion of Europe full of scenes of 
 interest, local, personal, and historic. These the author has sketched 
 in a familiar and brief manner, which at once engages the attention. 
 The popularity enjoyed hy the first two volumes of this work, pub- 
 lished, we think, about %. twelvemonth since, must secure for the 
 present issue an extensive circulation. The neat and attractive 
 volumes now before us, however, have their own intrinsic and 
 peculiar merits. After a careful perusal of their contents, we have 
 no hesitation in pronouncing them superior to their predecessors. 
 The historical references are read with greater interest, from their in- 
 timate connection with current events ; and the incidents of travel, 
 and anecdotes of personal adventure in and about Rome, Naples, 
 Venice, &c., relating to such prominent characters as Victor Em- 
 manuel, Garibaldi, &c., give the narrations life and freshness. — 
 Watchman and Reflector. 
 
 The children are indebted to the author for another handsome, 
 sketchy, readable book. We have never met with any series of 
 books for the young into which so much general and historical infor- 
 mation for children is crowded. There is amusement enough to carry 
 the reader along- without flagging, and yet tlie obvious design of the 
 writer is to store the minds of his youthful friends with something 
 of solid benefit. — Express. 
 
 This is the fourth of Mr. Eddy's series of books on foreign travels, 
 written expressly for children. The plan is a happy one, and has 
 been thus far most successfully carried out. The travelling party 
 consists of Mr. Percy, his son and daughter, and another gentleman. 
 In this volume are recorded sketches of their visits to several of the 
 principal cities in the Old World ; among them Hanover, Hamburg, 
 Venice, Naples, Rome, &c. It is embellished with eight beautiful 
 full-page engravings. — Christian Visitor. 
 
 Has woven his travels in Europe into a very interesting little vol- 
 ume for juveniles. The Percy Family, which figures in the tour, 
 consists of a very aifectionate and sensible father, and two wonderful 
 children, a son and daughter. Between the questions of the children 
 and the stories of the father, and others wlao happen to be in the 
 company, the geograpliy and history of the most interesting cities 
 and places in parts of Europe are communicated in a way to interest 
 children deeply, and give them many important lessons, which they 
 would not get from historical works or books of travel. The ider 
 of issuing such a book is a good one. The stories are well told, and 
 the book will be popular. It will make an interesting holiday pres- 
 ent. The tone of it is healthful, and the information it contains val- 
 uable. — American Baptist. 
 
 A pleasant book for young readers.— Providence Daily Journal. 
 
NOTICES OP THE PEESS. 7 
 
 The author has a style peculiarly adapted to interest the young-; 
 he tells the prominent points in the history of every place his char- 
 acters visit, in a simple, straightforward manner, which is calculated 
 to improve the memory while it amuses his young- readers The 
 Percy Family is really a most amusing and instructive series, and 
 we can commend it warmly to our young 1J:ien.a&. — Illustrated 
 JS/ewspaper. 
 
 Another of these sensible and attractive volumes for the younc^ 
 
 New mwln''^^''^^^'^^ ^^"^^ ^^'^ ^^ ^^""^^^^ °^ readers.- Palladdum, 
 
 This series of books, narrating the adventures of a family travel- 
 ling m Europe, have been very acceptable to young readers. The 
 history and geography of the places through whicfi the travellers 
 pass fire given m familiar dialogues between the chHdren and their 
 parents. — Baston Daily Advertiser. 
 
 The fourth volume of an interesting and attractive series of iuve- 
 niles. With no approach to dry and irksome detail, the author ex- 
 hibits a happy faculty of imparting valuable geographical and histor- 
 ical information of the various localities. - Congregationalist. ■ 
 
 This is a beautiful volume, and is one of a series of books designed 
 for children It is written m a graceful, pleasing style, and is just 
 what will satisfy the young folks.— JVideWorM^ , «» u i» jusi