them. See also the mightyMonarch of the Ocean comes to kneel before your throne."
As he spoke, a flourish of conch shells was heard, and Neptune, in asuperb car, followed by an innumerable band of Tritons, glided into thehall. Descending from his car, he knelt before the Princess, andexclaimed:--
"Welcome, fair Lady! since you come To these bright realms, my watery home; When I the happy tidings knew, I clave the limpid billow through, And hasten'd here to kneel before The Lady whom all hearts adore: For know, we rovers of the Sea, Are truly famed for gallantry, And when a beauteous Lady deigns To visit thus our broad domains, The sons of Ocean strive to show The pride with which their bosoms glow. Then, Lady, deign our Queen to be, And we will serve thee loyally. This crown marine in token wear, That Ocean's realms confess thy care, And to no other would I yield The trident sceptre which I wield. Now then let all with loud acclaim And joy, our Ocean Queen proclaim!"
Neptune having presented a crown and sceptre to the Princess, theTritons and Sea Spirits broke forth with a loud chorus:--
"Oh! welcome to these coral halls, Fair Lady of the radiant brow, Thy beauty every heart enthralls, Thy virtues claim our willing vow. The trident sceptre of the main, Oh! long, sweet Lady, may'st thou sway, And far as spreads yon liquid plain, Let every realm thy power obey."
Serena then answered in a sweet thrilling voice:--
"Thanks, thanks, Great Neptune, we will strive to prove, How much we prize our loyal subjects' love; And long as o'er these noble realms we reign, Will ever be the Guardian of the main."
Neptune then again approached the throne, and bowing, said--
"Fair Queen, your brother sovereign hear; I once more to your throne draw near, And what I say will not displease The gentle guardian of the Seas, We made a law some time ago, To which e'en you will gladly bow, That those who in our realms remain, Can ne'er their former name retain. We'll change the one you bore above-- Victoria, is the name we love, That name shall through our realms resound, And echo far the Ocean round, And she beloved will ever be By Neptune's sons the bold and free."
Once more the Tritons broke into an enthusiastic chorus--
"Oh! long may'st thou reign, fair Queen of the Ocean, The blue waves are dancing in gladness and sheen, We thy Empire proclaim with joyful devotion, And repeat in glad chorus, Long life to our Queen. The echoes are telling the tidings around, And joy on her brow gives bliss to the scene. And long may the realms of old Ocean resound, That wish of our hearts, Long life to the Queen?"
Story 7--CHAPTER ONE.
STORY SEVEN--THE BOGIES OF GLEN BOGIE.
A gaily-painted canal boat was gliding smoothly and swiftly through thestill waters of the Crinan Canal, which intersects the Mull of Cantirein Argyleshire. A steep bank of overhanging wood lay on one side, andon the other an open view stretched toward distant hills.
The day had been showery; drops sparkled upon the leaves, and pattereddown on the boat as she passed beneath the hanging boughs; light cloudswere speeding across the clear blue heavens, and as the sun shone out afairy-like rainbow lay along the hill-side.
With a rustling sound the boat cut through the placid water, and for atime none other broke the silence; the exquisite peace and beauty of thescene cast a spell upon the party who were passengers on board, and,different as were the various tones of mind, one feeling seemed now topervade the group. During this pause, let us examine the figurescomposing it.
That active well-formed man, with good sense and merriment in his clearkindly eye, and about his firm mouth, is Arthur Hardy. His early lifeof laborious self-denial, in support of dependent young brothers andsisters, has been rewarded with success and present prosperity.
The graceful lounging figure beside him, whose handsome features areclouded by such a look of inward dissatisfaction, is Edmund Bayntun, theluxurious and self-indulgent course of whose days lacks the stimulus ofany object to rouse his faculties, brighten his eye, and dispel thedreamy gloom now habitual to his manner.
He and Hardy were school-fellows, and have unexpectedly met, to theirgreat mutual pleasure. Edmund has just been introduced to Mrs ArthurHardy and her pretty and rather romantic little sister, Helen Grey, andhas been persuaded to join them in a visit they are about to pay to ahospitable Highland friend, instead of continuing his languid solitarywanderings.
He and Hardy were soon agreeably engaged in talking over earlyrecollections and subsequent events; and the genuine kindness and livelygood sense of the whole party tended considerably to overcome Bayntun'smoody feelings, and dissipate the somewhat peevish melancholy in whichhe usually indulged.
Towards evening Hardy announced that they must prepare to go on shore,as they had reached the nearest available landing-place to Glennaclach,the residence of Mr Stewart. The mountain mists were tinged withglowing gold, and under the shadow of the dark hill-sides the waters ofthe loch looked grey and cold, when the party stepped into the littleboat which came out to meet them. A few passengers of an inferior rankaccompanied them, and were heartily welcomed by the men in the boat intheir wild Gaelic. Suddenly they all seemed to remember that there werestrangers amongst them, and, with a courteousness which might put to theblush many more cultivated societies, continued their conversation inEnglish; and addressing Hardy, as the evident head of the party,volunteered any assistance or information they could give. His plan hadbeen at once to obtain some vehicle to convey them to his friend's housein Glennaclach, but this he found to be impossible, as the distance wasconsiderable, and part of the road liable to be overflowed by the tide.The only arrangement to be made, therefore, was to pass the night at thelittle inn near the landing-place, and proceed the following day ontheir visit. So Edmund Bayntun was condemned to spend the evening in anuncarpeted room, redolent of whisky and tobacco, the fumes of whichascended from the kitchen, where, as their usual rendezvous wasoccupied, the frequenters of the inn were holding their eveningcarousal; but the moon shone in a spreading path of silver upon thewaters of the loch as the tide came rippling softly and steadily in, andhe gazed upon it, and actually felt enjoyment. Soon from the partybelow rose and swelled a wild and melodious chorus, then a single voicesang alone, and again the chorus joined in, till it was suddenly hushed,and, after a little consultation, the landlord came up to ask, in thepeculiarly delicate tone in which the Western Highlanders speak English,whether the ladies were annoyed by the noise below, as it should ceaseimmediately if they wished it. Softened as it was, the effect of themusic added much to their enjoyment, and they begged it might not bechecked on their account.
Early the next day, in high spirits, and perfectly refreshed, thoughtheir accommodation had certainly been of the roughest description, thelittle party set off up Glennaclach, the gentlemen on foot and theladies and carpet-bags in a cart full of straw, drawn by a roughwild-eyed pony, led by a Highlander equally so.
"Donald's but a daft lad, but he knows the road and will guide yesafely, so ye'll no be troubled with that," said the mistress of theinn, as she shook up the straw in the cart so as to form cushions forthe two ladies.
Donald was at first sight what would, in England, be called a lad, till,on closer inspection, his thick loose curls were perceived to bemingled, not sparingly, with grey. These he shook down over his wildlight-blue eyes whenever he spoke, but, as he heard the mistress'sremark, he signified his appreciation of her confidence by throwing hishead backwards, and, taking an inverted view of his charge, he openedhis wide mouth and uttered the exclamation "Hech!" with a prolongedguttural aspiration. Then he addressed himself volubly to the pony inEnglish and Gaelic indifferently, and not a word would he utter exceptfor the information of this, his chosen friend and companion, in answerto any questions put to him.
Merrily they travelled, for the roads in Argyleshire are excellent, andthe jolting of the cart, consequently, much less than they had venturedto anticipate; so that there was nothing to interrupt their enjoyment ofthe varied, always lovely,
scenery through which their road lay. Nowthey crossed an elevated ridge, where heath and grey rock were mingledin rich though subdued tints; then they descended through a wood offairy birches, whose light foliage quivered against the pure blue sky,to the margin of the loch, which glistened in the morning sunlight, onone hand, and the steep grey rock formed a wall on the other, overwhich, amongst pines and stunted oaks, the broad heads and short widehorns of the Highland cattle would occasionally appear. As theyascended the glen new hills came into view, some apparently of smoothvelvet surface, descending with an easy slope towards the waterside,where a fringe of varied wood was reflected so clearly that it wasdifficult to distinguish it from the reality; others, dark and rugged,refusing to smile even under the joyous rays of the young day. Bayntunwas less obdurate in his gloom, but he seemed to check himself wheneverhe yielded to the enlivening influences of place and