speedy death

the searching inquiry-- the prompt detection. I well knew. to be sure, all the time, that the world is amazingly indulgent and charitable on all these occasions-I was aware that the public verdict universally agreed to in these cases of mistake, is that nobody on earth is to blame, and that the individual whose inadvertence proved fatal, is a person well known and greatly esteemed for his peculiar carefulness.

I was conscious that the chemist, so far from being deemed culpable, would most likely obtain, through the medium of the shocking occurrence, a character for caution that he never possessed before.

But this to me afforded no consolation, no hope of a respite from the pangs of remorse, and the sentence of the law. The tramp of horses and the rolling of wheels in the distance, sounded like the rattling of fetters. The night grew dark; the rays of the moon looked no brighter than the grating of a dungeon; and at length, as a sable cloud hung over the white vapour round it, there appeared to my affrighted eyes the image of a black cap upon the wig of justice.

Next day, I gathered courage enough to take an eminent physician's opinion as to the effects of such a medicine-two pills at a time until the box was empty!

His judgment was clear and final. The patient could not live to take a tithe of them.

I went to another distinguished authority with my supposititious case he was equally distinct and undoubting. Four of them would have carried off Methuselah in the prime of life!

I returned home-to dinner.-Dinner!-The cloth resembled a large weekly newspaper, with wood engravings, faithfully representing the culprit as he appeared at the bar on the day of trial. At night I slept, indeed; but a jury of twelve well-fed Londoners were sitting on my stomach, determined not to retire because they were agreed upon their verdict.

Every hour, after the second day, I expected to hear of the inevitable calamity. I pictured the sufferer dying-I pic

VOL. IV.

23

tured him dead. Then I recalled him to life, by that stomach-pump process by which the imagination in its extremity works, and felt that he might possibly survive through the third day.

But at length I knew he must be dead-and now for the revelation. Was he a son- -a father? His relations would never permit him to perish so, without an inquiry. Was he married-would his wife be taken up on suspicion of having poisoned him! Was he a resident anywhere in the neighbourhood-and should I myself be summoned upon the inquest? Every question had its separate sting. Of ten thousand daily speculations, each inflicted its own excruciating torture.

But days rolled on-sunrise, noon, sunset, night—all regularly came round-and brought no discovery. Not a shocking occurrence, » not a « horrible event," was to be found in the journals, morning or evening.

It appeared, just at that time, as though the wheels of the world were rolling round without running over any body. In the vast crowd of society, not a toe was trodden on. Either the reporters were dead, or fatal accidents had gone quite out of fashion. It is true, that no stranger, during a whole fortnight, set his foot within the shop without throwing me into an ague-fit. It is true, that throughout the same period, my eye never fell upon man or woman clad in mourning, without turning to a ball of fire in my head, with the consciousness that it beheld one of the bereaved and injured relatives of my innocent victim. Still no sign of detection came; and although my bitter self-reproaches continued, my horror of the halter began considerably to abate. When

(Here the chemist once more paused, and raising, not a glass, but a tankard of iced water to his lips, his disturbed countenance totally disappeared for a few minutes.)

--One afternoon as I was standing in a more tranquil mood at the farther end of the shop, gazing at the chimneys of the opposite house, and inwardly murmuring,

Is thy face like—»

I proceeded no further with the apostrophe, for at that in

stant my treasure of an apprentice flew to my side, crushed one of my toes under his thick shoe, and compressed his whole volume of voice into a soul-awakening whisper, as he said,

« This is him! »

Him! I immediately looked at the object so ungrammatically indicated.

There stood before me a tall, gaunt, sallow-visaged man of forty-five. His eyes were dull, and his jaws were thin. He looked like one who had suffered, whether abroad or at home, much sickness-had exposed an iron frame to severe trials in strong and searching remedies-had borne their effects well, and lived on in hope of a cure. There he stood--who was

he?»

The treasure, in whose eye there was a ray of satisfaction, darted a significant glance at me, which seemed again to say, This is him,» as he bent forward a little, over the counter, to ascertain the customer's wishes.

Young man, said the stranger

His lips were quite dry, and his voice very hollow

Here he looked intently into the treasure's face, and continued with peculiar impressiveness

. You prepared me some pills lately-I see you have not forgotten-some pills, I say-look, here is the prescription! Ah, you recognise it. Yes, it was you indeed who served me. Pray, mind then what I say. Let me have another box of those pills: exactly, mind, exactly, like the last; for never did I procure pills anywhere that did me half so much good!»

"

Your story is interesting,» said I, encouragingly.

I am no judge of that, returned the chemist with a sigh; but it is true. »

(NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.),

MISSIONARY LABOURS AND SCENES

IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

By Robert Moffat.

:

The grand avenue to the interior of Africa leads from the Cape Colony it is easy of access, and commanded by the British nation. In this opinion, which we have been always disposed to maintain, we are now fully comfirmed, by the perusal of Mr. Moffat's interesting volume. The hard and boundless plains of the Cape Colony, scantily clothed with vegetation, have awakened a roving disposition in their pastoral inhabitants, and taught them how to face all the dangers and difficulties of long journeys. Hence it is, that the traders of the colony think nothing of travelling 1,200 or 1,500 miles into the interior, where they spend a year or more at each visit, bartering with the natives. Nor is this kind of adventure confined to a few; there are, perhaps, not less than 200 persons in the eastern division of the Cape Colony at present engaged in traffic with the interior. But at what distance is the probable limit of these trading journeys? Where will they stop, or how far can they reach? To these interrogatories we can only reply, that at the farthest point hitherto reached by these expeditions (in the vicinity of the southern tropic), there is no visible impediment to their further progress. Open plains, less naked and barren than towards

the south, still invite them onward, and from the natives they uniformly experience friendship and hospitality. Onward, therefore, we doubt not, they will continue to march.

But in the meantime, Christianity and civilization have struck deep root on the southern frontiers of the indigenous nations. The Batlapis, about 150 miles north of the Orange River, are now laying aside their savage manners, and patiently submit to missionary training. They read the Scriptures in their own language-an advantage which they owe chiefly to Mr. Moffat. Now it is observed, that the language of the Batlapis, which is at present taught grammatically at the missionary schools, extends, with slight variations of dialect, for many hundred miles through the interior, and is akin to all the languages of Africa, that of the Hottentots excepted, south of the equator. Indeed, the family of languages here referred to, extends several degrees, probably, beyond the equator in the interior of the continent, and as far as Camaroons on the western coast. In a few years, therefore, we shall have an adult generation of Batlapis trained in the missionary schools, and disposed to associate with Europeans, while their language and traditional acquaintance with native customs, will still enable them to engage in easy intercourse with their wilder brethren. These people, who are great travellers even in their present condition, and have explored the interior some hundred miles beyond the line reached by Europeans, will doubtless derive fresh courage, as well as curiosity, from knowledge, and will effectually aid us in penetrating to the hitherto inaccessible regions of equatorial Africa.

But before we indulge in speculations on the ultimate results of missionary labours in South Africa, we must give some account of their early progress; or rather we must follow the career of Mr. Moffat, from his first entrance into the wilderness, till he succeeded in planting a garden in the midst of it. In 1817, our author commenced teaching among the Namaquas in the desert north of Cape town, and in the following year, removed to the northern side of the Orange River, to the huts of Africaner, a Hottentot chief, once the terror of the Cape farmers. The society of wild Hottentots and