never sudden. You may let your body lean a little forward

at first, as it is safer to fall
(if you do fall) forwards than
backwards; but you must
not look down on the ice be-

fore
you, or at your own feet
to see how they are getting
on, but hold up your head
like a man, that you may look
about you, and see where
your skates are taking you
William will take care
that you don't go upon too
rough or too smooth ice, as
they are both to be avoided
for a beginner."

to.

"Yes, and I must see that he don't try to get upon the edge of his skate by bending his ankle, mustn't I, Sir ? " said William; "he ought only to do that by the inclination of his body, and let his ankle remain quite firm, oughtn't he, Sir?"

"Then if you are not by me to hold me William," said his brother, "I fancy I shall tip over if I lean the whole weight of my body on one side, while I'm balancing on one leg."

"No, no, you won't," said William; "only you try, without being afraid; and make up your mind to do it decidedly, and you'll soon find yourself borne along on the edge of your skate: you must keep the leg which is on the ice quite straight, for though you'll have to bend your knee a little when you strike the ice at each change of foot, you must get it straight again as quickly as you can manage without giving it a jerk."

"But what am I to do with my other leg that's up in the air?" said George, with a ludicrous look of distress, as he stood with it awkwardly drawn up, which made little Mary laugh, and say he reminded her of the little bantam-cock when he had the cramp.

"Why, you mustn't stick it up in that clumsy fashion," said William, "but you must learn to keep it straightish but not stiff, letting it wave a very little to and fro, pointing the toe downwards as you do when you are dancing; and keeping the heel about six or eight inches from the other

one."

"If you don't like standing on one leg, Georgy," said Mr. Singleton, "I fear you won't enjoy skating so much. as you fancy you shall; for a good skater seldom or never allows both feet to be on the ice at once. You should always look in the direction you are going, and when you want to stop yourself,

you can do so by bending your knees slightly, drawing your feet together, inclining your body forward, and pressing on your heels; or you may do it by turning short round, advancing the right or left foot according to the side towards which turn, SO as you support part of your weight. But I dare say

to

by the end of next winter, if I am able to run

down here for a holiday, I shall find you quite an expert skater; cutting figures of eight, and skating backwards, and performing all sorts of wonderful feats upon the ice."

"I should like to see some of the Dutch skating,” said Mr. Warden; "it is practised in such perfection in Holland, that even women travel many miles in that manner, burdened with loads to and from market. Thomson describes skaters well, where he says—

666 They sweep

On sounding skates, a thousand different ways,
In circling poise, swift as the wind, along.'

"It certainly is a most pleasant mode of progression,' said Mr. Singleton, "all shod with steel to hiss along the polished ice;' and perhaps the nearest akin to the sensation of flying, which must be most delicious."

For some time past, the party had quitted the river side, sauntering along, and pursuing their conversation, now stopping in the energy of discussion, now wandering on again, now lingering in explanation, now advancing, some arm-in-arm, some straggling apart, but never out of easy hearing distance, and never proceeding at more than a leisure pace, to suit Mrs. Warden; so that they had now reached a spot where the landscape extended, and displayed a heathy down, sprinkled here and there with "nibbling sheep" cropping their "hasty meal;" the close, even, velvety turf occasionally varied with patches of golden gorse and purple heather, that glowed like gems against the smooth pervading green. All on a sudden, the children bounded off down the slight declivity of a sweeping slope towards an object which they beheld in the distance on the more level ground; and Mr. Warden having looked an instant in the same direction, exclaimed: "It's Humphrey Willy, with his bow and arrows; I don't wonder at the

children all doting on neighbour Willy, he 's so kind and patient, and willing to answer all their questions. He has travelled much, and is ever ready to amuse them with the varied information he has gained, now that he has sat down quietly to enjoy the remainder of his life in peace, though not in inaction, for you see he is a famous archer."

They had an opportunity of marking his skill as they advanced, for Humphrey Willy shot off an arrow in a manner that bespoke him a good bowman before he perceived the approach of his young friends.

"What a host of associations the very sight of archery calls up," said Mr. Singleton; "William Tell, with his noble heart vibrating like the string of his own bow to the thought of Liberty and the love of his child; Robin Hood and his merry men among the leafy shaws of green Sherwood, with the unerring skill of their cloth-yard shafts; Sir Toby and the stone-bow with which he longs to hit Malvolio in the eye; the prince in the Arabian Nights, who in seeking his missing arrow, is led far away till he comes upon a charming adventure at a mysterious rocky entrance to a subterranean passage; William the Conqueror's bow, that nobody could bend but himself; the bow of Ulysses, also defying all mastery but the strong arm of its owner; and the gracefully potent figure of the Apollo Belvidere, who stands triumphantly marking the course of the shaft he has just sped to destroy the serpent Python."

"It is an art of great antiquity," said Mr. Warden, "and was practised by the ancient Egyptians and Persians. In the old English wars, the arblast or cross-bow was the chief military weapon; and the use of the long-bow was much cultivated in this island from the time of Edward II. to that of Edward VI., when Latimer preached a sermon before the young king to enforce the practice of archery,

which it seems was then declining in the land, though it has been pursued as a favourite amusement by many of the sovereigns of England both before and since that period."

As he finished speaking, they reached the spot where the marksman was already busy answering the eager questions of the young Wardens; and there were silent greetings exchanged between Mr. Willy and the strangers, as he continued his reply to some question William had just been asking him relative to his bow. "Yes, my dear," he was saying, "it is what is called a self-bow-that is, it is formed of one piece of wood only. I brought it from abroad with me: but as the wood for these self-bows is difficult to procure, most modern bows are what are called backed-bows, and are made of a piece of springy elastic wood, backed by a slip of tough, though pliable, ash, and glued together; which elasticity and toughness combined make a capital bow."

"What wood is your bow made of?" asked William. "Yew; which is considered so fine for the purpose, that it is said many of the very old yew-trees that we see in churchyards were originally planted there to afford our village ancestors good staves for their bows; but still, the foreign yew has always been esteemed so far superior to our own, that an Act of Parliament formerly existed to compel merchants trading to the continent to import a stipulated number of yew staves. Come," added Humphrey Willy, taking William by the shoulder, and leading him opposite the mound he had erected for the pursuit of his favourite exercise, "let's see how you can handle your bow, though I fear this is rather beyond you; but I'll lend you one more fitted for your strength another day. Ah," said he, interrupting himself, as William