Sketches From Oldest America 



The whale had Just started to take a fresh breath, 

 and the raven entered the blow hole along with the 

 rush of air. Looking around he said to himself, 

 "What a nice long room this is," and commenced 

 walking about picking at the walls here and there. 

 The whale remarked to some of its companions, 

 " What a cold I have taken in my nose," and began 

 sneezing. The raven thought he was in a very 

 draughty apartment, but he had been born on the 

 cliffs at Cape Lisburne, where the gales are frequent 

 and severe, so he did not mind the present woUies ' 

 to any extent. 



He took a walk in the long passageway until the 

 road divided up into the many small by-paths of 

 the lungs. At last, finding a crevice where the 

 drafts did not seem quite so strong, he settled down 

 for a good sleep. On awakening, he began examin- 

 ing the comfortable crevice and found that the walls 

 were not quite so thick as at the other places. So 

 setting to work with bill and claws on a thin por- 

 tion, he soon had a hole made through the mem- 

 brane; at ^he same time the whale was grumbling 

 at having the tickling sensation in its nose and throat 

 that made it sneeze so often. 



* Wollie, a sudden high gust of wind rushing through a gulch. 



