SOME FABLES FOR GOOD OLD BOYS AND GIRLS. 



Part Second. 



HOW THE ANIMALS OF THE WOOD COMPLETED THEIR SCIENTIFIC LABORS. 



A week later the expedition camped in the midst of a collection of wonderful 

 curiosities. These were a sort of vast caverns of stone that rose singly and in 

 bunches out of the plai-n by the side of the river which they had first seen when 

 they emerged from the forest. These caverns stood in long straight rows on 

 opposite sides of broad aisles that were bordered with single ranks of trees. The 

 summit of each cavern sloped sharply both ways. Several horizontal rows of great 

 square holes, obstructed by a thin, shiny, transparent substance, pierced the frontage 

 of each cavern. Inside were caverns within caverns ; and one might ascend and 

 visit these minor compartments by means of curious winding ways consisting of 

 continuous regular terraces raised one above another. There were many huge 

 shapeless objects in each compartment which were considered to have been living 

 creatures at one time, though now the thin brown skin was shrunken and loose, 

 and rattled when disturbed. Spiders were here in great number, and their cob- 

 webs, stretched in all directions and wreathing the great skinny dead together, 

 were a pifeasant spectacle, since they inspired with life and wholesome cheer a 

 scene which would otherwise have brought to the mind only a sense of forsakenncEs 

 and desolation. Information was sought of these spiders, but in vain. They were 

 of a different nationality from those with the expedition and their language seemed 

 but a musical, meaningless jargon. They were a timid, gentle race, but ignorant, 

 and heathenish worshipers of unknown gods. The expedition detailed a great 

 detachment of missionaries to teach them the true religion, and in a week's time a 

 precious work had been wrought among those darkened creatures, not three families 

 being by that time at peace with each other or having a settled belief in any system 

 of religion whatever. This encouraged the expedition to establish a colony of 

 missionaries there permanently, that the work of grace might go on. 



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