THE CEDAR OF LEBANON. 



Cedrus libani. 



Many years ago a Frenchman, who was travel- 

 ling in the Holy Land, found a little seedling 

 among the Cedars of Lebanon, which he longed 

 to bring away as a memorial of his travels. He 

 took it up tenderly, with all the earth about its 

 little roots, and, for want of a better flower-pot, 

 planted it carefully in his hat, and there he kept 

 it and tended it. 



The voyage home was rough and tempestuous, 

 and so much longer than usual, that the supply of 

 fresh water in the ship fell short, and they were 

 obliged to measure it out most carefully to each 

 person. The captain was allowed two glasses a- 

 day, the sailors, who had the work of the ship on 

 their hands, one glass each, and the poor pas- 

 sengers but half a glass. In such a scarcity you may 

 suppose the poor Cedar had no allowance at all. 

 But our friend the traveller felt for it as his 

 child, and each day shared with it his small half 

 glass of precious water ; and so it was, that when 

 the vessel arrived at the port, the traveller had 

 drunk so little water that he was almost dying, 

 and the young Cedar so much that, behold, it was 

 a noble and fresh little tree, six inches high ! 



At the Custom-house the officers, who are al- 

 ways suspicious of smuggling, wished to empty 

 the hat, for they would not believe but that some- 



