d pieces on all sides. It was a sad, dreary-looking
island at the first view, and I thought that no one could dwell in it;
but as I looked closer at its shores, I saw that they were covered with
children at play. A soft white sand formed its beach, and there these
children played. I saw no grown people among them; but the children were
all busy--some picking up shells; some playing with the bright-coloured
berries of a prickly dwarf-plant which grew upon those sands; some
watching the waves as they ran up and then fell back again on that shore;
some running after the sea-birds, which ran with quick light feet along
the wet sand, and ever flew off, skimming just along the wave-top, and
uttering a quick sharp note as the children came close upon them:--so
some sported in one way, and some in another, but all were busily at
play. Now I wondered in my dream to see these children thus busy whilst
the burning mountain lay close behind them, and the thunder made the air
ring.

Sometimes, indeed, when it shone out redder and fiercer than usual, or
when the thunder seemed close over their heads, the children would be
startled for a little while, and run together, and cry, and scream; but
very soon it was all forgotten, and they were as full of their sports as
ever.

While I was musing upon this, I saw a man appear suddenly amongst the
children. He was of a noble and kingly countenance, and yet so gentle
withal that there was not a child of them all who seemed afraid to look
in his face, or to listen to his kind voice when he opened his mouth, for
soon I found that he was speaking to them. "My dear children," I heard
him say, "you will all be certainly killed, if you stay upon this rocky
island. Here no one ever grows up happily. Here all play turns into
death--the burning mountain, and the forked lightning, and the dreadful
breath of the hill-storm,--these sweep down over all that stay here, and
slay them all; and if you stay here, for these childish pleasures of
yours, you will all perish."

Then the children grew very grave, and they gazed one upon another, and
all looked up into the face of the man, to see if he spoke in earnest.
They saw directly that he did, for that kind face looked full of care as
well as of love: so from him they looked out upon the waves of the sea,
and one whispered to another, "Where shall we go? how shall we ever get
over that sea? we can never swim across it: had we not better go back,
an