with it at leisure
in his own house. He then turned the miracle to a practical account,
constructing a pointed metallic rod to protect houses from lightning. One
end of this true magic wand is higher than the building, and the other end
buried in the ground; and the submissive lightning, instead of destroying
life and property in its gambols, darts direct along the conductor into
the earth. We may add that Ben was a humorous boy, and played at various
things as well as kite-flying. Hear this description of his pranks at an
intended pleasure-party on the banks of the Schuylkill: "Spirits at the
same time are to be fired by a spark sent from side to side through the
river, without any other conductor than water--an experiment which we have
some time since performed to the amazement of many. A turkey is to be
killed for dinner by the electrical shock; and roasted by the electrical
jack, before a fire kindled by the electrical bottle; when the healths of
all the famous electricians in England, Holland, France, and Germany, are
to be drunk in electrified bumpers, under the discharge of guns from the
electrical battery."

We now turn to a group of capital little fellows who did something more
than fly their kite. These were English skippers, promoted somehow to the
command of vessels before they had arrived at years of discretion; and
chancing to meet at the port of Alexandria in Egypt, they took it into
their heads--these naughty boys--that they would drink a bowl of punch on
the top of Pompey's Pillar. This pillar had often served them for a signal
at sea. It was composed of red granite, beautifully polished, and standing
114 feet high, overtopped the town. But how to get up? They sent for a
kite, to be sure; and the men, women, and children of Alexandria,
wondering what they were going to do with it, followed the toy in crowds.
The kite was flown over the Pillar, and with such nicety, that when it
fell on the other side the string lodged upon the beautiful Corinthian
capital. By this means they were able to draw over the Pillar a two-inch
rope, by which one of the youngsters "swarmed" to the top. The rope was
now in a very little while converted into a sort of rude shroud, and the
rest of the party followed, and actually drank their punch on a spot
which, seen from the surface of the earth, did not appear to be capable of
holding more than one man.

By means of this exploit it was ascertained that a statue had once stood