pathize with me, and direct me by his counsel. I said I did not belong to that class of men who are offended by advice. I am self-educated, and perhaps I hardly rely sufficiently upon my own powers. I wish, therefore, that my companion should be wiser and more experienced than myself, to confirm and support me; nor have I believed it impossible to find a true friend.
"I agree with you," replied the stranger, "in believing that friendship is not only a desirable, but a possible, acquisition. I once had a friend, the most noble of human creatures, and am entitled, therefore, to judge respecting friendship. You have hope and the world before you, and have no cause for despair. But I—I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew."
As he said this, his countenance became expressive of a calm settled grief, which touched me to the heart. But he was silent, and presently retired to his cabin.
Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seem still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double
