bait, and attract the unwary little fishes in its neighborhood, but the
instant one of them makes a bite at the tempting morsel it is whisked
away, and the poor fish is caught in the huge mouth of the fisherman
fish, and crushed up by its sharp teeth."

"Oh, papa!" said May, "what horrid big eyes it has; what a huge mouth,
and such awfully sharp teeth! Ugh! Put it down, please, papa, for I
really believe I am going to be frightened."

The fisherman laughed heartily, and threw the queer fish into the
basket.

[Illustration: A QUEER FISH.]




A PROUD MONARCH.


Theodore, Emperor of Abyssinia, was raised to the throne from a very
humble position in life. He was one of the proudest of monarchs, was
styled "King of Kings," and boasted a descent from King Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba; a fiction devised to flatter the vanity of the royal
house of Ethiopia.

When this mighty emperor gave an audience he was surrounded by several
large and fierce-looking lions, and he made a great display of his
command over the savage creatures; but, notwithstanding their ferocious
aspect, the animals were said to be in reality as tame as dogs. Anyway,