“Yes, there are some wild animals left in the forest,” he said,—“of the harmless kind. Wild people have sometimes been found in the largest tracts of forest.”
“Wild people?” asked Tommy, his curiosity greatly excited. “Did you ever see a wild man?”
“No, not myself. Did you ever hear of Peter the Wild Boy found in the woods in Hanover?”
“Yes,” said Tommy.
“There was a wild girl found in the French woods, not far from Paris, about the same time.”
“Will you not tell us the story?” asked Tommy.
The diligence lumbered along among the cool forest scenery, between the walls of green trees which now and then, like suddenly opened windows, afforded extended views; and the good-natured, well-informed driver told the two boys the story of
THE WILD GIRL OF SONGI.
“In the year 1731, as a nobleman was hunting at Songi, near the ancient and historic town of Chalons, on the river Champagne, in France, he discovered a couple of objects at a distance in the water, at which he fired, supposing them to be birds.
“They immediately disappeared, but arose at a point near the shore, when they were found to be two children, evidently about a dozen years of age.