Young John Smith had a horse and lance with which he practiced
every day, riding swiftly and trying to strike a ring or other
object from the bough of a tree to which it had been hung. He
also practiced with his sword to make his eye keen and his wrist
tough; and he fired at trees with his pistol, to become a good
marksman. By such means as these he fitted himself for the life
of a soldier; and then he set out in search of adventures.
He crossed the English Channel and landed in France; but three
Frenchmen who had come over with him in the ship treated him very
badly. They saw that he was but a mere boy, and stole the trunk
in which were all his clothing and his money. They left him in
great trouble, for he was in a strange country without friends.
But he kept a brave heart, and soon showed that he could take
care of himself. He wandered on through France, meeting many kind
persons on the way who helped him, until at last he came to the
city of Marseilles on the Mediterranean Sea.
As his plan was to go and fight the Turks, he went on board a
ship bound for Rome, which was on his way.
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