eement and Captain
Egydio, true to his word, went with them to the town of Areia to
protect them while they were engaged in conducting a gospel service in
the public square. The priest of the town sent the police to prevent
the Protestants from conducting the meeting. The sergeant, who had been
under Captain Egydio when he was Captain in the National Guards, was
one of the detail sent to suppress the meeting. He declared that he
would stand by his old Captain, for the men knew that under the
Constitution the missionary had a perfect right to hold the meeting.
The meeting was held, but under such unfavorable circumstances that the
Captain stood forth and said: "I have not declared myself a Protestant,
but from this time I shall be a Protestant and propose to give my life
to the spread of this faith."

It happened that one day he was called to visit a boy who had been
shot. As he rode along through the open fields he was burdened with
prayer to God. Suddenly he felt a strange feeling and he seemed to hear
a voice saying, "You are saved." Immediately he knew that the Lord had
visited him with His blessed salvation. He shouted as he rode along the
way, "Glory to God. I am redeemed." He rode on in this state to the
home of the boy. Seeing the boy could not live, he began to exhort him
to look to Christ for salvation, and just before the boy's spirit
passed out from him, he made confession of his Lord. The Captain
returned to his home overflowing with joy. He galloped his horse up to
the door, shouting, "Glory, hallelujah, I am saved." He embraced his
wife and children and all stood back staring at him. Finally the mother
cried: "Poor man! Children, your father is mad. Get the scissors and
let us cut off his hair; let us rub some liniment on his head." "All
right," he said, "only do not cut it too close," and he suffered them
to rub the liniment also upon his head. Seeing that there was no change
in him, they also administered to him one of their homely medicines, a
small portion of which he was willing to take to pacify them. Their
opinion of his sanity was not changed.

Not only his family, but his neighbors suspected him. As he engaged in
business--and he was a very busy man--people were watching him to see
if something was not dreadfully wrong. Finally all realized that a
great and beneficent change had taken place. He never became a
preacher, but he did not allow to pass an opportunity to tell the story
of his newly-fo