of the assassins was seated on the ground beside
his chosen victim.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

A STRANGE MEETING STRANGELY INTERRUPTED.

The meeting which had been thus strangely invaded was no ordinary prayer
or missionary meeting. It had been assembled by Egede for the express
purpose of affording some unbelievers among the Eskimos an opportunity
of stating their difficulties and objections in regard to the new
religion.

Interesting though its proceedings were, as showing the similarity of
the workings of the civilised and savage minds, we cannot afford space
to enter much into detail, yet some account of the matter seems
necessary in order to show what it was that induced the robber chief to
delay, though not to alter, his fell purpose.

After prayer offered by the missionary, that the Holy Spirit might
descend on and bless the discussion, a hymn was sung. It had been
translated into Eskimo, and taught to his converts by Egede. Then the
missionary made a brief but complete statement of the leading facts of
the good news of salvation to sinful man in Jesus Christ,--this, not
only to clear the way for what was to come, but for the purpose of
teaching the newcomers, so as to render them somewhat intelligent
listeners.

Then an old grey-haired man arose.

"I do not object to the new religion," he said, "but I am puzzled. You
tell me that God is everywhere and knows everything; why, then, did he
not go to our first mother, Eve, and warn her of her danger when the
Evil One tempted her in the form of a serpent?"

"My friend, the question you ask cannot be fully answered," said Egede.
"I can explain, however, that our first parents were put into the world
to be tried or tested in that way. To have warned Eve would have
rendered the test useless. Enough for us to know that she was told what
to do. Her duty was to obey. But let me ask _you_ a question: is not
sin--is not murder--hateful?"

Grimlek imagined that Egede looked him straight in the face as he asked
the question, and felt uneasy, but was by no means softened.

"Yes," answered the old man; "murder--sin--is hateful."

"Yet it certainly exists," continued Egede; "you cannot help believing
that?"

"Yes, I must admit that."

"Then why did God permit sin?"

Of course the old man could not reply, and the missionary pointed out
that some things were incomprehensible, and that that was one of them.

"But," he continued, "that is no reason why w