ble,
they tied me hand and futt, took me below, an' laid me not two yards
from the slowly burnin' match. I felt raither unhappy, I assure you;
an' the reptiles never noticed the match because o' the smoke o' the
scrimmage. I do believe it was being so near it as saved me, for when
the crash came, I was lifted bodily wi' the planks on which I lay, and,
comin' down from the sky, as it appeared to me, I went clean into the
sea without damage, except the breakin' o' one o' the ropes, which,
fortunately, set my right arm free."

"Come now, Johnson, you must go to sleep after that," said Sam. "You're
exciting yourself too much; remember that I am your doctor, and
obedience is the first law of nature--when one is out of health."

"Very good, sir," returned the seaman; "but before I turn over Mr
Wright must read me a few verses out o' that bible his mother gave him."

"Why, how do you know that my mother gave me a bible?" asked Robin in
great surprise.

"Didn't I know your mother?" replied the sailor with a flush of
enthusiasm; "an' don't I know that she would sooner have let you go to
sea without her blessing than without the Word of God? She was the
first human bein' as ever spoke to me about my miserable soul, and the
love of God in sendin' His Son to save it. Many a one has asked me
about my health, and warned me to fly from drink, and offered to help me
on in life, but she was the first that ever asked after my soul, or
tried to impress on me that Eternity and its affairs were of more
importance than Time. I didn't say much at the time, but the seed that
your mother planted nigh twenty years ago has bin watered, thank God an'
kep' alive ever since."

There was a tone of seriousness and gratitude in this off-hand seaman's
manner, while speaking of his mother, which touched Robin deeply.
Without a moment's hesitation he pulled out his bible and read a chapter
in the Gospel of John.

"Now you'll pray," said the sailor, to Robin's surprise and
embarrassment, for he had never prayed in public before, though
accustomed from a child to make known his wants to God night and
morning.

But our hero was morally as well as physically courageous--as every hero
should be! He knelt at once by the sailor's couch, while the others
followed his example, and, in a few simple sentences, asked for pardon,
blessing, help, and guidance in the name of Jesus Christ.

Thus peculiarly was bible-reading and family worship established