y," he said compassionately, "I am afraid I have spoken to
you too abruptly. I ought to have prepared you gradually for so
momentous a piece of intelligence, to have _broken_ the news to you.
But, there, what matters? You are a plucky lad, Hawkesley--your conduct
last night abundantly proved that--and I am sure that, if the occasion
should come, you will stand up and face death in the presence of these
savages as an Englishman should; I am not afraid of that. But, my dear
boy, are you prepared to die? Are you in a fit state to meet your God?
You are very young, quite a lad in fact, and a _good_ lad too; you
cannot yet have erred very grievously. Thoughtless, careless,
indifferent you may have been, but your conscience can hardly charge you
with any _very_ serious offence, I should think; and you may therefore
well hope for pardon and mercy. Seek both at once, my dear boy."

"But--Mr Smellie--I--I don't understand; _you_ don't appear to be
afraid or--or disturbed at--the near prospect of death."

"No," he replied, raising his eyes heavenward for a moment; "no, thank
God, I am _not_ afraid. My mother--" his lips quivered, his voice
faltered and almost broke for an instant, and by the red glare of the
fire I saw the tears well up into his eyes as he spoke that revered
name. But he steadied himself again directly, and went on--"my dear
mother taught me to be ready for death at any moment; taught me so
lovingly and so thoroughly that I can regard with perfect calmness to-
night, as I have a score of times before, the approach of the Last
Enemy. But let us not waste the precious moments in conversation. Time
soon will be for us no more; and--ah! see, there comes the vile high-
priest of a loathsome idolatry to claim his first victim. Should you by
any chance escape the coming horrors of this night, Hawkesley, and live
to reach England once more, seek out my mother--Austin will instruct you
as to where she may be found--and tell her that her son died as she
would wish him to die, a sincere Christian. I am to be the first victim
it would appear. Farewell, my dear boy! God bless you, and grant us a
happy meeting at His right hand on the last Great Day!"

I strove in vain to reply to his solemnly affectionate farewell. I
wanted to let him know how inexpressibly precious to me were the few
words of exhortation and encouragement he had spoken; to say were it
only a single word to cheer his last moments with the assu