e
could not help fancying that it might come down on his head.

Dreadful as these accounts are, we can speak of little else on board.
"It would be as easy to wash a blackamoor white, as to make these men
Christians," observed Phineas, one evening, as we sit in the cabin.
"What say you, Mr Bent; would you like to make the attempt?"

Bent casts his eyes on the deck, and does not answer. Golding looks at
me. "I'll tell you my opinion," I reply. "If man alone had to
accomplish the work, I would say, it is impossible. But man works not
alone. God's Holy Spirit is on his side. We are all by nature vile; we
have all gone astray. All our natural hearts are of stone. God's grace
can alone soften our stony hearts, can alone bring us back to Himself,
and as He surely is all-powerful, to my mind He can just as easily shed
His grace on the hearts of these black heathen cannibals, and soften
them, and bring them to love and worship Him, as He can work the same
change in any white man; and so I see no reason to doubt that if the
gospel is put before them some will hear it gladly and accept it."

The captain, as I speak, begins to grow angry. Golding bursts into a
fit of laughter.

"You're talking Greek to me," says he. "How could these black savages,
who have never seen a book in their lives, understand the Bible, even if
you gave it them? It's hard enough for civilised white people to
comprehend, eh, Captain Fuller! You find it a tough job? I'm sure I
do."

"As to that, I don't pretend to much learning in that line--like my
second mate here, but I always leave such matters to the parson."

What the captain meant I cannot tell. On looking up, I see Bent's eyes
full of tears, and he says nothing. I do not press the subject now as
it will only provoke hostility, but I resolve to speak privately to Bent
whenever I can. Yes, I am sure, by God's grace, and through the
instrumentality of human ministers and His book, these dark heathens may
become enlightened worshippers of Him.

We hear that there is a port at the great island of Vanua Levu, where
sandal-wood is to be procured, and we accordingly forthwith sail there.

Truly it is dangerous work navigating these seas among coral banks in
every direction, some just above water, others three, four, and fifteen
feet below it. It is only when the sun is shining and the sea blue that
we can distinguish the coral, which gives a green tinge to it, under
water. One of us