him for this in an unusual
degree, and besides the Hindostanee version of the Prayer-book, the
Persian--so much wanted in the Bombay Presidency--was committed to him;
and an assistant was sent to him, whose history, disappointing as it is,
cannot be omitted from the account of Indian missions.

Sabat was an Arab of the tribe of Koreish, the same which gave birth to
Mahomet himself. He was born on the banks of the Euphrates, and educated
in such learning as still lingered about the city of the Khalifs; but he
left home early, and served in the Turkish army against the French at
Acre. Afterwards he became a soldier in the Persian army, where he was
several times wounded, and in consequence retired, and, wandering into
Cabul, there rose to be a royal secretary.

He formed a close friendship with his colleague, Abdallah, likewise a
Koreishite Arab, and very able and poetical. When the Wahabees, the
straitest sect of the Mussulmans, seized Mecca, their chief wrote a
letter to the King of Cabul, which was committed to Abdallah to translate
into Persian. By way of a graceful compliment, he put his translation
into Persian verse, and the reward he received was equally strange;
namely, the gift of as many pearls as could be stuffed into his mouth at
once. He was, however, observed to be unusually grave and thoughtful,
and to frequent the house of an Armenian--of course a Christian: but as
this person had a beautiful daughter, she was supposed to be the
attraction, and no suspicion was excited by his request to retire into
his own country.

Soon after Sabat was made prisoner by the Tartars of Bokhara, and, by
appealing to the king, as a descendant of the prophet, obtained his
release and promotion to high honour. While visiting the city of
Bokhara, he recognized his old friend, Abdallah, and, perceiving that his
beard was shaved off, examined him on the cause so closely that he was
driven to confess that the Armenian had converted him to the Christian
faith, and that he did not wish to be known. Hereditary Christians are
tolerated by the Moslem, but converts are bitterly persecuted; and Sabat
flew into a great rage, argued, threatened, and at last denounced his old
friend to the Moollahs as a recreant from Islam.

Abdallah was arrested, and showed himself a true and faithful confessor
and martyr. The Moollahs strove hard to make him recant. They demanded
of him: "In the Gospel of Christ, is anything said of our
Proph