Many a time in the morning corpses were unchained, and the survivors
coupled up together again. Wilson was one of the thirty-one who lived to
be released after twenty-two months, in a frightful state of exhaustion
and disease. Afterwards, when commanding a ship at Bencoolen, every
European under his command died, and he alone escaped, yet all this time
he was an absolute infidel; and, when having made a fortune, he was
returning home, he appeared so utterly hardened against all the arguments
that the zealous Thomas could bring in favour of Christianity, as to make
him in despair remark to the chief officer that he should have more hope
of converting the Lascar sailors than of Captain Wilson.

However, the words were penetrating the hitherto ignorant or obdurate
heart, and preparing it to attend to further instruction. After some
years of comfort at home, on hearing of plans for a mission to the South
Sea Islands, Wilson resolved to offer himself as a free and spontaneous
fellow-worker, ready to sacrifice his whole self in the great cause!

Meantime Thomas's fervid account of the needs of India had made the
infant Society propose to send him out with one colleague; and William
Carey, now thirty-three years of age, offered himself as a fellow-worker.

The notion was terrible to Mrs. Carey, who flatly refused to go; but her
husband decided on leaving her at home, and only taking his eldest boy,
then about ten or eleven years old. An application was made to the Board
of Directors for a licence to the two missionaries to preach, and for a
passage in one of the Company's vessels; but when Mr. Grant learnt that
Thomas was one of them, he refused to assist in promoting their request,
though he undertook to do what he could for Carey alone. However, the
Board were certain to refuse them a passage; not because they were
unordained or dissenters, but simply because they wished to be Christian
teachers. A captain with whom Thomas had sailed as surgeon, offered to
smuggle them over without permission; but while his ship was preparing,
they had to wait in the Isle of Wight, and Thomas was continually in
danger of being arrested by his creditors, and was constantly obliged to
hide himself, till Carey became ashamed of such an associate. At last,
just as they were on board, with 250_l._ paid for their passage, and the
goods in which the money for their support had been invested, the captain
received a letter warning him that an