r, return to their homes and lay them by, until
called out to fight again.

"Besides, their weapons are better than yours; and they have many
cannon which, by practice, they can load and fire very quickly; and
each of which, when the armies are near each other, can fire fifty
or sixty bullets at once."

"I have heard a strange story that the barbarians have a ship
without sails, with a great chimney that pours out quantities of
black smoke, and a wheel on each side and, as the wheels move
round, the vessel can go straight up the river against the tide,
even if the wind is blowing strongly down."

"It is true, father, there are many such ships; but only two or
three that have made the long voyage across stormy seas to India."

"It is wonderful how these men can force fire to be their servant,
and how it can make the wheels of the ship to move round."

"That I cannot tell you, father. I have never seen one of these
vessels, though I have heard of them."

The priest said no more, but evidently fell into a profound
meditation; and Stanley, getting quietly up, returned to his work.
The priest came in, just as he had completed his bed.

"That is well," he said, looking at it approvingly. "I myself,
although I know that, until my time has come, no creature can harm
me, cannot resist a shudder when I hear one rustling amid the
leaves of my bed; for they come in, although some of my friends
have had a door placed to exclude their entry at night. I wander
but little from my cell, and always close the door after me; but
they enter, sometimes, when I am meditating, and forgetful of
earthly matters, and the first I know of their presence is the
rustling of the leaves in the bed, at night. Were I as strong in
faith as I should be, I would heed it not. I tell myself so; but my
fear is stronger than my will, and I am forced to rise, turn up the
leaves with a stick until I find them, and then I open the door and
eject them, with as much gentleness as may be."

"I should get no sleep at all," Stanley said. "I don't think that
even a door would make me feel any safer, for I might forget to
shut it, sometimes. Tomorrow, father, I will wage war with them,
and see if I cannot decrease their numbers considerably."

Stanley's first task was to clear the bushes away from the court of
the temple; and this, after several days' hard work, he carried
out; although he soon saw that by so doing he would not diminish
the number of the snak