village. It belonged to
them, and he wanted it. So he brought Government horsemen and drove them
off their lands and took the crops himself. They thought they would try
a new way to get justice. The Government officials were all bribed, so
there was no hope there. So they decided to turn Protestants and get aid
in that way. They did not know what the Protestant religion was, but
had some idea that it would help them. Down they went to Tripoli to the
missionaries with a list of three hundred persons who wanted to become
Angliz or Protestants. The people sometimes call us Angliz, or English,
others call us "Boostrant" or "Brostant," but the common name is
"Injiliyeen" or people of the Enjeel, or Evangel, that is, the
Evangelicals.

Dr. Post and your Uncle Samuel came up to Safita to look into the
matter. They found the people grossly ignorant and living like cattle,
calling themselves Protestants and knowing nothing of the gospel. So
they sent a teacher and began to teach them. When the people found that
the missionaries did not come to distribute money, some of them went
back to the Greeks. But others said no; this new religion is more than
we expected. The more we hear, the more we like it. We shall live and
die Protestants. Then Beit Beshoor became alarmed. They said, if this
people get a school, have a teacher, and read the Bible, we cannot
oppress them. They must be kept down in ignorance. So they began in
earnest. The Protestants were arrested and dragged off to Duraikish to
prison. Women and children were beaten. Brutal horsemen were quartered
on their houses. That means, that a rough fellow, armed with pistols and
a sword came to the house of Abu Asaad, and stayed two weeks. He made
them cook chickens, and bring eggs and bread and everything he wanted
every day, and bring barley for his horse. The poor man had no barley
and had to buy, and the Greeks would make him pay double price for it.
When he could get no more he was beaten and his wife insulted, and so it
was in almost every Protestant house. They began to love the Gospel, and
the men who knew how to read, would meet to read and pray together. One
evening, all the Protestants met together in one of the houses. Their
sufferings were very great. Their winter stores had been plundered,
their olives gathered by Beit Beshoor, and they talked and prayed over
their trouble. It was a dark, cold, rainy night, and the wind blew a
gale. While they were talking togethe