rofound astonishment kept the little ones quiet, and before they had
time to recover the prayer was over.

Zeppa's mode of terminating the assembly was characteristic. He did not
like to order the children away, much less to put them out of his hut,
and the little creatures, being fond of the teacher, were prone to
remain too long. When, therefore, he thought it time to close, he
simply rose up and took himself off, leaving his congregation to
disperse when and how it pleased! Sometimes on these occasions he would
remain away for, perhaps, two or three days, having totally forgotten
the singing class, to the great disappointment of the children.

One night, while he was thus absent, the men of Ratura delivered the
attack which they had long meditated.

It was an unusually dark and still night; such a night as tends almost
irresistibly to quiet and subdue wayward spirits, and induces man to
think of his Creator. Such a night as is apt to fill the guilty
conscience with unresting fears, as though it felt the near approach of
that avenging sword which sooner or later it must meet.

Nevertheless, unmoved by its influences--except in so far as it suited
their dark designs--the Raturans chose it for the fell purpose of
invading their neighbours' lands, and exterminating their ancient foes;
for, driven to desperation by the taunts and scorn of the Mountain-men,
they felt that nothing short of extermination would suffice. And they
were right. Extermination of the sinners, or the sins, was indeed their
only chance of peace! Not knowing the Gospel method of blotting out the
latter, their one resource lay in obliterating the former.

In the dead of night--that darkest hour when deeds of villainy and
violence are usually done--the Raturan chief once more assembled his men
from all quarters of the rolling plains and the dismal swamps, until the
entire force of the tribe was under his command.

Leaving the aged men and boys to protect the women and children, those
dark-skinned warriors marched away to battle--not with the flaunting
banners and martial music of civilised man, but with the profound
silence and the stealthy tread of the savage. Though the work in hand
was the same, the means to the end were different; we will therefore
describe them.

Had it been a daylight battle to which they went forth, their women and
boys would have followed with reserve ammunition in the shape of baskets
full of stones, and spare ja