expressions of thankfulness from believers--
all tended to increase the bustle and excitement, so that the two
invalid clergymen began at once to experience the recuperative influence
of glad enthusiasm.

"There is plenty to do here, both for body and soul," remarked one of
these to Fred during a moment of relaxation.

"Yes, sir, thank God. We come out here to work, and we find the work
cut out for us. A good many surgical cases, too, you observe. But we
expect that. In five of the fleets there were more than two thousand
cases treated last year aboard of the mission smacks, so we look for our
share. In fact, during our first eight weeks with this fleet we have
already had two hundred men applying for medicine or dressing of
wounds."

"Quite an extensive practice, Dr Martin," said the clergyman, with a
laugh.

"Ay, sir; but ours is the medical-missionary line. The body may be
first in time, but the soul is first in importance with us."

In proof of this, as it were, the skipper now stopped all that had been
going on, and announced that the _real_ work of the day was going to
begin; whereupon the congregation crowded into the hold until it was
full. Those who could not find room clustered on deck round the open
hatch and listened--sometimes craned their necks over and gazed.

It was a new experience for the invalid clergymen, who received another
bath of recuperative influence. Fervour, interest, intelligence seemed
to gleam in the steady eyes of the men while they listened, and thrilled
in their resonant voices when they sang. One of the clergymen preached
as he had seldom preached before, and then prayed, after which they all
sang; but the congregation did not move to go away. The brother
clergyman therefore preached, and, modestly fearing that he was keeping
them too long, hinted as much.

"Go on, sir," said the Admiral, who was there; "it ain't every day we
gets a chance like this."

A murmur of assent followed, and the preacher went on; but we will not
follow him. After closing with the hymn, "How sweet the name of Jesus
sounds in a believer's ear," they all went on deck, where they found a
glory of sunshine flooding the _Sunbeam_, and glittering on the still
tranquil sea.

The meeting now resolved itself into a number of groups, among whom the
peculiar work of the day was continued directly or indirectly. It was
indeed a wonderful condition of things on board of the Gospel ship that
Sunday-