ching, for at this point a vociferous
"hee! hee!" burst from the sable Poopy; the clear laugh of Alice, too,
came ringing through the passage, and Mr Mason himself finally joined
in the chorus.

"Come, sir knight," exclaimed the latter, on recovering his gravity,
"this is no guise for a respectable man to be seen in on Sunday morning;
come in and lay down your arms. You have done very well as a soldier
for this occasion; let us see if you can do your duty equally well as a
church-officer. Have you the keys."

"No, they are at home."

"Then run and get them, my boy, and leave your pistol behind you. I
dare say the savages won't attack during the daytime."

Corrie did as he was desired, and the pastor went, after breakfast, to
spend a short time with Alice on a neighbouring eminence, from which
could be obtained a fine view of the settlement, with its little church
and the calm bay on which floated the frigate, sheltered by the
encircling coral reef from the swell of the ocean.

Here it was Mr Mason's wont to saunter with Alice every Sunday morning,
to read a chapter of the Bible together, and converse about that happy
land where one so dear to both of them now dwelt with their Saviour.
Here, also, the child's maid was sometimes privileged to join them. On
this particular morning, however, they were not the only spectators of
the beautiful view from that hill, for, closely hidden in the bushes--
not fifty yards from the spot where they sat--lay a band of armed
savages who had escaped the vigilance of the scouts, and had come by an
unguarded pass to the settlement.

They might easily have slain or secured the missionary and his household
without alarming the people in the village, but their plan of attack
forbade such a premature proceeding. The trio therefore finished their
chapter and their morning prayer undisturbed, little dreaming of the
number of glittering eyes that watched their proceedings.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

A SURPRISE--A BATTLE AND A FIRE.

The sound of the Sabbath bell fell sweetly on the pastor's ear as he
descended to his dwelling to make a few final preparations for the
duties of the day, and from every hut in Sandy Cove trooped forth the
native Christians--young and old--to assemble in the house of God.

With great labour and much pains had this church been built, and pastor
and people alike were not a little proud of their handiwork. The former
had drawn the plans and given the measurem