sir; besides, your profession forbids you taking part in
such work as this. There are men of war enough here to keep these
fellows in play."

Montague spoke somewhat sharply, for he erroneously fancied that the
missionary's love of fighting had led him into the fray.

"My profession does not forbid me to save my child," exclaimed the
pastor, wildly.

He turned in the direction of his cottage, which was full in view; and,
at that moment, smoke burst from the roof and windows. With a cry of
despair, Mr Mason once more launched himself on the host of savages;
but these were now so numerous that, instead of making head against
them, the little knot of sailors who opposed them at that particular
place found it was as much as they could do to keep them at bay.

The issue of the conflict was still doubtful, when a large accession to
their numbers gave the savages additional power and courage. They made
a sudden onset, and bore back the small band of white men. In the rush
the pastor was overthrown and rendered for a time insensible.

While this was going on in one part of the field, in another, stout Ole
Thorwald, with several of the white settlers and the greater part of the
native force, was guarding the principal approach to the church against
immensely superior numbers. And nobly did the descendant of the Norse
sea-kings maintain the credit of his warlike ancestors that day. With a
sword that might have matched that of Goliath of Gath, he swept the way
before him wherever he went, and more than once by a furious onset
turned the tide of war in favour of his party when it seemed about to
overwhelm them.

In a more distant part of the field, on the banks of a small stream,
which was spanned by a bridge about fifty paces farther down, Gascoyne
and Henry Stuart contended, almost alone; with about thirty savages.
These two had rushed so impetuously forward at the first onset as to
have been separated from their friends, and, with four Christian
natives, had been surrounded. Henry was armed with a heavy claymore,
the edge of which betokened that it had once seen much service in the
wars of the youth's Scottish ancestors. Gascoyne, not anticipating this
attack, had returned to the settlement armed only with his knife. He
had seized the first weapon that came to hand, which chanced to be an
enormous iron shovel, and with this terrific implement the giant carried
all before him.

It was quite unintentionally that h