st of that faith which was
delivered unto the saints, yet will I not bow down in the tents of the
idolaters, nor profane Thy Holy Name by the worship of their false
gods. Here in the midst of the ravening lions I uplift my eyes unto
Jerusalem, and my lips unto the throne of grace, beseeching Thee to
give unto me the salvation of these heathen, even as brands plucked
from the burning. Quench the fire on this altar of Baal, O Lord, by
the outpouring of Thy Spirit, and give unto this people a manifestation
of Thy mighty power, redeeming them from their manifold sins. Yea,
Lord, give ear unto the words of my petition, and as of old times thou
didst send a message of fire unto Thy prophet Elijah, so come down even
now to visit these unbelieving and mocking hearts with the terror of
Thy just wrath. Make bare Thy arm of infinite power that this
abomination of heathendom may be purged of its vain idolatry, and that
Thy Israel may triumph over the hosts of the sinful. Even as Thou
didst scatter the forces of the Egyptians in the waters of the Red Sea,
even so, O Lord, visit now Thy wrath upon those who mock Thee and
degrade Thy image. Save us from the snare of this scarlet woman, this
proud harlot of Babylon, and forgive Thy servant for thus seeming to
obey her will. Thou knowest, O Lord, that it is only that I may the
better serve Thee, and thus overcome the wiles of the Wicked One. Give
unto me in this hour the strength of Samson that I may overturn the
pillars of this temple of abominations, even though we all perish in
its destruction. Yea, visit us with power and righteousness, and
scatter Thy enemies over the face of the earth. O Lord! I am as
nothing, a mere worm of the dust: smite me if Thou wilt, yet I but
wrestle with Thee in prayer that through me the heathen may be brought
low, and led to see the error of their way."

There was no halting him, yet even as he continued to pour forth
fervent supplication, the warriors drew back from the dense circle
pressing against the platform, taking solemn counsel together. Then
the old war-chief advanced to the centre, pointing maliciously toward
De Noyan and myself. I observed the Queen wave her hand in a gesture
of apparent carelessness, and before I could clearly conjecture the
full meaning of it, strong hands clutched us, and, in spite of
struggles, we were dragged roughly back toward the shrouded entrance of
the lodge. There was no shouting, no din of any kind t