on his friend's breast and rested his head
on his shoulder.

Thus we sat for some time in deep silence. Soon after we heard
footsteps at the entrance of the cave, and immediately our jailer
entered. We were so much accustomed to his regular visits, however,
that we paid little attention to him, expecting that he would set down
our meagre fare as usual and depart. But, to our surprise, instead of
doing so, he advanced towards us with a knife in his hand, and going up
to Jack, he cut the thongs that bound his wrists; then he did the same
to Peterkin and me! For fully five minutes we stood in speechless
amazement, with our freed hands hanging idly by our sides. The first
thought that rushed into my mind was that the time had come to put us to
death; and although, as I have said before, we actually wished for death
in the strength of our despair, now that we thought it drew really near
I felt all the natural love of life revive in my heart, mingled with a
chill of horror at the suddenness of our call.

But I was mistaken. After cutting our bonds the savage pointed to the
cave's mouth, and we marched, almost mechanically, into the open air.
Here, to our surprise, we found the teacher standing under a tree, with
his hands clasped before him, and the tears trickling down his dark
cheeks. On seeing Jack, who came out first, he sprang towards him, and
clasping him in his arms, exclaimed:

"Oh my dear young friend, through the great goodness of God you are
free!"

"Free?" cried Jack.

"Ay, free!" repeated the teacher, shaking us warmly by the hands again
and again--"free to go and come as you will. The Lord has unloosed the
bonds of the captive, and set the prisoners free. A missionary has been
sent to us, and Tararo has embraced the Christian religion! The people
are even now burning their gods of wood! Come, my dear friends, and see
the glorious sight!"

We could scarcely credit our senses. So long had we been accustomed, in
our cavern, to dream of deliverance, that we imagined for a moment this
must surely be nothing more than another vivid dream. Our eyes and
minds were dazzled, too, by the brilliant sunshine, which almost blinded
us after our long confinement to the gloom of our prison, so that we
felt giddy with the variety of conflicting emotions that filled our
throbbing bosoms; but as we followed the footsteps of our sable friend,
and beheld the bright foliage of the trees, and heard the cries of the