Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/56

46 brightly in the east, and Venus as brightly over against it in the west, while immediately overhead the moon rode among silvery clouds, pouring a flood of mellow light on the gently-rippled waves. The missionary passengers were seated here and there, or walked the deck; the captain was stretched upon the ship's rail, with his Bible in his hand. In the forepart of the vessel the crew were grouped around two of our company—it was evening prayers forward. The two gentlemen were seated on camp-stools. At their left hand, on a spar lashed to the deck, sat the poor Greek, whose daily wasting frame was a living sermon, the Spanish sailor, the Scotchman, the Italian, the Swede; before them an American boy; on their right the rest of the crew. All were eagerly listening. From the after-part of the ship, I could see in the soft twilight the gestures of the speaker, as, with his Testament in his left hand, he pointed with his right to heaven. I quietly drew near and heard the words, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open unto me, I will come in and sup with him and he with me."

Our days now passed more swiftly than we wished. We felt loath to leave the labours just