river, watching, with the most anxious feelings, the downward course of the helpless voyager.

Presently he caught hold of the bushes of a small island near the brink of the cataract, and got on shore. It was impossible, however, for him to reach the mainland. Help must come from thence, or he will perish where he is. Help did come. A brave, strong man put off in a small boat, and at the greatest risk of his own life succeeded in reaching him. Taking the unfortunate man on board, he commenced the still more dangerous task of returning. By great skill and wonderful strength he performed the task; and there was more joy over the salvation of that one man, than over the safety of the ninety and nine" spectators whose lives had not been in danger.

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That man amongst the rapids was a fit image of the heathen world. Like

PARROT WORSHIP, OLD CALABAR.

The Qua people worship parrots, as do also many of the Calabar people. A woman was carrying a copper rod past the palaver house, on which were tied some parrot's feathers about the centre; she looked frightened, and I asked what was the matter. My boys

LITTLE drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean,
And the beauteous land.
And the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.

him, the heathen are in danger. They are floating rapidly down towards the dark cataract of death,-every hour may reach it—plunge over it, and are lost. Some are stopped in their course. The missionary of the Cross, at great self-denial and hazard, goes to them to offer deliverance. All who place confidence in his message are saved. But, my young readers, there are many amongst the rocks and rapids of paganism to whom no deliverer is sent. Unless saved soon, they will be carried by the swift current of time over the fatal cataract, and be lost for ever. Will you not feel for these? Will you not earnestly pray for them? Will you not do for them as you would wish to be done by, if you were in their circumstances and they were in yours? You have the life-boat of the GospelO send it send it, that some may be saved.—Juv. Miss. Magazine.

Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above. Little seeds of mercy,

Sown by youthful hands, Grow to bless the nations, Far in heathen lands.

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Erromanga!" exclaimed Mary, why that is the island where the good missionary Williams was killed by the natives; I should be afraid to go there." "I dare say you would," replied her father; however, Erromanga had been visited before, in 1849, and four of the natives had gone in the ship to Samoa, where they were instructed in the Christian religion. They were now with the missionaries, Mr Murray and Mr Sunderland, on board the John Williams, and as you will see were of great use in influencing their countrymen to receive teachers.

"As soon as the ship had dropped her anchor in Dillon's Bay, just opposite the spot where Mr Williams was killed, she was surrounded by canoes, and numbers of natives who had swam off

from the shore. Many of them came on board, and seemed quite friendly, but said that the tribes in the neighbourhood of the bay were all enemies to the white men. However, in the afternoon the missionaries ventured on shore ; they landed near the spot where Mr Williams fell. You may think with what feelings they looked on the once blood-stained beach. But the ocean waves have long since washed away the bloody stain from that coral shore, and it is a delightful thought that the blood of Jesus can as completely remove the guilt of the murderers of Williams."

Gilbert asked what sort of an island Erromanga is, and his father answered by shewing him a picture of Dillon's Bay. When he had pointed out the little stream near which Williams was attacked, and also the spot where he was killed, he continued," The island is described as being more barren and savage in appearance than the other islands in Polynesia, but Mr Murray in his letter says that when they landed they were charmed with the beauty of the scenery. They did not stay long on shore, and the letter says We re

turned on board, and there a very touching scene was witnessed. Mana, one of the Erromangans who had been to Samoa, was standing with his New Testament in his hand, surrounded by a group of his countrymen, who were listening with wondering interest while he read and talked to them about Jesus. He was reading about his advent in the flesh, and pointing to his hands and feet to convey an idea of his crucifixion, and to heaven to indicate the place where he now is. Oh, when shall the

mystery of the cross be indeed unfolded to the poor degraded sons of Erromanga and His blood made efficacious to the taking away of their sins!'

"Mr Murray and Mr Sunderland were anxious to leave teachers there, if that could be done with safety; they therefore sent to request the principal chief, Kaniani, to come and visit them, that they might see if he would protect the teachers. He and the chief of Punkay, which is the name of that part of the bay where Williams fell, came on board, and after hearing what the missionaries had to say, and asking some questions of the four Erromangans who had been to Samoa, they said they would like to have teachers, and would treat them well. The principal chief begged that his nephew might go to Samoa with the missionaries, and when he was asked if the teachers would be safe at Erromanga, he pointed to the lad, and said, 'Do you think I would let any body injure them when he is going with you?' The two teachers were landed, and received a hearty welcome from the people. The next day the two chiefs came on board again, to beg that a white missionary might be brought to live with them, when the ship came again. Mr Murray says, Thus there is a voice from Erromanga -from Dillon's Bay!—from the very spot where William's fell! Surely that voice will not fall unheeded on the ears of British Christians!"

“Oh father,” said Gilbert, "I hope they will send a missionary; do you think they will?"

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"Yes, I believe there will soon be two sent out; for the friends of the London Missionary Society in Australia have already collected sufficient money for the very purpose.

"How thankful Mr Murray and Mr Sunderland must have felt when they heard those savage people asking for missionaries."

"Yes," said her father, "and good Captain Morgan, too, who is like a missionary himself,-what joy he must have felt when he remembered his former visits to that island."

"Where is the ship now, father?" asked Gilbert.

"I am sorry to say that she is now lying at Sydney getting repaired, for she was nearly wrecked on a coral reef off Borabora, and her keel was injured; however, I hope she will soon be able to do her work again. Mr Sunderland says, that when the natives at Samoa heard of the great danger the ship had been in, they exclaimed, "What should we have done if The Light of the Seas' had been lost! How could the Gospel have been sent to the heathen islands?' My dear children, these poor islanders do one thing which I am afraid we sometimes forget. The converts are constantly praying that God's ship and God's missionaries may be protected from all danger; they pray, too, with great earnestness for their heathen brethren.

Let us unite our prayers to theirs, and say, " Thy kingdom come!"

ALTHOUGH the Moravian missionaries were forced to leave the Indians in Berbice, as I told you last month, there was still one of their number who remained at a place where he had been for about six years. His name was Mr Daehne. He left his companions, and went to visit the Indians in other parts of Guiana. He settled on the banks of the river Corantyn, among the Carabeese Indians, a very savage tribe indeed. He could not speak their language, for each tribe have a language of their own, but he spoke to them by an interpreter, and some of them came and lived near him, that he might teach them every day. The Carabeese build their huts quite open all around, but sometimes they thatch them at the sides as well as the top with palm-leaves; the only place where the smoke can get out is at the door, for they do not even leave a hole at the top; I suppose they do not mind for the smoke.

Mr Daehne was very happy in teaching the Indians as long as they would stay with him, but very soon they all left him except one man who was taken ill. Some Indian doctors, or rather conjurors, passed by and said to the sick man, 66 You will never get well as long as you stay with the white man, for he is under the power of the Evil Spirit, and very soon he will be taken ill too."

This frightened the poor fellow so much, that as soon as he was a little

better he went away.

When a per

son is ill, the Indians always think that it is the Evil Spirit's doing, and they believe everything that the conjurors tell them.

Mr Daehne was now left quite alone in his hut, with not even an Indian for many miles from him. Would you

not think it a very dismal thing to be living all alone by that river side, with the mighty forest all around, and no living thing to be seen but wild beasts, and snakes, and birds, and insects! But Mr Daehne was quite happy, and he said afterwards, "Our Saviour was always with me, and comforted me with His gracious presence, so that I can truly say I spent my time in happiness and peace."

He was sometimes in great danger from wild beasts. There was a tiger that kept watch round his hut for a long time, thinking no doubt that he would make a nice meal of the lonely missionary. Night after night it kept walking round the hut, roaring all the time most dreadfully, but God was watching over his servant in the wilderness, and did not suffer him to be harmed.

One evening he was attacked by fever, which is very common in that hot country, so he resolved to go into his hut and lie down; but just as he was going to step into his hammock, he saw a large snake, called a boa-constrictor, coming down from the roof upon him.

It curled itself several