more mercy from those in whose power we were, should they rise and mutiny. But we tried hard to place them and ourselves, and the mission of our beloved Church, in the hands of God; and he did calm our minds, and enable us to confide in him. On rising from our knees I asked her what she thought we ought to do? Her reply was that she could not see our way clear to leave our post; she thought our going would concede too much to Satan and to these wretched men; that it would rather increase the panic, that it might be difficult to collect again our little congregation if we suspended our services, and, in fact, that we ought to remain and trust in God. I immediately concurred, and wrote word to the commanding officer. He was not pleased at all with our decision. The evening wore on, and we held our usual weekly English service. I tried to preach from Deut, xxxiii, 25, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be,” and administered the holy Sacrament. The commanding officer was present. I felt much for him. His responsibility was great, for on his discretion and judgment our entire safety, under God, depended. We passed a restless night, startled at every sound, feeling that we slept over a volcano that might burst forth at any moment, and scatter death and destruction on every side.
Before going to bed we arranged our clothes for a hasty flight, should an alarm be given. But we beheld the morning light in safety, and the mail brought me the Christian Advocate of March 19, and one of the first things I saw was the little paragraph which was headed with the words “Pray for your lonely William Butler!” How much I needed to be prayed for! Before that simple sentence my heart gave way, and I could not resist the tears that came. The past and the present were such contrasts! But God graciously soothed my feelings, till I wondered why I had ever doubted for a moment, or failed to see that God, who had brought us hitherto, would not now forsake us, or allow our mission to be broken up. I felt assured that thousands in this happy land did pray for their “lonely William Butler.” Three times between that and Saturday evening did my kind friend send to warn me to
