complain of him. Every morning, I sent him
out to earn his own sustenance, and a guilder
for his master, and, to his honour I must say
it, he never missed. If there were not many
ships, or was there but little doing on the quay,
he yet knew how to get me a guilder. How he
did it was, of course, no business of mine-
that was for his account: on such matters
we must allow them perfect liberty.

"Well, things went on thus, without my
ever having to complain of him, till a
year or two ago. Then he changed all at
once. He began to neglect his duty; for
night after night he came home without the
guilder he was bound to bring his master.
The first time I passed it over. Five-and-
twenty years he had been as regular as the
sun- he had not once neglected; so I thought
I could afford to be generous, and made no
remark about it. But, shortly after, the very
same thing happened again. Now, I felt it
was my duty to talk seriously with Present
on the matter.

"'Just tell me, you sir,' I said to him,
' why have you not brought me my money ? '

"' O, master, forgive me. You know how
many years I have served you. I am now an
old man- I am not so strong as I was; and
with the best will in the world, I cannot
possibly bring you home a guilder every
day.'

"I must confess this had an effect on me.
They say in Europe that we are cruel and
hard-hearted masters to our slaves; but that
is all calumny. I had compassion on old
Present, and reduced the sum to a shilling.
If he brought me this sum regularly every
day, I told him, I should be satisfied."

"That was noble of you," exclaimed
Pastor A.

"I am glad you approve of my conduct,"
replied the elder; " but you shall now see
how ungratefully my kindness was returned.
Notwithstanding the reduction I had made
in the amount of his earnings for me, he still
came home every night too short. So I sent
for him. ' Now, you sir,' I said, 'if you once
more play the sluggard, and fail to bring
home my money, I shall send you off to the
Picket of Justice to be flogged.'

"Then the wretch fell on his knees, and
kissed mine, and howled and groaned like
one possessed.

"' Pardon, master; good master, pardon!
I have all along been deceiving you; now I
will tell you the truth. It is not because I
am too old, and cannot work, that I have
lately failed to bring you home your money.
I work harder and longer now than ever I
did before in my life. But what I used to do
I may not do now. Before, if my day's labour
was insufficient to gain your money, I knew
very well how to make up the deficiency.
"When necessary, I cheated- stole it; and
yet nobody ever found me out. But this I
cannot do again. I must earn your money
by honest labour, or I cannot bring it home.

My eyes now are opened. I can no longer
sin against God. I must be honest and pure
in my walk and conversation.'"

"Did a simple slave speak to you in that
way? " asked Pastor A., with some
astonishment.

"Yes, dominé; and I was as much
surprised as you are. I asked Present how he
had got hold of such strange notions. And
he told me the missionaries were the miraclemongers
who- so he expressed himself- had
brought about his conversion, and his new
birth. So they teach our slaves to disobey
their masters' orders under all sorts of
pretexts and fine-sounding words- to form an
opinion of their own about what we tell them
to do. I could see very well I should have
to adopt severe measures to restore Present
to that obedience from which, thanks to the
influence of the Moravians, he had swerved.

"' Now, you rascal,' I said to him, ' all that
cant avails nothing. With all those idle tales
I have nothing whatever to do. It would
be strange indeed if, year after year, you had
come by your daily guilder in a dishonest
manner without being found out. I don't
believe a word of it. Once for all: I have
reduced the sum you must bring me, but take
care not to fail in bringing it; if you do, the
whip shall teach you.'

"And at last I was obliged to have
recourse to flogging: but then I saw how
dangerous those missionaries are. I will tell you
how. A day or two after he was again too
short, and my patience was exhausted.

"' Present,' I said to him in a very quiet
manner, without getting at all into a passion
'Present, the measure is full; you go to
the Picket of Justice to be flogged; ' and I
ordered another slave to bring him there.
The old rogue began to tremble from head to
heel.

"' O, master,' he cried, ' forgive me this
once! '

"' No, Present, it is now too late. I am
very sorry; but in your old age you must
make acquaintance with the whip.'

"Then he threw himself at my feet, kissed
them, and groaned and wept. Just imagine,
dominé, what he said. It was really impious
in the mouth of such a swarthy good-for-
nothing. ' Master,' he cried, ' Christ said that
men should forgive seventy times seven.
Forgive me then, master, for Christ's sake.'"

"And you forgave him? " said Pastor A.,
in a trembling voice, and with tears in his
eyes. " You forgave him ? Tell me at once,
Elder of our Christian Presbytery."

But, the Elder, astonished, stared at the
dominé. " Well, certainly not," he replied,
with a countenance full of inexplicable
consternation; "well, certainly not. I sent him
to the Picket of Justice, with the request
that they would not spare him. What would
be the consequence if these rascals perceived
that by means of pious words they could
escape the punishment prescribed for them