56 POETRY PRAYER FOR INDIA. the trees. It came from a small logcottage. When he had fastened his horse and gone into the cabin, he thought he never had seen so wretched a place. It was cold and dirty, and almost without furniture of any sort. In a corner of the room was a ragged bed, on which lay a pale little girl. The missionary pitied her, and drew near to the bed. He saw that the little girl's face was pale, and her hands thin. She was very ill, and a great sufferer; yet the poor little thing was not impatient. She smiled with a smile that showed peace was in her heart, while her body was suffering with disease. From under It her pillow peeped a little book. was the New Testament. Some agent from the Bible Society had dropped it in that desolate place. The missionary asked the little girl— "Can you read this book?" . "Yes, sir." "Can you understand it?" "A great deal of it, sir; I see there how Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' And when I think of that, I am happy. And in the dark night, when I lie here and cannot sleep for pain, I think of my Saviour in heaven, and he seems to be saying, 'Suffer that little child to come unto me, and forbid her not.' I am soon going to be with him for ever." Thus that gift brought peace to the heart of the poor little sick girl that peace which Jesus promised to his disciples when he said "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you."-T. Offering. Poetry. A PRAYER FOR INDIA. GRACIOUS Father! King of Nations! Look on India in her woe; Full of cruel habitations, Now Thy might and mercy show! Lord, how long shall gloom and sadness, Idol-gods with bloodstain'd hand, Moslem pride and heathen madness, Darken and pollute the land? Mighty Saviour, Let them flee at Thy command! Look, O Lord, in great compassion Nerve their hearts and banish fear. Keep them in Thy holy care! Let the prayers of saints and martyrs Pour the tide of living waters Set the sin-bound millions free! Price 6d. per doz. or 38. 6d. per 100; 20 copies sent free by post for 10d., paid in advance. Published by GALL & INGLIS, 6 George Street, Edinburgh. HOULSTON & WRIGHT, London. THE REV. Mr. Gogerly, an English "I once had an opportunity of asmissionary, relates the following am- certaining what a nuisance these using rencontre with a Brahmin in gentlemen bulls were. I was on one reference to one of the "sacred Bulls," of my missionary journeys, for I which are regarded with religious veneration by the natives: August 1858. used to go for a month or two through the villages, and strike my tent every thirty miles or so; or I would journey in my boat up the river, fifty or a hundred, or two hundred miles, visiting the various villages and towns on the way. On one occasion I went to a large place on a market-day; I had got a large number of tracts with me and Bibles for distribution, and I sat down in the market-place to converse with the people upon the grace and truth of salvation; but before I went into the bazaar-this means market-place and no more-I heard a terrible noise of women, as I thought, quarrelling. Now, the women in India, who belong to the humbler classes, have tremendously long tongues and I can conceive that the Brahminy ladies had not got very short ones, as the pundit told me. Well, I heard them abusing somebody, and using language very improper to escape from ladies' lips; they were calling somebody all manner of names but that of a gentleman, and when I came into the place I saw what was the matter. They were not abusing a man, but a great fat bull, which was eating up the rice, and sweetmeats, and vegetables, and other wares that these women had brought in from the country to sell. The bull, in his rounds, had found them out, and was poking his nose into this basket and that basket, and there were the women doubling their fists and cursing at his nose, but not one dared to touch him. He knew very well that hard words would never break bones, and he went on and enjoyed himself, to the great injury of the people. The women, when they saw my white face-for a white face is very uncommon in the interior villages-directly put their hands together, and called, 'Have mercy, have mercy!' I saw what was the matter. They were looking at the bull eating up their goods. 'Drive him away,' said I. 'We dare not,' they said. 'Why not?' 'Because he is a god.' 'He is no more a god, than I am,' I said; and I took up a stick and gave him a good thump, so that he soon ran away. They cried, 'Drive him away from us,' and as that was an appeal to my humanity, and as I saw the women distressed, I gave the gentleman two or three good pokes in his ribs, and he soon hurried away. The women went down and thanked me, and I was about to give them a solemn address on the folly of calling such a thing as that God, when I found that I had got into a terrible mess. It is very easy to get into a difficulty, but very hard to get out of it. There were hundreds or thousands of men there; and a number of the men, who were watching me, as soon as they saw me strike the bull, came down and looked like thunder, and they THE SACRED BULL. 'I was only driving away that great thief of a bull.' 'You struck it, did you not?' I said I did. 'Do you know that you struck God?' 'What nonsense,' said I, 'to call that brute God!' 'Stay,' said they, here comes a Brahmin.' 59 spoke almost like thunder, too— Brahmin, and call that creature 'What are you doing?' Oho! I God?' 'Yes, I am.' 'Have you thought I was in for it now, and I said, read your own Shasters ?' 'Certainly, I have,' he said. 'Well, will you be good enough, for the benefit of these people, who do not know the Shasters, to quote one passage about God's honesty?' 'I will not,' he said. 'For the fact is,' said I, 'you cannot; but if you cannot, I can; and if you won't, I will.' I then quoted out of one of their Shasters— God is honest-God is just-God is true.' 'Is that true?' I said. "Now, the Brahmins are some of them very learned, and some of them not; but all of them are very proud. This mañ had great influence among the people, and they said, 'Here 'It is,' he said. 'Tell me, Brahmin, comes the Brahmin; answer him.' was it honest for the great bull to go He came down surrounded by some to these poor women, and take their hundreds of people, and he contrived rice, and sweetmeats, and fruits, and to look as black as he possibly could, vegetables, without paying for them?' as he thought he would annihilate The idea of the bull paying for me with his black looks. "What anything never occurred to him. He have you been doing?' He said. had not a word to say. I said, 'Now 'My lord, I was wanting to drive what are you going to do? You are away a great thief of a bull.' 'Did the priest of the bull, and you are you strike it?' 'I did.' 'Do you going to pay the women for what the know that you struck a god?' Ibull has stolen.' 'I am sure I will tried now to make myself two or three not.' inches taller than I was, and to look he is as black as possible, and I said, among Answer me. Are you a Brahmin ?' him. Can you say then, that honest?' and he slunk away the crowd, and I lost sight of I had then a large congregation To call his Brahminical character in of people, and I preached to them question was dreadful, and he said, about the true, honest, just, and 'Certainly,' and showed me the em-righteous God." blem of his office. 'Are you a 60 THE MARTYRS AND CONFESSORS OF DELHI. THE MARTYRS AND CONFESSORS OF DELHI. WE lay before our readers, with feel- FATIMA'S NARRATIVE. dans of the city were going about 666 'This is no time God in prayer. was seen by the "O Lord, many of Thy people have been slain before this by the sword, and burned in the fire, for Thy Name's sake. Thou didst give them help to hold fast in the faith. Now, O Lord, we have fallen into the fiery trial. Lord, may it please Thee to help us to suffer with firm ness. Let us not fall nor faint in heart under this sore temptation. Even to the death, oh, help us to confess, and not to deny Thee, our dear Lord. Oh, help us to bear this cross, that we may, if we die, obtain a crown of glory!' "After we had prayers, my husband kissed us all, and said |