ing them at the boat. Speaking to them was of no use; and it was not long ere, by this means, and by battering at the side with the plank placed to walk on and off by, a considerable part of the house of the boat was broken to pieces, and no small quantity of earth covered the things inside. Finally, Dzien got a small boat that was passing to land him at a short distance, and by a few tracts he drew our assailants away, and thus ended the assault.
"We now learned that, of those who had done this mischief, only two were natives of the place, the other three being salt-smugglers; and that the cause was our not having satisfied their unreasonable demand for books. Most providentially, no one was injured; and, as soon as quiet was somewhat restored, we all met in Mr. Burns's boat, and joined in thanksgiving that we had been preserved from personal harm, prayed for the perpetrators of the mischief, and that it might be overruled for good to us and to those with us. We then took our lunch, and afterwards went on shore; and but a few steps from our boats, addressed the large multitude who soon assembled. We were specially assisted; never were we heard with more attention; and not one voice was sympathizing with the men who had molested us. In the evening also, in the tea-shop, the same spirit was manifested, and some seemed to hear with joy the glad tidings of salvation through a crucified Saviour. As we came home, we passed a barber's shop still open, and I went in; and while getting my head shaved, had an opportunity of speaking to a few people, and had a couple of sheet tracts pasted on the walls for future customers to see.
"January 11th.—A respectable shopkeeper, of the name of Yao, received from us, on the first or second day of our stay at Wu-chen, a portion of the New Testament and a tract; and yesterday, when our boat was broken, he came to beg for some more books. At that time we were all in confusion from the damage done, and from the earth thrown into the boat; we therefore desired him to come again in a day or two, when we would supply him. He came this morning and handed in the following note:—
"'On a former day, I begged Burns and Taylor, the two Rabbis, to give me good books. It happened that at that time those of our town whose hearts were deceived by Satan, not knowing the Son of David, went so far as to dare to raca and moreh and injure your respected boat. I thank you for promising afterwards to give the books, and beg the following,—Complete New Testament, Discourse of a Good Man when near his Death, Important Christian Doctrines, Almanac, Principles of Christianity, Way to Make the World Happy,—of each one copy. Sung and Dzien, and all teachers, I hope are well. Further compliments are unwritten.'
"The note is interesting, as shewing that he had been reading the New Testament attentively, as the italicized words were all taken from it. His use of raca and moreh for reviling, shews their meaning was not lost upon him.
"After supplying this man, we went out with Dzien and Kway-hwo into the east of the town, and in the street spoke for a short time. After our return to the boats, I was called upon by two Chih-li men, who are in the magistrate's oflSce here. I was greatly assisted in speaking to them of a crucified Saviour, &c., in the mandarin dialect; and though one of them did not pay much attention, the other did, and made enquiries that shewed the interest he was taking. After they left, I went on shore; and spoke to the people collected there, as soon as Kway-hwo, who was then speaking, concluded. The topic on which I had just been dwelling had moved my own heart, and I was aided in speaking, while the audience was most quiet and attentive. The sun, just setting, afforded a parable, and reminded me of the words of Jesus, 'The night Cometh when no man can work;' and as I spoke of the uncertain duration of life, and of our ignorance as to the time of Christ's return, a degree of deep seriousness prevailed that I had never previously seen in China. I engaged in prayer, and the greatest decorum was observed. I then went into my boat, with a Buddhist priest who had been hearing me; and he admitted that Buddhism was a system of deceit and could give no hope in death.
