r. Adams' house being head-quarters for missionaries coming and going,
and Philip St. Leger being at this time the third who had arrived
within a day or two, the others being still present, the conversation
naturally turned upon missionary life.

Now, Mr. Chase was a Yankee; and though a cultivated one, he had not
parted with an innate inquisitiveness, and had an off-hand way of asking
such questions as first presented. He catechised these three
missionaries as faithfully, even in presence of Dr. Adams, as if he had
been President of the American Board. He desired to know the number of
years spent in the work, the size and extent of their missions, the
number of actual converts, and also all about their own families and
modes of living.

Having apparently satisfied himself, Mr. Chase said, wheeling around to
the Doctor:

"The same story. In my various travels I have come frequently across
these missionary stations; you will pardon me if I tell you what you
cannot fail to know, that they are complete failures. In my opinion, the
money might be better expended in planting gunpowder."

The three youthful missionaries opened wide their eyes, but the Doctor
smoked away complacently.

CHAPTER VII.

THE DISTINGUISHED TRAVELER'S VIEWS.

Mr. Chase dropped his pipe, as if in a great hurry, and continued:

"Now, here are three missionaries, and they will excuse me, as I am
about to present to them a great truth--each of whom has left at his
respective station from two to four colleagues. There are then from ten
to fifteen men, with as many women and more children; the difficulty is
with these women and children; they are very dear, precious objects, I
have no doubt, in their own homes and in Christian lands, but they are
only clogs and drawbacks in such an enterprise as these young men are
engaged. A man alone can dive into forests, scale mountains, swim
rivers, fight lions, eat raw birds, make his bed in caves, or on solid
rock, lie down with the Indian, rise up with the Hindostan, do any and
every conceivable wild outlandish thing that the world's nations do; but
with a woman--pshaw, that alters the case."

"But there are instances of brave women," remarked the Doctor, "Look at
Lady Hester Stanhope, and Lady ----"

"But they were unmarried women. There are the Amazons of old too, and
Amazons are not wanting at the present time--but such do not come within
my category. From the very nature of the case, a man w