. I should fancy that
they knew my story; that the very birds upon the trees would reveal my
crime, and bid them turn from me with horror."

"Senor," said Amyas, "these are but the sick fancies of a noble spirit,
feeding on itself in solitude. You have but to try to conquer."

"And look now," said Jack, "if you dare not go forth to help the
Indians, see now how God has brought the Indians to your own door. Oh,
excellent sir--"

"Call me not excellent," said the old man, smiting his breast.

"I do, and shall, sir, while I see in you an excellent repentance, an
excellent humility, and an excellent justice," said Jack. "But oh, sir,
look upon these forty souls, whom we must leave behind, like sheep which
have no shepherd. Could you not teach them to fear God and to love each
other, to live like rational men, perhaps to die like Christians? They
would obey you as a dog obeys his master. You might be their king, their
father, yea, their pope, if you would."

"You do not speak like a Lutheran."

"I am not a Lutheran, but an Englishman: but, Protestant as I am, God
knows, I had sooner see these poor souls of your creed, than of none."

"But I am no priest."

"When they are ready," said Jack, "the Lord will send a priest. If you
begin the good work, you may trust to Him to finish it."

"God help me!" said the old warrior.

The talk lasted long into the night, but Amyas was up long before
daybreak, felling the trees; and as he and Cary walked back to
breakfast, the first thing which they saw was the old man in his garden
with four or five Indian children round him, talking smilingly to them.

"The old man's heart is sound still," said Will. "No man is lost who
still is fond of little children."

"Ah, senors!" said the hermit as they came up, "you see that I have
begun already to act upon your advice."

"And you have begun at the right end," quoth Amyas; "if you win the
children, you win the mothers."

"And if you win the mothers," quoth Will, "the poor fathers must needs
obey their wives, and follow in the wake."

The old man only sighed. "The prattle of these little ones softens
my hard heart, senors, with a new pleasure; but it saddens me, when I
recollect that there may be children of mine now in the world--children
who have never known a father's love--never known aught but a master's
threats--"

"God has taken care of these little ones. Trust that He has taken care
of yours."

That day Amyas assembled