. Influenced by God's Holy Spirit, he knew that he
must return good for evil. Now and then, when a retort rose to his
lips, he sought for grace to repress it, and he either remained silent
or gave a mild reply. He persevered, too, in reading his Bible. Often
when the lantern was lit in the forepeak, and the watch below were
asleep, he would rise from his berth, and by its pale light sit on a
chest beneath it and read from the sacred page, although he could with
difficulty make out the words. At other times he would stow himself
away forward, and opening his beloved book, draw comfort and consolation
from it till he was summoned to some duty by one of his task-masters.
Two or three times he had stolen aloft unnoticed by those on deck, and
read uninterruptedly for an hour or more, but the mate at length
discovering him, called him down.

"I told you we don't allow idlers aboard," exclaimed old Jim, bestowing
several cuts with a rope's-end on his shoulders. "Don't let me ever
catch you again with your book aloft doing nothing, or overboard it
goes; we don't want psalm-singers or Bible-readers among us. Remember
my words."

Peter trembled with alarm for the safety of his book. The mate might
put his threat into execution, and what could he do to prevent it? Yet
he would fight hard before he would give it up, of that he was
determined. At the same time he knew that he must obey orders, and he
dare not again venture aloft to read. Even if he read on deck, he might
run the risk of losing his book. Yet read he must. He asked for
guidance and direction from above. The fear which had thus been aroused
of losing his Bible made him consider how he could still better secure
it. Hitherto he had carried it inside his shirt, with his waistcoat
buttoned over it. He now determined to make a canvas case and sling it
round his neck. One of the men had some canvas for mending his clothes.
Peter purchased a piece, together with some twine, with one of the few
shillings he had in his pocket, and borrowed a sail needle from the
mate, who lent it, not knowing the object it was for. Peter had watched
the men at work, and by perseverance manufactured a case to his
satisfaction, with a canvas strap to go round his neck. He could now
carry his Bible night and day, and if summoned suddenly on deck, he
would still have it with him, and should it enter the head of one of his
shipmates to try and take it from his bunk while he was o