aving for two days, when he was silent from exhaustion,
and died. The captain, hoping to prevent the spread of the fever among
the crew, put to sea. Many more, however, were taken ill, of whom
several died, and were buried at sea.

One day, Mr Martin called Ben and Tom into his cabin. "Now, boys, I
just want to point out to you what you must remember to the end of your
days; that is, the terrible effects of disobedience. Those poor fellows
whose corpses we have lowered overboard, I daresay, thought that they
were doing no great harm when they ran off to the grog-shop. They knew,
of course, that they were disobeying the orders of Mr Manners, the
midshipman in command of the boat; but they said to themselves, `Oh, he
is only a midshipman, no harm can come of it. We shall be back before
he is, and he need know nothing about the matter.' They forgot that the
midshipman was acting under the orders of the captain, and the captain
under those of the Government of our country, and that Governments and
authorities were instituted by God for the well-being and happiness of
the community. They thought that they were committing a little sin, but
they were in reality guilty of a great crime. See the result. One of
them nearly committed murder, and if he had lived, and the captain had
been informed of what he had done, he would have been hung. I know all
about it, though the crew think I don't. Then they catch the fever,
bring it aboard, some of them lose their own lives, and they risk the
lives of all the ship's company. Just in the same way people go on in
the world. God has given us orders what we are to do, and what we are
not to do. How do we act? We neglect to do what He has commanded us to
do, and do the very things He has told us not to do, saying all the time
to ourselves, `It is only a little sin, it is only a slight
disobedience; so slight, God won't notice it; no harm can come of it.'
That is one of Satan's most cunning and most successful devices for
destroying the souls of men. He tried it with Adam and Eve, and has
tried it on all their descendants ever since, and will try it as long as
he `goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' Oh,
boys, remember that `not a sparrow falls to the ground' but God sees it,
and that He therefore knows all that you do; and that, though a sin may
appear a trifle in your sight, it is not a trifle in God's sight, for He
abhors all sin. `He cannot look o