rkin and me! For fully five minutes we stood in speechless
amazement, with our freed hands hanging idly by our sides. The first
thought that rushed into my mind was, that the time had come to put us to
death; and although, as I have said before, we actually wished for death
in the strength of our despair, now that we thought it drew really near I
felt all the natural love of life revive in my heart, mingled with a
chill of horror at the suddenness of our call.

But I was mistaken. After cutting our bonds, the savage pointed to the
cave's mouth, and we marched, almost mechanically, into the open air.
Here, to our surprise, we found the teacher standing under a tree, with
his hands clasped before him, and the tears trickling down his dark
cheeks. On seeing Jack, who came out first, he sprang towards him, and
clasping him in his arms, exclaimed,--

"Oh! my dear young friend, through the great goodness of God you are
free!"

"Free!" cried Jack.

"Ay, free," repeated the teacher, shaking us warmly by the hands again
and again; "free to go and come as you will. The Lord has unloosed the
bands of the captive and set the prisoners free. A missionary has been
sent to us, and Tararo has embraced the Christian religion! The people
are even now burning their gods of wood! Come, my dear friends, and see
the glorious sight."

We could scarcely credit our senses. So long had we been accustomed in
our cavern to dream of deliverance, that we imagined for a moment this
must surely be nothing more than another vivid dream. Our eyes and minds
were dazzled, too, by the brilliant sunshine, which almost blinded us
after our long confinement to the gloom of our prison, so that we felt
giddy with the variety of conflicting emotions that filled our throbbing
bosoms; but as we followed the footsteps of our sable friend, and beheld
the bright foliage of the trees, and heard the cries of the paroquets,
and smelt the rich perfume of the flowering shrubs, the truth, that we
were really delivered from prison and from death, rushed with
overwhelming power into our souls, and, with one accord, while tears
sprang to our eyes, we uttered a loud long cheer of joy.

It was replied to by a shout from a number of the natives who chanced to
be near. Running towards us, they shook us by the hand with every
demonstration of kindly feeling. They then fell behind, and, forming a
sort of procession, conducted us to the dwelling of Tararo.

The s