after making a profound
bow, added, "You are my masters, accept me as your disciple."

All this surprised us greatly. We could not help believing that a
powerful impulse of grace had moved his heart. We briefly explained to
him the principal points of the Christian religion, and to all we told
him, he simply replied with an expression of faith truly astonishing, "I
believe!" We presented to him a small crucifix of gilt copper, and asked
him if he would accept it. His only answer was an earnest inclination of
the head. As soon as he had the crucifix in his hand, he solicited us to
give him a cord, and he immediately hung the cross round his neck; he
then asked what prayer he ought to recite before the cross? "We will
lend you," we said, "some Chinese books, wherein you will find
explanations of the doctrine, and numerous forms of prayer." "My
masters, that is well; but I wish to have a short and easy prayer, which
I can learn immediately, and repeat often and everywhere." We taught him
to say, "Jesus, Saviour of the world, have mercy on me." For fear of
forgetting these words, he wrote them on a piece of paper, which he
placed in a small purse, suspended from his girdle; he then went away,
assuring us that the recollection of this day would never be effaced from
his memory.

This young physician applied himself with ardour to learn the truths of
the Christian religion; but the most remarkable circumstance was, that he
took no pains to hide the faith he had in his heart. When he came to
visit us, or when we met him in the streets, he always had the crucifix
glittering on his breast, and he never failed to approach us with the
words, "Jesus, Saviour of the world, have mercy on me." It was the form
of saluting us which he had adopted.

Whilst we were making efforts to spread the evangelical seed amongst the
population of Lha-Ssa, we did not neglect the endeavour to sow the divine
seed also in the very palace of the Regent, and this not without the hope
of reaping there one day a precious harvest. Since our trial, so to
speak, our intercourse with the Regent had become frequent, and even
intimate. Almost every evening, when he had finished his labours of
ministry, he invited us to partake with him his Thibetian repast, to
which he always added for ourselves some dishes cooked in the Chinese
fashion. Our conversations generally extended far into the night.

The Regent was a man of extraordinary capacity; of