ain, saying that I wished
'to see the thing out.' Abe sat still beside me, swearing disgustedly at
the fellows 'who were going back on the preacher.' Craig appeared amazed
at the number of men remaining, and seemed to fear that something was
wrong. He put before them the terms of discipleship, as the Master put
them to the eager scribe, and he did not make them easy. He pictured the
kind of work to be done, and the kind of men needed for the doing of it.
Abe grew uneasy as the minister went on to describe the completeness of
the surrender, the intensity of the loyalty demanded.

'That knocks me out, I reckon,' he muttered, in a disappointed tone; 'I
ain't up to that grade.' And as Craig described the heroism called for,
the magnificence of the fight, the worth of it, and the outcome of it
all, Abe ground out: I'll be blanked if I wouldn't like to take a hand,
but I guess I'm not in it.' Craig finished by saying--

'I want to put this quite fairly. It is not any league of mine; you're
not joining my company; it is no easy business, and it is for your whole
life. What do you say? Do I put it fairly? What do you say, Nelson?'

Nelson rose slowly, and with difficulty began--

'I may be all wrong, but you made it easier for me, Mr. Craig. You said
He would see me through, or I should never have risked it. Perhaps I am
wrong,' and the old man looked troubled. Craig sprang up.

'No! no! Thank God, no! He will see every man through who will trust
his life to Him. Every man, no matter how tough he is, no matter how
broken.'

Then Nelson straightened himself up and said--

'Well, sir! I believe a lot of the men would go in for this if they were
dead sure they would get through.'

'Get through!' said Craig; 'never a fear of it. It is a hard fight, a
long fight, a glorious fight,' throwing up his head, but every man
who squarely trusts Him, and takes Him as Lord and Master, comes out
victor!'

'Bon!' said Baptiste 'Das me. You tink He's take me in dat fight, M'sieu
Craig, heh?' His eyes were blazing.

'You mean it?' asked Craig almost sternly.

'Yes! by gar!' said the little Frenchman eagerly.

'Hear what He says, then'; and Craig, turning over the leaves of his
Testament, read solemnly the words, 'Swear not at all.'

'Non! For sure! Den I stop him,' replied Baptiste earnestly; and Craig
wrote his name down.

Poor Abe looked amazed and distressed, rose slowly, and saying, 'That
jars my whisky jug,' passed out. Ther