eam is a varying river,
And though it may placidly glide
When the sunbeams of joy o'er it quiver,
It must foam when the storm meets its tide.
Then stir not its current to madness,
For its wrath thou wilt ever regret;
Though the morning beams break on thy sadness,
Ere the sunset, forgive and forget.

--_Robert Gray._

THE INFIDEL CAPTAIN

The ship _St. Thomas_, Captain, Robert Williams, was bound from New
York to Liverpool, in the month of June. Favored by a fresh westerly
wind, she soon cleared the land, and on the first Sunday out was going
along finely with all drawing sail set. The chief mate, Mr. Wm.
Briggs, after the crew had breakfasted, and the watch had been set,
asked the captain if he had any objections to calling the men aft to
prayers.

"No objection whatever, Mr. Briggs, provided you do the preaching and
praying yourself; for you know well enough that I have but little
faith in such exercises."

Captain Williams was between forty and fifty years of age, a plain,
blunt seaman, who was more ambitious of being considered an
enterprising shipmaster than a Christian. His mate was not quite
thirty, and was indebted to him for his promotion from before the mast
to second mate, and then to that of chief mate; they had sailed
together many years, and each had boundless confidence in the other.
Appreciating the motives of his mate, he always permitted him to have
prayers on board when the state of the weather was favorable, although
he took no interest in religious matters himself.

Mr. Briggs ordered the watch to arrange some seats on the
quarter-deck, while he went forward himself and invited the watch
below to come aft, and listen to the reading of the Scriptures, and
such other religious exercises as the occasion might suggest,
remarking at the same time, that it was not his desire to force any
man against his will. Without a murmur the watch below, as well as
that on deck, repaired to the quarter-deck, and were soon seated
around the capstan. The captain took charge of the deck himself, that
is, looked out for the proper steerage of the ship, and relieved the
second mate, whose watch it was, to join the men at prayers. These
arrangements completed, the chief mate placed a Bible on the capstan,
read a chapter from the New Testament, made some remarks upon it, and
then prayed; after which he read a sermon, and closed with pray