imself, who was punished
instead of me who paid de great debt I owed to God."

I have tried to give Sam's remarks as nearly as I can in his words.
They made a great impression on me; for before I must own that I did not
understand God's simple plan of salvation. Sam had a Bible, which he
was constantly reading, and delighted to explain to the crew. He had
gained considerable influence with them, and though many were careless,
and did not listen to him, all treated him with respect. Captain Byles
spoke in very high terms of Sam, who had, I found, been the means of
bringing home the truth to him. He had prayers every day, when the
weather permitted, in his cabin, and a service on the Sunday for the
whale of the crew, while I never heard a harsh or wrong expression
escape his lips.

"You t'ink, Massa Harry, perhaps, I go into dat chapel by chance,"
observed Sam to me one day; "now I t'ink dere is no such t'ing as
chance. God orders everyt'ing. He sees us all day and all night long,
and orders all for de best."

I agreed with Sam, and I may say that I never forgot the lessons I
received from him. I found great pleasure in listening to him while he
read the Bible and explained it in his own somewhat curious way, as far
as language was concerned. I had before been accustomed to read the
Bible as a task, but I now took to reading it with satisfaction and
profit. From others of the crew I learned a good deal of seamanship,
especially how to knot and splice,--an art which I found afterwards very
useful.

We had been several weeks from England, and had thus far carried the
fine weather with us, when clouds appeared in the horizon which soon
began to rush in dense masses over the sky. The sea, hitherto so calm,
tossed and foamed, and the wind howled and shrieked through the rigging.
I asked the captain if he thought we were going to have a severe gale.

"It looks very like it," he answered, "but we must do our best and trust
in God. Once I used to think that while I was doing my best, God was
fighting against me, but now, Harry, I see it the other way. It is a
great thing to feel that the All-Powerful who rules the world is with
us. It makes a man far happier and more courageous."

The crew had gone aloft to furl the sails, and the ship was soon under
her three closely-reefed topsails. Still the wind increased, and the
seas rose up on either side as if they would overwhelm her. The night
was coming on. The c