ght, that we had indulged in for
two months; the indolent habits we had contracted from the, to us,
unusual hot climate; the strangeness and suddenness of our fate, all
combined to unnerve us, and for the present overwhelm the energy and
strength of character necessary for such emergency.

That was a memorable night, calm and serene, as it was after the great
storm of the preceding one. Troubled and tempest-tost was each heart as
it awakened scared by its own dreams, through which ran wild visions of
the beloved faces, perhaps never more to be seen. Yearnings after the
homes we had so thoughtlessly left, the scenes we might never more
behold, the voices perchance we should never hear again. Every thing we
loved and valued and had left! seemed on this memorable night to come
vividly before us. Was it therefore to be wondered that with subdued and
chastened feelings we all met the next day, the elder ones steeling
their hearts, and recovering their minds to enter into a regular
discussion and investigation of the fate destined for them; the younger
ones meek and sorrowful but most loving and engaging in their simple
reliance on our words, and their quiet, but watchful anticipations of
our looks and wishes, and this day happened to be a Sunday.

We generally performed the church service on an elevated, but small
platform above the dining place, looking down upon the great chestnut
tree, and indeed upon all our possessions. Thus endeavouring to realize
the scenes so often seen in England, where the pretty simple church,
with its graceful spire, is seen on an elevated place, while the humble
cottages, and rose-covered houses clustered round its base.

To make the resemblance more perfect, one single large cocoa-nut tree,
with its tall stem and fan-like head, was the only tree growing near the
spot, and the children were wont to call this tree when its solitary
condition caught their eye, the church spire.

The cliff shelved over some feet, making a natural shade and cover, and
here we placed the proper seats, two only being at the foot of the tree
whose occupants read and responded to the church service.

Sometimes a sermon was read after the prayers, but more often it was my
habit to give each of the young ones a text from the Holy Bible, and
from that they made small sermons, or rather remarks of their own which
were meant only for the Mother's eye, and sacredly respected by her in
that particular.

On this Sunday, t