and inner ear, but dropped into his soul and
disturbed him.

Then he got a surprise when Captain Bream's voice resounded through the
hold,--there was something so very deep and metallic about it, yet so
tender and musical. But the greatest surprise of all came when the
captain, without a word of preface or statement as to where his text was
to be found, looked his expectant audience earnestly in the face, and
said slowly, "Thou shalt not steal."

Poor Captain Bream! nothing was further from his thoughts than the idea
that any one listening to him was actually a thief! but he had made up
his mind to press home, with the Spirit's blessing, the great truth that
the man who refuses to accept salvation in Jesus Christ robs God of the
love and honour that are His due; robs his wife and children and
fellow-men of the good example and Christian service which he was fitted
and intended to exert, and robs himself, so to speak, of Eternal Life.

The captain's arguments had much weight in the hold, but they had no
weight on deck. Many of his shafts of reason were permitted to pierce
the tough frames of the rugged men before him, and lodge with good
influence in tender hearts, but they all fell pointless on the deck
above. It was the pure unadulterated Word of God, "without note or
comment," that was destined that day to penetrate the iron heart of John
Gunter, and sink down into his soul. "_Thou shalt not steal_!" That
was all of the sermon that Gunter heard; the rest fell on deaf ears, for
these words continued to burn into his very soul. Influenced by the new
and deep feelings that had been aroused in him, he pulled the watch from
his pocket with the intention of hurling it into the sea, but the
thought that he would still deserve to be called a _thief_ caused him to
hesitate.

"Hallo! Gunter, what pretty little thing is that you've got?"

The words were uttered by Dick Herring of the _White Cloud_, who, being
like-minded with John, had remained on deck like him to smoke and
lounge.

"You've got no business wi' that," growled Gunter, as he closed his hand
on the watch, and thrust it back into his pocket.

"I didn't say I had, mate," retorted Herring, with a puff of contempt,
which at the same time emptied his mouth and his spirit.

Herring said no more; but when the service was over, and the men were
chatting about the deck, he quietly mentioned what he had seen, and some
of the waggish among the crew came up to