o become its main support. This was soon followed by another school
for the natives, to which they eagerly thronged.

Meanwhile the missionaries went out, singly or in pairs, into the streets
or the neighbourhood of the heathen temples, and attracted a crowd by
singing hymns in Bengalee, and then preached to them, offering to receive
any inquiries at the mission-house. Carey's time was almost entirely
taken up in hearing and answering these questions; but, as usual, the
ties of family, society, and custom almost always proved too strong to be
broken through even by the conviction of the truth of Christianity. Ram-
bosoo, Mr. Carey's first Hindoo friend, was like Serfojee, ready to do
anything on behalf of Christianity except to embrace it openly himself.

Mr. Thomas had meantime engaged himself as superintendent of a sugar
factory at Beerbhoom, whence he came to visit his brethren at Serampore,
bringing with him one of his workmen named Fukier, whom he believed that
he had converted. The man gave so good an account of his faith that the
missionaries deemed him fit for baptism, and rejoiced in him as the first-
fruits of seven years' labour; but he went home to take leave of his
friends, and either they prevailed on him to give up his intention, or
privately murdered him, for he never was heard of again.

However, a carpenter of Serampore named Krishnu, who had been brought
into the mission-house with a dislocated arm for Mr. Thomas to set, was
so struck by what he heard there that he, with his wife and daughter and
his brother Goluk, were all willing to give up their caste and be
baptized.

There was much, however, to render the joy of this day far from being
unmixed. Poor John Thomas, after his seventeen years of effort, fitful,
indeed, but sincere, was so overjoyed at this confession of faith that he
became frantic, and in three days was raving violently. Meanwhile, the
native mob, infuriated by hearing that Krishnu and Goluk had renounced
their caste, rose to the number of two thousand, and dragged them to the
magistrate, but found nothing to accuse them of. The magistrate released
them, but they were brought back immediately after, on the plea that the
person to whom Krishnu's daughter had been betrothed had a claim upon
her. This, however, the authorities disallowed, and they even gave the
missionaries a guard to secure them from any interruption during the rite
of Baptism, which, by the customs of their