to that same; but the doubts ain't with reference to the
Almighty; they're chiefly as regards myself. Howsever, to come to the
point, you've gone and burnt your idols--"

"Ho!" exclaimed the whole assembly, with a degree of energy that made a
deep impression on the sailor--just as one might be impressed when he
has been permitted to become the happy medium of achieving some great
end which he had never dreamed of being privileged to accomplish.

"Well, then," continued Jarwin, "_that_ is a good thing, anyhow; for
it's a disgrace to human natur', not to speak o' common-sense an' other
things, to worship stocks an' stones, w'en the Bible _distinctly_ tolls
'ee not to do it. You've done right in that matter; an' glad am I to
hear from Big Chief that you intend, after this, to foller _the truth_.
Old man, an' niggers," cried Jarwin, warming up, "to my mind, the
highest thing that a man can dewot his-self to is, the follerin' out an'
fallin' in with _the truth_. Just s'pose that chemists, an' ingineers,
an' doctors was to foller lies! W'y, wot would come of it? Confoosion
wus confounded. In coorse, therefore, they carefully _tries_ to foller
wots _true_--though I'm bound for to say they _do_ git off the track now
an' then. Well, if it's so with such like, it's much more so with
religion. Wot then? W'y, stand by your colours, through thick an'
thin. Hold on to the Bible! That's the watchword. That's your
sheet-anchor--though you haven't seed one yet. It's good holdin' ground
is the Bible--it's the _only_ holdin' ground. `How does I know that?'
says you. Well, it ain't easy for me to give you an off-hand answer to
that, any more than it is to give you an off-hand answer to a
complicated question in the rule o' three. A parson could do it, no
doubt, but the likes o' me can only show a sort o' reflected light like
the moon; nevertheless, we may show a true light--though reflected.
Chiefs an' niggers, there's asses in every generation (young asses
chiefly) as thinks they've found out somethin' noo in regard to the
Bible, an' then runs it down. An' them fellers grow old, an' sticks to
their opinions; an' they think themselves wise, an' other people thinks
'em wise 'cause they're old, as if oldness made 'em wise! W'y are they
asses? W'y, because they formed their opinions _early_ in life, in
opposition to men wot has studied these matters all through their lives.
Havin' hoisted their colours, they nails 'em to th