42 THE AFRICAN TRADER.

not said them for long years, and curses, oaths,
and foul language have come out of my lips in-
stead. I want to have time to pray, and to recol-
lect what I was taught as a boy.’ I tried to cheer
him up, as I called it, but alas, I too had forgotten
to say my prayers, and had been living without
God in the world, and though I did not curse and
swear, my heart was capable of doing that and
many other things that were bad, and so I could
offer the poor fellow no real consolation. I per-
suaded him to drink the contents of the cup; but
I saw as I put it to his lips that he could with
difficulty get the liquid down his throat.

‘You have had a hard life of it Bob, and per-
haps God will take that into consideration,’ I said,
making use of one of the false notions Satan sug-
gests to the mind of seamen as well as to others.
Bob knew it to be false.

‘That won’t undo all the bad things I have
been guilty of; it won’t unsay all the blasphemies
and obscene words which have flowed from my
lips,’ he gasped out.

‘Then try to pray as you used to do,’ I said,
‘I will try and pray with you, but I am a bad
hand at that I am afraid,’