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chist's house, I brought him back with me, and we two spent a pleasant hour, in talking and praying together about our work, and the Lord's work around Andipatti. It was the pleasantest hour I had yet passed in India. Do you remember my describing a singularlooking man as having presented himself to Mr. Noyes and me, when we were there before? Kurubatham had not seen him for some time, as the man had been south, but he came to see me and said he had been sick. He was really very earnest and seemed sincere, and I am quite interested in him. I made too strong a cup of tea for my benefit, slept but little, rose at halfpast two, got the bandy, started off and came in upon H. much to her relief about seven. We soon after sent the horse-keeper off in the same bandy to Madura. It is thundering above, an unusual but very welcome sound in these parts. A cool breeze blows upon me, refreshing after the hot day. I did not test it, but I am safe in saying that the thermometer has been over 100° a good part of the day. Hot weather is rushing upon us like fire on a prairie, and we shall soon hear the roar and feel the blast. We have decided to go to the Hills if possible in two weeks, and then what a jovial time we shall have. Were it not for H. I hardly think I should go myself, as I am able to endure; still to-day I have had a dull, headachy feeling, rather disagreeable, though I am in decent condition otherwise. The whole mission is on the move, making its annual pilgrimage to the Hills. The Tracys' goods, cows, sheep, and hens came to-day. When a family takes a vacation here, the whole concern has to move. They go up on Tuesday morning. Wednesday the Burnells spend with us, going up

Thursday morning. Friday morning Miss Ashley ascends. Then the Hunts are also coming this year for the first time. They will be here in a week; so that if we are fifty miles from Madura we shall see plenty of visitors for a while.

We had a tornado at noon to-day.

MARCH 28.

Thunder roared spouts, the rain

among the hills, the dust flew up in descended, and the floods came. It was deliciously refreshing. We had been resting, with the thermometer at 98°, a cloudy day too, when of a sudden the breezes came, and the mercury ran into its bulb, stopping at 76°, a very remarkable fall for this country. H. was in ecstasies, ran to the door, drank in the cool air by the throatful, and we had doors open and enjoyed ourselves mightily, for the hour or more that the storm lasted. The wind cut up all sorts of antics, whipping our grass lattice into shreds. The rain, too, was by no means unwelcome, laying dust and coloring the leaves. This evening H. and I took our first walk out. Pony had gone to be shod, gone to Dindigal

thirty-six miles off-just to get a set of new shoes! We went to Lotus-tank back of the house, the gardeners carrying H. over the river in a chair.

. . . . I am about starting a school in Seymour's church, where there has been none for some time. Seymour came yesterday and said that a Roman Catholic, who had been a sort of catechist, wished to join our congregation, and suggested him for a teacher, at one dollar and a half a month! I told him to bring him here to-day. He came, and I thought I would examine him a little; so I asked him to read. He read passably well; then I took up geography. To be

safe, I started with fundamentals, and asked the shape of the earth. His reply was, "I have not read the Gospels." A hopeful case for a teacher, is he not? However, I think I shall try him at least, keeping him a little ahead of his classes. He is a clever fellow, and will get pupils, they say.

APRIL 5.

We have had a busy week of it. Saturday eve, a week ago, the Tracys came in upon us, on their way to the Hills. They stayed until Tuesday, leaving at two in the morning. Tuesday evening the Burnells and Miss Ashley came, leaving Thursday morning at the same hour. Thursday the Hunts came, and left this morning at two. Quite a run of company for us, fifty miles from the metropolis. While the Burnells were here, we had the nicest time; for as we were all seated at the dinner-table, in walked our tapâl-man, box on head, and immediately delivered himself of what had been on his mind a long time, foreign letters. Hurrah, what a jumping and running! I got the letter-basket and dealt out. The Burnells had a few, Miss Ashley some, and I eleven letters! Such an astounding batch, perfectly overwhelming. I did n't get through reading them that night, but kept J.'s for morning. Such letters too! I read aloud to H. till I was hoarse, and we shouted and laughed, till the other folks began to grow jealous. We were all in capital humor, for only the day before we had received the telegram telling us of the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, and the retreat of the Rebels from Bowling-Green and Nashville.

APRIL 7.

Yesterday the church - members from the village

came up to our church here, and we partook of the Lord's Supper together. It was my first service, and I enjoyed it, though embarrassed by the language. The little church was about full of people. A poor-looking congregation, you would have thought, could you have seen it, and so in truth it was; but I hope that some of those present were true believers. Before service, Seymour said to me that there were three persons who had been suspended from coming to communion for about a year, on account of their having been foremost in the quarrel which divided the church, who wished to be received back, acknowledging their fault, and desiring to be at peace again with the others. The question of receiving them was put on the spot, and they came once more as Christians to the table of the Lord. I looked upon it as an omen of good, an indication of the return of better feeling. Nothing but the existence of this estrangement between members of the church prevents its growth. After service, the women came forward to salaam H., whom they had not seen before, and followed us then to the house, some of them asking for medicine for themselves and babies.

To-day, at eleven o'clock, I had a little prayer-meeting with Seymour, Manuel, my station catechist, and Breckenridge, mûnshi. I propose to hold these meetings monthly, when we shall study together some portion of the Scripture, beginning with First Thessalonians, and talk about matters of interest here. It will be a good thing to inspirit the pastor, who has been somewhat disheartened by the state of things. I proposed to-day, too, to start monthly, or perhaps bimonthly, concerts of prayer for missions. There are none in the station now. So I shall have Breckenridge

study up a set topic, and tell what he knows at the catechists' meetings, and they will rehearse this to their several congregations. Moreover, I mean to have the pastor and others write letters to some mission, in hope of receiving replies from native Christians abroad.

[Here closes the journal before the vacation on the Pulney Hills. They had remained on the Plains until late in the season, and the letters written at this time showed evident signs of exhaustion from the prostrating heat. But shortly after this last date, they followed the other missionaries who had severally halted at Periakulam before ascending the mountain, and joined them on the summit.]