Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-01-07


exile in a strange land. lie led the wander
er into his cabin, where the kind wife brought
water for his weary feet, and bound soft BAN
dages about them, while the little children
came, one after another, to bring some article
Of food. When he had appeased his hunger,
he looked up to thank them, and a whole cir
Gle of white faces smiled upon him affection
ately. Poor prosecuted child! He had not
met such glances since they whipped his mo-
ther from him and the unaccustoned kind
ness filled his heart too full. He laid his
head down on the neck of his antelope and
wept freely ; and thus the weary one fell
asleep in that friendly cabin. Long and sweet
were his slumbers, and he woke amid smiling
faces and kindly tones.
Never did fower-bud, transplanted from
nipping winds TO sheltered hooks and genial
sunshine, unfold more rapidly than did this
wild blossom. His plant form moved with
freer grace, his innocent face beamed with
affection, his faculties grew keen and active
in the service OF those he loved, while an in
t%uitive politeness of the heart taught him to
be always unselfshly considerate of them
They loved the beautiful brown boy, as if he
were their own son, and from their friendly
lips the Christian maxims of peace and good
will sank deep into his gentle heart.
When they went to England, two years
afterward, they took Marossi with them.-
Wherever he went, he attracted the love Of
strangers by his bright intelligence, his afTec-
Tomato docility, and deep religious feeling.
The humid climate of Great Britain brought
on consumption, during the rapid progress of
which his expressive countenance became
more and more transparent, and lighted up
with an inward radiance. He knew that he
was dying, and he asked TO be baptized into
the Christian church. Many witnessed the
interesting ceremony, and as they gazed up
on his innocent countenance, they said 10 each
other, Verify, of such are the kingdom Of
Heaven
But though the soul of the young African
was Tranquil in the arms of u happy faith,
many of the doings of Christians seemed dark
and strange to him. At first, he thought the
British were the real children of Utiko, and
that Portuguese and Dutch must be the chill
dren of the devil. But he atterward learned
that the British had carried on the slave-trade,
yet worshipped Utiko in their temples, the
same as now. This i%ncongruity no explana-
ton could ever make clear 10 him. And
there was another thing which greatly per-
picked his unsophisticated mind. The day
he was baptized, the minister returned thanks
to God for a great victory the British had
gained over their enemies and when he re-
turned home, he heard Englishmen saying to
each other that SO many Frenchmen had been
killed, and so many wounded. Suddenly
there flared up before his imagination a vision
of that terrible night in Africa, when he saw
bleeding relatives and neighbors struggling
in the lurid light of their own burning homes.
He pondered deeply over this conversation
of the Christians, and when he was alone
with his friend and teacher, he spoke Of il,
and inquired whether the great prophet sent
by Utiko had not told men 10 forgive their
enemies, and always return good for evil
His teacher, somewhat embarrassed, answer
ed, Yes, but the king must defend his coun-
try, and the troops must obey the king
docs not the king then believe in Utiko
and the prophet?' asked the simple young
convert.
The Christian teacher did the best he could
in his awkward position. He made no at
tempt to reconcile the practice of wal with
the gospel OF peace, but contented himself by
observing that many things above the COM
prehenslon of Marosi would be explained to
him in Heaven. The meek disciple bowed
his head in all humility, and asked no more
questions.
Angels soon after carried the guileless one
to the presence of Uuko, where, amid hea-
venly h%armonies, he has forgotten the bewil-
dering discords of this most homogeneous
world.