CHAPTER VIII.

A CONVERT'S STORY.

I will not attempt to give an account of half the lads whom Mr. Duff first taught to think, then to pray, then to leave all and dare all for the sake of religion. They formed a noble band, of whom some are still living in positions of usefulness and honour even in the distant Panjab, while others, represented on earth by their children, have gone, like their loved Missionary, to join the Blessed above. But the story of the third youth who became a convert is so interesting, that a chapter must be given to him.

[Illustration: GOPINATH NUNDI.]

One morning a young man named Gopinath Nundi came into Mr. Duff's study, and bursting into tears exclaimed, "Can I be saved!"

He told how the last of a series of lectures given by the Missionary had driven him to seek the advice of Banerjea, who prayed with him, and sent him to Mr. Duff. Bitter trials were afterwards endured by this young convert, such as are experienced now by many Hindus and Mahomedans who, when convinced of the truth of Christianity, take up their cross and follow the Lord. Gopinath was cast off by his family, after enduring first their entreaties, then their abuse. The most painful wrench was when Gopinath heard his old mother's cry of anguish. The convert wept, but was granted strength to keep firm.

He threw up his arms and turning hastily away exclaimed, "No! I cannot stay!"

He knew that the Lord Jesus Christ hath said, "he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me."

It was about twenty-five years after that painful scene that Gopinath, then a Christian pastor, had to pass through one more terrible still; the same grace that had supported him through the first trial, bore him up in the last.

In the dreadful time of the Mutiny in 1857, Gopinath, then a married clergyman of Futteypore, had to endure a confessor's sufferings, and almost met a martyr's death. Of his sufferings, when attempting with his wife to fly from the murderous foe, a shortened account shall be given, chiefly in his own words.

"We travelled till 9 A. M. when both ourselves and our dear children, (two of them six years, and the baby one year old,) felt tired and sat down under the shade of a tree. The poor children cried most bitterly from hunger. We laid our petitions before that God who fed His people with manna in the wilderness, and indeed He heard our prayer. We saw in the distance a marriage procession; I went up to them and they gave me five pice, which enabled me to buy suttoogoor; with this we fed the children and resumed our journey."

At night the poor exhausted travellers found shelter in the house of a kind Hindu, and in the early morning started for Allahabad.

"There," Gopinath goes on, "we saw with heartfelt sorrow that the missionary bungalow was burnt to ashes, and the beautiful church totally disfigured. On our arrival swarms of Mahomedans fell upon us. A Hindu goldsmith took us into his house, and kept us safe during the day. At sunset, when we left his protection, we fell into the hands of some other Mahomedans. When we saw that there was no way of escape, and the villagers ready to kill us, we begged them hard to take us to their head the Moulvie, who for some days assumed the supreme authority there. When we were brought before him, we found him seated on a chair; surrounded by men with drawn swords. We made our salams, upon which he put to us the following questions:—

"'Who are you?'—'Christians.'

"'What place do you come from?'—'Futteypore.'

"'What was your occupation?'—'Teaching and preaching the Christian religion.'

"'Are you a Padri?'—'Yes, Sir.'

"'Is it you who used to go about reading and distributing tracts?'

"'Yes, Sir, I and my catechist.'

"'How many Christians have you made?'

"'I did not make any Christians, for no human being can change the heart of another, but God, through my instrumentality, brought to the belief of His true religion about a couple of dozens.'"

This roused the man's fury. He exclaimed that Gopinath deserved a cruel death; he threatened to cut off his nose, ears, and hands, and to make slaves of his poor little children. Then, perhaps moved by a little pity, the Moulvie offered not only to spare but to favour Gopinath if he would become a Mahomedan. The converted Hindu replied that he would prefer death. The same offer was made to Gopinath's wife, and she returned a like brave answer.

The Mahomedan sent the family to prison, saying that he would give them three days to consider. The prison was shared with a European and some native Christians. After relating to each other their sad stories, the whole afflicted party, at Gopinath's suggestion, knelt down to pray. Whilst they were thus engaged, one of the guards came and kicked Gopinath on the back, bidding him pray after the Mahomedan form or hold his tongue.

[Illustration: CHEKE and GOPINATH NUNDI.]

The next day a youthful officer, named Cheke, sorely wounded, was added to the band of prisoners. Gopinath tended him as well as he could, which seems to have made the daroga angry, for he put Gopinath into the stocks. A party of Mahomedans now came, and again Gopinath was offered immediate release if he would deny his faith.

The almost dying Cheke cried with a loud voice, "Padri, Padri, be firm, do not give way!"

And God enabled the sufferer to keep firm, though he saw his poor wife dragged from him by her hair, and brutally wounded in the face.

Three days passed, but God withheld the Moulvie from fulfilling his threat of murdering his heroic prisoner. A fourth—a fifth day found the Christian family still enduring their ordeal of fiery trial. On the sixth day the Moulvie came to the prison, and mockingly, asked his poor captive if he were comfortable.

"How can I be comfortable when my feet are fastened to the stocks?" was the reply; yet Gopinath added an expression of submission to the will of his Heavenly Father.

But the parent could not forbear asking the tyrant how he could be so cruel as not to allow a drop of milk to a poor innocent baby. The sufferings of his helpless family must have been to Gopinath even more grievous than his own.

But these sufferings were near their close. Brave Europeans and Sikh soldiers were now at hand; a fierce fight ensued, and the Moulvie's followers were utterly routed. Gopinath and his family were free! Who can describe their delight when they found themselves rescued by God's almighty power, with the yet higher joy of feeling through all that awful trial of faith they had been kept from denying their Saviour! How devout must have been their thanksgivings to Him who had brought them through that Valley of the Shadow of Death into light, and joy, and freedom!

Gopinath and his wife lived to re-organise the church in Futteypore though they were not very long afterwards called into the presence of the Heavenly King whom they had so faithfully served.—What cause had Dr. Duff, (he had then received the title of Doctor,) to rejoice over the convert who so many years before had come to him in tears with the cry, "Can I be saved!"

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