it.' And heartily and sincerely, though in few and simple words, he did ask that it might be given to him. He then continued his search, hoping that he might find something that would help him to understand about 'the wiles of the devil,' and soon discovered another of the red marks at the words, Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.' 'I have it now!' he said, and so eagerly, that he was overheard by a soldier passing by, who said, 'What have you found, Will? Something to make the time pass pleasantly, I hope; for it's very dull here, with nothing to do.'

Poor William was ashamed; but something whispered in his heart that this shame was just a 'wile of the devil,' to prevent his speaking the truth; so, determined that he would not be caught in the snare, he said, 'Why, Tom, I have found that the devil is like a roaring lion, going about trying to devour us.'

Hope he won't catch us,' said Tom, with a sneer. 'I've often heard tell of lions in foreign countries, but I never heard that the devil was amongst them. Come along, Will; if you stay moping over that old book, you won't have pluck enough when we land to fire a shot at the Russians.'

'That's a mistake,' said William quietly. I'd have twice the pluck if I thought that my soul was safe. Oh, Tom, 'tis an awful thing to march to battle and not to know what will become of one.'

'Take your chance,' replied Tom, and don't think about it. That's my plan. Why, man, you're not worse than another. But if I stay here any longer, I'll become as chickenhearted as yourself!' So saying, he walked off.

As soon as he was gone, a young lad, who had only joined the regiment a short time before they embarked, came up to William, and said he had overheard what he had been talking about to Tom, and would like to come and read with him; that ever since he knew they were

to fight with the Russians he had been terrified about his soul, though he had never thought much about it before.

William was delighted with his proposal, and told him all he had been thinking of. They had a long talk about the armour, and again William prayed that they might both be given wisdom from above. For nearly two hours they continued searching the Bible together, looking especially for the red marks. They found one, where these words gave them great comfort: 'I will call upon God, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies.' 'That's just what we want,' said William. 'Call upon the Lord, and He'll save us from our enemies, -the devil and all. I suppose calling upon the Lord means praying to Him; so we will pray now;' and they did pray, and the Lord heard them.

Day after day they continued their search. Every moment that could be spared from other duties they devoted to the study of the Bible. They thirsted, and Jesus gave them living water to drink; they hungered, and He fed them with the bread of life. Continually did they put God in remembrance' of His promise to give wisdom liberally to those that asked for it; and assuredly He gave it. Without any human teacher, any human guide, they learned that they were great sinners, and that the Lord Jesus was a great Saviour. They learned something, too, of the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of the love that passeth knowledge. Nor need we wonder, for God himself was their instructor, -and who teacheth like Him?

Before long, two other soldiers joined them; and very blessed were the hours they passed together in reading and prayer. Nor did they give up these little meetings after they landed in the Crimea. Amid the din of war, and notwithstanding the hard work in the trenches, a day seldom passed that they did not join, at least for a few moments, in united prayer. No braver hearts beat in our whole army than those of that little band; for, sure

that their souls were safe, what happened to their bodies was of comparatively little consequence.

Through all the horrors and hardships of the first winter they were mercifully preserved; but they lived with death constantly before them. At the battle of Inkerman, however, William fell, shot by a bullet. As he lay bleeding on the ground, after the battle was over, his captain saw him, and stopped, for he was a great favourite. William told him he was dying, and asked him to take his Bible from his pocket, and send it to his mother, and to tell her that he died happy, for that his Saviour had washed away his sins. In another moment he breathed his last.

The news of the battle soon reached England; and amidst all the thankfulness and joy for the victory won, how many an aching heart mourned the loss of their best beloved! From the day that William sailed for the Crimea, his poor mother felt sure that she would never see him again, and was sad and desolate indeed. Even after God the Holy Spirit had blessed Mr Fitzgerald's visits to her, and she had learned to know the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, she seemed a stranger to joy and brightness; and many an hour she sat watching by her cottage window, whence she had caught the last glimpse of her handsome boy, as she used fondly to call her

son.

Her anguish of suspense was almost greater than she could bear, as days and weeks passed by, after tidings of the battle had reached her, before she knew whether William was alive or dead. At length Mr Fitzgerald brought her his captain's letter with the account of his death, telling also of his high character in the regiment, and sending his last message to his mother, together with the well-known Bible stained with his blood.

'Oh, my son! my son!' exclaimed the poor widow when she saw it. 'Oh, my son! my son now I am indeed alone.' And, in an agony of grief, she refused to be comforted. After speaking a few words of the tenderest

sympathy, Mr Fitzgerald left her, feeling that the first burst of grief must have its way.

She hardly knew when he left. She could think of nothing but her son. At length, exhausted with the violence of her grief, she lay down on her bed, taking that precious Bible with her. What a tide of recollections rolled back as she looked at it! She remembered the comfort it had been to her daughter; how night and day it had been her companion, and how, with her dying hands, she had marked it for her brother. She remembered, too, how he had written to tell her that in its pages he had found life and peace; and now, stained with his life-blood, he had sent it to her. Can we wonder that it seemed almost too sacred to touch? After a time, however, she opened it, and found that a leaf had been turned down in two places, while on the margin of both was written in a faint pencil hand, 'For my mother.' One pointed to the words, 'Even to old age I am He, and to hoar hairs will I carry you.' The other, to these, 'And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.' 'He thought of me when he was dying,' she said, as the tears fell fast; and then she remembered who had spoken these precious words-remembered how different her blessed Saviour's case was from hers. In His hour of agony His best friends forsook Him and fled. Her children had not forsaken her. No, they were only gone home,―gone where she would soon follow; and meantime, she was not alone, because the Father was with her;' and He had said, 'Even to old age I am He, and to hoar hairs will I carry you.' The words fell like rain upon the parched ground; yes, she was 'not alone;' and her heart filled with the peace that passeth understanding. She went on her way through life, though sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.'

ZAIDA.

AN INSECT WHICH SAVED THE LIFE OF A FRENCH NATURALIST.

OU may occasionally find a small dark-blue beetle, with red shoulders and red chest, among skins or bones. For instance, I have seen it on the quays at Leith, where a ship was unloading a cargo of bones from Buenos It may not unfrequently be met with in tanyards, or dust-heaps about London.

Ayres.