A little ragged boy, aged nine years, was discovered on the fourth day of a voyage from Liverpool to New York, and brought before the first mate, whose duty it was to deal with such cases. When questioned as to his object in being stowed away, and who brought him on board, the boy, who had a beautiful sunny face, and eyes that looked like the very mirrors of truth, replied that his stepfather did it, because he could not afford to keep him, nor to pay his passage out to Halifax, where he had an aunt who was well off, and to whose house he was going.
The mate did not believe the story, in spite of the winning face, and truthful accents of the boy. He had seen too much of stowaways to be easily deceived by them, he said and it was his firm conviction that the boy had been brought on board and provided with food by the sailors. The little fellow was very roughly handled in consequence. Day by day he was questioned and re-questioned, but always with the same result, He did not know a sailor on board, and his stepfather alone had secreted him and given him the food which he ate.
At last the mate, wearied with the boy’s persistence in the same story, and perhaps a little anxious to impress the sailors, seized him one day by the collar and dragging him to the fore, told him that unless he told the truth in ten minutes from that time he would hang him from the yard-arm. He then made him sit down under it on deck. All around him were the passengers and sailors of the mid-day watch, and in front of him stood the cruel mate, with his watch in his hand, and the other officers of the ship, at his side. It was the finest sight, said our informant, that he ever beheld—to see the pale, proud, sorrowful face of that noble boy, his head erect, his beautiful eyes bright through the tears that filled them.
When eight minutes had fled the mate told him he had but two minutes to live, and advised him to speak the truth and save his life: but he replied with the upmost simplicity and sincerity by asking the mate if he might pray. The mate said nothing, but nodded his head and turned as pale as a ghost, and shook with trembling like a reed with the wind. And there, all eyes turned on him, the brave and noble little fellow, this poor waif whom society owned not, and whose own stepfather could not care for him, knelt on the ship’s deck and prayed.
Our young friend was a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and there, with clasped hands, and eyes upturned to heaven, he asked the Lord Jesus to take him to Himself and to forgive the mate. Our informant adds that there then occurred a stirring scene. Sobs broke from strong, hard hearts, as the mate sprang forward to the boy and clasped him to his bosom, and kissed him, and blessed him, and told him how sincerely he now believed his story, and how glad he was that he had been brave enough to face death and be willing to sacrifice his life for the truth of his word.
ML 09/22/1940