I swore to him a thousand times that I would be silent: I offered to give him a bill for whatever sum he should fix;--nothing could move him from his fearful project. At length, tired by my resistance, he placed his arms against the wall and darted upon me like an enraged lion, to undress me before killing me. I entreated him again--“What harm have I done you?” said I,--“what enmity is there between us? You do not know, then, that the day of judgment is at hand--that God will demand the blood of the innocent?”--But his hardened heart listened to nothing. I thought of my brother, my parents, my friends; all that was dear to me came to my mind;--desperate, I no longer prayed for protection but from my Creator. “O God! protector of the innocent! help me! give me strength to resist!” My assassin, impatient, snatched my clothes: although he was much bigger than I, God gave me strength to struggle with him for more than half an hour: the blood flowed abundantly from my face--my clothes were torn to rags. The villain, seeing me in this state, endeavoured to strangle me, and raised his arm to grasp my neck. I took advantage of the liberty this movement allowed me, to give him with both fists a violent blow in the stomach: I knocked him backwards, and seizing his arms, I darted out of the grotto, running with all my might. I could scarcely believe the happiness of being saved. Some moments afterwards I heard a running after me: it was the assassin. He called to me, begging me to wait in the most conciliating tone. Having all his arms, I no longer feared to stop, and turning towards him, “Wretch,” said I, “what is it you ask?--you would have assassinated me in secret; but it is you who will be strangled in public.” He answered me by affirming with an oath, that it had all been a jest on his part; that he had wanted to try my courage, and see how I would defend myself. “But I see,” added he, “that you are but a child, since you take it so.”--I answered, raising the gun, that if he came a step nearer I would shoot him. Seeing that I was determined to do it, he fled across the desert, and I returned to the village.