An amusing account has been given of Duff's early lessons; of course he had to begin with the alphabet. He who was so learned and eloquent was content to stoop to teach boys their A B C. Gathering his class around him, the Master would begin by showing a large pointed O on a frame. Very soon the letter was shouted out by some hundred young tongues. The letter X would follow, the word OX was thus formed, and the merry scholars were delighted to find that they had mastered an English word. The teacher then exercised the minds of his pupils by asking them questions about the animal whose name they had learned. So delighted were the boys at this new, simple, and amusing way of instruction, that when they went out into the streets, and saw an ox pulling a cart, they would shout "Ox! Ox!" at the top of their voices. This was the first step to something higher. Duff was training his boys to "think;" they were no parrots merely to learn a lesson by rote. Duff opened the intellects of his scholars, and at the same time won their hearts by his kindness. The work wonderfully grew and spread. The hired house was exchanged for a better one, which was—after the lapse of a considerable time—to be succeeded by a beautiful college. After a year, a public examination was held. Those who were present at it were surprised at reading of the boys, their knowledge of arithmetic, geography and grammar. Those who had expected that but little could possibly have been done in a year, listened with admiration to the prompt and clever answers given by the bright young students. Here indeed was grand success. The desire of the youth of India to learn under Alexander Duff became greater and greater. As the Master afterwards wrote,— "The excitement amongst the natives continued unabated. They pursued us along the streets, they threw open the very doors of our palankeens, and poured in their supplications with a pitiful earnestness of countenance that might have softened a heart of stone. They craved for English reading, English knowledge. In broken English some would say, 'me good boy, Oh! take me!' Some 'me want read good books, Oh! take me!'" Such was the press of new candidates that it was found quite needful only to admit by tickets, and to station two men at the door to see that no boys came in who could not show such a ticket. Thus was the blessing of God given to the first efforts of the Missionary Duff for the improvement of the boys of India. ———————— CHAPTER VI. FIRST FRUITS. It must not be thought that whilst the missionary opened the minds of his pupils, he for one day forgot the care of their souls. What avails human learning without that knowledge which leads to life eternal! Duff had seen a parable of this in his shipwreck. Eight hundred volumes which he had carefully chosen were destroyed; so were the papers on the writing of which he had bestowed weeks and months of pains; "but his Bible was left to him still!"