"'The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in Him will I trust.'"
"Thin, sir, you have better fortifications around you than a great manny of us have."
A petty officer from the Locust came up the garden walk, saluted, and said:
"Are you Dr. MacKay, sir?"
"I am."
"Commander Gardenier sent me to present his compliments, and to invite you to bring your family and your valuables and come on board the Locust. He says that you are in great danger here and that no place on shore is safe. A boat is waiting at the jetty, sir."
His words were interrupted by the weird moan of a shell, followed by an ear-splitting crack. The air was full of smoke and dust and flying fragments of metal and stone. It had struck a big boulder directly in front of the house, on the edge of the narrow road at the foot of the garden.
As they recovered from the shock, MacKay was speaking as quietly as if nothing had happened:
"Give Commander Gardenier my thanks. Tell him that I am deeply indebted to him for his thoughtfulness. Say to him that I have no valuables save these." He swept his arm around the semi-circle of native converts, preachers, students, and simple believers. "He could not accommodate all these. It is not his duty. They are subjects of China. But these are my valuables, my children in the Lord. Since I cannot take them with me, I shall stay with them."
"I shall tell him, sir."