The Black-Bearded Barbarian | Page 5

Canada and the Indian-slayer agreed with him, and
they all jumped the fence, and went whooping away over the soft
brown fields toward home.
There was just one big stone left. It was a huge boulder, four feet
across.
"We'll never get enough wood to crack that, G. L.," declared his brother.
"It just can't be done."
But little George answered just as any one who knew his determination
would have expected. In school he astonished his teacher by learning

everything at a tremendous rate, but there was one small word he
refused to learn--the little word "can't." His bright eyes flashed, now, at
the sound of it. He jumped upon the big stone, and clenched his fist.
"It's GOT to be broken!" he cried. "I WON'T let it beat me." He leaped
down, and away he ran toward the woods. His brother caught his spirit,
and ran too. They forgot they were both tired and hungry. They seized a
big limb of a fallen tree and dragged it across the field. They chopped it
into pieces, and piled it high with plenty of brush, upon the big stone.
In a few minutes it was all in a splendid blaze, leaping and crackling,
and sending the boys' long shadows far across the field.
The fire grew fiercer and hotter, and suddenly the big boulder cracked
in four pieces, as neatly as though it had been slashed by a giant's
sword. Little G. L. danced around it, and laughed triumphantly. The
next moment there came the welcome "hoo-hoo" from the house
behind the orchard, and away the two scampered down the hill toward
home and supper.
When the day's work of the farmhouse had been finished, the Mackay
family gathered about the fire, for the spring evening was chilly.
George Leslie sat near his mother, his face full of deep thought. It was
the hour for family worship, and always at this time he felt most keenly
that longing to do something great and glorious. Tonight his father read
of a Man who was sending out his army to conquer the world. It was
only a little army, just twelve men, but they knew their Leader had
more power than all the soldiers of the world. And they were not afraid,
though he said, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves." For he added, "Fear ye not," for he would march before them,
and they would be sure of victory.
The little boy listened with all his might. He did everything that way.
Surely this was a story of great and glorious deeds, even better than
Waterloo, he felt. And there came to his heart a great longing to go out
and fight wrong and put down evil as these men had done. He did not
know that the longing was the voice of the great King calling his young
knight to go out and "Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the
King."

But there came a day when he did understand, and on that day he was
ready to obey.
When bedtime came the boys were asked if they had finished their
work, and the story of the last big stone was told. "G. L. would not
leave it," the brother explained. The father looked smilingly at little G.
L. who still sat, dangling his short legs from his chair, and studying the
fire.
He spoke to his wife in Gaelic. "Perhaps the lad will be called to break
a great rock some day. The Lord grant he may do it."
The boy looked up wonderingly. He understood Gaelic as well as
English, but he did not comprehend his father's words. He had no idea
they were prophetic, and that away on the other side of the world, in a
land his geography lessons had not yet touched, there stood a great rock,
ugly and hard and grim, which he was one day to be called upon to
break.
CHAPTER II.
A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
The steamship America, bound for Hongkong, was leaving the dock at
San Francisco. All was bustle and noise and stir. Friends called a last
farewell from the deck, handkerchiefs waved, many of them wet with
tears. The long boom of a gun roared out over the harbor, a bell rang,
and the signal was given. Up came the anchor, and slowly and with
dignity the great vessel moved out through the Golden Gate into the
wide Pacific.
Crowds stood on the deck to get a last glimpse of home and loved ones,
and to wave to friends as long as they could be distinguished. There
was one young man who stood apart from the crowd, and who did not
wave farewell to any one. He had come on board with a