io THE LIFE OF E. J. PECK 



others also. Referring to these days, Mr. Peck 

 writes : &quot; A little band of the Lord s people, being 

 thus brought together, we were almost immediately 

 led to try and do something for our unconverted 

 shipmates. Very soon we had interested one or 

 two more seamen to join us, men for whose con 

 version we never ceased to pray. Then as the days 

 went on, and our little nightly gathering grew more 

 and more precious, we divided the hour spent, mak 

 ing the definite study of the Bible a part of the 

 exercises ; for each felt the need of feeding in the 

 green pastures. 



But they were not allowed much peace outwardly. 

 They were hunted about constantly from place to 

 place by many in authority who seemed to take a 

 pleasure in persecuting them. Among their bitterest 

 enemies was a ship s corporal, who, though he drove 

 them like partridges, was forced to give an unwilling 

 testimony to the effect of their meetings. The 

 corporals mess was cleaned and cared for by a smart 

 but ungodly lad, who held the rating in the ship of 

 first-class boy. This lad came down on one occa 

 sion to a meeting which was being held in the seclu 

 sion of the carpenter s store room. He was decidedly 

 impressed, and this proved to be only the first of 

 many gatherings that he afterwards joined. For 

 he came again and again. Whether he was truly 

 converted or not was not manifest, but certainly 

 his whole life was changed. One night, as three 



