act of weakness and also that he would not hold out very long.  He went further to say many severe things in criticism of the cause of Protestant Christianity.  Jose Barretto replied, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself for finding fault with the thing which has produced such a change in my life.  You know the kind of character I have been in this community.  You know how violent and sinful I have been and you know at this time how I am living.  A religion which can produce such a change as this does not deserve ridicule.”  The man turned and slunk away.  In the meantime, there had gathered around them a number of people, because they knew how serious a matter it was for anyone to oppose him, and they expected to see something violent take place that day.  Being emboldened by the mild answer which he gave to his persecutor, others began to ask questions.  Finally one of them asked him this question:  “Suppose someone should strike you in the face in persecution, what would you do?” And then the great, strong violent man who had been made meek and humble by his acceptance of Jesus gave an answer which showed him to be genuinely converted to the Spirit of Jesus.  He said:  “I am not afraid of such a thing as that happening, for the reason that I propose to live in this community such a life for the help of my brothers that no one will ever desire to strike me in the face,” and these others turned shame-stricken away from him.  He threw down before that community the challenge of his life, and that is the thing that not only in Brazil, but here in our own land, must finally win for our King the triumph which is His due.

CHAPTER X.

Captain Egydio.

What brought about the readiness of this territory in the interior of the State of Bahia for the acceptance of the gospel?  Perhaps the brand of burning which did more than any other to shed light through the entire section over which we passed, was the person of Captain Egydio Pereira de Almeida.  He was one of several brothers of a good country family which owned large possessions in the interior 150 miles from the city of Bahia.  He was an intense Catholic, but never a persecutor.  At one time he was Captain in the National Guards.  He was political boss of his community and protector for a small tribe of Indians.  He was a hard-working, law-abiding citizen.

In order to know the story we must go back a little.  In 1892 Solomon Ginsburg sold a Bible to Guilhermino de Almeida on the train when he was going to Armagoza.  Ginsburg had only one Bible left and felt constrained to offer it to the stranger across the aisle.  The man said he had no money and did not care to buy.  The missionary pressed him and finally sold him for fifty cents a Bible worth four times that amount.  That night his fellow passenger heard the missionary speak in the theater in Armagoza and seemed to enjoy especially the hymns the preacher sang.  The missionary marked for him the Ten Commandments and other passages in the Bible.