Untitled

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 21, 11 October 1849, Page 3

The great rule laid down by our Saviour when he was on earth was this "To love one another." And again to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Our Lord called this a new commandment, Jt is not nn easy rule to follow; we all think more about good things for ourselves than we do for others ; but there have been many men who have followed our Saviour's commandment, and the example which bescfus; they have been willingto suffer that their fellow men might not sufier, nay, more, they have been willing even to die in order to save their fellow men from dying. Such a man was Eric ; he lived not many years ago, he was a Russian, he was servant to a nobleman in Russia. Russia is an exceeding cold country; the snow lies on the ground all through the winter, and though there are very good roads it is hard work to drive along, the wheels of the carriages and carts sink into the snow. One night when the snow lay deep on the road, Eric's master and his wife and their little girl were travelling to their own home ; they had been journeying; in their carriage all day, and had-a long way to go ; they stopped at an inn just before sunset, lo dine nnd to get some fresh horses, for their own were very tired. The master of the inn said lo Erie's master, " You had better sleep here. Sir, nnd go on at dawn to-morrow, tho road you must go by is deep in snow, and you have a long wood to go through ; the wolves are very many nnd very fierce this winter, they are starving for want of food, and they may attack you."

There are many wolves in Russia. Tlio wolf is a fierce beast, very like a large dog in shapr, but bigger and stronger; lliey are cowardly beasts in the daylight and would not venture to nttnck men, only sheep or cows, but at night, in the woods, they would go about in great numbers, fifty or sixty together, and then tiiey ure not afraid to attack a party of men. Eric's master laughed at what the innkeeper had sAid; he wanted to get home, he had often travelled before at uight, and he knew that lie had pistols and plenty of powder and shot ; he put four fresh horses to the the carriage. Eric sat outside, there were two mt'n riding on the horses, with short whips to urge them on, one of the men rode oil one 'of the fore horses, the other on one near the carriage. They drove on and just as it was getting dark they entered the wood, the road war very bad, and the horses went slowly ; afier a while, they heard a long bark or howl, it came nearer and nearer, and Gric hurried to his master, and said " The wolves are after us, Sir, there are a great many, you had better load four pistols with small shot, perhaps they will be afraid of us : we must make haste." They drove on, and soon Erie cried " They are coming." His master Ipoked out and by the light of the carriage lamps he could sec them trotting along over the snow. The horses went as fat as they could for they were terrified ns the wolves. Soon the wolves overtook their carriage, there Were perhaps two hundred, and at their head an eld strong wolf which led them on. Tiiey all came nearer, nearer, nearer still, till with a loud bark the leader sprang lip to .ieize one of the horses ; us he sprangfiric shot him through the head ; then liric said, " We must tie a piece of wood to a lonji string, Sir, and let it drag on the snow behind the carriage. The wolves are very cautious and they will think it a trap." They found apiece of wood and tied it to the back of the carriage, this frightened'the wolves a little while, but they soon came hack again ; then Erie's master loaded his pistols agnin and gave two more pistufs to Eric just as the wolves got close to the carriage, the two men fired, Eric and his master—some of the wolves were killed, the rest ran off howling— Kric urged on the horses, hut soon again the wolves were round the carriage, and they were mad with rage that some ot the wolves had been killed. Then Erio said "We must cut the leathern traces of one of the fore horses and let it go, the wolves will seize it, it is a aid thing, but they will destroy us all else." The man who was on one horsa cut the traces of the other and the liorie bounded away as soon a J it felt itself free, away went the wolves after it, and Eric and his master heard a shrill cry, the wolves had caught the horse. The men urged the other horses on, and they reached the top of a hill in the wood —and they could see at a distance the lights

in the houses of the town to which llicy were going. Hut the road was still very bad. three horses could not go so fast as four, and when the wolves had torn the horse to pieces hack they came, full of rage, tor they had tasted blood, liric told the man in front to climb up to him 011 the top of the carriage, and to cut the traces of the liorae on which he had been riding. The man did so, and the second horse rushed frightened _ away, and the wolves after it, and then again was heard a loud shrill cry, it wns heing torn to pieces. And now Eric showed his exceeding great love to his master. He knew that the wolves would soon come back, before they could get quite out of the wood, they were nearly out and below them lay the town, but the horses were weak and frightened, and he knew they would not go so fust as the wolves, so he determined to die that he might gave his master and mistress and little girl. He prayed to Gcd to strengthen him, it was a hard thing to do ; he had a wife sod child waiting for him at home. But when ho had prayed he said, •' Muster, we shall be killed if the wolves come back ; now I will tell you what I will do, Iwill get down and meetthem, give tne some pistols; drive on as fast as you can to the town, take care of my wile and child. God bless you." Many men are brave when fighting, their hearts are fierce against their enemies, but this was a fearful fight ; to step dow'n to meet wild beiuts, to loose the only chance of saving bis life, to know he should be torn to pieces, this was love, Eric was a brave man, his love to Gud and his love to his neighbour wasgreater than his love to his own body. His friends prayed him to stay, they said Let us all die togethet." But the wolves came up and Eric leapt down and fired his pistols, Erie's master drove on as fast as ho could, they were soon out of the wood, and drove down the hill, they reached the door of their house, and the wolves feared the light, and galloped back to the wood. They were saved. Eric's master got a great number of men to go back with him at dawn, they carried toiches, and went to the place were Eric had stood, but there were no marks of him, only some blood on the snow, and the pistols lying there. Erie'i master put up a stone over the place where his faithful servant died. On it was written " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for h'm friend." John, 15th chapt. and xiii verse, This was Love indeed 1