infinitely greater, now that the one could bring harrowing fears and

transcendent hopes into play; while the other had few hopes to hold forth,

nor could influence the imagination to diminish the fears which he himself

was the first to entertain. The preacher had persuaded his followers, that

their escape from the plague, the salvation of their children, and the rise

of a new race of men from their seed, depended on their faith in, and their

submission to him. They greedily imbibed this belief; and their

over-weening credulity even rendered them eager to make converts to the

same faith.

How to seduce any individuals from such an alliance of fraud, was a

frequent subject of Adrian's meditations and discourse. He formed many

plans for the purpose; but his own troop kept him in full occupation to

ensure their fidelity and safety; beside which the preacher was as cautious

and prudent, as he was cruel. His victims lived under the strictest rules

and laws, which either entirely imprisoned them within the Tuileries, or

let them out in such numbers, and under such leaders, as precluded the

possibility of controversy. There was one among them however whom I

resolved to save; she had been known to us in happier days; Idris had loved

her; and her excellent nature made it peculiarly lamentable that she should

be sacrificed by this merciless cannibal of souls.

This man had between two and three hundred persons enlisted under his

banners. More than half of them were women; there were about fifty children

of all ages; and not more than eighty men. They were mostly drawn from that

which, when such distinctions existed, was denominated the lower rank of

508

The Last Man