Missionary readings for missionary programs

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^ PRINCETON, N. J. *^

Purchased by the Hamill Missionary Fund,

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MISSIONARY READINGS

FOR

MISSIONARY PROGRAMS

The

Transformation
of Ha^raii

How American Missionaries gave a Christ
ian Nation to the World. Stories of Mis- i
sions. Illustrated. i2mo, cloth, $i .00.

" It is remarkable that one who has not been on the
ground should have attained such a comprehension of
the subject as a whole, and such accuracy of detail. I
am in a position to judge of these points, having lived
there nearly all ray life." — Prof. W. D. Alexander,
author of "A brief History of the Hawaiian People."

" Well bound and illustrated, and it contains a brightly
written and very full account of one of the most marvel-
ous stories in all missionary history — the conquest for
Christ of the Hawaiian Islands. Every page of the
book is full of interest."— C E. World.

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
FublisHers

Missionary Readings

for

Missionary Programs

RIU^GE

COMPILED AND ARR^GED BY

BELLE M.' BRAIN

AUTHOR OF " FUEL FOR MISSIONARY FIRES,"
"transformation OF HAWAII," ETC.

NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO

Fleming H. Revell Company
1901

Copyright igoi

BY
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY

amy)

THE CAXTON PRESS
NEW YORK,

FOREWORD

Modern missionary literature abounds in
thrilling incident, graphically told. Nowhere
can be found better material for the mis-
sionary elocutionist than in the books which
record the heroic deeds of those new apos-
tles of the faith, whose achievements might
well form added chapters to the Book of
Acts.

In their original setting, however, the
stories of missionary experience are, as a
rule, much too long for practical use ; hence
the present volume in which the selections
have been condensed sufficiently to bring
them within the time limit necessary for the
ordinary missionary gathering.

The twenty-five readings herewith given
cover a wide range of topics, including trag-
edy and comedy, pathos and humor. Not
all of them are suitable for use on the Lord's
day; some are only appropriate for the so-
cial missionary hour. All, however, have
their mission, being profitable for inspira-
tion, instruction or entertainment.

With a single exception the selections
5

6 Foreword

have been culled from the publications of
the Fleming H. Revell Company. " The
Pentecost on the Congo " from the New
Acts of the Apostles, has been included by
the kind permission of The Baker and Tay-
lor Company.

Belle M. Brain.

Springfield, Ohio, July, 1901.

CONTENTS

PAGE

John G. Paton, Missionary to the
New Hebrides, Vol. I.

1. Our Cottage Home 9

2. The Magical Effect of an English

Man-of-war 19

3. A Slide in the Dark 27

John G. Paton, Missionary to the
New Hebrides, Vol. //.

4. A Twenty-mile Ride Through the

Australian Bush 33

5. Nelwang's Elopement 41-"'

6. The Sinking of the Well 49

New Acts of the Apostles.

7. The Pentecost on the Congo 61 *^

Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie.

8. The Power of Prayer: How Li Hung

Chang Became an Advocate of Medi-
cal Missions 69

From Far Formosa.

9. How Bang-kah Was Taken 79

In the Tiger Jungle.

10. Does God Hear Prayer? A Thrilling

Experience in a Tiger Jungle 90

11. An Encounter with a Ten-foot Ser-

pent 102

7

8 Contents

PAGE

The Cobra's Den.

12. The Spotted Tiger Foiled 109

13. The Angry Mob and the Story of the

Cross 116

While Sewing Sandals,

14. The Story of an India Famine 127

The Gist of Japan.

15. Topsyturvydom 143

The Transformation of Hawaii.

16. A Modern Elijah 150

17. How A United States Citizen was Res-

cued FROM Marquesas Cannibals 158

My Life and Times.

18. How Cyrus Hamlin Came Out of a

Missionary Box 165

Korean Sketches.

19. The Korean Pony 172

20. The Korean Boy 181

21. The Korean New Year 190

On the Indian Trail.

22. God on the Rock: How the Indians

are Taught to Read the Book 197

23. The Victory of the Sabbath-keeping

Indians 207

The Apostle of the North, James
Evans.

24. Camping in the Snow Bank 215

25. A Life for a Life 226

MISSIONARY READINGS

FOR

MISSIONARY PROGRAMS

OUR COTTAGE HOME

From " John G. Paton, Missionary to the New
Hebrides", an autobiography edited by his
brother.

Our cottage home in the ancient village
of Torthorwald, about four and a quarter
miles from Dumfries, consisted of a " but '*
and a " ben " and a " mid room " or cham-
ber, called the " closet." The one end was
my mother's domain, and served all the pur-
poses of dining-room and kitchen and par-
lour, besides containing two large wooden
erections, called by our Scotch peasantry
*' box-beds ; " not holes in the walls as in
cities, but grand, big, airy beds, adorned
with many-coloured counterpanes, and hung
with natty curtains, showing the skill of the
mistress of the house.
9

lo John G. Paton

The other end was my father's workshop,
filled with five or six " stocking frames,'^
whirring with the constant action of five or
six pairs of busy hands and feet, and pro-
ducing right genuine hosiery for the mer-
chants at Hawick and Dumfries.

The " closet " was a very small apartment
betwixt the other two, having room only for
a bed, a little table and a chair, with a dimin-
utive window shedding diminutive light on
the scene. This was the Sanctuary of that
cottage home. Thither daily, and oftentimes
a day, generally after each meal, we saw our
father retire, and " shut to the door ; " and
we children got to understand by a sort of
spiritual instinct (for the thing was too
sacred to be talked about) that prayers
were being poured out there for us, as of old
by the High Priest within the veil in the
Most Holy Place. We occasionally heard
the pathetic echoes of a trembling voice,
pleading as if for life, and we learned to slip
out and in past that door on tiptoe, not to
disturb the holy colloquy. The outside world
might not know, but we knew, whence came
that happy Hght as of a new-bom smile that
always was dawning on my father's face ; it
was a reflection from the Divine Presence,
in the consciousness of which he lived.

Never, in temple or cathedral, on moun-

Our Cottage Home 1 1

tain or in glen, can I hope to feel that the
Lord God is more near, more visibly walk-
ing and talking with men, than under that
humble cottage roof of thatch and oaken
wattles. Though everything else in re-
ligion were by some unthinkable catastrophe
to be swept out of memory, or blotted from
my understanding, my soul would wander
back to those early scenes, and shut itself
up once again in that Sanctuary Closet, and,
hearing still the echoes of those cries to
God, would hurl back all doubt with the
victorious appeal, '' He walked with God,
why may not I ? "

Our mother, Janet Jardine Rogerson, was
a bright-hearted, high-spirited, patient-toil-
ing, and altogether heroic little woman ; who
for about forty-three years, made such a
wholesome, independent. God-fearing, and
self-reliant life for her family of five sons
and six daughters, as constrains me, when
I look back upon it, almost to worship her
memory.

In her girlhood she had gone, with her
high spirits and breezy disposition to glad-
den the quiet abode of some grand, or great-
grand-uncle and aunt, familiarly named, in
all that Dalswinton neighborhood, " Old
Adam and Eve." Their home was in the
outskirts of the moor and life for the young

12 John G. Paton

girl had there not probably too much excite-
ment. But one thing had arrested her at-
tention. She had noticed that a young
stocking maker, James Paton, son of Wil-
liam and Janet, was in the habit of stealing
alone into the quiet wood, book in hand,
day after day, at certain hours, as if for pri-
vate study and meditation. It was a very
excusable curiosity that led the bright young
heart of the girl to watch him devoutly
reading and hear him reverently reciting;
and finally that curiosity awed itself into a
holy respect, when she saw him lay aside
his broad Scotch bonnet, kneel down under
the sheltering wings of some tree, and
pour out all his soul in daily prayers to God.
As yet they had never spoken. What
spirit moved her, let lovers tell — was it all
devotion, or was it a touch of unconscious
love kindling in her toward the yellow-
haired and thoughtful youth? Anyhow,
one day she slipped in quietly, stole away
his bonnet, and hung it on a branch near by,
while his trance of devotion made him ob-
livious of all around; then, from a safe re-
treat she watched and enjoyed his searching
for and finding it ! A second day this was
repeated; but his manifest disturbance of
mind, and his long pondering with the bon-
net in hand, as if almost alarmed, seemed

Our Cottage Home 13

to touch another chord in her heart — that
chord of pity which is so often the prelude
of love, that finer pity that grieves to
wound anything nobler or tenderer than
ourselves.

Next day, when he came to his accus-
tomed place of prayer, a little card was
pinned against the tree just where he knelt,
and on it were these words : " She who stole
away your bonnet is ashamed of what she
did; she has a great respect for you, and
asks you to pray for her, that she may
become as good a Christian as you."

Staring long at the writing, he forgot his
reading for one day ; taking down the card,
and wondering who the writer could be, he
was abusing himself for his stupidity in
not suspecting that some one had discovered
his retreat, and removed his bonnet, in-
stead of wondering whether angels had
been there during his prayer, — when, sud-
denly raising his eyes, he saw in front of
old Adam's cottage, the passing of another
kind of angel, swinging a milk-pail in her
hand, and merrily singing some snatch of
old Scotch song. He knew, in that moment,
by a Divine instinct, as infallible as any
voice that ever came to seer of old, that she
was the angel visitor that had stolen in upon
his retreat — that bright-faced, clever-witted

14 John G. Patan

niece of old Adam and Eve, to whom He
had never yet spoken, but whose praises he
had often heard said and sung — " Wee Jen."
I am afraid he did pray " for her," in more
senses than one, that afternoon ; at any rate,
more than a Scotch bonnet was very effectu-
ally stolen ; a good heart and true was there
bestowed ; and the trust was never regretted
on either side, and never betrayed.

Often and often, in the genial and beau-
tiful hours of the autumntide of their long
life, have I heard my dear father tease
" Jen " about her maidenly intentions in
the stealing of that bonnet; and often with
quick mother wit have heard her happy re-
tort, that had his motives for coming to
that retreat been altogether and exclusively
pious, he would probably have found his
way to the other side of the wood ; but that
men who prowled about the Garden of Eden
ran the risk of meeting some day with a
daughter of Eve !

Somewhere in or about his seventeenth
year, my father had passed through a crisis
of religious experience, and from that da}''
he openly and very decidedly followed the
Lord Jesus. Family worship had heretofore
been held only on Sabbath day in his father's
house; but the young Christian, entering
into conference with his sympathising

Our Cottage Home ij

mother, managed to get the household per-
suaded that there ought to be daily morn-
ing and evening prayer, and reading of the
Bible and holy singing. And thus began,
in his seventeenth year, that blessed custom
of Family Prayer, morning and evening,
which my father practised probably without
one single omission till he lay on his death-
bed, seventy-seven years of age ; when even
to the last day of his life, a portion of
Scripture was read, and his voice heard
softly joining in the Psalm, and his lips
breathed the morning and evening Prayer, —
falling in sweet benediction on the heads of
all his children, far away many of them
over all the earth, but all meeting him at
the Throne of Grace. None of us can re-
member that any day passed unhallowed
thus ; no hurry for market, no rush to busi-
ness, no arrival of guests, no trouble or sor-
row, no joy or excitement, ever prevented at
least our kneeling around the family altar,
while the High Priest led our prayers to
God, and offered himself and his children
there.

Our place of worship was the Reformed
Presbyterian Church at Dumfries, fully
four miles from our Torthorwald home ; but
the tradition is that during forty years my
father was only thrice prevented from at*

i6 John G. Pa ton

tending the worship of God — once by
snow so deep that he was baffled and had
to return ; once by ice on the road, so dan-
gerous that he was forced to crawl back
on his hands and knees ; and once by a ter-
rible outbreak of cholera at Dumfries. All
intercourse betwixt the town and the sur-
rounding villages was publicly prohibited;
and the farmers and villagers, suspecting
that no cholera would make my father stay
at home on the Sabbath, sent a deputation
to my mother on the Saturday evening, and
urged her to restrain his devotions for once !
That, however, was needless; as where the
life of others was at stake, his very devotion
came to their aid.

Each of us, from very early days, con-
sidered it no penalty, but a great joy, to go
with our father to the church; the four
miles were a treat to our young spirits, and
occasionally some of the wonders of city
life rewarded our eager eyes. A few other
pious men and women from the same parish
went to one or another favourite minister
at Dumfries; and when the God-fearing
peasants foregathered in the way to or from
the House of God, we youngsters had some-
times rare glimpses of what Christian talk
may be and ought to be.

We had special Bible Readings on the

Our Cottage Home 17

Lord's Day evening, and the Shorter Cate-
chism was gone through regularly. Oh,
I can remember those happy Sabbath even-
ings; no blinds drawn and shutters up, to
keep out the sun from us, as some scanda-
lously affirm; but a holy, happy, entirely
human day, for a Christian father, mother,
and children to spend.

There were eleven ot us brought up in,
a house like that; and never one of the
eleven, boy or girl, man or woman, has been
heard, or ever will be heard, saying that
the Sabbath was dull or wearisome to us.
But God help the homes where these things
are due by force and not by love! The
very discipline through which our father
passed us was a kind of religion in itself.
If anything really serious required to be
punished he retired first to his closet for
prayer, and we boys got to understand that
he was laying the whole matter before God ;
and that was the severest part of the punish-
ment for me to bear! I could have defied
any amount of mere penalty, but this spoke
to my conscience like a message from God.
We loved him all the more, when we saw
how much it cost him to punish us ; and, in
truth, he had never very much of that kind
of work to do upon any one of all the eleven
—we were ruled far more by love than fear.

1 8 John G. Paton

His long and upright life made him a
great favourite in all religious circles far
and near within the neighbourhood. At
sick-beds and funerals he was constantly
sent for and much appreciated; and this
appreciation greatly increased, instead of
diminishing, when the years whitened his
long flowing locks, and gave him apostolic
beauty. His happy partner, " Wee Jen,"
died in 1865, and he himself in 1868,, — an
altogether beautiful and noble episode of
human existence having been enacted, amid
the humblest surroundings of a Scottish
peasant's home, through the influence of
their united love by the grace of God; and
in this world, or in any world, all their
children will rise up at mention of their
names and call them blessed I

II

THE MAGICAL EFFECT OF AN ENG-
LISH MAN-OF-WAR

From "John G. Paton", Vol. I.

Missionary work among the savages of
Tanna^ was uphill, weary and trying work.
For one thing, the people were terribly dis-
honest; and when there was any special
sickness, or excitement from any cause,
their bad feelings toward the Worship was
displayed by the more insolent way in which
they carried off whatever they could seize.
When I opposed them, the club or toma-
hawk, the musket or kawas (i. e., killing
stone), being instantly raised, intimated that
my life would be taken, if I resisted them.

Their skill in steahng was phenomenal!
If an article fell, a Tannaman would neatly
cover it with his foot, while looking you
frankly in the face, and having fixed it by
his toes, would walk off with it, assuming
the most innocent look in the world. In
this way, a knife, a pair of scissors, or any
smaller article, would at once disappear.

*An island of the New Hebrides group.
19

ao John G. Paton

Another fellow would deftly stick some-
thing out of sight amongst the whip-cord
plaits of his hair; another would conceal it
under his naked arm ; while yet another
would shamelessly lift what he coveted, and
openly carry it away.

With most of them, however, the shame
was not in the theft, but in doing it so
clumsily that they were discovered ! Once,
after continuous rain and a hot, dry atmos-
phere, when the sun shone out, I put my
bed-clothes on a rope to dry. I stood at
hand watching, as also the wives of two
Teachers, for things were mysteriously dis-
appearing almost under our very eyes.
Suddenly, Miaki,^ who with his war-com-
panions had been watching us unobserved,
came rushing to me crying, —

** Missi,^ come in, quick, quick ! I want
to tell you something and to get your ad-
vice!"

He ran into my house, and I followed;
but before he got into his story, we heard
the two women crying out, —

" Missi, missi, come quick ! Miaki's men
are stealing your sheets and blankets ! "

I ran at once, but all were gone into the
bush, and with them my bed-clothes. Miaki

*A Tannese chief.

'An abbreviation of missionary.

An English Man-of-War 21

for a moment looked abashed, as I charged
him with deceiving me just to give his men
their opportunity. But he soon rose to the
occasion. He wrought himself into a tower-
ing rage at them, flourished his huge club,
and smashed the bushes all around, shout-
ing to me, —

" Thus will I smash these fellows, and
compel them to return your clothes."

One dark night I heard them amongst
my fowls. These I had purchased from
them for knives and calico; and they now
stole them all away, dead or alive. Had I
interfered, they would have gloried in the
chance to club or shoot me in the dark, when
no one could exactly say who had done the
deed. Several of the goats, which I had
for milk, were also killed or driven away;
indeed, all the injury that was possible was
done to me, short of taking away my life,
and that was now frequently attempted.

Having no fires or fire-places in my Mis-
sion House, such not being required there,
we had a house near by in which all our
food was cooked, and there, under lock and
key we secured all our cooking utensils,
pots, dishes, etc. One night, that too was
broken into, and everything stolen. In con-
sternation, I appealed to the Chief, telling
him what had been done. He also flew into

22 John G. Paton

a great rage, and vowed vengeance on the
thieves, saying that he would compel them
to return everything. But, of course, noth-
ing was returned; the thief could not be
found !

I, unable to live without something in
which to boil water, at length offered a
blanket to anyone that would bring back my
kettle. Miaki himself, after much professed
difficulty, returned it minus the lid — that,
he said could not be got at any price, being
at the other side of the island in a tribe
over which he had no control !

Having no means of redress, we strove to
make as little of our trials as possible; in-
deed we bore them all gladly for Jesus'
sake. All through these sorrows, our as-
surance deepened, rather than faded, that
if God only spared us to lead them to love
the Lord Jesus, they would soon learn to
trust us as their friend. That, however, did
not do away with the hard facts of my life
— being now entirely alone amongst them,
opposed by their cruelty at every turn, and
deceived by their unfailing lies.

One morning, the Tannese, rushing to-
ward me in great excitement, cried, " Missi,
missi, there is a God, or a ship on fire, or
something of fear, coming over the sea!
,We see no flames, but it smokes like a vol-

An English Man-of-War 23

cano. Is it a Spirit, a God, or a ship on
fire ? What is it ? What is it ? "

One party after another followed in
quick succession, shouting the same ques-
tions in great alarm. I replied, " I cannot
go at once ; I must dress in my best clothes ;
it will likely be one of Queen Victoria's
Men-of-War, coming to ask me if your
conduct is good or bad, if you are stealing
my property, or threatening my Hfe."

They pled with me to go and see it; but
I made much fuss about dressing and get-
ting ready to meet the great Chief on the
vessel, and would not go with them. The
two principal chiefs now came running and
asked, " Missi, will it be a ship of war? "

I called to them, " I think it will ; but I
have no time to speak to you now, I must
get on my best clothes."

They said, ** Missi, only tell us, will he ask
you if we have been stealing your things ? "

I answered, " I expect he will.'*

They asked, " And will you tell him ? "

I said, " I must tell him the truth. If he
asks, I must tell him."

They then cried out, " Oh, Missi, tell him
not! Everything shall be brought back to
you at once, and no one will be allowed
again to steal from you."

Then said I, " Be quick ! Everything

24 John G. Paton

must be returned before he comes. Away,
away! and let me get ready to meet the
great chief on the Man-of-war."

Hitherto no thief could ever be found,
and no Chief had power to cause anything
to be restored to me; but now in an in-
credibly short space of time, one came run-
ning to the Mission House with a pot,
another with a pan, another with a blanket,
others with knives, forks, plates, and all
sorts of stolen property. The Chiefs called
me to receive these things, but I replied,
" Lay them all down at the door, bring
everything together quickly; I have no
time to speak with you."

I delayed my toilet, enjoying mis-
chievously the magical effect of an ap-
proaching vessel that might bring penalty
to thieves. At last one of the Chiefs, run-
ning in breathless haste, called out to me,
" Missi, missi, do tell us, is the stolen prop-
erty all here ? "

Of course I could not tell, but, running
out, I looked on the promiscuous heap of
my belongings, and said, " I don't see the
lid of the kettle there yet ! "

" No, Missi," said one Chief, " for it is
on the other side of the island ; but tell him
not, I have sent for it, and it will be here

An English Man-of-War 25

I answered, " I am glad you have brought
back so much ; and now if you Chiefs do not
run away when he comes, he will not likely
punish you ; but, if you and your people run
away, he will ask me why you are afraid,
and I will be forced to tell him ! Keep near
me and you are safe ; only there must be no
more stealing from me."

They said, " We are in black fear, but we
will keep near you, and our bad conduct to
you is done."

The charm and joy of that morning are
fresh to me still, when H. M. S. Cordelia^
Captain Vernon, steamed into our lovely
Harbour. The Commander, having heard
rumour of my dangers on Tanna, came on
shore as soon as his ship cast anchor, and
was extremely kind, offering to do anything
in his power for me, left thus alone on the
island amongst the savages.

At his suggestion I sent a general invita-
tion to all the Chiefs to meet the Captain
next morning at my house. True to their
instincts of fear and suspicion, they dis-
patched all their women and children to the
beach on the opposite side of the island be-
yond reach of danger, and next morning
my house was crowded with armed men,
manifestly much afraid. Punctually at 10
A. M.; the Captain came on shore and soon

26 John G. Paton

thereafter twenty Chiefs were seated with
him in my house. He gave them wise
counsels and warned them against outrages
on strangers, all calculated to secure our
safety, and advance the interests of our
Mission.

He then invited all the Chiefs to go on
board and see his vessel. They were taken
to see the Armoury, and the sight of the
big guns vastly astonished them. He then
showed them two shells discharged towards
the Ocean, at which as they burst and fell
off, splashing into the water, the terror of
the natives visibly increased. But, when he
sent a large ball crashing through a cocoa-
nut grove, breaking the trees like straws and
cutting its way clear and swift, they were
quite dumb-founded and pled to be again
set safely on shore. After each receiving
a small gift, however, they were reconciled
to the situation, and returned immensely
interested in all that they had seen.

Doubtless many a wild romance was spun
by these savage heads, in trying to describe
and hand down to others the wonders of
the fire-god of the sea, and the Captain of
the great white Queen. How easily it all
lends itself to the service of poetry and
myth!

Ill

A SLIDE IN THE DARK

From " John G. Paton ", Vol. I.

On the southwest side of Tanna ^ there
was another Mission Station that I had to
visit from time to time, as the missionaries
there were both in a poor state of health.
On one occasion, a message reached me that
they were without European food, and a
request to send them a little flour if possible.
A war was raging on the island, making
the journey overland impossible, while a
strong wind and a high sea round the coast
rendered it impracticable for my boat to go.

The danger to life from the enemy was
so great, that I could not hire a crew. I
pled, therefore, with a few leading men to
take one of their best canoes, and them-
selves to accompany me. I had a large
flat-bottomed pot, with a close-fitting lid,
and that I pressed full of flour; and, tying
the lid firmly down, I fastened it right in
the centre of the canoe, as far above the
water-mark as possible. All else that was

^ An island of the New Hebrides group.
27

28 John G. Paton

required we tied around our persons. Sea
and land being as they were, it was a peril-
ous undertaking, which only dire necessity
could have justified.

Creeping around near the shore all the
way, we had to keep just outside the great
breakers on the coral' reef, and were all
drenched through and through with the
foam of an angry surf. We narrowly es-
caped death in the dangerous sea, but at
length with great difficulty we made our
port in safety. Singing in my heart unto
God, I hired a man to carry the pot of flour,
and soon arrived at the Mission Station.

Supplying the wants of our dear friends
whom we found as well as could be ex-
pected, I had to prepare to return to my
own Station by walking overland through
the night. My companions resolved to
await a favourable wind and tide to return
to their homes, but I durst not remain longe'r
away lest my house should be broken into
and plundered.

Before I had gone far on my return
journey the sun went down, and no Native
could be hired to accompany me. They all
told me that I would for certain be killed
by the way. But I knew that it would be
quite dark before I reached the hostile dis-
tricts, and that the Heathen are great

A Slide in the Dark 29

cowards in the dark, and never leave their
villages at night, except in companies for
fishing and such-like tasks. I skirted along
the sea-shore as fast as I could, walking
and running alternately; and, when I got
within hearing of voices, I slunk back into
the bush until they had safely passed, and
then groped my way back near the shore,
that being my only guide to find a path.

Having made half the journey, I came to
a dangerous path, almost perpendicular, up
a great rock around the base of which the
sea roared deep. With my heart lifted up
to Jesus, I succeeded in climbing it, cau-
tiously grasping roots, and resting by
bushes, till I reached safely to the top.
There, to avoid a village, I had to keep
crawling slowly along the bush near the
sea, on the top of that great ledge of rock,
a feat I could never have accomplished
even in daylight without excitement, but I
felt that I was supported and guided in all
that life or death journey by my dear Lord
Jesus.

I had to leave the shore, and follow up
the bank of a very deep ravine to a place
shallow enough for me to cross, and then
through the bush away for the shore again.
By holding too much to the right, I missed
the point where I intended to reach it.

30 John G. Paton

Small fires were now visible through the
bush, I heard the voices of people talking
in one of our most heathen villages. Quietly
drawing back, I now knew where I was,
and easily found my way towards the
shore; but on reaching the Great Rock, I
could not in the darkness, find the path
down again. I groped about till I was
tired. I feared that I might stumble over
and be killed; or if I delayed till daylight,
that the savages would kill me.

I knew that one part of the rock was
steep-sloping, with little growth or none
thereon, and I searched about to find it,
resolved to commend myself to Jesus and
slide down thereby that I might again reach
the shore and escape for my life. Thinking
I had found this spot, I hurled down
several stones and listened for their splash
that I might judge whether it would be
safe. But the distance was too far for me
to hear or judge. At high tide the sea
there was deep; but at low tide I could
wade out of it and be safe. The darkness
made it impossible to see anything. I let
go my umbrella, shoving it down with con-
siderable force, but neither did it send me
back any news.

Feeling sure, however, that this was the
place I sought, and knowing that to await

A Slide in the Dark 3 1

the daylight would be certain death, I
prayed to my Lord Jesus for help and pro-
tection, and resolved to let myself go. First,
I fastened all my clothes as tightly as I
could, so as not to catch on anything; then
I lay down at the top on my back, feet
foremost, holding my head downwards on
my breast to keep it from striking on the
rock; then, after one cry to my Saviour,
having let myself down as far as possible
by a branch, I at last let go, throwing my
arms forward and trying to keep my feet
well up. A giddy swirl, as if flying through
the air, took possession of me; a few
moments seemed an age; I rushed quickly
down, and felt no obstruction till my feet
struck into the sea below.

Adoring and praising my dear Lord
Jesus, who had ordered it so, I regained
my feet ; it was low tide, I had received no
injury, I found my umbrella, and, wading
through, I found the shore path easier and
lighter than the bush had been. The very
darkness was my safety, preventing the
Natives from rambling about. I saw no
person to speak to, till I reached a village
quite near to my own house, fifteen or
twenty miles from where I started; here
I left the sea path and promised young men
some fishhooks to guide me the nearest way

32 John G. Paton

through the bush to my Mission Station,
which they gladly and heartily did. I ran
a narrow risk in approaching them; they
thought me an enemy, and I arrested their
muskets only by a loud cry, —

" I am Missi ! Don't shoot ; my love to
you, my friends ! "

Praising God for His preserving care, I
reached home and had a long refreshing
sleep. The Natives, on hearing next day
how I came all the way in the dark, ex-
claimed,—

'' Surely any of us would have been
killed ! Your Jehovah God alone thus pro-
tects you and brings you safely home."

With all my heart, I said, *' Yes ! and He
will be your protector and helper too, if only
you will obey and trust in Him."

Certainly that night put my faith to the
test. Had it not been for the assurance that
I was engaged in His service, and that in
every path of duty He would carry me
through, or dispose of me therein for His
glory, I could never have undertaken this
journey. St. Paul's words are trae to-day
and forever, — " I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me."

IV

A TWENTY-MILE RIDE THROUGH
THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH

From "John G. Paton", Vol. II.

The crowning adventure of my tour in
Australia when I was travelling over the
length and breadth of the land telling the
story of our Mission, came about in the
following manner : I was advertised to con-
duct services at Narracoort on Sabbath,
and at a Station on the way on Saturday
evening. But how to get from Penola was
a terrible perplexity. On Saturday morn-
ing, however, a young lady offered me, out
of gratitude for blessings received, the use
of her riding horse for the journey.

" Garibaldi " was his name ; and, though
bred for a racehorse, I was assured that if
I kept him firmly in hand, he would easily
carry me over the two-and-twenty miles.
He was to be left at the journey's end, and
the lady herself would fetch him back. I
shrank from the undertaking, knowing
little of horses, and having vague recollec-
tions of being dreadfully punished for more
33

34 John G. Paton

than a week after my last and almost only
ride. But every one in that country is quite
at ease on the back of a horse. They saw no
risk ; and, as there appeared to be no other
way of getting there to fulfil my engage-
ments, I, for my part, began to think that
God had unexpectedly provided the means,
and that He would carry me safely through.

I accepted the lady's kind offer, and
started on my pilgrimage. A friend showed
me the road, and gave me ample directions.
In the bush, I was to keep my eyes on the
notches in the trees, and follow them. He
agreed kindly to bring my luggage to the
Station, and leave it there for me by-and-
bye. After I had walked very quietly for
some distance, three gentlemen on horse-
back overtook me. We entered into con-
versation. They inquired how far I was
going, and advised me to set a little " freer "
in the saddle, as it would be so much easier
for me. They seemed greatly amused at my
awkward riding!

Dark clouds were now gathering ahead,
and the atmosphere prophesied a severe
storm; therefore they urged that I should
ride a little faster, as they, for a consider-
able distance, could guide me in the right
way. I explained to them my plight
through inexperience, said that I could only

A Twenty-mile Ride 35

creep on slowly with safety, and bade them
good-bye. As the sky was getting darker
every minute, they consented, wishing me
a safe journey, and started off at a smart
pace.

I struggled to hold in my horse; but
seizing the bit with his teeth, laying back
his ears, and stretching out his eager neck,
he manifestly felt that his honor was at
stake ; and in less time than I take to write
it, the three friends cleared a way for us,
and he tore past them at an appalling
speed. They tried for a time to keep within
reach of us, but that sound only put fire
into his blood; and in an incredibly short
time, I heard them not; nor, from the
moment that he bore me swinging past
them, durst I turn my head by one inch
to look for them again. In vain I tried to
hold him in ; he tore on, with what appeared
to me the speed of the wind. Then the
thunderstorm broke around us, with flash
of lightning and flood of rain, and at every
fresh peal my " Garibaldi " dashed more
wildly onward.

To me, it was a vast surprise to discover
that I could sit more easily on this wild
flying thing, than when at a canter or a
trot. At every turn I expected that he would
dash himself or me against the great forest

^6 John G. Paton

trees; but instinct rather than my hand
guided him miraculously. Sometimes I had
a glimpse of the road, but as for the
" notches," I never saw one of them ; we
passed them with lightning speed. Indeed
I durst not lift my eyes^ for one moment
from watching the horse's head and the
trees on our track. My high-crowned hat
was now drenched, and battered out of
shape; for whenever we came to a rather
clear space, I seized the chance, and gave
it another knock down over my head. I
was spattered and covered with mud and
mire.

Crash, crash, went the thunder, and on,
on, went '' Garibaldi " through the gloom
of the forest, emerging at length upon a
clearer ground with a more visible pathway.
Reaching the top of the slope, a large house
stood far out in front of us to the left ; and
the horse had apparently determined to
make straight for that, as if it were his
home. He skirted along the hill, and took
the track as his own familiar ground, all
my effort to hold him in or guide him
having no more effect than that of a child.
By this time, I suspect, I had really lost all
power. " Garibaldi " had been at that
house, probably frequently before ; he knew

A Twenty-mile Ride 37

those stables; and my fate seemed to be
instant death against door or wall.

Some members of the family, on the out-
look for the Missionary, saw us come tear-
ing along as if mad or drunk ; and now all
rushed to the verandah, expecting some
dread catastrophe. A tall and stout young
groom, amazed at our wild career, throwing
wide open the gate, seized the bridle at great
risk to himself, and ran full speed, yet hold-
ing back with all his might, and shouting
at me to do the same. We succeeded, —
" Garibaldi " having probably attained his
purpose, — in bringing him to a halt within
a few paces of the door. Staring at me
with open mouth, the man exclaimed, " I
have saved your life. What madness to
ride like that ! " Thanking him, though I
could scarcely by this time articulate a
word, I told him that the horse had run
away, and that I had lost all control.

Truly I was in a sorry plight, drenched,
covered with mud, and my hat battered
down over my ears ; little wonder they
thought me drunk or mad! Finally, as if
to confirm every suspicion, and amuse them
all, — for master, mistress, governess and the
children now looked on from the verandah
— when I was helped off the horse, I could

38 John G. Paton

not stand On my feet! My head still went
rushing on in the race; I staggered, and
down I fell into the mud, feeling chagrin
and mortification; yet there I had to sit
for some time before I recovered myself,
so as either to rise or to speak a word.
When I did get to my feet, I had to stand
holding by the verandah for some time,
my head still rushing on in the race. At
length the master said, '' Will you not come
in?"

I knew that he was treating me for a
drunken man; and the giddiness was so
dreadful still, that my attempts at speech
seemed even more drunken than my gait.

As soon as I could stand, I went into the
house, and drew near to an excellent fire in
my dripping clothes. The squatter sat op-
posite to me in silence, reading the news-
papers, and taking a look at me now and
again over his spectacles. By-and-bye he
remarked, " Wouldn't it be worth while to
change your clothes ? "

Speech was now returning to me. I re-
plied, " Yes, but my bag is coming on in
the cart, and may not be here to-night."

He began to relent. He took me into a
room, and laid out for me a suit of his own.
I being then very slender, and he a big-
framed farmer, my new dress, though

A Twenty-mile Ride 3 9

greatly adding to my comfort, enhanced the
singularity of my appearance.

Returning to him, washed and dressed,
I inquired if he had arranged for a meet-
ing? My tongue, I fear, was still unsteady,
for the squatter looked at me rather re-
proachfully, and said, " Do you really con-
sider yourself fit to appear before a meeting
to-night?"

I assured him that he was quite wrong
in his suspicions, that I was a Ufe-long
abstainer, and that my nerves had been so
unhinged by the terrible ride and the run-
away horse. He smiled rather suggestively,
and said we would see how I felt after tea.

We went to the table. All that had oc-
curred was now consummated by my ap-
pearing in the lusty farmer's clothes ; and
the lady and other friends had infinite diffi-
culty in keeping their amusement within
decent bounds. I again took speech in
hand, but I suspect my words had still the
thickness of the tippler's utterance, for they
seemed not to carry much conviction —
" Dear friends, I quite understand your
feelings; appearances are so against me.
But I am not drunken, as ye suppose. I
have tasted no intoxicating drink, I am a
life-long Total Abstainer ! "

This fairly broke down their reserve.

40 John G. Paton

They laughed aloud, looking at each other
and at me, as if to say, '' Man, you're drunk
at this very moment."

Before tea was over they appeared, how-
ever, to begin to entertain the idea that I
might address the meeting; and so I was
informed of the arrangements that had been
made. At the meeting, my incredulous
friends became deeply interested. Mani-
festly their better thoughts were gaining
ascendency. And they heaped thereafter
every kindness upon me, as if to make
amends for harder suspicions.

Next morning the master drove me about
ten miles further to the church. A groom
rode the race-horse, who took no scathe
from his thundering gallop of the day be-
fore. It left deeper traces upon me. I got
through the services, however, and with
good returns for the Mission. Twice since
on my Mission tours, I have found myself
at that same memorable house ; and on each
occasion a large company of friends was
being regaled by the good lady there with
very comical descriptions of my first arrival
at her door.

NELWANG'S ELOPEMENT
From "John G. Paton", Vol. I.

Some most absurd experiences were
forced upon us by the habits and notions
of the people. Amongst these I recall very
vividly the story of Nelwang's elopement.
I had begun to lay the foundation of two
additional rooms for our house, and felt
rather uneasy to see a well-known savage
hanging around with his tomahawk, and
eagerly watching me at work. He had
killed a man before our arrival on Aniwa,^
and he had startled my wife by suddenly
appearing from among our boxes, and
causing her to run for her life.

On seeing him hovering so alarmingly
near, tomahawk in hand, I saluted him,
*' Nelwang, do you want to speak to me? "

"Yes, Missi," he replied;** if you will
help me now I will be your friend forever."

I answered : " I am your friend. That
brought me here. How can I help you ? "

* An island of the New Hebrides group.

41

42 John G. Paton

He answered quickly, " I want to get
married.'^

I protested : " Nelwang, you know that
marriages here are all made in infancy, by
children being bought and betrothed to their
future husbands. How can I interfere?
You don't want to bring evil on me and
my wife and child? It might cost us our
lives."

" No ! no ! Missi/' earnestly retorted Nel-
wang. " No one hears of this. Only help
me now. You tell me, if you were in my
circumstances, how would you act?"

" That's surely very simple," I answered.
" Every man knows how to go about the
business ! Find out if your intended loves
you, and the rest will follow naturally —
you will marry her."

" Yes," argued Nelwang, " But just there
my trouble comes in ! "

" Do you know the woman you would
Hke to get, " I asked.,

" Yes," he replied very frankly, " I want
to marry Yakin, the chief widow up at the
inland village, and that will break no in-
fant betrothals."

" But," I persevered, *' Do you know if
she loves you ? "

" Yes," replied Nelwang ; " One day I
met her on the path and told her I would

Nelwang*s Elopement 43

like to have her for my wife. She took
out her earrings and gave them to me, and
I know thereby that she loves me. I was
one of her late husband's men; and if she
had loved any of them more than me, she
would have given them to another. With
the earrings she gave me her heart."

" Then why don't you go and marry
her?"

" There begins my difficulty," said Nel-
wang gravely. " In her village there are
thirty young men for whom there are no
wives. Each of them wants her, but no one
has the courage to take her, for the other
nine-and-twenty will shoot him."

" And if you take her," I suggested,
" the disappointed thirty will shoot you."

'*' That's exactly what I see, Missi," con-
tinued Nelwang ; " But I want you to just
think you are in my place, and tell me how
you would carry her off. You white men
can always succeed. Missi, hear my plans
and advise me."

With as serious a face as I could com-
mand, I had to enter into his love affair,
and to make suggestions, with a view to
avoiding bloodshed. The result of the de-
liberations was that Nelwang was to se-
cure the confidence of two friends, place
one at each end of the corral above the vil-

44 John G. Paton

lage as watchmen, cut down with his Ameri-
can tomahawk a passage through the fence
at the back, and carry off his bride at dead
of night into the safety and seclusion of the
bush!

Nelwang's eyes flashed as he struck his
tomahawk into a tree, and cried, " I see it
now, Missi ! I shall win her from them
all. Yakin and I will be strong for you all
our days ! "

Next morning Yakin's house was found
deserted. They sent to all the villages
around, but no one had seen her. The
hole in the fence v/as then discovered, and
the thirty whispered to each other that
Yakin had been wooed and won by some
daring lover. Messengers were despatched
to all the villages, and Nelvv^ang was found
to have disappeared on the same night as
the widow, and neither could anywhere be
found.

The usual revenge was taken. The houses
of the offenders were burned, their fences
broken down, and all their property either
destroyed or distributed. Work was sus-
pended, and the disappointed thirty solaced
themselves by feasting at Yakin's expense.
Three weeks passed. The runaways were
nowhere to be found. It was generally be-
lieved that they had gone in a canoe to

Nelwang's Elopement 45

Tanna or Erromanga. But one morning,
as I began my work on my house alone, the
brave Nelwang appeared at my side!

" Hillo ! " I said, " Where have you come
from ? and where is Yakin ? "

" I must not tell you yet," he replied.
" We are hid. We have lived on cocoa-nuts
gathered at night. Yakin is well and happy.
I come now to fulfil my promise : I will help
you, and Yakin will help Missi Paton, the
woman. I have ground to be built upon,
whenever we dare; but we will come and
live with you until peace is secured. Will
you let us come to-morrow morning ? "

" All right," I said, " Come to-morrow ! "
And trembling with delight, he disappeared
into the bush.

Thus strangely God provided us with
wonderful assistance. Yakin soon learned
to wash and dress and clean everything, and
Nelwang served me like a faithful disciple.
They clung to us like our very shadow,
partly through fear of attack, partly from
affection ; but as each of them could handle
freely both musket and tomahawk, which,
though laid aside, were never far away, it
was not every enemy that cared to try issues
with Nelwang and his bride.

After a few weeks had thus passed by,
and both of them were really showing an

4.6 John G. Paton

interest in things pertaining to Jesus and
His Gospel, I urged them strongly to appear
publicly at the Church on Sabbath, to show
that they were determined to stand their
ground together as true husband and wife.
Delay now could gain no purpose, and I
wished the strife and uncertainty to be put
to an end.

Nelwang knew our customs. Every wor-
shipper has to be seated, \vhen our little
bell ceases ringing. Aniwans would be
ashamed to enter after the Service had actu-
ally begun. As the bell ceased, Nelwang
marched in, dressed in shirt and kilt, and
grasping very determinedly his tomahawk!
He sat down as near to me as he could
conveniently get, trying hard to conceal his
manifest agitation. Slightly smiling to-
wards me, he then turned and looked
eagerly at the door through which the
women entered the Church, as if to say,
" Yakin is coming ! " But his tomahawk
was poised ominously on his shoulder, and
his courage gave him a defiant and almost
impudent air. He was evidently quite ready
to sell his Hfe at a high price, if any one
was prepared to risk the consequences.

In a few seconds Yakin appeared; and
if Nelwang's bearing and appearance were
rather inconsistent v/ith the feeling of wor-

Nelwang's Elopement 47

ship — what on earth was I to do when the
figure and costume of Yakin began to re-
veal itself marching in? The first visible
difference betwixt a Heathen and a Chris-
tian is — that the Christian wears some
clothing, the Heathen wears none. Yakin
determined to show the extent of her Chris-
tianity by the amount of clothing she could
carry upon her person. Being a Chief's
widow before she became Nelwang's bride,
she had some idea of state occasions, and
appeared dressed in every article of Euro-
pean apparel, mostly portions of male attire,
that she could beg or borrow about the
premises !

Her bridal gown was a man's drab-
coloured great-coat, put on above her
Native grass skirts, and sweeping down to
her heels, buttoned tight. Over this she had
hung on a vest, and above that again, most
amazing of all, she had superinduced a pair
of men's trousers, drawing the body over
her head, and leaving a leg dangling grace-
fully over each of her shoulders, and stream-
ing down her back. Fastened to the one
shoulder also there was a red shirt, and to
the other a striped shirt, waving about her
like wings as she sailed along. Around her
head a red shirt had been twisted like a tur-
ban, and her notions of art demanded that

48 John G. Paton

a sleeve thereof should hang aloft over each
of her ears ! She seemed to be a moving
monster, loaded with a mass of rags. The
day was excessively hot, and the perspira-
tion poured over her face in streams. She,
too, sat as near to me as she could get on
the woman's side of the Church.

Nelwang looked at me, and then at her,
smiling quietly, as if to say, " You never
saw, in all your white world, a bride so
grandly dressed ! **

I little thought what I was bringing on
myself when I urged them to come to
Church. The sight of that poor creature
sweltering before me constrained me for
once to make the service very short — per-
haps the shortest I ever conducted in all my
life! The day ended in peace. The two
souls were extremely happy ; and I praised
God that what might have been a scene of
bloodshed had closed thus, even though it
were in a kind of wild grotesquerie !

THE SINKING OF THE WELL .
From "John G. Paton", Vol. II.

It was the Sinking of the Well that broke
the back of Heathenism on Aniwa.^ Being
a flat coral island, with no hills to attract the
clouds, rain is scarce there as compared with
the adjoining mountainous islands; and
even when it does fall heavily, with tropical
profusion, it disappears through the light
soil and porous rock, and drains itself di-
rectly into the sea. Aniwa had, therefore,
no permanent supply of [ fresh water, in
spring or stream or lake.'

My own household felt the want of it
sadly, and I resolved by the help of God to
sink a well near the Mission Premises, hop-
ing that a wisdom higher than my own
would guide me to the source of some
blessed spring. Of the scientific conditions
of such an experiment I was completely
ignorant; but I counted on having to dig
through the earth and coral above thirty
feet, and my constant fear was, that owing

* An island of the New Hebrides group.
49

50 John G. Paton

to our environment, the water, if water I
found, could only be salt water after all my
toils ! Still I resolved to sink that shaft in
hope, and in faith that the Son of God would
be glorified thereby.

One morning I said to the old Chief and
his fellow-Chief, both now earnestly inquir-
ing about the religion of Jehovah and of
Jesus, " I am going to sink a well deep down
into the earth, to see if our God will send
us fresh water up from below."

They looked at me with astonishment,
and said in a tone of sympathy approaching
to pity, " O Missi ! Wait till the rain come
down, and we will save all we possibly can
for you."

I replied, " We may all die for lack of
water. If no fresh water can be got, we
may be forced to leave you.'*

The old Chief looked imploringly and
said : " O Missi I you must not leave us for
that. Rain comes only from above. How
could you expect our Island to send up
showers from below ? "

I told him : " Fresh water does come up
springing from the earth in my Land at
home, and I hope to see it here also."

The old Chief grew more tender in his
tones, and cried : " O Missi ! your head is
going wrong, or you would not talk wild

The Sinking of the Well 51

like that! Don't let our people hear you
talking about going down into the earth for
rain, or they will never listen to your v/ord,
or believe you again/'

But I started upon my hazardous job,
selecting a spot near the Mission Station,
and close to the public path, that my pros-
pective well might be useful to all. When
I began to dig, the good old Chief told off
his men in relays to watch me, lest I should
attempt to take my own life, or do anything
outrageous, saying, " Poor Missi ! that's
the way with all who go mad. There's no
driving of a notion out of their heads. We
must watch him now. He will find it
harder to work with pick and spade than
with his pen, and when he's tired we'll per-
suade him to give it up."

I did get exhausted sooner than I ex-
pected, toiling under the tropical sun; but
we never own before the natives that we
are beaten, so I went into the house and
filled my vest pocket with large, beautiful,
English-made fish-hooks. These are very
tempting to the young men, though their
own, skilfully made out of shell, serve their
purpose wonderfully. Holding up a large
hook, I cried, '' One of these to every man
who fills and turns over three buckets out
of this hole ! "

52 John G. Paton

A rush was made to get the first turn,
and bucket after bucket was filled and
emptied rapidly. Still the shaft seemed to
lower very slowly, while my fish-hooks were
disappearing very quickly. I took the heavy
share of everything, and was thankful one
evening to find that Vv^e had cleared more
than twelve feet deep, — v/hen lo! next
morning, one side had caved in, and our
work was all undone.

The old Chief and his best men now
came around me more earnestly than ever.
He remonstrated with me very gravely.
He assured me for the fiftieth time that
rain would never be seen coming up through
the earth on Aniwa!

" Now," he said, *' had you been in that
hole last night, you would have been buried,
and a Man-of-war would have come from
Queen 'Toria to ask for the Missi that
lived here. We would say, ' Down in that
hole.' The Captain would ask, * Who put
him down there ? ' We would have to say,
* He went down there himself ! ' The Cap-
tain would answer, ' Nonsense ! who ever
heard of a white man going down into the
earth to bury himself? You killed him,
you put him there; don't hide your bad
conduct with lies ! ' Then he would bring
out his big guns and shoot us in revenge.

The Sinking of the Well 53

You are making your own grave, Missi, and
you will make ours too. Give up this mad
freak, for no rain will be found by going
downwards on Aniwa. Besides, all your
fish-hooks cannot tempt my men again to
enter that hole ; they don't want to be buried
with you. Will you not give it up now ? "

I said all I could to quiet his fears, ex-
plained to them that this falling in had
happened by my own neglect of precau-
tions, and finally made known that by the
help of my God, even without all other
help, I meant to persevere.

Steeping my poor brains over the problem,
I became an extemporized engineer. Two
trees were searched for, with branches on
opposite sides. I sank these on each side
firmly into the ground, and passed a beam
across them, over the centre of the shafts,
fastened there on a rude, home-made pully
and block, passed a rope over the wheel,
and swung my largest bucket to the end
of it. Thus equipped I began once more to
sink the well.

Not a native, however, would enter the
hole, and I had to dig away till I was
utterly exhausted. But a Teacher, in whom
I had confidence, took charge above, mana-
ging to hire them with knives, axes, etc.,
to seize the end of rope and walk along

54 John G. Paton

pulling it till the bucket rose to the sur-
face, and then he himself swung it aside,
emptied it, and lowered it down again.
Thus I toiled on from day to day, my
heart almost sinking sometimes with the
sinking of the well, till we reached a depth
of about thirty feet. And the phrase,
'' Living water," '' Living water," kept
chiming through my soul like music from
God!

At this depth the earth and coral began
to be soaked with damp. I felt that we,
were nearing water. My soul had a faith
that God would open a spring for us; but
side by side with this faith was a strange
terror that the water would be salt. So
perplexing and mixed are even the highest
experiences of the soul ; the rose-flower of a
perfect faith, set round and round with
prickly thorns.

One evening I said to the old Chief, " I
think that Jehovah God will give us water
to-morrow from that hole ! "

The Chief said, ''No, Missi; you will
never see rain coming up from the earth
on this island. We wonder what is to be
the end of this mad work of yours. We
expect daily, if you reach water, to see you
drop into the sea, and the sharks will eat

The Sinking of the Well 55

you! That will be the end of it; death to
you, and danger to us all."

I still answered, " Come to-morrow. I
believe that Jehovah God will send us the
rain water up through the earth." I knew
I was risking much, and probably incurring
sorrowful consequences, had no water been
given; but I had faith that God was lead-
ing me on, and I knew that I sought His
glory, not my own. .

Next morning, I went down again at
daybreak, and sank a, narrow hole in the
center about two feet deep. The perspira-
tion broke over me with uncontrollable ex-
citement, and I trembled through every
limb, when the water rushed up and began
to fill the hole! Muddy though it was, I
eagerly tasted it, and the little " tinny "
dropped from my hand with sheer joy, and
I almost fell upon my knees in that muddy
bottom to praise the Lord. It was water!
It was fresh water! It was living water
from Jehovah's well ! True, it was a little
brackish, but nothing to speak of; and no
spring In the desert, cooling the parched
lips of a fevered pilgrim, ever appeared
more worthy of being called a Well of God
than did that water to me !

The Chiefs had assembled with their men

56 John G. Paton

near by. THey waited on in eager ex-
pectancy. It was a rehearsal, in a small
way, of the Israelites coming around, while
Moses struck the rock and called for water.
By-and-bye, when I had praised the Lord,
and my excitement was a little calmed, the
mud being also greatly settled, I filled a
jug which I had taken down empty in the
sight of them all, and ascending to the
top called for them to come and see the
rain which Jehovah God had given us
through the well. They closed around me
in haste, and gazed on it in superstitious
fear. The old Chief shook it to see if it
would spill, and then touched it to see if
it felt like water. At last he tasted it, and
rolling it in his mouth with joy for a
moment, he swallowed It and shouted,
" Rain ! Rain ! Yes, it is rain ! But how did
you get it ? "

I repeated, ''Jehovah, my God, gave it
out of his own Earth, in answer to our la-
bours and prayers. Go and see it springing
up for yourselves ! "

Now, though every man could cHmbthe
highest tree as swiftly and fearlessly as a
squirrel, not one of them had courage to
walk to the side and gaze down into that
well. To them this was miraculous! But
they were not without a resource that met

The Sinking of the Well 57

the emergency. They agreed to take firm
hold of each other by the hand, to place
themselves in a long line, the foremost
man to lean cautiously forward, gaze into
the well, and then pass to the rear, and so
on till all had seen " Jehovah's rain " far
below. It was somewhat comical, yet far
more pathetic, to stand by and watch their
faces, as m.an after man peered down into
the mystery, and then looked up at me in
blank bewilderment!

When all had seen it with their own eyes
and were '' weak with wonder," the old
Chief exclaimed, " Missi, wonderful, won-
derful, is the work of your Jehovah God!
No god of Aniwa ever helped us in this
way. But, Missi," continued he, after a
pause that looked like silent worship, '* Will
it always rain up through the earth ? or will
it come and go like the rain from the
clouds ? "

I told them that I believed it would al-
ways continue there for our use, as a good
gift from Jehovah.

"Well, but, Missi," replied the Chief,
some ghmmering of self-interest beginning
to strike his brain, " Will your family drink
it all, or shall we also have some ? "

" You and all the people of the Island
may come and drink and carry away as

58 John G. Paton

much of it as you wish," I answered. " I
beHeve there will always be plenty for us
all, and the more of it we can use the
fresher it will be. That is the way with
many of our Jehovah's best gifts to men,
and for it we praise His name ! "

The Chief looked at me eagerly, fully
convinced at last that the well contained a
treasure, and exclaimed, " Missi, what can
we do to help you now ? " ,

I was thankful indeed to accept of his
assistance, and said, " You have seen it fall
in once already. In order to preserve it
we must build it round and round with
great blocks of coral from the bottom to the
very top."

With all their heart and will they started
on the job, till the wall rose like magic.
Women, boys and all wished to have a
hand in building it, and it remains to this
day one of the greatest material blessings
the Lord has given to Aniwa. Very
strangely, though the Natives themselves
have since tried to sink six or seven wells
in the most likely places near their villages,
they have either come to coral rock which
they could not pierce, or found only water
that was salt. And they say among them-
selves, " Missi, not only used pick and
spade, but he prayed and cried to his God.

The Sinking of the Well 59

We have learned to dig, but not how to
pray, and therefore Jehovah will not give
us rain from below ! "

When the well was finished, the old
Chief said, " Missi, I think I could help you
next Sabbath. Will you let me preach a
sermon on the well ? "

" Yes," I replied, '* If you will bring all
the people to hear you."

Sabbath came around. Aniwa assembled
in what was, for that island, a great crowd.
I conducted short opening devotions, and
then called upon the old Chief. He rose at
once, with eye flashing wildly, and his limbs
twitching with emotion. He spoke with
powerful effect, swinging his tomahawk to
enforce every eloquent gesticulation.

This address and the Sinking of the Well,
broke the back of Heathenism on Aniwa.
That very afternoon the old Chief and
several of his people brought their idols
and cast them down at my feet. Oh, the
intense excitement of the weeks that fol-
lowed! Company after company came
loaded with their gods of wood and stone.
What could be burned we cast into the
flames; others v/e buried in pits twelve or
fifteen feet deep ; and some few, more likely
to feed or awaken superstition, we sank far
out into the deep sea.

6o John G. Paton

Heathen worship was gradually extin-
guished and though no one was compelled to
come to church, every person on Aniwa,
without exception, became an avowed wor-
shipper of Jehovah God. Again, " O
Galilean, Thou hast conquered ! ''

VII

THE PENTECOST ON THE CONGO

From " The New Acts of the Apostles " by the
Rev. Arthur T. Pierson, D.D. Reprinted by
the kind permission of The Baker and Taylor
Company, publishers.

Few tales of missionary experience sur-
pass for thrilling interest that of the work
at Banza Manteke. In 1879, Rev. Henry
Richards went from England as missionary
of the Livingstone Inland Mission, and, at
Banza Manteke, one hundred and fifty miles
from the mouth of the Congo, established
a mission station, afterwards transferred to
the American Baptist Missionary Union.

The people there believed in a great Crea-
tor, who made all things, but they did not
worship him because they did not think him
a good God, worthy of praise and adora-
tion. He did not concern himself about
them ; he was too far away. They had little
images cut out of wood — some like them-
selves, only with birds' heads, beaks and
claws ; others like animals. They trusted
in these idols to save them from sickness,
death and disaster, but expected no direct
6i

62 New Acts of the Apostles

blessings from them. They also believed
in witchcraft, to which they attributed all
evils and misfortunes, and which they
counteracted by charms. If any one was
sick, they sent for the witch-doctors, who
with many incantations, drove out the
demon, or pointed out some person as the
witch.

Mr. Richards sought to show them that
sickness, death and other calamities, are not
due to witchcraft, but to sin. He gave them
the Bible account of creation, the fall, etc.,
and tried to show that God is not only a
great, all powerful Creator, but a kind and
loving Father. For four years he pursued
this course, thinking it necessary to give
them some idea of the Old Testament be-
fore beginning with the New. But at the
end of this time they were just as rank
heathen as when he first went among them.
There was no evidence of any change.
They did not even feel themselves to be
sinners.

Then Mr. Richards went home for a
season of rest, and while there, spoke to
one who had had much experience in mis-
sion work, seeking a clew to his maze of
difficulty. He was advised to go back and
preach the lazv — for that convinces of sin.
On reaching Banza Manteke again, the first

Pentecost on the Congo 6^

thin^ he did was to translate the Ten
Commandments and expound them to the
people. They said the commandments were
very good, and claimed that they had kept
them; but the plainest and most personal
applications of the decalogue made no ap-
parent impression.

Two years more passed, and the people
were no better. Mr. Richards began to be
hopeless of doing them any good. He had
gained their respect, and they were kind to
him, but that was all. At last in his dis-
couragement, he began to study the Scrip-
tures anew for himself, feeling that there
must be some mistake in his preaching, or
lack in his living. In the Apostolic days,
souls were converted, why not now?
Surely the Gospel had not lost its power.
If in the days of the Acts of the Apostles,
heathen turned from idols to serve the
living God, why should not these heathen
in Banza Manteke?

He studied the Gospels and the Acts of
the Apostles, and began to see that the
commission is not, " Go ye into all the world
and preach the Lazv," but " preach the Gos-
pel." That was the turning point in the
work of this lonely and disheartened mis-
sionary! He determined simply to preach
the Gospel. Again he noticed that the dis-

64 New Acts of the Apostles

ciples were bidden to wait until they were
endued with pozvcr from on high. He re-
turned to his work, determined not only to
preach the Gospel, but cry to God for the
promised enduement.

It was needful to decide just what
" Preaching the Gospel " means. If he
preached Jesus crucified, the people would
want to know who Jesus was. He decided
to take Luke's Gospel as the most complete
and suitable for Gentiles. He began trans-
lating ten or twelve verses a day, and then
read and expounded them, asking God to
bless His own word. At once his dark
hearers proved more interested than when
he preached the law, and he was more and
more encouraged.

When he came to the sixth chapter of
Luke, thirtieth verse, a new difficulty arose
— " Give to every man that asketh of thee."
But these people were notorious beggars;
they would ask for anything that pleased
their eye — his blanket, his knife, his plate —
and when he would say he could not give
these things to them they would reply,
" You can get more."

Henry Richards was greatly perplexed
as to what to do with that verse. He let
his helper in translation go, and went to
his room to pray over the matter. The time

Pentecost on the Congo 65

for daily service was drawing near. What
should he do? Why not pass over that
verse? But conscience replied that this
would not be honest dealing with God's
word. The preaching hour came ; instead of
advancing, he went back to the beginning
of the Gospel, reviewing the earlier part,
to gain time for fuller consideration of that
perplexing text. Still, on further study,
he could not find that it meant anything hut
just zvhaf it said. The commentators said,
Jesus was giving general principles, and
we must use common sense in interpreting
His words. But this did not satisfy him.
If he interpreted one text this way, why
not all others ? " Common sense " seemed
a very unsafe commentator.

A fortnight of prayer and consideration
drove him to the wall : The Lord meant
just what He said. And so he read to the
people that verse, " Give to every man that
asketh of thee," and told them this was a
very high standard, but he meant to live
what he preached. After the address the
natives began to ask him for this and that,
and he gave them whatever they asked for,
wondering whereunto this thing would
grow ; but he told the Lord he could see no
other meaning in His words. The people
were evidently deeply impressed by his

66 New Acts of the Apostles

course. One day he overheard one say:
" I got this from the white man/' Then
another said that he was going to ask him
for such a thing. But a third said, " No,
buy it if you want it." Another said, " This
must be God's man, we never saw any other
man do so. Don't you think if he is God's
man we ought to stop robbing him? " Grace
was working in their hearts. After that
they rarely asked him for anything, and
even brought back what they had taken!

The missionary went on translating and
expounding Luke's Gospel, and the interest
continually grew. The climax was reached
as he came to the account of the crucifixion
of Christ. A large congregation confronted
him that day. He reminded the people of
the kindness and goodness of Jesus, and of
His works of mercy ; and, pointing to Him
as nailed upon the cross between thieves,
he said: ''Jesus never would have died if
we had not been sinners ; it was because of
your sins and mine that he died." The im-
pression was very deep. The Holy Ghost
seemed to have fallen upon the people!

He continued preaching the Gospel and
seeking Holy Ghost power. One day as
they were returning from a service, Lutale,
who helped him in translation, began to
sing one of the Congo hymns. His face

Pentecost on the Congo 67

shone with joy, and he said : " I do believe
these words; I do believe Jesus has taken
away my sins; I do believe He has saved
me." Seven years of toil, weary waiting,
and suffering had passed, and now the first
convert was found at Banza Manteke!

At once, Lutale began testifying what the
Lord had done for him. But the people
became his enemies and tried to poison him ;
so he left his town and Hved with Mr.
Richards for safety. For a time there were
no more converts, but the people were
stirred. By and by the King's son became
a Christian. Shortly after, another man
came with his idols, and placing them on
a table said, with savage determination, " I
want to become a Christian," and he soon
began to preach.

The work went until ten were converted,
but all had to leave their homes as they
were threatened with death. The mission-
ary now shut up his house, and taking these
men with him, went from town to town
preaching the Gospel. The whole com-
munity was greatly moved; one after
another came over to Christ's side. The
work continued and was blest until all the
people immediately around Banza Manteke
had abandoned their heathenism! More
than a thousand names were enrolled in a

68 New Acts of the Apostles

book of those who gave evidence of real
conversion.

After years had passed, Mr. Richards
found the converts holding on their way.
Those who had been thieves and liars, now
became honest, truthful, industrious and
cleanly. Witchcraft, poison-giving, and all
such heathen practices had been put away.
They brought their idols, and at the first
baptism had a bonfire of images destroying
every vestige of idolatry !

VIII

THE POWER OF PRAYER: HOW
LI HUNG CHANG BECAME AN AD-
VOCATE OF MEDICAL MISSIONS

From " John Kenneth Mackenzie, Medical Mis-
sionary to China ", by Mrs. Bryson, London
Mission, Tien-tsin.

When Dr. Mackenzie reached Tien-tsin
in 1879 the prospect, from a Medical Mis-
sion point of view, looked by no means
bright.

In the year i860 the surgeons attached to
the British forces quartered in that city had
conducted an hospital for native practice,
which was the means of extensive useful-
ness. On the departure of the troops, how-
ever, the institution which they had origi-
nated was closed, and though several at-
tempts were made to supply its place,
nothing was effected until the year 1869.

At that time Mr. Lees, senior member of
the mission was enabled, by the kind contri-
butions of the Tien-tsin foreign community,
to rent a house in one of the principal thor-
oughfares of the city, and engage Mr. Pai,
69

7o Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie

a Christian Chinese dispenser from the
Peking hospital, to take charge of it.

Much good work had been accomplished,
but when Dr. Mackenzie arrived he found
the institution destitute of funds for carry-
ing on its benevolent work. In a letter to
a friend he describes the state of things.

" Mr. J'ai had no money to buy foreign
drugs, and was treating his patients pretty
much after the native fashion. The annual
collection taken in January among the
foreign residents in aid of the dispensary,
L failed to pay off the outstanding debt up
to the end of 1878, leaving the expenses of
1879 totally unprovided for. Such was the
state of things when I arrived — no money
and no foreign drugs. At our committee

^meeting held in Peking at the end of April,
a resolution was passed asking the directors
to grant me money for drugs ; but this could
not reach me for at least five months.
What was I to do in the interval?
We prayed much about it — not ourselves
alone, but Mr. Lees and the other brethren.
It was a time of great spiritual blessing to
me personally; I was brought to feel there
was no help in man, but that God would

5. open a way.

^ " In thinking over many plans it was sug-
gested that we should draw up a petition

The Power of Prayer 71

to the Viceroy, setting forth the advantages ^
of establisHmg an hospital for the benefit
of the Chinese, telHng him what had been
done elsewhere in medical missionary en-
terprise, and soliciting his aid.

*' We hoped that by clearly showing him
the terribly neglected state of the city, with
its numerous accidents, and prevalent sick-
ness, we might move him, or rather God
might move him, and incline his heart to
help us with funds."

A memorial was drawn up in Chinese,
and through the courtesy of a consular
friend, was presented directly to His Ex- ""
cellency Li Hung Chang, the well-known
ruler of the metropolitan province. It was
sent in to this great statesman about the
middle of May, but was set aside with the
comment that the object was a good one
and he would consider it.

The next two months was a time of great -
anxiety. Dr. Mackenzie says : " June
passed away and July came to a close, and
yet not a word of reply came from the
Viceroy, until we began to think that truly
the matter had been shelved, and we were
to hear nothing more about it. We were
more than ever thrown back upon God. I
had meanwhile commenced to dispense a
few foreign drugs, obtained at our own cost

72 Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie

at Shanghai, but very few patients came.
I never had more than twenty in a day.
Why I hardly know except the general be-
lief that the Tien-tsin people are so anti-
foreign. '*

At last the weary time of waiting came
to an end. By another reference to what
Tennyson calls '' Those fallen leaves that
keep their green, the noble letters of the
dead," we find the Doctor gratefully relat-
ing how God, in His loving kindness,
answered in a wonderful and totally unex-
pected fashion. His servants' continued
prayers.

^ " It was August 1st, the day of our weekly
prayer-meeting, when the missionaries and
native helpers meet for prayer and consul-
tation. Our subject that morning was,
'Ask, and it shall be given you.' Again
we pleaded for an answer to the memorial,
and that God would remember our Medical
Mission needs. While we were praying,
the Lord was already answering. That
very morning, a member of the English

^Legation, closeted with the Viceroy ob-
served that he was very sad. On asking
the reason, the reply was, ' My wife is seri-

■ ously ill — dying; the doctors have told me

\ this^ morning that she cannot live.' * Well,'

The Power of Prayer 73

said the Englishman, * why don't you get
the help of the foreign doctors in Tien-
tsin? they might be able to do something
even yet.' At first the Viceroy objected
that it would be quite impossible for a
Chinese lady of rank to be attended by a
foreigner; but by-and-bye his own good
sense, led by God's Spirit, triumphed, and
he sent a courier to the foreign settlement
for Dn Irwin and me. It was just as our
prayer-meeting was breaking up that the
courier arrived with his message. Here
was the answer to our prayers ! "

The doctors rode up at once to the ya-
men of the Viceroy. After an interview
with His Excellency, who is deeply attached
to his wife, and in her serious illness had
practically suspended all public business,
they were conducted to the inner apart-
ments, and there saw the sick ladyo Ac-
cording to Chinese notions this was a very-
extraordinary proceeding,

" Three years ago," wrote Dr, Mac-
kenzie, " while in Hankow I was called to
attend the wife of a merchant, but was not
allowed to see her face, A hole was made
in a curtain, through which her arm was
protruded, that I might examine her pulse
and so diagnose the disease. But now, two

/

74 Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie

foreign doctors had free permission to ex-
amine and question our patient, the wife
of the leading Viceroy of the Empire ! "

Ly They found the lady very ill — in a most
critical condition, and at first do not seem
to have been hopeful of a successful issue,

' When Dr, Mackenzie came down to the

settlement for medicines, he found a num-
ber of Christian natives, earnestly talking
over the wonderful evento " What chance
is there of Lady Li's recovery ? " was the
eager inquiry; but the Doctor could not
give a very hopeful replyo " She is very
ill ; I fear there is not much hope," he said,
*' But you must just keep on praying,"

He returned to his illustrious patient,
and remained in the yamen all night, to
enable the Viceroy, whose anxiety was
somewhat allayed, to get some sleep,

" We were in close attendance, seeing our
patient twice a day for six days," writes
the Doctor, " When by the mercy of God,
the lady was, humanly speaking, out of
danger. But it was necessary for her
complete restoration to health to adopt
a line of treatment which, according to Chi-
nese etiquette, could only be carried out by
a lady. We therefore informed the Vice-
roy that at Peking (two days' journey off)
there was an American lady doctor, Miss

The Power of Prayer 75

Howard, M.D., of the Methodist Episcopal
Mission, and inquired if there would be any
objection to her carrying out this treatmento
* None whatever ! ' was his reply."

That day a special messenger was dis-
patched for Miss Howard, the Viceroy
sending his own steam launch to convey her
from Tung-chow. On her arrival she took
up her abode in apartments prepared for her
In the Chinese palace, remaining for a
month and rendering invaluable assistance
in the case.

" When a great potentate in an eastern
city takes you by the hand," writes Dr.
Mackenzie, '' the land is all before you."
In our daily visits to our noble patient our
steps were thronged with eager suppliants,
who, hearing that the Viceroy's wife was
undergoing treatment, sought relief from
the same source, A story often grows as it
spreads, and in this case the cure was be-
ing magnified into a miracle of healing,

" To reach the family apartments we had
to pass through numerous courts, and here
we were beset with patients, the friends
of soldiers, door-keepers, secretaries and
attendants who had succeeded in gaining
an entrance. The poor also beseiged us as
we entered and left the yamen» It was
truly a strange gathering we found daily

76 Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie

collected around the outer gates — the halt,
the blind, and the deaf were all there wait-
ing to be healed; indeed the whole city
seemed to be moved. High officials sought
introduction to us through the Viceroy
himself.

" One day we proposed that the Viceroy
should see a surgical operation. Upon his
consenting we laid our patient on a table in
the centre of a court. He had a tumour,
as large as a child's head, growing on the
back of his neck. We administered chloro-
form and removed the tumour, of course
without the man feeling any pain during
the process.

'' Two other cases were also operated
upon. All three did well ; wherein we again
see that the hand of God helped us. The
effect upon the Viceroy and other officials
was marked. It was evident to them that
the crowds of people were waiting to be
healed, and that in Western medicine there
were possibilities beyond the reach of the
Chinese faculty.

" This led to the Viceroy setting apart the
entire quadrangle of the temple to Tseng
Kwoh-fan, one of the finest buildings in
Tien-tsin, for dispensary v/ork, and if nec-
,essary, for the reception of in-patients.
Shortly after the work was started in the

The Power of Prayer 77

temple, His Excellency put up a tablet over
the entrance, with his three titles inscribed
upon it, and beneath them the words,
' Free Hospital.' At the same time he
handed me tls.^ 200 to purchase drugs for
immediate use, and gave me a commission,
appointing me, with Dr. Irwin, medical at-
tendant upon his family and yamen. In
thus giving me the use of his name and
taking upon himself the support of the
work. His Excellency knew that I was a
Christian missionary, and would make use
of every opportunity for the furtherance of
the Gospel.

" From the very commencement I have
been unable to compass the work, so many
have applied for treatment. Every help has
been given me ; a handsome pony and Eng-
lish saddlery, with ma-fu, have been pro-
vided, and a military official comes daily
to conduct me to and from the temple, or to
the various yamens of the city.

" The opening here for Medical Missions
is so remarkable, all classes and both sexes
eagerly seeking aid, that with her consent,
I urged the transfer of Miss Howard to
Tien-tsin, to take up the splendid opening

* Probably " taels ". A tael is a Chinese ounce
of silver, worth about $1.40.

7 8 Life of John Kenneth Mackenzie

for work amongst the women there. She
has therefore come down to Tien-tsin with
her Chinese women, and commenced work,
taking the female department at the temple,
the entire support of which is borne by Lady
Li."

Thus wonderfully did the Heavenly
Father answer prayer, giving the needed
funds for medical work, and opening the
door to the people of Tien-tsin. In due
time he gave also a permanent hospital,
a large and commodious building, com-
pletely furnished with all needful appli-
ances. Well indeed might John Kenneth
, Mackenzie say, in speaking of his experi-
1 ences, " I do indeed believe in prayer. I
j am forced to believe in it, and to say, from
practical experience, I am sure that God
does hear and answer prayers."

IX

HOW BANG-KAH WAS TAKEN

From " From Far Formosa " by George Leslie
Mackay, D.D., twenty-three years a missionary
in Formosa.

Bang-kah was the Gibraltar of hea-
thenism in North Formosa. It is the largest
and most important city, thoroughly
Chinese, and intensely anti-foreign in all
its interests and sympathies. In my journal
of 1875 I find the following entry:

" The citizens of Bang-kah, old and
young, are daily toiling for money, money
— cash, cash. They are materialistic, super-
stitious dollar-seekers. At every visit, when
passing through their streets, we are ma-
ligned, jeered at, and abused. Hundreds of
children run ahead, yelling derisive shouts;
others follow, pelting us with orange-peel,
mud and rotten eggs. For hatred to for-
eigners, for pride, swaggering ignorance,
and conceit, for superstitious, sensual,
haughty, double-faced wickedness, Bang-
kah takes the palm. But remember, O
haughty city, even these eyes will yet see
79

8c From Far Formosa

thee humbled in the dust. Thou art mighty
now, proud and full of malice; but thy
power shall fall, and thou shalt be brought
low. Thy filthy streets are indicative of thy
moral rottenness ; thy lov/ houses show thy
baseness in the face of heaven. Repent, O
Bang-kah, thou wicked city, or the trumpet
shall blow and thy tears be in vain ! "

Three large clans, through their head
men, ruled this stronghold of heathenism,
All others had to acquiesce in every pro-
posal. Foreign merchants had never suc-
ceeded in establishing them.selves there.
Attempts had been made, but their Chinese
agents were dragged out of the city and
narrowly escaped death. We had estab-
lished mission churches north, south, east
and west, but the authorities of Bang-kah
issued proclamations calling on citizens, on
pain of imprisonment or death, not to rent,
lease or sell property to the barbarian mis-
sionary. In December, 1877, however, the
time came for establishing a mission there,
and in spite of all their attemipts to prevent
our entrance, I succeeded in renting a low
hovel on the eastern side.

On getting possession, I placed a paper
tablet above the door, with this inscription,
" Jesus' Holy Temple." Shortly after, sev-
eral soldiers returning to their encamp-

How Bang-kah Was Taken 8i

ment near by, read the inscription and
threatened me with violence. Then they
reported to the general, who dispatched
officers to order me out of the place, stating
that the site belonged to the military au-
thoritieSo I demanded proof of this. It was
produced, and it was at once evident I
could not maintain my position there. We
must respect Chinese law, and act wisely,
if we would successfully carry on the Lord's
work, so I admitted their claim, but stated
that, as I had rented from a citizen, I would
not leave that night.

Till long past midnight angry soldiers
paraded the streets. At times they were at
the point of smashing in the door, and
disposing of me with their weapons. Again
and again it seemed in that dark, damp
place, as if my end v/ere at hand. On leav-
ing the place in the morning, great crowds
surrounded me, jostling and sneering; and
many viewed me from their low-roofed
houses, and flung down filth and missiles. It
took me several hours to make my way a
short distance to the river's bank. Entering
a boat, I went down to the chapel, three
miles away, to find my studentSo We spent
the rest of the day there, and in the evening,
after' preaching in the chapel, we entered
the little room and prayed to the God of

82 From Far Formosa

heaven to give us an entrance into the city
of Bang-kah,

Rising from prayer, we returned immedi-
ately to the city. It was dark, but some
Hghts were visible. Not knowing exactly
where we were going, we met an old man,
and inquired if he knew anyone who would
rent a small house for mission work.
" Yes," he replied, '' I will rent you mine."
We accompanied him, and, passing through
dark streets, came to a small back door
opening into a dirty room with mud-floor.
We entered and began to write a rental
paper. To be particular I said, " Do you
own the site?" ''Oh, no," said he, "but
I can secure the owner this very night." In
half an hour the owner was with us, an-
other paper prepared, and both contracts
signed and stamped. By midnight I was
in full possession, and that according to
Chinese law.

In the morning I put up a tablet over the
door with the same inscription as before:
" Jesus' Holy Temple," In less than an hour
crowds filled the street, and the open space
in front of a large temple was thronged
with angry citizens. People came and went
the whole day long. The second day the
whole city was in an uproar, and the hubbub'
made by their thousand voices fell most

How Bang-kah Was Taken 83

unpleasantly upon our ears. Still I walked
the streets among them, now and again
extracting teeth ; ^ for there were friends
seen among so many enemies. On the third
day lepers and beggars, hired to molest us,
pressed around with their swollen ears and
disgusting features. They tried to rub
against us, expecting us soon to quit the
premises. About four or five o'clock, the ex-
citement grew to a white heat. Hundreds
had their queues tied around their necks,
and blue cloth about their loins, to signify
that they were ready for the fray. One
picked up a stone and hurled it against the
building. In a moment, with deafening
screams, they were on the roof and the
house was literally torn to pieces and car-
ried away. Nothing was left. They dug
up the stones of the foundation with their
hands, and stood spitting upon the site.
We moved across the street to an inn. No
sooner had we done this than scores were
on the roof, and many more climbing the
walls. The clash of the tiles could be heard

^ Dentistry is an important department of med-
ical missionary work in Formosa. Toothache,
resulting from severe malaria, and from betel-
nut chewing, cigar-smoking, and other filthy
habits, is the abiding torment of tens of thou-
sands of the people.

g4 From Far Formosa

as they attempted to force an entrance.
The shouts and yells were inhuman. One
who has never heard the fiendish yells of
a murderous Chinese mob can have no
conception of their hideousness. The inn-
keeper came to us with the key of the door
in his hand and begged us to leave, lest
his house be destroyed.

Then there came a lull. The Chinese
mandarin, in his large sedan-chair, with
his body-guard around him, and with sol-
diers following, was at the door. Just then,
too, Mr. Scott, British consul at Tamsui
put in an appearance. We sat down to-
gether. The Chinese official told the con-
sul to order the missionary away from the
city. The consul quickly retorted. " I have
no authority to give such an order; on the
other hand you must protect him as a
British subject." I love British officials of
that calibre. When he left I accompanied
him to the outskirts of the city. On my
return the mandarin was literally on his
knees, beseeching me to leave the city. I
showed him my forceps and my Bible, and
told him I would not quit the city, but
would extract teeth and preach the Gospel.

In two or three days the excitement sub-
sided. In a week I was offered a site out-
side the city, and the promise of help from

How Bang-kah Was Taken 85

the Chinese authorities to erect a building
there. I refused point-blank. As I was
lawfully in possession of the site as well as
of the building that had been destroyed, I
was determined to have our mission chapel
in Bang-kah, and on that spot. The officials
said I could not build there again because
it was within a few feet of the examination
hall, although, in fact, the hall was a mile
and a half away. Having exhausted their
v/hole stock of excuses and subterfuges,
they yielded. I erected a small building on
the original site — not one inch one way or
another — and opened it with soldiers para-
ding the street to keep the peace. Still the
three strong clans continued to be bitterly
opposed to us. Every citizen who dared to
become a hearer was boycotted. The former
owner of the site had to flee for his Hfe. In
time a few became friendly. We purchased
a larger site and erected a good, commodi-
ous place of worship roofed with tiles. Dur-
ing the French invasion in 1884 that build-
ing was destroyed by the looters and the
materials carried away. But within three
months after the cessation of French hos-
tilities, it was replaced by a solid, handsome,
substantial structure of stone, with spire
seventy feet high, and lightning-rod three
feet higher.

86 From Far Formosa

In 1879, "^^t^ ^^^ students on foot, and
my wife in a sedan-chair, I was on my way
to the chapel after dark. It was the tenth
day of a heathen feast and the devotees
were wrought up to the highest pitch of
fury and agitation. There were thousands
of them in a procession, leaping and yelling
as if under the afflatus of evil spirits. We
were recognized. There was a pause, and a
torch was thrust into the face of my wife,
nearly destroying her eyes. Two students
were dragged by their queues, while a third
was tumbled on the stone pavement. Wilder
and wilder grew the infuriated mob. Louder
and louder sounded their gongs and yells.
Things looked dangerous, when an old man
rushed up and said : " This is Kai Bok-su,
the barbarian teacher. Do not interfere
with him or his company. Take my advice
and go on in your procession." Fortunately
there was a narrow lane at right angles to
the street. Into this he hurried us out of
danger. We went directly to the chapel,
and I preached on the words of the psalm,
*' As the mountains are round about Jeru-
salem, so the Lord is round about His
people from henceforth, even forever."

Many changes have taken place in that
once proud city. In 1887 I was there dur-
ing the time of idolatrous rites. Perhaps

How Bang-kah Was Taken 87

there was never such a gathering of people
in Bang-kah before. A native pastor and
myself took our position purposely at vari-
ous places near the temple, on the cross-
streets, by the wayside, on the city wall.
Once we were right above the gateway
through which the procession passed, but
we were not molested. The people went
along with smiling faces. That evening we
sat in front of the temple where years be-
fore the mob met to kill us. The Bang-kah
head-men who had been so bitter, were in
the procession. As they came near us they
halted and greeted us kindly. Before dark
I extracted five hundred and thirteen teeth
and addressed an immense throng. What
a change! Who ever dreamed of such
a change! But idolatry is far from being
dead. Hard battles must yet be fought be-
fore heathen hearts will yield to Jesus and
follow Him.

But it was on the eve of our departure to
Canada in 1893 that Bang-kah gave best
evidence of the greatness of the change. In
the chapel, on the occasion of our last visit,
two marriage ceremonies were performed
in the presence of a large assembly. The
head-men of the city sent their visiting-
cards, with a message to ask if I was willing
to sit in a sedan-chair and be carried in

88 From Far Formosa

honor through their streets. I begged some
time to consider, and decided that, as in
times past they had acted toward us as they
chose, so now I would allow them to do the
same. A procession was formed near the
same old temple. Eight bands of music,
with cymbals, drums, gongs, pipes, guitars,
mandolins, tambourines, and clarionets, took
the lead. Men and boys, with flags, stream-
ers and banners, followed; scores with
squibs and fire-crackers set off after the
manner of Chinese celebrations. Five head-
men came next in order; and then three
large " umbrellas of honor," with three
flounces each, presented by the people, with
their names inscribed, were carried in front
of me, as I sat in a handsome silk-Hned se-
dan chair. Following the chair were six men
on horseback, twenty-six sedan chairs, three
hundred footmen in regular order, and vari-
ous other parties behind. Thus we passed
through the streets of Bang-kah, receiving
on all hands tokens of honor and respect.

On arriving at Bang-kah "jetty", where
the steam-launch was waiting, our Qiristians
stood and sang, " I'm not ashamed to own
my Lord." Heathen and Christian alike
cheered us as we went aboard. Two bands
of music accompanied us all the way to
Tamsui, and from the launch right up to

How Bang-kah Was Taken 89

our dwelling-house. In front of the door
was the climax of the demonstration. And
all this was from the head-men and citizens
of Bang-kah, the erstwhile Gibraltar of
heathenism. Thus was Bang-kah taken.
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto
Thy holy name, be the glory !

X

DOES GOD HEAR PRAYER? A
THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN A
TIGER JUNGLE

From " In the Tiger Jungle ", by Rev. Jacob
Chamberlain, forty years a missionary of the
Reformed Church in America at Madanapalle,
India.

It was in September, 1863. I was tak-
ing a long exploring, preaching and Bible-
distributing tour up through the native

^ Kingdom of Hyderabad and on into Central
India where no missionary had ever before
worked. It was a journey of twelve hun-
dred miles on horseback and was regarded
as exceedingly dangerous. Indeed before
starting I had received many messages and
letters begging me not to throw away my
life and end disastrously a missionary ca-
reer so near its beginning.

I had measured the obstacles, and counted
the cost, and considering none of them
sufficient to cancel the command, " Go ye
into all the world," I had covenanted for

^ the journey with the " I am with you al-
90

Does God Hear Prayer? 91

ways," and started on my way. I was ac-
companied by four native assistants, and we
took with us two cart-loads of Scriptures
and tracts.

Of the dangers promised we had expe-
rienced some, but the '' I am with you al-
ways " had all the way forefended us from
harm. We had now, however, come to the
greatest strait in our journey. We were to
find a government steamer when we struck
the Pranhita River, an affluent of the great
Godavery, but the heavy torrents of the
monsoon had come on unexpectedly early
and were unprecedentedly severe. The God-
avery became three miles wide and village
after village on its shores was swept away.

We watched on the banks for a week.
A messenger then succeeded in getting
through to tell us that the steamer had
broken its machinery and could not come
to us. We must, therefore, march through
seventy-five miles of fever jungle to reach
another steamer, which was to meet us at
the foot of the second cataract.

I need not stop to recount the exciting
episode of our desertion by a whole party
of cooHes whom the government commis-
sioner of the central provinces had kindly
furnished to convey our tents, baggage,
medicine-chests and books down to the

92 In the Tiger Jungle

steamer, nor of our desperate attempts,
finally successful, to cross the Godavery's
three miles' flood in order to reach a large
town of the Nizam's dominions, the head-
quarters of a high native official from whom
i hoped to obtain help.

When I appeared at the door of this
magnate and politely presented my appeal
to him for coolies to take my party down
.the river, he as politely told me it was an
flutter impossibility. At this season of the
■ year the fever was so deadly in the jungle,
land the man-eating tigers so ravenous, that
" no coolies could be induced to go through.
I told him I must have the coolies. I took
from my pocket and slowly unrolled a long
parchment document, a hookam, or firman,
from the Nizam, which the British minister
at that court had kindly pressed upon me,
saying he would sleep better if he knew I
had it in my possession. I had not thus
far opened it, but the need had now come.
In it the Nizam, at the request of the Brit-
ish minister, authorized my journey and
ordered his officials to render any assist-
ance I should call for, at the shortest no-
tice and under the highest penalties for non-
performance.

When the deputy governor saw the great
royal seal his whole appearance changed,

Does God Hear Prayer ? g;^

and shouting in imperious tones, he ordered
his attendants to run with all speed to the
surrounding villages and bring in the forty-
four stalwart men I had called for. In an
incredibly short time they appeared, and at
once went down to the river and brought up
all our goods. Asking what the highest pay
was, I placed that sum in the hands of each
man with the magistrate as witness; and
when each of the forty-four had grasped it
in his palm I told them that now they were
sealed to accompany me through, and that
any one who attempted to desert would
bring the consequences on his own head.
The magistrate also told them that they
would be publicly whipped and put in prison
if they appeared back at their homes with-
out taking me through. To make still more
sure, I separated them into four squads of
eleven men each, placing one of the native
preachers in charge of each party.

We struck into the jungle. We had to
go single file. Foot-paths there had been,
but these were now grown over. The pour-
ing rain would drench us for half an hour,
and then the sun, blazing forth between the
clouds, would broil us. The country was
flooded and reeking, the bushes loaded and
dripping, but get through we must, or the
steamer might not wait for us.

4^

94 In the Tiger Jungle

In spite of all my precautions I felt sus-
picious that an effort would be made to de-
sert us, and was on the constant watch.
About 4 p. M., I fancied I saw an uneasiness
among the coolies, and rode back and forth
constantly along the line. Three bands
passed me, and the fourth was filing by.
; There was a sharp bend in the path ; the
!Iast two coolies had not appeared. Quick
as thought, I dashed across the hypotenuse
of the triangle, and jumped my little pony
into the path again just as the two coolies
had put down their burden and were spring-
ing into the jungle.

"What are you doing?" said I, with
the muzzle of my pistol at one man^s ear.
Trembling with fear they seized their bur-
dens and ran on, overtaking the others.
They reported what had taken place, and
word was passed along the line to look
out how they attempted to desert, for they,
too, had tried it when the white foreigner,
the dhora, was nowhere near, and as they
sprang into the bushes, he dropped down
from the clouds between them, with his six-
eyed gun in his hand, and it was a wonder
their brains were not scattered. From the
way they looked at me as I rode by again,
I knew that superstition was now my ally.

But now a new difficulty confronted us.

Does God Hear Prayer? 95

We met two fleet-footed huntsmen who had
been down to inspect their traps, and halted
to inquire about the region ahead. We
knew that some two miles in front was an
affluent of the Godavery which we expected
to ford, pitching our camp for the night
on an open knoll just beyond it. From
these hunters we learned that the flood had
made this affluent absolutely unfordable.

The guides knew the country well, and v
seemed dazed by the news. In an hour it
would be sunset; dense clouds even now
made it seem dark. Already we could hear
the occasional fierce, hungry roar of the
tigers in the jungle at our right. I said
not a word to my assistants, but I spoke to
God. As my horse tramped on, my heart
went up and claimed the promised presence.

" Master,, waah sake that

we came here? Did we not covenant with
Thee for the journey through? Have we
not faithfully preached Thy name the whole
long way? Have we shirked any danger,
have we quailed before any foe? Didst
Thou not promise, ' I will be with Thee ? '
Now we need Thee, we are in the blackest
danger for this night. Only Thou canst
save us from this jungle, these tigers, this
flood. O Master ! Master ! show me what
to do ! "

g6 In the Tiger Jungle

An answer came ; not audible, but distinct
as though spoken in my ear by human voice :
^ " Turn to the left, to the Godavery, and
you will find rescue."

Riding rapidly forward, I overtook the
guides. " How far is it to the Godavery ? "

" A good mile."

" Is there no village on its banks ? "

" No, none within many miles, and the
banks are all overflowed."

I drew apart and prayed again as we still
plodded on. Again came the answer,
" Turn to the left, to the Godavery, and
you will find rescue." Again I questioned
the guides : " Is there no rising ground by
the river where we can pitch our tents for
the night?"

" None whatever."

*' Is there no dry timber of which we
could make a raft ? "

" If there were it would all be washed
away by this flood."

" Is there no boat of any sort on the
river?"

" None nearer than the cataract."

" How long would it take us to reach the
Godavery by the nearest path ? "

" Half an hour, but it would be so much
time lost, for we would have to come back
here again."

Does God Hear Prayer ? 97

" What shall we do for to-night? "

" God knows," and they looked the de-
spair they felt.

I drew aside again and prayed as I rode
on. " Turn to the left, to the Godavery, and
you will find rescue," came the response
the third time. It was not audible ; none of
those near by heard it. I cannot explain it,
but to me it was as distinct as though
spoken by a voice in my ear; it thrilled
me. " God's answer to my prayer," I said.
" I cannot doubt. I must act, and that in-
stantly."

Going to the head of the column I cried,
" Halt ! " in a voice to be heard by all.
" Turn sharp to the left. Guides, show us
the shortest way to the Godavery. Quick ! "

They remonstrated that we should be in
a worse plight there than here, for the river
might rise higher and wash us away in the
darkness of the night.

"Obey!" I said. "March sharp or
night will come. I am master here. Show
the way to the river." They glanced at
the fourteen-inch revolver I had ready for
any beast that might spring upon us, and
started on.

My four native preachers looked up in-
quiringly into my awed face. " There is
rescue at the river," was all I could say.

98 In the Tiger Jungle

*' The dhora has heard of help at the river,"
I overheard the coolies say one to another.
I had heard of help, but what it was I
knew not. My anxiety was gone; there
was an intense state of expectancy in its
place.

Half a mile from the river, I spurred for-
ward past the guides, and cantered out from
the bushes to the bank, keenly observant.
There, right under my feet, was a large flat
boat tied to a tree at the shore ! Two men
were upon it trying to keep it afloat in the
rising and falling current.

\ " How did this boat get here ? " said I.

^^" Oh, sir, please don't be angry with us,"
said the boatmen, taking me to be an officer
of the British India government to whom
the boat belonged. " We tried our best to
keep it from coming here, but, sir, it seemed
as though it was possessed. This morning
a huge wave came rushing down the river,
and snapped the cables, and swept the boat
into the current. We did our utmost to
get it back to the bank, but it would go far-
ther and farther out into the current. The
more we pulled for the British bank, the
more it would work out toward the Nizam's.
We have fought all day to keep it from
coming here, but it seemed as though a
supernatural power were shoving the boat,

Does God Hear Prayer? 99

and an hour ago we gave up, and let it
float in here, and tied it up for safety to this
tree. Don't have us punished for letting it
come here ; we could not help it."

"All right, my men," said I. "I take
command of this boat; I have authority to
use government property on this journey. I
will reward you well and give you a letter
that will clear you of all blame."

The boat, a large flatboat with strong
railings along both sides, had been built by
the British military authorities in the trou-
blous time following the mutiny in these
regions, and the men were paid monthly
wages to keep it at its station in case of
sudden need.

Who had ordered the tidal wave in the
morning of that day, and had torn the boat
from its moorings, and driven it so many
miles dovv^n the river, that had thwarted
every endeavour of the frightened boatmen
to force it to the north shore, and had
brought it to the little cove-like recess just
where we would strike the river? Who but
Him on whose orders we had come; He
who had said, " I will be with you ; " He
who knew beforehand the dire straits in
which we would be in that very place, on
that very day, that very hour ; He who had
told us so distinctly, " Turn to the left, to

lOO In the Tiger Jungle

the Godavery, and you will find rescue ? "
I bowed my head, and in amazed reverence
I thanked my God for this signal answer
to our pleading prayer.

The guides now came into sight, and
looked dazed as they saw me arranging to
put our whole party on the boat. I heard
f^ome say to the others, " How did the dhora
■ know of this boat ? None of us knew of it
or could have found it."
. To my native preachers I simply said,
" God heard our prayers, and this is the
answer ; " for I knew that they had been
praying on foot while I was praying on
horseback. " Yes," they said reverently ;
" He has heard our prayers and delivered
us. We will never doubt Him again."

We pitched our tent upon the boat, and
it exactly covered it, making a secure abode
for the night, and within it the whole party
was able to gather with all the baggage.
I sat watching at the shore end of the boat,
pistol in hand, through the night, lest, in
spite of a bright camp-fire we had built,
a tiger should try to spring on. They had
scented us and were eager for the prey.
We could hear their roaring, and once I
fancied I saw the glaring eyes of a royal
tiger peering at us between the two nearest
bushes. But ''He shall give His angels

Does God Hear Prayer ? loi

charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy
ways/' kept running through my mind after
we had, as we settled down for the night,
read the Ninety-first Psalm in the beautiful
Telugu language, and offered up prayers of
thanksgiving and praise to the Most High,
under the shadow of whose wings we were
abiding. Nothing could equal the vivid
consciousness Vv^e had during all that long
day and night, of the presence of the Mas-
ter; nothing can surpass the vividness of
the certitude that God did intervene and
save us.

Some who have not tested it may sneer
and doubt ; but we five know that God hears
prayer.

XI

AN ENCOUNTER WITH A TEN-
FOOT SERPENT

From " In the Tiger Jungle ", by the Rev. Jacob
Chamberlain, M.D., D.D.

While on a preaching tour in the native
Kingdom of Hyderabad, in India, an inci-
dent occurred which at first threatened to
be damaging, but which proved helpful.

We were in a great teak-wood forest,
with trees towering one hundred and fifty
feet above the woodman's path, up which we
were wending our way to the great God-
avery River. We had that morning taken a
long march, preaching and disposing of
Gospels and tracts in every village and ham-
let we passed. At ten o'clock learning from
our guide that about a mile ahead was a
large village or town, I rode on in advance
to find a place in which to pitch our tent.

As I came near, I saw the elders of the
city coming out of the city gates — for it
was an old walled town — to meet me.
Passing the salutations of the day, I asked
them where there was a shady place where
I could pitch my tent for the day and night.

102

Encounter With a Serpent 103

" You need not pitch your tent," they re-
pHed ; " here is a new thatched building just
erected for our cattle. That will be fully
as comfortable as your tent and save the
trouble of pitching; please accept the use
of that."

Close by us, just outside the gates of the
town, was this new building, with roof and
walls made of palm-leaves, and with an
open doorway, but no door. The floor was
the virgin sod, still green, for it had not
been used.

I accepted their hospitality, and as soon
as my cart came up I took out my camp-
cot, and put it in the middle of the hut, and
threw myself down to rest while my servant
was preparing my breakfast. My native as-
sistants had not yet come up, as they had
found another little hamlet after I left them,
and had stopped to preach in that.

I was lying on my back on my cot, read-
ing my Greek Testament, which had been
my daily companion from a boy. I was
holding it up over me, reading a little, and
shutting my eyes and thinking a little. This
continued for near half an hour. At length
the passage I was reading was finished,
and I let the arm that was holding the book
fall.

Then, and not until then, did I become

I04 In the Tiger Jungle

aware that a huge serpent was coiled around
one of the bamboo rafters, with some four
feet of his body hanging down directly over
my head, with his eyes flashing and his
tongue darting out, just above where my
book had been, and had concealed him. He
had evidently been asleep in the roof; the
putting in of my cot had awakened him.
While I was reading he had let down one-
third of his body, or more, and was looking
to see what this leprous-looking white man
was about, for he had probably never seen
a white man before.

His darting tongue was almost within an
arm's-length of my face when I caught
sight of him. I remembered that during
my course at the medical college, in the sky-
light dissecting-room of the old College of
Physicians and Surgeons in New York, I
once looked attentively over the muscles
of the human frame, and wondered whether
a person lying down could jump horizon-
tally without first erecting himself. I found
it could be done with proper incentives, for
off that cot I came at one bound to my feet
without first raising my head, for that ser-
pent was too near it.

Running to the door, I seized an iron
spit some five or six feet long, with a sharp
point, used for roasting purposes in the jun-

Encounter With a Serpent 105

gle, and which was in the cart. Using that
as a spear, I was successful at the first
thrust in piercing the body of the serpent
where it was coiled around the rafter.

But then I found myself in another diffi-
culty. I caught hold of the spear to keep
it from falling out and releasing the serpent,
but the serpent would draw back, and with
a tremendous hiss strike at my hand that
held the spear, and came conspicuously
near hitting it with his tremendous extended
fangs. If I should let go, the spit would
fall out and the serpent get away, and he
and I could not sleep in that hut together
that night, especially after he had been
wounded by me. If I held on, his body
might slide down the spit until he could
reach my hand, which might be fatal to
me instead of to him.

However, in answer to my lusty calls,
my servant soon appeared with a bamboo
club. Holding the spit with my left hand
and taking the club in my right, I adminis-
tered to the serpent a headache, from which
he died. As I took him down and held him
up by the middle, on the spit, to the level
of my shoulder both head and tail touched
the floor, showing that he was about ten
feet long.

Just as I was holding him in this position

io6 In the Tiger Jungle

one of the village watchmen passed the door
of the hut, and saw what I had done. It
occurred to me at once that now I should
find myself in a '' bad box." for the people
revere serpents as demigods. They dare
not kill them or harm them, and will always
beg for the life of a serpent if they see any-
one else killing one. They think that if you
harm a deadly serpent, it or its kin will
wage war on you and your kin and descend-
ants until your kin are exterminated. I, a
missionary, had come there to preach; how
would they hear me when I had killed one
of their gods?

Knowing that the news had gone into
the town to the elders, I began to prepare
my line of defense, for I thought that they
would soon come to call me to account. I
remembered a verse in one of their Telugu
poets commending the killing of venomous
reptiles, and having a copy of that poet with
me, I opened my book-box, and took it
out, but had not found the verse when I
saw the chief men coming out toward
the hut.

To my astonishment, they had native
brass trays in their hands, with sweetmeats,
cocoanuts, limes, and burning incense-
sticks on them; and as they came to the
door of the hut they prostrated themselves

Encounter With a Serpent 107

before me, and then presented these offer-
ings; for they said I had rid them of
their most dangerous enemy, that that ser-
pent had been the bane of the village for
several years. It had bitten and killed some
of their kine, and, I think, also a child.
They had made every effort to drive it
away from the village by burning straw
closer and closer to it to make it go farther
and farther away, but it would always re-
turn. They had tried to coax it away by
putting little cups, each holding half a tea-
spoonful of milk, every two yards or so
out into the jungle; but as soon as it had
drunk all the milk it wanted, it would turn
round and crawl back into the village and
into some house, and then the people of
that house would have to vacate until it
chose to leave. It had become the terror of
the village.

But now I, a stranger and a foreigner,
had killed it without their knowledge or
consent. That was their safety; for had
they seen me doing it they would have
begged for its life, lest they be taken as
accomplices. Now it was dead, and they
were guildess. It could harm them and
theirs no more. Would I please accept
these sweets? They had sent to the flock
in the fields to have a fat sheep brought me

io8 In the Tiger Jungle

as an offering. Would I please accept the
sheep? Now whatever I had to say they
would listen to me gladly, for was I not
their deliverer? The sheep was brought;
myself, associates, and attendants made a
sumptuous dinner from it. The serpent was
not a cobra, — cobras never grow so large, —
but it was said to be equally venomous.

When the heat of the day was over, we
all went into the town to preach. At the
gate was the village crier with his tom-tom,
or small drum ; and as soon as we appeared
he went through all the streets beating the
tom-tom and crying, '' Come, all ye peo-
ple; come and hear what the serpent-des-
troyer has to say to us." A royal audi-
ence we had, while we spoke to them of
the " old serpent " and his deeds, and Christ,
Who bruised the serpent's head. The kill-
ing of the serpent, instead of proving a
bar, had opened a door of access to the
gospel.

XII

THE SPOTTED TIGER FOILED

From " The Cobra's Den ", by Rev. Jacob Cham-
berlain, M.D., D.D.

My camp was pitched in a valley between
mountains towering up 4,000 feet above the
sea, and 1,700 feet above my tent. I had
been visiting, instructing and encouraging
the little Christian congregation there, and
preaching in all the surrounding towns and
villages for several days. It was necessary
to move camp that day to another cluster of
Christian villages on the other side of the
mountain, many miles around by a tortu-
ous route through the valleys. I had much
writing to do, and did not wish to spare the
time for a circuitous journey, so despatched
my tent and camp equipage in the early
morning, to be pitched in the new place, and
sent word to the people in that cluster of
villages that I would hold a meeting in the
central village that evening at dusk. My
pony was to meet me at the east foot of the
mountain to take me three miles to my new
camp.

109

no The Cobra's Den

Spending a good part of the day in the
Httle village schoolhouse, quietly writing
letters, I walked up the mountain side in
the afternoon by a footpath that I knew.
Half way up I stopped to rest under a ban-
yan-tree, or jungle-fig tree, where, a year
before, a native farmer, running down the
path, had come upon an old she-bear and
her cub, under this tree, eating the wild figs.
The old bear, thinking he was rushing for
her cub, sprang upon him, hugged him, and
badly mangled his right arm until her cub
had vanished in the bushes, when she left
him and followed her cub. The man was
brought into my hospital, and for many
weeks it was a question whether he would
ever regain the use of his right arm. He
finally did, however, and when the English
judge of the district organized a hunt for
the bear, in which I joined, he was there to
show us where the tussle had taken place,
and help us find his old enemy.

There are many wild beasts inhabiting
these mountain jungles; wild boar, deer, In-
dian elk, hyenas, jackals, wolves, an occa-
sional striped tiger, and more spotted tigers.

The spotted tigers have spots like a leop-
ard, but are not leopards, for they have
claws like a tiger and cannot climb trees
as a leopard can. In size they are between

The Spotted Tiger Foiled 1 1 1

a royal tiger and a leopard. In disposition
and habits they are tigers and they have a
tiger's strength. A friend of mine, from an
opposite hill, saw one of them spring upon a
small horse, kill it, suck its blood, and then
drag it to its lair in the mountain recess.
The spotted tigers do much more damage
in our region than the striped, as they are
much more numerous. If one gets a taste
of human blood nothing else will satisfy it.

The government pays a reward for the
killing of all ravenous beasts, and especially
for those that are known to have killed
human beings. The skins are delivered to
the government official who pays the re-
ward, and were at that time periodically
sold at auction. At such a sale, v/hich I
attended and made some purchases, the skin
of a spotted tiger was sold which was cer-
tified to have killed and eaten nine men,
women and children. Another had killed
seven; another five; another four, and an-
other two.

We usually carry arms through these
mountain jungles, but that day I had none.
I had made the ascent of 1,700 feet and,
walking along the west slope of the summit
for a quarter of a mile, I had crossed over to
the east side of the rocky crest.

It was not one hour before sundown, of

112 The Cobra's Den

a cloudy, drizzly afternoon. I had my
double umbrella, black inside and white
outside, for fending off both sun and rain,
but had closed it over my hand, without
clasping it, to go through a narrow open-
ing in the bushes. I had crossed a little
open grass-plot of a few rods, and was just
entering a narrow footpath through the
mountain jungle, that would take me down
to the east foot of the mountain, where I
was to meet my pony.

Suddenly a spotted tiger sprang into the
path, between the bushes, and disputed pass-
age. I saw at once what he wanted; only
great hunger impels these tigers to come
out during the day; he had no breakfast,
and wanted missionary meat for supper.
I did not wish him to have it ; I had an ap-
pointment for that evening with the people
of three villages, and wished to keep it.
He stood in the only path through that
dense mountain jungle, glaring at me. I
eyed him equally intently, and gaining his
eye, held it while I formed my plan.

It is always best if a scrimmage is to
take place to be the attacking party. My
grandmother used to teach me that every-
thing would come in use within seven years,
if you only kept it. When I was a boy I
had gone out among an Indian tribe in

The Spotted Tiger Foiled 113

Michigan, and learned their war-whoop.
I had kept it for thrice seven years, but it
had proved trebly serviceable then. When
my plan of attack was formed, springing
forward toward the tiger I raised this war-
whoop, and at the same time suddenly raised
my double umbrella.

What it was that could so suddenly change
a perpendicular dark figure into a circu-
lar white object, and at the same time emit
such an unearthly yell, the tiger did not
know. He stood his ground, however, until
I dashed forward and, suddenly shutting
my umbrella, raised it to strike him over
the head. It seemed instantly to occur to
him that I was the more dangerous animal
of the two, and that one of us had better
run ; as I did not, he did. Springing aside,
over a bush, into the open ground, he made
for the crest of the hill which I had just
passed. The crest consisted of granite
slabs and masses, thrown up perpendicu-
larly by some convulsion of nature. From
a crevice of these there had grown a ban-
yan-tree whose branches spread out over
their tops. Between the leaves and the
rocks, in one place, I could see the sky
through, in a circle as large as a bicycle
wheel.

For this the tiger made. His spring was

114 The Cobra's Den

the neatest specimen of animal motion I had
ever seen. His fore-paws were stretched
straight out and he had his nose between
them. His hind feet were stretched equally
straight, and between them his tail.
Straight as an arrow he went through that
opening. I knew that about twenty feet
down on the other side he would strike on
grassy ground, and that that slope led down
to a little stream, which my path again
crossed less than a quarter of a mile be-
low. Wishing to make the subjugation
complete, I scrambled up to this open place
and, looking through the leaves at the side
of the opening, I saw the tiger trotting
down the slope, but looking around every
now and then, evidently wondering whether
he had done a wise thing in running away.
Putting my head with its big, white sun
hat into the opening I once more raised the
war-whoop. Down he dashed again with
impetuosity. Withdrawing my head until
he slackened his pace, I repeated the opera-
tion and on he dashed, and so continued,
until I had seen him cross the stream, and
go up into the woods on the opposite side of
the valley. Then, feeling sure that I would
see no more of him that day, I turned and
wended my way down three miles to the

The Spotted Tiger Foiled 1 1 5

foot of the hill, mounted my pony and kept
my appointment.

I am thankful to say that such incidents
are not common in our preaching tours.
I have never known of a missionary being
seriously injured by ravenous beasts or
venomous reptiles. But such an incident
forcibly reminds us of the protection prom-
ised in the last few verses of the gospels
of Matthew and Mark in connection with
the giving of the Great Commission, and
that promise is wonderfully fulfilled.

XIII

THE ANGRY MOB AND THE STORY
OF THE CROSS

From " The Cobra's Den ", by Rev. Jacob Cham-
berlain, M.D., D.D

" Swing shut the city gates ; run and tell
the sentinels to stand guard and let no one
pass in or out till we have made way with
these preachers of other Gods. No news
shall ever go out of the city as to what has
become of them."

It was in a walled city of the Kingdom
of Hyderabad, and we were on a gospel
preaching tour, the first ever made in the
dominions of the Nizam, in August, 1863.
We had been traveling since early morning,
preaching in all the towns and villages on
the way, and arrived before the gates of
the city during the heat of the day, and
camped outside of its walls. We had heard
of it as the wickedest city of the realm.

About 3 P. M., my four native assistants
went into the city to offer Scriptures and
tracts for sale. After half or three-quar-
ters of an hour I went through the iron
gates, the largest and strongest city gates I
116

The Angry Mob iiy

had up to that time seen. The city, with its
high granite walls, lay four square, with
a gate in the middle of each side, and the
main streets running from gate to gate,
crossing each other at right angles at the
market-place.

Just after entering I met my native as-
sistants returning, with a hooting rabble
following them. They told me that it was
not safe to do any work within the city.
They had sold a few gospels and tracts to
both Mohammedans and Hindus. The
Mohammedan zealots and Brahman priests
had been diligently examining the gospels
and saw that their systems must go if these
Scriptures were beUeved, and they were
joining in an effort to stop the people buy-
ing and drive the catechists out of the city.
Herod and Pilate became friends for this
purpose.

Some of the gospels were bound in yel-
lowish buff bookbinder's muslin. The Mo-
hammedans sent messengers running
through the streets saying that they were
bound in hog skin, and warning the faith-
ful not to touch them. The Brahmans sent
messengers to tell the Hindus that they
w^ere bound in calf skin, the skin of the
sacred cow, and telling them not to be pol-
luted by them.

ii8 The Cobra's Den

" Have you proclaimed the gospel mes-
sage to the people? " I asked the catechlsts.

" No, sir ; we have only sold a few books
and tracts."

" Then we must do so now. Did we not
make a solemn vow that we would not pass
a single town or village without proclaiming
the Master's message, and have we not His
covenant, ' Lo, I am with you ? ' I at least
must go to the market-place and preach.
You need not accompany me unless you
think best."

" We did make that vow. We will go
with you," they said.

We walked with slow and firm step up
the street to the market. The crowd fol-
lowed, increasing by the way. Seeing a
foreigner with the catechists boldly walk-
ing up the street, the Brahman and Moham-
medan zealots joined the throng.

We reached the centre of the town where
the streets crossed, and where was the mar-
ket-place, with a roof supported upon large
masonry pillars. Stepping up the steps I
said to the catechists : " Place your backs
against these pillars, so that no one can at-
tack you from behind, and keep a sharp
watch on all, but show no sign of fear. The
Master is with us; His promise is good."

The Angry Mob 119

As we stood there we could see three of
the city gates standing open with the armed
gate-keepers sitting under the arch of the
gateways. Turning to the people I spoke
politely to them in Telugu, which was
understood by all.

" Leave this place at once," was the angry
response.

I complimented them on the polite re-
ception they gave to visitors, telling them
I had visited more than a thousand towns
in the Telugu country, but it had been re-
served for them to show the most polite
reception that I had thus far received. A
few smiled, but the rest only scowled the
more.

" Friends," said I, " I have come from
far to tell you some good news. I will tell
it to you and then we v/ill go."

" No," said some, who were evidently
leaders, " we will not hear you. You have
come to proclaim another God. You do so
at your peril. You see this angry mob.
One word from us and you are dead.
Leave the city instantly and we will see
you safely out of the gates. Dare to say
a word against our gods and we will loose
this mob upon you."

We had seen the angry mob tearing up

I20 The Cobra's Den

the cobble paving-stones and gathering
them in the skirts of their garments to stone
us with.

" We have no desire to abuse your gods,"
I said, " but have come to deliver a message.
We will not go until we have proclaimed
it."

Then came the order, " Swing shut the
gates."

I saw one nudge another, saying, " You
throw the first stone and I will throw the
second." But all who had stones to throw
were within my vision. They quailed a
little under my keen glance, and hesitated.
I seemed to feel the presence of the Mas-
ter as though He were standing by my side
with His hand on my shoulder, saying, *' I
am with you. I will tell you what to say."
I was not conscious of any anxiety about
my personal safety. My whole soul was
wrapped up in the thought, '' How shall I
get my Master's oflFer of salvation before
these people ? "

" Brothers," said I, " it is not to revile
your gods that I have come this long way ;
far from it. I have come with a royal mes-
sage from a King far higher than your
Nizam ; I have come to tell a story sweeter
than mortal ear has ever heard. But it
is evident this multitude does not wish to

The Angry Mob 121

hear it." They thought I was weakening
and quieted down to see what would hap-
pen.

" But," I said " I see five men before me
who do wish to hear my story. Will you
all please step back a little ? I will tell these
five why I came here, and then you may
stone me." I had been carefully scanning
the crowd and had seen five honest coun-
tenances, men who had shown no sympathy
with the abuse that had been heaped upon
us.

" Brother with the red-bordered turban,"
said I, addressing a venerable Brahman
who stood at the right ; " you would like to
hear my wonderful story before they stone
me, would you not? Be frank, for there
are four others who wish to hear."

'* Yes, sir ; I would like to hear what your
story is," said he, speaking up courageously
and kindly.

" Brother with the gold-bordered turban
at my left, you, too, would like to hear, and
you with the yellow turban, and you with
the brown-bordered, and you with the
pink."

I had rightly judged these men, for each
assented. They were curious to know what
I had to say.

" Now, will you five men please come

122 The Cobra's Den

forward, and I will tell you alone. All you
others step back; step back; when I have
told these five the story you may come for-
ward and throw your stones."

The five stepped forward ; the rest reluct-
antly stepped back a little. '' Brothers,"
said I, in a subdued tone, " what is it you
chant as you go to the river for your daily
ablutions ? Is it not this ? " I chanted it
in Sanskrit, adding in Telugu, " And is
not this its meaning : ' I am a sinner, my
actions are sinful. My soul is sinful. All
that pertains to me is polluted with sin. Do
Thou, O God, that hast mercy on those who
seek Thy Refuge, do Thou take away my
sm.

These five Brahmans at once became my
friends. One who correctly chants their
Vedas and their mantras they always look
up to with respect.

" Now, do you know how God can do
what you ask ? How can He take away the
burden of our sin and give us relief ? "

'' No, sir ; we do not know. Would that
we did."

" I know ; shall I tell you the secret ? "

"Yes, sir; please tell us."

The multitude, seeing the Brahmans con-
versing with the foreigner with evident re-

The Angry Mob 123

spect, quieted still more and pressed for-
ward to listen.

'' Step back, step back," said I, " It is only
these five to whom I am to tell my story.
Step back and let me tell it to them alone."
This only increased their desire to hear,
as I went on:

" Brothers, is it possible for us by our
own acts to expiate our sins? Can we by
painful journeys to the hoHest of all your
holy places change those sinful natures that
you bemoan? Does not your own Telugu
poet, Vemana, say:

* The Muslim who to Tirupati goes, on pilgrim-
age,

Does not thereby become a saint of Siva's
house.

Becomes a dog, a lion, when he bathes in
Ganges' stream?

Benares turns not harlot into true and trusted
wife.' "

Hearing their own language chanted, the
people pressed forward still more intently.
" Nay, brothers, it is not by these outward
acts that we can attain to harmony with
God. Does not your beloved Vemana again
say:

124 The Cobra's Den

" * 'Tis not by roaming deserts wild, nor gazing
at the sky;

'Tis not by bathing in the stream, nor pilgrim-
age to shrine;

But thine own heart must make thee pure, and
then, and then alone,

Shalt thou see Him no eye hath kenned, shalt
thou behold thy King.'"

" Now, how can our hearts be made pure,
so that we may see God? I have learned
the secret, and will tell you."

Then I told the story of stories ; and as I
recounted the love of God the Father, who
" so loved the world ; " the birth of the Lord
of Life in the manger of Bethlehem when
He took on human form; His wonderful
life, His blessed words. His marvelous
deeds of mercy and healing, the mob be-
came an audience. Gradually and imper-
ceptibly I had raised my voice until all
down those three streets the multitude could
hear, and as I pictured the scene on Cal-
vary in the graphic words the Master Him-
self gave me that day, and told them that it
was for them, too, far away here in India,
that He had suffered the agony and shed
His blood, down the cheeks of those who
had been clamouring for our life, I saw tears
coursing and dropping upon the pavements
they had torn up to stone us with. Far

The Angry Mob 125

earlier in the story I had seen them stealth-
ily dropping their armfuls of stones into
the gutter.

How they did listen as I went on to tell
them of the resurrection and of the ascen-
sion from Mt. Olivet, when Jesus passed
up through the clouds to be with His Father
and our Father, and that now all we had to
do was to repent and forsake our sins, and
that when our time would come to die. He
would take our souls to heaven to dwell
with Him in eternal bliss.

" Now," said I, folding my arms, and
standing before them, " I have finished my
story, and you may come and stone me."

" No, no," they said, '' we don't want to
stone you now. We did not know whose
messenger you were, nor what you had come
to tell us. Do your books tell more about
this wonderful Redeemer ? "

" Yes," said I, " this is the history of His
life on earth ; " and taking up a Gospel of
Luke I read brief portions here and there,
adding, " I have not told you half of His
gracious words and deeds. We are going
on our way in the early morning. Would
you not like to buy some of these histories
of the Redeemer Jesus, so that you may
learn all about Him, even though we have
gone our way ? "

126 The Cobra's Den

With that their wallets were produced
and they purchased all the gospels and
tracts we had with us, and appointed a
deputation of their best men to escort us
to our camp, begging us to forgive them for
the insults they had heaped upon us, for
they knew not whose messengers we were.

Verily, the story of the cross has not lost
its power. It still reaches the ear and
touches the heart of men of every tongue, in
every clime. Happy are we if we have a
part in making it known, here and in all
the world.

XIV

THE STORY OF AN INDIA FAMINE

(In Two Parts)

From " While Sewing Sandals, Tales of a Tel-
ugu Pariah Tribe ", by Emma Rauschenbusch-
Clough, Ph.D., Member of the Royal Asiatic
Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Part I. A Great Calamity,

There were many who anxiously
watched the clouds in the year 1876, for if
another monsoon season passed by with
cloudless sky a famine was inevitable.

Various ways and means were used of
predicting the evil days that seemed to be
near, but the old gardener in the mission
compound had a way all his own, and con-
fidently asserted to every one that without
doubt a famine was coming.

" Every day," he said, " the Dora^ came
out on the verandah and looked at a little
board with a thin glass bottle on it, and
in the bottle there was a little mud. And
he looked carefully and said, * Gardener,

'Gentleman, or white foreigner.
127

128 While Sewing Sandals

there is going to be a famine,' and I said
surely it would come."

I did not grasp his meaning. " What
sort of board and glass bottle and mud was
it?" I asked.

" Is there not one on the verandah now? "
he answered and pointed to the barometer.

I knew many who lived through the fam-
ine of 1876-78. Those who were children
during those years were stunted in growth,
and some had a look of premature age on
their faces. But old men and women re-
membered a famine which must have had
unusual horrors, for they said : " Men ate
men in that famine." I was slow to believe
them, for I had heard my husband say that
though thousands died in 1876-78, and men
were fierce with the pangs of hunger, he
had never seen a trace of cannibaHsm.
When, therefore, some one told me of the
famine of 1836, that " men ate men," I al-
ways asked if they knew of any one who
had seen it. A woman did tell me that her
mother was told by a neighbour that she
saw a woman put her child into a pot and
boil it. Her voice sank to a whisper as
she told me. It seem.ed too horrible to tell.

A large proportion of the Madigas live
so close to the starvation point all the year
round that the first failure of the crops

Story of an India Famine 129

brouglit hunger to their door. When an-
other rainy season passed without bringing
sufficient moisture to help the seed to sprout,
there was great distress. The cattle were
dying of hunger and thirst, and the people
found an occasional meal by picking the
morsel of meat off the bones of the starved
animals. Many began to eat leaves, seeds
and weeds.

The Ongole Missionary's^ daily visits to
the " board, thin bottle, and mud inside,"
showed the anxiety which he felt. Ten
years had passed since he came to Ongole.
He counted as his flock 3,269 Christians,
nearly all from the Madigas. He knew
they were destitute and poor even when
harvests were plentiful. The emaciated
figures of men and women were haunting
the compound in ever-increasing numbers,
calling to him whenever he appeared in the
verandah, " We're dying ! we're dying ! "
Something must be done.

The native preachers came and went with
careworn faces. They knew something of
the activity in the mission bungalow, of
the correspondence with the Government at
Madras. Ere long they were sent out with
a message that all could earn enough to eat

'Rev. J. E. Clough, D.D., of the American
Baptist Missionary Union.

130 While Sewing Sandals

if they came to Razupallem, where the Mis-
sionary had taken a contract for digging
three miles of the Buckingham Canal.

One of the preachers, with twenty coolies,
was sent ahead to prepare the camp. The
Missionary came and showed him where to
put up the rows of huts, forming little
streets. Several wells had to be dug, not
deep, for water was near the surface. The
potters in the surrounding villages were
given an order for pots, that the starving
crowd might buy for a copper, and boil their
meal over a fire of dry leaves and sticks.

At the appointed time the preachers came
into Ongole from far and near with a multi-
tude of starving people. The Missionary
had sent Komatis ahead to Razupallem with
bags of grain to sell. He sent word to the
preacher who was there to be ready, for a
great crowd would come in the afternoon.
At two o'clock they began to arrive, and as
the preacher and his helpers looked over the
plain towards Ongole, the advancing multi-
tude seemed to them like a huge ocean-wave
rolling upon them. The huts were soon
filled. Those who found no room had to lie
under the trees.

But the tumult and contentions of that
night! The Missionary tried to establish
order; but who can reason with hungry

Story of an India Famine 131

men? There was bargaining for pots;
there was wrangling over grain. So eager
for food were they that three preachers had
to walk up and down among the huts to see
that they were not used for fuel, or that
they were not set on fire by carelessness as
the food was boiling in the pots.

In the morning the digging began. Thirty
preachers were made overseers. Crude
picks and shovels were supplied. The men
did the digging; the women filled baskets
with earth, and carried them away on their
heads. During those first few days the Mis-
sionary insisted that the preachers, too, must
dig. " After you come and show me your
hands full of blisters I shall be certain you
know how it feels to dig, and you will not be
hard on any one." He feared that some
might assume a harsh attitude when urging
the starving people to work.

Wages were good. Those who had
worked awhile went home and sent friends
and relatives. The sick were brought in
litters. Those who were too weak to work
were given an allowance. But there was
danger lurking near in the abundance at the
camp. Some who came were too hungry to
wait; they ate the half-boiled grain out of
the pot — then lay down and died. Many a
time the preachers tried to keep these half-

132 While Sewing Sandals

starved arrivals from eating, but the remon-
strance only angered them. There were
others so emaciated, no matter how much
they ate they were always hungry. They
ate more and oftener than their starved
bodies could endure. Soon they were found
lying somewhere, dead.

The death-rate was large. No one knew
how many died each day. The living were
so full of trouble they could not dig graves
for the dead ; all they could do was to carry
them outside into the cactus hedge. Every
one in the camp was sad at heart, and many
were full of fear. Cholera was abroad in
the camp, and death stared every one in the
face. There were women there without hus-
band or brother to care for them; there
were orphans who were now to learn that
Christianity is kind to the fatherless. The
road sides every where were Hned with the
bleaching bones of those who had lain down
on the road to die. The heat was intense,
and there was no shade where they were
digging. " Our hearts were very heavy,"
the preachers told me, " and our Dora's hair
turned white during that year."

Each preacher had about one hundred
people working under him. With these he
became acquainted, even though there was
much coming and going. Often during the

Story of an India Famine 133

day the diggers would sit down for a short
rest, and then the preacher would hear them
tell, in broken words, with a look of utter
misery, of scattered families, and those who
died ; and there was always the wail, " We
are all dying." Then was the time to say
comforting words. Distress was so great,
no one thought of the demons that have
their eyes ever directed to this earth, thirst-
ing for blood. The terrors of the famine
were greater than the terrors inspired by
demons, and who could stop, in the search
for a morsel to eat, to propitiate them all?
As the preachers sat with an occasional
group of those who wanted rest, they said,
** Our God does not send trouble because
He is thirsting for the lives of men. He has
let this come upon us because He saw that
men were going wrong — they were doing
puja to gods in whom there is no salvation.
Jesus Christ, by dying for us, has taken all
our troubles on Himself." Then they took
their New Testaments, which they ever had
with them, and read to the people verses
that seemed like balm on their sore hearts
and troubled minds — especially, " Come
unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." And they
went back to work. After a time they said,
" Read us that verse again out of your holy

134 While Sewing Sandals

book." Never had they heard such words !
As they were digging, the memory of their
old cults grew faint. In their misery they
turned to Jesus Christ.

The contract was finished after eight
months' work. Rain came. The seed was
sown, but it rotted in the ground. The
crowds that came to the mission bungalow
in Ongole were so great that though the
Dora stood on the east verandah and gave
relief to the men to carry hence, and the
Dorasani stood on the west verandah daily
giving grain to women who had come with
starving children, it was not enough. When
the servants carried the noon meal the few
yards from the cook-house to the bungalow,
they had to hold the dishes high above their
heads, and start on a run, for there were
starved creatures everywhere ready to
snatch it from their hands.

The preachers came in from the field, re-
porting great distress. The Christians
were dying, especially the aged and the chil-
dren. The Missionary could not journey
here and there bringing rehef. His pres-
ence was imperative at headquarters. So
he sent his preachers, all over the country,
with money to give to the Christians. But
they had orders not to refuse any starving
one who asked for enough to buy a meal.

Story of an India Famine 135

Again rain came. Bullocks and buffa-
loes had died; men harnessed themselves
to the ploughs. A crop was growing, but
a plague of locusts came and destroyed it.
Ships came into the harbour at Madras
laden with grain, for Government did its
utmost to save the people. For the third
time, seed-corn was given out plentifully
to all who asked. For ten rupees they car-
ried away bags of seed-corn worth thirty
rupees. In the years that followed, they re-
membered what had been done for them.
The activity at Ongole, the ceaseless readi-
ness to save from starvation even the lowest
stratum of society, was a display of the
power of Christianity that was a wonder in
the eyes of thousands. " It is a good re-
ligion," they said, one and all.

A crop of millet, maturing quickly, tided
the people over several months, and then a
substantial crop of rice was harvested. A
great calamity was over. What were the
effects ?

Part II. A Modern Pentecost

As the native preachers went about on
their fields toward the close of the famine,
they saw that hundreds were ready for bap-
tism. In villages where heretofore they
had been received in a half-hearted kind of

136 While Sewing Sandals

way, they now found an open door. Those
early Ongole preachers were a remarkable
group of men. People said, '' They have
faith; when they pray to their God He
hears them." Their preaching was char-
acterized neither by profound thinking nor
by brilliant oratory. It was just the story
of Christ and Him crucified told over and
over again. Much as, in the days of primi-
tive Christianity, simple but earnest men
told the sublime story of the life and death
of Christ to every one, so these men went
about making Christ the centre of their
thoughts and words.

And now these preachers came to the
Missionary to talk with him about the hun-
dreds, even thousands, who were ready for
baptism. But he always said, " Wait till
the famine is over." Word had gone out
some time ago that no more famine-money
would be issued in Ongole; still he feared
that the hope of further help might form a
motive in the minds of some. During fif-
teen months there had not been a single
baptism. But he knew his field ; he had
refused large companies who came and
asked for baptism. When once the flood-
gates were opened, none would be able to
stay the tide. A letter came from the Mis-
sion Secretary in Boston : " What is this I

Story of an India Famine 137

hear of your refusing to baptize those who
sincerely ask for the ordinance? Who has
given you a right to do this ? "

In June, 1878, the Missionary wrote to
his assistants to come to Vellumpilly, ten
miles north of Ongole, where there was a
traveller's rest-house by the side of the
Gundlacumma River, and a grove of tama-
rind trees. He asked them to bring with them
only those Christians who had urgent mat-
ters to lay before him, and to leave the con-
verts behind. Contrary to orders, the con-
verts followed the preachers, and when the
Missionary came to Vellumpilly, he was met
by a multitude asking for baptism.

He mounted a wall where he could look
into their faces, and told them he had no
further help to give them, and they must
return home. They cried : " We do not
want help. By the blisters on our hands,
we can prove to you that we have worked
and will continue to work. If the next
crop fail we shall die. We want to die as
Christians. Baptize us therefore ! " He
hesitated — again the same cry. Then he
withdrew and talked with the preachers,
who, as spokesmen of the people, repeated
their request. He dared not refuse longer
those who begged to be received into the
Church of Christ.

138 While Sewing Sandals

On the first day all gathered under a
large banyan-tree, sitting close together on
the sand. Many voices tried to join in the
hymns that had become general favourites.
The sound was discordant, but it gave evi-
dence that the men were very much in
earnest. Then the Missionary preached on
the words all had learned during the famine
— " Come unto Me, all ye that labour."
For an hour and a half he talked, and none
grew weary; he had borne their trouble
with them, and now he could talk out of
the fullness of an experience in which all
had a part.

Early next morning an inquiry meeting
on a large scale began. The Missionary
told the preachers to separate the people,
each taking those who belonged to his
special field under one of the trees. There
were many such groups; some counted
hundreds, some only a few. There was not
a man or woman who was not called upon
to give evidence that they had entered upon
a new life.

I asked the old preachers many ques-
tions about those days at Vellumpilly.
" How could you tell that a man or woman
was a Christian ? " They answered : " We
had many ways of telling. When men and

Story of an India Famine 139

women prayed and sang hymns, we knew
that divine Hfe was in them. But we knew
too, when they stopped drinking sarai, and
fighting, and eating carrion, and working
on Sundays, there was a change in them,
and we could tell." Most of those who were
baptized at Vellumpilly were really believ-
ers before the famine, but for some reason
they had held back. The preachers could
tell by the attitude of responsiveness, what
a change had been wrought.

On the first day, July 2nd, 1878, a begin-
ning was made — 614 were baptized ; on the
next day 2,222 followed ; on the third day
there were 700 more, — 3,536 in three days.
The multitude gathered on the bank of the
Gundlacumma River, where the water at
this season of the year is fairly deep. The
six ordained preachers took turns, two offi-
ciating at a time. The names of the candi-
dates were read. Without delay, and with-
out confusion, one followed the other. As
one preacher pronounced the formula : " T
baptize thee in the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost," the other
preacher had a candidate before him, ready
again to speak those words, sacred in the
history of the church. And thus it was
possible to immerse 2,222 in one day. The

140 While Sewing Sandals

Missionary stood by, helping and directing,
but he did not baptize any one during those
days.

More were coming. Before the year
was over, 9,606 members had been added
to the church at Ongole, making a total
membership of 13,000. And the years that
followed were but a continuation of those
years. Once again, in 1890, there was a
similar event, when 1,671 were baptized in
one day.

Every degree of spiritual life and energy
was represented in the years that followed.
There were high courage, persecutions un-
flinchingly borne, and noble examples set.
But there was also spiritual apathy, mental
and moral stagnation. I was out on a tour
among the villages with my husband some
years ago. In the shade of a tamarind grove
he was preaching to a crowd of Madigas
sitting before him. Twenty Christians from
a village where nearly all had reverted to
heathenism were before him. He had been
in their village in the morning, had seen the
swamis ^ to which they were again making
puja.2 The men had let their " juttus " ^
grow. The women went about dirty and
uncombed, quarreling and using evil words

^ Gods. ^ Worship. ' Locks of hair on top of
the head to afford a dwelling place for a god.

Story of an India Famine 141

to each, other. Carrion had been brought
into the village. There was filth and
squalor beyond telling.

The Missionary described the condition
in which he had found them, and then broke
into an appeal : " Oh, men I I am not
ashamed to be the Guru ^ of poor people,
for Christ said He had come that the sick
might be healed and the poor have the gos-
pel preached to them. But when I some-
times see you in your villages, where you
are weak Christians, then I have a pain in
my mind, and I ask myself : * Why has God
chosen me to be the Guru of such dirty
people? ' " The men looked at each other,
and the women involuntarily stroked down
their unkempt hair.

But I could see, as I watched the faces
of these lowest specimens of an Indian Pa-
riah tribe, that blunt as they were to any
kind of teaching, they were not without re-
sponsiveness. I could see the shame in their
faces. They were willing to listen, and this
responsiveness proved that the spark of di-
vine life was there, for the spiritually dead
cannot hear. But alas for the steep road
out of many centuries of almost brute ex-
istence !

^ Religious teacher.

142 While Sewing Sandals

While the Missionary comes to one vil-
lage of this kind, he comes to many where
he can be proud of his people. Clean and
tidy in their appearance and in their houses,
they come out to meet him, the heads of
households coming forward to do the hon-
ours of the occasion. A school-house, and
children proudly holding slates under their
arms, give the status of the village. The
Munsiff ^ and Karnam ^ come over to say
a respectful salaam to the Dora, because the
conduct of the Christians has taught them
to honour this Dora and his religion.
Crowds come to hear him preach, and Su-
dras among them, sitting attentively on one
side, saying, " It is a good religion. Let
us listen.'*

There is an atmosphere of spiritual life
and energy abroad in such a village. And
the question comes : " Is there any power
on earth, save Christianity, that could thus
uplift a community within the short space
of one generation ? "

* Head man of the village. ' Second head man.

XV
TOPSYTURVYDOM

From ■■ The Gist of Japan ", by the Rev. R. B.
Peery, A.M., Ph.D., of the Lutheran Mission,
Saga, Japan.

One of the most striking facts in connec-
tion with Japanese customs is that many of
them are exactly opposed to those which
prevail in the West. Occidentals who have
been accustomed to doing certain things one
way all their lives are shocked to find them
done in precisely the opposite way. This
is true to such an extent that Japan has
been called " Topsyturvydom." But to
those who are acquainted with the customs
of both East and West it is a question which
one is topsyturvy. After one has become
used to them, many of the customs appear
just as sensible and convenient as those of
Europe and America. Why these differ-
ences we do not know, but perhaps the fact
that the Japanese are antipodal to us makes
it fitting that their customs should be anti-
podal also.

An Occidental has an idea that something
143

144 '^^^ ^^^^ ^^ Jap^n

inherent in things necessitates that a book
begin at the left side and the idea of begin-
ning at the other side appears ridiculous to
him. But in reality it is every whit as con-
venient, fitting and sensible to begin at one
side as the other, and all Japanese books
begin at what the people of the West call
the end, i. e., at the right side and read
toward the left. While English books are
printed across the page in lines from left
to right, Japanese books are printed from
right to left in columns. An Occidental
generally turns the leaves of his book from
the top with his right hand; an Oriental
turns them from the bottom with his left
hand. In Western libraries the books are
placed on their ends in rows ; in Japan they
are laid flat down on their sides and piled up
in columns.

If we see several good dictionaries or
encyclopedias in a man's study we are apt
to infer that he is a man of studious habits ;
the Japanese of olden times inferred just
the opposite. According to their idea a
scholar would have the meaning and use of
all words in his head and not need to refer
to a dictionary. A Japanese friend who
came into my study one day expressed great
surprise at seeing several large dictionaries
there. " You have certainly had better edu-

Topsyturvydom 145

cational advantages than I," he said, '' and
yet I can get along with a very small dic-
tionary, why cannot you ? " Upon inquiry
I learned that many Japanese keep their dic-
tionaries concealed, because they do not
want it said that they must refer to them
often.

The manner of addressing letters in
Japan is exactly opposed to ours. We
write :

Mr. Frank Jones,*
no Gay Street,
Knoxville,

Tennessee.

A Japanese would write it:
Tennessee,

Knoxville,

Gay Street, no,

Jones, Frank, Mr.

The latter is certainly the most sensible
method, because what the postmaster needs
to see is not the name of the man to whom
the letter is addressed, but the place to
which it is to go.

* In reading this selection before an audience,
it will add greatly to the interest to use a black-
board and to substitute the name and address of
some well-known person present.

146 The Gist of Japan

In matters of dress there are some cus-
toms quite opposed to our own. The Amer-
ican lady goes to a ball with her neck and
arms bare, but would be shocked at the
very mention of having her feet exposed.
The Japanese lady covers her neck and
arms, but does not at all mind being seen
with bare feet and ankles. Many of the
ladies do not wear foot-gear at all in the
house, but they could hardly be induced to
expose their arms and necks as Western
women do.

A Western woman is anxious to have a
thin, narrow waist, her Japanese sister
wants a broad one. In the West, curly hair
is prized; in the East it is considered an
abomination. If a little Japanese girl is told
that her hair is curly, she considers it a dis-
grace and cries bitterly. The most striking
difference in dress, however, is in regard to
mourning. Whereas in the West it is al-
ways black, in Japan it is always white.

Another remarkable contrast is found in
the relation of the sexes. In America the
woman is given the precedence in every-
thing. Her husband and all other men who
come within her influence, must serve and
honour her. In Japan the man takes pre-
cedence everywhere, and the woman must
serve him. At meals the woman must first

Topsyturvydom 147

wait on her husband and then she herself
may eat. When guests come, the husband
is the chief entertainer, and the wife takes a
back seat. When walking together on the
street, she does not walk by his side, but
comes along behind. The men do not in-
tend to mistreat the women; they simply
take what they regard their due as head of
the family.

Among the customs most peculiar in the
eyes of the Westerner and most squarely op-
posed to their own, are those relating to
marriage. In Japan the young people have
nothing whatever to do with the match-
making, except to give their consent to the
arrangements of their parents, and fre-
quently even this is not asked. Thus it
often happens that the man has never seen
his bride until the wedding-day. The young
people, however, seldom object, and mar-
riages made in this way seem to work well.

In the West a wedding often takes place
in a church, and as a rule a minister offici-
ates; in Japan the temples are studiously
avoided at such times, and they are very
careful to exclude priests. The wedding is
to be joyous, and priests are known best as
officiators at funerals, so that ideas of sad-
ness and misfortune are associated with
them. In the West, if the wedding does

148 The Gist of Japan

not take place in church, it will probably be
held in the house of the bride ; in the East
it is always held in the house of the groom.
Here the bride's household prepares the
feast; there the groom's prepares it. Here
the groom must come to get his bride ; there
she must go to him. Whether she lives in
the same city or a distant province, she
must go to the groom, not he to her.

Customs in regard to houses are quite
different. In America the front rooms of
houses are most desirable; in Japan back
rooms are preferred. Here the parlors, sit-
ting-rooms, etc., are in front and the kitchen
and store-rooms are relegated to the rear;
there the kitchen and store-rooms are in
front, and the parlor and sitting-rooms be-
hind. Here the front yards are kept clean,
but the back-yards are proverbially dirty;
there all sorts of dirt and trash may be lying
around in the front yard, while the back
yard is a perfect little garden of beauty.

Japanese carpenters saw by pulling the
saw toward them instead of pushing it from
them ; the planes act in the same way ; and
screws are put in by turning them to the
left instead of to the right.

Even in the nursery we find customs di-
rectly antipodal. The American nurse takes

Topsyturvydom 149

a child up in her arms ; the Japanese nurse
carries it on her back.

These are some of the customs squarely
opposed to our own. The first thought on
learning of them will probably be, how
ridiculous and inconvenient ! And yet they
are just as convenient and sensible as our
own, and some of them much more so.
There is nothing in the nature of things
why most customs should be either this
way or that.

XVI
A MODERN ELIJAH

From " The Transformation of Hawaii ", by
Belle U. Brain.

The most famous of all Hawaiian con-
verts was the high chieftess, Kapiolani, the
descendant of a long line of kings, and ruler
in her own right of a large district in south-
ern Hawaii. Notwithstanding her royal
lineage and exalted rank, she had been an
ignorant, superstitious savage. She was
addicted to the use of liquor, and, according
to Hawaiian custom, had several husbands.

But when the Gospel message touched
her heart, she at once set about reforming
her life. She gave up her intemperate
habits and dismissed all her husbands ex-
cept Naihe, the powerful national orator
who promised to assist her in promoting the
new religion. So ladylike in deportment
and so loving in disposition did she become
that she won the respect and admiration of
natives and foreigners aHke.

It was, however, one great act of Kapio-
lani's life that made her famous above all
other converts of her race — she defied the
ISO

A Modern Elijah 151

fire-gods of Kilauea, and broke their des-
potic power. It was a brave and courage-
ous deed that won for her a glowing tribute
from Thomas Carlyle, and placed her name
forever in the list of the world's great
heroines.

Kilauea, the famous volcano of Hawaii,
where this event took place, is the largest
active crater in existence. It lies 4,400 feet
above the sea, in a level plain on the east-
ern slope of the great snow-capped peak,
Mauna Loa, and is a vast, sunken pit about
eight miles in circumference. Within the
crater is a lake of molten lava in which the
fires never die out, appropriately called
Halemaumau, the House of Everlasting
Burning.

The crater wall is a steep precipice down
which it is possible to descend by means of
a rocky, zigzag pathway. Though the vol-
cano is incessantly active, and the relent-
less fires of Halemaumau never cease, it is
perfectly safe, except in times of great erup-
tions, to cross the bed of the crater almost
to the edge of the burning lake and watcH
the play of its eternal fires. Some faint
conception of the awful grandeur of the
sight may be gained from the words of
Isabella Bird Bishop who thus describes her
emotions on first beholding it :

152 The Transformation of Hawaii

" I think we all screamed, I know we all
wept, but we were all speechless, for a
new glory and a new terror had been added
to the earth. It is the most unutterable of
all wonderful things. The words of com-
mon speech are quite useless. It is unim-
aginable, indescribable, a sight to remember
forever, a sight which at once took posses-
sion of every faculty of sense and soul, re-
moving one altogether out of the range of
ordinary life.

" Here was the real ' bottomless pit ' — the
* fire which is not quenched ' — the * place of
hell ' — the ' lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone ' — the ' everlasting burnings '
— the fiery sea whose waves are never
weary. * * * I feel as if the terrors of
Kilauea would haunt me all my life."

In the minds of the superstitious island-
ers, the volcano was peopled with innumer-
able gods and goddesses, supreme among
them being Pele, the goddess of fire who
was supposed to dwell in Halemaumau,
from whence she sent forth thunders and
lightnings, earthquakes and volcanic erup-
tions. The Hawaiians stood in the greatest
awe of the cruel goddess and much of their
worship was directed to propitiate her. On
a high rock near the crater wall, a temple
was erected for her priests and priestesses,

A Modern Elijah 153

and votive offerings of a costly character
were continually presented to her.

Long after idolatry had been overthrown
in the islands, many of the Hawaiians still
believed in Pele, and dared not violate her
tabus. In December, 1824, Kapiolani re-
solved to free her people from the thraldom
of this superstition by defying the fire god-
dess in her own domains.

Her plan was to visit the missionaries at
Hilo where a mission station had recently
been opened, taking the track across the
mountain on which the crater lies — a diffi-
cult and dangerous journey of one hundred
miles across rough lava beds. Since there
were at that timic neither horses nor mules
in Hawaii, she was obliged to travel the en-
tire distance on foot.

Her people were dismayed and gathered
from far and near to plead with her to give
up so dangerous an exploit. Even Naihe
sought to dissuade her. But strong in faith,
believing that her heavenly Father would
protect her, she said to them : " The tabus
are abolished. There is but one Great God ;
He will keep me from all harm." When
her people found that she could not be
induced to abandon the project, eighty of
them decided to accompany her.

As they journeyed toward the volcano,

154 The Transformation of Hawaii

Kapiolani was stopped again and again, by
men and women along the way, who im-
plored her to return home and not risk
Pele's anger. With heroic faith she pushed
bravely on, simply answering: " If I am de-
stroyed you may all believe in Pele ; but if
I am not, then you must all turn to the true
God."

Near the crater they were met by a
priestess of Pele who claimed authority
from the goddess herself. She warned
Kapiolani not to enter the sacred precincts
of the volcano with a spirit of unbelief and
opposition in her heart, and threatened her
with the penalty of death if she persisted in
doing so. Nothing daunted by her terrible
predictions, Kapiolani sat down beside the
poor deluded creature and, taking out her
Testament, taught her of the one true God
in the heavens.

Growing in great profusion along the
mountain path were the flame-colored ohelo
berries sacred to the fire goddess on account
of their brilliant hue. These are very re-
freshing to thirsty travellers, but no Ha-
waiian dared eat them without first climb-
ing to the edge of the crater and throwing
in a branch of them, saying as he did so:
" Pele, here are your ohelos. I offer some
to you; some I also eat." Determined to

A Modern Elijah 155

break every tabu, Kapiolani ate freely of
these berries without making the customary
offering to the goddess, but her companions
dared not do so.

Arriving at the crater, she led the way
down the steep rocky path, across the hot
lava beds, the ground trembling under her
feet, and steam issuing from every crevice.
On she went until she reached the edge of
Halemaumau. Then, knowing that nothing
could be more disrespectful and displeasing
to the goddess, she gathered a handful of
stones, and deliberately hurled them, one
after another, into the great lake of fire.

Only those who have watched the awful
fires of Kilauea, and '' know with what
awful terrors pagan deities are clothed in
the common mind, and with what tenacity
these superstitions continue to hold even
professed converts, can imagine what holy
courage and faith must have been begotten
in this Hawaiian heroine."

Turning to her terrified people she said:
" Jehovah is my God. He kindled these
fires, I fear not Pele. Should I perish by
her anger, then you may all fear her power ;
but if Jehovah save me in breaking her
tabus, then you must fear and serve Jeho-
vah. The gods of Hawaii are vain. Great
is the goodness of Jehovah in sending mis-

156 The Transformation of Hawaii

sionaries to turn us from these vanities to
the Hving God."

At her direction, the whole company then
knelt, prayer was offered, and the crater
rang with the music of a Christian hymn.
Above the roaring and crackling of the
flames could it be heard, echoing and re-
echoing to the praise of Jehovah. Thus
were the fire palaces of Pele consecrated
as a temple of the living God.

Returning as they came, across the bed
of the crater, we may imagine the terror of
Kapiolani's companions. No doubt they
fully expected the thin crust to give way
beneath their feet, precipitating them into
the fires below ; or to be overtaken by show-
ers of lava and stone, hurled upon them
from the rear. But the cruel fire-goddess
failed to avenge herself; they reached the
edge of the crater in safety and continued
their peaceful journey to Hilo unmolested.

It was a brave and heroic deed that has
been likened to that of Elijah on Mt. Car-
mel, challenging the priests of Baal, and to
Boniface in Germany felling the sacred oak
of Thor. But Kapiolani displayed a faith
more heroic, and a courage more indomit-
able, than either of these. They had never
been under the power of the gods they de-
stroyed, while less than four years pre-

A Modern Elijah 157

vious, she had not even heard of Jehovah
in whom she now trusted to save her when
defying the gods she had worshipped since
childhood. Then too, Elijah stood on the
peaceful slopes of Mt. Carmel, and Boni-
face on the quiet plain of Upper Hesse,
while she stood in the presence of real
danger, before those awful fires that strike
terror to the stoutest hearts.

Arriving in Hilo, with feet swollen from
the long hard journey, and mind and body
utterly weary from her exciting experience,
Kapiolani refused to rest until she had se-
cured lodgings for her entire company, and
gathered them together for evening wor-
ship. During her visit she rendered valu-
able assistance to the missionaries, her be-
nign influence being felt long after her re-
turn to her home.

Her beautiful and fruitful hfe was ended
in May, 1841, when she passed away fully
trusting in the Saviour she had served so
long and faithfully. She was deeply
mourned, not only by her own people, but
by the missionaries who realized that they
had lost a valued helper and a faithful
friend.

XVII

HOW A UNITED STATES CITIZEN
WAS RESCUED FROM MARQUE-
SAS CANNIBALS

From "The Transformation of Hawaii'** by
Belle M. Brain.

The Rev. James Kekela, native Ha-
waiian missionary to the Marquesas Is-
lands, was in many respects a remarkable
man. So deep was his piety, and so wide-
spread his influence, that, in 1852, while
serving as pastor of a church on Oahu,^ he
was asked to accompany a band of pioneer
missionaries to Micronesia and assist them
in starting a new mission there.

In 1853, shortly after his return to Oahu,
a call for missionaries came to the Hawaiian
Christians from the Marquesas Islands, an
exceedingly beautiful archipelago lying
directly east of Peru, peopled by a race
of savages noted for being the most fero-
cious and blood-thirsty cannibals found
anywhere in the Pacific. Many attempts
had been made by English and American

*One of the Hawaiian islands.
158

Rescued from Cannibals 159

missionaries, and native Christians from the
Society Islands, to live among them and
give them the Gospel, but each little com-
pany of workers had been glad to escape
with their lives.

Nevertheless, when a Marquesas chief ar-
rived at Hawaii pleading for teachers for
his people, great enthusiasm was aroused.
Though the Hawaiians knew full well the
character of the Marquesans, they promptly
responded to the call. Among those who
volunteered for this difficult and dangerous
work was Kekela. Resigning his pleasant
pastorate on Oahu, he and his faithful wife
Naomi returned with the Marquesas chief
to his home.

For many years they were stationed at the
village of Paumau, in a beautiful valley on
the island of Hivaoa, where they laboured
with rare devotion for the uplifting of the
cruel and degraded savages around them.
Near their home was an immense heiau, or
sacred place, where the most revolting rites
and ceremonies took place. It consisted of
a series of walled terraces built of great
stones, surmounted by a paved platform on
which cannibal feasts and heathen dances
were held.

At this terrible place there occurred, in
1864, an event that revealed not only the

i6o The Transformation of Hawaii

character of the Marquesas people, but also
the indomitable courage of the brave, true-
hearted missionary that worked among
them. At the risk of his own life, he res-
cued Lieutenant Whalon, an officer of the
United States whale-ship Congress from
an awful death.

Shortly before this time, the sailors of a
Peruvian vessel had stolen a number of
Marquesan youths from Hivaoa, carrying
them away to be sold as slaves. Among
them was the son of a chief. In his rage
and grief over the loss of his boy, the
father made a solemn vow that he would
kill and eat the first white man caught on
the island.

Ere long he had an opportunity for car-
rying out his awful threat. The Congress,
being in need of supplies, stopped at Hivaoa
soon after, and Lieutenant Whalon went
on shore to trade for pigs, fowls and other
produce of the island. Unsuspicious of the
terrible fate awaiting him, he allowed him-
self to be decoyed farther and farther in-
land until he reached the woods, out of
sight of the vessel. Then, suddenly, at a
given signal, a fierce crowd of savages
rushed upon him, stripped him of his cloth-
ing, bound him hand and foot, and carried
him to the heiau to be killed and eaten !

Rescued from Cannibals i6i

The crew of the Congress would have
shared the fate of their heutenant had it not
been for a young Marquesan servant em-
ployed in the family of Kekela. She saw
what was about to happen, and by making
signs warned them of their danger. Motion-
ing them back to their ships she cried out,
''Pull away! Pull away!"

At the heiaiL the unfortunate man was
surrounded by a great company of grin-
ning savages. With elaborately tatooed
faces and hair tied in two bunches on the
top of the head, they looked more like de-
mons than men. Dancing about their vic-
tim in fiendish glee, they tortured him
frightfully. They pulled his nose and ears,
bent his thumbs backward and forward, and
flourished their long knives and spears as
if about to kill him.

Unfortunately Kekela was absent from
home at the time. A German who lived on
the island endeavoured to rescue the poor
prisoner, but his efforts were in vain. The
father of the abducted boy declared that the
day of vengeance had come, and he would
now perform his vow. Besides a feast on
white man's flesh was too delightful a
treat to be given up so easily.

All night long the terrible torture con-
tinued. In the morning Kekela returned.

i62 The Transformation of Hawaii

On hearing what had occurred, he went at
once to the heiau to plead for Lieutenant
Whalon's Hfe. At first the savages posi-
tively refused to listen ; but by and by they
began to talk about a ransom. A fine new
six-oared boat had recently been sent to
Kekela from Boston ; perhaps here was an
opportunity to get possession of it !

Would the missionary give his boat for
the white man's life? they asked. Yes;
though it was greatly prized and almost in-
dispensable to his work, the missionary
would give even that.

The transaction was about to be closed
when the chief of a hostile clan suddenly
remembered that he had found it convenient
to make trips with the missionary in this
boat; if it passed into the hands of his en-
emy, he could no longer have this privilege.
On second thought, he positively refused
to allow it to be given up.

After much discussion, the cannibals
finally agreed to accept a small ransom — a
gun and various other articles — and Mr.
Whalon, weak and ill from his frightful
experience, was at last released. Kekela
took him to his own home, where he was
tenderly cared for by the good Naomi. As
soon as he was able, he was put on board
Ihe Congress, which had anchored far out

Rescued from Cannibals 163

at sea, waiting to learn the fate of her un-
fortunate officer.

When Abraham Lincoln, who was at that
time president of the United States, heard
the story, he sent Kekela, by the captain of
the Morning Star, guns, watches, a medal,
and other gifts to the value of five hundred
dollars, together with a letter of congratu-
lation, expressing the thanks of the nation
for his important service in saving the life
of a United States citizen.

Kekela's answer to the president was very
beautiful. It read in part as follows :

" Greetings to yoii, great and good Friend!

" My mind is stirred up to address you in
friendship. I greatly respect you for hold-
ing converse with such humble ones. Such
you well know us to be.

" When I saw one of your countrymen,
a citizen of your great nation, ill-treated,
and about to be baked and eaten, as a pig
is eaten, I ran to deliver him, full of pity
and grief at the evil deed of these benighted
people.

" As to this friendly deed of mine in sav-
ing Mr. Whalon, its seed came from your
great land, and was brought by certain of
your countrymen, who had received the love
of God. It was planted in Hawaii, and I

164 The Transformation of Hawaii

brought it to plant in this land, and in these
dark regions, that they might receive the
root of all that is good and true. * * *

" How shall I repay your great kindness
to me? Thus David asked of Jehovah, and
thus I ask of you, the President of the
United States. This is my only payment, —
that which I have received of the Lord, —
aloha} May the love of the Lord Jesus
abound with you until the end of this terri-
ble war in your land."

The great-hearted president never re-
ceived this touching letter. It reached
Washington shortly after his tragic death,
when the whole land was mourning her
irreparable loss.

The world little realizes the debt she owes
to foreign missionaries. Darwin, the great
naturalist says : " Dishonesty, intemperance
and licentiousness have been greatly re-
duced by the introduction of Christianity.
In a voyager to forget these things is base
ingratitude, for should he chance to be at
the -point of shipwreck on some unknown
coast, he will devoutly pray that the lesson
of the missionary may have extended thus
far."

^ Love.

XVIII

HOW CYRUS HAMLIN CAME OUT
OF A MISSIONARY BOX

From "My Life and Times", by Rev. Cyrus
Hamlin, D.D., missionary of the American
Board in Turkey.

Our family was a reading family. On
winter evenings one of us always read
aloud, while some of the family industries,
as sewing and knitting, were going on.
There is a bright glow of social happiness
over those evenings, as they recur to me in
memory. To my brother and myself the
family training of reading and discussion
was of more value than the common school.

Two or three of Scott's novels were read,
Quentin Durward the first ; but our reading
was mainly historical and biographical.
The Bible was read before retiring to rest,
and each child had a system of reading the
Bible through, one chapter every day and
five on Sunday.

Our Sundays were carefully guarded
from all unnecessary labor, and the reading
was in harmony with the sacredness of the
i6s

1 66 My Life and Times

day. The Panoplist, and afterward its suc-
cessor, The Missionary Herald, was read
aloud, and especially every item of mission-
ary news, for some of our neighbors did not
believe in missions. The missions were then
so few that a close acquaintance with them
was easily cultivated, and we believed in
them with all our might.

About the year 1820 or 1821 a proposal
was made to the church to respond to the
call for aid to educate heathen boys in
Christian schools in India. Twelve dollars
a year would educate a boy. A penny con-
tribution box was offered to the Sunday
audience by the door, as they passed in and
out. The cent was the limit in one direc-
tion against half cents, but in the other there
was no limit. The object was to raise a
dollar a month.

It was proposed and voted to name the
boy Lincoln Ripley, after our sainted and
excellent pastor. All the boys and girls
were invited to try for a cent a week. There
was little money in the country, and the
trade was largely barter. But there was a
potash factory in the place, and ashes com-
manded a good price. The boys could cul-
tivate a potato patch. Good potatoes were
ten cents a bushel. Girls could braid straw
for hats and bonnets, or knit woolen under-

A Missionary Box 167

wear. By hook and by crook the box col-
lected its dollar a month, adults putting in
the larger contributions. Much interest was
excited in the work, and we thought we
were doing something great. It was more
difficult then for a boy to earn a cent than it
is now to earn a nickel.

We had four great days in the year — first
of all, Thanksgiving Day. That has been
written into the ground, but I love to recall
its household joy and evening sports.

Then the Fourth of July, "the glorious
Fourth." The reading of the Declaration
of Independence was arranged beforehand,
and everybody knew who was to have the
honour. That occasion always fired our
souls. We wondered that George III. had
been allowed to live. We have lost the
Fourth of July. It is still worth keeping
with more patriotism and less powder.

Election day was a holiday, and we al-
ways had election cake and some boyish
sports.

But the annual muster was the great day.
Then a regiment turned out, and this was
all " the pomp and circumstance of war "
our eyes were privileged to see. Every-
body went to it. When there was a sham
fight with the Indians in war paint and
feathers, it was to us intensely exciting.

1 68 My Life and Times

I remember well one morning when — I
suppose I was about ten or eleven years old
— I was to start off alone, my brother being
ill; and as I was delayed by chores, the
, boys of the neighbourhood had all gone;
but I didn't care.

When I had got myself in order, my dear
mother gave me seven cents spending
money, for gingerbread, buns, etc. A cent
then was a more puissant coin than it is
now in such purchases. In giving it to me
she said to me, " Perhaps, Cyrus, you will
put a cent or two into the contribution box
at Mrs. Farrar's." ^

As I trudged along I began to question.
Shall I drop in one cent or two? I wish
mother hadn't said one or two. I finally
decided on two and felt satisfied. Five
cents would furnish all I could eat, and
more too ; but after a time conscience began
to torment me : " Five for yourself and two
for the heathen ! Five for gingerbread,
and two for souls ! " So I said four for
gingerbread and three for souls. I couldn't
take a firm stand there very long, and I said
three for gingerbread and four for the souls

^ Mrs. Farrar was the handsomest woman in
town, and it may be the contribution box profited
by that fact. Week days she kept it where every-
one saw it.

A Missionary Box 169

of the heathen. I would have drawn the
line there but for my foolish pride. The
boys would find out that I had only three
cents! But I was at Mrs. Farrar*s open
door, and there was the contribution box,
and I had the seven cents in my hand. I
said " Hang it all ! I'll dump them all in
and have no more bother about it." So I
did and went away contented.

I played shy of the refreshment stands;
and by three or four o'clock I had sated
myself with military glory and made for
home. I had been on my feet from early
dawn, with absolutely nothing after my
early breakfast. I was just as tired as a lit-
tle boy could be who had never fasted that
way before.

I burst into the house and cried out,
" Mother, I'm as hungry as a bear ! I
haven't had a mouthful to eat to-day."

" Why, Cyrus, have you lost the money
I gave you ? "

" No, mother ; but you didn't give it to
me right. If you had given me eight cents,
or six cents, I would have divided it half
and half. But you gave me seven. I
couldn't divide it, and so I dropped it all
into the box together."

" You poor boy ! " she said, smiling in
tears. And soon I had a bowl of bread and

\Jo My Life and Times

milk such as I Had never eaten, and no
monarch ever ate. What was the meaning
of mother's tears? I think it was the
thought, " This, my little boy, my young-
est, can deny himself for the sake of Jesus."

Years afterwards, when I told my dear
mother of my decision to give my life to
missionary work, she broke down and wept
as I had never seen her before. But her
emotion was transient. She recovered her-
self and said with a tremulous voice, " Cy-
rus, I have always expected it and I have
not a word to say, although I would have
been so happy if I could have had my
youngest son with me."

^ If you don't want your children to go
into missionary work, don't go fooling
around with missionary boxes. I have
often thought, in looking back over my boy-
hood that out of that one box came six mis-
sionaries, who have done long and good
work. One of them is Dr. Jewett who
saved the Telugu Mission when the Bap-
tist Board thought of giving it up. When
we were boys we used to attend the same
church and look at each other through the

*This closing paragraph is added from an ad-
dress delivered by Dr. ttamlin, before the Inter-
denominational Missionary Union at Clifton
Springs.

A Missionary Box 171

loop-holes in the high pews. I have always
felt as if he came out of that missionary
box. I am sure I did \ but I didn't know it
at the time.

XIX
THE KOREAN PONY

From " Korean Sketches ", by Rev. James S.
Gale, B.A., of the American Presbyterian Mis-
sion, Wonsan, Korea.

Among the creatures that have crossed
my path, the one that has had the most in-
fluence on my personal character is the
Korean pony. It would be impossible to
recount the varied experiences through
which he has led me. Instead of lifting
my hand and pointing to some noted pro-
fessor or eminent divine, as the master spirit
of my life, I stand a safe distance off,
point to the Korean pony, and say, *' He
has brought more out of me than all of the
others combined." In his company I have
been surprised at the amount of concen-
trated evil I have found in my heart ; again,
as he has carried me safely along the diz-
ziest edge, I could have turned angel and
taken him upon my back.

My usual pony has been, not one of your
well-groomed steeds from the palace sta-
bles, but a long-haired, hide-bound one, for
which your whole heart goes out in pity.
172

The Korean Pony 173

"Weak creature," you say, "how easy it
would be for him to expire." But after
a little experience of his company you
change your mind; for you find his heels
are charged with the vitality of forked
lightning, and that upon slight provocation
he could bite through six inch armour-plate.
Experience has taught me to treat him care-
fully, as you would an old fowling-piece
loaded to kill, and in danger of going off at
any moment.

Twice each year, in the breeding districts,
a certain number of ponies are lassoed, and
sent to the palace. There they pass their
palmy days. When their hair grows long
and they take on a sheep-like look, they are
turned out through the back gate and be-
come pack-ponies, carrying goods along the
four main roads of Korea. They keep this
up until they develop ringbone, spavin, raw-
back, windgalls and heaves. Then they are
bought by a Korean living near the " New
Gate," and for the remainder of their mor-
tal existence are used specially to carry
foreigners. The fact that the animal is
dangerously ill, and the risk so much the
greater, accounts for the double charge
made to all foreigners by the man at the
"New Gate."

The Korean pony figures in literary and

174 Korean Sketches

scientific ways as well. He is the animal of
the twenty-fifth constellation, and appears
specially as the symbolical creature of the
seventh Korean hour (ii A. M. to i P. M.).
This doubtless refers to the fact that he
eats his chook at that time, though 1 1 to 2
would have been a more correct division.
We read also that his compass point is
south. Probably the inventor of the Horary
Table was on his way north at the time,
and finding that his pony naturally gravi-
tated the other way, marked it south. His
poetical name is tone hang (honest sheep).
While the noun here is well chosen, the ad-
jective is purely fictitious, as we say, " hon-
est injun."

In size, when alongside a western horse,
lie looks like a ten-year-old boy accompany-
ing his grandfather or like an ordinary
Japanese walking out with Li Hung Chang.

His gait is a peculiar pitter-patter, and
rides very nicely until he reaches the raw-
backed, spavin age, when he stumbles every
few paces, calling forth remarks from the
foreigner. The so-called Chinese ponies are
rough, awkwarci creatures. A pack on one
of them heaves up and down like an old-
fashioned walking-beam; while a Korean
pony, in good condition, glides along like a
palace Pullman.

The Korean Pony 175

Their sure-footedness is a marvel. If
you have been fortunate enough to have
really secured a good pony, then give him
his way over all dangers of ice and preci-
pice that you may chance to pass. Sit per-
fectly cool on your pack, for the danger is
less in trusting in him than to your own
feet. How my heart has risen to the occa-
sion, and taken up its quarters in my mouth,
as I have felt him glide along an eight-inch
path, overlooking a chasm with twelve feet
of green cold water below. But never a
failure, never once a slip. At such times,
had I been in search of a joss to crack my
head to, I should have enshrined my Korean
pony.

And yet, in spite of these excellences, my
opening remarks are true, for in heart and
soul he is a perfect fiend. Obstinacy is
one of his commonest characteristics. He
will have his own way as surely as any
Korean coolie will have his. When the no-
tion takes him, his neck is of brass, and his
ideas fixed as the King's ell.

His diet is chook and chopped millet
straw. Chook is boiled beans and rice chaff,
and is fed to the pony in a trough of water.
The beans are very few, the water very
deep. The long lips and nose of the Korean
pony is an evolution of nature in order to

176 Korean Sketches

capture that bean in the bottom of a trough
of water: he has been after it for genera-
tions. Another result is, he can breathe
through his eyes while his nose is a foot
deep in water hunting beans.

The water is always coloured. This leaves
it uncertain as to the number of beans put in.
On one of my journeys I had a groom
whose disposition seemed to be to get into
disputes and difficulties along the way. The
pony I rode was a long-nosed, dejected
creature that required three hours to feed.
On one occasion I went out to hurry it up,
and found it eye-deep in the trough, appar-
ently having an extra good time. The inn-
keeper happening to pass by, saw the
twinkle in the pony's eye, and concluded
that the groom had " squeezed " his beans.
Immediately a most interesting drama was
enacted, passing rapidly through the vari-
ous acts of a tragedy.

" To perdition, you and your beans,"
cried the groom, meanwhile currying his
pony.

With that, in a burst of tragic frenzy,
the innkeeper, seizing the brimming trough
of chook, poised it in the air and let fly
at the groom. With all the centrifugal
force of a projectile, the trough grazed the
pony's back, and $hot by the groom; the

The Korean Pony 177

water taking the centripetal route, showered
down over the head and shoulders of the
innkeeper himself, the beans gliding gently
down his neck. People speak of a horse-
laugh, but a pony's smile is something that
in watery richness of expression surpasses
everything. That dejected looking pony
smiled, and we resumed our journey.

They never allow the pony to drink cold
water, " It is sure death," they say ; neither
do they allow him to lie down at night, but
keep him strung up to a pole overhead by
ropes, so that the creature is perfectly help-
less, and all the roosters of the village warm
their feet on his back and crow the place
into a perfect pandemonium.

By way of poetic justice, I love to see
the pony shod — see him pinioned tooth
and nail, bound head, feet and tail in one
hard knot, lying on his back under the
spreading chestnut tree, with the village
smithy putting tacks into him that bring
tears to his eyes. But seasons like this are
all too short to square up with him for the
sins of his everyday existence.

To conclude by way of illustration: I
was on a journey through the South, when
my pony took sick, and not being able to
find one for hire, I asked one of the mayor
of the city. He sent me a perfect whirl-

1 78 Korean Sketches

wind! This was one of a courier service,
which necessitated changing horses every
five miles. In the fourteen or fifteen ani-
mals that I enjoyed for the next three days,
I had an excellent demonstration of the
merits and defects of the Korean pony. As
mentioned, the first was a great success,
the next was also in good condition. On
mounting, however, I found he had a pecu-
liar gait. A limp that defied all my efforts
to locate seemed in fact to possess his en-
tire being; a jerking that left one's inmost
soul in shreds. Glad was I to hand him
over at the next post-house. Pony number
three carried me out of the yard brilliantly.
The road skirted the bank of a river. A
magnificent view, thought I, and a pleasant
pony to ride; when suddenly he stopped,
reversed all his ideas, and began backing at
a dangerous pace directly for the edge.

I managed to get off just in time to save
myself, and then, thinking to teach him a
lesson, attempted to assist him over the side.
But no ! he skillfully grazed the edge at an
angle sufficient to have dumped anything
from his back, and righted himself again
as neatly as though he had done it a thou-
sand times. Evidently it was a scheme on
his part to take my life. I decided to walk
till the landscape was a little less pictur-

The Korean Pony 179

esque. When we left the river, and
gained the open fields, I decided to try him
again. But it was not long till the old sen-
sations took him, and he was once more
backing up at terrific speed. As there was
no immediate danger, I thought to let him
back, which he did until he had run me into
a bristling shrub, that lifted my hat off,
combed me up generally, and marked my
face. I gave him up and footed it for the
remainder of the distance.

Then came three indifferent animals that
just managed to make their five miles. After
the next post-house keeper had professed
to have gotten us an excellent pony we
moved on again. When the creature was
far enough away from the stable to protect
his master from any assault on our part,
he lay down peacefully in the middle of the
road. There he remained until lifted bodily
by tail and ears, and then he refused to
stand squarely on the ground, my native
assistant and the two pony boys straining
themselves to the utmost to hold him erect.

The last one that I felt particularly in-
censed against, was a ragged looking beast
that was troubled with a weakness in its
fore quarters. Without the slightest prov-
ocation he was all the time going down on
his nose. If his strength could have been

i8o Korean Sketches

equally divided fore and aft, he might have
made a passable pony; but as it was, no
forelegs at all would have been the only
honest turnout. The creature hobbled
along, kept me in a state of constant sus-
pense, played on my hopes and fears most
cruelly, and at last, in an utter collapse,
pitched me clear over his head, to the total
destruction of my personal appearance.

XX

THE KOREAN BOY

From " Korean Sketches ", by the Rev. James S.
Gale, B.A.

The boy^ may be anything from fifteen
to fifty-five years of age. He may be mar-
ried or unmarried. He may even be male
or female. He is the ever-present shadow,
as visible in cloudy weather as in sunshine.
He occupies the central place in the exist-
ence and history of all Western life in the
Far East. As well expect a state to stand
without a capital, or a temple to flourish
without a god as to find a foreigner and no
boy. The boy is in fact the moving prin-
ciple of his Hfe.

Nothing is done without the sanction of
the boy, and nothing that the boy vetoes
can ever come to pass. Like every other
attending spirit, if you give the boy oflfense
he leaves at once, and the crack of doom
settles down over the head of his unlucky
victim. Usually he comes back on increased

*The head-servant in the Far East is called
"the boy".

i8i

1 82 Korean Sketches

pay, and with less mercy than ever in his
soul, and life moves on.

The Western wife is the one who reads
deepest into the mysteries of the boy. He
reveals himself to her because her demands
give scope and variety for his attainments.
My wife was once involved in the prepara-
tion of a dinner to be given to the distin-
guished Western population of the city of
Seoul, in the days when the whole company
numbered less than the Knights of the
Round Table.

All the courses were safely under way and
the kitchen was spread with the choicest
dishes those early days permitted. Canned
vegetables, too, not so common there as in
America, were called into requisition.

" Open this can carefully, boy," said my
wife, '* and then heat the peas on the stove."

*' Heat the peas and then open the can,"
says the boy to himself, by way of touching
off the order.

My wife withdrew to the dining-room
in the satisfaction of being at last ready
for the guests. An Oriental bungalow is
pretty; the brown woodwork and rafters,
with light paper between, aflFord a pleasing
combination when set with flowers and nap-
kins and lighted tapers. Bang! went the
kitchen, as though struck by a torpedo.

The Korean Boy 183

There was a skirmish, and lo! dense dark-
ness enshrouded the whole cooking para-
phernaHa. When the steam and particles
of exploded peas had sufficiently settled to
admit of entrance, the top-knot of the boy
was discovered issuing from behind the
stove, while these words were heard,
" Choson boy no savez."

There were canned peas in every course
that evening, to the confusion of my poor
wife, but the story of their presence was
accepted by the guests as more than com-
pensation. The boy was burned by the ex-
ploding can, and to this day cannot under-
stand why it blew up, unless the devils were
in it.

So the boy takes matters into his own
hands. " I know," is his favourite motto.
He walks by faith in himself, and not by
the sight of any mortal demonstration. He
has unbounded confidence in his power
to pilot a way through culinary complica-
tions. My wife had a kettle of catsup al-
most at a finish, the boy was plucking a
chicken in readiness for dinner.

"What is the red sauce for, madam?"
asked the boy.

" To be used with meat," said my wife ;
** for example, chicken."

" Oh," said the boy, " I know."

1S4 Korean Sketches

My wife returned to the kitchen a half
hour later, and there was the chicken, sub-
merged in the pot of catsup, languidly boil-
ing, while the boy sat and expatiated to
his dirty-faced satellites on the art of West-
ern cooking.

The boy is full of resource; a situation
that will baffle him is hard to imagine. The
commissioner of customs made us an after-
noon call, and we prevailed on him to re-
main for dinner. When my wife informed
the boy that we would have him for our
guest, he said, " We have nothing in the
world for the great man ; not bread enough,
and no roast ; we shall all die."

My wife told him she would take no
bread, and that canned meat would suffice
for " potluck ; " and as the commissioner
was a considerate gentleman, there really
was no occasion for any one to expire.

*' We shall all die," said he, " and go to
perdition " — meaning that the honour of
our house would fall.

Dinner was served, the boy came sweep-
ing in with the soup as though there were
an abundant supply. Later we were await-
ing the modest remnants of bread and
canned meat, when the door swung on its
hinges, and the boy with an expression of
oily radiance peculiar to the East, burst

The Korean Boy 185

into the room with a roast of beef fit for
Confucius! There was also bread enough
and to spare. My wife sat asphyxiated.
What could she do but accept a choice piece
for herself, and express the hope that the
commissioner would be helped a second
time!

It was an eminent success as a dinner, but
the question of where the roast was pro-
cured in a city destitute of Christian beef,
and bread, where there are no bakers,
was bearing hard upon her; yet it was not
curiosity, but fear that filled her soul.
When we withdrew for coffee, she asked in
breathless suspense:

'' Kamyongi, where did you get the roast
and the bread ? "

" Just sent to the commissioner's and
said, * The great man will dine here, bring
along anything you have cooked.' "

With a look of mortification that was
pitiful, my wife confessed then and there
to the commissioner. He was an old hand
in the East, and the light of past days
twinkled in his eye as he enjoyed to the full
the joke of that most excellent dinner.

It is only fair to say that the average boy
is trustworthy. He takes his '' squeeze,"
which is as legitimate an operation in the
Far East as the drawing of a salary at

1 86 Korean Sketches

home. He expects to share in the good
fortune of his master without any thought
of being dishonest. There are, of course,
questionable boys as there are questionable
people in every walk of life, and the follow-
ing case is cited to show the methods they
adopt in deceiving their employer.

The most afflicted person I have ever
known in this respect was a Scotchman
who came East on a matter of business.
He hired a boy to do his work, cook and
care for him. This boy was to come every
night, render an account of the day's ex-
penses, and receive orders for the day fol-
lowing. Nothing palls on an impatient for-
eigner more than these visits of the boy
with his book of Chinese characters. So
the Scotchman would say, " Oh never mind,
I'm tired to-night, come to-morrow," Sev-
eral days would pass by, and then would
come an evening of dire tussle in a vain
effort to straighten out accounts.

" But," says the Scotchman, " I never ate
forty eggs a day."

" Oh, yes ! makee blead puddin', must
have plenty egg," says the boy.

The Scotchman was silenced, though not
convinced. This matter of accounts grew
more and more aggravated. There was

The Korean Boy 187

heaped up against him a tremendous list
of provisions — quantities of beef, mutton
chop, ham, fruit, flour and eggs. Small
portions of these to be sure he had eaten,
but the meagre remnants that appeared for
breakfast, tiffin, and dinner, were entirely
out of proportion to the extravagant lists
of the evening. Resolved to investigate,
the Scotchman dropped in about eleven
o^clock from the office, to see what the sup-
ply looked like uncooked. He called the
boy and asked what he had bought.

" Me buy good loast, one chicken, plenty
thing."

" Bring them in to me," he said.

The boy disappeared, the Scotchman
waited long and patiently. " Boy ! " he
shouted, but no answer. Determined to
make an end once for all, he went into
the kitchen and out to the back yard. There
was the boy plucking one of his favorite
chickens in a desperate effort to make the
supply tally with his account! He had
meanwhile borrowed a piece of meat from
a neighbour, and piled a few scraps on a
plate to which he called attention.

The angry Scot caught the plate, and
let fly, scraps, roast and all, straight at the
boy's head. The concussion sent him spin-

1 88 Korean Sketches

ning through the back gate, where he dis-
appeared into a kind of nirvana, carrying
the Scotchman's anathemas with him.

The boy is the guardian spirit of the pale-
face, notwithstanding the fact that he keeps
him in torment. Yield him your confidence
and his devotion and executive skill will
more than repay you. His unwearied feet
will cover long miles of distance in your
behalf; his tongue will tell the wondering
listeners your praises — how great you are,
how wise, how generous, how rich, how
glorious a master to serve. We have heard
it from others, and sometimes ourselves
have said, " Bless the boy ! "

He will fight a whole town that calls you
" barbarian " — as my own Yongchuni did
once when we entered a miserable raft of
a place after nightfall. The people, through
the mouthpiece of a lanky mountaineer, said
they had no room to stable savages. Quick
as lightning Yongchuni smacked him on
the cheek for his insolence. It was the
touch of a button that piled all the loose
population onto the prey like so many woolly
dogs. Poor Yongchuni, he was the prey,
buried out of sight, overwhelmed by vio-
lence, and all on my account. I was com-
pelled to turn in and help him. How we
survived is still a mystery. As we moved

The Korean Boy 189

ignominiously out of the place, I lectured
him on keeping his temper.

" But, master, they insulted you, how
could I ? " he asked.

" But we must not fight," I repHed.

This reproof brought the tears, where
the violence of the mob had but whetted
him into anger. I told him I prized his
faithfulness, pummelled as he had been.
After thinking it over carefully, and weigh-
ing the motives, I drew from it a profitable
lesson for myself, and concluded that I
would rather have fought like that on be-
half of another, than have kept my temper
for years.

XXI '

THE KOREAN NEW YEAR.

I^'rom " Korean Sketches ", by the Rev. James S.
Gale, B.A.

In their division of the year, Koreans,
Hke the Chinese, prefer to follow the moon
rather than the sun. The most noted moon
of the year is the crescent that shines on
the first night of the first month.

Every native in the land feels that witfi
its coming old things have passed away
and that all things have become new. He
pays his debts, puts on a new suit of clothes,
bows his congratulations to the old men of
the village, and has the younger men bow
to him ; and yet after it all, there is a lack
and an aching void. He acts not unlike
Job when he said : " Though I wash me
with snow water and make my hands never
so clean, yet wilt thou plunge me in the
ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor
me." Something dogs his footsteps of
which he tries very hard to be rid ; he calls
in sorcerers, and fortune men, and during
prolonged seances seeks their advice.
190

The Korean New Year 191

A cook whom we left at Korea, had many
times fallen a victim to a quarrelsome dispo-
sition, though he fought hard against it.
We told him of the Christian way of com-
bating such a foe, but it did not appeal to
him. He said Koreans had a way too, but
he would have to await the New Year for
its trial. When the New Year came, late
at night we found him in the courtyard fly-
ing a kite on which he had written, " Evil
disposition, impatience, bad words, street
fights, etc." It was so dark that no kite
could be seen; but when he had run the
string out to its full length, he cut it and
let it go, imagining that so he had rid him-
self of his enemies and could begin the year
with new courage.

Another regenerating method commonly
practised is to prepare a straw image which
contains in its inmost being a written state-
ment of one's sins and shortcomings, to-
gether with a few cash. On New Year's
night beggars who play the part of scape-
goat, come by asking for the image. It is
passed out to them, and they become pos-
sessed of the evil, selling their peace of soul
for the cash within.

Another method of finding peace, is by
making offerings before a mountain shrine.
We had one such in front of our gate, to

192 Korean Sketches

which, among others, came an old woman
to rid herself of her sorrows and burdens,
carrying a chicken and a bowl of rice. It
was a live offering, for she left the chicken
tied by its foot to the tree. Its peepings
brought our cook upon the scene. He cut
the string, gave the bird shelter, and when
the old woman came by again, said,
" Mother ! here's your chicken." But
Grandma lifted up her hands in horror,
refused to take it, and warned him against
what he would inherit — terrors worse than
he had dispossessed himself of when he
flew his kite.

The Korean is a marvel for mathemati-
cal calculations. His reckoning of age is
most peculiar. It is not based upon the
revolutions of sun or moon, but upon the
number of New Year's dinners partaken of,
with an extra year thrown in, for what
reason I have never been able to understand.
Thus if a child is born in December, and
on New Year's day joins the family circle
for refreshments, it is said to be two years
old, though its actual existence may number
only five or six days.

Though defective in mathematics, the
Korean has other compensating excellen-
cies. We have had a parliament of Re-
ligions, at which we are glad he took no

The Korean New Year 193

part ; but when we shall have a Parliament
of National Amusements, we hope to have
him there flying his Korean kite. At the
New Year season the upper air is alive
with kites, dancing nimbly in groups or
moving mysteriously here and there. His
kite is small and square without wings or
tail, and its evolutions are marvellous. In
fairly calm weather a skillful flyer can com-
mand an arc of some ninety degrees with
his kite. By a turn of the wrist and a
sweep of the hand it goes straight up into
mid-air, like a rocket. Another turn, and
it makes a somersault like a tumbler pigeon,
repeating it over and over.

Each New Year season there are contests
in kite flying, the object being to cut the
enemy's string and let his kite go. In
preparation for this, a string is twisted of
silk and coated with ground glass and
porcelain mixed with glue. As it flies
singing off the reel you feel toward it much
as a bird might toward a wall capped with
broken bottles.

These contests are quite as exciting as
anything seen on an American baseball field.
The old men in thickly padded suits are
seated on mats at some point where the view
is unobstructed, while ordinary spectators
fill the streets. The most tried and skill-

194 Korean Sketches

ful man of the district has the kite in hand.
Little boys in red jackets and white panta-
loons are everywhere on tiptoe of expecta-
tion for fallen string or stray kite.

One tournament in the capital we still
remember vividly. Different wards of
the city had entered the lists, and
even the coolies were excited. After due
ceremony the kites rose slowly from the
chosen centres. They were far apart and
seemed as little in danger of attacking each
other as the extreme ends of the Dipper.
They drew apart until sufficient string was
off the reel, and then gradually pulled to-
gether until the distance was spanned. Now
they were face to face, nodding politely,
schottisching back and forth, growing more
animated till their motion assumed some-
thing of the form of a highland fling. Then
they swooped at each other — passed and
repassed — shot by at hot speed — struck —
one kite spun for a moment; then dived
underneath — the spectators held their
breath. Now strings were crossed, and the
fight began. A moment later one kite re-
mained riding triumphantly in the sky,
while the other, with tipsy motion floated
off into the azure blue, the broken string
falling over the roof-tops.

A little lad with radiant face and red

The Korean New Year 195

coat caught the string, and, in his haste,
took a grip of it and ran toward home, for-
getful of the glass filings and glue. Some
one caught the other end and drew it
through his hand. At once he dropped it
and looked, and there a line oozed out of
his chubby fingers as red as his New Year's
jacket. His features suddenly reversed,
and in bitterness and woe he went home to
tell his mother of the sorrows and defeats
of New Year's day. But over in the other
ward there was feasting and music, and
the mothers there said there had never been
such kite-flying since the founding of the
dynasty.

In the evening the Korean closes his
doors to keep out Santa Claus, whom he
calls Angwangi. Angwangi is an old man
who lives in the upper air and collects ma-
terial for New Year's gifts. As is cus-
tomary in the East, the Korean leaves his
shoes outside the door, and Angwangi
comes down on New Year's eve, and tries
them on, leaving a memento of his visit.
He is not the genial Santa Claus we know,
however, but a villainous old fiend, whose
gifts consist of typhus fever, cholera, lep-
rosy and the like.

There is no joyful anticipation, but the
most dismal fear of Angwangi. When a

196 Korean Sketches

child cries, Korean mothers say, "Hush,
or Angwangi will catch you." Yet, as
against other common evils of the Orient,
the natives have a protection provided. One
v^ay is to bring all the shoes inside and
keep a light burning for the night; but in
certain cases bringing the shoes indoors
exposes the inmates to other misfortunes,
so it has taken much thoughtful study to
meet the case of Angwangi. After baiting
him with this and that, and attempting in
vain to propitiate him, it was found that a
common flour sieve left at the door would
attract his attention and render him oblivi-
ous to all the shoes of the capital, for he has
a mania for counting the meshes of the
sieve. He counts and counts, and before he
is aware, the night has fled, and his oppor-
tunity to scatter New Year's pestilence is
gone. So a sieve is always left beside the
shoe mat on New Year's eve.

At the close of the New Year's season,
that is, on the night of the fifteenth of the
first month, the Korean spreads his mat on
the nearest bridge and bows three times to
the moon, asking him for his light and
guidance during the coming year.

XXII

GOD ON THE ROCK: HOW THE
INDIANS ARE TAUGHT TO
READ THE BOOK

From " On the Indian Trail ", by Egerton R.
Young, missionary to the Cree and Salteaux
Indians.

One of the most signal triumphs in giv-
ing the Bible to a people in their own lan-
guage is that of the translation and printing
of the Book in the syllabic characters in-
vented by the Rev. James Evans, one of
the early Methodist missionaries to the scat-
tered tribes of Indians in what was then
known as the Hudson River Territories.

These people were fishermen and hunters,
ever on the go, so that it was almost an
impossibility to teach them to read in the
ordinary way. By using syllabic charac-
ters, however, the Bible was printed in so
simple a manner as to be easily acquired
by them. Each character represents a syl-
lable, so that all the difficulties of learning
to spell are done away with.

In working out his invention, Mr. Evans
had to labor under many disadvantages.
197

198 On the Indian Trail

Living in a land so remote from civiliza-
tion, he had but Httle material on which
to experiment and but few facilities to aid
him. From the fur-traders he begged a
few sheets of the lead that lines the interior
of tea chests. This he melted into suitable
pieces, out of which he carved his first type.
For paper he was obliged at first to use
birch bark. His ink was manufactured out
of the soot from his chimney and sturgeon
oil. Yet with these rude appliances he suc-
ceeded in printing portions of the Scrip-
tures and some hymns in the language of
the Crees.

When the story of his marvellous inven-
tion reached England, friends came to his
assistance. From some of his types, as
models, a generous supply was cast; these
with a good hand printing press and all
necessary supplies of paper, ink and other
essentials were shipped to him by the Hud-
son Bay Co., to Norway House. For years
the work of printing portions of the Word
of God was prosecuted there until the Brit-
ish and Foreign Bible Society took up the
work and cheerfully furnished all the
Bibles the people required.

The missionary ever finds among all
classes of pagan people that the Book is
always considered a mysterious and won-

God on the Rock 199

derful volume. Its marvellous incidents
ever attract. They never tire of the serv-
ices where it has a prominent place. Ser-
mons, even though hours in duration, if
full of its truths will be attentively listened
to.

One day when I was holding some ex-
tended services, I said to the friendly In-
dians around me : '' Would you not like
to read the book for yourselves ? '^ A chorus
of hearty affirmative answers was the quick
response. It did not take us long to organ-
ize our school, for it was indeed a primi-
tive affair. I was fortunate in having a
goodly number of syllabic Bibles, which, at
a great deal of trouble we had brought
with us in our canoe. Not a person in the
audience, except my boatmen knew a let-
ter or syllabic character. We had no pri-
mary books considered so essential in organ-
izing a school that has to begin at first
principles. We had not even a slate, pencil,
paper or blackboard. However, "neces-
sity is the mother of invention," and it was
so here.

Near at hand was a huge rock that tow-
ered up like a house, one side of it being
as smooth as a wall. This constituted an
admirable substitute for a blackboard.
Burnt sticks from the camp-fire, where our

aoo On the Indian Trail

fish and bear's meat had been cooked, were
used as substitutes for chalk.

ALPHABET^

(a) SYLLABICS;

v»

A^

>0 <JB«

Ap^

^P3 <pS

nts

^ts (^t3

fj cha

p chS

J cha [j cha

Qka

p ks

^C)k5 5ka

'?J)na

O" ^^

jpno Q^ina

1^^

P me

J mo L mS

V. sa

^ s§

^ so 1^ Ba

^ya

^ ys

;^y5 l-,ya

*a, as in far.

After a few words of explanation the
work of memorizing the characters began.
A, E, OO, AH. It was just like a lot of

little children in a primary school begin-
ning with A, B, C. Over and over again,

* In reading this selection before an audience
it will add greatly to the interest to reproduce this
alphabet on the blackboard or a large sheet of
manila paper.

God on the Rock aoi

we repeated them until my mixed audience
became familiar with the sounds. Thus we
studied for hours. At first the interest in
the work was very great, and from old men
of eighty, to the boys and girls of six or
eight, the best of attention was paid.

After a time the interest flagged consid-
erably, especially among the older men to
whom these characters were as yet unmean-
ing sounds. Some of them got up and lit
their pipes, and moving around, divided
their time between the lesson and the smok-
ing. Of course I had to let them smoke. I
might have found it a difficult matter to
have stopped them if I had been so foolish
as to have tried. So I told them some
pleasant stories and we toiled away at our
lesson. It was not many hours before many
of my undisciplined pupils had a fairly good
idea of the names of the characters.

Then, knowing that I could arouse the
interest of the most apathetic among them
I began to combine the characters into
words, and asked for their most earnest
attention. I marked out some simple words
such as: < < (pa-pa), and L L
(ma-ma). Thus I showed them how to
combine these signs into words. This in-
terested them very much; but the climax
came, when, with the burnt stick I marked

ao2 On the Indian Trail

L (5 3 ' (Maneto, their name for God,
or the Great Spirit) . Great indeed was the
excitement. They could hardly believe
their own eyes, that before them was Ma-
neto, the Great Spirit. He whom they had
heard in the thunder and the storm, whose
power they had seen in the lightning flash,
about whom they had talked in their wig-
wams, and at their camp-fires — " Ma-
neto ! " Here, made by a burnt stick on a
rock, visible to their eyes, was that name:
God on the Rock ! It was indeed a reve-
lation. Something that filled, and thrilled
them, as I have never before or since seen
Indians thrilled.

For a time I could only keep quiet and
look on and rejoice. Some of them in their
amazement were doubtful of their own
senses. They acted as though they could
not believe their own eyes; so they ap-
pealed to those nearest to them and said :

'' Is it Maneto to you? "

Others rubbed their eyes, as though they
feared that by some witchery bad medicine
had been thrown in them, and, in their In-

^ If a blackboard is used as suggested, draw
these characters on it without giving their mean-
ing, and call on the audience to translate them
by referring to the alphabet.

God on the Rock 203

dian phraseology, they were " seeing
double."

There was no more inattention. Every
pipe went out, and every eye followed me,
as in these syllabics I wrote on the rock,
God is Love. After talking about this a
little, I then wrote, God Loves You. This
we followed with other short sentences full
of blessed Gospel truths. Thus passed some
hours in this delightful way, and before
they were ended many of my pupils had
become quite familiar with the formation
of words out of these characters.

Then we opened our bundles of Bibles,
and, passing them around as far as they
would go, I had them all turn to the first
verse of the first chapter of Genesis, and
we began the study of it. Of course our
progress at first was slow. It could not be
otherwise under such circumstances. But
we patiently persevered, and it was not
very long ere they were able to read in
their own language : ^' Mawache Nistum
Kaesamaneto Keoosetou Kesik Mena
AsKEE (In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth)."

When they had acquired the ability to
read this verse for themselves, and had
grasped a little of its meaning, there was

204 On the Indian Trail

another outburst of delight. That first
verse of Genesis is very suggestive and full
of meaning to any one who studies it. It
is in itself the first chapter of God's revela-
tion of Himself to man, and has long occu-
pied the attention and study of the most
godly and profound. Here, for the first
time, it was being read by a company of
poor Indians, just emerging from pagan-
ism. But they were sharp and keen and
able to grasp a new truth; and so when
the verse was first opened before them
with its wondrous meaning, great was their
delight and amazement.

" Now we know all about it ! " some of
them shouted. " The Kaesa-Maneto (the
great God), made all these things, the
heaven and the earth."

Others said:

" Our fathers talked about it in their
wigwams, and wondered how all these
things came as they are; but they had to
confess they were in darkness, and knew
nothing. But now we know it ! We know
it!"

Over and over again they read the verse
until they had thoroughly committed it to
memory. And in after days, at many a
camp-fire, and in many a hunting lodge, it
was repeated to others who had not heard

God on the Rock 205

it, but who, on hearing it, were also filled
with gratification and delight at the answer
it gave to what had long been a subject of
perplexity and awe.

Day after day before that rock the study
of other verses followed. Slowly of course
at first, but gradually increasing as they
became better acquainted with the sylla-
bics. These eager, interested Indians, ap-
plied themselves with such earnestness to
the work, that although they had never
been to school a day in their lives, some of
them in ten days or two weeks, were able
to read with fluency, the Word of God in
their own language. No wonder the great
Lord Dufferin, then Governor-General of
the Dominion of Canada, said to me :

" The man who invented that syllabic al-
phabet, was one of the great benefactors
of humanity, and more richly deserved a
pension, a title, and a resting place in West-
minster Abbey, than many who were
buried there."

All the churches carrying on mission
work in these vast northern regions have
availed themselves of Mr. Evans' invention.
Among other tribes than the Cree, where
there are different sounds in the language,
some few extra characters have been added.
Even in Labrador and Greenland, the de-

2o6 On the Indian Trail

voted Moravian missionaries are success-
fully using the syllabic characters to teach
the poor wandering Esquimaux how to
read the Word of God in their own uncouth
language.

XXIII

THE VICTORY OF THE SABBATH-
KEEPING INDIANS.

From " On the Indian Trail ", by Egerton R.
Young.

To the Indians, before the arrival of the
missionary, the Sabbath was utterly un-
known. The preaching of it at first filled
them with perplexity and trouble. They
thought it would bring them to absolute
want. They were very poor, even though
working and fishing every day ; and to give
up one day out of every seven, and not fire a
gun or set a net — what would become of
them !

Faithfully and lovingly the missionaries
set before them the commands of God, add-
ing the promises of blessings to the obedi-
ent. The Book itself was diligently
searched, and at last the Christian Indians
resolved to take it for their guide, and to
keep the Sabbath Day. At once the guns
and bows and arrows were put aside, and
the fish-nets were left hanging in the breeze
for that day. No traps were visited, neither
were the axes lifted up against the trees^
207

2o8 On the Indian Trail

Their simple meals were cooked and eaten,
and all who could attend, were found in the
house of God three times each Sabbath.

But now arose fierce opposition from an
unexpected source. The great fur-trading
company that held despotic power in the
land, fearing a diminution in the returns of
the fur, sneered at the action of the mis-
sionaries, and by bribes and threats, en-
deavoured to induce the Indians to ignore
their teachings on the subject. When the
summer tripping began this opposition de-
veloped into downright persecution. Some
description of this " tripping " in that great
wild northland is necessary in order that
the position of the Sabbath-keeping In-
dians may be understood.

So remote from the seaboard are some
of the interior posts of the Hudson Bay
Company that seven years or more elapsed
ere the furs could reach the London mar-
ket. The bales of goods given in exchange
for them were first shipped to York factory
on the Hudson Bay. Then they were taken
by the Indian trippers in strong boats that
would hold from three to five tons. A
number of these boats constituted a brigade.
A captain of the whole was appointed and
a good state of discipline maintained.

The first brigade would take the bales up

Sabbath-Keeping Indians 209

the rivers, some of which are full of falls
and rapids that are impassable for boats.
Here portages have to be made. The hardy
boatmen row up to the rapids as close as
it is safe, unload their cargoes and carry
them on their backs to the selected spot
above the obstruction in the river. Then
the boats are hauled ashore and dragged
overland to the same place; here they are
again launched, and, with cargoes aboard,
the journey is resumed. On some of these
trips the number of portages runs up into
the scores.

At Norway House, — which for many
years was the great distributing centre for
the interior — this first brigade would ex-
change its cargo of goods for the bales of
rich furs which another brigade that had
come from the further interior, perhaps
from Athabasca or the Saskatchewan
country, had brought down thus far on their
way to the London market. Then this
second brigade would return hundreds of
miles into the interior ; and meeting another
brigade from regions still more remote,
would again exchange cargoes. Thus it
would go on until some of the bales of
goods were more than three thousand miles
from the seaboard where they were landed.

The one despotic command delivered to

12 1 o On the Indian Trail

these brigades by the company was, " push
on ! " They argued : The summer in these
high latitudes is short; we must make the
most of it. Every day tells, and there must
be no lagging by the way. The result was
that the men were worked to the last de-
gree of endurance. Many failed at the oar,
while others dropped under the heavy loads
in making the portages. Fill up the ranks
quickly and push on ! was the order. It
was all excitement, and rush, and high
pressure, from the beginning of the trip-
ping season until the close. There was no
relaxation — no Sabbath — no rest.

It seemed utter folly for the missionary
to come in where such a condition of things
existed and say to the best men of the best
brigades : " We know the summer is short,
and it is essential for the welfare of the
company and your own wages, that the
goods should be taken in, and the furs
brought out. But a Higher Power has
said, ' Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it holy,' so when Saturday night overtakes
you, tie up your boats, lay aside your oars,
and rest in quietness and devotion until
God's day is over."

The company was astounded. To lose
one-seventh of the short summer would
never do! This fanaticism must be

Sabbath-Keeping Indians 211

stopped! They threatened — they perse-
cuted the missionary and the Indians. But
the missionary (the Rev. James Evans),
was a wise and judicious man ; standing at
his post he endeavoured to show the com-
pany that no harm would come to them by
their employees resting one day in seven.
He declared that a man could do more work
in six days by resting the seventh, than by
working continuously; and he challenged
them to the test.

At first the statement was laughed to
scorn. However, as the missionary and his
Christian Indians remained true, the com.-
pany was obliged to yield so far as to send
off a Sabbath-keeping brigade, which they
did with many fears and misgivings. To
their surprise, they did their work just as
well, and returned in less time, with the
men in better health than those who knew
no Sabbath. The logic of actual success
triumphed and all opposition ceased.
Henceforth no one was found rash enough
to question the ability of the Sabbath-keep-
ing Indians to excel in work those who kept
not the day of rest.

^ I have asked the Christian boatmen to

^ This account given by the Christian boatmen
is added from " The Apostle of the North, James
Evans ", by Egerton R. Young.

ail On the Indian Trail

give me in detail an account of their doings
in contrast with the actions of the other
brigades. Their story is somethinjg like this :

" When going up the height of land to
meet the brigades from the north, perhaps
three or four brigades would leave the old
fort at the same time. We would push on,
keeping much in company, until we would
reach the portages, then we would separate.
Our Christian men could hold their own
with the best of these others, who were
generally either pagans or Roman Catholics.
Saturday we were usually ahead. We
camped as usual Saturday night, sometimes
near together, sometimes as much as ten
miles ahead of any other brigade. As the
next day was the Sabbath, we made every-
thing as comfortable as possible. We cov-
ered our cargoes with the tarpaulins, and
after supper and prayers, went to bed.

" The next day we arose as usual, had a
good wash and put on our Sunday clothes
which we carried with us. After breakfast,
as we generally had some of our class-
leaders or lay preachers among the men, we
held a religious service. We always car-
ried our Bibles and hymn books. After
dinner we had a good sleep, then supper,
then another religious service. Perhaps
during the day the other brigades passed

Sabbath-Keeping Indians 213

us in the forenoon. They pushed on and
on, but we never minded that. We were
remembering the command, ' Keep holy the
Sabbath day.' We were up very early on
Monday morning. The day of rest had re-
freshed us, and so, while the wapun-
uchukoos, the morning star, was still visible,
we were making ready for a long day's pull
at the oars.

" About Wednesday we generally caught
up to the other brigades that had no Sab-
bath. With a shout the struggle began,
they to keep ahead, we to get ahead. Per-
haps we could not do it that night, but we
did it the next day. Then on we hurried
until Saturday night came again. We do
the same as we did last Saturday. The
next day we sleep and eat and worship God.
Perhaps about five o'clock, or maybe six,
the brigades came along. They are now so
tired they can hardly get up a cheer as they
pass us and push on, perhaps five, or six,
or ten miles further, when they camp for
the night. They are very tired and so sleep
long the next morning. But we have had
our day of rest, and so feel strong again.
So with the morning star still in the sky,
we are up and off, and we get on so well
that we pass the other brigades perhaps
when they are just having their breakfast.

a 14 On the Indian Trail

" With a cheer we push ahead. We
travel some weeks over many rough places,
but at length we reach the post we are trav-
elling for that year. We find the brigades
from Athabasca, or Mackenzie, or Peace
Rivers, there with the furs. We exchange
our loads of goods for packs of furs, and
turn around and begin the homeward jour-
ney. Perhaps we get down five or six days
before we meet the other brigades still
going up.

" We push on day after day, having as
usual our quiet Sabbath of rest and wor-
ship, and we generally arrived home about
a week or ten days before the other brig-
ades returned. When they did come back,
they generally had some of their men about
used up, and all of them were very tired,
while we who kept the Sabbath were soon
ready to start off for York Factory to meet
the ship."

This was their uniform testimony, and
has been for years; and it is in harmony
with the experience in all lands where the
test has been made. Looked at from the
lowest standpoint, the Sabbath pays, for
man as a creature of toil can do more and
better work in six days, by resting on the
seventh, than he can where he keeps no
Sabbath.

XXIV
CAMPING IN THE SNOW BANK

From " The Apostle of the North, James
Evans ", by Egerton R. Young.

No full record of the long journeys taken
by James Evans among the Indians of the
far north has ever been written. The narra-
tive of his travels by canoe in the short
summer months, and by dog-train in the
long cold winter, would have equalled, in
intense interest, anything in modern litera-
ture.

To the Indians he was the ideal mission-
ary, the matchless dog traveller, the fear-
less canoeist. Stoical old fellows who could
not be induced to relate their personal ex-
periences at the camp-fires, would kindle
up, and talk by the hour of the thrilling
adventures, the narrow escapes, and the
Providential deliverances which entered
into his career.

Dog-travelling is the only way that long
winter journeys can be made in the cold re-
gions of the north. As there is much that
is fascinating and instructive about it, we
215

2i6 The Apostle of the North

will, in imagination, go with Mr. Evans on
one of his heroic trips and try to enter into
its hardships and its triumphs.

The dogs generally used are the well-
know Esquimaux or Huskie dogs of the
country. They are solid, fine-looking crea-
tures, with sharp, pointed ears, long and
erect, and they have a warm, furry coat
which enables them to stand the intense
cold of the region. Four dogs are called
a train, and are supposed to draw easily
five or six hundred pounds weight. The
dog-sleds are like the toboggans of Quebec,
about ten feet long and from sixteen to
eighteen inches wide.

On a long trip such as Mr. Evans would
take, two dog-trains would be necessary,
and three would be better. The Indian
companions must be of the best, especially
the guide. For the comfort of all, every-
thing essential for the journey, — food,
cooking utensils, bedding, etc., — must be
well packed on the sleds.

An important item of the load is a large
supply of dog shoes. These are very essen-
tial, for a dog's foot is very Hable to injury.
Sometimes on rough, sharp ice, they cut
their feet so that they bleed very much. At
other times in the rough places they break
off the nails or run sharp spikes through

Camping in the Snow Bank 217

the webbing between the toes. When thus
injured, a httle cotton wool, saturated with
balsam gum is fastened over the wounded
part, then the dog shoe which is like a long
mitten without the thumb, is drawn on the
foot and securely fastened with a piece of
deer skin. The dogs get to be very fond of
these shoes, and sometimes resort to queer
expedients to get them on. They will pre-
tend to be very footsore ; and if the night is
especially cold at the camp, they will howl
and whine for them in a way that is pa-
thetic, though at times very laughable. Mr.
Evans' famous train of hybrids, half dog,
half wolf, would lie down on their backs,
and holding up their four feet would howl
for him to put on their shoes.

When the day's journey is ended and a
place possessing the requisites of a good
camp has been found, a halt is called, and
all at once set to work to prepare for the
night. The dogs are unharnessed, axes are
taken from the sleds and a general assault
made on the dry trees near by. A dozen or
so are cut down and chopped into suitable
lengths. The big snow-shoes make capital
shovels and with these the light, dry snow
is speedily thrown out from a space about
ten feet square, which is to be the abode
of all the party for the night. The snow is

2i8 The Apostle of the North

piled up in banks on three sides, while on
the fourth it is scraped away, and there the
logs of wood are piled up into a big heap,
dry pieces and chips are placed underneath
them, and the whole is speedily ignited, and
soon there is a glorious blaze.

Kettles are then filled and refilled with
snow and kept on the fire until they are full
of water. In the larger one the meat is
boiled. It may be venison, or bear's meat
or half a beaver. The fatter it is the more
it is craved by the missionary as well as his
Indian companions.

While the meat is cooking the dogs are
fed, their meal consisting of white fish. So
severe is the frost, that these fish are as
solid as stones, and so, ere they are fed to
the dogs, a log is placed quite near to the
fire, and there two fish for each dog are
placed and thoroughly thawed out. Some-
times, in their nervous anxiety while wait-
ing for their fish, fighting begins among
them, and as one dog after another joins
in, it becomes quite a battle. But it was al-
ways noticed that dogs that have toiled in
the same trains very seldom quarrelled with
each other. The battle was usually between
the four of one train, and the four of an-
other. When fed, they go and dig holes in
the snow and there cuddle down and sleep,

Camping in the Snow Bank 219

shivering through the bitter cold night as
best they can.

The dogs being thus disposed of, the
missionary and his Indians have their own
supper. Tin plates and cups are arranged
on an old table-cloth, and then with knives
and forks they attack the meat and flat
cakes, if they have any, and drink a great
deal of strong, well-sweetened tea.

Sometimes when the night was intensely
cold, and this was generally the case, the
meat would freeze up two or three times
during the meal, and would have to be
plunged for a minute or two into the boil-
ing pot, kept ready for this emergency.
When it was colder than forty below zero,
the ice would form on a pint cup of tea in
a few minutes after it was poured out of
the boiling pot.

After supper they had prayers. The In-
dians were bright and joyous and full of
pleasantry. Mr. Evans, himself one of the
most joyous of men, would never take with
him a dog-traveller or guide, no matter how
capable, who was morose or sullen in dis-
position. Serving the Lord with gladness
himself, he wanted that kind of men around
him. But after supper, when the words
were uttered, " Let us worship God," all
talking and laughing ceased, and reverently,

220 The Apostle of the North

with uncovered heads, they all seated them-
selves around their beloved missionary, who
always led the service. A portion of the
Word of God would be read, and a familiar
hymn sung, then devoutly kneeling, first
one and then another of these happy con-
verted Indians v/ould lead in prayer. Then
Mr. Evans would offer the closing petitions
and pronounce the benediction, and the
precious devotions were at an end.

There they are, out in the dreary forest
in that hole, scooped out in the snow, with
the temperature ranging from forty to sixty
degrees below zero. No roof have they
above them but the starry heavens, no walls
on three sides of them but the snow banks
which their snow shoes have thrown up.
The fire in front will soon go out, unless
the wolves are threatening and it is con-
stantly replenished. No wonder, if con-
scious of their need of the watchful care of
the ever-loving Almighty Friend, they in-
voke His presence and protection.

As they arise from their devotions, the
Indian attendants say : " Now missionary,
if you will get ready, we will make your
bed and tuck you in." No traveller ever
had more loyal and devoted attendants than
these loving, vigilant, Christian Indians.

Camping in the Snow Bank 221

The way they make the bed for the mis-
sionary is about as follows:

First they spread out a large buffalo skin
on the ground. On this a large Hudson
Bay blanket is laid. The pillow is then
placed so that the feet will be toward the
fire. While the men have been making the
bed, the missionary has been preparing to
occupy it. There is no disrobing before re-
tiring to rest, in such a bedroom, and in
such an atmosphere. On the contrary the
missionary very gladly puts on additional
clothing. Fur boots reaching up to the
body, and large enough to be pulled on over
the moccasins, leggins and pants, are very
comfortable. A fur coat with well-lined
hood to draw over the large fur cap is also
essential, then fur mittens for the hands,
and a heavy Scotch plaid wound round and
round the body, generally completes the
outfit.

When the missionary has lain down in
the bed prepared for him, the Indians throw
over him a couple of blankets and a large
fur robe, and begin to tuck him in. No
loving mother ever more tenderly tucked
her child in his crib than these experienced
Indians tuck in their beloved missionary.
The operation is very satisfactory at first,

222 The Apostle of the North

as they begin at the feet and work upwarcl.
When, however, the head is reached, they
proceed to cover it up also.

This, of course, is very trying to an in-
experienced white man, and the sense of
suffocation is not entirely removed by the
assuring words of the faithful Indians, who
inform the sufferer that although he thinks
he is going to die, yet he will manage to
survive. Nevertheless he finds it extremely
difficult to breathe packed in, as he is under
this heavy covering. But trying as it is to
sleep without the accustomed number of
cubic feet of fresh air, there is no case on
record of any missionary having been suf-
focated.

The experienced Indians, knowing the
dangers of the winter camp, generally warn
the missionary to keep as quiet as possible
while thus almost buried beneath the heavy
coverings. When questioned as to the rea-
son for this solicitude, the answer is : " You
may disarrange the clothing while you
sleep, and so let in the cold air; and then
you may freeze to death without awaken-
ing."

That this serious information means
something is evident from the fact that one
night a missionary unconsciously uncovered
his face, doubtless on account of the instinc-

Camping in the Snow Bank 223

tive longing for fresh air. When a little
later he fully awoke to consciousness, he
found himself pulling away at something
he at first thought was the end of an axe-
handle, but which he soon discovered was
hJs frozen nose !

Strange as it may appear, a fall of snow
is like an additional blanket on a none too
warm bed on a cold wintry night. The
question has been asked, who tucks in the
faithful Indians who have been so consider-
ate and thoughtful about their missionary?
Accustomed as they are to their primitive
way of sleeping, from long practice they
have become very skillful in so rolling them-
selves up, each in a single blanket, that it
seems as though not a particle of air is able
to reach them.

At times Mr. Evans and his companions
were exposed to the attacks of the great
northern gray wolves. When their howling
was heard additional wood was put on the
fire, which was kept burning as long as
they were troublesome. It is a fortunate
thing for travellers that these bloodthirsty
brutes are afraid of fire. Still it was ever
necessary to be on guard when their mourn-
ful, blood-curdling bowlings were heard.

Mr. Evans had also some fierce encount-
ers with blizzard storms, which came up

224 The Apostle of the North

suddenly, and are as apt to occur at night
as by day. Strange to say it was possible
to comfortably lie still, and let the terrific
storm howl and rage above them. The
getting up in the morning, however, was
not always comfortable, even if the storm
had spent its fury. Everything was buried
under the snow. Even the dogs had to be
searched for and dug out. Fresh wood
had to be cut and a new fire made. Snow-
shoes, dog harness, sled, etc., had to be
searched for and dug out from the drifts.
Breakfast was quickly cooked and eaten by
the half-frozen company, who found it hard
work to keep from shivering. Prayers fol-
lowed, then the dogs were harnessed, the
loads tied on the sleds, and the journey re-
sumed.

Thus day after day, week after week,
this marvellous missionary pushed on. At
his own fireside he was the loving and loyal
husband, and the most affectionate of
fathers. No one prized his home more than
he; yet so great was his love for his Mas-
ter, the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the
precious souls for whom his Saviour died,
that he was willing to tear himself away,
and in storm, blizzard and hurricane, to go
out over an area of country larger than

Camping in the Snow Bank 225

many an empire, cheerfully exposing him-
self to '' perils oft " in many forms, that he
might fill up his life with usefulness, by
winning as many as possible to the service
of his Lord.

XXV

A LIFE FOR A LIFE

From " The Apostle of the North, James
Evans ", by Egerton R. Young.

One of the long journeys which the
great missionary, James Evans, took into
the far northland, was for the double
purpose of winning precious souls to the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and of
saving the Christian Indians from the false
teachings of some emissaries of the
Church of Rome, whom he heard were
pushing up from the Saskatchewan country
into the regions which formed the home of
his Athabasca flock.

He took with him as canoemen, his in-
terpreter, Thomas Hassel, and John Oig.
Supplies of food and ammunition to equip
him for his long journey were provided by
his friends among the Indians ; and so, bid-
ding the loved ones in his happy home
" Good-bye," and with cheery parting
words to his helpers and Indian friends, the
long journey was begun. For some days
they pushed on with the greatest rapidity,
226

A Life for a Life 227

for Mr. Evans was anxious to be first in
the field, and those who were striving to
invade his fold had started a number of
days ahead, and over a better route, ere he
heard of their movements.

Awfully sad and abrupt was the end of
that journey. From Oig long years after,
I heard the story; so sad, so tragic, so
dreadful. His words as I remember them
were:

'' We had pushed on for a number of
days, and Mr. Evans was much pleased
with our progress. We were well and
strong, and there was plenty of game for
us to shoot. We did not waste an hour,
but kept rapidly pushing on.

" We had risen one morning very early,
and after our breakfast and prayers had
launched our canoe and were rapidly hurry-
ing away. The morning mists hung low
on the shores of the great lake-like river on
which we were paddling. Thomas Hassel
w^as in the front of the canoe. Mr. Evans
was in the centre and I was in the stern.

" All at once Hassel whispered, * I see
ducks. Hand me the gun.' We generally
kept the gun in the stern of the canoe, point-
ing backward for safety. I reached back,
and lifting the gun, turned the muzzle
around and pulled back the hammer. I

228 The Apostle of the North

then reached it forward and handed it to
Mr. Evans. He did not look back, but only
reached his hand for the giin as he was
earnestly looking forward to try and see
the ducks through the mist.

" Somehow or other, I can hardly tell
how, the gun went off just as Mr. Evans
took it from my hands. As it was pointed
directly toward Hassel in front, the whole
charge went into his head just at the base
of his skull. Poor Hassel ! He just turned
and gave one sad look at the missionary,
and then fell over dead. It was an awful
time. Mr. Evans was wild with grief, and
so was I.

" We wept and mourned Uke little chil-
dren. We were dazed and bewildered.
There we were in the wilderness, far away
on that lonely lake-like river, with no In-
dians or white people within many, many
miles of us.

" But we had to do something, so we
went ashore, and wept again as we laid our
dear friend on the sand. For a time we
sat in silence; then we tried to pray, but
could only sob. But the Great Spirit heard
our prayer and we were quieted and com-
forted, and brought back to ourselves, so
that we could think what to do. We could
not take the body back to our mission, nor

A Life for a Life 229

forward to the far-away land of his people ;
for they dwelt far beyond Lake Athabasca.
So we buried our dead by the river-bank,
and then, with sad, lonely hearts, started
back for our homes.

" O ! but it was a sad home-coming. Our
eyes were so dim with weeping we could
hardly see the trail. When at length we
reached our village, the people came out to
meet us, wondering why we had returned
so soon, and that there were only two of
us, where there had been three when the
journey began. They wondered still more
when they saw our sad faces, and observed
that our tongues at first refused to speak.
When at length the sad story was told, their
hearts were filled with sorrow, and indeed
it was a double sorrow. Sorrow at the sad
death of such a useful, well-beloved man as
Hassel ; and deeper sorrow as they saw how
prostrated with grief was their beloved mis-
sionary, w^ho had been so unfortunate as to
have caused the sad accident."

This is the substance of the account John
Oig gave me long years afterward. Even
then, strong Indian though he was, the re-
cital of the terrible tragedy deeply affected
him, and those of his family who heard it,
as he related it at my request.

The effect on Mr. Evans himself was

230 The Apostle of the North

terrible. He was never again just the same
man. His appearance was that of one who
had suddenly grown old. The sprightliness
and vivacity of the man, which had, with
divine grace, made him one of the most
joyous and companionable of men, had
gone forever. The awful tragedy seemed
ever before him. His heart was full of
sorrow, and his eyes were often dimmed
with tears.

Sometime after his return home, he pre-
pared to surrender himself to the tribe to
which the dead man belonged. They were
Chippewayans ; and were as a tribe, nearly
all pagans. In fact the only company of
them who had accepted Christianity was
connected with the little mission Mr. Evans
had himself established, and which he was
on the way to visit when the tragedy oc-
curred. Hassel himself was a godly man,
a genuine Christian, full of anxious zeal for
the extension of the cause of Christ among
his fellow-countrymen, but his family and
relatives were all pagans, retaining all their
old superstitions and cruel customs.

As a tribe they held some of the old
severe beliefs in reference to blood-feuds
and quarrels. Blood for blood, and life for
life, was a part of their belief. To this
people Mr. Evans resolved to give himself

A Life for a Life 231

up, to be treated by them in any way they
pleased. Life's joys seemed to have left
him, and he seemed not to care whether he
lived or died.

Settling up all his affairs at home, and
turning over the mission and school with
the printing house and all its work, to men
whom he had trained, he prepared for his
departure. He kissed his beloved wife and
daughter, and saying " farewell " to all, he
left his weeping family and sorrowing
people for the far-away country where were
the wigwams of the relatives of Hassel.
It was a long, lonesome journey; for he
would not allow any of his people to accom-
pany him.

When he reached the village he at once
entered the wigwam of the dead man, and
sitting down on the ground, he covered his
face with his hands and burst out into a
paroxysm of weeping. The inmates were
astonished and perplexed at this. The news
of Hassel's death had not yet reached them,
and so the sight of a strong white man
sitting in their wigwam, weeping like a
woman, was indeed a mystery.

When the wild burst of sorrow was over,
and Mr. Evans was able to control himself,
he told the sad story of the death of their
relative,, and the part he had played in it.

232 The Apostle of the North

Of course there was intense excitem^it.
They had not been very friendly toward
Hassel, when he had, as they expressed it,
" left the reUgion of his forefathers." But
they had been eager to appropriate the large
portion of his wages which he had sent to
them as often as possible. Now that he was
dead, perhaps the fact of their loss, as well
as their old pagan instincts, caused them to
demand vengeance upon the one who had
taken his life. Tomahawks were drawn
and knives were unsheathed, and there was
a cry for the satisfaction of blood. Strong
words were uttered, and threatening were
some of the actions of the young, hot-
blooded ones among them.

Amidst the sharp controversy that raged
around him as to what should be done, the
broken-hearted missionary sat with bowed
head and covered face. He was utterly
indifferent as to their actions. He cared
not what should become of him.

Noble womanhood, even if it was in the
person of a poor old Indian mother, decided
the question and turned the tide in his
favor. Hassel's poor old mother was much
shocked when she heard the story of her
son's death. She had bowed herself down
in her grief at her loss, but had hstened
attentively to all that was said. She had

A Life for a Life 2^3

heard the mutterings of vengeance on the
part of her sons and others, and had ob-
served the actions of those who would not
have required much provocation to put the
stranger to death. She had also noted the
deep sorrow of the man who had accident-
ally taken the life of her son. With quick
intuition she had observed the genuineness
of his grief, and her womanly heart was
moved in sympathy toward him, who in his
sorrow, had thus voluntarily put himself in
their power.

These had been her feelings and emotions
during the discussion as to the penalty to
be inflicted. When it seemed as though the
avengers of blood would prevail, and Mr.
Evans' life be taken, she sprang from her
place in the wigwam, and going over to
him, she put both her hands upon his head
and said :

" He shall not die. There was no evil in
his heart. He loved my son. He shall live,
and shall be my son in the place of the one
who is not now among the living."

There were some murmurings against
this, but the mother strongly pleaded, and
her plan was ultimately carried out.

When the days of mourning for the dead
were ended, Mr. Evans was adopted into
the tribe and family. For a time he re-

234 '-The Apostle of the North

mained in 'the wigwam of his new father
and mother, winning their love and admira-
tion by his words and kindly deeds. He
talked to them of God as revealed in Jesus
Christ, and of the blessed land beyond this
into which their son had entered.

When the time came that according to
the custom of the tribe he could leave to
go out into the world again, he kissed them
both and returned to his far-away family
and work. He was ever a good son to his
new parents. As Hassel had, since he had
been a Christian, been very thoughtful of
them, and had sent them many a present
for their comfort, so also, and much more
so, did James Evans.

Mrs. Evans and her daughter shared with
him in the resolve to live with the closest
economy, in order to help that aged Indian
foster-father and mother, who now had a
claim upon him. As long as he lived, they
had their portion of his never very large
salary.

Memory takes me back to the time when,
as a little boy in my father's parsonage, I
sat at the feet of the widow of James Evans,
and listened with intensest interest as she
talked of these thrilling and fascinating
matters. Little dreamed I then that I
should ever live in that distant land, and

A Life for a Life 235

have the joy of having in my Indian
churches, many brought to God through her
husband's instrumentahty, and among them
John Oig; then the sole survivor, and with
Mr. Evans, the only witness, of the tragic
death of the interpreter, Thomas Hassel.

THE END

tR M

Xshe^P^ecord of

Ti

o n e e r

rom Far Formosa

The Island, Its People, and Missions. By
George Leslie Mackay, D.D. (for
twenty-six years a missionary in For-
mosa). Edited by the Rev. J. A.
Macdonald. With 17 Illustrations
from photographs by the author, 4
original Maps, and an Index. 8vo,
decorated cloth, $1.25.

" It is a monograph on Formosa's peoples, history,
botany, zoology, topography and meteorology and
much else— systematically adjusted. Tie book is
well illustrated. Its maps are many and precise."
—The Independent.
'RICH STO'RESZOF KI^OWLE-DCB
" It is probable that only one man living, and certainly but one
who speaks the English language, is qualified to supply such infor-
mation. The man we refer to is George Leslie Mackay, D.D. . . .
The book before us proves his competence to avail himself of his
exceptional opportunities, and, so far as the scope of his personal
inspection went, he is undoubtedly the highest authority upon the
eabiecV—New T(yrk Sun.

" The book is as fascinating as a novel, and is a striking contribu-
tion to our knowledge of Southern Japan, being especially note-
worthy for the rich stores of scientific knowledge concemmg the
geoloCT^, geography, flora, fauna and ethnology of the 'Beautiful
Island.' Yet it abounds also in practical hints on mission methods,
and reveals again and again the indomitable courage and boundless
resource and unfailing love which are behind the modem hero of the
CTom.'"— The Sunday School Times.

'Clear, Condensed, Comprehensive"

~Kin.aw a^nd Formosa,

The Story of the Mission of the Presbyterian

Church of England. By Rev. James Johnson.

With 4 Maps and many Illustrations, prepared

for this work. 8vo, cloth, $1.75.

"The book is a valuable addition to missionary literature.''

—N. T. Observer.

" The record is one of permanent value for reference

It is condensed, but not at the expense of comprehensiveness, clear-
ness, or interest. "—/S'. S. Times.

SA.LIEJVT FACTS Iff A /fUTSHELL
" " The author is an accomplished artist in narrative of this kind;
putting into a nutshell the facts one wants to know about the
people and their ways, and with equal terseness and perspicuity
recounting the salient facts of the history. Abundant and well-
chosen representations of places and characteristic features of native
life, with a large group of portraits of missionaries, illuminate the
pages of the work. The book is itself presented with unusual
beauty of type and exterior,"— TToic^wan.

c

/f

Uhrillin^ Stories of Missionary Dexfofion

THE

Cobra's Det\

More Stories of Missionary Work
Among the Telugus of India

By

JACOB CHAMBBRLAIN

M.D.. D.D.

12n\o. CIotK. Illustrated.
$1.00

"Dr. Chamberlain knows how
to tell a story and he has some
remarkable stories to tell."

—Zion's Herald.
" For years he has sojourned among the Telugus. He lived
their life, learned their ways, won their affections, and turned many
to righteousness."— CAmiia^i Uplook.

^HP^OW^ JWEW LIGHT OJf IJf'DI^

" It is one that will interest not only those who take a pleasure
In reading of travels in strange lands. It is one of the most enter-
taining books of the kind that has been printed in a long time and
throws a new light on the habits and beliefs of India. The book
is excellently written and illustrated."— J.i^ania Constitution.

Yn the Tiger Jungle

And Other Stories of Missionary Work Among the Telugus

'By JACOB CHAMBE:R.LAIN, M.D.. D.D.

III>jstrated. 12mo. Cloth. $1.00

*' If this is the kind of missionary who mans the foreign
Btations, they will never fail for lack of enterprise. . . . The book
is withal a vivid and serious portrayal of the mission work, and as
such leaves a deep impression on the reader."— 2" Ae Independent.

" The style is bright, chatty, attractive. . . . Dr. Chamberlain
is an artist. He knows how to paint a picture, to tell a story, to
frame an illustration, to enforce a txwXti..''''— Assembly Herald,

FEta EQ\/AL HIM IJ4 TELLI^fG

•' Few missionaries have had a larger or more varied experience
than Dr. Chamberlain, and still fewer equal him in the art of telling
with vivacity and realistic graphicness the events and incidents of
his long and energetic missionary service; and no one can read
without an increase of faith in the ultimate triumph of Christianity,
and a fuller assurance that our God is the hearer of prayer." <

—Ohrittian Intelligence.

c

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]

^ "Real Contribution to FotK'L,ore

HILE SEWING
SANDALS

Tales of a Telugu Pariah Tribe

-By

Emma R.auscKenbuscK-ClougK> Ph.D.

lUvistreLted. 12n\o. ClotK. $1.50

" A notable book. ... A real contribution to
folk-lore. It indicates for the first time the his-
torical antecedents of the great Telugu revival. No
book of equal value for a knowledge of the prin-
ciples of the propagandism of religion has been
produced for many a d&j/^— Chicago Standard.

^J^ VJVOCCX/PIET} FIEL-D

" Quite out of the run of usual missionary literature. ... It
explains with great clearness and quaintness the remarkable acces-
sions to Christianity in that region during the past quarter-century
as being due only in part to the experiences of tne famine of 1876-78.
.... The volume is not only a choice contribution to the current
literature of missions in an unoccupied field, it is an important ad-
dition to our first-hand knowledge of Hindoo religious movements."

— /S'. S. Times.

I AOS FOLK-LORE

of Farther Indian

By KATHE:R.INE NEVILLE FLEESON

Illustrected. 16mo. ClotK. 75 cents

" The translator and compiler has taken the tales as they fell
from the lips of the narrators, and the English form into which she
has cast them is as graceful as it is appropriate."— /S'. 3. Times.

JVATX/'RE, B^OMA/fCE, ^DVEffTX/'RE

" Reveals passion, faith, simplicity, fear and dutifulness. "With
fine discrimination the translator has grouped the fables in accord
with setting and occasion. These naive tales of nature, romance,
religion, cupidity and adventure must move the reader with no
unreal regard for the people among whom they are current, and
create in him the longing for their betterment."— ^op^isi Union.

UHE HISTO'Ry, C\/STOMS, I7}EA.S. Etc,

" The stories are novel and illustrate the history, customs and
religious ideas of an interesting people." — Observer.

"A delightful book. We nave read every word of it with
deepest interest."— (7 A«rc^ Standard.

" A valuable addition to the folk-lore studies of the world." ^
—Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph,

, Date Due

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