,transcription notes3 p #agj4 ,period added at the end of the first sentence4 p xi4 ,period added after #ahib entry4 ,both bare-footed and barefooted were in text4 ,this has been retained4 ,both bread-winner and breadwinner were in text4 ,this has been retained4 ,both egg-shells and eggshell were in text4 ,this has been retained4 ,both ,god-men and god-men were in text4 ,this has been retained4 ,subtitution scheme for non-ascii characters3 3o was used to indicate o with an umlaut diacritical mark ',e was used to indicate ,e with an acute diacritical mark 'e was used to indicate e with an acute diacritical mark n was used to indicate n with a tilde diacritical mark ,l was used to indicated the ,british pound sign 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,story of ,mary ,slessor ,,the ,,white ,,queen of ,,okoyong ,illustration3 ,,the ,,canoe ,,was ,,attacked ,,by ,a ,,huge ,,hippopotamus ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,mary ,,slessor ,,for ,,young ,,people ,,the ,,white ,,queen ,,of ,,okoyong ,a ,,true ,,story ,,of ,,adventure ,,heroism ,,and ,,faith ,,by ,w4 ,p4 ,,livingstone ,,author ,,of ,,mary ,,slessor ,,of ,,calabar ,,illustrated ,,new ,,york ,,george ,h4 ,,doran ,,company ,,copyright1 #aiag1 ,,by ,,george ,h4 ,,doran ,,company ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america ,,to ,,all ,,girls ,,and ,,boys ,,who ,,are ,,looking ,,forward ,,and ,,dreaming ,,dreams ,she left all and followed ,him4 ,,contents ,,page ,,chief ,,dates ,,in ,,miss ,,slessor',s ,,life xi ,,chapter ,i ,tells how a little girl lived in a lowly home1 and played1 and dreamed dreams1 and how a dark shadow came into her life and made her unhappy2 how when she grew older she went into a factory and learned to weave1 and how in her spare minutes she taught herself many things1 and worked amongst wild boys2 and how she was sent to ,africa #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,how our heroine sailed away to a golden land of sunshine across the sea2 how she found that under all the beauty there were terrible things which made life a misery to the dark-skinned natives2 how she began to fight their evil ideas and ways and to rescue little children from death2 how1 after losing all her loved ones1 she took a little twin-girl to her heart1 and how she grew strong and calm and brave #bb ,,chapter ,,iii ,ma's great adventure3 how she went up-river by herself in a canoe and lived in a forest amongst a savage tribe2 how she fought their terrible customs and saved many lives2 how she built a hut for herself and then a church1 and how she took a band of the wild warriors down to the coast and got them to be friends with the people who had always been their sworn enemies #de ,,chapter ,,iv ,stories of how ,ma kept an armed mob at bay and saved the lives of a number of men and women2 how in answer to a secret warning she tramped a long distance in the dark to stop a war2 how she slept by a camp-fire in the heart of the forest1 and how she became a ,british ,consul and ruled ,okoyong like a ,queen #fi ,,chapter ,v ,ma's great love for children2 her rescue of outcast twins from death2 the story of little ,susie1 the pet of the household2 and something about a new kind of birthday that came oftener than once a year #ij ,,chapter ,,vi ,how the ,queen of ,okoyong brought a high ,british official to talk to the people2 how she left her nice home and went to live in a little shed2 how she buried a chief at midnight2 how she took four black girls to ,scotland1 and afterwards spent three very lonely years in the forest #aje ,,chapter ,,vii ,tells of a country of mystery and a clever tribe who were slave-hunters and cannibals1 and how they were fought and defeated by ,government soldiers2 how ,ma went amongst them1 sailing through fairyland1 and how she began to bring them to the feet of ,jesus #abj ,,chapter ,,viii ,ma learns to ride a bicycle and goes pioneering2 the ,government makes her a ,judge again and she rules the people2 stories of the ,court1 and of her last visit to ,scotland with a black boy as maid-of-all-work2 and something about a beautiful dream which she dreamed when she returned1 and a cow and a yellow cat #adj ,,chapter ,,ix ,ma goes farther up the ,creek and settles in a heathen town in the wilds2 she enters into happy friendships with young people in ,scotland2 has a holiday in a beautiful island1 where she makes a secret compact with a lame boy2 and is given a ,royal ,cross for the heroic work she has done #afc ,,chapter ,x ,this chapter tells how ,ma became a gypsy again and lived on a hill-top1 and how after a hard fight she won a new region for ,jesus2 gives some notes from her diary and letters to little friends at home1 and pictures her amongst her treasures #ahc ,,chapter ,,xi ,what happened when the ,great ,war broke out4 ,ma's last voyage down the ,creek2 how her life-long dream came true #aih ,,index #bjg ,my life1 my all1 ,lord1 ,i entreat1 ,take1 and use1 and make replete ,with the love and patience sweet ,that made ,thy life so complete4 ,,mary ,,slessor4 ,,chief ,,dates ,,in ,,miss ,,slessor',s ,,life ,,year ,,age #ahdh4 ,born at ,gilcomston1 ,aberdeen1 ,december #b4 #ahef4 ,family went to ,dundee4 #h #ahei4 ,began work in a factory4 #aa #ahgf4 ,appointed by ,united ,presbyterian ,church to ,calabar as missionary teacher1 and sailed4 #bh #ahgi4 ,paid her first visit home4 #ca #ahhj4 ,in charge at ,old ,town4 #cb #ahhc4 ,second visit home with ,janie4 #ce #ahhe4 ,in ,creek ,town4 #cg #ahhf4 ,death of her mother and sister 7,janie74 #ch #ahhh4 ,entered ,okoyong alone4 #dj #ahha4 ,third visit home with ,janie4 #dc #ahib4 ,made ,government ,agent in ,okoyong4 #dd #ahih4 ,fourth visit home1 with ,janie1 ,alice1 ,maggie1 and ,mary4 #ej #aijj4 ,union of ,united ,presbyterian and ,free ,churches as ,united ,free ,church4 #eb #aijb4 ,pioneering in ,enyong ,creek4 #ed #aijc4 ,started a ,mission at ,itu4 ,reached ,arochuku4 #ee #aijd4 ,settled at ,itu4 #ef #aije4 ,settled at ,ikotobong4 #eg ,appointed ,vice-,president of ,native ,court4 #aijg4 ,fifth visit home with ,dan4 #ei ,settled at ,use4 #aijh4 ,began a home for women and girls4 #fj #aiji4 ,gave up ,court work4 #fa #aiaj4 ,began work at ,ikpe4 #fb #aiab4 ,holiday at ,grand ,canary4 #fd #aiac4 ,visit to ,okoyong4 #fe ,received ,royal ,medal4 ,began work at ,odoro ,ikpe4 #aiad4 ,last illness1 ,august4 #fe #aiae4 ,died at ,use1 ,january #ac4 #ff ,mary ,slessor ,memorial ,home decided on by ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee4 #aiaf4 ,issue of ,appeal for ,l#ejjj for upkeep of ,memorial ,home and ,missionary4 ,,the ,,white ,,queen ,,of ,,okoyong ,illustration3 ,,wishart ,,church1 ,,dundee4 ,,chapter ,i ,tells how a little girl lived in a lowly home1 and played1 and dreamed dreams1 and how a dark shadow came into her life and made her unhappy2 how when she grew older she went into a factory and learned to weave1 and how in her spare minutes she taught herself many things1 and worked amongst wild boys2 and how she was sent to ,africa4 ,one cold day in ,december1 in the city of ,aberdeen1 a baby girl was carried by her mother into a church to be enrolled in the ,kingdom of ,jesus and given a name4 ,as the minister went through the tender and beautiful ceremony the people in the pews looked at the tiny form in her robes of white1 and thought of the long years that lay before her and wondered what she would become1 because every girl and boy is like a shut casket full of mystery and promise and hope4 ,no one knows what gifts may lie hidden within them1 and what great and surprising things they may do when they grow up and go out into the world4 ,the baby was christened ,mary ,slessor1 and then she was wrapped up carefully again and taken home4 ,surely no one present ever dreamed how much good little ,mary would one day do for ,africa4 ,it was not a very fine house into which ,mary had been born1 for her father1 who was a shoemaker1 did not earn much money2 but her mother1 a sweet and gentle woman1 worked hard to keep it clean and tidy1 and love makes even the poorest place sunshiny and warm4 ,when ,mary was able to run about she played a great deal with her brother ,robert1 who was older than she1 but she liked to help her mother too3 indeed she seemed to be fonder of doing things for others than for herself4 ,she did not need dolls1 for more babies came into the home1 and she used to nurse them and dress them and hush them to sleep4 ,she was very good at make-believe1 and one of her games was to sit in a corner and pretend that she was keeping school4 ,if you had listened to her you would have found that the pupils she was busy teaching and keeping in order were children with skins as black as coal4 ,the reason was this3 ,her mother took a great interest in all she heard on ,sundays about the dark lands beyond the seas where millions of people had never heard of ,jesus4 ,the church to which she belonged1 the ,united ,presbyterian ,church1 had sent out many brave men and women to various parts of the world to fight the evils of heathenism1 and a new ,mission had just begun amongst a savage race in a wild country called ,calabar in ,west ,africa1 and every one in ,scotland was talking about it and the perils and hardships of the missionaries4 ,mrs4 ,slessor used to come home with all the news about the work1 and the children would gather about her knees and listen to stories of the strange cruel customs of the natives1 and how they killed the twin-babies1 until their eyes grew big and round1 and their hearts raced with fear1 and they snuggled close to her side4 ,mary was very sorry for these helpless bush-children1 and often thought about them1 and that was why she made them her play-scholars4 ,she dreamed1 too1 of going out some day to that terrible land and saving the lives of the twinnies1 and sometimes she would look up and say3 ,mother1 ,i want to be a missionary and go out and teach the black boys and girls--real ways4 ,then ,robert would retort in the tone that boys often use to their sisters3 ,but you're only a girl1 and girls can't be missionaries4 ,i'm going to be one and you can come out with me1 and if you're good ,i may let you up into my pulpit beside me4 ,mrs4 ,slessor was amused at their talk1 and well pleased too1 for she had a longing that her boy should work abroad in the service of ,jesus when he became a man4 ,but that was not to be1 for soon afterwards ,robert fell ill and died1 so ,mary became the eldest4 ,a dark shadow1 darker than death1 gathered over the home4 ,mr4 ,slessor learned the habit of taking strong drink and became a slave to it1 and he began to spend a large part of his money in the public-house1 and his wife and children had not the comfort they ought to have had4 ,matters became so bad that something had to be done4 ,it was thought that if ,mr4 ,slessor could be got away from the bad companions who led him astray1 he might do better4 ,so the home was broken up1 and the family journeyed to ,dundee1 the busy smoky town on the ,river ,tay1 where there were many large mills and factories1 and here1 for a time1 they lived in a little house with a bit of garden in front4 ,that garden was at first a delight to ,mary1 but afterwards she lost her pleasure in it1 for her father used to dig in it on ,sunday1 and make people think he did not love ,god's ,day4 ,she was now old enough to look after the younger children1 and very well she did it4 ,often she took them long walks1 climbing the steep streets to see the green fields1 or going down to feel the fresh smell of the sea4 ,sometimes her mother gave her a sixpence1 and they went and had a ride on the merry-go-round4 ,it was the custom then for girls and boys to go bare-footed in the summer1 and ,mary liked it so much that she never afterwards cared to wear shoes and stockings4 ,on ,sundays they all trotted away to church1 clean and sweet1 each with a peppermint to suck during the sermon1 and afterwards they went to ,sunday ,school4 ,as a rule ,mary was good and obedient1 though1 like most girls1 she sometimes got into trouble4 ,her hair was reddish then1 and her brothers would tease her and call her ,carrots1 and she did not like that4 ,she loved a prank too1 and was sometimes naughty4 ,once or twice she played truant from the ,sunday ,school4 ,she was always very vexed afterwards1 for she could not bear to see her mother's face when she heard of her wrong-doing--it was so white and sad4 ,the quiet little mother did not punish her3 she would draw her instead into a room and kneel down and pray for her4 ,oh1 mother6 ,mary would say1 ,i would rather you whip me6 ,but all that soon passed away1 for she had been dreaming another dream1 a very sweet one1 which always set her heart a-longing and a-thrilling1 and it now came true and changed her life4 ,it was the biggest thing and the happiest that ever happened to her4 ,she gave her heart to ,jesus4 ,very shyly one night she crept up to her mother1 nestled close to her1 and laid her head on her knee1 and then whispered the wonderful news4 ,i'll try1 mother1 she said1 to be a good girl and a comfort to you4 ,her mother was filled with joy1 and both went about for long afterwards singing in their hearts4 ,if only the shadow would lift6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,little ,,house-,,mother4 ,but it settled down more darkly than ever4 ,we can change the place where we stay and wander far1 but it is not so easy to change our habits4 ,mr4 ,slessor was now bringing in so little money that his wife was forced to go and work in one of the mills in order to buy food and clothes for the children4 ,mary became the little house-mother1 and how busy her hands and feet were1 how early she was up1 and how late she tumbled into bed1 and how bravely she met all her troubles6 ,tears might steal into her eyes when she felt faint and hungry1 but it was always a bright and smiling face that welcomed the tired mother home at night4 ,gloomier grew the shadow4 ,more money was needed to keep the home1 and ,mary1 a slim girl of eleven1 was the next to go out and become a bread-winner4 ,one morning she went into a big factory and stood in the midst of machines and wheels and whirling belts1 and at first was bewildered and a little afraid4 ,but she was only allowed to stay for half a day3 the other half she had to go to a school in the works where the girls were taught to read and write and count4 ,she was fond of the reading1 but did not like doing the sums3 the figures on the board danced before her eyes1 and she could not follow the working out of the problems1 and sometimes the teacher punished her by making her stand until the lesson was finished4 ,but she was clever with her fingers1 and soon knew all about weaving4 ,how proud she was when she ran home with her first week's earnings6 ,she laid them in the lap of her mother1 who cried over them and wrapped them up and put them away3 she could not1 just then1 find it in her heart to spend such precious money4 ,by the time she was fourteen ,mary was working a large machine and being paid a good wage4 ,but she had to toil very hard for it4 ,she rose at five o'clock in the morning1 when the factory whistle blew1 and was in the works by six1 and1 except for two hours off for meals1 she was busy at her task until six in the evening4 ,in the warm summer days she did not go home1 but carried her dinner with her and ate it sitting beside the loom2 and sometimes she went away by herself and walked in the park4 ,saturday afternoons and ,sundays were her own1 but they were usually spent in helping her mother4 ,her dress was coarse and plain1 and she wore no pretty ornaments1 though she liked them as much as her companions did1 for she was learning to put aside all the things she did not really need1 and by and by she came not to miss them1 and found pleasure instead in making others happy4 ,she would have been quite content if only her father had been different4 ,but there was no hope now of a better time4 ,the shadow became so black that it was like night when there are no stars in the sky4 ,mrs4 ,slessor and ,mary had a big burden to bear and a grim battle to fight4 ,in their distress they clung to one another1 and prayed to ,jesus for help and strength1 for they1 of themselves1 could do little4 ,on ,saturday nights ,mr4 ,slessor came home late1 and treated them unkindly1 so that ,mary was often forced to go out into the cold streets and wait until he had gone to sleep4 ,as she wandered about she felt very lonely and very miserable1 and sometimes sobbed as if her heart would break4 ,when she passed the bright windows of the places where drink was sold1 she wondered why people were allowed to ruin men and women in such a way1 and she clenched her hands and resolved that when she grew up she would war against this terrible thing which destroyed the peace and happiness of homes4 ,but at last the trouble came to an end4 ,one tragic day ,mary stood and looked down with a great awe upon the face of her father lying white and still in death4 ,what she went through in these days made her often sad and downcast1 for she had a loving heart1 and suffered sorely when any one was rough to her or ill-treated her4 ,but good came out of it too4 ,she was like a white starry flower which grows on the walls and verandahs of houses in the tropics4 ,the hot sunshine is not able to draw perfume from it1 but as soon as darkness falls its fragrance scents the air and comes stealing through the open windows and doors4 ,so it was with ,mary4 ,she grew sweeter in the darkness of trouble2 it was in the shadows of life that she learned to be patient and brave and unselfish4 ,we must not think less1 but more1 of her for coming out of such a home4 ,it is not always the girls and boys who are highly favoured that grow up to do the best and biggest things in life4 ,some of the men and women to whom the world owes most had a hard time when they were young4 ,the home life of ,president ,lincoln1 who freed millions of slaves in ,america1 was like ,mary's1 yet his name has become one of the most famous in history4 ,no girl or boy should despair because they are poor or lonely or crushed down in any way2 let them fight on1 quietly and patiently1 and in the end better things and happier times will come4 ,mrs4 ,slessor now left the factory1 and for a time kept a little shop1 in which ,mary used to help1 especially on ,saturday afternoons and nights1 when trade was busiest4 ,the girl was still dreaming dreams about the wonderful days that lay before her1 but1 unlike many others who do the same1 she did her best to make hers come true4 ,she wanted to learn things1 and she found that books would tell her1 and so she was led into the great world of knowledge4 ,the more she read the more she wanted to know4 ,so eager was she that when she left home for her work1 she slipped a book into her pocket and glanced at it in the streets4 ,she did not know then about ,dr4 ,livingstone1 the ,african missionary and traveller1 but she did exactly what he had done when he was a boy3 she propped a book on a corner of the loom in the factory1 and read whenever she had a moment to spare4 ,her companions tell how they used to see her take out a little note-book1 put it on the weaver's beam1 and jot down her thoughts--she was always writing1 they say2 sometimes it was poetry1 sometimes an essay1 sometimes a letter to a friend4 ,but she never neglected her work4 ,how different her lot was from that of most girls of to-day6 ,they have leisure for their lessons1 and they learn music and do fancy work and keep house and bake--and how many hate it all6 ,mary had only a few precious minutes1 but she made the most of them4 ,the books she read were not stories1 but ones like ,milton's ,paradise ,lost and ,carlyle's ,sartor ,resartus1 and so deep did she become in them at night that sometimes she forgot everything1 and read on and on through the quiet hours1 and only came to herself with a start when she heard the warning whistle of the factory in the early morning4 ,she was fond of all good books1 but the one she liked most and knew better than any was the ,bible4 ,she pored over it so often that she remembered much of it by heart4 ,in the ,bible ,class she was so quick and so ready to answer questions that ,mr4 ,baxter1 her minister1 used to say1 ,now1 ,mary ,slessor1 don't answer any more questions till ,i bid you4 ,when every one else failed he would turn to her with ,now1 ,mary1 and she always had her reply ready4 ,she was never tired of the story of ,jesus1 especially as it is told in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john1 for there ,he appeared to her so kind and winsome and lovable4 ,when she thought of all ,he did1 how ,he came from ,his own beautiful heaven to save the world from what is sinful and sad1 and how ,he was made to suffer and at last was put to death1 and how ,his teaching has brought peace and safety and sunshine into the lives of millions of women and girls1 she felt she must do something for ,him to show her love and thankfulness and devotion4 ,he says we must do as ,he did and try to make people better and happier1 and so ,i1 too1 must do my best and join in the war against all that is evil and unlovely and unrestful in the world4 ,so she thought to herself4 ,she did not say1 ,i am only a girl1 what can ,i do8 ,she knew that when a ,general wanted an army to fight a strong enemy he did not call for officers only1 but for soldiers--hosts of them1 and especially for those who were young4 ,i can be a soldier1 ,mary said humbly4 ,dear ,lord1 ,i will do what ,i can--here are my heart and head and hands and feet--use me for anything that ,i can do4 ,the first thing that she did was to take a class of little girls in the ,sunday ,school1 and thus she began to teach others before she was educated herself1 but it is not always those who are best trained who can teach best4 ,the heart of ,mary was so full of deep true love for ,jesus that it caused her face to shine and her eyes to smile and her lips to speak kind words1 and that is the sort of learning that wins others to ,him4 ,wishart ,church1 to which she went1 was built over shops1 and looked down upon the old ,port ,gate and upon streets and lanes which were filled at night with big boys and girls who seemed to have no other place to go to1 and nothing to do but lounge and swear and fight4 ,mary felt she would like to do something for them4 ,by and by when a ,mission was begun in a little house in ,queen ,street--there is a brass inscription upon the wall1 now1 telling about ,mary--she went to the superintendent and said1 ,will you take me as a teacher8 ,gladly1 he said1 but she looked so small and frail that he was afraid the work would be too rough for her4 ,what a time she had at first6 ,the boys and girls did not want anybody to bother about them3 those who came to the meeting were wild and noisy2 those who remained outside threw stones and mud and tried to stop the work4 ,mary faced them1 smiling and unafraid1 and dared them to touch her4 ,some grew ashamed of worrying the brave little teacher1 and these she won over to her side4 ,but there were others with sullen eyes and clenched fists who would not give in1 and they did their best to make her life a misery4 ,one night a band of the most violent lay in wait for her1 and she found herself suddenly in their midst4 ,they hustled and threatened her4 ,we'll do for you if you don't leave us alone1 they cried4 ,she was quaking with fear1 but she did not show it4 ,she just breathed a prayer for help1 and looked at them with her quiet eyes4 ,i will not give up1 she replied4 ,you can do what you like4 ,all right1 shouted the leader1 a big hulking lad4 ,here goes4 ,out of his pocket he took a lump of lead to which was tied a bit of cord1 and began to swing it round her head4 ,the rest of the gang looked on breathless1 wondering at the courage of the girl4 ,the lead came nearer and swished past her brow4 ,pale1 calm1 unflinching1 she stood waiting for the blow that would fell her to the ground4 ,suddenly the lad jerked away the weapon and let it fall with a crash4 ,we can't force her1 boys1 he cried1 she's game4 ,and1 like beaten foes1 they followed her1 and went to the meeting and into her class1 and after that there was no more trouble4 ,the boys fell under her spell1 grew fond of her1 and in their shy way did all they could to help her4 ,on ,saturday afternoons she would take them into the country away from the temptations of the streets1 and sought to make them gentle and kind and generous4 ,some of the most wayward amongst them gave their hearts to ,jesus1 and afterwards grew to be good and useful men4 ,what was it that gave her such an influence over these rude and unruly boys8 ,they did not know4 ,she was not what is called a pretty girl4 ,she was plain and quiet and simple1 and she was poorly clad4 ,but she was somehow different from most teachers4 ,perhaps it was because she loved them so much1 for the love that is real and pure and unselfish is the greatest power in the world4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,pends ,,or ,,closes ,,where ,,mary ,,visited ,,the ,,boys ,,in ,,her ,,class4 ,through the hearts of the boys ,mary found her way to their homes in the slums1 and paid visits to their mothers and sisters1 and saw that life to them was often very hard and wretched4 ,the other ,mission workers used to go two and two1 but she often went alone4 ,once she was a long time away1 and when she came back she said laughingly3 ,i've been dining with the ,macdonalds in ,quarry ,pend4 ,indeed1 said some one1 and did you get a clean plate and spoon8 ,oh1 never mind that1 replied ,mary4 ,i've got into their house and been asked to come back1 and that's all ,i care about4 ,she always went in the same spirit in which ,jesus would have gone4 ,sometimes she would sit by the fire with the baby on her knees2 sometimes she would take tea with the family1 drinking out of a broken cup2 sometimes she would help the mother to finish a bit of work4 ,and always she cheered up tired and anxious hearts1 and left sunshine and peace where there had been only the blackness of despair4 ,no one could be long in her company without feeling better1 and not a few of her friends came1 through her1 to know and love and work for ,jesus4 ,three weeks after ,i knew her1 says one of her old factory mates1 ,i became a different girl4 ,how eager and earnest she was6 ,oh6 she said to a companion1 ,i wonder what we would do or dare for ,jesus8 ,would we be burned at the stake8 ,would we give our lives for ,his sake8 ,she did work hard1 says another1 and whatever she did1 she did with heart and soul4 ,when the ,mission was removed to the rooms under the church1 the superintendent said3 ,we shall need a charwoman to give the place a thorough cleaning4 ,nonsense1 said ,mary2 we will clean it ourselves4 ,you ladies clean such a dirty hall6 ,ladies6 cried ,mary2 we are no ladies1 we are just ordinary working folk4 ,next night ,mary and another teacher were found1 with sleeves turned up and aprons on1 busy with pails of water and brushes scrubbing out the rooms4 ,like other young people1 she had her troubles1 big and little1 and these she met bravely4 ,evil-minded persons1 jealous of her goodness1 sometimes said unkind things about her1 but she never paid any heed to them4 ,she always did what she thought was right1 and went her own way4 ,on ,saturdays she used to put her hair in curlpapers1 and her companions teased her a lot about it1 and tried to laugh her out of the habit1 but she just laughed back4 ,when she and two or three friends met during the meal hour and held a little prayer meeting opposite the factory1 the other girls would come and peep in1 and one of her companions would be vexed and scold them4 ,dinna bother1 ,janet1 she would say quietly1 we needna mind what they do4 ,she was not always serious1 but could enjoy fun and frolic with the wildest4 ,once while walking in the country with a girl she knocked playfully at some cottage doors and ran away4 ,oh1 ,mary1 said her friend1 ,i'm shocked at you6 ,mary only laughed1 and said1 ,a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men4 ,from one old friend we get a picture of her at this time4 ,her face was always shining and happy4 ,with her fresh skin1 her short ringlets1 and her firm mouth she somehow always made me think of a farmer's daughter coming to market with butter and eggs6 ,her life during these years was a training for what she had to do in the future4 ,she must have had an inkling of it1 for her dreams now were all of service in the far lands beyond the seas4 ,through the gloom of the smoky streets she was always seeing visions of tropical rivers and tangled jungle and heathen huts amongst palm trees1 and above the noise of the factory she was hearing the cries of the little bush-children2 and she longed to leave busy ,dundee with its churches and ,sunday ,schools and go out and help where help was most needed4 ,she did not say anything1 for she knew it was her brother ,john that her mother was anxious to make a missionary4 ,he was a big lad1 but very delicate1 and there came a time when the doctor said he must leave the cold climate of ,scotland or die4 ,he sailed to ,new ,zealand1 but it was too late1 and he passed away there4 ,his mother grieved again over her lost hopes1 and ,mary1 who was very fond of him1 wept bitterly4 ,as she went about her work she repeated the hymn1 ,lead1 kindly ,light1 to herself1 finding comfort in the last two lines3 ,and with the morn those angel faces smile ,which ,i have loved long since1 and lost awhile4 ,and then she came back to her dazzling day-dream4 ,could she not1 after all1 be the missionary8 ,but she was not educated1 and she was the chief breadwinner of the family1 and her mother leant upon her so much4 ,how could she manage it8 ,she thought it all out1 and at last said1 ,i can do it4 ,i will do it4 ,she was one of the cleverest weavers in the factory1 and she began to do extra work1 thus earning a bigger wage and saving more money4 ,she studied very hard4 ,she practised speaking at meetings until she learned how to put her thoughts into clear and simple words4 ,but it was a weary1 weary time1 for she spent fourteen years within the walls of the factory4 ,thousands of other girls1 of course1 were doing the same1 and sometimes they got very tired1 but had just to go bravely on4 ,in one of her poems ,mrs4 ,browning tells us what it was like3 how the revolving wheels seemed to make everything turn too--the heads and hearts of the girls1 the walls1 the sky seen out of the high windows1 even the black flies on the ceiling-- ,all day1 the iron wheels are droning1 ,and sometimes we could pray1 ,o ye wheels1 7breaking out in a mad moaning7 ,stop6 be silent for to-day6 ,but they never did stop1 and the girls had only their hopes and dreams to make them patient and brave4 ,one day there flashed through the land a telegram which caused much excitement and sorrow4 ,africa was then an unknown country1 vast and mysterious1 and haunted by all the horrors of slavery and heathenism4 ,for a long time there had been tramping through it a white man1 a ,scotsman1 ,david ,livingstone1 hero of heroes1 who had been gradually finding out the secrets of its lakes and rivers and peoples4 ,sometimes he was lost for years4 ,the telegram which came told of his lonely death in a hut in the heart of the continent4 ,every one asked1 ,what is to be done now8 who is to take up the work of the great pioneer and help to save the natives from misery and death8 ,amongst those whose hearts leapt at the call was ,mary ,slessor4 ,she went to her mother4 ,mother1 she said1 ,i am going to offer myself as a missionary4 ,but do not fret4 ,i will be able to give you part of my salary1 and that1 with the earnings of ,susan and ,janie1 will keep the home in comfort4 ,my lassie1 was the reply1 ,i'll willingly let you go4 ,you'll make a fine missionary1 and ,i'm sure ,god will be with you4 ,some of her friends wondered at her4 ,they knew she was not specially brave2 indeed1 was not her timidity a joke amongst them8 ,why1 they said1 she is even afraid of dogs4 ,when she sees one coming down the street she goes into a passage until it is past6 ,this was true1 but they forgot that love can cast out all fear4 ,tremblingly she waited for the answer to her letter to the ,mission ,board of the ,united ,presbyterian ,church in ,edinburgh4 ,when it arrived she rushed to her mother4 ,i'm accepted6 ,i'm going to ,calabar as a teacher4 ,and then1 strange to say1 she burst into tears4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,house ,,in ,,queen ,,street1 ,,dundee1 ,,where ,,mary ,,slessor ,,first ,,taught ,,as ,a ,,mission ,,teacher4 ,so she who had waited so long and so patiently1 working within the walls of a factory1 weaving the warp and woof in the loom1 was now going to one of the wildest parts of ,africa to weave there the lives of the people into new and beautiful patterns4 ,illustration3 ,,duke ,,town1 ,,west ,,africa4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,how our heroine sailed away to a golden land of sunshine across the sea2 how she found that under all the beauty there were terrible things which made life a misery to the dark-skinned natives2 how she began to fight their evil ideas and ways and to rescue little children from death2 how1 after losing all her loved ones1 she took a little twin-girl to her heart1 and how she grew strong and calm and brave4 ,on an autumn morning in #ahgf ,miss ,slessor stood on the deck of the steamer ,ethiopia in ,liverpool docks and waved good-bye to two companions from ,dundee who had gone to see her off4 ,as the vessel cleared the land and moved out into the wide spaces of the waters she1 who had always lived in narrow streets1 felt as if she were on holiday1 and was in as high spirits as any schoolgirl4 ,she could not help being kind and helpful to others1 and soon made friends with many of the passengers and crew4 ,one man drew her like a magnet1 for he also was a dreamer of dreams4 ,this was ,mr4 ,thomson1 an architect from ,glasgow1 who was filled with the idea that the missionaries in ,west ,africa would do better work and remain out longer if there were some cool place near at hand to which they could go for a rest and change4 ,he had been all over the ,coast1 and explored the rivers and hills1 and had at last found a healthy spot five thousand feet up on the ,cameroon ,mountains1 where he decided to build a home4 ,he had given up his business1 and was now on his way out1 with his wife and two workmen1 to put his dream into shape4 ,mary's eyes shone as she listened to his tale of love and sacrifice2 but1 alas6 the plan1 so beautiful1 so full of hope for the missionaries1 came to nothing1 for he died not long after landing4 ,it was from ,mr4 ,thomson that she learned most about the strange country to which she was going4 ,he told her how it was covered with thick bush and forest2 how swift1 mud-coloured rivers came out of mysterious lands which had never been seen by white men2 how the sun shone like a furnace-fire1 and how sudden hurricanes of rain and wind came and swept away huts and uprooted trees4 ,he described the wild animals he had seen--huge hippopotami and crocodiles in the creeks2 elephants1 leopards1 and snakes in the forests2 and lovely hued birds that flashed in the sunlight--until her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed as they had done in the old days when she listened to the stories told by her mother4 ,illustration3 ,,from ,,dundee ,,to ,,calabar4 ,within a week the steamer had passed out of the grey north1 and was gliding through a calm sea beneath a blue and sunny sky4 ,by and by ,mary was seeking cool corners under the awning1 and listening lazily to the swish of the waves from the bows and watching golden sunsets and big bright stars4 ,sometimes she saw scores of flying-fish hurry-scurrying over the shining surface1 and at night the prow of the vessel went flashing through water that sparkled like diamonds4 ,by and by came the hot smell of ,africa1 long lines of surf rolling on lonely shores1 white fortresses that spoke of the old slave days1 and little port towns1 half-hidden amongst trees1 where she got her first glimpses of the natives1 and was amused at the din they made as they came off to the steamer1 fearless of the sharks that swarmed in the water4 ,it was all strange and unreal to the ,scottish weaver-girl4 ,illustration ,and when1 after a month1 the vessel came to the ,calabar ,river and steamed through waters crowded with white cranes and pelicans1 and past dark mangrove swamps and sand-banks where the crocodiles lay sunning themselves1 and islands gay with parrots and monkeys1 up to ,duke ,town1 the queer huddle of mud huts amongst the palm trees that was to be her home1 she was excited beyond telling4 ,for at last that wonderful dream of hers1 which she had cherished through so many long years1 had come true1 and so wonderful was it that it seemed to be still only a dream and nothing more4 ,clear above the river and the town1 like a lighthouse on a cliff1 stood the ,mission where ,daddy and ,mammy ,anderson1 two of its famous pioneers1 lived1 and with them ,mary stayed until she knew something about the natives and her work4 ,she felt very happy2 she loved the glowing sunshine1 the gorgeous sunsets1 the white moonlight1 the shining river1 the flaming blossoms amongst which the humming-birds and butterflies flitted1 and all the sights and sounds that were so different from those in ,scotland4 ,she was so glad that she used to write poems1 and in one of these she sings of the beauty of the land3 444 the shimmering1 dancing wavelets ,and the stately1 solemn palms1 ,the wild1 weird chant of the boatmen ,and the natives' evening psalms1 ,the noise of myriad insects ,and the firefly's soft bright sheen1 ,the bush with its thousand terrors ,and its never-fading green4 ,her spirits1 so long bottled up in ,dundee1 overflowed1 and she did things which amused and sometimes vexed the older and more serious missionaries4 ,she climbed trees and ran races with the black girls and boys1 and was so often late at meals that ,mrs4 ,anderson1 by way of punishment1 left her out nothing to eat4 ,but ,daddy was fond of the bright-eyed1 warm-hearted lassie1 and he always hid some bananas and other fruit and passed them to her in secret4 ,there was no factory whistle to warn her in the morning1 and sometimes she would start up in the middle of the night and1 seeing her room almost as light as midday1 would hastily put on her clothes1 thinking she had slept in1 and run out to ring the first bell1 only to find a very quiet world and the great round moon shining in the sky4 ,it was not long before all the light and colour and beauty of the land seemed to fade away1 and only the horror of a great darkness remain4 ,she was taken to the homes and yards of the natives in the town and out into the bush1 and saw a savage heathenism that astonished and shocked her4 ,she did not think that people could be so wretched and degraded and ignorant4 ,at some of the places the naked children were so afraid of her that they ran away screaming4 ,she herself shrank from the fierce men who thronged round her1 but her winning way captured their hearts1 and she was soon quite at home with them4 ,when she came back she was very thoughtful1 and talked to ,mrs4 ,anderson of the things she had seen4 ,my lassie1 said ,mammy1 you've seen nothing4 ,and she began to tell her of the terrible evils that filled the land with misery and sorrow4 ,all around us1 in the bush and far away into the interior1 there are millions of these black people4 ,in every little village there is a ,chief or ,master1 and a few free men and women1 but the rest are slaves1 and can be sold or flogged or killed at their owner's pleasure4 ,it is all right when they are treated kindly1 but think of the kind of men the masters are4 ,all the tribes are wild and cruel and cunning1 and pass their days and nights in fighting each other and in dancing and drinking1 and there are some that are cannibals and feast on the bodies of those they have slain4 ,their religion is the fear of spirits1 one of blood and sacrifice1 in which there is no love4 ,when a chief dies1 do you know what happens to his wives and slaves8 ,their heads are cut off and they are buried with him to be his companions in the spirit-land4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,pot ,,into ,,which ,,twins ,,were ,,put4 ,mary shivered4 ,it must be awful for the children1 she said4 ,ah1 yes1 nearly all are slaves1 and their masters look upon them as if they were sheep or pigs4 ,they are his wealth4 ,as soon as they are able to walk they begin to carry loads on their heads1 and paddle canoes and sweep and clean out the yards4 ,often they are beaten or branded with a hot iron1 or get their ears cut off4 ,they sleep on the ground without any covering4 ,when the girls grow up they are hidden away in the uf3ok nkukh3o1 or 'house of seclusion1' and made very fat1 and then become the slave-wives of the masters or freemen4 ,and the twins6 ,poor mites4 ,for some reason the people fear them worse than death1 and they are not allowed to live2 they are killed and crushed into pots and thrown away for leopards to eat4 ,the mother is hounded into the bush1 where she must live alone4 ,she1 too1 is afraid of the twin-babies1 and she would murder them if others did not4 ,mary cried out in hot rage against so cruel a system4 ,oh1 she said1 ,i want to fight it2 ,i want to save those innocent babes4 ,right1 lassie1 replied ,mammy1 and we need a hundred more like you to help4 ,mary jumped to her feet4 ,the first thing ,i have to do1 she said1 is to learn the language4 ,i can do nothing until ,i know it well4 ,efik is the chief tongue spoken in this part of ,africa1 and so quickly did she pick it up and master it that the people said she was blessed with an ,efik mouth2 and then her old dream came true1 and she began to teach the black boys and girls in the day school4 ,there were not many1 for the chiefs did not believe in educating them4 ,the bigger ones wore only a red or white shirt1 while the wee ones had nothing on at all1 and they carried their slates on their heads and their pencils in their woolly hair4 ,in spite of everything they were a happy lot1 with bright eyes and nimble feet1 and ,mary loved them1 and those that were mischievous most of all4 ,she also went down to the yards out of which they came1 and spoke to their fathers and mothers about ,jesus1 and begged them to come to the ,mission church4 ,when she had been out three years she fell ill1 and was home-sick for her mother and friends4 ,calabar then was like some of the flowers growing in the bush1 very pretty but very poisonous4 ,mary had fever so badly and was so weak that she was glad to be put on board the steamer and taken away4 ,in ,scotland the cool winds and the loving care of her mother soon made her strong again4 ,sometimes she was asked to speak at meetings1 but was very shy to face people4 ,one ,sunday morning in ,edinburgh she went to a children's church4 ,the superintendent asked her to come to the platform1 but she would not go4 ,then he explained to the children who she was1 and begged her to tell them something about ,calabar4 ,she blushed and refused4 ,a hymn was given out1 during which the superintendent pled with her to say a few words4 ,no1 no1 ,i cannot1 she replied timidly4 ,he was not to be beaten4 ,let us pray1 he said4 ,he prayed that ,miss ,slessor might be able to give them a message4 ,when he finished he appealed to her again4 ,after a pause she rose1 and1 turning her head half-away1 spoke1 not about ,calabar1 but about the free and glad life which children in a ,christian land enjoyed1 and how grateful they ought to be to ,jesus1 to whom they owed it all4 ,when she reached ,calabar again she was made very happy1 for her dream was to be a real missionary1 and she found that she was to be in charge of the women's work at ,old ,town1 a place two miles higher up the river1 noted for its wickedness4 ,she could now do as she liked1 and save more money to send home to her mother and sisters1 for they were always first in her thoughts4 ,she lived in a hut built of mud and slips of bamboo1 with a roof of palm leaves1 wore old clothes1 and ate the cheap food of the natives1 yam and plantain and fish4 ,many white persons wondered why she did this1 and made remarks1 but she did not tell them the reason3 she cared less than ever for the laughter and scorn of others4 ,illustration3 ,,towns ,,in ,,calabar4 ,there are so many winding creeks that the district looks like a jigsaw puzzle4 ,she soon became a power in the district4 ,the men in the town were selfish and greedy1 and would not let the inland natives come with their palm oil and trade with the factories1 and fights often took place1 and blood was shed4 ,this will never do1 ,mary said1 and she began to help the country people1 allowing them to steal down at night through the ,mission ground1 and guiding them past the sentries to the beach4 ,the townsmen were angry1 but they could not browbeat the brave white woman1 and at last they gave in1 and so the trading became free4 ,then she began to oppose the custom of killing twins1 and by and by she came to be known as the ,ma who loves babies4 ,ma in the ,efik tongue is a title of respect given to women1 and ever after she was known to all1 white and black1 as ,ma ,slessor1 or ,ma ,akamba1 the great ,ma1 or just simply ,ma1 and we1 too1 may use the same name for her4 ,one day a young ,scottish trader named ,owen came to her with a black baby in his arms4 ,ma1 he said1 ,i have found this baby thing lying away in the bush4 ,it's a twin4 ,the other has been killed4 ,it would soon have died if ,i hadn't picked it up4 ,i knew you'd like it1 and so here it is4 ,ma thanked the young man for his kindly act1 and took the child1 a bright and attractive girl1 to her heart of hearts4 ,i'll call it ,janie1 she said1 after my sister4 ,she was delighted one day to hear that the ,british ,consul and the missionaries had at last coaxed the chiefs in the river towns to make a law after their own fashion against twin-murder4 ,this was done through a secret society called ,egbo1 which was very powerful and ruled the land4 ,those who belonged to it sent out men with whips and drums1 called runners1 who were disguised in masks and strange dresses4 ,when they appeared all women and children had to fly indoors4 ,if caught they were flogged4 ,it was these men who came to proclaim the new rules4 ,ma thus tells about the scene in a letter to ,sunday ,school children in ,dundee3 ,just as it became dark one evening ,i was sitting in my verandah talking to the children1 when we heard the beating of drums and the singing of men coming near4 ,this was strange1 because we are on a piece of ground which no one in the town has a right to enter4 ,taking the wee twin boys in my hands ,i rushed out1 and what do you think ,i saw8 ,a crowd of men standing outside the fence chanting and swaying their bodies4 ,they were proclaiming that all twins and twin-mothers could now live in the town1 and that if any one murdered the twins or harmed the mothers he would be hanged by the neck4 ,if you could have heard the twin-mothers who were there1 how they laughed and clapped their hands and shouted1 ,sosono6 ,sosono6 7,thank you6 ,thank you674 ,you will not wonder that amidst all the noise ,i turned aside and wept tears of joy and thankfulness1 for it was a glorious day for ,calabar4 ,a few days later the treaties were signed1 and at the same time a new ,king was crowned4 ,twin-mothers were actually sitting with us on a platform in front of all the people4 ,such a thing had never been known before4 ,what a scene it was6 ,how can ,i describe it8 ,there were thousands of ,africans1 each with a voice equal to ten men at home1 and all speaking as loudly as they could4 ,the women were the worst4 ,i asked a chief to stop the noise4 ,ma1 he said1 how ,i fit stop them woman mouth8 ,the ,consul told the ,king that he must have quiet during the reading of the treaties1 but the ,king said helplessly1 ,how can ,i do8 ,they be women--best put them away1 and many were put away4 ,and the dresses6 ,as some one said of a hat ,i trimmed1 they were overpowering4 ,the women had crimson silks and satins covered with earrings and brooches and all kinds of finery4 ,the men were in all sorts of uniform with gold and silver lace and jewelled hats and caps4 ,many naked bodies were covered with beadwork1 silks1 damask1 and even red and green table-cloths trimmed with gold and silver4 ,their legs were circled with brass and beadwork1 and unseen bells that tinkled all the time4 ,the hats were immense affairs with huge feathers of all colours and brooches4 ,the ,egbo men were the most gorgeous4 ,some had large three-cornered hats with long plumes hanging down4 ,some had crowns1 others wore masks of animals with horns1 and all were looped round with ever so many skirts and trailed tails a yard or two long with a tuft of feathers at the end4 ,such splendour is barbaric1 but it is imposing in its own place4 ,well1 the people have agreed to do away with many of the bad customs they have that hinder the spread of the ,gospel4 ,you must remember that it is the long and faithful teaching of ,god's word that is bringing the people to a state of mind fit for better things4 ,now ,i am sleepy4 ,good-bye4 ,may ,god make us all worthy of what ,he has done for us4 ,the people were good for a time1 but soon fell back into the habit of centuries1 and did in secret what they used to do openly4 ,ma saw that the struggle was only just beginning1 and she threw herself into it with all her courage and strength4 ,she was always studying her ,bible1 and learning more of the love and power of ,jesus1 and so much did she lean on ,him that she was growing quite fearless1 and would go by herself into the vilest haunts in the town or far out into lonesome villages4 ,often she took a canoe and went up the river and into the creeks and visited places where no white woman had been before1 healing the sick1 sitting by the wayside listening to the tales of the people1 and talking to them about the ,saviour of the world4 ,sometimes there was so much to say and do that she could not get back the same day1 and she slept on straw or leaves in the open air1 or on a bundle of rags in an evil-smelling hut4 ,once she took the house-children and went a long river journey to visit an exiled chief who lived in a district haunted by elephants4 ,they were to start in the morning1 but things are done very leisurely in ,africa1 and it was night before they set off by torchlight4 ,eyo ,honesty ,,vii41 the negro king of ,creek ,town1 who was a ,christian and always very kind to ,ma1 had sent a ,state canoe1 brightly painted1 with the message3 ,ma must not go as a nameless stranger to a strange people1 but as a lady and our ,mother1 and she can use the canoe as long as she pleases4 ,there was a crew of thirty-three men dressed only in loin-cloths4 ,as they dipped the paddles and sped onwards over the quiet water1 a drummer drummed his drum1 and the crew chanted a song in her praise3 ,ma1 our beautiful beloved mother is on board1 ,ho1 ho1 ho6 ,the motion of the canoe was like a cradle1 and the song like a mother's crooning1 and she fell asleep2 and all through the night1 amongst these wild black men1 she lay in ,god's keeping like a little child4 ,at dawn they came to a beach and a village1 where she was given a mud room in the chief's yard1 and here for a whole fortnight she lived in the company of dogs1 fowls1 rats1 lizards1 and mosquitoes4 ,many of the people had never seen a white person1 and were afraid to touch her4 ,she was very sorry for them1 they were so poor and naked and dirty1 and she busied herself making clothes and healing the sick4 ,so many were ill that a canoe had to be sent to the nearest ,mission ,house for another supply of medicines4 ,one day the chief said to her1 ,ma1 two of my wives have been doing wrong1 and they are to get one hundred stripes each on their bare backs4 ,it is the custom4 ,she was horrified4 ,why1 what have they done8 ,they went into a yard that is not their own4 ,of course1 he added1 they are young and thoughtless1 they are only sixteen years old1 but they must learn4 ,oh1 but that is a very cruel punishment for young girls4 ,ma1 it is nothing2 we shall also rub salt into the wounds and perhaps cut off their ears4 ,that is the only way to make the women obey us4 ,no1 no1 you must not do that1 cried ,ma4 ,bring all the people together for a palaver4 ,the crowd gathered1 and the two girls stood in front with sullen faces4 ,ma spoke to them4 ,you have done wrong according to your law1 and you will have to be punished4 ,at this1 smiles broke over the faces of the men2 but ,ma turned to them swiftly and cried1 ,you are in the wrong too4 ,shame on you for making a law that marries girls so early6 ,why1 these are still children who love fun and mischief4 ,their fault is a small one1 and you must not punish them so cruelly4 ,the smiles fled1 and the faces grew angry and defiant1 and there were mutterings and threats4 ,who are you to come and spoil our laws1 said some of the big men2 the girls are ours1 let us have them4 ,but ,ma was firm1 and as she was the guest of the village1 and worthy of honour1 they at length agreed to give a lighter punishment4 ,the girls were handed over to two strong fellows1 who flogged them with a whip4 ,ma heard their screams amidst the shouts and laughter of those who looked on1 and was ready to attend to their bleeding bodies when they ran into her room4 ,then she gave them something which made them sleep and forget their pain and misery4 ,what can you expect8 said she to herself2 they have never heard of ,god1 they worship human skulls1 and they don't know about love and compassion and mercy--and she did her best to teach them4 ,in the quiet nights1 when their work in the fields was over1 they came and squatted on the ground1 the big men in front1 the slaves outside1 and she stood beside a little table on which were a ,bible and hymn-book and a lamp1 and in her sweet and earnest voice told them the story of the gentle ,jesus4 ,she could not see anything but the dark mass of their bodies and the gleaming of their eyes1 and they sat so still that when she stopped she could only hear the sighing of the wind among the palm tops4 ,it was all very wonderful to them4 ,sometimes they would ask questions1 chiefly about the life after death1 which was such a mystery to them1 and1 when they rose1 they slipped away softly to their homes to talk about this strange new religion that was so different from their own4 ,it was the time of storms1 and one day when ,ma was sitting sewing the sky grew dark1 lightning flashed1 thunder crashed1 and floods fell4 ,the roof of the hut was blown away1 and she was drenched to the skin1 and for a time was ill with fever and nigh to death4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,slessor ,,and ,,janie4 ,on the way back at night to ,old ,town another tornado burst1 flooding the canoe1 and tossing it about like a match-box on the raging waves4 ,the crew lost their wits1 and ,ma thought they would be upset4 ,but putting aside her own fear for the sake of others1 she made the men paddle into the mangrove1 where they jumped into the branches like monkeys and held on to the canoe until the danger was passed4 ,all were sitting in water1 and ,ma was wet through and shaking with ague4 ,she became so ill that when ,old ,town was reached she had to be carried up to the ,mission ,house4 ,yet she did not go to bed until she had made hot tea for the children1 and tucked them snugly away for the night4 ,soon afterwards another tornado destroyed her house1 and she and the children escaped through the wind and rain to the home of some white traders who were very kind to her4 ,but she was so ill after all she had gone through that she was ordered to ,scotland1 and had again to be carried on board the steamer4 ,she would not leave ,janie behind her1 as she was afraid the people would murder her1 and so the girl-twin also sailed with her across the sea4 ,ma soon grew strong in her native air1 and one ,sunday she went to her old church in ,dundee with ,janie1 and there that morning the little black child was given the name that had been chosen for her4 ,with her black skin and her solemn eyes she was a curious sight to the boys and girls1 and they came crowding round and begged to be allowed to hold her for a little4 ,she appeared at many of the meetings to which ,ma went1 and during the address would sit on the platform munching biscuits1 which she was always ready to share with every one near her4 ,one night ,ma travelled to ,falkirk to speak to a large class of girls taught by ,miss ,bessie ,wilson1 a well-known lady in the ,church4 ,she had a message that night1 and her face shone and her words fell like stirring music on the young hearts before her4 ,janie was passed round from one to another1 and helped to make her story more real4 ,so delighted were the girls with the black baby that they begged to be allowed to give something every month for her support4 ,perhaps all this had nothing to do with what happened afterwards1 but was it not strange that out of that class by and by no fewer than six members gave themselves to the work in ,calabar1 including ,miss ,wright and ,miss ,peacock1 two of ,ma's dearest friends and best helpers8 ,ma had a wonderful power of drawing other people to her and of influencing them for good4 ,on this visit one girl1 ,miss ,hogg1 was no sooner in her company than she decided to go to ,calabar1 and she went1 and was for many years a much-loved missionary1 whose name was familiar to the children of the ,church at home4 ,ma was anxious to be back at her work1 but her sister ,janie1 who was delicate like her brothers1 needed all her care1 and was at last ordered by the doctor to live in a warmer climate4 ,this set ,ma dreaming again4 ,if only ,i could take her out to ,calabar with me1 she mused1 we could live cheaply in a native hut1 and it might save her life4 ,but the ,mission ,board did not think this would be right1 and ,mary1 who had a quick brain as well as a warm heart1 at once carried ,janie off to ,devonshire1 that lovely county in the south of ,england1 where she rented a house with a garden and nursed and cared for the invalid4 ,very sorrowfully she gave up the work in ,calabar she loved so much1 but she felt that her sister needed her most4 ,then she brought down her mother1 and they lived happily together1 and ,janie grew strong in the sunshine and fresh air4 ,after a time ,ma thought they could be left1 and1 after getting an old companion down from ,dundee to look after them1 she went out again to ,africa4 ,her new station was ,creek ,town1 a little farther away1 where the missionary was her dear friend ,mr4 ,goldie1 the etubom akamba1 the big master4 ,here she lived more plainly than ever1 for she needed now to send a larger sum of money in order to keep the home in ,devonshire4 ,but she had not long to do this loving service1 for first her mother1 and then her sister1 died4 ,all the rest of the family of seven had now passed away1 and ,ma was alone in the world4 ,she never quite got over her grief and her longing for them all1 and to the end of her life was dreaming a sweet dream of the time when she would meet them again in heaven4 ,with no home-hearts to love she began to lavish her affection on the black children1 and was specially fond of ,janie1 who trotted at her side all day and slept in her bed at night4 ,she was a lively thing1 full of fun and tricks1 and it was curious that the people should be so afraid of her4 ,they would not touch her even if ,ma was there4 ,one day a man came to the ,mission ,house who said he was her father4 ,then1 said ,ma1 you will come and see her4 ,oh1 no1 he replied1 with fear in his eyes1 ,i could not4 ,ma looked at him with scorn4 ,what harm can a wee girlie do you8 she asked4 ,come along4 ,well1 ,i'll look from a distance4 ,hoots1 she cried1 and seizing him by the arm dragged him close to the child1 who was alarmed and clung to ,ma4 ,my lassie1 this is your father1 give him a hug4 ,the child put her arms round the man's neck and he did not mind1 and indeed his fierce face grew soft1 and he sat down and took her gently on his knee and petted her1 and was so delighted with her pretty ways that he would hardly give her up4 ,after that he came often and brought her gifts of food4 ,thus ,ma tried to show the people that there was nothing wrong with twins1 and that it was a cruel and senseless thing to kill them4 ,there were other children1 both boys and girls1 in the home1 whom ,ma had saved from sickness or death1 and these she trained to do housework and bake and go to market1 and when their work was done she taught them from their ,efik lesson books1 and by and by they were able to help her in school and church by looking after all the little things that needed to be done4 ,the oldest was a girl of thirteen1 a kind of ,cinderella1 who was always in the kitchen1 but who was very honest and truthful and loved her ,ma4 ,besides these there were always a number of refugees in the yard-rooms outside1 a woman1 perhaps1 who had been ill-used by her masters and had run away1 or girls broken in body and mind1 who had been brought down from the country to be sold as slaves and whom ,ma had rescued1 or sick people who came from far distances to get the white woman's medicine to be healed4 ,it was a busy life which ,ma lived in and out amongst the huts and villages of the ,creek2 but she was happy1 like all busy people who love their work and are doing good4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,landing ,,beach ,,at ,,ekenge4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,ma's great adventure3 how she went up-river by herself in a canoe and lived in a forest amongst a savage tribe2 how she fought their terrible customs and saved many lives2 how she built a hut for herself and then a church1 and how she took a band of the wild warriors down to the coast and got them to be friends with the people who had always been their sworn enemies4 ,ma felt that she was not getting to the heart of things4 ,behind that wall of bush1 for hundreds of miles inland1 lay a vast region of forest and river into which white men had not yet ventured4 ,it was there that the natives lived almost like wild beasts1 and where the most terrible crimes against women and children were done without any one lifting a finger to stop them4 ,it was there that the biggest work for ,jesus was to be carried on4 ,if only ,i could get amongst these people1 she said1 and attack their customs at the root2 that is where they must be destroyed4 ,she dreamed of it night and day1 and laid her plans4 ,one district lying between two rivers behind ,creek ,town1 called ,okoyong1 was specially noted for its lawless heathenism4 ,the tribe who lived there was strong1 proud1 warlike1 and had become the terror of the whole country4 ,every man1 woman1 and child of them went about armed1 and even ate and slept with their guns and swords by their side2 they roamed about in bands watching the forest paths1 and attacked and captured all whom they met1 and sold them as slaves or sent them away to be food for the cannibals4 ,they and the people of the coast were sworn enemies4 ,ma knew all about them1 and was eager to go into their midst to teach them better ways4 ,she pled with the ,mission leaders at ,duke ,town4 ,i am not afraid1 she said2 ,i am alone now and have nobody to be anxious about me4 ,but the missionaries shook their heads4 ,no1 no1 it is too dangerous1 they told her4 ,and her friends the traders said1 ,it is a gun-boat they want1 ,ma1 not a missionary4 ,it was hard for her eager spirit to wait4 ,for fourteen years she had worked in the factory at ,dundee1 for ten more she had toiled in the towns on the ,calabar ,river1 and she was now a grown woman4 ,but ,god often keeps us at a task far longer than we ourselves think is good for us1 for ,he knows best1 and if we are patient to the end ,he lets us do even more than we had hoped for4 ,so it was with ,mary ,slessor4 ,she was at last allowed to go4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,okoyong ,,district4 ,the ,okoyong people1 however1 would not have her4 ,we want no missionary1 man or woman1 they said sullenly4 ,for a whole year messengers went up and down the river1 but the tribe remained firm4 ,then ,ma said3 ,i'll go myself and see them4 ,one hot ,june day she got the loan of ,king ,eyo's canoe1 a hollow tree-trunk twenty feet long1 on which there was a little arch of palm leaves to shade her from the sun1 and set out up the ,calabar ,river4 ,as she lay back on a pillow she thought how pretty and peaceful the scene was--the calm water gleaming in the light of the sky1 the cotton trees and bananas and palms along the banks1 the brilliant birds and butterflies flitting about4 ,the only sound was the dip of the paddles and the soft voices of the men singing about their ,ma4 ,and then she thought of what might lie before her1 of the perils of the forest1 and the anger of the blood-thirsty ,okoyong1 and wondered if she had done right4 ,we'll have a cup of tea1 anyhow1 she said to herself1 and got out an old paraffin stove1 but found that matches had been forgotten4 ,coming to a farm the canoe swung into a mud-beach1 and ,ma went ashore1 and was happy to find that the owner was a big man whom she knew4 ,he gave her some matches1 and on they went again4 ,when the tea was ready ,ma opened a tin of stewed steak and cut up a loaf of home-made bread4 ,boy1 she said1 where is the cup8 ,no cup1 ,ma--forgotten4 ,bother6 now what shall ,i do8 ,i wash out that steak tin1 ,ma4 ,right2 if you use what you have you will never want4 ,but alas6 the tin slipped out of his hand and sank4 ,ma was a philosopher4 ,ah1 well1 she said1 it cannot be helped4 ,i'll drink out of the saucer4 ,ma was really very timid4 ,just before leaving ,devonshire she would not go out on ,guy ,fawkes' ,day1 because she shrank from the crowds who were parading the streets2 and yet1 here she was going alone into an unknown region in ,africa to face untamed savages4 ,what made her so courageous was her faith in ,god4 ,she believed that ,he wanted her to do this bit of work1 and that therefore ,he would take care of her4 ,she would not carry a weapon of any kind4 ,even ,david1 when he went out to fight ,goliath1 had a sling and a stone as well as his faith4 ,ma was going to fight a much bigger giant1 and she took nothing with her but a bright face and a heart full of love and sympathy4 ,she was more like ,jesus1 who faced ,his enemies with nothing but the power of ,his spirit4 ,illustration3 ,,canoe ,,being ,,made ,,out ,,of ,a ,,tree-,,trunk4 ,the paddlers landed her at a strip of beach on the river1 and with a fast-beating heart she trudged along the forest path for about four miles until she reached a village called ,ekenge4 ,shouts arose3 ,ma has come6 ,ma has come6 and a crowd rushed forward4 ,to her surprise they seemed pleased to see her4 ,you are brave to come alone1 they said2 that is good4 ,the chief1 who was called ,edem1 was sober1 and he would not allow her to go on farther1 because the people at the next village were drunk and might harm her4 ,so she stayed the night at ,ekenge4 ,i am not very particular about my bed nowadays1 she told a friend1 but as ,i lay on a few dirty sticks laid across and across and covered with a litter of dirty corn-shells1 with plenty of rats and insects1 three women and an infant three days old alongside1 and over a dozen goats and sheep and cows and countless dogs outside1 you don't wonder that ,i slept little6 ,but ,i had such a comfortable quiet night in my own heart4 ,next day all the big men of the district came to see her1 and her winsome ways won them over1 and they agreed to give her ground for a church and school1 and promised that when these were built they would be places of refuge into which hunted people could fly and be safe4 ,she was so happy that she did not mind the rain1 which came on and wetted her to the skin as she walked back through the forest to the river4 ,the tide1 too1 was against the paddlers1 so they had to put the canoe into a cove and tie it to a tree for two hours4 ,ma was cold and shivery1 and lay watching the brown crabs fighting in the mud1 but she dared not sleep in case a crocodile or snake might make an attack4 ,the men kept very quiet1 and sometimes she heard them whisper1 ,speak softly and let ,ma sleep1 or ,don't shake the canoe and wake ,ma4 ,when they started again she gradually passed into sleep1 and only wakened to see the friendly lamps of ,creek ,town gleaming like stars through the night4 ,a month or two later she was ready to go and make her home among the ,okoyong4 ,the people of ,creek ,town were alarmed1 and tried to make her give up the idea4 ,do you think any one will listen to you8 ,do you think they will lay aside their weapons of war for you8 ,we shall never see you again4 ,you are sure to be murdered4 ,such were some of the things said to her4 ,but she just smiled1 and thought how little there was to fear when ,jesus was with her4 ,i am going1 she wrote home1 to a new tribe up-country1 a fierce1 cruel people1 and every one tells me they will kill me4 ,but ,i don't fear any hurt4 ,only--to combat their savage customs will require courage and firmness on my part4 ,the night before she left she could not sleep for thinking and wondering about all that was before her1 and lay listening to the dripping of the rain until daylight4 ,when she heard the negro carriers coming for the packages she rose4 ,it was still wet1 and the men were miserable and grumbled and quarrelled amongst themselves until good ,king ,eyo arrived and took them in hand4 ,seeing how nervous she was he sat down beside her and cheered her up1 saying that he would send secret messengers from time to time to find out how she was getting on1 and that she was to let him know if ever she needed help4 ,her courage and smiles came back1 and she jumped up1 gathered her children together1 and walked down to the beach4 ,amidst the sighs and sobs and farewells of the people she stepped into the canoe4 ,good-bye1 good-bye1 she cried to every one1 and the canoe sped into the middle of the stream and was lost in the mist and the rain4 ,illustration3 ,,plunged ,,into ,,the ,,depths ,,of ,,the ,,forest4 ,it was night when the landing-beach was reached1 and the stars were hidden by rain-clouds4 ,as ,ma stepped ashore on the mud-bank and looked into the dark forest and thought of the long journey before her1 and the end of it1 her heart failed4 ,she might lose her way in that unlit tangle of wood4 ,she would meet wild beasts1 the natives might be feasting and drinking and unwilling to receive her4 ,a score of shadowy terrors arose in her imagination4 ,for a moment she wished she could turn back to the safe shelter of her home1 but when she thought of ,jesus and what ,he had done for her sake1 how ,he was never afraid1 but went forward calm and fearless even to ,his death on the ,cross1 she felt ashamed of her weakness1 and1 calling the children1 she plunged stoutly into the black depths of the forest4 ,what a queer procession it was6 ,the biggest boy1 eleven years old1 went first with a box of bread and tea and sugar on his head1 next a laddie of eight with a kettle and pots1 then a wee fellow of three sturdily doing his best1 but crying as if his heart would break4 ,janie followed1 also sobbing1 and lastly the white mother herself carrying ,annie1 a baby slave-girl1 on her shoulder1 and singing gaily to cheer the others1 but there was often a funny little break in her voice as she heard the scream of the vampire-bat or the stealthy tread and growling of wild animals close at hand4 ,brushing against dripping branches1 stumbling in the black and slippery mud1 tired and hungry and wretched1 they made their way to ,ekenge4 ,when they arrived all was quiet1 and no one greeted them4 ,strange1 said ,ma to herself1 for a village welcome is always a noisy one4 ,she shouted1 and two slaves appeared4 ,where is the chief8 ,where are the people8 she asked4 ,gone to the death-feast at ,ifako1 the next village1 ,ma4 ,then bring me some fire and water4 ,she made tea for the children1 undressed them1 huddled them naked in a corner to sleep1 and sat down in her wet things to wait for the carriers1 who were bringing the boxes with food and dry clothes4 ,a messenger arrived1 but it was to tell her that the men were too worn out to carry anything that night4 ,she jumped to her feet1 and1 bareheaded and barefooted1 dived into the forest to return to the river4 ,she had not gone far when she heard the pitter-patter of feet4 ,she stopped4 ,ma6 ,ma6 a voice cried4 ,it was the messenger4 ,he loved ,ma1 and1 unhappy at the thought of her tramping along that lonesome trail1 he had followed her to keep her company4 ,together they ran1 now tripping and falling1 now dashing into a tree1 now standing still trembling1 as they heard some rushing sound or weird cry4 ,when she came to the beach she waded out to the canoe1 lifted the covering1 and roused the sleeping natives4 ,they grumbled a good deal1 but even these big rough men could not withstand ,ma's coaxing1 masterful ways1 and they had soon the boxes on their heads and were marching merrily in single file along the wet and dark path to ,ekenge4 ,she made them put the packages into the hut which ,edem1 the chief1 had allotted to her1 a small1 dirty place with mud walls1 no window1 and only an open space for a door4 ,when everything was piled up inside there was hardly room for herself and the children1 but she lay down on the boxes1 and as it was after midnight1 and she was weary and foot-sore1 she soon fell into a deep sleep4 ,illustration3 ,,ma ,,eme ,,ete4 ,when the chief and his followers came back from the revels at ,ifako they welcomed ,ma1 for it was an honour for a white woman to live in their midst4 ,but they had no idea of changing their ways of life for her1 and went on day and night drinking rum and gin1 dancing1 and making sacrifices to their jujus or gods4 ,sometimes the din was so great that ,ma never got a wink of sleep4 ,the yard was full of half-naked slave-women1 who were always scolding and quarrelling4 ,some were wicked and hateful1 and did not want such a good white ,ma to be with them1 and tried to force her to leave4 ,but there was one who was kind to her1 ,eme ,ete1 a sister of the chief1 who had a sad story4 ,one day she told it to ,ma4 ,she had been married to a chief who had not treated her well4 ,when he died his followers put the blame on his wives1 and they were seized and brought to trial4 ,it was an odd way they had of testing guilt or innocence4 ,as each wife stepped forward the head of a fowl was cut off1 and the people watched to see how the body fell4 ,if it lay in a certain way she was innocent2 if in another way1 she was guilty6 ,how ,eme ,ete trembled when her turn came6 ,when she knew she was safe she fainted4 ,eme ,ete was big in body and big in heart4 ,to ,ma she showed herself gentle and refined1 and acted towards her as a white lady would1 caring for her comfort1 watching over her safety1 going to her meetings1 and helping her in her work4 ,they grew to be like sisters4 ,yet ,eme ,ete was always a little bit of a mystery to ,ma4 ,she wanted the people to change their old ways1 but she herself would not1 and went on with her bush-worship and sacrifices1 and never became a ,christian4 ,but of all the native women ,ma ever met1 there was none she loved so well as this motherly heathen soul4 ,in the yard there were also many boys and girls4 ,ma was fond of children1 but these ones were not nice3 they stole and lied and made themselves a trouble to everybody4 ,oh1 dear1 she sighed1 what can ,i do with such bairns8 ,but she remembered what her ,master said1 ,suffer little children to come unto ,me and forbid them not2 and she gathered them about her1 took the wee ones in her arms and nursed them1 made clothes for their bodies1 and taught them what it was to be clean and sweet and good4 ,when the sick babies died she would not let the people throw them away into the bush1 as they usually did1 but put them into little boxes on which she laid some flowers1 and buried them in a piece of ground that she chose for a cemetery4 ,why1 ,ma1 said the natives in wonder1 what is a dead child8 ,you can have hundreds of them4 ,none of the children could read or write1 nor1 indeed1 could any of the older people1 and so ,ma started schools1 which she held in the open air in the shade of the forest trees4 ,at first everybody came1 even the grey-headed men and women1 and learned ,a ,b ,c in ,efik and sang the hymns that ,ma taught them4 ,the beautiful birds which flew above their heads must have wondered1 for they had only been accustomed to the wild chant of war-songs4 ,and at night the twinkling stars must have twinkled harder when they looked down and saw1 not a crowd of people drinking and fighting1 but a quiet company1 and a white woman standing talking to them in grave sweet tones about holy things4 ,but when ,ma spoke about their bad customs they would not listen4 ,ma1 they would say1 we like you and we want to learn book and wear clothes1 but we don't want to put away our old fashions4 ,well1 replied ,ma patiently1 we shall see4 ,and so the battle began4 ,the first time she failed1 because she did not know what was happening4 ,a lad had been accused of some fault1 and she saw him standing1 girt with chains1 holding out his arms before a pot of boiling oil4 ,a man took a ladle and dipped it into the burning stuff1 which he began to pour over the boy's hands4 ,ma sprang forward1 but was too late2 the boy screamed and rolled on the ground in agony4 ,she was very angry1 especially when they told her the meaning of the thing4 ,it was a test to show whether the boy was innocent or guilty of the charge brought against him4 ,if he had not been guilty1 they said1 he would not have suffered4 ,oh1 you stupid creatures1 cried ,ma4 ,everybody will suffer if you do that to them4 ,let me try it on you1 she said to the man with the ladle1 but he rushed off amidst the laughter of the crowd4 ,next time she did better4 ,a slave was blamed for using witchcraft1 and condemned to die4 ,ma knew he was innocent1 and went and stood beside him in front of the armed warriors of the chief1 and said3 ,this man has done no wrong4 ,you must not put him to death4 ,ho1 ho1 they cried1 that is not good speaking4 ,we have said he shall die1 and he must die4 ,no1 no2 listen1 and she tried to reason with them1 but they came round her waving their swords and guns1 and shouting at the pitch of their voices4 ,she stood in the midst of them as she had stood in the midst of the ,dundee roughs1 pale1 but calm and unafraid4 ,the more angry and excited and threatening they grew the cooler she became4 ,perhaps it was her wonderful courage which did not fail her even when the swords were flashing about her head1 perhaps it was the strange light that shone in her face that awed and quietened them1 but the confusion died down and ceased4 ,then the chiefs agreed for her sake not to kill the man1 but they put heavy chains upon his arms and legs1 and starved and flogged him until he was a mass of bleeding flesh4 ,ma felt she had not done much1 but it was a beginning4 ,people at a distance heard of her1 and one day messengers came from a township many miles away to ask her to visit their chief1 who was believed to be dying4 ,and what will happen if he dies8 asked ,ma4 ,all his wives and slaves will be killed1 was the prompt reply4 ,then ,i will come at once1 she said4 ,ma1 put in ,chief ,edem1 you must not go4 ,they are cruel people and may do you hurt4 ,then see the rain2 all the rivers will be flowing and you cannot cross4 ,but ,ma thought of the women who might be murdered1 and she went4 ,the rain poured down1 and as she fought her way for eight hours through the forest her clothes became soaked and torn1 and she threw most of them off and left them4 ,as she trudged with bare head and bare feet through the villages on the way1 she looked very ragged and forlorn1 and the people gazed at her in wonder4 ,when she reached the township she found the men armed and ready to begin the slaughter1 and the women sad and afraid4 ,although she was wet and cold and feverish she went straight to the hut of the sick chief and nursed him1 and gradually brought him back to health1 so that there was no more thought of sacrifice and blood4 ,illustration3 ,,chief ,,edem4 ,her next trouble was in her own yard4 ,edem1 her chief1 was kind to her1 but he was also under the power of the old bad ideas and believed in the witch-doctors1 cunning fellows who pretended to know the cause of sickness and how to cure it4 ,falling ill he called in one of these medicine-men1 who declared that an enemy had placed a number of things in his body1 and made believe to take them out4 ,when ,ma came ,edem held them up--cartridges1 powder1 teeth1 bones1 eggshells1 and seeds--and said1 ,ma1 a dreadful battle has been going on during the night4 ,see what wicked persons have done to me4 ,her heart sank3 she knew what would follow4 ,sure enough1 a number of men and women were seized and chained to posts and condemned to die4 ,ma set herself to save them4 ,she begged and coaxed the sick man so much on their behalf that at last she wearied him1 and he got his followers to carry him secretly away to one of his farms4 ,ma could only pray1 and she prayed that he might get better4 ,by and by strength did return1 and the prisoners were released1 only one woman being put to death4 ,no sooner was this trial ended than a worse came4 ,a chief whom ,ma feared1 a very cruel and blood-thirsty man1 paid a visit to ,edem4 ,he and his followers did nothing but drink1 and soon they were mad with the fiery liquor1 and the whole village was in a violent uproar4 ,ma bravely went into the midst of the mob and sought to calm them4 ,she saw that the best thing to do was to get the visitors away1 and she hurried them off as quickly as possible1 going with them herself in order to prevent bloodshed on the way1 for they wanted to fight every one they met4 ,in the forest path they saw some withered plants and leaves on the ground4 ,sorcery1 they yelled1 and fled back in a panic--they thought these things had magic in them and were meant to do them harm4 ,let us go to the last village and kill every one in it1 they shouted2 they have tried to bewitch us4 ,and they rushed pell-mell along the path flourishing their swords and shouting their terrible war-cries4 ,ma prayed for swiftness1 and ran until she came in front of them1 and then1 turning1 she threw out her arms and breathlessly dared them to pass4 ,it seemed a mad thing to do1 but again that something in her face made them stop4 ,they argued with her and then they obeyed her1 and went forward by another path4 ,but they began to dance and caper and fight each other1 until ,ma1 with the help of some of the soberer ones1 tied the worst to the trees4 ,the others went on1 and she did not leave them until they were safe in their own district4 ,on the way back she unloosed the drunken prisoners1 who were now in a raging temper1 and sent them home with their hands fastened behind their backs4 ,but that was not the end4 ,next day the cruel chief went to the village that was blamed for laying the things on the path1 and although it did not belong to him1 but to ,edem1 he made the people take ordeals1 and carried away a young man in handcuffs to put him to death4 ,ma hastened to the chief4 ,he was rude and rough1 and laughed at her1 but she tried not to mind1 and begged hard for the lad's life4 ,when she returned she found that ,edem was getting ready to fight1 and she prayed earnestly that the heart of the cruel chief might be softened4 ,it was softened1 for news came that the prisoner had been sent home1 and so there was peace and not war4 ,ma began to wonder how long she would be able to live in the midst of such sin and dirt4 ,she had hung a door at the opening of her mud-room1 and made a hole in the wall for a window and curtained it with pieces of cloth1 but the place was so small that at night she had to lift her boxes outside in order to give herself and the children room to sleep4 ,it was overrun with rats and lizards and beetles and all sorts of biting insects4 ,she could not get away from the squabbling and bad language and rioting of the wives and slaves1 and was often tired and ill4 ,it was the thought of ,jesus that gave her patience and courage4 ,she remembered how ,he had left ,his home above the stars and dwelt on earth amongst men who were unlovely and wicked and cruel1 and how ,he never grumbled or gave in1 though life to ,him was often bitter and hard4 ,shall ,i not follow my ,master1 she said1 because my way is not easy and not nice8 ,yes1 ,i will be ,his true disciple and be strong and brave4 ,she was longing to be alone sometimes to read her ,bible and think and pray in quiet1 and one day she started to build a little hut of her own some distance away from the others4 ,first she fixed stout tree-trunks in the ground1 and on the tops of these1 cross-wise1 she laid other pieces4 ,sticks were then placed between the uprights1 and strips of bamboo1 beaten until soft1 were fastened in and out1 just as the threads had been woven in the loom of the ,dundee factory4 ,this was the skeleton of the hut1 and when ,ma looked at it she clapped her hands with delight4 ,it's like playing a game1 she said to the children4 ,the walls were next made by throwing in large lumps of red clay between the sticks4 ,when the clay was dry the surface was rubbed smooth1 and then mats of palm leaves were laid on the top and tied down to form the roof4 ,now for the furniture1 she said4 ,with kneaded lumps of clay she built up a fireplace1 and moulded a seat beside it where the cook could sit1 then made a sideboard1 in which holes were scooped out for cups and bowls and plates1 and a long couch1 which she meant for herself4 ,all these were beaten hard and polished and darkened with a native dye4 ,the flitting was great fun to the children4 ,so many of the pots and pans and jars were hung on bits of wood on the posts outside that ,ma declared the house was like one of the travelling caravans she used to see in ,scotland2 and so she called it ,the ,caravan4 ,when everything was finished she stood and looked at it with a twinkle in her eye4 ,be it ever so humble1 she said gaily1 there's no place like home6 ,then they sat down to a merry meal4 ,what did it matter if there was only one dish and no spoons or forks8 ,there was no happier family in all the land that night4 ,ma was now able to read her ,bible in peace and pray to ,god in quietness and comfort4 ,but outside she had still the goats and fowls and rats and the insects and even the wild things of the forest1 and sometimes they came in4 ,one morning when she awoke1 she saw on her bed a curious thing1 and found that it was the skin of a snake that had stolen in during the night and shed its old clothes as these reptiles sometimes do4 ,so she began to dream of a bigger house with an upstairs1 where she could be safer4 ,but first there must be a church4 ,the chief and free men and women helped1 and by and by there rose a long roomy shed1 complete1 except for a door and windows4 ,what a day it was when it was set apart and used for the worship of ,god--the first church in wild ,okoyong6 ,ma told the people that they could not come to ,god's house except with clean bodies and clean hearts4 ,few of them had clean clothes1 or clothes at all1 and the children never wore any4 ,but ,ma had been receiving boxes from ,sunday ,schools and work-parties in ,scotland1 and out of these she dressed the women and little ones in pinafores of all colours4 ,how proud and happy they were6 ,but the excitement died into quietness and reverence when they went inside the building1 and an awe fell upon them as ,ma explained what a church meant1 and that ,god was in their midst4 ,the chiefs rose and said that they would respect the building1 that no weapon of war would ever be brought into it1 and that all their quarrels would be left outside2 and they promised to send their followers to the services and their children to the schools4 ,but like some better people at home these wayward savages could not be good for long4 ,they went back to their evil doings1 and were soon away raiding and fighting1 leaving only a few women and the children in the village4 ,it was the rum and gin that caused most of the mischief4 ,every one drank1 and often ,ma went to bed knowing that there was not one sober person for miles around4 ,the horrible stuff came up from the coast1 having been shipped overseas from ,christian countries4 ,ma never ceased to wonder how white men could seek to ruin native people for the sake of money4 ,it made her very angry1 and she fought the trade with all her power4 ,do you know1 she said one day to her chief1 you drink because you have not enough work8 ,we have a rhyme in our country which says1 ,satan finds some mischief still ,for idle hands to do4 ,why don't you trade with ,calabar8 ,he grinned4 ,we do trade with ,calabar1 he said2 we trade in heads4 ,well1 you must trade in palm oil and food instead4 ,and first you must make peace4 ,we can't do that1 ,ma1 because ,calabar won't come to ,okoyong4 ,of course not1 because they are afraid1 and rightly too4 ,well1 if they won't come to you1 you must go to them4 ,but1 ,ma1 we would never come back4 ,tuts6 ,i will go with you4 ,she made them go to the river and get a large canoe and fill it with yams and plantains 7these were gifts for the ,calabar people71 and with bags of palm nuts and a barrel of oil 7these were to begin trading with74 ,but they knew little about boats1 and they loaded it so high that it sank4 ,another was got1 and all was ready1 when some of the chiefs drew back and said they would only go if ,ma allowed them to take their guns and swords4 ,no1 no1 she said1 that would be foolish4 ,we are going in peace and not in war4 ,ma1 you make women of us6 ,no man goes to a strange place without arms4 ,but she would not yield1 and they started4 ,suddenly she caught sight of some swords hidden under the bags of nuts1 and1 stooping1 she seized them and pitched them out on the bank4 ,go on1 she cried1 and the canoe swept down the river4 ,king ,eyo received the trembling chiefs like a ,christian gentleman1 spoke to them kindly1 and showed them over his large house4 ,there was a palaver1 and all quarrels between the two peoples were made up1 and all evil thoughts of one another vanished1 and the men from ,okoyong went back astonished and joyful4 ,they began to trade with the coast1 and so busy did they become in their fields growing food and making palm oil that they had less time for drinking and fighting1 and grew more sober and prosperous4 ,they were very grateful to ,ma4 ,we are not treating her well1 they said to one another4 ,we must build her a better house4 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,tiny ,,compass4 ,and they began to erect a large one with upstairs rooms and a verandah1 but they could not manage the woodwork4 ,ma begged the ,mission authorities to send up a carpenter to put in the doors and windows1 and by and by one came from ,scotland1 named ,mr4 ,ovens1 and appeared at ,ekenge with his tools and ,tom1 a native apprentice1 and set to work4 ,mr4 ,ovens was bright and cheery1 and had a laugh that made everybody else want to laugh2 and he made so light of the hard life he had to live that ,ma praised ,god for sending him4 ,like herself1 he spoke the dear ,scots tongue1 and at night he sang the plaintive songs of their native land until she was ready to echo the words of ,tom1 ,master1 ,i don't like these songs1 they make my heart big and my eyes water4 ,illustration3 ,,judge ,,slessor ,,in ,,court4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,stories of how ,ma kept an armed mob at bay and saved the lives of a number of men and women2 how in answer to a secret warning she tramped a long distance in the dark to stop a war2 how she slept by a camp-fire in the heart of the forest1 and how she became a ,british ,consul and ruled ,okoyong like a ,queen4 ,a low wailing cry1 with a note of terror in it1 drifted out of the forest into the sunshine of the clearing where ,ma was sitting watching the work on the new house4 ,she leapt to her feet1 and listened with a far-away look on her face4 ,next moment she sprang in amongst the trees and disappeared4 ,mr4 ,ovens saw that the natives about him were uneasy1 and when a messenger came running up and said1 ,you have to go to ,ma and take medicine for an accident1 they burst into loud lamentations4 ,on reaching the spot he found that ,etim1 the son of the chief1 a lad about twenty years of age1 had been caught by a log which he had been handling1 and struck senseless to the ground4 ,this is not good for us1 ,ma said1 shaking her head4 ,the people believe that accidents are caused by witchcraft1 the witch-doctor will be called in to smell out the guilty ones1 and many will suffer4 ,they carried the lad home1 and she nursed him day and night1 but life ebbed away2 and one ,sunday morning when all was quiet and beautiful1 she heard again that strange wailing sound which told of peril and death4 ,she rushed to the scene4 ,the men were blowing smoke from a lighted palm leaf into the lad's nose1 rubbing pepper into his eyes1 and shouting into his ears to keep back the spirit4 ,silly babies1 she could not help saying to herself4 ,he is dead1 cried the chief1 and giving the body to ,ma he shouted in a terrible voice3 ,he has been killed by sorcerers1 and they must die6 ,where is the witch-doctor8 ,the witch-doctor came1 an evil-looking man with cunning eyes1 and after humming and hawing he blamed the people in a village near the spot where the accident happened4 ,off6 seize them6 called the chief to his freemen4 ,but a swift foot had secretly carried a warning to the village1 and ,chief ,akpo and his followers had fled4 ,only a dozen men1 and some women and babies who could not run1 were captured1 and they were loaded with chains and brought to ,ekenge and imprisoned in a yard4 ,ma felt that this was a big affair1 and perhaps the turning-point in her life amongst the ,okoyong4 ,if these people are killed1 she said1 all my work will be undone4 ,i must prevent it at any cost4 ,and first she went away by herself and knelt down and prayed1 and then came back calm and strong4 ,she knew what the natives liked1 and hoping to please and soften ,edem1 she said to him1 ,i am going to honour your son4 ,from her boxes she brought out fine silk cloth of many colours1 shirts and vests and other clothes1 and put them on the dead body4 ,the head was shaved and painted yellow1 and upon it was wound a turban1 and above that a black and scarlet hat with plumes of feathers1 and an umbrella4 ,to one hand was tied a stick1 and to the other a whip4 ,last of all a mirror was placed in front of the dead eyes1 because the people believed the spirit would see what had been done and be glad4 ,there he sat1 the lifeless boy1 with all his finery1 a sad queer sight4 ,when the people came in they yelled with delight1 and danced and called for rum to make merry4 ,barrel after barrel was brought and emptied1 and they began to grow wild1 leaping about with swords and guns1 and singing their weird tribal songs4 ,humph6 said ,ma1 my cure seems to be as bad as the disease4 ,still1 they have forgotten the prisoners4 ,these were chained to posts1 and expected every minute to have their heads chopped off4 ,they were all very miserable4 ,the babies were crying1 and there was a girl of fifteen who clung weeping to her mother1 and ran up to any one who came1 saying piteously1 ,oh1 ,i'll be a slave for life if only you will spare my mother4 ,ma turned to ,mr4 ,ovens4 ,we must not leave these poor creatures4 ,you will watch by day1 and ,i will watch by night1 and we may save them yet4 ,so time and time about these two sat on guard4 ,they had no weapons1 they were alone in the midst of a drunken mob1 and yet they had no fear1 for they trusted ,god and believed that ,he would take care of them4 ,because they were there1 ,edem and his brother chiefs did not touch the prisoners4 ,some days passed4 ,then one afternoon ,ma saw little brown objects lying on a stone4 ,eser'e beans6 she exclaimed in alarm4 ,these beans grow on a wild vine1 and are very poisonous4 ,she knew they were to be crushed and put in water1 and given to the prisoners with the idea of finding out who was guilty of the death of ,etim4 ,of course all who drank the water would die1 and the people would believe that justice had been done4 ,that was the only kind of justice they knew4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,eser',e ,,bean4 ,ma sought out the chiefs and told them they must not do this wicked thing1 and when they put her aside she followed them about and begged and worried them until they became angry4 ,let us alone1 they cried4 ,what does it matter8 ,your ,god will not let the innocent die4 ,their followers grew excited1 and some of them lost control of themselves and hustled ,ma and threatened her4 ,make the dead live1 they snarled1 and we shall give you the prisoners4 ,ma's reply was to sit down and look at them with stern eyes4 ,i will not move from here1 she said firmly1 until you set all these poor people free4 ,it was night4 ,stealthy steps came into the yard4 ,in the darkness ,ma saw two men take away one of the mothers4 ,she looked at the woman going to her death1 and at the others1 who pled with her to remain1 for they feared this was a trick to get her away4 ,what should she do8 ,praying and hoping that she was right1 she ran after the mother1 and was just in time1 for the woman was raising the poisoned water to her lips4 ,don't1 cried ,ma1 and giving her a push she said1 ,run4 ,in an instant both jumped into the bush and made for ,ma's hut4 ,quick1 ,ma cried to ,mr4 ,ovens1 hide this woman4 ,he drew her in and piled up boxes against the door1 and ,ma ran swiftly back to the yard1 where1 to her joy1 she found the other prisoners still safe4 ,the warriors had been so astonished at what she had done that they had forgotten all about them4 ,through more weary and exciting days the struggle went on4 ,the chiefs at last said gloomily1 ,we will set some of the prisoners free and see if ,ma will be satisfied4 ,after giving a number a terrible native oath1 and making them swear they were not guilty1 they handed them over to ,ma4 ,now1 said the freeman1 we will kill the others4 ,no1 said ,ma1 and dared them to do such a dreadful thing4 ,they stormed and raged at her4 ,we shall burn down the house and yard4 ,all right1 she retorted4 ,they are not mine4 ,more prisoners were released1 and only three were left4 ,eme ,ete came and knelt before her brother and begged him to set free one of them1 a weak and timid creature1 and this was done4 ,a man and woman now remained1 and ,ma was resolved to save both4 ,after a bitter struggle they let the man go1 but nothing would make them give up the woman4 ,she was doomed to death4 ,one afternoon ,ma was secretly told that the funeral and the murder were to take place that night1 and she was sick at heart4 ,but when darkness fell1 unknown hands--were they the hands of ,eme ,ete8--cut the chains that bound the victim to the post1 and with her leg irons on she crawled over the roof and found a refuge in ,ma's room1 from which1 later1 she fled to the freedom of the bush4 ,so the funeral of the young chief took place1 but only a cow was killed and put into the coffin4 ,no human blood was shed4 ,it was the first time in the history of the tribe that such a wonderful thing had happened1 and it was due to ,ma's heroism and faith4 ,two of the parties who went to the funeral met in the forest and quarrelled1 and a man's head was cut off4 ,war was declared1 and there was much fighting before ,ma got them to stop and settle the matter by palaver4 ,blood for blood1 was the verdict2 the murderer must die4 ,it was a custom of the natives that another could suffer in the place of one who was condemned4 ,this man's friends offered his youngest brother1 a little child1 but the judge would not have him4 ,then a bigger brother was sent1 and accepted4 ,before he could be killed1 however1 he escaped4 ,one day ,ma heard the sound of singing and joy-guns1 and was told that he had been found and put to a cruel death before the eyes of his mother and sister4 ,a day or two afterwards loud screams filled the air4 ,ma rushed out and saw the women and children fleeing towards her yard4 ,egbo6 ,egbo6 they cried4 ,she listened1 and heard the throb-throbbing of a drum4 ,egbo was a more dreadful thing in ,okoyong than in ,calabar1 for there was no law against it4 ,the men were dressed in leopards' skins and wore hideous masks1 and carried long whips with which they flogged all whom they caught1 and often killed them4 ,soon the village was filled with the queer figures1 and shots were being fired4 ,the women in the yard trembled in terror1 and ,ma prayed4 ,by and by the noise died away1 and on looking out she found that all had gone4 ,only one village had been destroyed4 ,in revenge ,edem armed his men1 and they went after them1 and shot down every straggler they came across4 ,then arose another trouble4 ,the brother of ,edem1 called ,ekpenyong1 was accused of slaying the dead lad ,etim1 and after drinking heavily he said he would take the poison ordeal to prove his innocence4 ,when ,ma arrived at his yard the women were clinging to him and trying to seize a bag which he held1 and he was striking them fiercely4 ,he has the beans in the bag1 ,ma1 they cried4 ,she walked through the line of armed men who stood by4 ,give me the bag1 she said quietly to the chief4 ,no1 ,ma1 there are only palm nuts and cartridges in it1 he mumbled4 ,give it to me4 ,he threw it at her feet4 ,she looked in and saw palm nuts and cartridges4 ,had he spoken the truth8 ,but deep at the bottom she came upon two-score of the poison beans4 ,i'll keep these1 she told him4 ,you will not6 ,they are mine4 ,give them back1 shouted the warriors4 ,ma's heart beat wildly1 but she walked down the ranks of the men1 saying1 ,here they are1 take them4 ,they were so amazed at her courage that they let her pass1 and she went and hid the beans in her house4 ,during the night ,ekpenyong stole off to find more beans4 ,eme ,ete sent ,ma a secret message1 and she rose and followed him1 and coaxed him to take the native oath instead of the ordeal4 ,after all these wild doings the people came back to a better mind1 and began to realise how brave and good ,ma was2 and at night1 when she was alone with her bairns1 they slipped in1 one by one1 and called her their great white mother1 and thanked her with tears for all her love and devotion4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,chief ,,and ,,his ,,children4 ,edem1 too1 was softened1 and the thought of vengeance left his heart4 ,ma prevailed upon him to allow the chief who had run away to return4 ,poor ,akpo6 ,his village had been burnt to the ground1 and all his goats and fowls and goods were lost4 ,but ,edem gave him a new piece of land1 and seed for food plants4 ,ah1 ,chief1 said ,ma1 that is the right way2 that is the ,jesus way4 ,thank you1 ,ma4 ,and he1 too1 came and knelt before her1 and held her feet and poured out his gratitude for all she had done4 ,go on1 ,ma1 he said1 and teach us to do away with the bad old bush fashions4 ,we are weary of them1 they bind us like chains1 and we need you to help us4 ,these words thrilled ,ma with happiness1 and were a reward for all she had come through2 but they made her humble too1 for she knew that unless ,god had been with her she would not have borne up so long4 ,now that she was surer of herself and of that wondrous ,power behind her1 she grew bolder still1 and went wherever trouble threatened4 ,no place was too far for her to reach4 ,natives in distant parts were often surprised to see her walking into their midst when they were starting to fight4 ,once a secret message came1 saying that two tribes1 many miles away1 were on the warpath4 ,ma was ill and weak and in bed1 but she rose at once4 ,edem said1 ,ma1 you are going into a wild beast's den1 and will not come out alive4 ,night fell as she was tramping along1 and she was always nervous of the darkness and the mystery of the forest4 ,the animals frightened her4 ,i prayed1 she said1 that ,god would shut their mouths1 and ,he did4 ,at midnight she reached a village where she hoped to borrow a drum and a freeman to beat it before her as she marched1 a sign that one under the protection of ,egbo was coming4 ,but the chief1 a surly despot1 would not see her1 and would not give her the drum4 ,if there is a war1 his message said1 a woman is not likely to stop it4 ,back went her reply4 ,you think only of the woman4 ,you have forgotten the woman's ,god4 ,i go without a drum4 ,on she went1 and came at last to one of the villages where the trouble was brewing4 ,all was silent and still4 ,suddenly1 out of the darkness swarmed armed men and closed around her and demanded her business4 ,i have come to stop the war4 ,they jeered at her1 such a small1 feeble woman1 and smiled grimly4 ,you won't do that1 they said4 ,we shall see4 ,i want to have a palaver and hear the story4 ,all right1 ,ma1 they replied1 humouring her4 ,go to sleep until second cock-crow and we shall wake you up and take you with us4 ,but when she was awakened the band were already away on their errand of death4 ,run1 ,ma1 run and stop them6 cried the women1 who feared what would happen2 and she rushed breathlessly up and down steep tracks and through streams until she caught up with the warriors1 who were making ready to attack and uttering their wild war whoops4 ,she walked into their midst4 ,don't go on like beardless boys1 she said in scorn4 ,be quiet4 ,then she went on until she came upon the enemy drawn up in line across the path4 ,i salute you1 said she4 ,there was no reply4 ,why was this white woman interfering with them at such a moment8 ,oho6 ,i see you are gentlemen and have nice manners4 ,they frowned4 ,things were looking dangerous1 but ,ma was never at a loss1 and she began to smile and joke4 ,then stepped forward an old man and came and knelt at her feet4 ,ma1 you know me8 ,you remember you nursed and healed me8 ,it was the sick chief she had gone to see after she arrived at ,ekenge4 ,ma1 he went on1 we confess that this quarrel is the fault of one of our foolish men1 and it is a shame to bring evil on the whole town for one4 ,we beg you to make peace4 ,ma's heart thrilled with joy1 and soon she had a number of men from each side talking over the matter4 ,often it seemed as if war must come after all1 and it needed all her patience to make them agree1 but at last it was decided that a fine should be imposed4 ,to her horror this was paid at once in gin1 and every one began to drink4 ,she knew they would soon get violent and fight after all1 and was almost in despair4 ,but taking off nearly all her clothes1 she spread them over the boxes and bottles and dared any one to touch them4 ,only one glass would she give to each of the head men4 ,so disappointed were the others that they surged round her in anger1 but some of the older and wiser men obtained whips and made themselves into a bodyguard to protect her4 ,if all of you go to your homes and don't fight1 she said1 ,i'll promise to send the stuff after you4 ,they believed her1 and trooped away like children4 ,it was night again when1 worn out in body and mind1 she tramped back through the dark and lonely forest1 with crickets whistling and frogs croaking around her1 and the little lamps of the fireflies pulsing in and out like the flashes of a lighthouse4 ,but there was a light in her own face that even the fireflies could not outshine4 ,two years passed1 two years of toil and hardship and strain4 ,in the heat and rain1 by day and night1 ,ma was never idle4 ,if she was not tramping through the forest and putting down the customs of the people1 she was busy with work about her own door1 helping the women to sew and cook1 teaching the children in school1 preaching on week-days and ,sundays1 and doctoring all who were ill4 ,it was a marvel she kept at it so long4 ,perhaps it was because she had such a happy spirit1 saw the funny side of things1 and laughed at her troubles4 ,she was always ready with a joke1 even when lying ill in bed1 and missionaries who went to see her usually found her as lively as a girl4 ,at this time she lived in a way that would have killed any other white person4 ,she did not wear a hat or boots or stockings2 she went about thinly clad2 she ate the coarse food of the natives2 and although she was careful about the water she drank she did not filter or boil it1 as all white people have to do in the ,tropics4 ,it made life simpler and easier1 she said1 not to bother about such things4 ,how she did it no one knew2 the secret lay between her and ,god4 ,even she1 however1 gave in at last4 ,she became so ill that she was taken to ,duke ,town a wreck and carried on board the steamer and sent home4 ,janie again went with her1 a woolly-headed lassie with velvet skin1 and eyes that were always ready to laugh4 ,she was beginning now to think that it would be a fine thing to be a white girl4 ,one night1 in a house in ,glasgow when she was being bathed1 she took the sponge and began to scrub the soles of her feet1 which were whiter than the rest of her body4 ,why are you doing that1 ,janie8 she was asked4 ,oh1 because the white place is getting bigger1 and if ,i scrub perhaps ,i'll be all white some day6 ,at this time ,ma was dreaming another of her dreams4 ,she wanted to see a place in ,calabar where black boys could learn to use their hands as well as their heads1 and so be able to become good workmen and teachers1 and help to build up their country and make it rich and prosperous4 ,she wrote a long letter to the ,church magazine telling about her idea1 and it was thought to be so good that the ,church did what she asked it to do1 and started a school which has grown into the great ,hope-,waddell ,training ,institution1 where boys are being taught all sorts of things4 ,made strong by the home air and the love of new and kind friends1 ,ma fared forth again to her lonely outpost in the ,african backwoods4 ,the people of ,ekenge were glad to see their white mother back1 and confessed that they did not seem able to do without her4 ,they came to her like children with all their troubles and sorrows1 and she listened to their stories and advised and comforted them4 ,when they quarrelled they said1 ,let us go to ,ma1 and she heard both sides and told them who was wrong and who was right1 and they always went away content4 ,she needed no longer to go to any of the villages round about when a chief died4 ,she just sent a message that there must be no killing4 ,there was a great uproar1 but back always came the reply1 ,we have heard4 ,our mother has made up her mind4 ,we will obey4 ,they did not know that ,ma all the time was in her room kneeling and praying to ,god4 ,some mourned over the old ways4 ,ah1 ,ma1 they sighed1 you have spoilt all our good fashions4 ,we used to take our people with us when we went to the spirit land2 now we must go alone4 ,but she had still to be on the alert1 for many of the tribes at a distance from ,ekenge had not yet given up their dark practices1 and whenever they were bent on anything wicked they plunged deep into the heart of the forest to escape her eyes4 ,one day she heard that a chief had died1 and was guided to one of these hidden spots1 where she found his free men giving the poison ordeal to a number of prisoners4 ,they thought she would grow tired and go away if they simply sat and waited1 but days and nights passed and she remained with them1 sleeping on the ground beside a fire4 ,of the armed men lying around her she was not afraid1 but only of the wild beasts that might come creeping up through the darkness and leap upon her4 ,it was not she who became wearied and hungry1 but the men themselves1 and by and by the prisoners were set free4 ,eme ,ete helped her most4 ,it was she who told her when wrong-doing was being plotted4 ,in the swift way that only natives know about1 ,eme ,ete received news of it4 ,calling a trusty messenger she gave him a special kind of bottle4 ,take that to ,ma and ask her to fill it with ibok 7medicine7--go quick6 ,when the messenger arrived at the ,mission ,house and ,ma saw the bottle1 she knew what it meant4 ,it said to her1 ,be ready6 and she would not undress until she heard the cry1 ,run1 ,ma1 run6 ,once she lay down to rest in her clothes for a whole month before word came1 and then she saved the life of a man4 ,sometimes a quarrel arose so quickly1 and the call was so sudden1 that she was not ready to go1 and so she took a large sheet of paper and wrote anything on it that came to her mind1 and after splashing some sealing-wax on it to make it look important1 she sent it off by a swift runner4 ,none of the fighting men could read1 and by the time they had fingered it and talked over it ,ma appeared4 ,she liked best1 however1 to appeal to the good side of the chiefs1 and get them to meet and reason and settle their affairs themselves4 ,she called it the ,jesus way2 they called it the ,god-woman way2 learned men would call it the art of self-government4 ,on page #hi a picture is given of one of these palavers4 ,it was in a green glade in the forest four miles away4 ,the chiefs of the two tribes1 who sat opposite each other under coloured umbrellas1 were dressed in gorgeous clothes and ringed round by armed men4 ,ma took her place between them and began to knit1 for the natives love to talk1 and she knew the palaver would be a long one4 ,besides1 she never felt quite so nervous when she knitted4 ,first one spoke and then another1 and the long hours passed1 and ,ma's back began to ache1 but still the talking went on1 and the excitement rose to fever-heat4 ,darkness fell with a rush1 and torches were lit and threw a weird light on the scene4 ,enough6 cried ,ma4 ,come1 let us end4 ,an old chief went over all that had been said1 and ,ma gave the verdict1 which pleased both sides4 ,then1 as was the custom1 a warrior from each party stood forward1 blood was drawn from their hands and mixed with salt and pepper and corn2 and half being given to one man and half to the other1 they swallowed their portions at the same moment4 ,this was the terrible blood covenant sealing the peace between tribes1 and none ever dared to break it4 ,the sitting had lasted ten hours1 and ,ma was tired and hungry1 but she walked back in the moonlight feeling very happy4 ,so with a love that never wearied1 with a patience that never gave in1 with a humour that never failed1 ,ma gradually put down the evil order of things far and near4 ,year by year she grew in power1 and from her house ruled over thousands of people4 ,she was really the ,queen of ,okoyong4 ,this was a marvellous thing1 for at that time all the country belonged to chiefs1 and they could do as they liked4 ,by and by a change came1 and ,britain took charge of the land and placed ,consuls in the various districts4 ,when ,ma heard of it1 she said3 ,you mustn't send one here4 ,if you do there will be trouble1 for my people are proud and fierce1 and will fight4 ,well1 ,miss ,slessor1 the ,government replied1 you know them best4 ,why not do the work yourself8 ,and she did4 ,she became what ,dr4 ,livingstone had been4 ,he always wore a blue cap with a gold band to show that he was a ,british ,consul4 ,ma did not wear a hat1 but she acted as a ,consul1 started a native court1 and1 like ,deborah of old1 judged the people and guided them about the new laws that were put into force4 ,it was the first time in the history of our ,empire that a woman had done such things4 ,the result was all for good4 ,wild and lawless as the people were1 they obeyed ,ma1 and so the rule of ,britain over them began in peace4 ,ma always bore herself with queenly dignity1 but she was really very humble4 ,she only did the work because she thought it was what ,jesus wanted her to do4 ,i am only a poor weak woman1 she said1 and not a ,queen at all4 ,the officials of the ,government knew better2 when they went to visit her they were amazed at the power she held over the people1 and the deep respect and admiration they felt for her4 ,she is a miracle1 they exclaimed1 this white ,queen of ,okoyong4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,a ,,palaver4 ,illustration3 ,,some ,,okoyong ,,bairns4 ,,chapter ,v ,ma's great love for children2 her rescue of outcast twins from death2 the story of little ,susie1 the pet of the household2 and something about a new kind of birthday that came oftener than once a year4 ,ma's house at ,ekenge was always like a big nursery4 ,mothers are much the same all over the world1 but in ,africa they are very ignorant and thoughtless1 and do not know how to care for their children1 while they believe so much in the strange customs of the country that things are done to the little ones which seem to us hard-hearted and cruel4 ,it was worse in ,ma's days1 when most of the people were still slaves4 ,she was always sorriest for the babies1 they were so helpless1 and the only times she was really angry were when she saw them neglected or starved or made drunk4 ,then she was like a tigress1 and the people fled before her4 ,poor wee helpless things1 she would say as she picked them up and thought of the way the white babies at home were cared for4 ,she saw in the tiniest babe one for whom ,jesus died2 and she loved them all1 and washed them and nursed them1 and sang to them day and night4 ,there was no cradle in the ,mission ,house1 but something better4 ,ma's bed was in the middle of the room1 and around it were hammocks slung to the roof1 from each of which a cord was hung4 ,in these were placed the babies1 and if any one became wakeful during the night and cried1 she would pull the string and set its hammock swinging1 and soon the little one was slumbering again4 ,sometimes she had to look after half a dozen or more at once1 and two or three hammocks would be going at the same time4 ,with many she had a hard struggle1 but never grudged any trouble to make them well4 ,she would come home late after a long day's tramp in the forest1 tired and hungry and sleepy1 and send ,janie to bed and stay up herself and tend the sick and suffering ones4 ,you can fancy her there alone in the mud-house in the forest in the quiet hours of the night1 bending over a wasted form1 watching the pain in its eyes with tears in her own1 giving it medicine1 soothing it1 and seeking to make it comfy1 and beside her the pale dark shape of ,death1 with its grim smile1 waiting for another victim4 ,ma sometimes won the child from the grave2 sometimes she failed1 and then she was very sad4 ,but she could not help it4 ,the people believed that sickness was caused by evil spirits1 and most of the children that came to her were already dying and beyond her love and skill4 ,when they closed their eyes she dressed them in a pinafore and put them in a box covered with white flowers1 and buried them in her children's cemetery4 ,some women who called at ,ma's yard were gossiping about the day's marketing1 when one said it was funny that a baby should live after being five days and six nights in the bush4 ,what's that8 demanded ,ma4 ,what do you mean8 ,nothing1 ,ma4 ,the girl baby that was thrown away because the mother is dead is still alive1 for we heard her crying as we came along this morning4 ,ma jumped up and went flying to the spot4 ,she found the waif on some waste ground1 terribly thin and eaten by insects and crying feebly4 ,taking her home ,ma laid her in a big calabash and brooded over her with tender care1 and by and by she recovered1 and became healthy and pretty4 ,the child of wonder1 the people called her2 but ,ma named her ,mary1 after herself1 and she became one of her house-children1 and stayed with her until she married4 ,twins gave ,ma the sorest time4 ,the people believed that all sorts of troubles would come to them if these were allowed to live4 ,ma laughed at them4 ,twins are just like other children1 she said2 and if only you let them grow up you will see for yourselves that there is no difference4 ,look at my bonnie ,janie--she is a twin4 ,but it was no use4 ,so the only thing for her to do was to save the little mites before they could be murdered4 ,it was ,eme ,ete who told her when twins came1 and when she got the secret message she dropped the work she was doing and made swiftly for the spot4 ,sometimes they were already dead and thrown away in pots1 and the mother driven into the backwoods4 ,if she were in time she took the infants home and nursed them and guarded them from the father and relatives1 who usually tried to steal and destroy them4 ,one day she saved twins in her own village1 and took them into the ,mission ,house and put them in her bed4 ,the people were alarmed1 and said that dreadful things would happen4 ,chief ,edem kept away4 ,i cannot go any more to my ,mother's house1 he groaned2 no1 never any more4 ,no one spoke to her4 ,mothers kept their children out of her way4 ,she was sad and sorrowful1 but she would not give in1 for she knew she was doing right4 ,one of the twins died1 but the other grew and waxed strong4 ,the people liked their ,ma so much that they1 too1 were unhappy at the cloud that had fallen between1 and at last they began to make friends4 ,ma1 forgive us1 they said humbly4 ,we have not been taught right4 ,let your heart warm to us again4 ,so the shadow passed away4 ,what cheered ,ma most of all was that the father of the twin carried it home1 and took back the mother1 which showed that the old stupid notion was beginning to die4 ,illustration3 ,,iye4 ,another day there was a great uproar4 ,twins had come to a slave woman1 called ,iye1 about five miles off4 ,ma met her in the forest carrying the infants in a box on her head1 a howling mob of men and women hounding her on4 ,they had destroyed all her property and torn up her clothes4 ,ma took the box1 because no one would touch it1 and helped the poor mother along to the ,mission ,house4 ,they could not go by the usual path1 as the villagers would not have used it afterwards1 so they had to wait in the hot sun until another lane was cut4 ,the boy twin was dead1 but the girl was alive1 and with care became plump and strong4 ,she was a bonnie child with a fair skin and sweet ways1 and she became the pet of the household4 ,ma called her ,susie1 after her elder sister1 and loved her as much as if she had been her own4 ,even the mother1 after she got well and went away1 sometimes came back to see her1 and was proud of her good looks4 ,fourteen months passed4 ,one day ,janie went upstairs to put a child to sleep1 and asked ,mana1 one of the girls1 to look after ,susie1 as she was full of play and mischief4 ,mana took her1 and while getting the tea ready1 placed a jug of boiling water on the floor for a moment4 ,susie1 babylike1 seized it and spilt the water over her bare body4 ,she was dreadfully scalded4 ,ma was frantic1 and for a fortnight scarcely let her out of her arms4 ,often the child smiled up in her face and held up her wee hand to be kissed4 ,ma at last carried her down to ,creek ,town1 and woke up the doctor there at midnight in the hope that something more could be done4 ,but the shock and wounds had been too severe1 and when ,ma got back the bright life of the queen of the household flickered and went out4 ,ma's grief was pitiful1 and made even the people wonder4 ,see how she loved her1 they said one to another4 ,they came and mourned with her1 and stood by at the burial4 ,susie was robed in white1 with her own string of beads round her neck1 and a white flower in her hand4 ,it was very lonesome for ,ma afterwards4 ,my heart aches for my darling1 she wrote4 ,oh1 the empty place and the silence and the vain longing for the sweet voice and the soft caress and the funny ways4 ,oh1 ,susie6 ,susie6 ,her heart went out towards ,iye1 the slave mother1 and by and by she bought her for ,l#aj and made her free1 and she remained in the ,mission ,house1 a faithful worker1 and a great help to ,ma and those who came after her4 ,all the stories of ,ma's adventures with twins cannot be told1 because she had to do with hundreds of them1 but this is one which shows what she had often to go through4 ,one afternoon when she was busy teaching in the school1 a message was thrown suddenly at her from the door4 ,ma6 come1 twins4 ,where8 she asked4 ,twelve miles away in the bush1 and the mother is very ill4 ,ma went to the door and looked up4 ,there is going to be a storm1 she said1 and ,i have a sickly baby to look after and night will soon be here1 but--come along1 ,janie1 we'll go4 ,darkness fell ere they reached the spot1 and the stars were hidden behind clouds1 and they could hardly see a yard in front4 ,they found the woman lying unconscious on the ground4 ,one of the infants was dead1 and ,janie dug a hole and buried it4 ,ma ordered the husband and his slave to make a stretcher1 which they did very unwillingly4 ,then she placed the woman on it and bade them carry her4 ,still more unwillingly1 and grumbling all the time--for they dreaded to touch a twin-mother--they obeyed4 ,janie lifted the living twin1 and all set forth by the light of a piece of fire-stick glowing at the end4 ,this went out1 and they stumbled along in the dense darkness4 ,at last they stopped4 ,they had lost themselves4 ,the men laid down their burden and went off to grope for a trail1 and ,ma and ,janie were alone in the eerie forest with the moaning form at their feet4 ,oh1 ,ma1 they may not come back1 cried ,janie4 ,well1 my lassie1 we'll just bide where we are until morning4 ,a shining ghostly thing leapt about in the darkness4 ,janie's heart went to her mouth4 ,but it was only the men back with a torch made of palm tassel and oil which they had got from a hut4 ,they went on again4 ,when the ,mission yard was reached the men were so tired that they fell down and went to sleep at once4 ,ma1 too1 was tired1 but her work was not done4 ,she got a hammer and nails and some sheets of iron and knocked up a little lean-to1 in which she put the woman and nursed her back to consciousness1 and fed and comforted her4 ,then1 utterly worn out1 she just lay down where she was in her soiled and damp clothes1 and fell sound asleep4 ,the baby died next day1 and the mother grew worse1 and there was no hope4 ,she was sore in spirit as well as in body1 and sorrowed for her fate and the loss of her husband's love4 ,ma soothed her1 and told her she was going to a better world1 where no one would be angry with her for being a twin-mother4 ,when she passed away the people would not touch or come near her1 and so ,ma did all that was needful herself1 and placed her in a coffin1 and then the husband and his slave bore her away and buried her in a lonely spot in the bush4 ,poor twin-mothers of ,africa6 ,though ,ma did not save very many of the twin-children that passed through her hands1 she did a great work by making the people realise how foolish and sinful a thing it was to be afraid of them and kill them4 ,the household had grown and grown4 ,we know about ,janie and ,mary1 both trickified and bright little maidens4 ,then there was ,mana1 a faithful and affectionate lassie4 ,one day1 in her own country1 she had gone to the spring for water1 and was seized by two men and brought to ,okoyong and sold to ,eme ,ete1 who gave her to ,ma4 ,wee ,annie was there also1 very shy and timid1 but a good nurse4 ,her parents had stolen and eaten a dog in the bush1 and there was much trouble1 and the mother died1 and ,annie would have been buried in the grave had not ,ma taken her4 ,six other boys and girls with sad stories also lived in the ,mission ,house1 so that ,ma often felt she was like the old woman who lived in a shoe1 and who had so many children she didn't know what to do4 ,it was not easy for her to keep in stock the food and medicine and clothes that were needed for the family1 and sometimes she would run out of things4 ,once1 when she was short of tins of milk1 she strapped a baby on her back and tramped down the forest trail to ,creek ,town1 got what she wanted1 and patiently tramped back again4 ,another time she was watching some women who were imprisoned within a stockade and were going to be killed1 and as she could not leave the place ,janie handed her cups of tea through the fence4 ,suddenly a tornado came on and flooded the ,mission ,house and soaked all the clothes4 ,ma herself was wet to the skin4 ,to add to her trouble ,janie came and said1 ,ma1 we have no milk1 and the baby is crying for some4 ,well1 ,janie1 ,i'll just have to trot to ,creek ,town for it4 ,i'll get some dry clothes too4 ,put the baby in a basket4 ,slipping out in the darkness1 and taking a woman to help to carry the baby1 she set forth4 ,they lost their way in the rain1 and wandered hither and thither1 and only reached the town at the dawning of the day4 ,ma roused one of the ladies of the ,mission1 obtained the milk and a change of clothes1 and lay down for a little sleep4 ,hearing that she had come1 ,king ,eyo got his canoe ready1 and sent her back by the river4 ,her absence from the stockade had not been noticed1 and she was able later to settle the trouble without bloodshed4 ,there were plenty of merry days in the home-life of ,ekenge4 ,wherever girls are gathered together there is sure to be fun and laughter1 and ,ma had always the heart and will of a girl for jokes and mischief4 ,she could not take her bairns into lighted streets or gay shops1 or to places of amusement1 for there was none of these things in the bush1 but sometimes she gave them a holiday1 and a special tea1 and gifts4 ,perhaps1 however1 the most delightful treat they had was when a box arrived from across the sea4 ,all over ,scotland loving hearts were thinking of ,ma1 and loving hands were working for her2 and clothing1 books1 pictures1 and knick-knacks were being collected and packed in boxes and sent out addressed to her in ,okoyong4 ,the ,sunday ,school children also had their thoughts on the ,mission1 and gave their pennies and halfpennies to it just as ,ma herself had done when a little girl4 ,about this time they gathered up enough money to build a steel steamer for use on the inland rivers and creeks1 and it was now plying up and down1 carrying mails and parcels and missionaries4 ,it was called the ,david ,williamson1 after a minister of the ,church who visited ,calabar1 but the natives named it the ,smoking ,canoe4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,david ,,williamson4 ,you can imagine the excitement at the ,mission ,house at ,ekenge when a half-naked messenger1 his dark body perspiring and glistening in the sun1 appeared1 and cried3 ,ma1 the ,smoking ,canoe is at the beach4 ,ho-ho6 gifts from ,makara land1 sang half a dozen throats4 ,oh1 ,ma1 when can we go8 ,let us go now4 ,ma was as excited as the rest1 so off went men1 women1 and children1 streaming along the path to the river1 where the ,david ,williamson lay4 ,as the boxes were usually too heavy to be carried1 they were opened up on the beach and the contents made into parcels4 ,these the natives balanced on their heads and went off1 a long file of them1 through the forest to ,ekenge4 ,sometimes it needed a second and a third journey before all the goods were together again4 ,what a delight it was to ,ma to open the packages6 ,what cries of rapture came from the children and the people looking on as they saw all the things that were to them so wonderful and beautiful4 ,there were print garments by the dozens1 woollen articles1 caps1 scarves1 handkerchiefs1 towels1 ribbons and braids1 thimbles1 needles and pins1 beads1 buttons1 reels1 spoons1 knives1 scrap-books1 picture-books and cards1 texts1 pens1 and a host of other things4 ,it was almost with awe that the women touched the pretty baby-clothes1 and the men clapped their hands as ,ma held up a blue or scarlet gown or jacket4 ,the dolls were looked upon as gods1 and ,ma would not give them away in case they were worshipped3 she kept the prettily dressed ones to teach the women and girls how clothes were made and how they were worn4 ,some common things1 which children at home would not value1 they treasured4 ,when ,janie was handed a penwiper1 ,oh1 ,ma1 she said reproachfully1 wipe a dirty pen with that8 ,no1 no4 ,and she put it up on the wall as an ornament6 ,one old woman was given a copy of the picture ,the ,light of the ,world4 ,oh1 she cried in joy1 ,i shall never be lonely any more6 ,if you had watched ,ma closely when she was opening the packages1 you would have seen that she was seeking for something with a quick and impatient eye4 ,when at last she found what she wanted she gave a shout of triumph4 ,tins of home-made toffee and chocolate6 ,they were always there1 for every one knew she liked sweets4 ,when at home she used to ask that these might be sent out1 because the bush bairns were fond of them1 but her friends just laughed in her face4 ,miss ,slessor1 they would say1 you can eat as many as the bairns6 ,of course ,i can1 she confessed4 ,after the children had looked at all the gifts ,ma would tell them where they came from1 and would kneel down and thank ,jesus for putting it into the hearts of the givers in ,scotland to care for ,his forlorn black folk in ,africa4 ,then ,ma said1 ,away to bed1 bairns4 ,but oh1 hasn't it been grand8 ,it's just been like a birthday4 ,many happy returns6 ,ma did not give all the things away4 ,a brilliant gown might go to the chief as a gift--and he would sit proudly in ,court with it and be admired and envied by all1--or a flannelette garment to some poor and aged woman to keep her warm during the shivery fog season2 but as a rule ,ma liked the people to work for what they got1 or to pay something for them4 ,thus she taught them to want clothes and other things1 and showed them how to get them1 and in this way she was a real ,empire builder4 ,she used to say that there was no truer or more successful ,empire maker than the missionary4 ,illustration3 ,,opening ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,boxes ,,from ,,scotland4 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,house ,,at ,,akpap4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,how the ,queen of ,okoyong brought a high ,british official to talk to the people2 how she left her nice home and went to live in a little shed2 how she buried a chief at midnight2 how she took four black girls to ,scotland1 and afterwards spent three very lonely years in the forest4 ,the tribes in some of the out-of-the-way places were apt to forget that ,british law was now the law of the land1 and go back to the old habits that were so deep-rooted in their nature4 ,ma often threatened that she would have to make them feel the power that stood behind her4 ,once1 when the land of a widow was stolen1 she asked the people whether they would have the case judged by ,god's law or by the ,consul and a gun8 ,after a while they said1 ,iko ,abasi--,god's word4 ,ma opened her ,bible and read3 ,thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark--that is ,god's law2 and the land was returned to the woman4 ,then a chief died1 and the blame was laid on one who was innocent4 ,as a tornado was blowing1 ,ma could not visit the district1 but she sent a message3 ,i'll come and see about it when the rain goes off4 ,oh1 yes1 the people grumbled1 and when she comes she won't allow us to give the prisoners the bean4 ,let us take away the man and hide him4 ,and they hurried him to a spot deep in the forest beyond her reach4 ,ma was vexed1 and she was ill and tired4 ,i am not going to hunt for them this time1 she said quietly4 ,they must learn to obey the law1 and ,i will give them a lesson4 ,so she wrote to the ,government at ,duke ,town1 asking them to send up some one to deal with the matter1 and she took the letter herself to the beach1 and dispatched it by a special canoe4 ,nothing can be hidden in negroland1 and the news of what she had done soon reached the disobedient people4 ,they came out of the forest in as great a hurry as they went in1 and rushed to the ,mission ,house4 ,where is ,ma8 ,we want ,ma4 ,ma1 said ,janie crossly1 is away for the ,consul4 ,i hope he will bring a big gun with him4 ,it's time4 ,you are killing her with your silly ways4 ,they went back sorrowful and alarmed1 for a big gun meant ruined homes and crops1 and many arrests1 and imprisonment down at the coast4 ,when they saw ,ma later1 they begged her to ask the ,consul to come with thoughts of peace and not of war4 ,good1 she replied1 and we shall have a proper big palaver about all your bad customs4 ,when the ,government official with his guard of soldiers arrived1 he was amused to find the ,queen of ,okoyong sitting bareheaded on the roof of her house repairing a leak4 ,she came down1 and they had a palaver with the chiefs and people1 who promised not to do any more killing at funerals1 and not to murder twins4 ,ma shrugged her shoulders4 ,they will promise anything1 she told the officials4 ,i'll have to keep a close eye on them all the same4 ,she did2 and as they broke their word she brought up the ,consul-,general himself1 ,sir ,claude ,macdonald4 ,he spoke kindly1 but firmly1 to the chiefs4 ,the laws are made for your good and safety and peace1 and if you do not obey them you will be punished4 ,they agreed to all he said4 ,sir1 when words are spoken once1 we don't mind them2 but when they are spoken twice1 we obey4 ,ma also addressed them1 telling of the blessings that would follow obedience1 and of the quiet and happy days they would enjoy long after she had gone4 ,ma6 ,ma6 they cried in alarm1 you must not leave us6 ,you are our ,mother1 and we are your children4 ,god must not take you from us until we are able to walk by ourselves4 ,after that things were better1 though ,ma's life did not grow less hard4 ,indeed1 it was more stirring than ever4 ,for various reasons her people were leaving their huts and building new ones at a place called ,akpap1 and ,ma had to shut up the ,mission and go with them4 ,the only house she could find to live in was a little shed like a two-stalled stable1 or one of the sheep-houses you see on the ,scottish hills1 with a mud floor and no windows4 ,but she did not mind4 ,she always thought of her ,master1 who had not a place to lay ,his head4 ,so she put her boxes in one end1 and in the other she lived and slept with the children4 ,it was a grand play-ground for rats1 lizards1 ants1 beetles1 and other jumping and creeping things4 ,at night the rats ran over ,ma1 and played hide-and-seek in the roof4 ,once1 when ,mr4 ,ovens arrived to do some carpentry work1 he went to wash himself in the shed4 ,in the dimness he felt what he thought was a sponge floating in the basin1 and saying ,ma was surely getting dainty1 he used it for his face1 only to find that it was a drowned rat6 ,from this lowly hut1 as from a palace1 ,ma continued to rule ,okoyong4 ,soon a strange disease seized her new lot of babies1 and four died from it4 ,then smallpox1 that dreadful scourge1 swept through the land1 and so many of her people were carried off that they lay unburied in their huts4 ,ma was busy from dawn till dark1 and often from dark again till dawn1 vaccinating the well ones1 and nursing the ill and the dying4 ,to her great grief her old friend1 ,chief ,edem1 caught the disease4 ,in spite of his faults1 which1 after all1 were the faults of his ,african upbringing1 he had been very good to her1 and she was grateful for all he had done4 ,when she reached his hut at ,ekenge there was no one with him1 for as soon as a man or a woman was stricken all others fled4 ,she fought the disease through long weary hours1 but was not able to save him1 and he died in the middle of the night4 ,tired as she was1 and weak from lack of sleep1 and alone1 she felt that she could not let him lie like that4 ,going out she got some wood and made a coffin4 ,then in the darkness she dug a grave and buried him4 ,there was no dancing and drinking and killing as this chief of ,okoyong entered the spirit-land1 only the faint noises of the forest1 and the stillness of the starry sky1 and a woman's mute prayer4 ,when all was done she dragged her wearied body back in the cool of the dewy dawn to ,akpap4 ,was it a wonder that she began to lose her strength8 ,fevers laid her low1 and illnesses1 due to lack of good food1 weakened her4 ,she could scarcely crawl about4 ,yet she would not give in1 and bravely drudged away at her work4 ,at last the other missionaries said1 ,ma1 if you don't go home1 you will die4 ,she did not want to die3 she wanted to live1 and do much more for ,jesus4 ,if1 she said1 a holiday will help me1 ,i will go4 ,but what shall ,i do with my girls8 ,i cannot leave ,janie1 ,mary1 ,alice1 and ,maggie here4 ,if ,i go ,i must take them with me4 ,her friends were astonished4 ,how can you take four black girls to ,scotland1 and you so ill1 ,ma8 ,it is impossible4 ,god can do impossible things1 she replied in simple faith4 ,he will keep me and take care of them4 ,what about your clothes8 they asked4 ,we have none but the old things we have on3 the ants have eaten up the rest4 ,but ,god will provide what we need4 ,sure enough1 when they went to ,duke ,town a box arrived from a ,glasgow church1 and in it was all the nice warm clothing they required4 ,it was the same everywhere4 ,kindness fell on her like sunshine4 ,at ,liverpool she handed her purse to a railway porter1 and he bought the tickets and fixed them up in a carriage4 ,and at ,edinburgh there was a faithful friend1 ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 on the platform1 waiting to take the whole family to her home in ,joppa4 ,isn't ,god good to me8 she often said1 with a happy smile4 ,illustration3 ,,alice1 ,,mary1 ,,maggie1 ,,janie4 ,the four ,african foundlings were stared at by the rosy-cheeked boys and girls1 who1 however1 were kind to them when they heard their sad stories4 ,none except ,janie knew a word of ,english1 but they were all clever1 and soon picked it up1 and ,mary even went to school in ,portobello4 ,after a happy time ,ma took a house of her own at ,seton ,mill1 where she got a glimpse of the sea1 and here they all lived as in ,africa1 ,janie being cook1 and ,ma going about often bare of foot and bare of head4 ,but life in ,scotland is not like what it is in the wilds of the ,tropics1 and ,ma was sometimes found shivering over the fire4 ,so a fairy godmother1 in the shape of ,miss ,adam1 a lady of the ,church who loved her1 carried them off to a lovely village in the south called ,bowden1 where they stayed all ,july and ,august4 ,a little girl named ,happy ,gray1 who was staying with ,miss ,adam1 grew very friendly with the children1 and together they wandered through the fields and woods1 gathering flowers and raspberries1 or climbed the ,eildon ,hills4 ,they taught ,happy how to burst cape gooseberries on the back of her hand1 and showed her that when they gathered nettles they did not feel any sting4 ,with her they drove to ,stitchel ,manse1 where they ate apple tarts in the summer-house1 and also went to ,st4 ,mary's ,loch1 the four black faces being a wonder to all the people in the countryside4 ,after a time ,ma left this haunt of peace to go and speak at meetings1 for she was a famous person now1 and every one was eager to see and hear the wonderful pioneer who lived alone amongst savages4 ,she was very shy1 and would not open her mouth if men were listening1 and if any one began to praise her she would run away4 ,it was always the work she spoke about1 and the need for more women and girls to go out and help4 ,once in ,edinburgh she was coaxed to address a meeting in the ,synod ,hall4 ,i dinna ken how ,i'm to do it1 she said to a friend4 ,you'll pray for me8 ,where will you sit8 ,her friend said1 ,in the gallery4 ,i'll look for you1 and ken you are praying1 and that will help4 ,and1 as usual1 she spoke well4 ,by and by many students of the ,church ,college came creeping in under the gallery and listened1 and she did not seem to mind1 but appealed to them too1 saying1 ,there are many students who are ready1 and making ready1 to serve ,jesus1 and to tell about ,him1 and they will be running after fine churches and good manses1 but there are multitudes who have never heard of ,jesus out yonder4 ,and for ,his sake will they not come out and work for ,him there8 ,sometimes she spoke of the good of prayer4 ,if you are ever inclined to pray for a missionary1 do it at once1 wherever you are1 she said2 perhaps she may be in great peril at the moment4 ,once ,i had to deal with a crowd of warlike men in the compound1 and ,i got strength to face them because ,i felt that some one was praying for me just then4 ,at another meeting1 when ,mary with her bright happy face was with her1 she told the young people how to be real ladies and gentlemen4 ,it is not1 she said1 the wearing of fine clothes1 or the possession of great wealth1 but having gentle manners and kind consideration for the feelings and happiness of others--not the giving of our money or the denying of ourselves of small luxuries to help the coming of the ,kingdom1 but the cheerful daily giving of ourselves for the good of others at home and abroad4 ,she was most at home with children1 and at her best at the tea-table1 or when she curled herself up on the rug in front of the fire4 ,then came fearsome stories that made them tremble--true stories of what she had seen and done in dark ,okoyong4 ,oh1 mother1 the children would say when being tucked in bed1 how can ,miss ,slessor live alone like that with wild men and wild beasts and everything8 ,ah1 was the soft reply1 she does it because she loves ,jesus1 and wants to help ,him4 ,i wonder1 now1 if you could love ,him as much as that8 ,and the little minds in the little heads that were snuggling down amongst the comfy pillows also wondered4 ,ma was a puzzle to the grown-ups1 too1 for they saw that she was not only very shy but very timid4 ,some small girls had more courage than she4 ,she would not cross a field that had a cow in it3 she was nervous in the streets1 and usually got some one to take her across from side to side4 ,she had not even the nerve to put up her hand to stop a car3 she would take one only if it were standing4 ,she shook when in a boat or sitting behind a fast horse4 ,why was she afraid in this way8 ,just because these things happened to herself4 ,in big things1 where the cause of ,jesus was in danger1 or others were to be protected and saved from hurt1 she forgot her own feelings1 and thought only what was to be done1 and was braver and stronger even than men4 ,her heart was so loving that she was willing to die in the service of ,jesus4 ,you remember what ,he said1 ,greater love hath no man than this1 that a man lay down his life for his friends4 ,that was her kind of love--the kind which ,jesus ,himself had for the world1 which made ,him do so much for us1 and which led ,him at last to ,his awful agony on the ,cross4 ,she should have stayed a year1 but when the winter came on with grey1 cold1 weeping skies1 she and the bairns missed the sunshine and heat4 ,ah6 and she was always thinking of the work to be done in ,africa4 ,to her friends who pressed her to stay1 she said1 ,if ye dinna send me back1 ,i'll swim back4 ,do you no ken that away out there they're dying without ,jesus8 ,so they set sail and spent ,christmas ,day at sea4 ,what a reception they got at ,akpap6 ,everything will be right now1 the people said1 ,ma is back4 ,and once more she became the sovereign lady of ,okoyong4 ,the next three years were the loneliest and worst she ever spent in the forest4 ,she was never once down in ,calabar1 few white persons came to see her1 and she had a big battle to fight with ill-health4 ,there was not a day that she did not suffer weakness and pain3 for whole nights she never slept1 for months she was low with fever1 and at times she believed she was going to die4 ,think what it must have been for her to lie there alone1 tended only by her black girls4 ,but she was never in the dumps4 ,somehow her spirit always managed to conquer her body1 and she would struggle up and with a droll smile and a stout heart go on with her work4 ,nobody knew all she did in those years1 for the story is hidden behind a veil of silence2 only now and again we get a glimpse of her1 lit up for a moment1 as by a flash of lightning1 and she is always bravely fighting for ,jesus and the right1 now hurrying to rescue twins and orphans1 now sallying out to some village to put down the drinking1 now travelling far to save life4 ,illustration3 ,,ma ,,mending ,,the ,,roof ,,on ,,sunday4 ,when she was not doing these things she was busy about her own doors4 ,she had now a new house with a room underneath1 and here she taught the day-school and held services and ,bible classes and preached on ,sundays4 ,and there were always the ,court and the palavers and the dispensary and the building and repairing and cooking and digging and a hundred and one other duties4 ,so absorbed1 indeed1 did she get in what she was doing that often1 as in the early days at home1 she lost count of time4 ,sometimes she did not know what day of the week it was4 ,sundays had a habit of getting mixed up with other days4 ,once she was found holding her services on a ,monday thinking it was ,sunday1 and again on a ,sunday she was discovered on the roof hammering away in the belief that it was ,monday4 ,she ruled with a firm but kindly hand4 ,the hard and terrible times she had come through had changed her a little4 ,she had still the old sweetness1 but she could be stern1 and even rough1 with the people1 and she often spoke to them in a way which a white man would not have dared to do4 ,those who were brought up to ,court for harming women she punished severely4 ,if any chief challenged what she said1 she would take off the slipper she had put on as part of her simple ,court dress1 and slap him over the bare shoulder with it4 ,yet she was never afraid4 ,she went about alone by day and night1 and never carried a weapon4 ,she had no locks on her doors4 ,once a murderer was caught and nearly torn to pieces by the mob before he was chained and brought to ,ma to be judged4 ,she heard the evidence1 and ordered him to be sent down to ,duke ,town for trial4 ,then she took off his irons1 and sent away the guard1 and bade him come into the house1 where she sat down and talked to him earnestly for a long time4 ,he was a big man1 violent and sullen1 and he could easily have knocked her down and escaped into the woods4 ,but he listened quietly1 and allowed her to lead him to the room below1 where she fastened him in for the night4 ,only once in all the years she spent in ,okoyong was she struck1 and that was by accident4 ,there was a quarrel and a fight1 and she went into the press of excited men to stop them4 ,one of the sticks hit her4 ,a cry of horror arose3 ,ma is hurt6 ,our ,ma is hurt6 ,both sides at once fell on the wretched man who held the stick1 and began to beat him to death4 ,stop1 stop6 ,ma cried4 ,he did not mean to do it4 ,and it was only by using all her strength and forcing them back that she saved his life4 ,and so the years wore on1 and the new century came4 ,a new century1 said ,ma1 sitting dreaming in her lonely little house4 ,what will it hold8 ,it will at least hold ,his loving kindness and care all the way through1 and that is enough4 ,for fifteen long patient years ,ma gave her life to ,okoyong1 and she had her reward1 for it became a land of peace and order and good will1 the bad old customs died away1 and the people were slowly but surely becoming the disciples of ,jesus4 ,it was a wonderful thing for a white woman to have done alone1 but ,ma would not take any credit for it2 she said it was no power of her own that had won her such a place in the heart of the wild people3 it was the power of ,jesus working in her and through her4 ,he was the ,king of ,okoyong1 and she was only ,his humble servant-maid4 ,illustration3 ,,janie4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lily-,,covered ,,enyong ,,creek4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,tells of a country of mystery and a clever tribe who were slave-hunters and cannibals1 and how they were fought and defeated by ,government soldiers2 how ,ma went amongst them1 sailing through fairyland1 and how she began to bring them to the feet of ,jesus4 ,on some quiet summer day you may have been wandering through a country lane when you suddenly felt a whiff of perfume1 fresh and sweet1 and wondered where it could have come from4 ,you looked about1 but there was nothing save a tangle of green wood4 ,you searched the hedges1 and went down to the brown stream below the bridge and along its banks4 ,the fragrance was still scenting the air1 now strong1 now faint1 but you could not find its source4 ,then suddenly you came upon it--a sweetbriar bush1 hidden away in a lonely and lowly spot4 ,ma ,slessor was like this modest briar bush4 ,the influence of her goodness spread far and near1 and the fame of her doings reached peoples who lived hundreds of miles away4 ,they said to one another1 ,let us go and see this wonderful ,white ,mother2 and they left their villages and travelled through forests and across wide rivers and creeks1 risking capture and death at the hands of hostile tribes1 to seek her advice and help4 ,some of these visitors spoke languages ,ma did not understand1 and they had to talk to one another in signs4 ,chiefs in districts she had never heard of sent her messages3 ,oh1 ,great ,white ,mother1 come and dwell with us1 and we will be ,god-men4 ,escaped slaves from cannibal regions1 who had been doomed to be eaten1 fled to her for refuge4 ,all received from her a kind welcome and food1 and1 best of all1 had a talk about the ,divine ,chief who was to be the real ,saviour of ,africa4 ,there were other visitors to ,okoyong she liked less1 slave-dealers from beyond the ,cross ,river1 who brought women and girls to sell4 ,a slow fire of rage had long been burning in ,ma's heart against this cruel system1 and sometimes it burst into fierce flame4 ,she would hear a sound of bitter sobbing1 and go out to see a string of naked little girls being driven forwards by a man carrying brass rods on his head--the money which the natives use4 ,she would be so angry that she would shake her fist at the trader and storm at him1 but he would only grin and ask her which girl she wanted1 and would then describe their good points just as if they had been so many fowls or goats4 ,sometimes there would be sick ones1 or ones suffering from ill-treatment1 and these the dealers would leave1 and she would nurse them back to health1 though she was always very unwilling to let them go again into the awful whirlpool of slave-life4 ,illustration ,she knew many of the dealers quite well1 and often had long talks with them about the mysterious country from which they came4 ,whitemen had not yet entered into the heart of it1 but ,ma learnt enough to be sure that it was a far more wicked place even than ,okoyong had been4 ,it was called ,iboland1 and one of the tribes1 the ,aros1 were so cunning and clever that they had become a power over a vast region4 ,it was they who were the slave-stealers1 seeking their victims everywhere1 and selling them in markets to the traders4 ,one of their best hunting-grounds was ,ibibio1 the country to the south1 where the natives were poor and naked and miserable1 and lived in little settlements deep in the forest1 because of their fear of the slave raiders4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,way ,,into ,,the ,,juju ,,glen4 ,the ,aros believed that they had a wonderful chuku or juju--which means the god of the ,aros--in a rocky gorge down which a stream flowed4 ,at one spot there was a dark ravine and a pool overhung by trees and creepers4 ,here1 amongst the white lilies1 swam ugly cat-fish1 with fierce-looking eyes1 that were held to be sacred1 and which it was death to catch4 ,on a little island was a hut1 guarded by priests1 in which the juju was supposed to live4 ,the people thought it could aid them in time of trouble1 and came in great numbers to the shrine to ask advice and get their quarrels made up4 ,though the priests helped many in this way1 they were cunning and greedy1 and often acted very cruelly4 ,they took the food and money which the visitors brought1 and then said the juju wanted a living offering4 ,so some poor man or woman was taken into the glen blindfolded1 and the friends of the victim knew that the sacrifice was made by seeing the blood flowing past lower down4 ,others who entered never came out again4 ,the priests said they had been seized by the juju1 and the blood-red river seemed to show this1 but a dye had been thrown in to colour the water4 ,these persons were taken far away in secret1 and sold into slavery4 ,any that were not of much value were slain and eaten in the cannibal feasts4 ,now that ,ma's dream of conquering ,okoyong had come true1 she was dreaming other dreams1 and the most fascinating of these was to go to this terrible cannibal country and put down the evil doings of the natives4 ,she told the slave-dealers about it4 ,all right1 ,ma1 they said1 for they liked her1 and admired her courage4 ,we1 who know you1 will be glad to welcome you2 but we are not sure about the priests--they may kill you4 ,i will risk that1 she said2 as soon as ,i can get away from here you will see me4 ,in order to find out more about the tribes1 she sometimes went far up the ,cross ,river in a canoe1 stopping wherever she could get shelter4 ,on one of her journeys1 when she had some of the house-children with her1 the canoe was attacked by a huge hippopotamus4 ,it rushed at the canoe1 and tried to overthrow it4 ,the men thrust their paddles down its throat and beat it1 but it kept savagely nosing and gripping the frail vessel4 ,great was the excitement4 ,its jaws were snapping1 the water was in a whirl of foam1 the men were shouting and laying about them with their paddles1 the girls were screaming1 ,ma was sometimes praying and sometimes giving orders4 ,at last the canoe was swung clear1 and paddled swiftly away4 ,the story of this adventure is still told in ,calabar1 and if you ask ,dan1 one of ,ma's children1 about it1 he will say1 ,once1 when ,ma was travelling in a canoe1 she was attacked by hippopotamuses1 but when they looked inside the canoe and saw her1 they all ran away6 ,what ,ma saw and heard made her all a-quiver to go into these strange lands1 but she would not leave the ,okoyong people until some one came to take her place4 ,the ,mission had no other lady to send1 and so she could only watch and pray and wait4 ,matters became worse4 ,the ,aros hated the white rule1 and would not submit to it4 ,they tried to prevent the ,government opening up their country to order and justice and peace1 and would not allow the officials to enter it2 they blocked the river so that no white vessel1 or native one either1 could pass2 they went on with their slave-hunting and cannibalism4 ,at last the ,government lost patience4 ,we must teach them a lesson1 they said4 ,so a warning went to all the missionaries along the banks of the river to come down to ,calabar at once4 ,ma ,slessor did not like the order4 ,everything is peaceful in ,okoyong1 she said4 ,my people won't fight4 ,the ,government said they knew that1 but her life was too precious to risk1 and they sent a special steamer for her and the children4 ,when she came she found several companies of soldiers1 with many quick-firing guns1 already moving up the river4 ,they landed in the ,aro country1 and marched through swamps and attacked the hosts of natives who had gathered to bar their way1 and defeated them4 ,still1 the bushmen would not give in1 and the soldiers had many a weary time in the trackless forests4 ,at ,arochuku they went down the gorge to the juju house1 at the door of which they found a white goat starving to death4 ,many human skulls and cooking-pots lying about told a gruesome tale4 ,the place continued to be the scene of wicked ceremonies1 and was at last blown up with dynamite4 ,ma was sorry she had not gone to ,iboland before the soldiers1 because she felt that if she had done so she might have saved all the fighting and bloodshed4 ,now that a way had been blazed into the country1 she was more than ever eager and impatient to go4 ,the ,gospel should have been the first to enter1 she said2 but since the sword and gun are before us1 we must follow at once4 ,illustration ,so while carrying on the work at ,akpap1 she began to explore and look out for some place that would do for an outpost4 ,one day she left ,akpap1 taking with her the slave-girl ,mana1 who now knew ,english and her ,bible well1 and a bright boy called ,esien1 and tramped to the ,cross ,river1 where she boarded a canoe and paddled slowly upstream4 ,by and by she came to another smaller river on the west1 which seemed to run far into the interior between ,ibo and ,ibibio1 and there she landed on a beach at the foot of a hill4 ,this was ,itu1 a famous place1 for it was here that one of the greatest slave-markets in ,west ,africa used to be held1 and it was down this side river1 the ,enyong ,creek1 that the slaves were brought in canoes1 to be sold and sent over the country1 or shipped abroad to the ,west ,indies or ,america4 ,a good place to begin1 ,ma said2 and she landed and climbed up the steep bank to the top1 where she had a beautiful view over the shining river and the green land4 ,oh1 yes1 she repeated1 a bonnie place to begin4 ,once more she lived the gipsy life4 ,she opened a school1 made ,mana and ,esien the teachers1 and started to build a church4 ,the people1 who had so long trembled in the shadow of slavery1 were so pleased that they did all they could to help her1 and the children of the village tumbled over one another in their eagerness to learn book4 ,when she left for ,akpap again the chiefs gave her the gift of a black goat1 and she tied a piece of string to it and led it to the beach1 where the ,mission boat picked her up and took her down to the landing-place for ,okoyong4 ,she was bareheaded and barefooted1 but in high spirits at the success of her trip1 and she went away gaily into the forest1 leading her goat and singing3 ,mary had a little lamb1 ,its fleece was white as snow6 ,mana did a wonderful work at ,itu3 she taught the women and girls to read and sew1 held prayers in the chief's yard every night1 and preached on ,sunday2 and just because she loved ,jesus1 and tried to be like ,ma1 she soon had hundreds falling under the spell of the new way of life4 ,this humble slave-girl did not fall away like others4 ,she and ,esien remained always true disciples of their ,lord4 ,if only some one would come and help me at ,akpap1 ,ma prayed1 and her wish was answered1 for another brave woman1 ,miss ,wright1 one of the ,mission agents in ,calabar1 offered to go up and stay with her1 and after that everything was easy1 for ,ma ,slessor loved ,ma ,wright1 and ,ma ,wright loved ,ma ,slessor1 and both loved the bairns1 and the bairns loved both1 so that it was a happy company which lived in this ,african forest clearing4 ,by this time ,ma's own special family was complete1 and no more members were added1 so we can look in upon them and see who they were and what they did4 ,first1 of course1 came ,janie1 who was now a big lassie1 very kind1 and full of sympathy for everybody4 ,she spoke ,english fluently1 and1 like ,ma1 was a constant reader of the ,bible2 few white boys or girls1 indeed1 know it so thoroughly as she did4 ,she was ,ma's right hand1 and could do almost anything1 indoor or outdoor1 clean1 cook1 carry a load1 build a house1 or work in the fields4 ,but she liked working outside best1 and1 although a twin1 had many friends amongst the people4 ,mary was another good girl1 though not so fond of hard work as ,janie4 ,she waited upon ,ma1 and did all her little ploys4 ,alice was a quiet1 solid1 plodding little soul1 not as bright as ,janie or ,mary1 but faithful in whatever duty she was given to do1 and always willing and obedient4 ,annie had no head at all for her lessons1 but was very diligent1 and always smiling4 ,maggie the restless--,ma's name for her was ,flibberty-gibbet--was the one who was fond of the babies1 always busying herself about them1 except when she was in the kitchen cooking a tit-bit for her own little mouth4 ,the baby of the family was ,whitie1 a twin with dancing eyes1 and giving promise of being clever by and by4 ,then there were the two boys1 ,dan1 a lively little fellow1 not clever1 but good1 who had been brought up by ,janie and was a favourite with ,ma1 and1 as is often the case with a boy amongst a lot of sisters1 was a little spoiled2 and toddling ,asoqu3o1 who was so very fond of food that he sometimes stole the cat's milk6 ,in the house at this time was another boy named ,impie4 ,poor ,impie6 ,he was deformed and could not use his legs1 and the natives had some queer notion about it4 ,he lay all day1 so patient1 with a smile for everybody2 and when1 in the evening1 ,ma ,wright took him on her knee until bedtime1 his face was a picture of perfect content4 ,he died soon afterwards4 ,all the children were astir before six in the morning4 ,annie made up the wood fire and boiled water in the kettle for ,ma's tea1 and ,janie or ,mary prepared it and brought it in4 ,then they swept up the yard1 and went into the bush to gather firewood or look for herbs to make efere or native soup4 ,at prayers the children squatted on the verandah4 ,they sang a hymn in ,english1 and the bigger ones read verse about1 ,ma explaining as they went along--for she never hurried through worship no matter how busy she might be4 ,then she prayed in ,efik1 and all repeated the ,lord's ,prayer in ,english4 ,prayers were not always at the same time1 and sometimes when everybody was out of doors sweeping up or cutting down bush1 ,ma summoned them to the shade of a palm or cotton or orange tree1 and had them there just to teach them that people could worship ,god anywhere--at their work1 as well as in church4 ,boys and girls1 she used to tell her young friends in ,scotland1 should pray at their play or lessons as well as when reading or saying their prayers night and morning4 ,make a habit of it by looking up and saying a word or two in thought at any time4 ,god is interested in our play and work and everything4 ,then came lessons for a couple of hours1 ,ma doctoring patients or holding palavers the while4 ,after breakfast the big lads or children from the village came1 and school was held out in the open air under the verandah4 ,this went on until six o'clock1 when the evening meal was taken4 ,prayers were again held on the verandah1 and as the refugees in the yard and many of the neighbours came and sat below1 the native tongue only was used4 ,there was a hymn1 and ,ma would tell a simple gospel story1 and all would say3 ,this night ,i lay me down to sleep4 ,by that time one or two of the little ones were already in slumber-land1 and were carried off to bed4 ,on ,sunday nights the hymns that children all over the world know were sung1 sometimes with choruses which ,ma made up herself2 and instead of reading1 the girls told what they remembered of the sermon4 ,janie was best at this4 ,mary and ,alice could1 at least1 say the text1 and when it came to ,annie's turn she always said3 ,nkokop nte ,jesus edi eyen ,abasi--,i heard that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god4 ,market-day was an exciting time for the children4 ,the people came crowding in from the villages with all sorts of food and things to sell1 such as yams--these are something like large potatoes1--shrimps from the river1 oil from the palm-nut1 sugar-cane1 ground nuts1 ,indian corn1 and fowls4 ,most of them came to see ,ma1 many simply to k3om her1 that is1 to give her compliments1 others to get advice or medicine4 ,they brought little gifts for the children1 sugar-cane1 oranges and bananas and other fruit1 or seed-plants1 which they put in their own plots of ground1 for they all liked to grow things4 ,it was ,ma who taught them to love flowers4 ,she knew a great deal about the wild plants of the forest4 ,one day1 when walking with a visitor along the path1 he complained of toothache1 and by and by she picked a flower and told him to chew it4 ,he did so1 and the pain vanished4 ,he plucked another which he thought was the same1 and she said1 ,if you eat that you will be dead in five minutes4 ,ma taught them many other things--indeed all they knew--and needed to be very patient1 for think of the ages of darkness and ignorance that lay behind them6 ,she tried1 above all1 to get them to hate lying1 which is so common in ,africa4 ,her one great and constant bit of advice and warning to them was--,speak the truth4 ,these pleasant days in the ,mission ,house were soon to end4 ,ma was now ready to go forward1 and only waited to be sure that ,god was leading her1 for she never wanted to go any way but ,his4 ,one day she trudged the six miles to the ,cross ,river in the hope of catching the ,government launch for ,itu4 ,it passed when she was resting in a hut1 and she had to trudge back the weary miles to ,akpap again4 ,oh1 ,ma1 said ,miss ,wright1 ,i am sorry you missed it4 ,ma was tired1 but only smiled and said1 ,never mind1 lassie1 ,god did not mean me to go to-day1 and ,he knows best4 ,a week later the launch saw her and picked her up1 and on board she found the ,military ,commander4 ,ma1 he said1 ,i'm going as far as ,arochuku4 ,why not come up with me8 ,oh1 she thought1 is this what ,god meant when ,he turned me back last week8 ,and although she meant only to go to ,itu and had no change of clothing or food1 she said1 ,yes1 ,i will go4 ,and so she passed ,itu and sailed up the ,enyong ,creek1 one of the loveliest little waterways in the world4 ,she had seen many beautiful bits of tropical scenery1 but never one so beautiful as this4 ,at first it is broad and open1 and here and there she saw a tiny canoe with a man fishing for shrimps1 and she was told that electric fish1 which gave one a shock1 lived in the water4 ,then it ran through the forest1 where it was as still as a lake in the heart of the hills1 and dark and green because the branches drooped over it4 ,through the little arches of foliage she got glimpses of what looked like fairyland beyond4 ,the surface was covered with lilies of dazzling whiteness4 ,scarcely a sound broke the deep and fragrant silence4 ,sometimes a kingfisher would rise and fly lazily away1 sometimes a troop of monkeys would look down from the branches overhead and chatter1 sometimes grey parrots with red tails would scream angrily for a moment at being disturbed4 ,but as ,ma lay and enjoyed all the peace and the beauty1 she seemed to see other things--she saw canoe-loads of sad-eyed slaves passing down1 week after week1 year after year1 century after century--what terrible misery and despair that lovely creek must have known6 ,and when she landed and walked through the forest trails1 the same thought was in her mind--how these paths had been beaten hard by endless files of hopeless slaves--men1 women1 and little children4 ,at last1 she said thankfully1 the cruel reign of heathendom is over1 and peace and kindness and happiness are now coming to this dark land6 ,she found the villages and towns almost touching one another1 and full of people4 ,welcome1 ,ma6 we looked for your coming1 shouted her old friends1 the slave-traders1 although they knew well that she would try and stop their evil doings4 ,she found that some native traders from the coast had been telling the people about ,jesus1 and she called the chiefs and held a palaver and set about starting a school and building a church4 ,it was curious to see not only children but grave men and women squatting on the ground learning ,a ,b ,c6 ,and some of the men were old slave-hunters4 ,come back soon1 ,ma6 ,you are the only one who cares for us1 they cried as she left4 ,one day1 when coming down the ,creek1 she was idly watching a snake trying to swim across the quiet water1 when bump1 bump1 her canoe was run into and nearly overturned by another1 which shot out from the side4 ,sorry1 ,ma1 said the man in it4 ,i have been waiting for you many days4 ,my master at ,akani ,obi wants to speak with you4 ,the canoe was turned1 and followed by the other into a creek that was fairylike in its tender beauty1 and came to a beach where stood a nice-looking1 well-dressed native and his wife4 ,they took her into their home1 which was furnished like a ,european one4 ,i am ,onoyom1 said the man4 ,when ,i was a little slave-boy1 one of your white missionaries explored as far as this4 ,all the people fled4 ,i was not afraid1 and ,i took him to the chief4 ,i was punished afterwards4 ,when ,i grew up ,i went to the cannibal feasts at ,arochuku4 ,my master died1 and ten little girls were killed and placed in his grave4 ,i became steward of the ,house1 and ruled as chief4 ,my house was burned down1 and my child died4 ,i thought some enemy had done it1 and ,i wanted to murder people4 ,i met a man who had been a teacher1 and he said1 ',perhaps ,god is angry with you4' ,i said1 ',i want to find this ,god4' ,he said1 ',go to the ,white ,ma and she will help you4' ,i took a canoe to find you4 ,i missed you4 ,i left a man to wait1 and he has brought you4 ,now1 will you tell me what to do8 ,as she listened ,ma's eyes grew bright with joy4 ,she talked with him and his household1 telling them of ,jesus and ,his ,gospel1 and praying with them1 and promised to come and begin a school and church4 ,then they made her a cup of tea1 and went with her to the beach4 ,as her canoe skimmed over the quiet water again1 darkness fell1 and a rain-storm came on and ,ma was drenched1 but she did not care2 she sang aloud in her blitheness of heart1 for after ages of darkness and wickedness the sunlight of ,god was beginning to shine in the ,creek4 ,after that what a life she led6 ,she was always moving up and down the ,creek1 visiting strange places and camping anywhere4 ,sometimes she had to sleep in the open air1 or in huts on the floor1 or in the canoe2 sometimes she was caught in tornadoes and soaked to the skin2 sometimes she was not able to wash for many days2 sometimes she ran out of stores and lived on native plant-food and tea made in old milk tins4 ,she was often ill1 full of aches and pains and burning with fever2 but even when she was suffering she never lost her happy spirit and her bright laugh4 ,she was like a white spirit fluttering hither and thither1 a symbol of the new life that was stirring in the land4 ,the people were rising out of the sleep of centuries1 everywhere they were eager to learn1 everywhere they cried for teachers and missionaries4 ,oh1 cried ,ma1 if only ,i could do more1 if only ,i were young again6 ,if only the ,church at home would send out scores of men and women4 ,if 444 ,she did too much1 and her frail weak body could not stand it4 ,sleep forsook her1 and that meant loss of nerve4 ,when she thought of the immense work opening up before her1 with only herself to do it1 she quailed and shrank from the task4 ,in the night she rose and went wandering over the house1 and looked down upon the children slumbering in perfect trust and peace4 ,surely1 surely1 she said1 ,god who takes care of the little ones will take care of me4 ,it was time for her holiday to ,scotland1 but she could not leave because she was very near death4 ,a long rest revived her1 and she rose--to go home8 ,no4 ,the flame that burned in that worn little body leapt up and glowed best in the ,african forest4 ,instead of going to ,scotland she made up her mind to spend six months wandering about the ,creek in her own canoe1 visiting the people and opening new ,mission stations4 ,oh1 ,ma6 said the other missionaries1 are you wise to do this after all you have gone through8 ,you have worked so hard1 and you need a holiday4 ,go home and rest1 and then you will be better able to do what you wish4 ,but no1 she would carry out her plan2 and so giving up the ,court work to be freer to serve her own ,master1 she set out joyfully on her quest for new toils and triumphs4 ,illustration3 ,,mary ,,had ,a ,,little ,,lamb6 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,house ,,at ,,use4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,ma learns to ride a bicycle and goes pioneering2 the ,government makes her a ,judge again and she rules the people2 stories of the ,court1 and of her last visit to ,scotland with a black boy as maid-of-all-work2 and something about a beautiful dream which she dreamed when she returned1 and a cow and a yellow cat4 ,ma settled at ,itu in a little mud hut1 with a table and chair and a few pots and pans4 ,the girls worked and slept anywhere2 the babies1 new and old1 crawled all over the place like caterpillars1 and at night lay on bits of newspaper on the floor4 ,ma helped in the building of the ,mission ,house and ,church1 and when they were finished sent for some one to fix up doors and windows4 ,mr4 ,chapman1 from the ,institution1 arrived1 and was treated as the guest of the people1 so that when he made his bed in the middle of the church the young men of the village came1 as was their custom1 and slept on the floor round him as a guard of honour1 and got water and food for him in the morning4 ,ma was as busy as a bee4 ,she carried on a day-school1 preached to four hundred people1 taught a ,bible ,class and a ,sunday ,school1 received visitors from dawn till dusk1 and explored the forest and made friends with the shy natives4 ,every now and then she canoed up the ,creek as far as ,arochuku1 and stayed in the villages along the banks4 ,mud-and-thatch churches began to spring up4 ,onoyom1 however1 said he was not going to be satisfied with anything less than the very best ,house of ,god1 and taking three hundred pounds that he had saved up1 he spent it all on a fine building4 ,when the time came to make the pulpit and seats1 he said3 ,we want wood1 cut down the juju tree4 ,now the juju tree is where the god of a village is supposed to live1 and his men were horror-struck4 ,the juju will be angry2 he will not let us1 he will kill us4 ,ma's ,god is stronger than our juju1 was his reply4 ,cut it down4 ,they went out and began the work1 but the trunk was thick1 and after a time they stopped4 ,see1 we cannot cut it4 ,the heathen crowd1 standing in a ring watching them1 were overjoyed4 ,ah1 ha6 they cried1 our juju is stronger than ,ma's ,god4 ,next morning ,onoyom took out a party of men who wanted to be disciples of the new faith1 and before beginning to hack at the tree they knelt down and prayed that the ,white ,mother's ,god would prove more powerful than the juju4 ,then1 rising1 they attacked it with lusty strokes1 and soon it tottered and fell with a mighty crash4 ,it was the turn of ,onoyom to rejoice4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,juju ,,tree4 ,when the ,creek churches were ready1 missionaries travelled up from ,calabar to open them1 and were astonished to see the happy1 well-clothed people1 and the big sums of money they brought4 ,at one place there was a huge pile of brass rods1 the value of which was ,l#bj4 ,you must remember that these were still heathen people1 but they were longing to love and serve the true ,god4 ,so eager1 indeed1 were they that they worried ,ma until she was almost distracted4 ,messages came every day like this3 ,we want to know ,god3 send us even a boy4 ,we want a ,white ,ma like you to teach us book and washing and sewing4 ,we have money to pay a teacher1 send one4 ,sometimes she laughed1 and sometimes she cried4 ,what can ,i do8 ,i am only one poor old woman6 ,then she prayed that more missionaries might hear these calls1 and come out from ,scotland to help4 ,sometimes another kind of cry came down the ,creek4 ,a messenger from ,arochuku arrived4 ,ma1 the bad chiefs are going to thrust the teachers out of the land4 ,ma was startled4 ,and what did the teachers say8 she asked4 ,that the chiefs could put them out of the land1 but they could not put them away from ,god4 ,good1 and what do the people say8 ,that they will die for ,jesus4 ,why1 that is good news6 ,ma exclaimed with delight4 ,go and tell them to be patient and strong1 and all will be well4 ,as there were no missionaries to come up and help her1 she went on alone1 this time into the great dark forest-land that stretched far to the west of ,itu4 ,it was the home of the ,ibibios1 that naked down-trodden race who had been so long the victims of slave-hunters1 untamed1 unwashed1 unlovely savages1 ,ma called them2 but it was just because they were so wretched that she pitied them and longed to uplift them4 ,like ,jesus1 she wanted to go amongst the worst people rather than amongst the best4 ,the ,government were now making a road through the forest1 and as she looked at it stretching away so straight and level and broad1 she began to dream again4 ,i will go with the road1 she said1 and build a row of schools and churches right across the land4 ,she had troops of friends amongst the white officers1 who all admired and liked her1 and they1 also1 urged her to come1 and one said she should get a bicycle4 ,me on a bicycle6 she said4 ,an old woman like me6 ,she had watched their bicycles going up and down the road1 and was afraid of them4 ,she said she would not go near them in case they should explode2 but one of the officers brought her out a beautiful machine from ,england1 and that cured her4 ,she soon learned to ride1 and it became a great help in her work4 ,illustration ,one day she took ,etim1 another of her bright scholars1 who was only twelve1 and set out for a village called ,ikotobong1 six miles beyond ,itu1 in a beautiful spot amongst the hills1 and started a school and congregation4 ,etim was the schoolmaster6 ,and right bravely the little fellow wrought2 very soon he had a hundred children deep in the first book4 ,the head-teacher at ,ikotobong1 one of those who learned to love ,jesus through her1 thus tells the story of her coming3 ,when she walked through the town she saw many idols which we all worshipped1 and she pitied us very much4 ,seeing that the people were sitting in darkness she asked for a dwelling-place4 ,the town's chiefs gave her a very nice little hill in the middle of the town4 ,and from the first day all the people were astonished very much at her wisdom1 gentleness1 and love1 because they had never seen a white person like her before4 ,and amazement fell upon every one in the town concerning all that she told them about ,god1 and pleasure filled their hearts because she lived amongst them4 ,before she came the people hated one another1 and did not sit in love and peace1 but when she came to us her good influence and love becalmed us4 ,though she was an old woman she had to work like a very powerful big man4 ,the ,ibibio people wondered and wondered about her in gladness1 she was so full of love to every one1 and working hard every day for their good4 ,so by all her kind and compassionate work she came to be called ,adiaha ,makara1 meaning the eldest daughter of all ,europeans1 and ,ma ,akamba1 meaning great madam4 ,at last ,god answered ,ma's prayers4 ,three things happened4 ,first1 the ,church in ,scotland1 which was now called the ,united ,free ,church1 resolved to follow her into the wilderness and made ,itu into a regular station with a doctor in charge4 ,a hospital1 called the ,mary ,slessor ,mission ,hospital1 was added1 and a launch was sent out for the ,creek work4 ,it is just like a fairy-tale1 said ,ma4 ,i am so glad for the people4 ,next a man missionary was sent to ,arochuku1 and came back with such a glowing story of the numbers of people living there1 and their longing for the right way1 that he was sent up at once to open a station4 ,then the ,church told ,ma that they would place two ladies at ,akpap1 and she need not return1 but remain in the wilds and be a pioneer4 ,the sky of her life1 which had been so dark before1 now became clear and blue and filled with sunshine4 ,one afternoon a ,government officer visited her and said3 ,ma1 what are we going to do8 ,the same question was always being put to her4 ,everybody1 from the ,british officials down to runaway slaves1 came to her for counsel and help2 few did anything in that part of the country without first talking to her about it4 ,what is it now8 she asked4 ,we want a magistrate for this big and important district1 and we want a very clever and strong person who will be able to rule the people and see justice done4 ,well8 she asked again4 ,oh1 ,ma1 don't you see what ,i'm driving at8 ,fine that1 she answered with a twinkle4 ,you want a very clever and strong man to rule this people1 and see justice done1 a very worthy aim4 ,quite so1 and you are the man we want1 ,ma4 ,me8 hoots1 laddie1 the tea must have gone to your head6 ,no1 ,ma1 ,i'm serious4 ,we officers can't do the work2 we haven't the language for one thing1 and you know it better than the natives themselves2 also you know all their ways and tricks2 they worship you2 you have great power over them2 and what a chance to protect the women and punish the men as you like6 ,think of the twins1 ,ma6 ,ay1 mused ,ma1 it might help ,god's work4 ,i don't like it1 but ,i would do it for ,his sake4 ,thank you1 ,ma4 ,your official title will be ,vice-,president of the ,native ,court1 but of course you will be the real ,president and do as you like4 ,the salary will be---- ,i'll take no salary1 she snapped4 ,i'm not doing it for the ,government4 ,i'm doing it for ,god4 ,by and by the letter from the ,government came appointing her1 and saying that her salary would be given to the ,mission to help on her work4 ,so ,ma became again the only woman judge in the ,empire4 ,the ,court was held in a thatched building at ,ikotobong4 ,ma sat at a small table1 and around her were the chiefs getting their first lessons in acting justly and mercifully towards wrongdoers4 ,often she had to keep them in order4 ,they were very fond of talking1 and if they did not hold their tongues she just rose and boxed their ears4 ,she sat long days trying the cases1 her only food a cup of tea and a biscuit and a tin of sweets4 ,she needed all her courage to get through1 for the stories of sin and cruelty and shame poured into her ears were terrible for a white woman to hear4 ,we do not know how she does it1 the other missionaries said4 ,she could not have done it had it not been that she wanted to save her black sisters and the little children from the misery they suffered4 ,she was like no other judge in the world1 because she had no books to guide her in dealing with the cases1 nothing but her knowledge of the laws and customs of the people and her own good sense4 ,she knew every nook and cranny of the native mind1 and although many lies are told in ,african ,courts1 no one ever deceived her4 ,they often tried1 but she always found them out1 and then they would cower and slink away before her flashing eye4 ,very difficult questions which puzzled the ,government officials had sometimes to be decided1 but ,ma was never at a loss4 ,once two tribes laid claim to a piece of land1 and a ,british ,commissioner tried for days to find out to whom it belonged1 and failed4 ,he was in despair4 ,ma came1 and as usual appealed to the people themselves4 ,isn't it the custom for the tribes to whom land belongs to sacrifice to it8 ,yes1 ,ma4 ,can you tell the tribe that has been in the habit of sacrificing to this bit of land8 ,yes1 ,ma4 ,our tribe1 said one of the big men4 ,then it belongs to you4 ,quite right1 ,ma1 cried every one1 and they went away laughing4 ,the people who came to ,court were so ignorant and foolish that ,ma sometimes did what no other judge would do2 she treated them like naughty children1 and gave them a slap or a rap over the knuckles1 and lectured them and sent them away4 ,after sullen1 fierce-looking men had been fined for some offence1 she would take them to the ,mission ,house and feed them and give them work4 ,then1 in the evening1 she would gather them together and talk to them about ,jesus4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mbiam ,,pot4 ,the oath given to the witnesses was not the ,british one1 but the native one or mbiam4 ,a pot or bottle was brought in filled with a secret liquid which had a horrible smell4 ,one of the chiefs dipped a stick into it and put some of the stuff on the tongue1 head1 arm1 and foot of the witnesses1 who believed that if they told a lie it would kill them4 ,they often trembled with fear when taking it4 ,once one died suddenly after giving false evidence1 and the people thought it was a judgment upon him4 ,illustration3 ,,giving ,,the ,,oath4 ,judge ,slessor had to look sharply after the native policemen1 for they were important men in their own eyes1 and often did things they ought not to have done4 ,one went to summon villagers to clean the roads4 ,the children in the ,mission school were singing their morning hymn1 and he rushed in among them lashing with his whip and shouting1 ,come out and clean the roads4 ,the teachers complained1 and the policeman was tried before ,ma4 ,you need to be punished1 she said1 for you have grown so big that you will soon be knocking your head against the roof4 ,this pleased the people even more than the punishment he got from the jury4 ,the ,court became famous in the land1 for the people knew that ,ma understood them and gave them justice4 ,so much1 indeed1 did they trust her that they got into the habit of taking their quarrels and troubles first to the ,mission ,house1 and there ,ma made peace and saved them going to law4 ,even when she was ill they came and squatted down outside her bedroom window1 and the girls took in their stories to her1 and she called out to the people and told them what to do4 ,a young man1 a slave1 wanted to be free1 and came to ,ma4 ,i am sorry1 she said1 the ,court cannot do anything1 but--the country lies before you4 ,he took the hint1 and bolted out of the district4 ,a huntsman1 in search of game1 saw a movement amongst the bushes1 and cried out1 ,any one there8 ,there was no answer1 and he fired4 ,a scream made him rush to the spot1 and to his horror he found that he had shot a girl4 ,he carried her to the nearest house1 where she died4 ,he was brought up and tried1 and acquitted1 as he had not meant to harm her4 ,but native law is life for life1 and the people demanded a life for the life that had been taken4 ,the man1 in his despair1 ran to ,ma4 ,cutting off a lock of his hair1 he gave it to her4 ,this meant that all he had was hers1 and that the tribe would have to deal with her too4 ,but she knew that if he stayed he would be killed1 and told him to fly1 which he did4 ,ma was also going on with her real work1 preaching and teaching1 training boys and girls to become little missionaries1 and carrying the light of the ,gospel further and further into the heathen forest4 ,and1 as usual1 she was dreaming dreams4 ,she now remembered the dream of ,mr4 ,thomson to build a holiday home for the missionaries4 ,she said to herself1 ,can ,i not build a little one for the ladies in ,calabar8 ,some money came to her1 and she sought out a spot on the wooded hills nearer the ,creek called ,use1 and began to put up several mud cottages that might be used for rest-homes4 ,she did most of the work herself1 with the aid of ,janie and the other girls1 sleeping the while on the floor in a hut4 ,one night a lady missionary stayed with her who was anxious to get away early next morning4 ,all right1 said ,ma1 ,i'll set the alarum clock4 ,the visitor looked puzzled1 for there were no watches or clocks to be seen4 ,ma went out to the yard where the fowls were kept and brought in a rooster and tied it near the foot of her bed4 ,at dawn the alarum went off2 the cock crew1 and the sleepers were roused4 ,ma1 said a ,government doctor at last1 you will die if you do not take a rest4 ,and very sorrowfully she replied that it was likely1 and so she went home to ,scotland1 taking ,dan and leaving ,janie to take care of the other children4 ,dan1 who was only six years old1 proved a very handy little man-of-all-work4 ,he soon learned to speak ,english1 and ran her messages1 carried her parcels1 and even cooked her tit-bits of food4 ,he had a royal time1 being loaded with toys and books and sweets1 and ,ma was anxious that he should not be spoiled4 ,she would often ask those with whom she stayed to allow him to sit on the floor1 that he might not forget who he was4 ,he had quick eyes1 and saw everything4 ,when he went out in a town with ,ma he begged to have the money for the street cars1 for1 he said1 ,gentlemen always pay for the ladies6 ,but he did not always understand what he saw4 ,at table he thought the sharpening of the carving-knife on the steel was part of the grace before meals6 ,her friends found ,ma much changed4 ,oh1 ,mary1 said one1 ,i didn't know you4 ,nae wonder1 she said1 laughing1 look at my face6 ,it was dark and withered and wrinkled1 though her eyes were as bright and merry as ever and full of changing lights4 ,one day she went to pay a visit to ,mrs4 ,scott1 the lady of the manse at ,bonkle1 in ,lanarkshire4 ,they had written to one another for years1 but had never met4 ,there were young people there1 and all were greatly excited1 for the black boy was also expected4 ,everything that love could think of was done for the comfort of the guest4 ,at last the cab appeared at the bend of the road1 and all hurried to the gate4 ,down jumped ,dan smiling1 sure of his welcome4 ,then was helped out a frail and delicate lady1 who looked round shyly and brightly answered all the greetings4 ,she walked slowly up the garden path1 gazing at the green lawns and the flower-beds and the borders of shady trees1 and drinking in the goodness of it all4 ,all this1 she said1 and for me6 ,she was so weak and ill that she was glad to sink into a cushiony chair placed for her in the sunniest corner of the sunny room4 ,the young girls followed her in4 ,stretching out her hands towards them1 she cried3 ,oh6 how many of you lassies am ,i to get8 ,and1 glad to tell1 she did get one1 ,miss ,young1 who went out to ,calabar and became to her like a daughter1 and was afterwards picked out by the ,church as the one best fitted to carry on the work that lay closest to her heart after she herself was done with it all4 ,it was times like these that made ,ma young again4 ,she just wandered quietly about in the woods and meadows1 or went and listened to the music practices in the church4 ,she was delighted with the singing1 and before leaving thanked the precentor for the pleasure she had got1 and he gave her his tuning-fork1 which he valued1 and she kept it as one of her treasures to the end4 ,coming out one night after the service1 she looked up to the starry sky1 and said1 ,these stars are shining upon my bairns--,i wonder how they are2 and once1 when ,peace1 perfect peace8 with loved ones far away6 was sung1 she said3 ,i was thinking all the time of my children out there4 ,she missed them more and more as the months went on4 ,one afternoon1 when she was sitting down to tea in a house in ,perthshire1 she begged to be allowed to hold a red-cheeked baby-boy on her knee4 ,it is more homely1 she said1 and ,i have been so used to them all these years4 ,then she made up her mind4 ,i cannot stay longer1 ,i am growing anxious about my children4 ,i am sure they need me4 ,her friends tried to keep her1 but no1 she must go4 ,they bade her farewell at one or two large meetings1 where her figure1 little and fragile1 and worn by long toil in the ,african sun1 brought tears to many eyes4 ,the meetings were very solemn ones4 ,as she spoke of the needs of ,africa1 one who listened said3 ,it is not ,mary ,slessor who is speaking1 but ,god4 ,one night before she sailed she was found crying quietly in bed1 not because she had no friends1 for she had many1 but because all her own loved ones were dead1 and she was homeless and lonesome4 ,she just wanted her mother to take her into her arms1 pat her cheek1 and murmur1 as she had done long ago1 ,good-bye1 lassie1 and ,god be with you4 ,dan did not wish to leave all the delights of his life in ,scotland1 and although he had mechanical toys and books and sweets to cheer him1 he sobbed himself to sleep in the train4 ,so ,ma looked her last upon the dear red and grey roofs and green hills of ,scotland1 for she never saw them again4 ,she went to ,use1 which now became her home4 ,it was a lonely place amongst trees1 near the great new highway4 ,a wonderful road that was4 ,bordered by giant cotton trees and palms1 it ran up and down1 over the hills1 without touching a village or town4 ,these were all cleverly hidden away in the forest1 for the people had not got over their terror of the slave-hunters4 ,except on market-days the road was very silent1 and you met no children on it1 for they were afraid of being seized and made slaves4 ,leopards and wild cats roamed over it at night4 ,at one part a number of rough concrete steps led to the top of the steep bank1 from which a narrow path wound up the hillside and ended in a clearing in the bush4 ,here stood ,ma's queer patchwork mud-house1 just a shapeless huddle of odd rooms1 with a closed-in verandah1 the whole covered with sheets of trade-iron1 tin from mission-boxes1 and lead from tea-chests4 ,it was hard to find the door1 the steps of which were of unhewn stones4 ,she began to work harder than ever4 ,what a wonder she was6 ,she did all the tiresome ,court business1 sometimes sitting eight hours patiently listening to the evidence2 she held palavers with chiefs2 she went long journeys on foot into the wilderness1 going where no white man went4 ,on ,sundays she visited and preached at ten or twelve villages1 and between times she was toiling about the house1 making and mending1 nailing up roofs1 sawing boards1 cutting bush1 mudding walls1 laying cement4 ,was it surprising that her hands were rough and hard1 and often sore and bleeding8 ,she was seldom well1 and always tired1 so tired that at night she was not able to take off her clothes1 and lay down with them on until she slept a little and was rested1 and then she rose and undressed4 ,at times she was on the point of fainting from pain1 and only got relief from sleeping-draughts4 ,it was true of her what one of the missionaries said3 ,god does most of ,his work here by bodies half-dead1 but alive in ,christ4 ,she had now1 however1 hosts of friends1 all willing to look after her4 ,nearly every one1 officials1 missionaries1 traders1 and natives1 were kind to her4 ,sir ,walter ,egerton1 the ,british ,governor1 and ,lady ,egerton would send her cases of milk for the children1 and the officials pressed upon her the use of their steamers and motor-cars and messengers and workmen4 ,at ,ikotobong was ,miss ,peacock1 that girl with the great thoughtful eyes who had listened so eagerly to ,ma when she had addressed the class in ,falkirk years before4 ,she became one of the many white daughters who hovered about her in the last years and ministered to her4 ,two missionary homes were open to her in ,calabar1 those of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wilkie and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,macgregor1 and there she was always made comfortable and happy4 ,once ,government officials found her so ill that they lifted her into the motor-car and took her down to the ,mission ,house at ,itu4 ,something rare and precious was there1 a bonnie white child1 the daughter of the doctor missionary4 ,during the first few days when ,ma was fighting for her life1 little ,mamie often went to her side and just stood and stroked her hand for a while1 and then stole quietly away4 ,when the turn for the better came1 she charmed ,ma back to health by her winning ways4 ,for hours they swung together in the hammock on the verandah1 and laughed and talked and read1 their two heads bent over the pages of ,chatterbox and ,the ,adviser1 and over the ,hippopotamus ,book and ,puddleduck1 and other entrancing stories4 ,some times they got so absorbed in these that time was forgotten1 and ,oh1 bother6 they said when the sound of the gong called them to meals4 ,ma was still a little child at heart4 ,after she returned to ,use a new church was opened at ,itu1 and as she was not able to go down she wrote this letter to ,mamie3 ,i may not get to the big function1 which will make me rather cross1 as ,i have looked forward to it4 ,anyhow if ,i am not there will you pop my collection into the plate for me1 like a bonnie lassie8 ,i wish it were multiplied by ten4 ,i wanted you and me to have a loan of that pretty picture-book of your mother's4 ,it has all the blouses and hats and togs that they keep in the store in ,edinburgh1 and ,i was just set on our sitting together and picking out a nice coat and hat and pinafore1 all of our own choosing1 for you to wear in ,scotland4 ,oh6 but you may be going to ,england8 ,oh well1 they are much the same4 ,but here we can't do it1 for it will be too late to get them for you to land in4 ,anyhow ask that dear ,mummy of yours to help you to choose1 and you will buy them with these filthy lucre pennies4 ,mind1 the ,bible calls them filthy lucre1 so ,i am not saying bad words6 ,now1 dear wee blue eyes1 my bonnie birdie1 are we never to have a play again or a snuggly snug8 ,we shall see1 but ,i shall never forget those days with old ,brown and ,mittens and the ,puddleduck relations1 and all your gentle ways and winsome plays4 ,be ,mama's good lassie and help her with all the opening day's work1 and you yourself will be the bonniest there4 ,if ,i am there you will sit beside me6 ,ma's mind was as restless as her body4 ,she was for ever planning what more she could do for ,jesus4 ,her new dream was a beautiful one1 perhaps the best of all4 ,to understand it you must know that the women and girls in ,west ,africa all belonged to households1 and were bound1 by native law1 to obey the heads of these--their masters4 ,the compounds were their only homes4 ,if they became ,christians they still had to do what their heathen masters told them4 ,when they were given orders which as true servants of ,jesus they could not obey without doing wrong1 they were in a fix1 for if they left the compounds it was not easy for them to live1 as they had no houses in which to stay and no farms where they could work and grow food4 ,ma had often thought of the problem1 and now she made up her mind that the women and girls must be taught simple trades1 so that if they had to leave the compounds they would be able to support themselves4 ,and this was her dream4 ,she would start a home for women and girls where she would take in waifs and refugees and other helpless ones1 and train them to do things1 such as the weaving of baskets1 the making of bamboo furniture1 shoe-making1 and so on4 ,they could also rear fowls and goats and cows1 and dig1 and grow food-plants and fruit-trees4 ,and best of all1 they would learn to be clean and tidy and womanly4 ,ma was never long in making her dreams begin to take form4 ,she went out one morning to look round the land at ,use4 ,why1 ,use was the very place for the settlement6 ,she would begin in a small way with just a few cottages and a garden1 and gradually make it bigger4 ,she started at once1 and soon had many useful trees and plants in the ground1 and fowls and goats and a cow in the yard4 ,that cow was a wild one1 and a great bother1 as it was always breaking out and wandering into the forest4 ,ma had no tinkling bell1 but she tied a tin pail to the beast so that the rattling noise might tell where it was4 ,the stock had to be watched1 for wild animals roamed about after dark1 and leopards often sprang into the yard in search of prey4 ,one or two rooms at ,use were kept for visitors4 ,the doors of these were sealed up with strips of bamboo and mud until they were wanted4 ,once two lady missionaries arrived1 and had to sleep a night before the doors were hung4 ,not long before a leopard had carried off the cow's calf1 and the ladies thought it wise to barricade the hole4 ,ma looked on smiling1 and said3 ,there will be rats and lizards and centipedes1 and maybe a snake1 but a leopard would never come in 444 even though it did it would just look at you and go away again4 ,we'll not give it the chance1 ,ma1 said the ladies4 ,well1 ,i'll give you the cat3 it will scare the rats at any rate4 ,this cat1 a big yellow one1 had been found1 when a kitten1 meowing piteously by the side of a bush track1 and was taken to the ,mission ,house1 where it became a favourite with ,ma4 ,it always travelled with her1 lying in a canvas bag at the bottom of the canoe1 or motor-car1 and sometimes she carried it on her shoulder4 ,the night did turn out to be a lively one1 for although no leopard came1 every other kind of creeping and jumping and flying thing paid the ladies a visit1 and there was not much rest for them1 nor for the yellow cat1 which hunted the rats until the dawn4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,west ,,african ,,leopard4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,style ,,of ,,hairdressing4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,ma goes farther up the ,creek and settles in a heathen town in the wilds2 she enters into happy friendships with young people in ,scotland2 has a holiday in a beautiful island1 where she makes a secret compact with a lame boy2 and is given a ,royal ,cross for the heroic work she has done4 ,one day there came out of the unknown a black boy with a number of strange-looking men4 ,m3ok3om3o ,ma1 he said1 ,i salute you4 ,we come to see you4 ,we are from ,ikpe4 ,the soldiers and the people fought there and the people fled4 ,i know about you and ,i told them and they want your help4 ,illustration ,ikpe8 echoed ,ma4 ,where is that8 ,i never heard of it4 ,far up the ,creek1 he replied vaguely2 two days by canoe4 ,a big town4 ,but ,i never knew of trading canoes going there4 ,no1 ,ma1 they don't allow ,calabar men at ,ikpe4 ,oh1 ,i see1 a closed market4 ,well1 what do they wish8 ,they want to be god-men and learn book4 ,she talked long with the men1 whose cry was ,come yourself1 ,ma1 come back with us4 ,it was known that she was always ready to go anywhere at a moment's notice4 ,no1 not now1 ,i cannot1 but ,i'll come soon2 and having her promise they went away with light hearts4 ,she was growing very1 very feeble1 and she shrank from entering a new place1 where she would have no friends amongst the natives and could see no white faces1 but the spirit of adventure still tugged at her heart1 and one morning she boarded a canoe and went up the river4 ,it was a wonderful thing1 even for her1 to lie in the canoe and watch the changing beauty of the ,creek4 ,they passed the places she knew1 and then came to a region that was strange to her4 ,hour after hour they sped1 pushing through the tangle of water-lilies1 watching the fishermen plunging their spears into the mud after fish1 passing farms where the green corn was sprouting1 and bare landing-beaches where long canoes lay side by side1 coasting along stretches of thick jungle where the water was green and the air cool2 where lovely flowers and ferns grew on the branches1 and monkeys gambolled and swung by their tails2 where butterflies and dragon-flies glinted in the sunlight1 and snakes slid down old trunks and stole rustling away4 ,now and again she saw the snout of a hippopotamus1 with its beadlike eyes1 watching them1 and noted that the banks were scored by their massive feet4 ,after they had done eight hours' paddling one of these monsters rose angrily in front and opened its enormous jaws as if it would swallow the canoe and the paddlers and ,ma and all4 ,the stream was narrow and darkness was falling1 and ,ma said1 ,well1 well1 old hippo1 we won't dispute your right to turn us aside4 ,the canoe made for the bank1 and ,ma stayed all night in a dirty little hut swarming with mosquitoes4 ,the chief here had heard of her and the ,jesus religion1 and was already praying to what was to him the unknown ,god4 ,and my people just laugh at me1 he said4 ,ma prayed with him and cheered him and left him happier4 ,in the lovely morning light the canoe went on1 until the ,creek became like one of these little streams which feed the mills in ,scotland4 ,ma had at last to get out and walk through the bush4 ,she came to ,ikpe1 a large mud town1 very dirty and smelly1 where all sorts of tribes mingled1 and found that the people wore little or no clothes1 that the girls and boys ran about naked1 and that all1 old and young1 seemed more wicked and shameless than any natives she had seen4 ,only a few welcomed her1 and these1 having heard of her promise1 and knowing that she always kept her word1 had begun to build a church1 with two rooms at the end for her to live in4 ,it was situated in a circle of tall palm trees among which monkeys romped and chattered4 ,she remained some days1 living on native food1 and when she left told the people she would come back4 ,several times she returned1 and always the people asked3 ,ma1 have you come to stay8 ,no1 not yet4 ,oh1 ,ma1 when are you coming8 ,what could she reply8 ,how could she leave the work at ,use8 ,she begged the ,church to send up other ladies1 but the months passed1 and meanwhile two churches were ready in the district1 and the people were beseeching her to come4 ,it's another call1 she said1 and ,i must obey4 ,i'm an old woman and not very fit1 but ,i'll do my best1 and ,i'll carry on the work at ,use too4 ,no more idleness for me6 ,so up and down the ,creek she went4 ,the journey always took the best part of two days4 ,a canoe1 with ten paddlers1 was sent down from ,ikpe to the beach near ,itu4 ,what a bustle there was at ,use before everything was ready6 ,then the house had to be shut up4 ,this was done by nailing the windows1 and building in the doorways with strips of wood and clay4 ,in the afternoon the household set off1 ,ma sitting in the centre of the canoe on a chair1 and the children and babies round her1 and the yellow cat in its bag at her feet4 ,when it grew dark they landed at some village and spent the night1 and before daybreak at four o'clock they were off again4 ,ma did not like the bit which was haunted by hippos4 ,but1 she would say1 they haven't touched me yet2 they just push up their ugly heads and stare at me4 ,when the sun became strong and they were all hot and tired they went ashore at a clearing1 and the paddlers lit a fire and cooked some food1 ,ma joking all the time to keep everybody happy4 ,ikpe beach was reached about four in the afternoon1 and there was still a long walk before them1 and it was a very weary company that lay down to rest4 ,the paddlers were just the wild boys of ,ikpe1 very good-hearted under all their badness1 as ,ma told the ,sunday ,school children of ,wellington ,church1 ,glasgow3 ,they are ungrudging hard workers too4 ,they paddle the whole day1 singing as merrily as if the sun were not beating on them like a blazing fire4 ,when we came up a month ago we had such a heavy load of timber for building purposes that they could hardly get a seat4 ,one chief on the road asked me to put a part of it at his beach as they would never be able to take it up1 but the boys sturdily answered1 ,the canoe is good1 let us go on4 ,they pulled eight hours on end without stopping to eat a bite4 ,about seven o'clock we all lay down1 after holding worship in the canoe1 and didn't they sing6 ,and then the moon began to show through the mist about #c ,a4 ,m41 and they jumped and pushed off1 and then for eight hours pulled and sang and laughed and shouted in their high spirits1 wakening the echoes of dreadful-looking places1 where mud and ooze hold the crocodile and other creatures4 ,it was the same coming back1 and when they all arrived at ,use they broke a little hole in the doorway and crept in and threw themselves down on bed and floor until morning4 ,they were often soaked1 and ,ma sometimes was so tired and ill and racked with pain that she could not leave the canoe1 but slept in it all night4 ,however can you do it8 she was asked4 ,oh1 she replied cheerily1 ,i just take a big dose of medicine and wrap myself in a blanket and manage fine4 ,once when she got back to ,use she found that a tornado had damaged the house1 and she began to repair it with her own hands4 ,the hard work was too much for her1 and she took to her bed and became delirious4 ,yet she struggled up and went over to the church and sat in a chair and preached4 ,a young missionary1 ,dr4 ,hitchcock1 had come out to take charge of the medical station at ,itu for a time4 ,he had heard of ,ma and of her masterful ways1 but he was strong too1 and not afraid of her1 and when he saw her so ill he took her in charge and ordered her firmly to do what he bade her1 just as if she had been a child4 ,poor ,ma6 ,she was a child in strength then1 and she obeyed him meekly1 and he treated her like a mother and she loved him as a son1 and under his kind and watchful care she gradually got better4 ,but you mustn't cycle any more1 he said1 you are past that now4 ,so some friends in ,scotland sent her out a basket-chair on wheels which the boys and girls pushed1 and in this she continued to make her journeys into the forest4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,church ,,at ,,ikpe4 ,a special joy in these lonely days was the love of many girls and boys at home4 ,she told one that she had always a few choice packets of letters lying beside her chair and bed1 and took them up as one would take up a book1 and read them over and over again4 ,many were from her little friends4 ,they told her about their schools1 their games1 their holidays1 their pets1 and their books--the letters of one boy1 she said1 were always like a sardine tin1 they were so packed full of news--and she sent long replies back1 wonderful replies1 full of fun and stories and nonsense and good sense4 ,one of the mothers said she was very kind to take such bother4 ,why1 she wrote1 look at their kindness to me6 ,the darlings1 with their perfectly natural stories and their ways of looking at everything out of a child's clear innocent eyes1 and the bubbling over of the joys of a healthy life4 ,it is a splendid tonic1 and just a holiday to me too1 taking me with them to the fields and the picnics and the sails on the lochs4 ,oh1 one can almost feel the cool breeze and hear their shouts4 ,don't you think for a moment that though ,i am like a piece of wrinkled parchment my heart is not as young as ever it was1 and that ,i don't prefer children to grown-up folks a thousand times over4 ,i would need to1 for they have been my almost sole companions for twenty-five years back4 ,oh1 the girls at home are so bonnie with their colour and their hair and their winsome ways4 ,i just loved to look at and to talk with them when ,i could4 ,in church and ,sunday ,school they were a thing of beauty and a joy to me all the time4 ,i don't say that ,i don't love black bairns better and know them better than white ones1 for ,i do4 ,but one must confess to the loveliness of ,scottish girls4 ,one of her most loving and diligent little correspondents was ,christine ,grant ,millar ,orr1 who stayed in ,edinburgh1 and was1 at this time1 just thirteen1 a clever girl1 fond of writing stories and poems1 and as good as she was clever4 ,her fresh young heart went out to the weary and lonely old lady in the ,african bush who chatted to her so charmingly4 ,you have a genius for letter-writing1 she told ,ma4 ,your letters are so full of news and yet so full of love and tenderness and your own dear self4 ,here is a bit from one of ,ma's letters to her3 ,what a bonnie morning this is6 ,it will be dark and cold with you4 ,it is half-past six1 and ,i am in the little verandah which is my sanctum4 ,we have had breakfast1 but ,i am not yet able to do any work1 as ,i need an hour or so to get the steam up4 ,so ,i shall bid you a good-morning1 and just wish you could be here to enjoy our bush1 and cocoa-nut and oil and wine palms which surround us1 all wrapped in a bewitching lovely blue haze from the smoke of the wood fire4 ,yes1 you would even enjoy the pungent smell of the bush smoke1 and would think there were few places like ,calabar4444 ,but an hour later6 ,oh1 it will be hot6 ,ma thus tells ,christine about the smokes season1 which lasts from ,november to ,february3 ,it is a funny season when the air is so thick with what seems fine sand that you can't see ten yards away1 and the throat and back of the nose and the whole head is dry and disagreeable1 just like influenza at home4 ,between these smokes1 which are supposed to come from the ,great ,sahara ,desert1 the hot season blazes forth in all its fury1 and one feels so languid and feeble1 and wonders where one can go for a breath of air or a mouthful of cold water4 ,then the snow on the moors and the biting winds and the sea waves of your cold land sing their siren songs4 ,no wonder ,christine wrote back3 ,how ,i should love to take you bodily out of ,african heat and work and give you a long sweet holiday at ,the ,croft1 with your face to the greenest field in ,scotland1 and the great hills and the fresh caller air everywhere4 ,the blossom1 white and pink1 the laburnum1 the heavy masses of hawthorn1 the sweet odours of wallflower1 the calling of the blackbirds1 the mossy lawn1 the shady glade with birch trees and wild hyacinths and baby birdies in the hedges1 and the glorious warm spring sunshine gliding through the leaves--how you would love them all6 ,kind hearts at home knew of the longing for a change that sometimes came to ,ma1 and one of the ladies of the ,church1 ,miss ,cook1 like a fairy godmother1 quietly arranged that she should take a trip to the ,canary ,islands1 and paid all the cost4 ,ma felt it was a very selfish thing for her to accept when there were others who also needed a rest1 but the doctors said3 ,ma1 if you go you will be able for a lot of work yet4 ,in that case1 she replied1 ,i'll go4 ,she took ,janie with her4 ,it was her first real holiday1 for she had nothing to do but bask in the sunshine among the flowers and be petted by everybody1 especially by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,edisbury1 who managed the hotel at which she stayed4 ,what a time of joy it was6 ,from the first hour we arrived in fear and trembling1 she said1 to the hour we left with a heart full to overflowing1 our visit was a delicious vision of every kind of loveliness4 ,illustration ,she was not long in the hotel before she heard that ,mrs4 ,edisbury had a little lame son1 nine years old1 named ,ratcliffe1 who could only walk about on crutches4 ,she could hardly walk herself then1 and her tender heart was filled with love and pity and sympathy for the boy4 ,oh1 she said1 ,i must see him4 ,she found him in the nursery1 a very bright and eager child1 and at once they became fast friends4 ,for hours he would sit by her side1 his great grey-blue eyes fixed on her face1 while she told him thrilling stories of her adventures in wild ,africa4 ,before they parted they had a quiet talk and made a secret bargain4 ,each was to do something every day only known to themselves2 nobody was to be told--not even ,ratcliffe's own mother4 ,his face was glowing when they were planning it1 and he felt it was splendid to have a secret which one would think about from day to day1 but which no other person would know of4 ,his mother and aunt heard that it had been made1 and sometimes they teased him to tell1 but he just smiled1 and nothing ever made him open his lips and speak of it4 ,we shall learn by and by what it was4 ,on board the steamer going back ,ma wrote a long letter to ,ratcliffe3 ,you were in the land of ,nod long before our boat came in1 so neither ,janie nor myself could go to say good-bye to you4 ,but what do you think your dear daddy did8 ,just came away with us in the middle of the night1 in the dark and the cold1 and took us to the boat with all our luggage and stuff1 and in the dark found our way for us to the big steamer1 and then up the long stair at the ship's side1 and brought us into the cabin where ,i am now sitting1 and which has to be our home for the next ten days or so4 ,and your dear mother waited up to say good-bye1 and so did your dear aunty1 and they sent us off laden with apples and flowers1 and1 better still1 with warm loving wishes and hopes that we should meet again4 ,my heart was glad and thankful1 but it was very sore and sorry1 and ,i am afraid ,i cried a wee bit when ,mr4 ,edisbury went away out into the dark and left us4 ,how happy your dear parents and your auntie made us6 and how good it was to meet you4 ,it will ever live as a picture in my heart and memory the times we spent with you1 and it was very good for ,janie to know you4444 ,we have a crowd on board1 and to-day we had a birthday cake to tea1 because it is a lady's birthday4 ,as no one ever asks a lady how old she is--you remember us talking about that--well1 they put #ba on the icing of the cake1 but she is an old lady1 and they made her funny presents1 a little dolly1 and a china pug dog with a tail that keeps wagging after you have touched it1 and some beads4 ,it was such fun4 ,there is so little to do on board that every one gets wearied1 and wants a bit of fun to pass the hours away4444 ,and now1 dear little friend1 good-bye4 ,be good and brave1 and hurry putting your pennies in the bank so that you can come to see us and stay a long time4 ,janie sends her compliments to you and to all1 and says1 ,do not forget us4 ,so say ,i4 ,joyful days in ,ratcliffe's life were these when letters arrived from ,ma1 bang1 bang from the wilds1 as she said4 ,in all she spoke of the mysterious secret4 ,now1 sonny1 she would say1 do you remember our little secret treaty8 ,i do1 and keep it4 ,there is a telephone and a telegraph1 secret1 wireless1 swift1 which never fails1 and it carries to ,canary via the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,or this1 ,are you remembering our old secret8 ,dear old sweet-heart1 so am ,i1 and ,i get surer and surer than ever for the ,,best4 ,keep on6 ,sometimes ,ratcliffe wrote in reply1 sometimes his mother or auntie1 but always there was a message to say that the secret was being kept4 ,ratcliffe liked to hear about the children and their doings and about the teeming life of the forest1 cunning things among insects and beautiful flies and butterflies and small creatures among the bushes glistening like fine stones or flowers1 but best of all he loved the snake stories like this3 ,one night in the dark there came up to my ears small screams from below4 ,janie was jumping about and ,annie and she were throwing things1 and by the light of the fire it looked awful4 ,janie laughed back to my screams1 ,it is a snake1 don't come1 and she was lashing all she was able with a stick4 ,annie was making noise1 and not much more4 ,i got round in my slow way to the outside4 ,janie had forced it back till she and ,annie and ,maggie were all on the outside and could run1 but ,janie held on1 and ,i threw her a machete and she hacked the things into bits4 ,in the morning the bits were all gone1 some other beast had eaten it1 and there were only marks4 ,another day ,janie was chasing with the others a horrid thing we call ,asawuri4 ,i don't know what it is in scientific ,english4 ,it makes a long oo-o-oo-o of a note and lives in the bush in a hole4 ,it is bigger than a lizard and marked handsomely like a snake1 and has a deadly poison2 that's why ,god has given it the note of warning1 ,i suppose4 ,janie killed it4444 ,i am always keeping my secret4 ,are you8 ,don't slacken6 ,don't tell4 ,ma always tried to cheer and help him3 ,i expect you will be at school by this time4 ,are you8 ,how do you like it8 ,do the masters give any punishments8 ,i am sure they won't need to do that with you1 for you will be doing your best4 ,but it will sometimes be hard to do lessons when it is hot1 and you will want to do other things2 and let me whisper a secret to you4 ,i1 too1 am an awful duffer at arithmetic6 ,i simply can't do it4 ,never mind1 ,i've got on fairly well1 and so will you2 and now ,i have only the sums of the boys in the school to bother me1 and ,i never give them harder ones than ,i can do quickly and explain well myself4 ,you will come out on top some day4 ,all the same1 try for all you are worth and catch up4 ,auntie and mother will help you--that's what aunties and mothers are for1 you know4 ,just you put your arms round auntie's neck and look at her with your bonnie speaking eyes1 and you'll see what will happen4 ,janie can't count at all1 she never could1 and ,i had a great pity always for her1 and yet what could ,i do without ,janie8 ,she is worth a thousand mathematicians to me and to our people4 ,ma rejoiced that she was able to do a little more for her beloved ,master1 and she began to take more care of her health4 ,she did not want to be great or famous1 only to walk very quietly from day to day1 and do simple things1 looking after the needs of her people and fighting the sin and ignorance that marred their lives4 ,so we find her again at ,use and ,ikpe spending the long hours preaching1 teaching1 doctoring1 building1 cementing1 painting1 varnishing--a very humble and happy woman4 ,she paid a visit to ,okoyong1 the first since she had left eight years before4 ,the wild old station had become so quiet and peaceful that it was almost like a bit of ,scotland1 and there was a fine new church4 ,everybody came to k3om her1 and she could scarcely get her meals for talking about the long ago4 ,she saw ,eme ,ete and ,mana1 and ,iye the mother of ,susie1 and ,esien1 now a leading ,christian1 and many others2 and when she went over to the church she found four hundred people gathered to hear her1 the men and boys in the centre1 and the women in coloured frocks and head-dresses at the side1 while the children sat in rows on the floor4 ,all were clean and tidy1 and she thought what a big change it was from the terrible days when the naked villagers were only fond of drink and bloodshed4 ,yes1 said a church member later to one of the lady missionaries1 even the leopards became less bold and dangerous when ,ma came6 ,she was glad to have a talk with ,eme ,ete1 but sorry to know that she was still a heathen1 and sacrificed every day in her yard to a mud white-washed figure of a woman that had egg-shells for eyes4 ,there was also a mud altar on which she laid her offerings of palm-wine1 gin1 and food1 and sometimes she put a fowl or eggs in the lap of the image4 ,her rooms were full of charms1 such as bunches of grass and feathers and bottles4 ,it made ,ma very sad4 ,eme ,ete died soon after1 and from the roof of her house was hung a great fold of white satin1 which is a sign of death in a heathen home1 and the doors were shut and the place left to rot and fall to pieces4 ,though ,ma was hidden away in the ,african forest and thought she was a nobody1 there were others who1 knowing what she had done1 and having been helped by her example1 made up their minds that her story should not be left untold4 ,they wrote it out1 and by and by it came into the hands of ,sir ,frederick ,lugard1 the ,governor-,general of ,nigeria1 as the whole country was now called1 and he1 marvelling at the tale1 sent it home so that it might be brought to ,royal notice4 ,one day a native runner appeared in the yard at ,use with a bundle of letters1 amongst which was a large one that looked important4 ,ma turned it over and wondered what it could be4 ,it was from a very famous and ancient society1 the ,order of the ,hospital of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem1 which has the ,king at its head and other ,royal persons amongst its officials1 begging that she would agree to become one of its ,honorary ,associates and accept the ,silver ,cross which it gave to those who were noted for goodness and good work4 ,she looked at her torn dress and her rough hands and her bare feet1 and around at the poor little shanty of a house1 and chuckled4 ,fancy me with a ,royal medal6 she said4 ,what have ,i done8 ,i dinna deserve anything for doing my duty4 ,i couldna' even have done that unless ,god had been with me all the time4 ,to ,him be all the honour4 ,but1 she added1 it's nice too1 for it will let the folk here ken that the ,king is interested in the work that we are doing4 ,and so1 being a loyal subject1 she wrote back1 saying ,yes4 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,silver ,,cross4 ,now in the ,museum of the ,united ,free ,church4 ,another letter arrived telling her that her election had been approved by ,king ,george ,v41 and then came the beautiful diploma4 ,but she had to go down to ,duke ,town to be given the ,cross at a public meeting1 and this was a great trial4 ,everybody1 however1 was kind and treated her like a princess4 ,while they were praising her she sat with her face buried in her hands1 and when she spoke she made it seem as if the honour were done to the ,mission and not to herself4 ,a bouquet of roses was handed to her1 and when she got home to ,use she planted a stem beside the rough-hewn steps1 and to her delight it grew and flourished4 ,when she died a cutting from it was planted on her grave4 ,of course she had to tell ,ratcliffe all about the affair4 ,the ,silver ,cross1 she said1 is a nice thing called a decoration1 which one wears on special occasions1 and is just like a prize given at school to a boy4 ,you wonder what ,i got a prize for8 ,so do ,i6 ,i can't make it out at all4 ,but you see our ,king is so good and kind1 he is always doing nice things1 and this is one of them4 ,ashamed of all that people were saying and writing about her1 she hastened up to ,use1 where she pinned the cross on her breast to show the girls how it looked4 ,by this time ,mary and ,annie were married and had homes of their own1 and ,alice and ,maggie were at ,duke ,town learning to wash and iron and cut out and make clothes1 and ,dan was also at school4 ,once ,dan had a splendid holiday1 and ,ma tells ,ratcliffe about it3 ,dan has gone up the ,cross ,river with his master to a new country where coal has been found and where tin has been found1 and where our wonderful fellow-countrymen are to build a railway which will enter and open up new lands and peoples and treasures1 and add to the wealth and greatness of our ,empire4 ,the coal will make the biggest changes you can think of4 ,it is like a fairy tale4 ,just think1 if we have coal1 we can start to manufacture everything out here1 for we have material for almost everything1 and all the timber in these endless forests can then be sent over the world4 ,and what crowds of people from ,britain and here will be getting employment at the railways and the mines6 ,it is a wonderful old world this1 isn't it8 ,we are always hearing that it is played out4 ,among the men who were opening up the wild country1 officials1 engineers1 and traders1 ,ma had many dear friends1 and she was always praising them up for the work they were doing4 ,we come of a wonderful race1 ,ratcliffe1 she said4 ,how proud ,i am of our countrymen many a time4 ,how brave they are6 ,what knowledge and grit they possess6 ,how doggedly they hold on6 ,how they persevere and win6 ,no wonder a handful of them rule the horde of natives and leave their mark4 ,the native1 clever in his own way1 just stares and obeys4 ,illustration3 ,,memorial ,,to ,a ,,dead ,,chief4 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,humble ,,house ,,on ,,the ,,hill3 ,,the ,,last ,,she ,,built4 ,,chapter ,x ,this chapter tells how ,ma became a gipsy again and lived on a hill-top1 and how after a hard fight she won a new region for ,jesus2 gives some notes from her diary and letters to little friends at home1 and pictures her amongst her treasures4 ,some distance from ,ikpe there is a high hill called ,odoro ,ikpe1 on which the ,government has a rest-house4 ,ma climbed up there one ,saturday night4 ,what a grand view6 she cried1 as she looked over the wide plain and breathed in the cool fresh wind with a great content1 ,i've never been so high before4 ,and then her eyes grew sad4 ,for all that green country was the home of heathenism4 ,the chiefs had shut and bolted the door of their hearts against ,jesus1 and would not let any teachers or missionaries come in and disturb their ways4 ,ma had often gone to them in her wheeled chair1 fording rivers1 crossing swamps1 pushing through wet forests1 and stood and knocked at their hearts in ,his name1 but in vain4 ,they were afraid that if she came all their old fashions would tumble down about their ears4 ,she was not the one to lose courage4 ,as she sat there on the hill-top1 she dreamed that she saw the whole region being won for ,jesus1 and the people coming to ,his house clothed and in their right mind4 ,o ,god6 she prayed1 old and feeble and unworthy as ,i am1 help me to win them4 ,and there and then she put on her armour and braced herself for battle4 ,janie1 she said1 we'll stay here until we overcome these chiefs4 ,janie looked round and grunted4 ,the rest-house had only holes for windows2 there was a doorway1 but no door2 the floor was of dried mud1 and there was not even a table or a chair4 ,but ,ma could be happy with nothing1 she would have been content with bare ground for a bed1 and the starry sky for a covering4 ,she did1 indeed1 find that it was better to sleep in the open air than in the stuffy rest-house1 and she lay down every night in the verandah with the cool wind fanning her cheeks4 ,day after day she called the chiefs and talked with them2 she coaxed the little boys and girls1 who were timid and sullen1 to come and learn ,a ,b ,c2 she stood at night in the villages when the women were cooking at their fires and the young people were dancing to the sound of the drum1 and spoke to all who would listen of the love of ,jesus and ,his power to free them from sin4 ,and at last1 after a weary struggle1 her patience and goodness and humour melted the hard hearts1 and one by one the chiefs came and said they would allow her to do anything she liked1 and they would try to worship her ,god and learn the new ways4 ,illustration ,her heart was full4 ,she went out in the cool of the night and stood gazing over the dim plain4 ,all was silent and still1 and the stars were shining more gloriously than she had ever seen them before4 ,her eyes swept over them1 as they often did1 and rested on the ,southern ,cross1 the group she loved most of all1 because it was the symbol of her dear ,lord watching over the dark and sinful world1 and her thin worn face was beautiful1 for her dream had come true4 ,she went in and sat on the floor1 and leant her weary back against the wall of the room1 and wrote by the light of a candle stuck in its own grease1 telling her friends how happy she was--the happiest woman in all the world4 ,i can't think1 she said1 why ,god has so highly honoured and trusted me4 ,she was a wreck1 her body was a mass of pain1 she was growing deaf and blind1 she was tired and weak1 and oh1 so lonely6 ,yet her heart was bursting with love and gratitude and joy4 ,o wonderful ,ma6 ,all this time she was working three stations--,use1 ,ikpe1 and ,odoro ,ikpe1 and going constantly between them4 ,she kept a diary1 and every night--often in the middle of the night--she wrote in it the story of the day4 ,and what a story of toil and heroism it is6 ,here are several sentences from it3 ,left the beach for ,ikpe in the evening1 sail in moonlight2 reached ,ikpe #d ,p4 ,m4 next day2 ran on to a tree2 boys thrown into the water4 ,egbo out all night1 screaming and drumming like mad-men till daylight4 ,all drunk4 ,first night in new house4 ,sorry to leave the wee hut ,i have enjoyed so much comfort and blessing in4 ,patients from early morning2 man bitten by rat2 another by snake4 ,school begun1 nearly a hundred scholars4 ,first ,christian funeral at ,ikpe4 ,chiefs here by daybreak for palavers4 ,splendid congregation4 ,people changing for the better4 ,terrific thunderstorm4 ,school-boys drenched4 ,got a big fire on in hall1 and all sat round the blaze and ,i gave them a reading lesson4 ,a great reception at ,use--thank ,god for the girls and home4 ,thank ,god for sleep6 ,on roof all day1 head and neck aching1 hands broken and bleeding4 ,carrying sand1 cleaning corn patch1 mudding and rubbing walls4 ,cut my first two roses from the rose bush--lovely1 a tender gift from ,god4 ,after sleepless night found white ants in millions in the drawers4 ,washed a big washing4 ,terrific rain storm1 no school4 ,very feeble1 scarcely able to stand upright in church4 ,horrid night with cross child4 ,lovely letters from dear ones4 ,god is very good to me4 ,every boy in school clothed to-day for first time4 ,heaps of sick babies4 ,full up with work till late at night4 ,dead tired4 ,two women murdered on the way from market and their heads taken away4 ,fever2 trying to make a meat safe4 ,sleepless night1 baby screaming every few minutes4 ,splendid fever-sleep full of dreams4 ,thank ,god for daily strength to go on however feeble4 ,thank ,god for the girls who got up and got me tea without any bother4 ,reached ,rest ,house at darkening4 ,a fearful night of misery with mosquitoes and hard filthy ground on which we lay4 ,rose at first streak of dawn and never was so glad to leave a place4 ,baby yelled all night4 ,nothing done1 low fever1 but a very happy day4 ,fever1 stupor sleep4 ,lost count of days4 ,useless after utterly sleepless night4 ,made such sermons and delivered them all night long4 ,her friends in ,scotland began to call her home1 tempting her with visions of rest and peace and lazy days in gardens amongst flowers and all sorts of good and loving things1 but though she thought of it with longing and tears1 she said she must first build a house on the hill-top of ,odoro ,ikpe to be ready for a missionary when the ,church sent one4 ,after that perhaps4444 ,so she started to put up her last house1 and because she was so feeble and her gang of labourers were such idlers and drones1 she found it the hardest task she had ever tried to do4 ,the ,african works well1 she said1 if you are at hand to guide and spur him on1 but just leave him and he sits down and talks or sleeps till you come back4 ,so vexed sometimes was she with the men dawdling over their trifling bit of work that she would rise and box their ears1 but they just laughed and thought it a fine joke4 ,ma did not like to do such things3 she wrote to one of her little correspondents3 ,you would have thought your missionary friend was rather hard-hearted1 but hard things have to be done and said when one's heart aches to say and do most melting things4 ,ma had more hope of the children than of the grown-ups1 and she tried to get hold of them and teach them4 ,though they are black1 she told a boy in the ,highlands1 they are just as bonnie and nice as if they were white4 ,indeed the colour does not matter4 ,we are all the same inside our heads and hearts1 and the little lads who know about ,jesus are trying as hard to be good and brave ,christians as you boys who are white4 ,she was specially hopeful about the boys4 ,once a missionary spoke to her about one who seemed to have no wish to be a ,christian1 and she replied1 ,dinna gie up hope4 ,you dinna ken what is behind him and what he has to fight against4 ,his mother has maybe made him promise not to do it--perhaps made him chop mbiam 7take the solemn oath7 over it4 ,and after she talked with the boy she said1 ,he's a fine laddie1 and ye'll have him yet4 ,many boys came to her for help in their troubles1 and how patiently she listened to what they had to say1 and how wisely and tenderly she spoke to them6 ,she loved them all1 and thought about them just as a kind mother would have done4 ,to those who were going to be taught and trained she said1 ,you must be the leaders of your race and help them to rise1 but you can only lead others to ,jesus if you follow ,him closely yourself4 ,that was always what she was telling her own children3 ,keep close to ,jesus4 ,bairns1 she would say1 it's the wee lassie that sits beside her mother at meal-times that gets all the nice bittocks4 ,the one who sits far away and sulks disna ken what she misses4 ,even the pussy gets more than she does4 ,keep close to ,jesus the ,good ,shepherd all the way4 ,when the ,government took a number of the ,ikpe lads to work on the new railway being built to the coal-fields they came to ,ma and said they were afraid to go so far4 ,god will go with you and keep you1 she said4 ,try and find out some one who preaches the ,gospel and keep near him4 ,on the fly-leaf of a ,bible she gave one of them1 she wrote3 ,ud3o ,ekpenyon ,edikpo4 ,trusting he will hold by the truths of this ,holy ,book when in the midst of strangers he may be exposed to temptation4 ,never forget prayer when reading4--,your friend1 ,m4 ,,slessor4 ,this book1 she told ,ud3o1 will be a lamp to you and guide you4 ,these young men returned none the worse for their exile4 ,the boys who wanted to be good had more to put up with than those at home4 ,at ,ikpe there was an mbre1 or play1 called ekang1 and all young men had to join it and pay a fee of ,l#aj4 ,those who would not were fined ten rods1 some fish1 some leaves called akan1 and two jars of palm wine1 and had to appear in the street and dance backwards to the beat of the drum1 and then were flogged and hounded to their homes4 ,this custom ,ma put down4 ,once the chiefs gave orders that all men were to hunt in the bush1 and the animals caught were to be sacrificed and eaten in honour of the ,ndems in the town4 ,the lads of the ,church refused to go to the hunt or to eat of the sacrifice4 ,then1 said the chiefs1 you will be banished4 ,word was sent to ,ma1 who was at ,use1 and when she came she told the chiefs that no lad must be forced to do anything against his conscience1 and from that day to this there has been neither hunt nor sacrifice4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,town ,,ndem4 ,the people sacrificed and ate animals before the ,ndems1 because they believed that it would make the yams on their farms grow big4 ,ma said ,god alone gave them such a blessing1 and that the children of the ,church could no longer follow the custom4 ,it was not long before the custom was stopped4 ,she was very far out of the world1 and seldom saw a white face4 ,how glad she was when ,mr4 ,bowes from ,calabar appeared4 ,they walked together from ,ikpe to ,odoro ,ikpe4 ,on the road she stopped and helped a woman to lift a very heavy load of palm nuts to her head4 ,then she went into the compound of an old chief who was ill1 found out what was the matter1 and arranged to send him medicine4 ,at the entrance were three white chickens with their heads cut off4 ,it is a sacrifice1 she said4 ,oh1 the pity of it4 ,on going up the steep hill ,mr4 ,bowes wanted to carry a bag she had slung over her shoulder4 ,na1 na1 laddie1 she said1 it's my cat and it helps to balance me4 ,writing to ,ratcliffe at this time1 she says3 ,i have been without money for nearly a month6 ,what do you think of that8 ,sometimes1 but not very often1 we have been hungry because we had not enough money to send to the market to buy food4 ,the workmen make such a hole in my pocket4 ,it is very difficult to get money brought from ,calabar1 and then the people won't take ,english money when it does come4 ,they use copper wires1 which we buy from the next station4 ,don't we live a very funny life8 ,pure gipsies1 only we don't steal4 ,it is sometimes a rather wearying kind of living1 the gipsying sort of life1 she told ,christine2 but while there are no workers to go round we must do this as the second best way of holding on4 ,and then she wonders what her little friend is doing and asks1 ,are you going to do something fine in the new year8 ,i trust so4 ,at least you will be good1 and ,to ,be is a better verb than ,to ,do in my estimation4 ,she began to remember that ,christine was growing up1 and did not like the idea4 ,so she says to her3 ,i shall try and keep you in my heart with all the sweet mystery of girlhood4 ,i should like1 for many things1 just to keep you among the simple loves and pleasures of home1 and not to let you slip over into the womanhood which has such heights and depths that alternately beckon and frighten one4 ,but ,god's order is the only right one1 and you have a claim on ,him4 ,i shall be fifteen this ,august1 ,christine replied4 ,i am rather sorry we are all getting so big4 ,however1 there is one comfort1 when we grow bigger we will be able to go out into the world and do good things1 and perhaps splendid things1 and help to make people better and happier--though1 of course1 we can do that always4 ,that was what ,ma liked to hear1 and when any of her young friends grew up and married and went out into that world of which ,christine spoke1 she would send them lovely messages4 ,here is one to a grand-niece of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,goldie 7the pioneer missionaries of ,calabar who had been so good to her7 when she was about to sail to ,america3 ,,my ,,dear ,,lassie--,you do not know me1 but your parents and all belonging to you are very dear to me1 and ,i have always1 from before you were born1 loved you all and tried to follow you all4 ,and now ,god is calling you to live your life and to witness for ,him in a strange land2 and doubtless you will have fits of home-sickness1 and times when you will want those who have hitherto made your world for you1 and sometimes your husband will feel the same1 for marriage does not--if it be a wholesome and sane one--destroy the old loves1 but as one who knows what the leaving home means1 ,i know that you will find your ,saviour near1 and all-sufficient for all times and things4 ,do you know a good old practice of ours in a strange land has been to sing the #bnd ,paraphrase every ,saturday night4 ,you tell your husband to try it4 ,at worship every ,saturday night you sing that1 and though your voices break1 you will find it a tonic4 ,you will have all your things packed up and ready and your purchases all made1 but as there are always a few small odds and ends1 as hairpins and button-hooks1 etc41 left at the end when you are ready to embark and your boxes not at hand1 ,i enclose a few shillings to have in your pocket for that emergency4 ,i remember ,mrs4 ,goldie having forgotten gloves and safety-pins in ,liverpool1 and we rushed out of the cab to get them on our way to the steamer6 ,may every blessing go with you1 and may your married life be a long and useful and happy one4 ,he who hath hitherto led you will still compass your path4--,yours affectionately1 ,,mary ,,slessor4 ,ma loved to hear how the girls at home were working for ,jesus4 ,how interested she was in all the new things that were being started--the ,girls' ,auxiliaries1 the ,study ,circles1 and ,guilds6 ,the ,church1 she said1 is wise in winning the young1 for they are going to be the mothers of the future and shape the destiny of the nation1 and they will be all the wiser and the better mothers and ,church members and citizens for what they are doing4 ,some of her little friends were quite young4 ,there was ,dorothy1 for instance1 who was only five4 ,she sent out ,ma a picture-book which she had made herself1 and ,ma wrote back saying1 ,i wish ,i could give you a kiss and say ',thank you' to your very real self by my very real self1 instead of sending you a mere message on paper4 ,but you see ,i cannot fly over the sea1 and you can't come here1 so what better can we do8 ,the letters from home ,ma kept1 along with other treasures1 in an old chest of drawers that she loved because it had been her mother's4 ,if the bairns had been extra good she would gather them about her there after the lamp was lit1 and show them everything4 ,the letters were read over and over1 and the children knew all about ,dorothy's doll that could speak and sleep1 and ,jim's rocking-horse which ,santa ,claus had brought1 and the new little brother that had come to ,mary's home4 ,then the photographs of ,dorothy1 and ,fay and her brother1 and ,christine and ,happy1 and others would be spread out and talked about and admired again4 ,there were also the little gifts sent to her1 just trifles1 but very precious to her1 because some bairn at home had worked at them4 ,to think of the trouble they took1 she would say4 ,and the heather6 ,how ,ma loved it6 ,these dry bits of plants brought tears to her eyes and sent her thoughts away across the wide sea to the homeland1 and she saw in vision the glint of the sun1 and the shadow of the cloud on the purple moors1 and felt the scent of the heather and the tang of the salt sea breeze1 and heard again the cry of the whaup4 ,that's the ,bonkle heather1 she would say2 oh1 the kind hearts there4 ,and that's the ,blairgowrie heather and bog myrtle2 never a year but it comes1 and it is like a call across the sea4 ,one package she opened very tenderly1 for it held the wee toys and well-worn books of a little boy who had died4 ,they had been sent out to her from the heart-broken mother4 ,ma could never look at this beautiful gift without her eyes growing misty with tears4 ,in another corner was a cupboard filled with china and coloured glass1 very common1 but very rare in ,ma's eyes1 because they were gifts bought by the bairns at market or factory with their odd pennies and shyly offered to her4 ,she often scolded them well for wasting their money in such a way1 but all the same she was proud of these tokens of their love4 ,then1 softened by sweet memories and kind feelings1 the family went to evening prayers4 ,the children1 squatting on the floor1 read verses round1 and ,ma talked to them simply about higher things1 sometimes in ,scots1 sometimes in ,efik1 after which they would sing old psalms or hymns1 like ,now ,israel may say1 which was one of ,ma's favourites4 ,no books were used1 and woe betide the bairn or visitor who did not know the beginning of the next verse6 ,ma1 however1 liked the children to learn new hymns1 and sometimes they could be heard singing the tuneful ones in the yard or away in the bush or on the road4 ,illustration3 ,,mask ,,used ,,in ,,native ,,plays4 ,illustration3 ,,ma',s ,,last ,,voyage4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,what happened when the ,great ,war broke out4 ,ma's last voyage down the ,creek2 how her life-long dream came true4 ,now she lies at rest1 and dreams no more1 but her work goes on4 ,the house at ,odoro ,ikpe was nearly finished4 ,it was ,august #aiad1 and strange stories were being whispered among the natives of a great war in the world of white men beyond the seas4 ,ma knew how swiftly news travels in ,africa1 and became anxious but did not show it1 and went calmly about her duties4 ,the people grew more and more restless and excited1 food became dearer1 and no lamp oil could be had4 ,she had to read at night by the light of a wood fire4 ,one day she was sitting in the new house when the mail boy came running up with letters4 ,she took the packet and read of the invasion of ,belgium by the ,germans1 with all the horrors of that terrible time1 the coming of ,britain into the struggle on the side of right and justice and freedom4 ,thank ,god1 she cried1 we are not to blame4 ,but the dreadful news shocked and hurt her so much that she became ill and could not rise4 ,the girls carried her over to the rest-house and put her into her camp-bed1 and for many days she was in a raging fever4 ,at last1 worn out1 she lay in a stupor4 ,round her stood the house girls and some of the lads of the ,mission weeping bitterly4 ,what should they do8 ,they felt they must not let their beloved ,ma die alone so far away from her own people4 ,they must take her to ,use4 ,so they lifted her in the camp-bed and set out for ,ikpe1 carrying her gently over the streams and up and down the hills4 ,next morning they put the bed into the canoe and covered up the shrunken form and the thin withered face4 ,the yellow cat was also put beside her1 but the bag slipped open1 and it was so frightened that it rushed into the bush and disappeared4 ,it could not be found1 and there was not time to wait1 for a long journey lay ahead1 and so it was lost and never seen again4 ,all day the lads paddled down the beautiful ,creek among the water-lilies1 and at night they took her ashore at the landing-beach1 and she lay in the white moonlight until medicine was got and given to her1 and then they carried her over the three miles to ,use4 ,thus she came to the only home she had1 never to leave it again4 ,she became a little better1 and was able to get up and move about1 but all the old fighting spirit had gone1 and she was very tender and gentle and sweet4 ,the ,war troubled her1 and she was always thinking of our brave soldiers in the trenches and praying for them4 ,but she felt she could do nothing1 and was content to leave everything with ,god4 ,to a little boy and girl at home she said1 ,god will work out big things from the ,war1 for there is no waste with ,him4 ,and to ,christine she wrote1 ,every blessing be yours in the year that comes4 ,though it opens in gloom there is ,light on ahead4 ,yes1 for her1 too1 there was ,light ahead4 ,one night she lay dying in her mud-room with its cement floor and iron roof4 ,miss ,peacock was with her and the girls1 ,janie1 ,annie1 ,maggie1 ,alice1 and ,whitie4 ,alice never left her1 and slept on a mat beside her bed4 ,through the long hours they kept watch4 ,ma was restless and very1 very tired1 and sometimes begged ,god to give her rest4 ,just before dawn death came4 ,god had heard ,ma's prayer and given her rest4 ,she had worked hard and faithfully for ,africa1 and now was to rest until ,jesus comes again and on the glorious resurrection morning calls her forth to receive her eternal reward4 ,but her place in ,africa would be hard to fill1 and the people wept1 saying1 ,adiaha ,makara is dead4 ,what shall we do8 ,how shall we live8 ,our ,mother is dead6 ,once more she voyaged down the ,cross ,river to ,duke ,town1 and there she was buried on the ,mission hill1 all ,calabar1 young and old1 turning out to line the streets and show their deep sorrow4 ,at the head of the grave sat old ,mammy ,fuller1 a coloured woman from ,jamaica1 a faithful servant of the ,mission1 who had welcomed ,ma when she first arrived1 a bright-eyed happy girl1 thirty-nine years before1 and had loved her ever since4 ,ma had been fond of her too1 and said it was she who ought to have had the ,royal ,cross4 ,do not cry1 said ,mammy to the women who began to wail4 ,praise ,god from whom all blessings flow4 ,there was sadness in many a little heart when the news went across the ocean that ,ma was no more4 ,ratcliffe missed the letters that used to flash like rays of sunshine into his quiet life4 ,what of that wonderful secret which he had kept so closely locked up in his heart8 ,he was told that it was all right now1 and that there would be no harm in telling what it was4 ,it turned out to be very simple1 like many bigger mysteries and secrets4 ,ma and he had agreed to pray every day that he might get better and be able to walk1 and he was to be good and always do his best4 ,ratcliffe has never forgotten that compact he made with ,ma4 ,he remembers well how she loved him and prayed for him1 and he believes that her prayers will be answered4 ,he is now in ,liverpool attending a school1 and can go about on crutches with greater ease--sometimes for two and three hours at a time4 ,he can also use his tricycle better1 and enjoys a three or four-mile ride4 ,christine1 too1 mourned for the loving friend she had never seen1 and as she remembered the black children left motherless and alone she felt their sorrow and cried their cry1 and put it all into the music of a haunting lament1 a beautiful poem1 which begins3 ,she who loved us1 she who sought us ,through the wild untrodden bushlands1 ,brought us healing1 brought us comfort1 ,brought the sunlight to our darkness1 ,she has gone--the dear white ,mother-- ,gone into the great ,hereafter4 ,ma's death made her famous4 ,she1 who was always hiding herself in life1 was written and talked about and praised everywhere4 ,the story of her heroism1 devotion1 and faith made her known and admired in many homes throughout the world1 and so1 although she lies in a far-off tropical land with her hands folded in rest and her lips quiet for ever1 she is still helping and inspiring boys and girls and older people as she did of old4 ,she was a puzzling person in many ways4 ,perhaps her dear friend1 ,mr4 ,macgregor1 describes her best when he says1 ,she was a whirlwind and an earthquake and a fire and a still small voice1 all in one4 ,but what girls and boys should remember is that she was1 from her childhood1 a dreamer of dreams4 ,not day-dreams which fade away into nothing4 ,not dreams of the night which are soon forgotten4 ,but the kind of dreams which grown-up people sometimes call ideals1 dreams that have in them the purpose of doing away with all that is evil and ugly1 and making the world happier4 ,many boys and girls dream dreams1 but they do nothing more4 ,their dreams are like the clouds that drift across the summer sky and disappear4 ,miss ,slessor would never have done anything if she had only imagined all her dreams4 ,if a boy only longs to be a good cricketer or swimmer1 he will never become one4 ,if a girl only thinks about a prize at school1 she will not gain it4 ,if a sculptor or artist only dreams about a beautiful statue or painting1 the world will never have the joy of seeing them4 ,we have to set to work and make what we dream about a real and solid thing4 ,that is what the ,white ,queen always did4 ,her dreams came true because she prayed hard and toiled hard and waited hard and loved hard1 yes1 and laughed hard1 for faith and toil and patience and sympathy and humour are all needed to win success4 ,there was only one of her ideas which did not come to pass--her home for women and girls2 and that would have come true also if she had lived a little longer1 for it was taking hold of the ,church1 and money was coming in for it4 ,it was like a bit of weaving which she had not time to complete4 ,now1 young and old1 who loved and admired her inside her own ,church and elsewhere1 have taken up the threads and are finishing it and making it a lasting memorial of her4 ,a number of native buildings and a ,mission ,house are being built1 and there1 under the clever guidance of her old comrade ,miss ,young 7now ,mrs4 ,arnot71 young lives will be trained in all the things that make girlhood and womanhood useful and pure and happy4 ,and there1 too1 will be a beautiful gateway where tired men and woman and children travelling along the hot roadway may take shelter from the sun1 and rest1 and find water to quench their thirst1 and think1 perhaps1 of the ,great ,white ,mother who spent her life for their good4 ,the church at ,ikpe built by ,ma was destroyed by a falling palm tree2 the house on the hill-top at ,odoro ,ikpe was blown down by a tornado1 and part of the roof carried away into the valley2 but her work goes on4 ,many of the young men she taught are now members of the ,church2 the services in all the towns are crowded2 the schools are full of scholars1 and others are being built4 ,all around1 says the ,rev4 ,john ,rankin1 of ,arochuku1 who looks after them1 there is a desire for schools1 but the want of workers hinders more being done4 ,we need a white missionary in the district4 ,who is going to follow in ,ma's footsteps1 here and elsewhere8 ,she herself believed that it would be the young people of to-day4 ,i am glad to know1 she said1 that the girls and boys are thinking of us and praying for us1 and denying themselves and planning perhaps to come to our help4 ,yes1 the future of ,africa1 and1 indeed1 of the whole world of heathenism1 lies with the young hearts who are now dreaming dreams of what they are going to do in the days to come4 ,they will1 by and by1 be the pioneers and workers in the dark lands across the seas4 ,it is to them that ,jesus is looking to bring about the time when the whole earth will be filled with ,his light and love and peace4 ,every one1 of course1 cannot work in the ,mission field1 and you do not require to go there to be a missionary4 ,wherever you may be1 whatever you may do1 you can always be a missionary and fight as valiantly as ,miss ,slessor did against sin and wrong-doing4 ,you may not find your task easy4 ,our heroine did not find hers easy4 ,you may meet as many difficulties as ,christian did on his pilgrim way1 and your dreams may be laughed at and scorned1 but if you trust ,jesus and persevere1 you will come out all right in the end4 ,dream your dreams then1 boys and girls1 brave ones1 lovely ones1 but as you grow up be sure and do your best to turn them into realities1 for it is only those that come true that are making life better and sweeter and shaping the world into beauty4 ,illustration3 ,,dan4 ,,index ,adam1 ,miss1 #aaa ,akpap1 #ajh ,alice1 #aaj1 #abi1 #aha1 #bjj ,anderson1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 #be1 #bf1 #bg ,annie1 #ec1 #ii1 #acj1 #agf1 #aha1 #bjj ,arnot1 ,mrs4 7,miss ,young71 #aed1 #bjd ,arochuku1 #abc1 #abf1 #ace1 #adf ,aros1 #abb ,bowes1 ,mr41 #aib ,box from home1 #ajb ,chapman1 ,mr41 #adj ,cook1 ,miss1 #agb ,court at ,ekenge1 #hh2 at ,akpap1 #aag1 #aci2 at ,ikotobong1 #adh ,creek ,town1 #db1 #ie ,dan1 #acj1 #aec1 #aha1 #bjf ,david ,williamson1 the1 #aja ,diary1 extracts from1 #ahf ,duke ,town1 #be ,edem1 chief of ,ekenge1 #ed1 #ei1 #fj1 #ga1 #gf1 #gi1 #ic1 7death7 #aji ,edisbury1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 #agc ,egbo1 #cc1 #cd1 #gf ,egerton1 ,sir ,w41 #aeg ,ekenge1 #di1 #hd ,eme ,ete1 #ee1 #ge1 #gg1 #he1 #ic1 #ii1 7death7 #agh ,enyong ,creek1 #abj1 #abg1 #acd1 #afd ,eser'e bean1 #gc1 #gg ,esien1 #abg ,fuller1 ,mammy1 #bja ,goldie1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 letter to grand-niece1 #aic ,gray1 ,happy1 #aaa1 #aie ,hippos1 #bc1 #abe1 #afe1 #afg ,hogg1 ,miss1 #dj ,home for women and children1 #afj1 #bjd ,hope-,waddell ,institution1 #hd ,ibibio1 #abb ,ikotobong1 #add ,ikpe1 #afb1 #afe1 #bjd ,itu1 #abg ,iye1 #id1 #if ,janie1 #cb1 #ci1 #dj1 #db1 #ec1 #hc1 #if1 #ih1 #ajb1 #ajf1 #aaa1 7portrait7 #aai1 #abi1 #aec1 #agf1 #agg1 #bjj ,janie 7sister71 #da1 #db ,king ,eyo1 #ce1 #de1 #dg1 #ea1 #fg1 #ajj ,leopards1 #aef1 #afa1 7picture7 #afb1 #agh ,livingstone1 ,dr41 #aj1 #ai1 #hh ,long juju1 #abc1 #abf ,lugard1 ,sir ,f41 #agi ,m',crindle1 ,mrs41 #aaa ,macdonald1 ,sir ,c41 #ajg ,macgregor1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 #aeh1 #bjb ,mamie 7,robertson71 #aeh ,mana1 #ih1 #abg1 #abh ,mary1 #ib1 #ih1 #aaa1 #aac1 #abi1 #aha ,odoro ,ikpe1 #ahc1 #bjd ,oil ordeal1 #eh ,okoyong1 #df1 #hi1 #aah1 #agg ,old ,town1 #ca ,onoyom1 chief1 #acf1 #ada ,orr1 ,christine ,g4 ,m41 #agj1 #aib1 #aic1 #aie1 #bjb ,ovens1 ,mr41 #fh1 #fi1 #ajh ,peacock1 ,miss1 #da1 #aeh1 #bjj ,ratcliffe 7,edisbury71 #agc-aha1 #aib1 #bja ,scott1 ,mrs41 ,bonkle1 #aec ,silver ,cross1 award of1 #ahj ,slessor1 ,mary1 baptism1 #a2 as a child1 #e2 conversion1 #e2 enters factory1 #f2 father's death1 #i2 study1 #aa2 teacher in ,sunday ,school1 #ab2 offers for ,calabar1 #bj2 leaves for ,calabar1 #bb2 poem1 #bf2 first furlough1 #bi2 at ,old ,town1 #ca2 river journey1 #ce2 second furlough1 #dj2 in ,devonshire1 #da2 at ,creek ,town1 #db2 goes to ,okoyong1 #dg2 settles at ,ekenge1 #ec2 builds a hut1 #fc2 and church1 #fe2 third furlough1 #hc2 ,agent for the ,government1 #hh2 care of children1 #ij2 removes to ,akpap1 #ajh2 fourth furlough1 #aaj2 adventure with hippo1 #abe2 visits ,itu1 #abg2 at ,arochuku1 #acd2 settles at ,itu1 #adj2 rides a bicycle1 #add2 at ,ikotobong1 #add2 made ,vice-,president of ,native ,court1 #adg2 fifth furlough1 #aec2 goes to ,ikpe1 #afd2 visit to ,canary ,islands1 #agb2 revisits ,okoyong1 #agg2 awarded ,royal ,medal1 #ahj2 at ,odoro ,ikpe1 #ahc2 illness and death1 #aii ,slessor1 ,mr41 #b1 #d1 #f1 #h ,slessor1 ,mrs41 #b1 #c1 #f1 #h1 #aj1 #ah1 #bj1 #ci1 #db ,smallpox1 #aji ,susie1 #ie ,thomson1 ,mr41 his scheme1 #bc1 #aeb ,twins1 #bh1 #cb1 #dc1 #ic1 #id1 #if1 #ih ,use1 #adj1 #aeb1 #aef1 #afa1 #afg1 #aii ,war1 the1 #aih ,whitie1 #acj1 #bjj ,wilkie1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 #aeh ,wilson1 ,miss ,bessie1 #da ,wishart ,church1 7picture7 #b1 #ab ,wright1 ,miss1 #da1 #abi1 #acc ,young1 ,miss 7,mrs4 ,arnot71 #aed1 #bjd ,,the ,,end