,,through ,,lands ,,that ,,were ,,dark ,illustration3 ,,khama1 ,,the ,,christian ,,chief ,,of ,,the ,,bamangwato ,,tribe4 ,,through ,,lands ,,that ,,were ,,dark ,being a ,record of a ,year's ,missionary ,journey in ,africa and ,madagascar ,,by ,f4 ,h4 ,,hawkins1 ,,ll4,b41 ,foreign ,secretary of the ,london ,missionary ,society for ,africa1 ,china and ,madagascar4 8,to the ,darkness and the ,sorrow of the ,night ,came the ,wonder and the ,glory of the ,light0 ,,london ,,missionary ,,society #af1 ,new ,bridge ,street1 ,london1 ,e4,c4 #aiad ,dedication ,this little ,book is dedicated 7without permission7 to the ,friend whose generosity made it possible for the journey herein recorded to be taken free of any expense to the ,london ,missionary ,society4 ,table of ,contents ,,page ,,foreword #i ,a4 ,,south ,,africa3 ,i4 ,darkness and ,light #ac ,,ii4 ,the ,light ,spreading ,northward #bg ,,iii4 ,tiger ,kloof--8,a ,lamp ,shining in a ,dark ,place0 #fb ,b4 ,,central ,,africa3 ,,iv4 ,the ,heart of the ,dark ,continent #ff ,v4 ,the ,brightness of ,his ,rising #gi ,c4 ,,madagascar3 ,,vi4 ,tananarive--8,a ,city set on a ,hill0 #ajf ,,vii4 ,imerina ,country ,districts--8,fields ,white ,unto ,harvest0 #abf ,,viii4 ,betsileo--8,the ,sombre ,fringes of the ,night0 #aci ,,ix4 ,glad and ,golden ,days #adi ,list of ,illustrations ,,page ,chief ,khama ,frontispiece #a4 ,map of ,south ,africa #ae #b4 ,kuruman ,mission ,house facing #cd #c4 ,the ,new ,kuruman ,waggon 0 #cd #d4 ,tiger ,kloof 0 #fd #e4 ,map of ,central ,africa #fg #f4 ,missionaries' ,children facing #gj #g4 ,native with ,fish ,trap 0 #hb #h4 ,kafukula ,mission ,house 0 #ie #i4 ,map of ,madagascar #aji #aj4 ,malagasy ,girls at ,girls' ,home facing #aba #aa4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,sibree 0 #aeb ,i hear a clear voice calling1 calling1 ,calling out of the night1 ,o1 you who live in the ,light of ,life1 ,bring us the ,light6 ,we are bound in the chains of darkness1 ,our eyes received no sight1 ,o1 you who have never been bound or blind1 ,bring us the ,light6 ,we live amid turmoil and horror1 ,where might is the only right1 ,o1 you to whom life is liberty1 ,bring us the ,light6 ,we stand in the ashes of ruins1 ,we are ready to fight the fight1 ,o1 you whose feet are firm on the ,rock1 ,bring us the ,light6 ,you cannot--you shall not forget us1 ,out here in the darkest night1 ,we are drowning men1 we are dying men1 ,bring1 ,o1 bring us the ,light6 ,,john ,,oxenham4 ,,foreword ,this short record of a year's missionary journey in ,africa and ,madagascar is written at the request of the ,directors of the ,london ,missionary ,society1 and is based upon a series of ,journal ,letters written to my family and friends while ,i have been on my travels4 ,this fact must be my excuse for writing in the first person4 ,this little book has been prepared in the midst of the pressure of ,secretarial work4 ,my visit to ,south ,africa was a ,secretarial visit4 ,in ,central ,africa and ,madagascar ,i formed one of a ,deputation from the ,london ,missionary ,society4 ,my colleague in ,central ,africa was the ,rev4 ,w4 ,s4 ,houghton of ,birmingham1 and in ,madagascar the other members of the ,deputation were ,mr4 ,houghton and ,mr4 ,talbot ,e4 ,b4 ,wilson of ,sheffield4 ,it is not my purpose to attempt to give any description of the three ,mission ,fields which it has been my privilege to visit during the journey4 ,details with regard to the countries and the peoples will be found in three ,handbooks published by the ,society4#a ,nor does the discussion of questions of missionary policy or any account of the details of the work in the various fields fall within the scope of this book4 ,these matters have been dealt with in ,reports prepared for the ,directors of the ,society4 ,further information with regard to all the fields can be obtained in the ,society's ,annual ,report4 ,some account of ,madagascar and the missionary work there will be also found in a book just published1 entitled 8,madagascar for ,christ10 being the ,joint ,report of the ,simultaneous ,deputations from the ,london ,missionary ,society1 ,the ,friends' ,foreign ,mission ,association1 and the ,paris ,missionary ,society1 which have recently returned from ,madagascar4#b ,the journey has been one of great fascination4 ,from the point of view of the traveller it has been full of interest4 ,from the point of view of a ,secretary of a ,missionary ,society carrying on work in the lands visited1 the outstanding impression has been that of the growing ,christian ,church4 ,in ,central ,africa that ,church is in its infancy1 but it is an infancy full of promise4 ,in ,south ,africa and ,madagascar the ,native ,church is nearly a century old4 ,its foundations have been well and truly laid1 and it exhibits all the signs of healthy life and growth4 ,as one travelled from station to station and came into contact with the ,native ,church in all stages of development and met the ,native leaders of that ,church1 one looked into the future and saw a vision of a ,church which would one day become not only self-supporting and self-governing1 but so possessed with the missionary spirit that it would be an instrument in ,god's hands for evangelising the peoples amongst whom it is now set as a lamp in the night4 ,one hundred years ago and less these lands were in gross darkness2 to-day the curtains of the night are being lifted and long closed doors are wide open to the light4 ,the darkness has turned to dawning and the growing ,church is becoming 8a burning and a shining light0 in the lands which aforetime sat 8in darkness and in the shadow of death40 ,f4 ,h4 ,h4 #cast ,january1 #aiad4 ,,footnotes3 #a 8,south ,africa03 ,rev4 ,w4 ,a4 ,elliott 7price #f;d41 post free #h;d472 8,central ,africa03 ,mrs4 ,john ,may1 ,b4,a4 7price #f;d41 post free #g;d472 8,madagascar03 ,rev4 ,james ,sibree1 ,d4,d41 ,f4,r4,g4,s4 7price #f;d41 post free #h;d474 ,i am much indebted to the 8,ten ,years' ,review0 of the ,madagascar ,mission1 edited by ,dr4 ,sibree 7,l4,m4,s41 price #bs4 #f;d4 net71 for much information embodied in the ,madagascar section of the book4 #b ,copies can be obtained at the ,l4,m4,s41 #f;d4 net1 post free #h;d4 ,through ,lands ,that ,were ,dark ,a4--,,south ,,africa ,,chapter ,i ,darkness and ,light ,a land of lights and shadows intervolved1 ,a land of blazing sun and blackest night4 ,,john ,,oxenham4 ,south ,africa exercises a great charm over those who visit it4 ,it is a land of sunshine4 ,an unkind critic has described it as 8a land of trees without shade1 rivers without water1 flowers without scent1 and birds without song40 ,it is a land of vast distances and sparse population4 ,the portion of the ,african ,continent which is popularly referred to as 8,south ,africa0 is that part which lies south of the ,zambesi4 ,this great expanse of country is as large as ,europe without ,russia1 ,scandinavia and the ,british ,isles1 but its entire population is less than that of greater ,london4 ,i left ,england in the late autumn and arrived at ,cape ,town seventeen days later in the early summer4 ,london fog was exchanged for a land of lovely flowers and luscious fruits4 ,cape ,town has been so often described that ,i will not dwell upon its beauties or attempt to draw a picture of ,table ,mountain1 ,the ,devil's ,peak1 ,the ,lion's ,head1 or ,the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,my first impression--and it is a lasting one--was of the abounding kindness and hospitality of the ,colonials wherever ,i went4 ,on the day of my arrival ,i was entertained by the ,executive ,committee of the ,congregational ,union of ,south ,africa4 ,on the following day ,i was the guest of the ,archbishop of ,cape ,town at his lovely home at ,bishopscourt1 where ,i met fourteen ,south ,african ,bishops in full canonicals gathered together for their ,annual ,synod4 ,bishopscourt is a beautiful old ,dutch ,house with a far-famed garden which surpassed in luxuriance of colour anything ,i had ever seen except in ,japan4 ,all through ,south and ,central ,africa ,i was often the guest of ,government officials and ,european residents1 and everywhere received1 as the representative of the ,society1 a warm welcome and the utmost hospitality and kindness4 ,illustration3 ,,map ,,of ,,south ,,africa1 ,,showing ,l4,m4,s4 ,,mission ,,stations4 ,my next impression was of the great contribution which the ,london ,missionary ,society has made to the public life and development of ,cape ,colony and ,south ,africa generally1 quite apart from the direct work which its missionaries have been able to accomplish4 ,evidences of the value of this contribution abounded everywhere ,i went4 ,in ,cape ,town ,i had the pleasure of meeting the ,hon4 ,w4 ,p4 ,schreiner1 who was the ,prime ,minister of ,cape ,colony at the outbreak of the ,boer ,war4 ,mr4 ,schreiner is now a member of the ,senate1 specially chosen to represent the interests of the ,native population4 ,he is recognised as the leading lawyer in ,south ,africa4 ,i also met his brother1 ,mr4 ,theophilus ,schreiner1 who is also a member of the ,legislature and is well-known as a leading ,temperance advocate4 ,their sister1 ,olive ,schreiner1 the authoress of 8,the ,story of an ,african ,farm10 is known wherever ,english literature is read4 ,this distinguished family are the children of an ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,missionary4 ,it is not often that three brothers receive the honour of knighthood for public services4 ,sir ,william ,solomon1 ,sir ,saul ,solomon and the late ,sir ,richard ,solomon 7who was ,agent-,general for the ,commonwealth of ,south ,africa1 and who died a few weeks ago7 are sons of an ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,missionary4 ,in its ,review of the year #aiac1 the ,times speaks of ,sir ,richard ,solomon as 8the most distinguished ,south ,african of his generation1 a man who was loved by his intimates and respected by all for his ability and efficiency10 and of ,sir ,william ,solomon as 8an eminent judge40 ,dr4 ,mackenzie1 the leading physician in ,kimberley2 his brother1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,douglas ,mackenzie1 the ,principal of the ,hartford ,theological ,seminary1 ,u4,s4,a42 and another brother1 at present ,solicitor-,general for ,southern ,rhodesia1 are three sons of ,john ,mackenzie1 the missionary-statesman of ,south ,africa and ,lord ,rosebery's friend1 who had so much to do with the making of history in ,south ,africa thirty years ago4 ,i need only mention other families whose names are household words in ,south ,africa1 and whose representatives are to be found in many places--the ,philips1 the ,moffats1 the ,kaysers1 the ,andersons1 the ,helms1 the ,rose-,innes1 to show how large a part the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 has indirectly played in building up the ,commonwealth of ,south ,africa4 ,throughout ,cape ,colony ,i found numerous ,congregational ,churches of coloured people at places which were formerly ,mission ,stations of the ,society4 ,amongst others1 ,pacaltsdorp1 ,kruisfontein1 ,hankey1 ,port ,elizabeth1 ,king ,williams ,town1 and ,fort ,beaufort were visited4 ,the ,society many years ago withdrew its missionaries and left these ,churches to develop along their own lines into self-governing communities1 supporting their own pastorate and carrying on their own work4 ,wherever one went1 one found evidences of the great part which the ,society had played in days gone by in planting churches which are now independent1 thus contributing both to the civilisation and evangelization of the peoples of the land4 ,passing reference may be made to one of these ,churches which ,i visited4 ,in the ,brownlee location at ,king ,williams ,town ,i found at work the ,rev4 ,john ,harper1 who nearly thirty years ago exchanged his position as a missionary of the ,society for that of pastor of the ,congregational ,church4 ,for forty-five years he has laboured there as the minister of the ,kaffir ,church in the ,native ,location and in charge of nineteen out-stations4 ,this veteran not only ministers to the spiritual needs of a very large congregation1 but acts both as doctor and lawyer to all the natives4 ,in #aiab he treated #d1jjj patients and acted as guide1 philosopher and friend to the members of his congregations1 advising them in all their difficulties1 drawing up their wills for them and ever looking after their temporal and spiritual interests4 ,many of these coloured ,churches are now served by ministers of their own race1 who have been trained for the pastorate4 ,from ,cape ,town ,i proceeded to ,great ,brak ,river and paid a short visit to ,mr4 ,thomas ,searle1 who for some years has been the ,society's ,agent for its properties at ,hankey and ,kruisfontein4 ,the history of the ,searle family at ,great ,brak ,river during the last fifty years affords a good example of the contribution to the development of the ,colony which ,christian families have been able to make4 ,on the #cast ,december1 #ahei1 the late ,mr4 ,charles ,searle arrived at ,great ,brak ,river with his wife and four children to take up the position of toll-keeper at the ,causeway carrying the main road over the river4 ,the toll-house was the only habitation in the place4 ,mr4 ,searle erected a house for the accommodation of travellers1 and afterwards a shop and a store4 ,four more children were born4 ,he purchased a farm of #ced acres for #ia1 and spent some money in constructing water-furrows4 ,a church was built4 ,the business grew and subsequently a tannery and boot-and-shoe factory were started4 ,branch stores were afterwards established at ,george1 ,oudtshoorn1 ,heidelberg1 ,riversdale and a wholesale depot at ,mossel ,bay4 ,mr4 ,searle had three sons1 ,charles1 ,william1 and ,thomas1 who entered the business1 and now direct the ,limited ,company1 which has been formed to carry it on4 ,as the place grew the ,searles successfully opposed all applications for a licence for the sale of intoxicating drinks1 and to-day there is no licence between ,mossel ,bay1 #af miles to the west1 and ,george1 #ah miles to the east4 ,the present population of ,great ,brak ,river exceeds #ijj1 all of whom are in the employ of1 or dependent on1 the ,searles1 except the doctor1 the post-master and the school-teacher4 ,at first1 all the employees were coloured people4 ,latterly1 however1 white people have also been employed1 but they are treated exactly in the same way as the coloured people and receive the same wages as coloured people doing similar work4 ,a very large new factory is now being built4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,searle preaches regularly in the spacious church4 ,dutch is the language spoken4 ,there is an excellent golf course4 ,about six years ago old ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,charles ,searle died4 ,they and other members of the family are buried in the beautiful little private cemetery in ,mr4 ,thomas ,searle's garden--the first of numerous garden burial places ,i saw in different places in the ,colony4 ,the three sons continue to reside in ,great ,brak ,river honoured and esteemed by the whole countryside4 ,while at ,great ,brak ,river ,i paid a visit to ,pacaltsdorp1 an old ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 station founded #ajj years ago1 where the ,rev4 ,g4 ,b4 ,anderson1 whose father and grandfather were ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 missionaries1 is pastor4 ,a massive stone ,church was erected in #ahbd1 and is a memorial to the ,rev4 ,charles ,pacalt1 who devoted his salary to the building of the ,church4 ,in addition to being pastor1 ,mr4 ,anderson is also schoolmaster1 post-master1 registrar of births1 marriages and deaths and agent for the ,society's property known as ,hansmoeskraal farm4 ,mr4 ,searle kindly took me in his motor car to visit ,kruisfontein and ,hankey1 where the ,society still owns property4 ,the ,south ,african roads are not constructed for motor car traffic4 ,they defy description and ,i shall not soon forget this journey4 ,the gradients are very bad1 the surface execrable4 ,the ruts1 rocks1 stones and especially the sand made rapid travel in a motor car a mixed pleasure4 ,rivers1 and more often dry river-beds1 had to be crossed4 ,for the most part the roads were very narrow and were often over-hung with trees and prickly-pear1 constantly blocked by great ox-waggons with teams of fourteen to eighteen oxen1 or by goats1 sheep1 pigs1 cows and more often than all by ostriches1 which seemed to take a delight in trying to race the car4 ,in spite of1 or perhaps partly because of1 these drawbacks1 however1 the journey was most enjoyable4 ,some parts were very wild and desolate1 but others were scenes of sylvan beauty4 ,there were mountain passes1 ravines1 funereal forests 7in one of which wild elephants are still to be found71 fairy glens and water-falls 7often with very little water on account of the prolonged drought71 and in turn one was reminded of the ,pass of ,glencoe1 the ,barmouth ,estuary1 the ,precipice ,walk1 ,dolgelley1 the ,new ,forest and the ,highlands of ,scotland4 ,hankey is a name well known to all interested in the work of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 in ,south ,africa4 ,through the engineering skill of one of the missionaries applied to the construction of a tunnel through a narrow mountain ridge1 the waters of the ,gamtoos ,river were made available for watering the ,hankey valley1 and ever since the desert has 8blossomed as the rose40 ,above this tunnel1 near the top of the mountain1 is a remarkable natural feature known as 8,the ,window40 ,it is a large opening in the rocky ridge through which a beautiful landscape can be seen on both sides4 ,another feature of ,hankey which impresses a stranger from ,europe is the frogs' chorus every evening rising from an innumerable multitude of these amphibious reptiles which infest the fields and water-furrows4 ,they are known as the canaries of ,south ,africa1 and reminded one of the music so characteristic of the rice fields of ,central ,china4 ,at ,hankey there is a large ,church of coloured people1 representing an old mission station of the ,society1 and an ,institution for the training of teachers now under the control of the ,south ,african ,congregational ,union4 ,through the sale of the ,society's property a considerable population of ,europeans has been attracted to ,hankey1 and ,i had the honour during my visit of opening the new ,european ,church4 ,from ,hankey ,i proceeded to ,port ,elizabeth1 where ,i was again hospitably entertained4 ,i had an opportunity of meeting the ,congregational ministers and the leading laymen at a ,reception1 and learnt much of the contribution of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 to the development of this part of ,south ,africa4 ,the coloured ,church there for so many years ministered to by the ,rev4 ,william ,dower1 formerly a missionary of the ,society1 is another instance of a strong self-supporting and self-governing ,church which has grown out of the missionary work of years gone by4 ,on the occasion of my visit it was crowded from floor to ceiling with a congregation of coloured people1 who are under the pastoral care of a young and able coloured minister4 ,after leaving ,port ,elizabeth ,i had the privilege of paying a visit to two of the greatest ,native ,institutions in ,south ,africa4 ,at ,healdtown1 near ,fort ,beaufort1 the ,wesleyans are carrying on a great work in the training of ,native ,teachers4 ,there are #ahe boy and #hd girl boarders4 ,the results obtained in the ,government examinations are the best in the ,colony4 ,the students come from all parts2 most of them are ,kaffirs4 ,the medium of instruction is ,english4 ,this great work is mainly the result of the blessing of ,god upon the labours of one man1 ,principal ,r4 ,f4 ,hornabrook1 who is in supreme control4 ,the ,institution is nominally in charge of a ,committee which1 however1 has not met for ten years4 ,when he commenced work there twenty-two years ago there were thirty-three students4 ,mr4 ,hornabrook is his own architect and builder4 ,he is also a farmer and a doctor4 ,the fees charged are #ab a year1 and there is a large ,government grant4 ,some small help is given by the ,wesleyans in ,south ,africa4 ,not a penny comes from ,england4 ,the buildings are quite unambitious in character1 and for the most part have been erected from the profits made from carrying on the ,institution4 ,the whole enterprise is a triumph of organisation4 ,there are four white men teachers1 three white lady teachers1 two matrons and several coloured teachers4 ,the course is three years1 and the students must have passed the sixth standard before they enter4 ,all have a little manual labour to do1 but there is no industrial department except so far as it is necessary to teach woodwork4 ,all sorts of difficulties have had to be surmounted1 the chief physical one being the water-supply1 which is now satisfactorily provided by a windmill4 ,the whole ,institution is a monument of what can be done by one man with comparatively small funds4 ,mr4 ,hornabrook is doing great things for ,south ,africa4 ,from ,healdtown ,i journeyed to ,lovedale1 the centre of the world-famed labours of ,dr4 ,james ,stewart1 who will always be known as 8,stewart of ,lovedale40 ,this is an ,institution carried on by the ,free ,church of ,scotland4 ,there are #eej boarders from all parts of ,south ,africa1 and of these #aee are girls4 ,there is also a 8practising school0 with #baj children4 ,the fees range from #ab to #af a year4 ,since the ,institution was commenced considerably over #ajj1jjj has been received in fees4 ,preachers and teachers for the ,south ,african ,churches and schools are trained here4 ,the industrial work is widely known4 ,the ,natives are taught carpentry1 waggon-making1 smith's work1 printing1 book-binding1 boot and shoe making1 office work1 needle and laundry work1 horticulture and many other industrial pursuits4 ,the present ,principal is the ,rev4 ,james ,henderson1 formerly of the ,nyasaland ,mission4 ,the ,warden of the ,boys' department is ,dr4 ,moore ,anderson1 a son of ,sir ,robert ,anderson1 at one time ,chief of the ,metropolitan ,police ,force4 ,on the staff there is the famous ,south ,african astronomer1 ,dr4 ,roberts4 ,it was good to find the daughter of one of our present ,south ,african missionaries occupying a responsible position in the ,girls' department4 ,words fail me to describe the great work which is being done4 ,the ,institution is an enduring memorial to the ability and devotion of ,dr4 ,stewart4 ,over the grave of this great and good man1 which ,i visited1 is the simple inscription1 8,james ,stewart1 ,missionary40 ,on the hill-top is a huge stone monument erected to his memory4 ,on leaving ,lovedale ,i journeyed via ,king ,williams ,town1 ,blaney ,junction1 and ,de ,aar to ,kimberley4 ,the railway meanders in and out amongst the hills through picturesque scenery4 ,great rocks are much in evidence4 ,on the latter part of the journey ,i passed numerous block-houses and stretches of galvanised wire fencing reminiscent of the ,boer war4 ,here as elsewhere the country has an unfinished look about it4 ,most of the buildings are of galvanised iron4 ,long distances were traversed without any signs of human habitation1 and where such signs appeared they were not always pleasing4 ,the wretched huts of 8red-blanket kaffirs10 and the abject poverty in which they live1 showed that there is still much to be done to raise the native inhabitants out of their degradation and to teach them to live decent lives4 ,in order to see at first-hand the conditions under which so many of the ,bechuanaland ,natives live in the ,compounds of the great ,de ,beers' ,diamond ,mines1 ,i visited ,kimberley4 ,dr4 ,mackenzie kindly took me over the diamond mine workings and one of the ,compounds4 ,from these mines the bulk of the world's supply of diamonds comes4 ,i was very pleased with what ,i saw in the ,compound ,i visited1 where #d1gfb natives were quartered4 ,the annual death rate is only eight per thousand1 about half that of ,london4 ,every provision is made for the comfort1 health and well-being of the native workers4 ,there is an admirable hospital and a well-organised store1 where the necessaries of life are to be obtained at cost price4 ,the fact that the natives are well cared for is evidenced by the popularity of the work in the ,kimberley mines all over ,south ,africa4 ,natives who have worked there return again and again for a further period4 ,there can be no doubt that the restraint upon their liberty1 to which they voluntarily submit while at work in the mines1 is greatly to their advantage1 and the facilities which exist for the remitting of wages to their families obviate1 to a great extent1 the risks they would run if they left the ,compound with large sums of money in their possession4 ,nor are their spiritual needs neglected4 ,while at ,kimberley ,i paid a visit to ,barkly ,west1 formerly a mission station of the ,society for many years1 associated with the name of ,william ,ashton4 ,from ,kimberley ,i proceeded to ,tiger ,kloof4 ,i shall refer to the great work which is being carried on there later in this narrative4 ,as one travelled through the ,cape ,province and visited many places1 which were at one time stations of the ,society in the charge of missionaries and entirely supported by funds from home1 but are now independent ,churches carrying on their own work1 one realised the power of the growing ,church in the lands which #ajj years ago were in darkness4 ,this province is still 8,a land of lights and shadows intervolved1 a land of blazing sun and blackest night10 and some of its portals are still 8barred against the light40 ,that light has for a century and more been beating up against 8close-barred doors10 but the missionary traveller looking down 8the future's broadening way0 sees many a sign that the time will surely come-- 8,when1 like a swelling tide1 ,the ,word shall leap the barriers1 and ,the ,light ,shall sweep the land2 and ,faith and ,love and ,hope ,shall win for ,christ this stronghold of the night40 ,,chapter ,,ii ,the ,light ,spreading ,northward ,kingdoms wide that sit in darkness1 ,grant them1 ,lord1 ,thy glorious light2 ,and from eastern coast to western1 ,may the morning chase the night4 ,,william ,,williams4 ,up to this stage the narrative of travel has taken us through districts in which the ,london ,missionary ,society has laboured in days gone by4 ,we shall now visit the stations where it is carrying on work at the present day4 ,until quite recently the ,south ,africa ,mission of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 might be described1 from the point of view of means of locomotion1 as 8an ,ox-waggon ,mission40 ,the days of the ,ox-waggon are rapidly passing4 ,this slow cumbersome means of conveyance1 which was formerly almost universal throughout ,south ,africa1 is giving place to the ,cape cart and the ,railway4 ,the change is symptomatic of the progress in the methods of work4 ,greater facilities of communication have revolutionized the conditions under which ,missionary work is carried on4 ,missionaries are no longer isolated from their fellows as they were in the days of old4 ,until recently they were obliged to spend a considerable portion of their time in actual travel in the ox-waggon4 ,now they can get about rapidly and are able to cover much more ground and visit many more out-stations in a given period of time4 ,i was enabled to visit the ,society's stations in ,bechuanaland and ,matebeleland in one-fifth of the time which would have been necessary for such a visitation thirty years ago4 ,after a few days' stay at ,tiger ,kloof1 the first place ,i visited was ,vryburg1 where the ,rev4 ,a4 ,j4 ,wookey1 the missionary in charge of the numerous scattered ,churches of the ,baralong tribe1 resides4 ,vryburg is not in a true sense a station of the ,society1 but the headquarters for an extensive out-station work4 ,after a stay of two days there1 ,i journeyed with ,mr4 ,wookey in a ,cape cart drawn by four horses to ,ganyesa1 forty miles to the north-west4 ,the growth of the work in the lifetime of a single missionary is well illustrated by what has happened at this place4 ,when ,mr4 ,wookey first visited it1 forty-three years ago1 two or three people met with him for worship in a hut there4 ,a man read the ,scriptures1 and a woman led in prayer and preached4 ,now there is a good stone ,church with #abj ,church members1 and an ,anglo-vernacular school with seventy children4 ,connected with it are three branch churches and schools4 ,a short description of the visit to ,ganyesa will serve to illustrate one's experience at many a country out-station in ,bechuanaland and ,matebeleland4 ,i started from ,vryburg at #g4aj and reached ,ganyesa at #d4cj1 after out-spanning twice4 ,we camped for the night on an open common1 in the middle of a large ,native ,reserve1 close to an ox-waggon which had brought two other missionaries1 ,mr4 ,helm and ,mr4 ,haydon ,lewis1 to the place4 ,on all sides stretched the illimitable veldt4 ,there were very few trees1 but almost all around the sky-line was broken by the conical thatched roofs of the ,native huts4 ,close at hand were to be seen emaciated oxen returning from the almost dry watering-places in charge of little black herd-boys1 who were nearly naked1 their bodies glistening like polished ebony1 and having an appearance which suggested that they had recently been black-leaded1 and presenting a great contrast with the white of their eyes and of their perfect teeth4 ,after my arrival ,i was visited by the schoolmaster and the deacons1 and afterwards attended a concert in the ,church1 organised to raise funds to help to send a teacher to ,tiger ,kloof4 ,the price of a ticket for the concert was #f;d4 ,the night was hot1 and the ,church was packed4 ,in spite of the almost overpowering heat the doors and windows were kept closed1 in order that the crowd outside should not enjoy the music for which they had not paid6 ,the atmosphere within was beyond description4 ,evening meetings are almost unknown in ,bechuanaland4 ,some antique lamps had been requisitioned1 and the air was laden with the pungent smell of the lamp oil4 ,the 8,bouquet d',afrique0 was also strongly in evidence4 ,the audience afforded a picturesque scene in the dim lamp light4 ,most of the women wore highly coloured head-dresses1 and with their numerous babies sat on the floor1 which was made of a mixture of sand and cow-dung4 ,the rest of their dress was remarkable for its colour and variety4 ,many of the boys and men were in dilapidated ,european costume4 ,there were #ajj items on the programme1 and the concert continued until the small hours of ,sunday morning4 ,i left before midnight1 and slept on the ground underneath the bright penetrating stars4 ,the darkness of the night was illuminated by flashes of summer lightning on the eastern horizon4 ,the following day1 ,sunday1 will live in my memory4 ,the service was announced to begin at eleven o'clock1 but at ten o'clock the evangelist came to say that the chapel was already full1 and forthwith the service commenced4 ,the building was crowded to its utmost capacity1 and there were large numbers of men1 women and children sitting in the shade on the ground outside4 ,i spoke to the people from a side-door in order that my words might be heard by the crowd inside and out4 ,after the service ,i was visited by a large number of deacons and workers from the ,churches for many miles round4 ,afterwards ,i went to see an old woman named ,dipepeng in her kraal near by4 ,she is over eighty years of age1 and for a long time has not had the use of her legs4 ,she sat in the entrance to her hut in the shadow of the over-hanging eaves1 reading her ,sechuana ,bible4 ,she told me she had been a servant to ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,moffat at ,kuruman1 and remembered ,david ,livingstone courting ,mary ,moffat under the historic almond tree1 and was present at their wedding4 ,she described them1 and spoke of an arbour in the garden where they used to sit4 ,the old woman has been a ,christian for sixty years1 and is deeply interested in the ,church at ,ganyesa4 ,i visited the only ,european in the place1 he being a store-keeper4 ,in the afternoon there was a baptismal service1 ,sunday ,school1 a sermon1 and a crowded ,communion ,service conducted with great reverence4 ,at the close the people all rose and sang1 8,god be with you till we meet again40 ,at day-break on the following morning there was a prayer meeting4 ,this was followed by the wedding of five couples1 and a visit to the school4 ,later in the morning ,mr4 ,wookey and ,i started on our return journey to ,vryburg in the ,cape cart4 ,later in the week ,i journeyed by rail and cart to ,taungs where ,mr4 ,mc,gee is the resident missionary4 ,the ,society has carried on work there for forty-five years1 and although the ,church membership in connection with ,taungs and its out-stations is the largest 7#a1ahd7 connected with any ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,church in ,south ,africa1 the place was described quite recently by an experienced missionary as 8a back-water of heathenism40 ,the signs of heathenism are certainly very apparent4 ,the ,native ,chief is a bad specimen of a ,bechuana4 ,some of his headmen make themselves particularly hideous by a plentiful application of the contents of the blue-bag to their faces and heads4 ,there are many evidences of superstition and heathenism1 and yet there is another side to the picture4 ,on the ,sunday the spacious ,church--which has recently been built by the tribe1 heathen and ,christian alike contributing--was crowded both morning and afternoon4 ,twenty infants and thirty adults were baptised4 ,the scene from the platform was extremely picturesque4 ,about half the congregation consisted of women1 most of whom wore brilliantly coloured head-dresses1 vivid yellows and startling pinks predominating4 ,many were clad in gaudy shawls4 ,in the afternoon a solemn ,communion ,service was held1 at which individual communion cups were used4 ,the service was rendered the more impressive by the fact that a great thunderstorm broke before it closed4 ,looking through the great west doors of the ,church at the beginning of the service one could see the wide-spreading veldt stretching away into the distance as far as the eye could reach1 and looking dry and thirsty in the pitiless blaze of the afternoon sun4 ,then a kind of mist appeared on the horizon4 ,it was a dust-storm approaching4 ,the natives have a proverb which says that 8,god sweeps ,his land before ,he waters it40 ,the clouds of dust came nearer1 until at last all the doors had to be shut4 ,the ,church became dark4 ,then came claps of thunder1 which made speaking difficult1 while the dim interior was from time to time lit up with brilliant flashes of lightning4 ,then followed a downpour of heavy rain upon the galvanised iron roof1 making a terrific noise4 ,the storm increased in intensity until there was a perfect artillery of thunder1 while the lightning was continuous and most vivid4 ,in spite of the storm the service was continued in an orderly fashion1 and the crowded congregation seemed perfectly oblivious to the hurricane raging outside4 ,the service concluded with thanksgiving for the rain1 for which the people had long been praying4 ,taungs is the centre of a widespread district1 in which there are twenty-three outstations regularly visited by the missionary4 ,i visited one of them1 called ,manthe1 nine miles away4 ,that visit was impressed upon my memory by one of the appalling contrasts which are so common in heathen lands4 ,under an extemporised roof at the back of the evangelist's house ,i saw and talked with a bright ,christian boy1 the eldest son of the evangelist1 by name ,golekynie1 who had been for seven years at ,tiger ,kloof4 ,he was on the point of passing his third and final examination as a pupil-teacher1 when1 a month before1 he had been compelled to return home in an advanced stage of consumption4 ,he was lying on his bed in the open air4 ,he spoke excellent ,english and had a refined face and manner1 and was evidently an earnest ,christian youth4 ,he realised that he could not live long1 and spoke with high appreciation of the happiness that had come into his life at ,tiger ,kloof4 ,he told me that he was not afraid to die4 ,an hour afterwards ,i paid a visit to the ,chief of the village1 who was slowly dying of a loathsome disease in a wretched1 evil-smelling native house4 ,he lay on a dirty mattress with a coloured blanket over him4 ,he was a heathen of a low type4 ,two of his wives and several children were on the verandah outside the open window4 ,after ,mr4 ,mc,gee and ,i had left he sent to us to ask us to return to pray for him1 the first time he had ever made a request for spiritual help4 ,from ,taungs ,i proceeded to the historic station of ,kuruman1 accomplishing the journey of #adc miles by cart1 rail1 motor-car and ox-waggon4 ,the contrast in the modes of travel is illustrated by the fact that the first seventy-seven miles occupied five hours1 and the remaining sixty-six miles--which were travelled by ox-waggon--occupied three nights and two days4 ,this journey helped to bring home the sparseness of the population4 ,on ,christmas ,eve ,i travelled from early morning till late at night in the ox-waggon without seeing a single human habitation1 or a single human being1 except those who were accompanying me1 and this not in the recesses of ,central ,africa but in ,british ,bechuanaland1 which is part of the ,cape ,province4 ,i travelled in a new waggon recently made by the boys at ,lovedale for the ,kuruman station4 ,it was drawn by fourteen oxen1 kindly provided by the ,church at ,kuruman1 with two supernumeraries in reserve in case of accidents4 ,as travelling by ox-waggon is rapidly becoming a thing of the past1 it is worth while attempting a short description of the journey4 ,the waggon in which ,i travelled1 although a new one1 had no springs4 ,the road was of a most primitive description1 although the main thoroughfare between two important centres of population4 ,the jolting and bumping defy description4 ,the speed is nearly two miles an hour if all goes well4 ,the discomfort of travelling is somewhat mitigated by the 8cartel0--a wooden frame hung within the waggon by very short chains of three links4 ,across the frame are stretched 8rims0 or strips of undressed ox-hide about a quarter of an inch broad4 ,when the waggon is at rest this makes a very comfortable bed1 far more so than some of the beds of my experience in ,china1 such as the boards of a ,chinese chapel vestry1 or the planks of a ,chinese boat4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,mrs4 ,hawkins4 ,,kuruman ,,mission ,,house1 ,,built ,,by ,,moffat ,,and ,,hamilton4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,neville ,jones4 ,,the ,,new ,,kuruman ,,waggon1 ,,with ,,mr4 ,,and ,,mrs4 ,j4 ,,tom ,,brown4 ,the oxen are outspanned about three times a day at places where there is water1 or where they are likely to find some grass4 ,no reins are used in driving1 but the oxen are controlled by a very long whip which is used with great dexterity either by the driver from the front of the waggon or by his assistant walking alongside the oxen4 ,these two men also act as cooks4 ,a ,christmas ,day spent in these conditions will live in the memory4 ,the stay at ,kuruman was a delightful experience4 ,this place is a veritable oasis in the desert with a perennial water supply from the ,kuruman river1 which issues from a place called 8,the ,fountain0 in the ,kuruman township three miles away from the ,mission station4 ,thence in summer and winter1 in flood and in drought1 flows #d1jjj1jjj gallons of water a day4 ,by means of water-furrows1 constructed by the early missionaries1 the dry and thirsty land is converted into a paradise of green4 ,the trees in the garden are a constant delight4 ,i stayed in the ,mission ,house built by ,robert ,moffat and ,robert ,hamilton eighty years ago4 ,the whole place is rich with associations4 ,it was here that ,david ,livingstone courted ,mary ,moffat4 ,the almond tree in the garden under which he proposed to her is still flourishing4 ,close by is the great ,church1 built by ,moffat1 and rich with many a memory4 ,next to it is the house where ,william ,ashton lived for many years1 which is now occupied by ,mrs4 ,bevan ,wookey1 who is in charge of the excellent ,mission ,school at ,kuruman4 ,behind is the school and the old printing office4 ,the garden is most fertile2 oranges1 lemons1 quinces1 mulberries1 pears1 apples1 plums1 apricots1 peaches1 pomegranates1 walnuts1 melons and richly-laden vines1 abounding4 ,for more than a quarter of a century the ,rev4 ,j4 ,tom ,brown has carried on ,missionary work at this station4 ,the great fact of the growing ,christian ,church in ,south ,africa was abundantly emphasised on the ,sunday of my stay at ,kuruman4 ,from outstations far and near the ,christians came in for the ,communion ,service on the last ,sunday of the year and for the ,new ,year's meetings4 ,in the morning some #a1ejj gathered together for public worship1 and three services were carried on simultaneously4 ,moffat's long1 and somewhat dark ,church1 with its great wooden beams1 was filled with a ,sechuana-speaking congregation4 ,the dimness of the ,church was relieved by the orange1 yellow1 pink and blue of the dresses of the women4 ,in the spacious school there was a crowded service for the ,dutch-speaking natives and coloured people4 ,in the yard of ,mrs4 ,wookey's house there was a service1 conducted by an evangelist1 for the ,damaras1 a stalwart tribe of blackest hue4 ,these people are refugees from ,german ,south-,west ,africa4 ,in the afternoon all the ,church members gathered together in the ,church at a solemn ,communion ,service4 ,a stranger will not soon forget the impressive quietness and reverence of the service as the bare-footed deacons moved noiselessly along the serried ranks of the great black crowd that was present4 ,the meetings on the following day were further evidence of the growing ,church4 ,a large gathering of ,church members was held at which discussions took place on several subjects quite familiar to the ,home ,churches1 many ,natives joining in with great intelligence and earnestness4 ,the ,native ,pastor at ,kuruman1 the ,rev4 ,maphakela ,lekalaka1 an eloquent preacher1 a capable minister1 and a master of metaphor--known as the 8,joseph ,parker of ,bechuanaland0--superintended the work of the station with ability and success during the absence of the ,missionary on furlough4 ,the journey back to ,vryburg was made in an old ox-waggon drawn by fourteen oxen kindly lent by the ,church at one of the ,kuruman outstations4 ,i travelled back via ,motito1 which has pathetic associations4 ,in a tiny grave-yard there are buried two or three missionary children4 ,there is also a grave which recalls a grim tragedy1--that of ,jean ,fredoux1 a son-in-law of ,dr4 ,moffat1 and a missionary of the ,paris ,evangelical ,missionary ,society1 which was formerly at work there4 ,it was in #ahfe that he met his death4 ,a 8depraved ,european0 7to quote from the inscription on the gravestone7 attacked his wife in his absence4 ,the ,native ,christians defended her and made him prisoner1 intending to send him to ,kuruman for trial4 ,next day they were afraid they might get into trouble for arresting a white man and they let him go4 ,he escaped in his waggon to the place where ,mr4 ,fredoux was1 and the ,natives followed and told the latter what had happened4 ,mr4 ,fredoux went to speak to the man1 who retreated inside his waggon4 ,then followed an explosion of gunpowder1 which blew the waggon1 the 8depraved ,european10 ,mr4 ,fredoux and all the ,natives to pieces4 ,at the conclusion of the journey from ,kuruman ,i paid a short visit to ,tiger ,kloof and then proceeded north to visit the ,matebeleland stations1 in what is now known as ,southern ,rhodesia1 taking three days' holiday to see the wonderful ,victoria ,falls and places of interest in ,bulawayo and the neighbourhood4 ,every ,britisher naturally associates ,rhodesia with the name and work of ,cecil ,rhodes4 ,his statue stands in a commanding position in ,bulawayo4 ,his grave in the rocky fastness of the ,matopo ,hills is an impressive monument to his memory4 ,all round are immense blocks of granite piled up in fantastic shapes4 ,four groups of these granite boulders almost completely enclose a rocky surface about #cj yards square1 in the centre of which there is a large untrimmed block of granite lying on the ground4 ,on the top of this is a sheet of bronze about #aj feet by #d feet and #b inches thick1 on which are deeply cut these words3-- 8,,here ,,lie ,,the ,,remains ,,of ,,cecil ,,john ,,rhodes40 ,there is no date4 ,close by on the slope of the hill there is a white marble rectangular monument1 with bronze panels1 commemorating ,major ,wilson and thirty-four men who laid down their lives in one of the ,matebeleland wars4 ,the inscription reads3 8,,to ,,brave ,,men40 ,few people1 perhaps1 realise what ,rhodesia owes to the lives and labours of ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,missionaries4 ,when ,cecil ,rhodes was a youth of twenty ,mr4 ,helm was establishing the ,mission ,station at ,hope ,fountain1 #aj miles away from the present town of ,bulawayo1 which was then non-existent4 ,rhodes was always ready to acknowledge the value of the services rendered by ,mr4 ,helm in his early pioneering days in the country which afterwards was named ,southern ,rhodesia4 ,he was a constant visitor to ,hope ,fountain1 and ,mr4 ,helm often took part in his negotiations with ,lobenguela1 the blood-thirsty ,matebele king4 ,john ,smith ,moffat1 the son of ,dr4 ,moffat1 at one time an ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,missionary1 afterwards for many years a ,government official1 and always the friend of the ,natives1 played an important part in the establishment of ,british rule in ,rhodesia4 ,john ,mackenzie1 too1 did a great work in this direction1 and was ever a stalwart champion of the rights of the ,natives4 ,mr4 ,helm drove me from ,bulawayo to ,hope ,fountain in a cart drawn by four mules1 the two leaders rejoicing in the names of 8,bella0 and 8,donna40 ,at ,hope ,fountain the ,society holds for the benefit of the ,natives a farm upon which some #ejj people are living4 ,in ,southern ,rhodesia1 outside the towns1 it is very difficult1 if not impossible1 to carry on missionary work except on such farms or in ,native ,reserves4 ,throughout the country farms are being rapidly taken up by white farmers1 and the ,natives are steadily and inevitably being driven off the lands which they previously occupied into the great ,native ,reserves provided for them by the ,government4 ,hope ,fountain is the centre of some thirteen outstations1 most of which are under the charge of resident evangelists4 ,these men and many of the ,native ,christians came into the head-station to meet me4 ,these small ,churches form another example of the growing ,native ,christian ,church of ,south ,africa4 ,the principles of self-support have been inculcated with such success that they raise for the support of their own ,christian work a sum considerably in excess of that raised at any other station of the ,society in the sub-continent4 ,at ,hope ,fountain1 as in so many places in the ,mission ,field1 one is reminded of the great and good men who have given their lives to the work in days gone by4 ,in the cemetery there ,david ,carnegie is buried1 and his white stone tomb can be seen from the ,mission ,house across the valley4 ,his widow and family live at a house on the road between ,hope ,fountain and ,bulawayo4 ,the next week of my travel was devoted to exploring one of the great ,native ,reserves above referred to4 ,mr4 ,helm drove me from ,bulawayo to ,inyati1 the most northern station of the ,society in ,south ,africa1 a journey of forty-five miles4 ,thence1 accompanied by ,mr4 ,cullen ,reed and ,mr4 ,r4 ,lanning1 the ,native ,commissioner1 ,i paid a visit to the ,shangani ,reserve1 which comprises a large tract of country situated about midway between ,bulawayo and the ,zambesi4 ,this ,reserve has been set apart by the authorities for the accommodation of ,natives who have been driven off the land by the gradual settlement of white farmers4 ,the expedition involved a cart journey over rough country of some #bbj miles1 some of it through virgin tropical forest across which the road consisted of little more than a track4 ,for seven nights ,i slept on the ground near the great fires which were necessary to keep off lions and other beasts of prey4 ,the experience was a delightful one in spite of a too abundant insect life which often proved troublesome4 ,mr4 ,lanning has a unique knowledge of the country and his experience of travel on the veldt added greatly to the comfort and the pleasure of the journey4 ,moreover1 he is a keen hunter and kept the larder well supplied with fresh meat4 ,the cart was drawn by six mules and we were accompanied by another cart which conveyed the ,native servants1 the luggage and the camp equipment4 ,the interest of the journey was enhanced by meetings with ,native chiefs and headmen at different places4 ,they may be typified in the person of ,tjakalisa1 ,lobenguela's third son1 a fine specimen of the human race1 standing over six feet high and every inch of him an aristocrat4 ,clad in a vest and a short leather apron and some wire bracelets1 he looked like the son of a king4 ,years ago he was nearly burnt to death in a tree in which he had taken refuge from a bush fire4 ,david ,carnegie treated him and saved his life4 ,on another occasion he was out hunting with his father4 ,his cartridges were several sizes too small for his gun4 ,as fast as he put them in at the breech they fell out at the muzzle4 ,lobenguela insisted that he was bewitched1 and this opinion was apparently confirmed when1 on his shooting expedition1 his horse took fright and threw him1 breaking his leg into splinters4 ,mr4 ,helm came to the rescue and effected a complete cure4 ,nowadays ,tjakalisa has settled down in the ,shangani as a farmer on a large scale4 ,he has been known to realise as much as #fjj at one time on the sale of his produce4 ,he came to discuss with us the question of the settlement of a resident missionary4 ,he was accompanied by a fine old chief1 ,sivalo1 who still wears one of the old ,matebele iron circlets on the top of his head4 ,i shall not soon forget the long morning spent in the blazing sun--in 8the splendour1 shadowless and broad10 of a ,south ,african midsummer4 ,tjakalisa and ,sivalo were attended by a score of headmen4 ,they were eloquent in praise of their new country1 which had not suffered from the terrible drought which has been afflicting so much of the sub-continent4 ,they realise the benefits of elementary education and promised to support a school and to build a house for a teacher4 ,they were filled with enthusiasm for the future of this promised land4 ,later on the same night ,i was lying on my bed1 consisting of leaves and grass and a rug1 under the stars which were soon to be extinguished by the brilliant light of a ,south ,african full moon4 ,a few yards away our black servants were sitting around the camp-fire4 ,one of these was a ,basuto who had passed some of his life in prison and was now a servant in the mission4 ,another was a black1 curly-headed herd-boy from one of our mission stations4 ,with them were some naked ,matebele4 ,before ,i slept ,i heard the strains of a hymn in the native language1 sung to a well-known tune4 ,it was3 ,jesus1 still lead on1 ,till our rest be won2 ,and1 although the way be cheerless1 ,we will follow1 calm and fearless2 ,guide us by ,thy hand ,to our ,fatherland4 ,i fell asleep to dream of the ,african church of the future in this new fatherland of their race4 ,already under the steady pressure of white settlement large numbers of ,natives have been driven into this ,reserve and month after month there are fresh arrivals4 ,in the old days the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 was ever to the front as the pioneer ,society in the evangelization of ,south ,africa4 ,in these days it is looking forward to establishing a new mission station in this ,reserve1 unless prevented by the great deficiency and the lukewarmness of the ,home ,churches4 ,from ,shangani ,i returned to ,inyati1 the station where ,mr4 ,bowen ,rees has laboured so long and faithfully4 ,he was away on furlough at the time of my visit4 ,during my stay there ,i was reminded of some of the minor inconveniences--not to say dangers--of a missionary's life4 ,one evening while we were sitting on the verandah a snake paid us a visit1 while the next day a cobra was caught in the woodstack close at hand4 ,i inspected the school and attended a large gathering in the ,church of ,christians from ,inyati and its outstations4 ,most of the adults squatted on the floor with their families around them4 ,the naked babies tumbled over each other in their playful frolics1 or slept on their mothers' backs while ,i was trying to speak to their parents4 ,from ,inyati ,mr4 ,helm drove me to ,insiza1 formerly a station of the ,society4 ,on the following morning ,i left at #d a4m4 by train for ,bulawayo1 where ,i proceeded to ,marula ,tank ,siding en route for the new ,arthington station at ,tjimali1 where our ,missionary1 ,mr4 ,whiteside1 met me4 ,a drive of twenty miles in the mule cart brought us to the ,mission ,house1 which is beautifully situated in the midst of granite kopjes which form the western spur of the ,matopo ,hills4 ,the view is magnificent4 ,the garden terminates in a forbidding precipice some hundreds of feet deep4 ,on one side of the house is a lofty rocky hill which commands a wide stretch of mountainous country in all directions with intervening valleys1 and plains and hills4 ,there are1 however1 drawbacks to ,tjimali as a residence4 ,the baboons are very numerous in the immediate neighbourhood and go about in herds of forty or fifty and rob the gardens in the day time4 ,the wild cats steal the chickens at night4 ,the eagles carry off the lambs1 and the insect life is super-abundant4 ,tjimali is the ,society's newest station in ,matebeleland and the work is in its early stages4 ,there are ten outstations1 at each of which there is a native teacher who conducts school during the week and acts as pastor-evangelist on ,sundays1 preaching and holding classes for inquirers4 ,the work is bright with promise and is reaching the miners who are settling in the outskirts of the district4 ,from ,tjimali ,i journeyed by cart to ,dombodema1 a long day's drive of fifty-eight miles4 ,my experience that day illustrates one of the disadvantages of the new mode of travel in ,south ,africa4 ,i had been driven to the ,marula ,siding to catch the train for ,plumtree1 the station for ,dombodema4 ,on arrival there ,i found that on the previous day the time for the starting of the train had been put forward four hours without any notice whatever to the public or even the station master1 and hence there was nothing for it but to drive the whole distance4 ,on the way ,i was met by ,mr4 ,cullen ,reed1 the ,dombodema missionary1 who has been at work there since the foundation of the station in #ahie4 ,mr4 ,reed has to carry on his work in three languages and has to itinerate a parish of #c1jjj square miles inhabited by #ae1jjj people4 ,on each side of the ,mission station are low picturesque kopjes4 ,the day before ,i arrived ,mr4 ,reed had killed a snake fifteen feet long in the garden4 ,preachers1 teachers and ,christian workers had come in from the outstations for the meeting4 ,three of them had travelled all the way from ,nekati1 a distance of #aej miles4 ,at this place ,segkome ,khama lives4 ,he is the eldest son of ,khama1 the famous ,chief of the ,bamangwato tribe4 ,for the ,sunday service the ,church was crowded1 the congregation sitting on the floor1 and some scores more finding seats under the shadow of a great fig tree outside the door4 ,the ,service was conducted in two languages4 ,in the afternoon an impressive ,communion ,service was held4 ,on leaving ,dombodema ,i proceeded south to ,serowe1 spending two days on the way at the ,british ,residency1 ,francistown1 as the guest of ,major ,daniel1 the ,assistant ,commissioner for the ,northern half of the ,bechuanaland ,protectorate4 ,my visit to ,serowe was one of my most interesting experiences in ,south ,africa4 ,leaving ,phalapye ,road railway station at #c4bj a4m4 in the faint light of the waning moon ,i started on the cart ride of thirty-five miles to ,serowe4 ,the cart was drawn by eight fine mules kindly put at my disposal by the ,government4 ,it was the dustiest ride ,i have ever experienced1 in many places the road being several inches deep in sand and dust4 ,the dust of the ,plain of ,chihli in ,north ,china makes an impression on the memory which it is not easy to forget1 but the drive to ,serowe was a more trying experience1 because eight galloping mules travel much faster than the sorry beasts which draw the ,peking carts of ,north ,china4 ,about three miles from ,serowe we saw a cloud of dust ahead and there emerged from it a company of horsemen whom ,khama had sent to escort me4 ,a mile further on the whole veldt seemed to be enveloped in a mighty dust-storm4 ,when it reached us we stopped4 ,khama had come in person with some hundreds of horsemen4 ,the old ,chief sprang from his saddle like a man of #bf rather than a man of #gf4 ,he joined me in the cart and we renewed our drive4 ,the horsemen galloped before and behind and on either side4 ,the drivers thrashed their mules with two whips to force them to keep pace with the horsemen4 ,a regular stampede ensued4 ,fresh detachments of ,natives1 all mounted on fine steeds1 joined the cavalcade every two or three minutes4 ,the ,chief thoroughly enjoyed the fun and laughed heartily as the horses of the various members of our escort kept cannonading against one another in the mad rush4 ,serowe1 the largest ,native town in ,south ,africa1 contains about #bf1jjj inhabitants1 and is picturesquely situated4 ,mr4 ,jennings1 the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 missionary1 has carried on work there for upwards of ten years4 ,it is a typical ,bechuana town1 having no streets but consisting of numerous collections of native huts within fenced kraals4 ,the position of the ,mission ,house is particularly striking1 lying as it does between three great piles of rocks4 ,the town owes much of its importance to the fact that it is ,khama's capital4 ,this old ,chief--the ,jubilee of whose baptism was celebrated two years ago--is the most distinguished ,native of ,south ,africa4 ,he is undoubtedly one of the busiest men in the world4 ,he spends laborious days in the ,kgotla--the great open-air meeting place of the tribe--dealing with all sorts of questions affecting his people1 and acting as judge4 ,nothing concerning the life of the tribe is too minute for his careful attention4 ,he knows all that happens and rules his people with a firm hand1 exercising a benevolent despotism4 ,in a very true sense ,khama is head of the ,church as well as head of the ,state4 ,he is most regular in his attendance at ,sunday services and religious meetings4 ,under his leadership his people have just built a magnificent stone ,church1 on the foundation stone of which are inscribed these words3-- 8,,this ,,church ,,was ,,erected ,,to ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,god ,,by ,,chief ,,khama ,,and ,,the ,,bamangwato ,,tribe40 ,two great meetings in the ,kgotla will live in my memory4 ,at day-break on the morning after my arrival ,i attended a prayer meeting for rain4 ,these meetings had been held for weeks4 ,about #hjj men and women were present in almost equal proportions4 ,most of the women sat upon the ground and the men on low chairs or stools which they brought with them4 ,khama sat on a deck chair under the shadow of a tree in the middle of one of the sides of the oval into which the people had grouped themselves4 ,his young wife sat on his left hand4 ,there was singing1 reading and prayer4 ,the ,chief himself led the meeting in the final prayer1 which lasted about five minutes4 ,i am told he compared his country to a wilderness where there was no river1 and his people to a lonely dog in the desert crying for water4 ,another memorable meeting in the ,kgotla was the ,sunday morning service4 ,between #d1jjj and #e1jjj people assembled at #g a4m41 most of the men sitting on the right and the women on the left4 ,the scene was a most picturesque one4 ,the coloured head-dresses of the women were brilliant in the morning sunshine4 ,khama and his wife were present4 ,a deacon with a fine voice led the singing1 which was very hearty1 and was unaccompanied by any instrument4 ,many other gatherings were held during my visit to ,serowe4 ,i met deacons1 ,church members1 catechumens1 inquirers1 ,sunday ,school teachers1 and other ,christian workers4 ,in several conversations with the ,chief ,i found him to be deeply interested in ,christian work in other parts of the world4 ,he has the high spirits of a boy and told many yarns of hunting experiences4 ,he had some interesting reminiscences of his meetings with ,david ,livingstone to narrate4 ,he told me that he remembered ,livingstone visiting his father1 ,segkome1 on three occasions4 ,on the first and second of these visits ,livingstone was riding on a hornless ox4 ,on the third occasion he was travelling in an ox-waggon and came to ,shoshong4 8,after that10 ,khama added1 8he went beyond the ,zambesi1 and ,i never saw him again40 ,of his own accord he told me of ,livingstone's encounter with the lion1 and described the damage to the arm and told me he remembered hearing of the incident at the time4 ,khama has two houses1 one a spacious and well-built native hut1 where he lives with his wife1 ,semane1 who was trained at the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,school1 and is a fine specimen of a ,native ,christian woman4 ,she takes great interest in the work and often visits the schools and is a regular attendant at the services in the ,kgotla4 ,khama's other residence is a ,european house1 brick-built1 with a verandah in front and containing four rooms4 ,i visited him there1 and was received in his sitting-room1 which is about #ah feet square4 ,the floor was covered with linoleum upon which was a ,turkey carpet4 ,there were two tables--one a large old-fashioned drawing-room table1 on which stood a photograph of ,earl ,selborne in a silver frame and two other photographs1 and the other a light folding table on which was a richly framed autograph photograph of ,queen ,victoria1 which she had given to the ,chief when he was in ,england in #ahie4 ,on this table also stood a very large blue enamel milk-pail full of milk and a bottle of vinegar4 ,in the corner was an ,address from the ,serowe ,chamber of ,commerce on the occasion of the ,jubilee of his baptism4 ,on the walls were portraits of the late ,king ,edward1 ,queen ,alexandra1 ,king ,george and other ,royalties4 ,he showed me a gold hunter watch he was wearing1 which contained an inscription recording that it was presented to him by the ,duke and ,duchess of ,connaught4 ,he was very interested in political matters and was most anxious about the future of his people1 being apprehensive that the ,protectorate might one day be incorporated in the ,south ,africa ,union1 and keenly desirous of preventing the occurrence of anything in the nature of such a catastrophe1 as he deems it would be4 ,khama is a man of great physical strength4 ,a week or two before ,i saw him he had ridden sixty miles to ,shoshong on horse-back in a single day1 and after a day or two's stay had made the return journey in the same way4 ,he exercises a tremendous influence over the tribe1 and in recent years has put a stop to the manufacture and drinking of ,native beer4 ,the story is told of him that some time ago a man who had tried to bewitch him died of fright1 when ,khama reminded him that he was the son of the greatest of witch doctors1 ,segkome1 and that he could kill him if he wished to do so4 ,my week's intercourse with ,khama made two impressions on my mind4 ,the first is that he is a ,christian gentleman1 and the second is that he is one of the most cautious and astute men ,i have ever met in my life4 ,he has a remarkable mind1 the working of which it is not always easy to understand1 but of his desire to spread the light amongst the people over whom he rules with a rod of iron there cannot be a shadow of doubt4 ,of the growing ,church among the ,bamangwato there are many manifest signs4 ,apart from the salaries of the missionaries and a small grant to keep the ,mission ,house in repair1 the work at ,serowe is self-supporting4 ,moreover1 the ,church is a ,missionary ,church1 and is seeking to pass on the light to others4 ,for many years it has done much to sustain the work for ,god at ,lake ,ngami1 which is the ,mission field of the ,bamangwato ,church4 ,it sends out its own missionaries4 ,for twenty years ,shomolekae has been the devoted and much loved evangelist of the far-away ,lake ,ngami district and has bravely held the fort in spite of loneliness and isolation and repeated attacks of fever4 ,he has now been joined by ,andrew ,kgasi1 who was trained at ,tiger ,kloof1 and volunteered for service at the ,lake4 ,from ,serowe ,i travelled to ,shoshong1 being driven to ,phalapye ,road ,station by the ,acting-,magistrate in the ,government mule cart4 ,proceeding south by railway to ,mahalapye ,i was there met by ,mr4 ,lloyd1 the ,shoshong missionary1 with his ox-waggon4 ,we travelled all night and reached ,shoshong at mid-day4 ,this place in the old days was the capital of the ,bamangwato tribe4 ,it was here that ,segkome1 ,khama's father1 ruled and ,khama himself was baptised fifty-two years ago4 ,here ,david ,livingstone preached and practised in the early forties1 and later on ,john ,mackenzie1 ,roger ,price and ,j4 ,d4 ,hepburn laboured4 ,but its glory departed when in #ahhf ,khama moved his capital to ,phalapye4 ,shoshong is picturesquely situated in a wide plain with mountains on all sides1 but there are few traces of its former greatness4 ,the site of the old town is covered with bush4 ,the present town consists of three large kraals under three local chiefs or head-men1 one of whom is ,khamane1 ,khama's brother1 and another ,tshwene1 ,khama's son-in-law4 ,at the time of my visit ,shoshong was experiencing the terrible effects of the prolonged drought4 ,the only water supply was two miles away in the river bed1 over one of the roughest paths ,i have ever traversed4 ,between the boulders over the stones and across the rocks the narrow serpentine track had been worn quite smooth by the long procession of women walking up and down day by day to fetch water from holes dug in the bed of the river4 ,one of the vivid impressions of travel in these parts is that of a string of women carrying very heavy clay pots of water balanced on their heads1 climbing over rocks and making their way through thorn bushes1 and never spilling a drop of the water4 ,these great pots are #ah inches across in the broadest part and one foot high1 and when filled are very heavy4 ,i tried to lift one on to my head but entirely failed4 ,the women help each other to hoist them and they do this very cleverly and quickly4 ,a man attempted to help a woman to replace on her head the pot ,i had tried to lift4 ,the woman said 8,no6 you are no good1 you are only a man6 ,you cannot do it40 ,an old woman of sixty came to the rescue and between them they succeeded in replacing the pot upon the head of its bearer4 ,shoshong is the centre of a large district comprising thirty-nine outstations1 some of which1 however1 are little more than preaching stations4 ,the missionary visits them from time to time4 ,there are only seven schools in the district4 ,on my return journey to the railway ,i had an experience of travel which was much more common formerly1 when the ox-waggon was the only means of conveyance1 than to-day1 when its place has been largely taken by carts and trains4 ,we left ,shoshong in the waggon at #aj p4m4 ,the herd-boy had been unable to find two of the best oxen1 and we started with a span of twelve1 at least two of which were very poor specimens4 ,in the first two miles we had to stop a score of times4 ,finally1 one of the oxen laid down and refused to move4 ,we left this creature and its fellow behind1 and proceeded with ten oxen only4 ,the heavy thunderstorm of the previous day had left water behind it on the road and our progress was slow4 ,between five and six on the following morning ,i was wakened by a tremendous banging and found one of the drivers standing on the front seat of the waggon chopping off a branch of a tree which barred our way4 ,fifty yards further on1 owing to careless driving and tired oxen1 the wheels on one side of the waggon got lodged in a deep rut full of water and mud4 ,i got up to find the waggon at an angle of forty-five degrees and in imminent danger of overturning4 ,dressing hurriedly and getting out of the waggon ,i found the boys had unyoked the oxen and fastened them on to the back in the vain hope that they might thus pull it out of the rut backwards4 ,a futile effort was then made to dig out the two wheels1 but it was impossible to move the waggon4 ,the boy went off post-haste to ,bonwapitse1 two miles away1 to borrow oxen and men from the ,chief to extricate us4 ,in two hours twenty men1 including the ,chief's son1 and ten of the most powerful oxen ,i have ever seen1 came to our rescue4 ,a chain was fastened round the back axle and in less time than it takes to describe the incident the waggon was dragged out of the rut4 ,the new oxen1 however1 were not content with their performance1 but rushed off1 dragging the waggon backwards1 and soon two considerable trees were levelled to the ground in the stampede4 ,fortunately1 the oxen took a semi-circular course1 and the great trees and dense bush checked them in their mad career1 but not before some damage had been done and the interior of the waggon half-filled with broken branches of trees4 ,it was ,sunday morning4 ,on reaching ,bonwapitse we held a ,service under the trees1 which was attended by the ,chief and his wife and about #ajj people4 ,this was one of the many open-air services which will live in the memory4 ,the trees afforded little shade4 ,the almost vertical rays of the ,south ,africa summer sun beat down with merciless severity upon the people gathered together as they joined in singing their hymns and listened with great attention to the words spoken to them1 and took part with great devoutness in the prayers which were offered4 ,i proceeded by railway to ,gaberones1 arriving there between two and three in the morning4 ,alighting from the train ,i waited in the darkness until two men appeared with a lantern to conduct me to the ,government waggon which ,mr4 ,ellenberger had kindly sent4 ,we in-spanned early in the morning and ,i was taken to the ,residency three miles away1 where a warm welcome awaited me4 ,mr4 ,ellenberger is the ,assistant ,commissioner for the ,southern portion of the ,protectorate4 ,he is the son of a missionary of the ,paris ,missionary ,society who laboured in ,basutoland1 and his wife is the daughter of the well-known ,dr4 ,casalis of the same ,society4 ,i experienced from them the same kindness which was always extended to me by the ,government officials1 and my two days' stay at the ,residency was altogether delightful4 ,they kindly drove me in the ,government cart to ,khumakwane1 where we found the waggon which had conveyed my luggage on the previous day1 awaiting us4 ,mr4 ,haydon ,lewis1 the missionary from ,molepolole1 met us there with his waggon4 ,afterwards another open-air service was held under a great tree1 in the course of which ,mr4 ,ellenberger spoke to the people in ,sechuana1 and a business interview followed with the neighbouring ,chief1 at whose village the ,mission ,chapel had been burnt some time before at the instigation of a 8false prophet40 ,mr4 ,ellenberger drove us to ,kolobeng1 where we saw the ruins of the house which ,livingstone had built seventy years before1 and which was destroyed during his absence by the ,boers4 ,the outline of the house was quite distinct1 and on one side the walls are still standing about #g feet high4 ,the bricks were of the roughest description1 and the marvel is that they have stood the storms of seventy years without disappearing altogether4 ,in ,livingstone's day there was a large town here1 but now not a hut is to be seen owing to tribal migration4 ,the ,kolobeng river itself has almost disappeared1 but its course is clearly marked by a great line of reeds and rushes4 ,i met two old men who remembered ,livingstone1 and gave me some details of his personal appearance4 ,one of them as a boy was doctored by him1 the other still cultivates ,livingstone's garden--a small patch near the ruins1 where mealies are grown4 ,close by are the remains of an old ,dispensary1 and a little further off are two nameless graves4 ,it was a scene of desolation1 nature having completely re-asserted herself1 and obliterated all traces of the former town4 ,but from the site there was a fine view of undulating veldt and valley and mountain1 and one thought with gratitude of the great man who had 8passed like light across the darkened land0-- 8,to lift the sombre fringes of the ,night ,to open lands long darkened to the ,light1 ,to heal grim wounds1 to give the blind new sight1 ,right mightily wrought he40 ,next day ,i left for ,molepolole with ,mr4 ,haydon ,lewis4 ,this town1 where missionary work has been carried on since #ahff1 is the capital of the ,bakwena tribe4 ,in the afternoon there was a great gathering of school children for their annual sports4 ,just after ,i had distributed the prizes a youth galloped up on a bare-backed horse1 scattering the children in all directions4 ,he was the ,chief's son and has the reputation of being a graceless young rascal1 constantly under the influence of drink and a veritable vagabond in the tribe4 ,he rejoices in the name of ,ralph ,wardlaw ,thompson ,sebele1 having been born about the time when ,dr4 ,thompson was last in ,molepolole1 and receiving at baptism the honoured name to which he is anything but a credit4 ,during my visit ,i inspected the schools and met the ,church members and congregation1 and was present at a crowded lantern service in the ,church4 ,in spite of great difficulties the evangelistic work is being carried on with success by means of twenty-eight native preachers trained on the station4 ,this tribe has set an example to the other ,bechuanaland tribes by levying a school tax of #b_/-per annum upon all tax-payers1 thus providing ample funds for educational purposes4 ,except for the salary of the missionaries and an annual grant for itineration the work at this station is self-supporting1 and the ,church is realising the duties of providing for its own work1 of governing itself and of spreading the ,gospel in the outlying parts4 ,its ,mission field is the ,north central part of the ,khalahari ,desert which adjoins the territory of the tribe on the west4 ,at ,molepolole1 as well as at other stations1 the missionary is also the doctor4 ,a considerable portion of each morning1 when he is at home1 is spent in examining patients and dispensing medicines4 ,he is ably seconded by his wife1 who was a trained nurse4 ,thus the light is spread not only by the preaching of the ,gospel and the teaching in the schools1 but also by the healing of the sick4 ,so our missionaries are found following in the footsteps of the ,great ,physician4 ,from ,molepolole ,i travelled south in the ox-waggon to ,mahatelo on my way to ,kanye4 ,early next morning ,i was met at ,gamoshupa by a cart and four mules1 kindly sent for me by ,seapapico1 the ,chief of the ,bangwaketsi tribe4 ,after a drive through beautiful scenery ,i reached ,kanye1 a town of #aj1jjj inhabitants1 and the capital of the tribe1 in the afternoon4 ,i spent the greater part of a week at this station1 where missionary work has been carried on under the superintendence of a resident missionary for forty years1 and where ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,howard ,williams were labouring4 ,while this book is passing through the press a cablegram has been received1 conveying the sad news that ,mr4 ,williams has been called to the higher service1 after a devoted missionary life of well-nigh thirty years4 ,the increasing activities of a growing ,church of nearly #gjj members were apparent in the town itself and in the numerous outstations in the district4 ,on the ,sunday the spacious ,church1 which was provided by the tribe and cost #c1jjj apart from the bricks1 and contains a fine organ1 the gift of the late ,chief ,bathoen1 was packed to its utmost capacity1 many having come in from the outstations4 ,the women's head-dresses1 which were of all the colours of the rainbow1 were in striking contrast to the black heads of the men4 ,after the service thirty-four adults were baptised1 and in the afternoon a ,communion ,service was held1 at which #eej ,church members gathered round the table of our ,lord4 ,on the following days ,i attended meetings of ,church members and ,christian workers and of women1 inspected the schools1 and had interviews with some of the leading men4 ,the present ,chief1 ,seapapico1 is a young man of twenty-six1 and the son of ,bathoen1 who accompanied ,khama to ,england in #ahie4 ,the young man was educated at ,lovedale1 and speaks ,english well1 and was a great support to the missionary1 ,mr4 ,howard ,williams4 ,his mother1 ,bathoen's widow1 is a fine ,christian woman and gives great assistance to ,mrs4 ,williams in her work amongst the women of the tribe4 ,she was the favourite daughter of ,sechele1 the old ,chief of the ,bakwena tribe4 ,when she was a girl she had a quarrel with a friend and destroyed her eyesight with a thorn4 ,sechele had one of his daughter's eyes put out1 on the principle of 8an eye for an eye10 and she bears the mark of this parental correction to this day4 ,from ,kanye ,i was driven in the ,chief's cart to the railway at ,lobatsi1 whence on the following day ,i was escorted by the native ordained minister1 ,roger ,k4 ,mokadi1 to his station at ,maanwane1 over the ,transvaal border4 ,after a service in the ,church and a visit to ,roger's kraal1 a hot tramp under a fierce sun brought us at ,mabotsa to the ruins of the old ,mission house built by ,livingstone and ,edwards4 ,some of the walls were standing seven or eight feet high1 but the interior was overgrown with bush4 ,close by is the hill where ,livingstone had his famous encounter with the lion1 and near at hand an old native ,christian lives who was with ,livingstone at the time4 ,a drive through ,linokani1 where the ,german ,lutherans are carrying on a fine piece of missionary work1 brought me to ,zeerust and next day by means of the train ,i reached ,johannesburg4 ,it does not fall within the scope of this book to describe this wonderful city1 the creation of the last twenty-five years4 ,it is by far the largest business town in ,south ,africa and is the centre of the greatest gold producing mines in the world4 ,here ,i experienced the utmost kindness from members of the ,congregational ,church and met my colleague1 ,mr4 ,houghton1 with whom ,i was to travel for the next nine months4 ,nor must ,i stay to refer to a deeply interesting visit to ,pretoria4 ,at these great centres the evidence of the appalling racial conflict1 which constitutes the greatest problem confronting the ,christian ,church in ,south ,africa to-day1 was abundantly apparent4 ,a few days later ,i travelled to ,mafeking1 for ever immortalised for its heroic defence during the ,boer war1 to see ,colonel ,panzera1 the ,resident ,commissioner for the ,bechuanaland ,protectorate1 and thence proceeded to ,tiger ,kloof to meet all the ,society's ,south ,african missionaries for consultation upon the work and its problems4 ,throughout my journeys amongst the ,churches in ,bechuanaland and ,matebeleland there were many signs of the growing power and promise of the ,native ,south ,african ,church4 ,that ,church1 planted first by ,moffat and his colleagues at ,kuruman1 and carried north by ,livingstone and his successors until it has well-nigh reached the ,zambesi1 has had a chequered career1 but its progress has been unmistakably onward and upward4 ,it has been tried and purified by the struggles of the past1 and to-day its 8far-flung battle line0 is making a steady advance against the forces of superstition and heathenism with which it is confronted4 8,climbing through darkness up to ,god10 the members of that ,church are bravely carrying 8the wonder and the glory of the light0 into 8the darkness and the sorrow of the night0 in which so many of their fellow-countrymen are still enshrouded4 ,through the open doors 8the true ,light1 which lighteth every man coming into the world10 is pouring its ever-brightening rays4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,tiger ,kloof--8,a ,lamp ,shining in a ,dark ,place0 ,from ,north1 and ,south1 and ,east1 and ,west ,they come4 ,,john ,,oxenham4 ,the crown of the work of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 in ,south ,africa is the ,tiger ,kloof ,native ,institution4 ,ten years ago the site on which its buildings now stand was bare veldt4 ,to-day it is a centre of light for all the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 work in ,south ,africa4 ,situated on the ,cape-to-,cairo ,railway1 #gfg miles north of ,cape ,town1 the ,institution buildings1 which challenge the attention of every passing traveller1 are a monument to the princely munificence of that great missionary-hearted man ,robert ,arthington of ,leeds1 to the energy1 ability1 devotion and far-seeing statesmanship of the ,rev4 ,w4 ,c4 ,willoughby1 and to what can be accomplished by the ,south ,african boys trained in the ,institution1 who have erected most of the buildings which are now so notable a feature of the landscape4#c ,it is to ,tiger ,kloof that the brightest and best boys1 who have received their early training at the ,mission stations of the ,society in ,south ,africa1 are sent to complete their education4 ,it is from ,tiger ,kloof that the teachers and preachers1 who are to be ,god's instruments in building up the growing ,native ,church1 proceed after receiving training to fit them for their work4 ,tiger ,kloof is the strategic centre of the ,society's work in ,south ,africa4 ,in the coming days it will also be the training place for teachers and preachers connected with the ,central ,africa ,mission4 ,within the limits of this sketch it is impossible to describe the manifold activities of this great ,institution4 ,i visited it on three occasions1 and altogether spent upwards of a month there1 and ,i had many opportunities of seeing and learning to appreciate the great work which is carried on4 ,at the present time there are nearly #bjj students in residence4 ,on the #hth ,march1 #aijd1 ,mr4 ,willoughby and his wife outspanned their waggon1 and that a borrowed one1 on the veldt at the corner of a large farm which the ,society had previously bought4 ,the word 8farm0 conveys a false impression4 ,it was an unfenced wilderness covered with stone and low bush4 ,the foundation stone of the ,institution was laid in #aije by ,earl ,selborne1 the ,governor of ,cape ,colony4 ,year after year buildings have been added1 and the ,institution now comprises a fine dining-hall with a clock tower1 six dormitories1 commodious school and class rooms1 carpenters' and tailors' shops and work-rooms1 offices and residences for the members of the staff1 and a series of cottages for the theological students and their families4 ,in the scholastic department the boys are taught the subjects prescribed by the ,cape code4 ,there is an excellent normal school for the training of teachers4 ,apprentices are taught masonry1 carpentry1 tailoring and office work1 and there is a theological department where the students are trained for the ministry4 ,on arrival at ,tiger ,kloof the visitor to whom the ,institution wishes to show honour is met by the boys in full-dress ,sunday uniform and the ,band4 ,as such visitors are not infrequent the sight of the boys at the ,siding1 smartly attired in their blue uniforms1 and the strains of the ,band help to make known the ,institution to the numerous travellers passing through by train4 ,daily ,prayers are held in the ,hall at #f4de a4m4 precisely4 ,the ,english language is employed and the ,mill ,hill ,school ,service book is used4 ,these gatherings for morning prayers are characterised by a quiet dignity and reverence which is very impressive4 ,the singing is good and the musical responses are very effectively rendered4 ,the singing of 8,crown ,him ,lord of all10 to the tune 8,diadem10 will not soon be forgotten by those who have listened to it4 ,after prayers the boys march out of the ,hall and form themselves into companies outside and proceed to the parade ground for drill4 ,the discipline is perfect4 ,the work of the ,institution has constantly received high praise from the ,government ,inspectors1 and large ,government grants are earned4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,w4 ,c4 ,willoughby4 ,,portion ,,of ,,tiger ,,kloof ,,institution4 ,right to left3 ,,dormitory1 ,,dining ,,hall1 ,,principal',s ,,house ,,beyond4 ,the influence of the work there is already being felt throughout the ,south ,africa ,mission4 ,not only are ordained pastors and certificated teachers1 who have received their training at ,tiger ,kloof1 to be found at the various stations1 but masons and carpenters who have learnt their trades there1 after returning to their homes1 occupy themselves with erecting ,churches1 schools and houses1 and in many cases their life and example is a blessing to the people amongst whom they live4 ,in this and other ways ,tiger ,kloof is making its contribution to the building up of a strong ,christian ,church in ,south ,africa1 and sending out ,christian youths to spread the light in many a dark place4 ,an ,institution on similar lines for girls is in course of erection at ,tiger ,kloof4 ,when it gets to work the most promising girls from the different ,mission stations will be sent there for higher training4 ,many of them will become the wives of the preachers and teachers1 and thus it is hoped will help to build up ,christian homes in ,south ,africa1 which will be centres of light in different parts of the field4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,the genesis and development of the great work at ,tiger ,kloof is admirably described in the ,handbook by ,mr4 ,willoughby1 entitled 8,tiger ,kloof10 published by the ,l4,m4,s4 ,price1 #as4 net2 post free #as4 #b;d4 ,b4--,,central ,,africa ,,chapter ,,iv ,the ,heart of the ,dark ,continent ,watchman1 what of the night8 ,the ,watchman said1 ,the morning cometh4 ,,isaiah4 ,the night is far spent and the day is at hand4 ,,st4 ,,paul4 ,after four and a-half months spent in ,south ,africa1 where the ,native ,church has been planted for a century1 ,i proceeded north to ,central ,africa1 where missionary work is in its early stages and the ,native ,church in its infancy4 ,leaving ,tiger ,kloof towards the end of ,march1 ,i travelled by the ,cape-to-,cairo ,railway through the ,protectorate and ,southern ,rhodesia1 and was joined by the other member of the ,central ,african ,deputation1 ,mr4 ,houghton1 at the ,victoria ,falls4 ,the ,railway took us to ,ndola1 #a1cgc miles north of ,tiger ,kloof4 ,there we were met by ,mr4 ,nutter1 of ,mbereshi1 in our ,central ,africa ,mission1 and over #ajj native carriers who were to be our companions for many a day to come4 ,before attempting any description of travel in ,central ,africa it will be well to say something about the country itself4 ,illustration3 ,,map ,,of ,,central ,,africa1 ,,showing ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,,mission ,,stations4 7,kambole should be west1 and not south of ,kafukula74 ,as late as the middle of last century maps of ,africa described the central regions of the ,dark ,continent as unexplored4 ,the labours of ,livingstone1 his contemporaries and successors have revealed to the peoples of the ,west a vast area as extensive as ,europe which is somewhat vaguely described as ,central ,africa4 ,towards the end of the century this great expanse of country had been parcelled out amongst the great ,powers of ,europe4 ,internal peace has taken the place of tribal warfare1 and the land has been thrown open to ,western colonization4 ,foremost amongst the pioneers of civilization has been the ,christian ,missionary1 and one of the earliest ,societies to enter the field was our own4 ,a remarkable and immediate result of the travels of ,livingstone was the occupation of ,central ,africa by some of the missionary organizations of ,britain4 ,the work commenced by our own ,society1 the ,church ,missionary ,society1 the ,universities' ,mission and the ,presbyterian ,missions was due directly or indirectly to the influence of that great ,missionary explorer--,david ,livingstone4 ,central ,africa exercises a singular fascination on those who visit it4 ,its great lakes1 its mighty rivers1 its boundless forests1 its glorious sunshine1 the black races which inhabit it1 all combine to make travel in that region a unique and delightful experience4 ,in our case that travel was made the more pleasant by the company of one and another of our missionaries on our journeys1 and the great privilege we enjoyed of fellowship with them and their families in their homes1 and the opportunities afforded us of seeing something of the work which they are carrying on amongst the people of the land4 ,one of the first impressions a traveller receives is that of the vastness of the territory and the comparative sparseness of the population4 ,these facts1 together with the want of facilities for rapid travel1 constitute serious difficulties in carrying on missionary work4 ,my colleague and ,i were the first ,deputation from the ,society to visit ,central ,africa4 ,as long ago as #ahgi the ,directors accepted an offer from the ,society's ,foreign ,secretary1 ,dr4 ,mullens1 to visit the ,mission4 ,he proceeded to ,zanzibar and started on his journey to ,lake ,tanganyika1 but died at ,chakombe in ,july of that year and was buried in the ,c4 ,m4 ,s4 cemetery at ,mpwapwa1 between ,tabora and ,dar-es-,salaam4 ,since that day conditions of travel and of life in ,northern ,rhodesia 7which is the part of ,central ,africa in which the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 carries on nearly all its work7 have completely changed4 ,no more striking evidence of the change can be afforded than a comparison between the experiences of the early missionaries and of their successors1 twenty-five years later4 ,the average term of service for the first ten missionaries who served in ,central ,africa was well under three years4 ,the ten missionaries at present on the field have already to their credit an average term of service of thirteen years1 and the majority of them are still under forty years of age4 ,moreover1 in the first ten years of the ,mission eleven missionaries died on the field1 and six were invalided home1 and 7with one exception7 did not return4 ,during the last ten years not a single missionary has died on the field1 and no missionary has retired on account of ill-health4 ,it was our good fortune to visit ,central ,africa during its winter1 and our experience of the climate was altogether delightful4 ,even during the hot season the heat is not so extreme as might be expected from the geographical position of the country4 ,at the ,society's stations the thermometer seldom1 if ever1 reaches #ajj ,fahrenheit during the hottest season--a point often exceeded further south4 ,nevertheless1 ,central ,africa is still a trying place for many people4 ,the liability to malarial fever1 dysentery1 and cognate diseases is considerable4 ,nor must it be forgotten that all our stations are necessarily at a high altitude above sea level4 ,the lowest of them--,kafukula--is nearly as high as the top of ,snowdon1 while all the remaining stations are between #d1gjj and #e1fjj feet up1 except ,mbereshi1 the altitude of which is #c1ijj feet4 ,life at this altitude is often trying to the nerves and heart1 and the strain is all the more severe owing to the impossibility of securing a substantial change of altitude without great expenditure of time and money4 ,the distance to the coast is so great1 the travel is so trying1 and the cost is so heavy that it is practically impossible for our missionaries and their families to obtain a complete change--either as a mid-term furlough or otherwise4 ,perhaps the best indication of the changed conditions of life and the improved health of the ,mission in these later days is afforded by the splendid health enjoyed by the missionaries' children4 ,the picture facing this page speaks for itself4 ,but there is an aspect of life in ,central ,africa which must not be over-looked1 namely its isolation4 ,at only one of our stations is any other white man in residence4 ,there are less than a dozen white people--officials and a trader--at ,kawambwa1 the ,government station twenty miles from ,mbereshi1 and about a dozen at ,abercorn--the ,metropolis1 as it is called1 of the white people in the ,society's area--ten miles from ,kawimbe4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,bernard ,turner4 ,hilda4 ,gay4 ,kenneth4 ,ethel4 ,dennis4 ,sylvia4 ,hope4 ,monica4 ,marjorie4 ,franklin4 ,,healthy ,,missionary ,,children ,,in ,,central ,,africa4 ,the exercise of a little imagination will enable the reader to realise something of the loneliness of men and women living in a country where there are so few people of their own race4 ,moreover1 the ,mission stations are widely separated from each other4 ,mbereshi is five days' journey from ,mpolokoso1 eight days' journey from ,kambole1 nine and a-half days' journey from ,kafukula1 and eleven days' journey from ,kawimbe4 ,for the greater part of the three months following our departure from the railway at ,ndola we lived in tents1 and travelled through the great ,central ,african forest1 which in fact extended nearly all the way from ,bulawayo1 the capital of ,southern ,rhodesia1 to ,dar-es-,salaam1 the capital of ,german ,east ,africa1 situated on the east coast of the ,continent1 #hj miles south of ,zanzibar4 ,almost the whole of this country is a plateau from #d1jjj to #f1jjj feet above the level of the sea4 ,the southern part of this forest is traversed by the ,zambesi1 and the western portion is bounded by the ,congo1 there known as the ,luapula1 while situated on the table-land there are the great lakes of ,bangweolo1 ,mweru and ,tanganyika1 the two last of which we visited4 ,in travelling through the forest one day's journey is very like another1 although each day abounds with a variety of incidents and new sights and new experiences for one who visits the country for the first time4 ,a general description of the means and conditions of travel will suffice4 ,we were almost wholly dependent upon native carriers4 ,with the exception of bicycles and single-wheeled bush-cars there is no wheeled traffic in ,northern ,rhodesia4 ,there are practically no roads in our meaning of that term4 ,the travel-routes are native paths--often very narrow and overgrown4 ,in the long grass1 which is a remarkable feature of the country1 the path often cannot be seen1 but can only be felt by the feet4 ,there are no inns or rest-houses4 ,tents1 bedding1 cooking utensils1 food1 etc41 must all be carried everywhere4 ,the minimum number of carriers required by one person on a short journey is about twelve if a bicycle is used1 or eighteen to twenty if a machila is the means of conveyance4 ,a machila is a chair slung between two poles and carried by four men4 ,for longer journeys extra men are needed to carry supplies1 or in case of sickness among the carriers4 ,should native food not be easily obtained--as at certain seasons is the case everywhere1 and along many of the main travel-routes1 more or less constantly all the year round--five more men are needed for each week that food has to be carried4 ,carriers cost about #as4 #f;d4 per man per week away from their homes4 ,the general practice is to pay #as4 a week in cash on discharge1 and the balance in calico1 cash1 salt or food1 weekly in advance4 ,the speed of travel is1 of course1 dependent on the ability of the carriers1 and the nature of the country traversed1 but it may be taken as about seventeen or eighteen miles a day1 or three miles an hour1 including rests4 ,sometimes over thirty miles is accomplished with loads1 or even more with a letter only4 ,our average day's travel from ,ndola to ,mbereshi was just under twenty miles1 but on two days we covered over thirty miles4 ,our experience of ,central ,african travel was a delightful one4 ,we left the rail a week or two before the rainy season comes to an end in most years1 and we had been warned that we should probably meet with a good deal of rain on our way to ,mbereshi4 ,we only had two or three showers the whole way1 and with one trifling exception all these fell after we were in camp4 ,we tasted some of the joys of crossing ,central ,african swamps1 but with the kindly assistance of our carriers1 whose backs and shoulders were always at our service1 we were none the worse4 ,numerous rivers and streams were crossed in dug-out canoes1 on men's backs and shoulders1 and by means of tree trunks1 stones1 or bridges made of the branches of trees4 ,the ,luapula 7,congo7 was crossed in a steel boat4 ,on the recommendation of the missionaries on the spot we had provided ourselves with bush-cars as our means of conveyance after leaving the railway4 ,a bush-car is a seat fixed over a motor-cycle wheel with steel tube shafts back and front4 ,it is propelled by two men1 whereas a machila requires four men1 and thus a bush-car halves the cost of carriers4 ,moreover1 it is a much quicker means of conveyance than a machila4 ,the experiment was entirely justified4 ,some days we were enabled to travel upwards of thirty miles without undue fatigue4 ,it may be of interest to describe shortly a typical day's programme on 8ulendo0--as travel with carriers is universally called in ,northern ,rhodesia4 ,we rose at six4 ,before we had finished dressing a number of carriers would be besieging our tents to snatch up our boxes and other luggage in order to make an early start4 ,within a few minutes of vacating our tents they would be taken down and made into suitable loads and our beds and bedding would be packed and carried away4 ,we breakfasted in the open air about #f4de1 and generally by #g4ae or #g4cj we were under way4 ,it was our custom to walk for the first hour or two in spite of the heavy dew1 which during the first part of our trip covered the giant grass and the trees until the sun was well up4 ,fortunately for us the cavalcade of carriers who had gone on ahead acted as 8dew-driers0 by brushing the water off the grass as they passed along4 ,for the most part our journey lay through forest and bush and tall grass1 along native paths or roads three or four feet wide1 which had been made under the direction of the ,government1 but were often overgrown with grass and shrubs except for a narrow track a foot or eighteen inches in width1 which had been kept clear by the constant passing of natives along it4 ,the greater part of our travel was over the plateau1 on which the paths were fairly level except at the depressions caused by the numerous streams which drain it4 ,from time to time1 however1 there were steep1 rocky hills to be surmounted1 and there were occasional swamps4 ,it was not often possible to ride more than a few miles in the bush-car without alighting and walking for some distance4 ,a very uncomfortable experience is to travel by bush-car or on a bicycle along a path over which elephants have passed a short time before4 ,the sensation of bumping over footprints fifteen inches across and three or more inches deep1 and occupying the whole width of the path1 can be better imagined than described4 ,we generally took luncheon between twelve and one1 at a place where water was to be found1 either in a native village or in the forest4 ,we often found the table spread and the meal awaiting us1 but sometimes we had to wait long for it if our luncheon box happened to be far behind us on the road4 ,then came two or three hours' further travel before we finished our journey for the day4 ,then came a cup of tea1 and as soon as the tents were pitched a bath and change of clothing4 ,we dined about sunset4 ,then followed what was to us the most delightful of the day's experiences4 ,the rule on 8ulendo0 is for every man1 when he collects the firewood for his own watch fire1 to bring a log for the white man's fire4 ,night after night we had magnificent camp-fires4 ,often the missionary accompanying us would gather the men together for a service round the fire1 and sometimes the villagers also came4 ,those camp-fire services will long live in my memory4 ,the men would sit round the fire1 most of them naked to the waist1 with their faces lit up by the fitful flames or the light of the moon4 ,they would listen with rapt attention to the reading of the ,scriptures or the words of the missionary1 or would join in prayer1 often led by one of themselves1 with the utmost devoutness4 ,but the most impressive part to us of these services was the hearty and reverent singing of the hymns in the native language to tunes well-known at home4 ,these people have wonderful verbal memories4 ,hymn books seemed quite superfluous4 ,many of them knew by heart most of the hymns in their collection1 and it was quite evident that they much enjoyed singing them4 ,after the men had dispersed to their own camp-fires came an hour or two's talk round our fire before we sought the shelter of our tents and our mosquito nets4 ,it was our practice to join in ,english evening prayers immediately after dinner4 ,but often long before we had left our chairs round the fire our native servants1 and oft-times many of the carriers1 would spread their mats1 or1 failing mats1 lay some grass on the ground1 as near the fire as possible1 with their bare feet towards it1 and wrap themselves in blanket or cloth and go to sleep under the stars1 grateful for the genial warmth of the fire in the cold night of a ,central ,african winter1 and for the protection it afforded them against the beasts of prey who were often prowling near at hand4 ,thus we travelled through ,northern ,rhodesia1 visiting the stations of our ,central ,africa ,mission1 calling upon the ,european ,magistrates and ,native ,commissioners1 meeting ,native ,head-men and ,chiefs1 and passing through numbers of small native villages1 at all of which we received a hearty welcome4 ,when we entered a village1 or met native carriers on the path through the forest1 we were greeted with the salutation 8,mutende10 which1 being interpreted1 means 8,peace40 ,the carriers would take their loads off their heads or shoulders1 squat down on their haunches1 clap their hands and give us their salutation4 ,on leaving a village we were often accompanied for a mile or two by a running crowd of natives1 consisting for the most part of women with babies tied upon their backs and laughing children1 who would shout and sing as they ran behind and before the bush-cars or bicycle4 ,we soon got accustomed to the sight of these natives1 nearly all of them naked to the waist1 and many of the children altogether naked4 ,most of those whom we saw were smiling1 happy-looking people1 but that there was another side to the picture was often painfully apparent4 ,in many villages the faces of nearly all the adults were marked with small-pox4 ,we frequently met cripples and lepers4 ,sore eyes1 caused by the smoke of the wood fires in the huts1 for which there is no escape but the door1 were much in evidence1 and we heard sad stories of the high rate of mortality amongst these children of nature4 ,certain forms of disease were very prevalent1 and laid a heavy toll upon the people4 ,signs of the superstition which shadowed their lives1 and which is the main feature of their animistic religions1 were abundant4 ,in many a village the rude 8spirit-hut10 with offerings of food spread in front of it was to be seen1 and we heard many sad stories of the influence wielded by sorcerer and witch-doctor upon the lives of the people4 ,everywhere we experienced the good-will and hospitality of the inhabitants4 ,on arrival at our camping places a dozen women would appear with brooms made of the twigs of the trees and brushes to sweep the site of the camp clean before the tents were pitched4 ,others would hasten off to the nearest watering-place to get a supply of water in very large rough clay vessels for ourselves and our men4 ,we often pitched our camp in the middle of a village1 and on these occasions many of our men slept in the huts of the villagers which had been willingly vacated to afford this accommodation4 ,mealies1 manioc1 and native flour would be purchased by the missionary in charge of the expedition for the men1 and fowls and eggs for our own larder4 ,portions of ,scripture and hymn books would be sold by the missionary1 and there were many applications for them4 ,wherever we went the people were always most grateful for any recognition of their efforts to show us hospitality4 ,their desire for books for themselves and schools for their children was everywhere apparent2 while they were always willing to come to the open-air services round the camp-fires4 ,in the parts of ,northern ,rhodesia through which our journey lay there were but small indications of the advance of ,mohammedanism from the north1 of which we had heard much4 ,in the territory recognised as the ,society's field of operations we have the country almost to ourselves4 ,but in the northern part of this territory there were not wanting indications that the followers of the 8false prophet0 were already at work4 ,in the northern part of ,central ,africa ,islam is advancing like a flood1 and it was clear that unless our ,society is able effectively to occupy this territory1 we shall before many years be face to face with the growing forces of ,mohammedanism in its most debased form4 ,the light which is brightening the sky in ,central ,africa has this background of threatened cloud and storm4 ,,chapter ,v ,the ,brightness of ,his ,rising ,arise1 shine2 for thy light is come1 and the glory of the ,lord is risen upon thee4 ,for1 behold1 darkness shall cover the earth1 and gross darkness the peoples2 but the ,lord shall arise upon thee1 and his glory shall be seen upon thee4 ,and nations shall come to thy light1 and kings to the brightness of thy rising4--,,isaiah4 ,after fifteen days' travel by bush-car1 on bicycle1 and on foot we had traversed the #bhf miles between the railway and ,mbereshi4 ,we crossed a strip of the ,congo-,belge territory shortly after leaving the railway4 ,at ,sakania1 the first station over the boundary1 all our men were examined by the doctor1 and everyone who had not had small-pox was vaccinated4 ,we heard a gruesome story of a native postman who had been arrested a fortnight before1 in whose wallet a half-eaten human foot had been discovered4 ,a day or two later we crossed the ,congo back into ,northern ,rhodesia again4 ,in the interval many rivers had to be crossed1 sometimes on tree trunks1 but more often on the shoulders of our carriers4 ,the forest was magnificent1 one of its most striking features1 perhaps1 being the large number of giant ant-hills1 some #cj feet high1 generally around some great tree1 and always covered with bush and grass1 flowers and trees4 ,butterflies were to be seen in myriads1 exhibiting all the colours of the rainbow4 ,the crossing of the ,congo was a new experience4 ,descending the hill from the last ,belgian ,post ,office1 ,kalunga1 the post-master of which was a young ,belgian ,count1 we crossed a bit of swampy ground on men's shoulders and then reached the landing-place1 where pandemonium was raging4 ,our crowd of carriers were there struggling for the two or three dug-out canoes in which to transport themselves and their loads across the river1 which at this place--although it is thousands of miles from the sea--is considerably wider than the ,thames at ,london ,bridge4 ,it swarms with hippopotami and crocodiles4 ,but my most vivid recollection of the ,congo is that one of my bearers managed to drop an iron box containing my papers into the river4 ,unfortunately it leaked and considerable damage resulted4 ,the village on the other side1 in which we encamped1 was typical of many another village we passed through on our journey4 ,just behind our tents were three spirit-huts2 all around us were native houses built of straw and mud1 and then came an enormous growth of kaffir-corn about twelve feet high4 ,surrounding this was forest1 save where the river wound its tortuous course4 ,in the clear light of the evening the somewhat sparse foliage stood out with great distinctness against the blue of the sky1 each twig and leaf being defined as if seen through a stereoscope4 ,the neighbourhood abounds with lions1 leopards1 elephants1 buffaloes1 rhinoceros1 zebras and hyenas4 ,half-way on our journey we camped for one night at ,fort ,rosebery1 the ,government centre for the district4 ,there we were the guests of the ,native ,commissioner1 ,mr4 ,denton ,thompson1 one of the small band of young ,cambridge men who are now being employed by the ,chartered ,company as ,magistrates and ,native ,commissioners4 ,it is satisfactory to be able to state that almost without exception the ,government officials we came across in ,northern ,rhodesia were men really interested in the welfare of the natives and anxious to do their duty by them4 ,here as elsewhere we received the kindest hospitality4 ,whenever we visited the ,government station we were invariably entertained by the officials1 to whom no trouble seemed too great which ministered to our comfort4 ,during the following week we passed through country infested with lions4 ,at ,mupeta we saw the skin of an enormous lion which had been killed the day before4 ,during the previous week this lion had killed five natives4 ,the people in the village laid a trap for him by tying a goat in an empty hut1 on each side of the door of which they had dug a pit and had covered them over with laths smeared with mud4 ,at the bottom of the pits they had fixed spears pointing upwards4 ,the lion fell into one of them and the natives1 who were on the watch1 speared him from above4 ,there were at least a dozen holes in his skin4 ,in this neighbourhood twenty-two natives had been killed by lions in a fortnight4 ,we passed through one village where on the previous day a man had been carried off by a lion1 and a day or two before a woman and a child1 who were laying fish traps in the stream1 had been killed and carried away4 ,on our arrival at ,mbereshi we received a very warm welcome4 ,about five miles from the station some fifty boys met us and ran with us along the broad road1 which has been made by ,mr4 ,nutter1 for some distance into the forest4 ,the men in charge of the bush-cars raced at full speed4 ,groups of people met us nearer the station1 all of whom joined the racing cavalcade4 ,loud peals of thunder kept reverberating overhead and drowned the reports of the guns which were fired to welcome us4 ,we arrived just as the first drops of a terrific thunderstorm fell4 ,mr4 ,nutter's house was soon crowded with natives1 and there was endless shouting and hand-shaking4 ,never had the natives had such a time in ,mbereshi4 ,the whole village rose to the occasion and turned out to give the representatives of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 a hearty welcome4 ,on the following day we were the recipients of numerous presents of fowl1 flour1 goats and eggs4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,bernard ,turner4 ,,native ,,with ,,fish ,,trap4 ,mbereshi is a delightful station with a magnificent view to the westward from the front of the ,mission ,houses1 rolling parkland and forest1 with the ,mofwe ,lagoon four miles away on the horizon4 ,along the shores of this lake and beyond there are about thirty villages with a large population1 which has settled there as a result of the regulations to combat the sleeping-sickness4 ,these have had the effect of driving the ,natives from the east and south shores of ,lake ,mweru to the ,mofwe villages4 ,all the missionary activities of a flourishing ,mission station are in operation4 ,there are ,sunday services1 schools1 classes for hearers and catechumens1 and prayer meetings4 ,the ,christians from the head-station go out to the villages on ,sundays to conduct services4 ,industrial work is being carried on under the able superintendence of ,mr4 ,bernard ,turner4 ,the fame of the cabinet-making and carpentry of the boys trained by him is spread far and wide over ,northern ,rhodesia4 ,much of the furniture in the houses of the ,government officials was manufactured here or at ,kambole4 ,medical work1 too1 has been carried on at this station1 and for several years a doctor was in residence4 ,leprosy is common4 ,in the district there are #adg registered cases1 and probably not less than #bjj people are suffering from the disease4 ,our ,mission work was commenced here in #aijj1 and the early days were times of great trial4 ,one of the first missionaries1 ,mr4 ,purvis1 died there in #aija1 a fortnight after ,mr4 ,nutter's arrival1 and his grave is to be seen under a tree near the ,mission houses4 ,in #aijc a missionary and a missionary's wife died on two successive days4 ,god buries his workmen1 but carries on ,his work4 ,during our stay at ,mbereshi we visited ,kazembe1 the paramount ,chief of the district1 who nominally rules over #cj1jjj people4 ,his town is some six miles away from ,mbereshi1 through the thick forest and the long grass4 ,he received us outside his hut in the centre of the kraal1 in which are a hundred huts for his hundred wives4 ,he was seated on the ground1 gorgeously and grotesquely adorned with beads and skins and gaily coloured skirts1 and wore four large bells1 gaiters of beads1 and numerous heavy anklets above his bare feet4 ,we sat down on low stools and ,mr4 ,nutter helped us to talk to him4 ,he showed us his treasures4 ,one was a bloodthirsty-looking dagger which had belonged to ten chiefs before him1 and had often been used to kill men4 ,he produced a large number of charms1 which he believes keep the lions away1 and played tunes on a wooden drum cut by himself out of a solid tree trunk and decorated with brass-headed nails4 ,he uses this to call his servants when he wants them4 ,the heads of the drum-sticks are made of raw rubber4 ,he sent for another and much larger drum made in the same fashion1 and carried by two men on a pole1 and also showed us two dulcimers made of wood and calabash4 ,he gave us some raw green mealies 7,indian corn7 to eat4 ,kazembe smoked cigarettes1 and when a member of the party offered him one he wanted to keep the silver cigarette-case4 ,then he took us to the ,mission ,school where there were #ahf black boys and girls1 many of whom were quite naked1 and most of the rest were dressed in pieces of string6 ,a day or two afterwards ,kazembe came to pay us a return visit1 accompanied by hundreds of his followers4 ,he was seated on a platform suspended between two tree trunks and carried by thirty men1 a great umbrella being held over his head4 ,he himself beat his wooden drum to tell us he was coming1 and a man carrying great yellow and black flags walked in front of him1 and when he got off the platform he strutted about like a peacock4 ,twenty years ago the ,chief was a great warrior1 and often led his tribe to battle2 but the coming of the ,british ,government and of the missionaries has changed all that4 ,for fifteen years not a shot has been fired in anger in his country1 and the nearest ,british soldier or policeman is stationed more than a thousand miles away at ,bulawayo4 ,such is the influence of the ,pax ,britannica in ,northern ,rhodesia6 ,on another day we crossed the picturesque ,mbereshi river by the ferry in two dug-out canoes1 passing through masses of cream and mauve water-lilies1 visiting a considerable number of the ,mofwe villages1 inspecting the schools and receiving the greetings of the ,chiefs and ,headmen1 with whom we exchanged gifts4 ,the villages consist of one wide street1 and are almost continuous4 ,the people live on fish and tapioca4 ,at the farthest point at the north end of the ,lagoon was a village1 on the site of an older moated village1 where ,livingstone stayed for some weeks when he first visited the district4 ,we interviewed one or two of the old inhabitants1 who well remembered seeing him and were able to describe him to us4 ,after a stay of ten days at ,mbereshi we plunged into the forest again and journeyed to ,chiengi on the north-east shore of ,lake ,mweru1 which was discovered by ,livingstone in the late sixties4 ,on the way we paid a visit to ,kashiba1 a proposed site for the new station for the ,chiengi district4 ,this visit brought home to us very clearly some of the discomforts of ,central ,african travel4 ,after leaving our camp we had to traverse some half-mile of bad swamp1 being carried through several stretches of water on the shoulders of our bearers4 ,i used a bicycle1 but before we had gone very far a tremendous storm broke and flooded the path4 ,we sought shelter in a hut in one of the villages4 ,there was a fire inside1 the smoke from which filled the hut and only partially escaped through the thatch and the door4 ,except for the glow of the fire and the flashes of lightning seen through the doorway it was perfectly dark4 ,the village street gradually became a raging torrent4 ,after the storm had ceased we pushed on through the long grass1 six to ten feet high and laden with water1 arching over the narrow winding path4 ,we passed through a succession of villages1 and as we neared the site of the proposed station the people1 who knew why we were coming and who are most anxious to have a missionary residing amongst them1 gave us an ovation4 ,the site overlooks the rapids of the great ,kalungwishi river1 and a mile away a column of spray indicated the presence of a great waterfall4 ,another deluge of rain descended as we turned back4 ,i hastened in front on the bicycle and reached the swamp as it was getting dark4 ,the heavy rain had converted it into a lake4 ,i rode along the path until the water was up to the pedals1 then ,i dismounted and pushed the machine4 ,soon both wheels were under water4 ,it grew deeper and deeper until finally1 when the water became breast high1 ,i was obliged to lift the machine and carry it over my head4 ,such are the joys of travel in ,central ,africa6 ,next day we entered the sleeping-sickness area and crossed the great ,game ,reserve to get our first sight of ,lake ,mweru4 ,the day afterwards we arrived at ,chiengi1 after experiencing the delights of travelling on a narrow path along which for miles elephants had been walking after the rain4 ,cycling under such conditions is a somewhat trying experience4 ,the view of ,lake ,mweru from the verandah of the ,native ,commissioner's house at ,chiengi is of surpassing loveliness4 ,to the south the lake stretches away as far as the eye can see1 bordered on the left side by the forest and on the right by the mountains of the ,belgian ,congo #be miles away4 ,opposite1 a little to the south1 is ,lunza1 the beautiful home of ,mr4 ,dan ,crawford1 the famous author of 8,thinking ,black40 ,at one's feet the water broke in tiny wavelets on the golden sand4 ,its music was in our ears throughout our stay4 ,the ,central ,african sunset from ,chiengi was a sight to be remembered4 ,the sun went down behind a bar of cloud4 ,a purple light1 which rapidly turned to green1 lit up the western shores of the lake4 ,after the sun had sunk below the horizon there was a perfect blaze of colour over a large portion of the sky1 and purple1 green and golden light stretched in broad bands above the surface of the lake4 ,from ,chiengi we journeyed to ,mpolokoso1 the newest of the stations of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 in ,central ,africa1 where ,dr4 ,mc,farlane has a small hospital consisting of eight native huts4 ,our stay here was curtailed owing to a very serious outbreak of small-pox1 nearly half the inhabitants of the village suffering from this scourge4 ,most of those who were not isolated in the segregation camp had already had the disease4 ,mpolokoso himself1 the ,chief of the village1 succumbed to it a few days later4 ,the ,government officials were using every effort to stay the spread of the disease2 all infected huts were at once destroyed by fire1 and no one was allowed to enter or leave the village4 ,the thin columns of smoke ascending from the burning huts into the cloudless sky told a pathetic tale4 ,on arrival our carriers were put into custody to prevent them mixing with the people1 and every precaution was taken for the safety of ourselves and our men4 ,one felt great sympathy with ,mr4 ,cullen ,gouldsbury1 the ,native ,commissioner1 upon whom great responsibility rested4 ,mr4 ,gouldsbury is a man of many parts4 ,he is in the service of the ,british ,south ,africa ,company's ,administration1 and we had many indications of the sympathetic way in which he carried out his duties in looking after the welfare of the natives4 ,moreover1 he is a poet of no mean order1 a constant contributor of verse to the columns of the ,bulawayo ,chronicle1 has written a delightful book of poems1 is the joint author of 8,the ,great ,plateau of ,northern ,rhodesia10 the most authoritative work on the country through which we were travelling1 and last year published a book entitled 8,an ,african ,year40 ,he has always been a friend of the ,mission1 and it will be of interest to quote his testimony from his latest book1 as to one of our missionaries and his wife1 which is rendered all the more valuable by the fact that ,mr4 ,gouldsbury is himself a ,roman ,catholic4 8,my views upon missionaries and their work1 from the general point of view1 stand recorded elsewhere4 ,i have no intention of recapitulating them here4 ,let me rather dwell upon the personal standpoint1 as exemplified in the festive little couple who are our neighbours at ---- six miles away4 8,let us call them ,saunders--since that is not their name1 and quite sufficiently unlike it--,joseph ,saunders and ,jane his wife4 8,all missionaries in this country1 whether ,baptist1 ,presbyterian1 ,church of ,england1 or ,white ,fathers1 are hard-working1 whatever else they may be4 ,saunders himself is a man hung upon wires1 each of which would seem charged with a full circuit of electricity4 ,he and his wife and the sun rise together--a most energetic trio4 ,before breakfast he has conducted service1 taught for an hour or two in the school1 visited the workshops and checked the labourers about the station4 ,during the rest of the day he is occupied with blacksmithery1 joinery and the like--laid in slabs between other chunks of teaching4 ,as likely as not in the evening he will go out after a buck1 for ,joseph ,saunders is that rara avis among missionaries1 a keen hunter2 and after dinner if there are people in the house he will play ping-pong till all is blue4 ,not the ordinary ping-pong1 you may be sure2 that does not afford sufficient outlet for his exuberant spirits4 ,kapembwa ping-pong has mysterious rules of its own1 such as that the players must bound upon the table between the strokes1 or lie flat on the floor between serving and receiving the return4 ,it is a curious game4 ,i can generally stay out two sets1 after that ,beryl 7the author's wife7 and ,i sit on the sofa and watch ,saunders and his wife play4 8,as for ,mrs4 ,saunders1 she is one of the nicest little women in ,africa4 ,demure1 placid1 and the very antithesis of ,joseph--an adorable touch of ,lancashire in her soft drawling speech1 and an utter freedom from affectation or pose of any kind--she is the ideal next-door neighbour in ,central ,africa4 8,saunders sent over the junga for ,beryl1 so that she was able to cover the six miles in comparative comfort1 while ,i paddled furiously behind upon an antediluvian bicycle4 ,for the benefit of the uninitiated ,i should perhaps explain that a junga is anything which moves upon wheels4 ,originally it meant a bicycle1 but in this particular instance it refers to a marvellous construction1 balanced upon one wheel1 which has been built by ,saunders himself in the ,kapembwa workshop out of some old packing cases and gas piping1 and which has to my mind solved the question of locomotion in this country40 ,we stayed for two nights at the ,mission house at ,mpolokoso with ,dr4 ,mc,farlane4 ,on account of the small99pox it was impossible to visit the schools or to meet with the people1 though on the ,sunday night some half-dozen of the ,mission staff1 who do not live in the village1 met us and presented us with a generous offering to the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 of #d #abs4 #f;d41 made by the infant ,church1 which consisted of nine members only1 a welcome token of the missionary spirit of the newest and smallest of the ,central ,african ,churches4 ,travelling eastward from ,mpolokoso we reached ,kambole1 near the south end of ,lake ,tanganyika1 after three days' journey4 ,on our way we had our first view of this great lonely lake1 eight miles away through the trees1 probably from the very spot where ,livingstone saw it for the first time4 ,as we approached the station the people ran beside the bicycle and bush-car shouting their salutations and showing their joy in welcoming us in many other ways4 ,kambole is the centre of a very widely-scattered district1 and is in an isolated position4 ,the nearest village is an hour and a-half's walk away from the station-village1 and some out-stations lie three or four days' journey distant4 ,it takes the missionaries five weeks' continuous travelling to make a circuit of the district4 ,many branches of missionary work are carried on at this centre4 ,we attended crowded services in the ,church1 and meetings with the classes for hearers1 catechumens1 teachers and women4 ,some ninety-six youths1 who were teachers at the schools in the outstations1 at which there are #a1hjj scholars1 gathered at ,kambole during our visit to attend the school for the training of teachers1 which is held twice a year at the head station and lasts for about two months4 ,mr4 ,stewart ,wright1 one of the ,kambole missionaries1 carries on an extensive out-patient work at the dispensary near the wattle-and-daub church4 ,mr4 ,ross1 the other missionary1 is engaged in manifold activities and has charge of the industrial department which was established and carried on so successfully by ,mr4 ,bernard ,turner1 who is now at ,mbereshi4 ,the prolific mission garden is another indication of the practical value of ,mr4 ,turner's work4 ,it is excellently irrigated by the construction of water-furrows4 ,palms1 limes1 bamboos1 bananas1 yams1 pineapples1 guavas1 grenadiloes1 coffee1 wheat1 tapioca1 rice1 rubber1 and many vegetables and flowers flourish abundantly4 ,half-an-hour's walk from the ,mission ,house1 along an eight-foot road cut through the forest for a mile and a-half1 at a total cost of #b #ajs4 #j;d41 takes one to the edge of the ,tanganyika ,plateau1 where there is a sheer fall of from #djj to #ejj feet4 ,on the right is the river1 which descends in a series of beautiful waterfalls1 arched over with foliage and rock1 to the level of the lake below4 ,in front the lake stretches away into the distance extending for #djj miles northward4 ,it is bordered on the left by the mountains of the ,belgian ,congo and on the right by the hills of ,german ,east ,africa4 ,at the foot of the precipice is a fertile valley1 once thickly populated but now uninhabited1 owing to the sleeping sickness1 and through this beautiful valley flows the river ,lovu4 ,at ,kambole we came across a cripple1 by name ,kalolo1 whose history affords an illustration of the sort of missionary work which is being carried on in our ,central ,africa ,mission4 ,mr4 ,ross found ,kalolo at ,katwe1 near ,kambole1 in #aijf1 destitute and emaciated1 cowering over a few embers of fire1 his feet a mass of putrid ulcers1 which had not been washed or dressed for many a long day4 ,he seemed to have no relations4 ,mr4 ,ross brought him to the station at ,kambole1 and on his arrival prepared lotions for him1 and put him in charge of another youth1 also a cripple1 whom he told to wash ,kalolo's sores4 ,cripple ,no4 #b1 by name ,nundo1 was afraid and demurred4 ,mr4 ,ross took him into the house and read to him the story of the ,good ,samaritan1 and told him to go and help ,kalolo4 ,he then consented1 and assisted the missionary to attend to ,kalolo for a long time4 ,mr4 ,ross had taught ,nundo to repair boots and shoes1 and this work he did for some time1 but ultimately disappeared while ,mr4 ,ross was on furlough4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ross did their best for ,kalolo for five years1 thus bearing witness to the people of the compassionate spirit of the ,gospel they had come to teach4 ,the ,mission doctors when visiting the station treated ,kalolo1 but at last 7in #aiaj7 ,dr4 ,wareham1 after vainly endeavouring to cure his tedious ulcers by palliative measures1 amputated both feet4 ,when ,kalolo returned to consciousness he was so depressed that he tried to destroy himself4 ,he still bears a scar on his forehead caused by dashing his head upon the ground in his despair4 ,he was1 however1 brought through that crisis1 and when he had recovered he was sent back to ,kambole station4 ,a wooden waggon was made in the joiner's shop to enable him to get about4 ,then he was taught boot and shoe repairing1 as the ,europeans in the neighbourhood all sent their boots and shoes to ,kambole to be repaired4 ,kalolo was highly delighted to have a means of making a living1 and became a most useful man at that station4 ,later1 when ,mr4 ,ross wished to find employment for two blind men who came seeking work1 he put them with ,kalolo to grind wheat4 ,they proved to be a most successful trio at this work1 and in sawing up timber with the cross-cut saw1 at which employment they were engaged during my visit4 ,kalolo came to ,mr4 ,ross long ago to say that he wished to join the ,enquirers' ,class1 and was enrolled4 ,he afterwards came to the missionary and offered to help to dress the repulsive sores of another unfortunate occupant of the little station hospital4 ,thus the light of the ,gospel is spreading in ,darkest ,africa1 and the ,native torch-bearers are lifting it high1 and passing it on from hand to hand until 8the beauty and the glory of the ,light0 shall illumine the people that are now sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death4 ,accompanied by a large crowd of people1 who escorted us on our way for two or three miles1 we left ,kambole1 still travelling eastward1 for ,kafukula1 a mission station near the south-eastern corner of ,lake ,tanganyika1 staying for a night at a village to which some of the people on the lake shore had been moved in consequence of the sleeping-sickness4 ,it was amongst these people that ,livingstone stayed for some weeks when he first visited the lake4 ,the exterior of many of the huts was decorated with charms in the shape of snail shells4 ,nearly all the women of the village had holes1 about the size of five-shilling pieces1 in the lobes of their ears1 in which large discs of wood1 decorated with grotesque specimens of native art1 were placed4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,ernest ,h4 ,clark4 ,,kafukula ,,mission ,,house1 ,,which ,,cost #dj4 ,on the following day1 escorted by ,mr4 ,clark1 the ,kafukula missionary1 we reached that station1 having descended some #b1jjj feet from the edge of the ,plateau1 enjoying on the way magnificent views of the lake1 near the shores of which we could see the ruins of the old ,mission station at ,niamkolo1 which we were to visit a few days later4 ,the ,kafukula ,mission house is a wattle-and-daub erection1 and one of the most picturesque residences in ,central ,africa1 as will be seen from the picture on the opposite page4 ,it was built by ,mr4 ,clark in #aiaj at a total cost of #dj4 ,the view from the verandah can never be forgotten4 ,in front the valley shelves down to the lake shore some #cjj feet below4 ,a small island1 which is the property of the ,society1 nestles in the lake close to the bank1 while beyond away to the north stretch the crystal waters in their mysterious loneliness4 ,the eastern shore is visible for some distance1 but the western is hidden by the trees in the foreground4 ,this exquisite picture is framed by the forest-crowned hills on either side4 ,we had a great reception4 ,as soon as we were seen descending the hill the drums began to beat1 the bugle sounded and a gun was discharged4 ,the people showed their gladness by smacking their mouths with their hands while emitting a clear bell-like sound4 ,at the bottom of the hill the village ,headman1 a ,christian1 and a ,church member of many years' standing1 met us1 and we walked into the village between rows of people who1 as we passed along1 closed in behind and formed a long procession4 ,here and there were groups of children singing hymns1 some of them in the native language and some in ,english4 ,we passed through the village and down the slope to the beautiful river ,lunzua1 a rushing torrent1 over which a primitive bridge of tree-trunks and mud in the shape of a crescent moon leads to the path to the ,mission house1 which is situated on a hill on the other side and is reached by a flight of forty-five steps4 ,kafukula is the village to which many of the people from ,niamkolo on the lake shore were moved in consequence of the sleeping-sickness regulations4 ,during our stay we paid a visit to ,niamkolo and the lake4 ,the following description1 written on the evening of the day of our visit1 will speak for itself3-- 8,we were up early--as is usual in ,central ,africa4 ,after breakfast we started for ,niamkolo and the lake shore4 ,on ,mr4 ,clark's advice ,i donned my #8ulendo' dress--a large white sun-helmet1 a khaki flannel bush-shirt1 khaki shorts1 and stout boots and stockings and leather leggings4 ,the ,mission family accompanied us1 ,mrs4 ,clark travelling in a machila2 the children--,dennis and ,marjorie ,clark--were accommodated in a box slung on a pole1 carried by two men4 ,my colleague travelled in a chair suspended between two poles and carried by relays of four men4 ,mr4 ,clark and ,i walked4 ,it was a glorious morning4 ,we stayed for a few moments at two villages to see the schools1 or rather to see the teacher and his scholars1 for school is held in a kind of stockade open to the sky1 but partially shaded by a tree4 ,the children sang lustily some verses of ,mambwe hymns4 ,like all ,central ,africans they have wonderful memories1 and soon learn the hymn-book of nearly one hundred hymns by heart4 8,the walk was somewhat arduous1 as much of it was through very long1 thick1 bamboo-like grass4 ,beyond the second village the land is uninhabited1 and is forbidden ground owing to the sleeping-sickness regulations4 ,we had to obtain special passes from the officials at ,abercorn to permit us to make the trip4 ,mr4 ,clark had gone down with thirty men a week before to clear the path as much as possible and to burn the grass where necessary and practicable4 ,it was an eight-mile walk to the former ,mission station at ,niamkolo1 and nearly two miles further to the shore4 ,the old station was a pathetic sight4 ,the brick house in which the ,stewart ,wrights and the ,clarks had lived was in ruins1 as it had been left after the fire seven years ago4 ,the walls were standing to the first floor1 and inside trees1 shrubs and grasses were growing in wild profusion4 ,it was on ,saturday evening1 the #bith ,june1 #aijf1 that the detached kitchen took fire in a great gale of wind4 ,the sparks were carried on to the thatch of the dwelling house1 and in two hours the place was burnt out--very little being saved4 ,the ,clarks were there to see their home destroyed before their eyes4 ,this was the first time ,mrs4 ,clark had visited the spot since the conflagration4 8,then came the walk down the hill past the site of the house in which ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,hemans1 the black missionaries from ,jamaica1 used to live4 ,then we crossed the plain1 once a great garden and rice field1 now a swamp1 to reach the ,church and the shore4 ,i was carried across the swamp by two men holding hands1 on which ,i sat with my arms round their necks4 ,we reached the ruins of the ,church about mid-day4 ,it is picturesquely situated on a hill overlooking the south end of the lake1 and the island belonging to the ,society4 ,its appearance suggests1 on a smaller scale1 the ruins of ,iona ,cathedral far more than those of a ,church in ,central ,africa4 ,the walls and gable end and the roofless bell-tower are still standing--and what walls they are6--all of light stone fashioned in large slabs1 and a yard thick4 ,we had lunch in the bell-tower in some trepidation1 as the over-hanging stones threatened to fall1 and then we made our way down to the stony beach1 where we lingered long4 ,the scene was beautiful beyond description4 ,the lake stretched away to the north into the #8glow and glory of the distance1' where water and sky met on the horizon4 ,the hills on each side were clothed with sylvan loveliness4 ,the sky was reflected on the bosom of the water4 ,white cloud was piled on white cloud with many a glimpse of deepest blue1 and the glorious sunshine dominated the scene4 ,it was a dream of beauty4 8,the beach is covered with the loveliest shells of all descriptions4 ,as we sat on the shore the wind blew the spray from the waves into our faces4 ,the children and ,i paddled1 and though1 doubtless1 there were crocodiles in the bulrushes to our left1 we did not see any4 ,after tea we turned our faces towards ,kafukula4 ,long before we arrived at our destination the shadows of departing day crept on1 and by the time we reached the villages it was quite dark4 ,the sunset was worthy of the beauty of the day4 ,for some moments the western sky looked like the very gate of the eternal4 ,then the fireflies flitted about in thousands4 ,their light was1 however1 from time to time obliterated1 as it were1 by flashes of summer lightning4 ,then the moon came out1 nearly at her fullest1 and lit up the landscape with clear1 cool1 placid light1 and in the solemn beauty of the scene we forgot all about the lions and puff-adders which infest the country after dark4 8,we had a great reception in the villages4 ,the people all turned out and greeted us1 and bade us farewell with ear-splitting salutations1 following us for two miles and keeping up an unearthly noise all the time4 ,then all was peaceful again as ,mr4 ,clark and ,i reached ,kafukula1 and crossed the arched bridge over the rushing river1 and climbed up the steps to the ,mission ,house4 ,from the verandah we could see the great lake ten miles away peacefully asleep in the moonlight4 ,it has been a glorious day1 which will live in the memory as long as life lasts40 ,evangelistic and educational work is carried on in ,kafukula itself and in the district of which it is the centre4 ,services and classes for inquirers and catechumens are regularly held1 and the missionary visits the whole district three times a year1 conducting services1 inspecting schools1 interviewing inquirers and carrying on the usual missionary activities4 ,there are seventy-nine teachers connected with the station whose wages range from #a 7one senior teacher alone gets this2 the next gets #is4 #f;d471 to #as4 #f;d4 a month1 and these wages are only paid during the six or seven months that teaching in the schools is carried on4 ,if the teacher is placed far from his home he gets in addition #as4 a month for food4 ,there is also an evangelist1 paid at the rate of #fs4 a month1 who visits and preaches in the villages4 ,there are #a1cjj scholars in thirty-two schools1 and their education consists of reading1 writing1 very elementary arithmetic and the memorising of the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,commandments1 the ,beatitudes and other passages of ,scripture and hymns4 ,valuable medical work is also carried on4 ,some of the teachers acquire a little knowledge of the ,english language1 which they are proud to show off on occasion4 ,after our meeting with the teachers we received a letter in ,english1 signed by some seventy of them and addressed to the ,directors1 from which the following extracts may be given as specimens of their ,english scholarship4 ,the opening sentence is as follows3 8,we are exceedingly glad to write you this little note to give you a hearty greeting to you all in this district1 so that the old men1 women childrens1 boys and girls and whose tribes of this country are anxiously to send you a good compliments as they couldn't reach there to see your faces or to gathered in the same ,church40 ,it goes on3 8,but we were very glad to receipt those representatives who came from their long journey as far as when they came from and we had a very good general service and ,mr4 ,horlick was one who had held the service in our ,church and it was interests wonderful to hear from him about his describes preaching he told us many things about jesus christ our saviour and how a man would follow the secularity of the kingdom of ,god40 ,the letter concluded as follows3 8,we thanks you very much for sending us these ,deputation to visit us and to hear many things from them how do you loved us4 ,we haven't more information to tell you about4 farewell1 ,sirs with lots of salutation to all4 ,we hope you are whole in good health we should like to hear if you are better40 8,mr4 ,horlick0 requires some explanation4 ,the natives were not familiar with the names of the strangers who had come amongst them1 but seeing on the walls of the verandah a glazed sheet1 which had arrived a few days before1 advertising the merits of 8,horlick's ,malted ,milk10 they assumed that this 8banner with a strange device0 had some reference to their visitors4 ,hence the mistake4 ,from ,kafukula we continued our journey eastward to ,kawimbe1 the oldest of the ,society's ,mission stations in ,central ,africa4 ,on the road1 which was hilly and very beautiful1 we were met by ,dr4 ,wareham4 ,at ,abercorn1 the ,government centre for the northern part of ,northern ,rhodesia1 we were hospitably entertained by the ,magistrate1 and then we continued our journey to ,kawimbe1 ten miles away1 where another great welcome awaited us4 ,hundreds came out to meet us1 many of the women and girls being decorated for the occasion with yellow and red flowers in their black woolly hair4 ,they escorted us1 laughing1 singing and dancing all the way to the ,mission station1 which is #e1fjj feet above the level of the sea1 and picturesquely situated in a shallow basin4 ,the native village is built on the hillside half-a-mile away1 and is well laid out4 ,four miles off to the west is ,fwambo1 the original site of the first ,mission station on the ,tanganyika ,plateau4 ,a few miles to the east is the boundary between ,northern ,rhodesia and ,german ,east ,africa4 ,to the south-east is the fertile and populous ,saise ,valley1 forty miles along which the sphere of the ,society's work abuts upon the field of the great ,livingstonia ,mission of the ,free ,church of ,scotland4 ,it may be mentioned that the river ,congo takes its rise a few miles south of the ,mission station4 ,we remained at ,kawimbe for nearly three weeks4 ,the ,annual ,meetings of the ,central ,africa ,district ,committee were held there during our stay4 ,the first week was spent in seeing the work1 visiting parts of the district and interviewing the missionaries and preparing for the meetings of the ,district ,committee4 ,one day1 under the guidance of ,mr4 ,govan ,robertson1 we spent over twelve hours in visiting several of the villages of the district1 and accomplished the latter part of the journey in the dark4 ,we shall long remember the struggle in the dusk through the almost impenetrable undergrowth of a picturesque mountain pass1 and afterwards through the long grass4 ,the three ,sundays spent at ,kawimbe were days of great interest4 ,on the first two large numbers of people came in to meet us from the neighbouring villages4 ,on the second a crowded harvest-thanksgiving service was held at which offerings in kind were contributed1 including sheep1 goats1 fowl1 eggs1 nuts1 maize1 beans1 flour1 cloth1 bracelets1 cash1 etc4 ,on the third ,sunday ,i visited one of the adjacent villages with ,mr4 ,robertson4 ,communion ,services for the ,native ,christians and the ,missionaries were held4 ,an interesting incident during our stay was the unveiling of a brass tablet in the ,church commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the commencement of the work on the ,plateau4 ,the work at ,kawimbe is divided amongst the three missionaries by mutual arrangement4 ,we had not the pleasure of meeting the senior missionary1 ,mr4 ,draper1 who was away on furlough4 ,an early morning prayer meeting1 a morning service and an afternoon class are held every ,sunday4 ,the number of ,church members has been steadily increasing in later years and has now reached forty-seven4 ,there are in addition fifty ,catechumens 7,christians under probation74 ,the ,church work1 as far as the men are concerned1 has been affected by the attraction of better pay offered elsewhere at the mines1 in the stores and in ,german ,east ,africa4 ,most1 however1 of the ,christian men who have remained at ,kawimbe have gone out regularly to preach1 and some have conducted ,bible classes in the villages in the neighbourhood4 ,besides the station classes and ,sunday schools there have been during last year classes in fifty-three villages1 attended by over #ijj persons4 ,there is a branch of the ,international ,bible ,reading ,association4 ,the ,educational work makes steady progress1 and schools are held in every village in the extensive district4 ,at the close of #aiab there were #b1djh children on the school rolls1 with an average attendance of #a1fia4 ,for the most part the school buildings are provided by the people themselves4 ,dr4 ,wareham carries on a much valued medical work1 connected with which is a small hospital admirably adapted for its purpose4 ,our visit to ,kawimbe completed our tour of the ,society's ,central ,africa stations4 ,northern ,rhodesia can still be described as a land that is dark1 but at the mission stations we visited1 and at many a little outstation1 the light of the ,gospel is being kindled1 and everywhere there is promise that the darkness is turning to dawning4 ,the ,church is in its infancy1 but it is a growing ,church2 and1 under the blessing of ,god1 will in the days that are coming be ,his instrument in spreading the light where now the darkness reigns4 ,c4--,,madagascar ,,chapter ,,vi ,tananarive--8,a ,city ,set on a ,hill0 ,earth has not anything to show more fair2 ,dull would he be of soul who could pass by ,a sight so touching in its majesty3 ,this ,city now doth1 like a garment1 wear ,the beauty of the morning4 ,,wordsworth4 ,we travelled from ,kawimbe in ,northern ,rhodesia to ,madagascar by way of ,german ,east ,africa and ,zanzibar4 ,owing to unavoidable delays at the ports the journey occupied ten weeks4 ,for the first three we travelled by chair and bicycle and on foot1 northward to ,tabora1 along a road almost parallel with the eastern shore of ,lake ,tanganyika4 ,on the first night we encamped at a village near the ,kalambo river1 the boundary between ,northern ,rhodesia and ,german ,east ,africa1 close to the wonderful ,kalambo ,falls4 ,the river1 which is deep and about thirty yards wide1 plunges over a perpendicular wall of rock #ijj feet high into an awful chasm in one sheer drop4 ,the rocky walls on each side of the gorge are vertical4 ,looking westward one has a lovely view of ,lake ,tanganyika1 vignetted between cloudless blue sky and the purple-breasted mountains in which the gorge terminates1 lying calm and peaceful in the 8splendour shadowless and broad40 ,a week-end was spent at ,kasanga1 now known as ,bismarckburg1 the administrative centre of the southern part of ,german ,east ,africa1 where we met some educated and courteous ,german officials1 who have always done what they could to facilitate the missionary work of the ,society in the small section of their territory in which it is being carried on1 and gave us some interesting information with regard to native customs and superstitions4 ,we learnt that the natives offer sacrifices of goats1 sheep and fowls at the ,kalambo ,falls to propitiate the gods who are supposed to dwell in the chasm1 and to bring them luck4 ,they have a superstition that the land at the bottom of the ,falls would belong to the posterity of any person who threw himself over4 ,a woman recently sacrificed herself in this way1 and the ,chief gave the land at the foot of the ,falls to her family4 ,when twins are born it is the custom to do away with one of them4 ,children who cut the upper teeth first are killed4 ,cannibalism amongst the natives is by no means extinct1 and as late as six years ago a ,european was killed and eaten4 ,there are well authenticated recent cases of the widow of a ,chief being buried alive in the grave of her dead husband4 ,this part of ,german ,east ,africa is certainly a land that is dark4 ,but ,i must not linger over the journey4 ,towards the end of ,june we reached ,tabora1 a large native town of some #cj1jjj inhabitants1 whence we took train to ,dar-es-,salaam on the east coast of the ,continent--the capital of the ,german colony4 ,this place is beautifully situated on the shores of a land-locked harbour1 and the streets are bordered with stately cocoanut palms and shady acacias4 ,it was formerly the centre of the ,arab slave trade1 but1 to-day1 except for the tropical vegetation1 it reminds one of a modern ,european town4 ,a few hours on a steamer brought us to ,zanzibar1 one of the most fascinating places we visited in our travels4 ,after a stay of some days there we embarked on the ,messageries ,maritimes boat for ,tamatave1 on the east coast of ,madagascar4 ,on the boat we joined our colleague in the ,deputation work in ,madagascar1 ,mr4 ,talbot ,wilson1 and with him were the three members of the ,deputation from the ,friends' ,foreign ,mission ,association1 and one of the ,deputation from the ,paris ,missionary ,society4 ,a voyage of seven days1 calling on the way at ports on the north-west and northern coast of ,madagascar1 brought us to the ,port of ,tamatave1 some #a1ejj miles south of ,zanzibar4 ,from ,tamatave we travelled by the splendidly engineered new ,french railway to ,tananarive1 a distance of #bci miles1 passing on the way great lagoons near the sea coast1 crossing picturesque rivers1 traversing belts of beautiful forest1 and rising by circular curves on the railway up the mountain side to the ,central ,plateau of ,madagascar1 some #d1jjj feet above the level of the sea4 ,as the train neared the capital it was joined by various missionaries who had come part way to meet us4 ,at the terminus--a great modern station lit with arc lamps--nearly all the missionaries at work in the city and around it1 and thousands of ,malagasy ,native ,christians in their straw hats and white lambas1 met us1 and gave us a great welcome4 ,illustration3 ,,map ,,of ,,madagascar1 ,,showing ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,,stations4 ,madagascar is nearly #a1jjj miles in length4 ,its area exceeds that of ,france1 ,belgium and ,holland put together1 but its population is less than one-fourteenth of that of these countries4 ,tananarive is built upon a very narrow lofty ridge in the middle of far-spreading rice fields1 bordered by ranges of hills and mountains4 ,the ridge1 which rises rapidly from the north1 runs due south1 and is crowned at its highest point by the ,palace of the former kings and queens of the ,island1 which can be seen from a great distance around4 ,the crest consists of a steeply-rising thoroughfare1 from many points of which both horizons1 east and west1 can be seen4 ,in the northern portion1 known as ,faravohitra1 are several of the ,society's mission houses1 and at the top is the ,faravohitra ,memorial ,church4 ,continuing southward1 and still rising for the greater part of the way1 the ,british ,consulate is passed on the right1 and a short way beyond this on the left is the massive building1 now known as the ,palais de ,justice1 which was formerly the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,theological ,college4 ,after a slight depression the road winds steeply upwards1 until1 leaving the ,palace of the ,prime ,minister on the left1 and catching sight of the ,memorial ,church of ,ampamarinana on the right1 we arrive at the ,queen's ,palace4 ,the ridge then falls and rises again until its southern extremity is reached at ,ambohipotsy1 where stand another of the ,memorial ,churches and the present ,united ,theological ,college of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 and ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a41 and some ,mission houses4 ,the view is one of great grandeur1 especially looking to the west and to the south-west towards the rugged ridges of the ,ankaratra mountains4 ,looking northwards one sees the wooded slopes of ,ambohimanga1 the ancient capital of ,imerina1 like a crouching lion dark against the distant hills4 ,on the west1 at the foot of the northern part of the ridge1 is the great ,analakely market1 which on ,fridays is visited by thousands of people1 and adjoining the market is our handsome ,analakely ,church1 while beyond are the ,residency1 the railway station and the shops and offices of the modern ,french town4 ,a little above this the spire of the ,ambatonakanga ,memorial ,church and the two large school buildings adjoining can be seen standing at the junction of two main roads1 where the traffic is at its busiest4 ,one of the features of the landscape in ,tananarive is the large number of ,church spires and towers which can be seen on the plains below4 ,it is said that there are some #aej of them in sight1 by far the greater number of them being now1 or formerly1 ,churches connected with the ,london ,missionary ,society4 ,we had come to ,madagascar from ,central ,africa1 where missionary work was in its earliest stages4 ,in the 8great ,african ,island0 the contrast was very striking4 ,there is only one brick ,church in the ,central ,africa ,mission1 the rest being wattle-and-daub4 ,in ,madagascar there are many hundreds of spacious well-built brick ,churches1 and some handsome stone ones4 ,in ,central ,africa the ,church is in its infancy1 and comprises less than #aej ,church members4 ,in ,madagascar there are over #cj1jjj ,church members1 and nearly five times as many other native adherents4 ,the magnificent results which have followed the work of the ,society's missionaries1 under the blessing of ,god1 are everywhere apparent4 ,wherever we went great crowds of ,christian people gathered together to meet us as the representatives of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,the ,churches were nearly always full and often crowded to overflowing4 ,the congregations find great enjoyment in the singing of hymns1 and very large numbers read their ,bibles1 while ,sunday ,school work is splendidly organized4 ,a considerable proportion of the ,church members take part in ,christian work4 ,there are more than seven times as many ordained native agents at work in connection with the ,society in ,madagascar as in all the other ,mission fields of the ,society combined1 except ,polynesia4 ,in addition1 there are over #b1ejj preachers1 a number largely in excess of the number of preachers in all the other fields of the ,society put together4 ,moreover1 the number of ,church members and of other native adherents in ,madagascar connected with the ,society is far more than those in any other ,mission field1 and the same remark applies to the number of ,sunday ,schools and ,sunday ,school scholars4 ,one cannot fail to be much impressed by the great capacity of the ,native leaders of the ,christian ,church in ,madagascar4 ,it would be difficult to find a more capable set of men in any ,mission field4 ,they are doing splendid work1 and if this 8apostolic succession0 can be maintained1 the ,malagasy ,church of the coming days will not lack for competent native leadership4 ,moreover1 as the work of our ,missionaries in ,madagascar is examined1 it becomes clear that the ,mission is admirably organized4 ,the men and women who have served the ,society in ,madagascar in the past have1 under the guidance of ,god1 laid the foundations of the work wisely and well4 ,their successors are worthy of their great heritage4 ,it was a cause for rejoicing to find that the ,native ,church built upon those foundations is a strong and living ,church--full of promise for the future4 ,if the present ,missionary work can be continued1 and possibly slightly increased1 for a few more years1 there is every reason to hope that the ,native ,church will1 in the not distant future1 become a self-supporting1 self-governing1 as it is already1 to a limited extent1 a self-propagating ,church1 and strong enough to carry on its own work of evangelizing the whole island4 ,this growing ,native ,church is largely composed of ,hovas1 the most advanced tribe among the ,malagasy1 and is to a great extent concentrated in the ,central ,province of ,imerina round ,tananarive4 ,this is not an accident4 ,it is believed that the best way to bring about the coming of the ,kingdom in the ,island is to build up a strong ,church in the centre4 ,as that ,church increases in numbers and in spiritual power it will be able to extend its own ,missionary efforts1 which are already not inconsiderable1 and to dispense1 as time goes on1 with the help of the white ,missionary to an ever-increasing degree1 thus freeing him for any work that remains to be done in the outlying parts1 and ultimately making it possible for him to withdraw altogether--having finished his work4 ,to weaken our efforts at the present time would be to delay and imperil this consummation4 ,to maintain them will be the surest and most speedy way of hastening on the day when the ,missionary force can be withdrawn and the ,native ,church left to bring each successive generation into the ,kingdom4 ,there were many indications that the ,native ,church is itself steadily keeping in view this ideal4 ,i may quote a paragraph from the translation of an ,address presented to us by the ,pastors of the ,commune of ,tananarive the day after our arrival3 8,we want you to know that we earnestly desire our ,churches to become independent1 i4e4 self-supporting4 ,it is natural for young people to want to set up housekeeping for themselves1 and it is the same with the ,church4 ,the near approach of the hundredth anniversary of the arrival of ,missionaries amongst us makes our hearts all aglow with the desire for the independence of our ,churches4 ,there is no day which we should more like to see than that on which we shall go with the last ,missionary to the railway station4 ,on that day we shall overflow with joy and sorrow1 and our laughter will mingle with our tears40 ,the inner circle of ,churches in ,imerina is associated with seven ,churches in the capital known as 8the ,mother ,churches40 ,four of these are the ,memorial ,churches erected in the years following the re-opening of the ,mission in #ahfb1 after the twenty-five years of the great persecution4 ,the oldest and most famous is the ,church of ,ambatonakanga1 which was opened in #ahfg4 ,it is the ,mother ,church of all ,madagascar4 ,on its site the ,bible was first printed in ,malagasy in the thirties of the nineteenth century1 here the first converts made their public profession of ,christianity1 and here stood one of the two first places of ,christian worship in the ,island4 ,the simple chapel erected in #ahca was afterwards turned into a gaol during the persecution1 and here many ,christians suffered imprisonment4 ,adjoining it is the grave-yard1 where rest the remains of several ,british missionaries who have given their lives to the service of ,christ in ,madagascar4 ,this ,church1 which has long been self-supporting1 has associated with it twenty-seven country ,churches1 and for some years has been under the pastoral care of the ,rev4 ,william ,evans1 one of the noble succession of ,welshmen who have done so much to advance the coming of the ,kingdom in the ,island4 ,mr4 ,evans has also charge of the ,martyr ,memorial ,church of ,ampamarinana--8the place of ,hurling0--which is situated on the south-west of the ridge on which the city is built4 ,to the west of the ,church is the top of a rocky precipice1 where in earlier years sorcerers were executed by being hurled down the cliff to the plain1 #djj feet below4 ,during the persecution1 as ,christians were supposed to possess some powerful charms enabling them to defy their persecutors1 fourteen of the noble army of martyrs were in #ahdi thus put to death4 ,the present ,native pastor of the ,church is ,andriamifidy1 who was at one time ,foreign ,secretary in the old ,malagasy ,government1 and from this ,church several of the present leading ,native ,pastors have come4 ,associated with it in the district to the west of the city are twenty-seven country ,churches4 ,the third ,martyr ,memorial ,church is that of ,ambohipotsy1 situated in a commanding position at the extreme south of the city ridge with a magnificent view on all sides4 ,this beautiful stone building was erected to commemorate the first ,christian martyrdom--that of the brave ,christian woman ,rasalama1 who was speared to death near the spot in #ahcg1 in a place where other ,christians subsequently met their doom in like fashion4 ,the work of this ,church and district1 comprising some forty-six country outstations to the south of the city1 is now superintended by ,mrs4 ,thorne1 who is bravely and successfully carrying on the work of her late husband4 ,the fourth ,memorial ,church is that of ,faravohitra1 erected on the northern ridge of the capital by the contributions of the children of ,great ,britain to commemorate the burning alive of four martyrs in #ahdi4 ,the work at ,faravohitra and in its extensive district to the north1 comprising fifty country ,churches1 is under the charge of the ,rev4 ,robert ,griffith1 another of the ,welsh missionaries who have devoted themselves to the service of ,christ in ,madagascar4 ,not far from ,ambatonakanga1 at the western foot of the ridge1 is the spacious ,church of ,amparibe1 built of brick and stone4 ,this is the third ,church on the same site4 ,the work there and amongst the twenty-four country ,churches lying to the north-west of the capital1 has during the last two years been under the care of the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,dennis4 ,the sixth ,mother ,church is that of ,analakely1 a short distance to the north of ,ambatonakanga1 and adjoining the great market place4 ,this ,church also is the third building erected on the present site4 ,it was opened in #ahie1 a few months before the ,french occupation1 the ex-,queen ,ranavalona ,,iii4 and her ,court being present on the occasion4 ,for thirty years the veteran ,missionary1 ,dr4 ,sibree1 has been the missionary in charge1 and has superintended the work there and at the fourteen country churches connected with it4 ,the remaining ,mother ,church is that of ,isotry1 another large building in the populous western district of the capital4 ,it is only recently that the ,church at ,isotry has been reckoned as one of the ,mother ,churches of the capital4 ,mr4 ,stowell ,ashwell has had charge of the work there for some years4 ,the ,institutional work of the ,imerina ,mission is centred in ,tananarive4 ,of these ,institutions the most important is the ,united ,theological ,college1 where pastors and evangelists for the work of the ,mission receive their training4 ,for upwards of forty years the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,theological ,college in ,tananarive has rendered great service by preparing hundreds of young men for their work as evangelists and pastors4 ,after the ,french conquest the conspicuous ,college building on the northern part of the ridge was appropriated by the ,french ,government and1 as already mentioned1 converted into ,law ,courts4 ,the work of the ,college was removed to a smaller building a little further to the north1 adjoining the ,faravohitra ,church4 ,in #aiaj a union in ,theological training was entered into with the ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a41 and the ,college was removed to a large house at ,ambohipotsy and became a residential ,institution4 ,a notable feature of the present work is the training of the students' wives4 ,a number of cottages1 named after ,missionary ,tutors of past days1 have been erected on land adjoining the ,college1 and this department has been superintended with great energy and devotion by ,mrs4 ,sharman1 the wife of the present ,principal1 the ,rev4 ,james ,sharman4 ,the ,college course extends over four years4 ,upon the staff are missionaries of both ,societies and four competent ,native teachers1 ,pastors ,rabary1 ,rabetageka1 ,rakotovao1 and ,ravelo4 ,the ,college at present contains thirty-two students1 and is doing a great work in making more adequate provision for a well-trained and consecrated native ministry4 ,in a very true sense the ,college is the key to the missionary situation in ,imerina4 ,if the ,native ,church is to maintain and extend its position1 it is necessary that a constant succession of well-educated and devoted ,christian men should go forth from the ,college to act as pastors of the ,churches and to be the leaders of the people in all their ,christian activities4 ,reference has already been made to the two conspicuous buildings in the centre of the city1 adjoining the ,ambatonakanga ,memorial ,church1 in which are carried on the ,boys' ,high ,school and a ,girls' ,school4 ,after the ,french occupation1 ,mr4 ,sharman started the ,boys' ,school in #ahig4 ,it grew rapidly1 and the present building was erected and opened in #aija by ,governor-,general ,galieni1 when there were #ejj pupils on the books4 ,this number increased to #gbj1 but was subsequently reduced to #ecj owing to ,government regulations4 ,it is at present conducted by our ,missionary1 ,m4 ,henri ,noyer1 with the help of a staff of ,malagasy ,assistant ,masters4 ,the average attendance at the ,school is #ia per cent4 of the number upon the books4 ,in addition to the ordinary curriculum of a school of this character1 which directs great attention to the ,french language1 there are industrial departments for carpentry1 woodwork1 and metal work in which a high standard of efficiency is reached4 ,adjoining the ,boys' ,high ,school is the ,girls' ,school1 founded by ,dr4 ,t4 ,t4 ,matthews1 where for many years some of the brightest girls from the ,churches of ,imerina have received a good education4 ,the ,missionary in charge of it is ,miss ,ysabel ,du ,commun1 who1 however1 at the time of our visit1 was absent on furlough1 ,miss ,craven taking her place as ,superintendent4 ,the ,government regulations only allow #bcj girls in the ,school1 although there is ample accommodation for a much larger number1 and there are many girls now waiting admission when there are vacancies4 ,there are seven classes1 with three men and four women teachers and two sewing mistresses4 ,in addition to the ordinary curriculum for such a ,school1 training is given in hygiene1 cookery1 dressmaking and fancy work4 ,in another part of the town1 at ,andohalo1 stands the ,girls' ,central ,school1 where for upwards of forty years a fine educational work has been carried on4 ,there are now #djj girls on the books1 and many more are waiting for admission4 ,the average attendance is #chj4 ,amongst the special subjects taught in the ,school are straw-plaiting1 hatmaking1 lacemaking1 first-aid and ambulance work4 ,the staff consists of ,miss ,elsie ,sibree1 the devoted head-mistress1 two masters and eight women teachers4 ,the ,french ,government regulations do not at present admit of the employment of women teachers1 except those who were appointed before the present rules came into force4 ,the present buildings1 which were erected twenty years ago1 comprise a large and lofty central hall1 with a spacious gallery and six class-rooms4 ,the sight of the crowded school at morning prayers is a most impressive one4 ,the girls1 bare-footed1 dressed in their white lambas1 with 8shining morning face10 and with that happy1 placid expression1 which is so characteristic of the ,christian girls and women of ,madagascar1 file into the central hall and take their places with order and reverence and join with heartiness and devotion in the singing and in the prayers4 ,it is a very rare thing for more than one or two to be late4 ,the tone of the school is of the highest1 and the head-mistress always strives1 by prayer-meetings for the staff and in many other ways1 to impress the teachers with the missionary character of their work4 ,illustration3 ,,malagasy ,,girls ,,at ,,miss ,,craven',s ,,girls' ,,home4 ,another branch of the work amongst girls is the ,girls' ,home1 successfully carried on by ,miss ,craven for twenty years4 ,here is a home provided for the daughters of evangelists and pastors and other ,christian workers who come to ,tananarive for their education4 ,the girls attend the ,central ,school and live in ,miss ,craven's house1 where they are taught domestic duties1 lacemaking1 embroidery1 and other needlework at very small expense to the ,society4 ,thirty girls are in residence1 and there are always more waiting for admission4 ,miss ,craven describes the work being carried on as follows3 8,now for a picture of the ,home itself4 ,there are one sitting and two bed rooms1 all large and airy2 the former has tables and benches1 but1 except for meals and preparation1 the matted floor is just as much used4 ,books and small possessions are kept in covered baskets1 one to each girl1 and their clothes are in a cupboard or tin boxes4 ,the girls sleep on mattresses laid on the floor1 besides which there is no other furniture in the dormitories4 ,they bring their own clothes1 plates1 spoons1 mattresses and coverings1 but as there is more ventilation than in their rooms at home1 ,i keep a supply of blankets to lend to them when the nights are cold2 an outside building provides kitchen1 rice-house1 bath-house1 etc4 8,the days' occupations vary little2 the girls are up at daylight1 say #e4cj in the summer and #f4j in winter1 and1 after a wash in the bath-house1 come back to their household duties1 sweeping and dusting their own rooms and some of ours1 and preparing their breakfast of rice and milk1 which is ready before seven o'clock4 ,after that all the household assembles for morning prayers1 and then there is the bustle of final preparation for school before they form in line and march off1 two by two1 looking a clean1 tidy1 and intelligent family1 of which we may well feel proud4 ,they all go to the ,girls' ,central ,school1 under the care of ,miss ,sibree1 school hours being from #h a4m4 to #ab4de p4m4 ,one hour every afternoon is given to school preparation1 the remainder of the time being filled up with different kinds of needlework1 while the little ones divide their time between work and play4 ,one afternoon most of them are away at the ,c4 ,e4 weekly meeting at ,analakely4 ,the evening meal is ready at #f4cj1 we have prayers at #g o'clock1 and then they say #8good-night1' and troop off to bed1 a few of the elder ones staying a little longer to do more lessons1 or finish some piece of needlework4 ,saturday brings a change of work1 for most of the girls go to do their weekly washing1 not getting home until about #c p4m4 ,after dinner they are busy until bedtime ironing their clothes and getting ready for ,sunday4 8,at different times they have attended ,faravohitra1 ,ampamarinana1 ,ambohipotsy1 and ,analakely ,churches1 and the ,sunday ,schools connected with them4 ,sunday evening is spent with me singing hymns1 discussing ,sunday ,school lessons and sermons1 and other matters of interest4 ,it is a happy time1 and one to which we all look forward4 ,the ,sunday ,school has a great attraction for them1 especially the yearly examination1 for which they prepare several weeks beforehand1 and from which they carry off some of the best prizes4 8,quarrels and troubles have not been frequent1 and during the last two or three years have been increasingly rare4 ,severe discipline has been needed in very few cases1 one being that of a girl who was sent away for continuing a clandestine correspondence2 she has been carefully watched at home1 and is turning out well4 ,about three years ago we were very grieved when one1 who had been with us for many years1 took the law into her own hands and ran away to be married4 ,we do not1 however1 give up hope that she will become a ,christian woman and train her children well4 ,the health of the girls has always been a great responsibility1 and malarial fever has been very much more frequent during the latter half of the decade4 ,we have not lost any by death1 except one who died at home during holidays4 ,we generally find that the girls improve in health while under our care1 and we do not often need to call for the help of a doctor4 ,occasionally we have to regret that girls are removed by their parents while still young1 but as a rule they remain with us until about to be married1 or get married soon after leaving4 8,as to the spiritual results1 we may speak with some confidence4 ,three have joined the ,church1 and one has been baptised on profession of faith while still in the ,home1 and others have become ,church members soon after marriage4 ,the ,spirit of ,christ is clearly working in the hearts and lives of many who are still with us4 ,of one dear girl1 who died very happily after the birth of her first child1 her husband said to me3 #8,i rejoice over the months we have lived together2 she has done me good4'0 ,another department of ,institutional work is the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,printing ,press in ,tananarive1 which stands for much more than its name implies4 ,it is true that a prosperous business in printing and book-binding is carried on1 seventy men being constantly employed4 ,but the ,printing ,press is a kind of 8,universal ,provider10 and anything1 from a harmonium to a needle1 can be purchased there4 ,under the able superintendence of ,mr4 ,ashwell1 a considerable annual profit is made4 ,the magnitude of its operations is surprising4 ,in the ten years ending in #aiaj1 #a1hcc1bdc books and pamphlets were issued from the office1 including over #dj1jjj ,bibles1 #fj1jjj ,new ,testaments 7printed in ,england71 nearly #cej1jjj lesson books1 over #aca1jjj hymn books1 and a large number of commentaries and other religious works4 ,no sketch of the ,institutional work in ,tananarive would be complete without a reference to the ,medical ,mission1 which for many years has been carried on jointly by the ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a4 and the ,l4 ,m4 ,s41 the doctor being a missionary of the former ,society4 ,for the last sixteen years ,dr4 ,moss has been the medical missionary in charge1 and in his own person illustrates the close union between the two ,societies in this work4 ,he has been a missionary of the ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a41 and is the son of an ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 missionary1 and his wife1 a trained nurse1 is the daughter of an ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 missionary1 the saintly ,joseph ,pearse4 ,no department of missionary work in the capital suffered more from the advent of the ,french than the ,medical ,mission4 ,a fine commodious hospital1 opened in #ahia by the ex-,queen1 was appropriated by the ,french ,government in #ahif1 and since then the hospital work has been on a much smaller scale1 and in fact there was no hospital at all between #ahig and #aijc1 although a large out-patient work was carried on4 ,in the latter year a small ,cottage ,hospital was erected1 round which the work has since centred under the devoted superintendence of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,moss4 ,in barest outline some account has been given of the ,institutional work of the ,imerina ,mission1 which is centred in ,tananarive4 ,in this work the ,european missionary and the ,native agent1 working together side by side and in closest co-operation1 are contributing to the building up of a strong ,native ,church1 which in the future is to be ,god's instrument in spreading the light into the dark places of the ,island4 ,this ,church is as 8a city set on a hill that cannot be hid40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,imerina ,country ,districts--8,fields ,white ,unto ,harvest0 ,say not the struggle naught availeth1 ,the labour and the wounds are vain1 ,the enemy faints not1 nor faileth1 ,and as things have been they remain4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for while the tired waves1 vainly breaking1 ,seem here no painful inch to gain2 ,far back1 through creeks1 and inlets making1 ,comes1 silent1 flooding in the main4 ,,clough4 ,it was not until #ahgj that the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 established its first country station in ,madagascar4 ,in that year ,dr4 ,sibree founded a residential station at ,ambohimanga1 the ancient capital of the ,hovas1 and one of the three towns in ,madagascar which1 until the ,french occupation1 no ,european was permitted to enter4 ,ambohimanga lies about eleven miles north of ,tananarive1 whence its wooded heights can be clearly seen4 ,at the top of the hill is the old royal palace1 built for ,king ,andrianampoinimerina1 who reigned from #aghh to #ahaj1 and was the first king who had any claim to be regarded as monarch of the whole ,island4 ,he was the father of ,radama ,i41 who moved the capital to ,tananarive4 ,after its removal the old royal palace was visited by the sovereign at least once a year4 ,the building is at all sorts of levels1 and there are great trees growing in most unexpected places4 ,when the walls which supported the wooden palace were last plastered the white of eggs was used to make the plaster1 so as to give it a glazed appearance4 ,it is said that millions of eggs were used in the process4 ,at the very top of the hill are some rocks1 from which there is a most magnificent view nearly all round the horizon4 ,on these rocks superstitious practices are still observed1 indications of which were very apparent to us at the time of our visit4 ,to the north is a precipice1 and at its foot rice fields stretch away into the distance to the hills and mountains which bound the horizon4 ,the present ,native ,governor of the town is an old ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 boy from ,betsileo1 trained by ,mr4 ,rowlands4 ,he showed to us with great pride a silver watch which his former missionary had given to him4 ,ambohimanga is reached by pousse-pousse 7rickshaw71 the journey occupying two hours4 ,its first three missionaries were ,dr4 ,sibree1 ,mr4 ,wills1 and ,mr4 ,peill1 all of whom have had the honour of giving children to the ,mission field in ,madagascar and in other parts of the world4 ,the ,ambohimanga ,mission house must be the centre of happy memories for missionaries now at work in ,china1 ,india1 and ,samoa4 ,the contribution which the ,madagascar missionaries have made to the ,society's staff1 especially in ,china1 is remarkable4 ,dr4 ,sibree has given a daughter to the ,medical ,mission at ,hong ,kong1 and a son to the ,south ,sea ,mission1 in addition to two daughters to the ,madagascar ,mission4 ,mr4 ,wills was the father of a medical missionary carrying on work in ,central ,china1 and another son is at work in ,india4 ,mr4 ,peill has given four sons to the ,north ,china ,mission1 three of them being doctors4 ,a son of ,mr4 ,peake's is also a medical missionary in ,north ,china4 ,mr4 ,rowlands has two sons and a daughter missionaries in ,china4 ,a daughter of ,mr4 ,pearse is the wife of a medical missionary in ,north ,china2 and a second daughter is the wife of a medical missionary in ,madagascar4 ,a son of ,mr4 ,huckett was for a short time a medical missionary in ,india4 ,three children of ,mr4 ,george ,cousins have become missionaries in ,china4 ,and so the ,apostolic succession is continued4 ,since ,mr4 ,peill left ,ambohimanga the ,mission there has been in charge of two ,welshmen1 ,mr4 ,griffith1 and the present missionary1 ,mr4 ,owen ,jones1 thus carrying on the tradition that ,madagascar is pre-eminently the ,mission ,field of the ,welsh ,churches4 ,on the occasion of the visit of the ,deputation a great gathering was held in the largest of the three ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,churches at ,ambohimanga1 all outside the city walls1 on account of the old law1 above referred to1 excluding ,europeans from the town itself4 ,thirty-five ,churches were represented in the crowded congregation from the ,ambohimanga district which gathered together to meet us4 ,there were all the indications of a strong and growing ,christian work1 which was further evidenced by the efficient school work1 and the work amongst women which is being carried on1 and by the long and earnest discussion we had with the native pastors and preachers4 ,twelve miles east of the capital is the country station of ,isoavina1 where for nearly forty years the ,rev4 ,p4 ,g4 ,peake carried on his vigorous and varied missionary labours4 ,the ,mission house is beautifully situated in the hills amidst fine trees planted by ,mr4 ,peake in a beautiful garden1 intersected by two perennial streams of water4 ,there are school buildings1 workshops1 and a row of cottages bearing testimony to the work of this earnest missionary4 ,he established an industrial school at the station and taught carpentry1 iron-work1 tinsmith's work1 and other industrial pursuits4 ,the industrial department was1 however1 suppressed by the ,french officials in #ahif1 but was afterwards resumed on a smaller scale in #aijg4 ,but perhaps the missionary activity by which ,mr4 ,peake will be best remembered is the founding of the leper settlement at ,imanankavaly1 an hour's walk away from ,isoavina1 which has since grown to such large proportions under the ,french ,government4 ,mr4 ,peake has himself told the story of the genesis of this great work in the 8,ten ,years' ,review40 ,in #aijj the ,french authorities purchased the ,leper ,settlement1 and have since carried on and developed the work there to an amazing extent4 ,there are now #a1ejj lepers in residence4 ,the ,settlement is a large village1 consisting for the most part of rows of detached huts in which the lepers live1 and is a model of cleanliness and order4 ,i visited the ,institution and was greatly impressed with what ,i saw4 ,nearly all the inmates bear the awful marks of leprosy upon them4 ,many have bandages round their feet1 legs and arms4 ,many have lost feet and hands and are horribly mutilated or deformed4 ,many have terribly distorted faces4 ,some hid themselves away as they saw visitors approaching4 ,others lay in the sunshine huddled up in dark blankets4 ,many1 however1 were able to work1 and were engaged in building new huts or in agricultural pursuits4 ,there were men and women1 boys and girls1 a most pathetic multitude4 ,yet smiling faces were quite common as the lepers saluted us as we passed along between the rows of cottages4 ,it was ,saturday1 the weekly cleaning day1 and all the meagre furniture1 pots and pans1 were turned out of doors4 ,the staple article of food is rice1 of which over five tons a week are consumed4 ,twice a week meat is supplied1 and the ,government also provide soap1 candles and salt4 ,the whole ,institution is a wonderful example of method and organization4 ,but the most remarkable fact in connection with the work is that it is entirely directed by a woman of sixty-five years of age1 ,mlle4 ,sapino4 ,this lady came to ,madagascar some eighteen years ago as a missionary of the ,paris ,missionary ,society4 ,on severing her connection with that ,society she took up this work amongst the lepers4 ,she controls the whole of the ,institution down to the minutest details4 ,she superintends the buildings4 ,she buys all the stores1 and ,i saw her weighing out the rice for distribution to the ,lepers4 ,she examines every case as it comes in1 and puts all the particulars down on a chart4 ,she personally dresses the wounds in the worst cases1 and was engaged in doing this ,christ-like work when we arrived4 ,for all her services she receives the munificent stipend of #hj per annum and a house4 ,out of this at the present time she is keeping some forty untainted children of lepers born in the ,institution4 ,the ,government will not make her any grant because these children are not lepers4 ,some months ago she sold her drawing-room furniture to get money to keep the children4 ,she is a remarkable-looking woman--tall1 with prominent features and iron grey hair4 ,she reminded me more than any other woman ,i ever saw of the pictures of ,george ,eliot4 ,she told me that the ,government respected her1 but did not love her4 ,they know she is indispensable4 ,a week or two previous to my visit they sent her an unsatisfactory ,frenchman to be an assistant4 ,she objected and resigned4 ,in a few hours a high official's wife came out to tell her that the ,government would do anything she asked with regard to the ,frenchman4 ,she demanded his immediate removal1 and in twenty-four hours he was gone4 ,she has no ,european assistant1 but seven untainted ,malagasy1 including a doctor4 ,all the rest of the work is done by lepers--except that the ,government have sent recently five ,malagasy soldiers as a guard4 ,i was told that ,mademoiselle always carries a loaded revolver about with her for fear of trouble4 ,at the time of my visit she had no servant in her house1 and did all her own cooking and housework4 ,she is one of the most remarkable women ,i have ever met1 and carries on a wonderful piece of work4 ,she is a strong ,protestant4 ,there is a school and a ,protestant and ,catholic ,church in the ,institution4 ,the cost is very small--less than #ces4 per inmate per annum1 which seems almost incredible4 ,but to return to ,isoavina4 ,during our visit a great united meeting of the ,isan-,efa-,bolana 7four-monthly meeting7 for the whole district was held in the ,church4 ,the schools were inspected and interviews held with the leading ,christian workers4 ,at this place1 as at nearly every other place in ,madagascar which we visited1 presentations were made to us by the ,native ,christians in order to express their gratitude to the ,society for sending us to visit them and their pleasure at seeing us4 ,at various places we were the recipients of numberless turkeys1 fowls and eggs4 ,offerings of other kinds of food were made1 and we received more permanent reminders of our visit in the shape of lambas1 walking sticks1 lace1 rafia work1 embroideries1 scarf pins1 serviette rings1 photographs1 hats1 addresses1 etc4 ,in their joy at seeing representatives of the ,society in their midst it seemed that our friends could not do enough to express their appreciation and gratitude4 ,some half-hour's walk from ,isoavina1 the 8,rest-,house10 or ,sanatorium belonging to the ,mission is situated at ,ambatovory in the midst of lovely country commanding fine views4 ,it is here that many of the ,imerina missionaries spend their hard-earned holidays4 ,during my stay at ,isoavina ,i paid a surprise ,sunday morning visit to a small outstation called ,fararina4 ,every precaution was taken to conceal the fact that a visit was going to be made1 so that the visitor might have an opportunity of seeing a country outstation under normal conditions4 ,the ,church was a small and primitive wattle-and-daub building1 with a brick pulpit1 covered with the commonest and most gaudy wallpaper4 ,the earth floor was covered with matting4 ,i was delighted to find that the chapel was practically full4 ,afterwards a ,communion ,service was held4 ,the 8bread0 was nearly black4 ,it was made of manioc root and coarse black sugar almost like treacle4 ,the 8wine0 was pine-apple juice4 ,the cups and plates were tin painted red4 ,although the visit was a complete surprise1 the people would not let me go without making the customary gifts4 ,as ,i descended the steep hill after the service some of the ,church members overtook me bringing a fowl1 and as ,i reached the foot others came running after me with eggs4 ,ten miles north-west of ,tananarive is ,ambohidratrimo1 where the late ,mr4 ,baron lived for two years in the seventies4 ,in #aija ,ambohidratrimo was re-opened as a residential station under the care of the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,dennis1 and it is now in charge of the ,rev4 ,h4 ,a4 ,ridgwell4 ,in past days it was the capital of one of the four small kingdoms into which the present province of ,imerina was divided1 and it still retains marks of its former importance4 ,at the top of a lofty hill behind the ,mission house the royal village once stood1 where a century ago the ,malagasy king ruled over his petty kingdom4 ,there are still several royal tombs to be seen4 ,towards three-quarters of the horizon a great plain stretches out into the distance4 ,in the middle of it towards the south-east amidst the rice-fields is ,tananarive4 ,all around are mountains4 ,the country looked like a gigantic relief map1 and the view must be similar to that to be seen from an aeroplane4 ,ambohidratrimo is reached by a two hours' ride in a pousse-pousse through rice fields and pine-apple gardens4 ,in passing along the road ,i could see the women very busy in the rice fields1 transplanting the young rice and working in water half up their legs4 ,pine-apples are very plentiful in the district1 and three large ones can be bought for a penny4 ,during our visit we attended two great meetings1 one in the ,mission ,church consisting only of men1 representing some sixty-eight ,churches in the district1 while the other1 for women only1 was held at an outstation in a large village ,church with very few seats4 ,the ,church was crowded1 most of the women being seated on the floor looking very clean1 happy and bright in their white lambas4 ,many of them had walked for several hours to attend the meeting4 ,the wife of the evangelist made an admirable president1 and several women took part in the meeting4 ,fourteen miles north-west of ,ambohidratrimo is ,vangaina1 which became the residence of a missionary in #aijc4 ,it is the centre of fifty outstations1 which are superintended by the ,vangaina missionary1 the ,rev4 ,thomas ,tester4 ,the beautifully situated ,mission house has been built on the hillside some distance off the main motor-car road from ,tananarive to the ,port of ,majunga on the north-west coast4 ,at the station there is a ,church and a school4 ,a united meeting for the ,churches of the district was held at the outstation1 ,ampanotokana1 at which forty-four ,churches were represented1 crowding the building to its utmost capacity4 ,our journeys to these country stations afforded many opportunities of seeing various sides of native life4 ,on the way to ,vangaina we visited the large native market at ,mahitsy on market day4 ,we went up and down between the stalls in the market place4 ,the vendors must have numbered many hundreds1 and the people attending the market some thousands from all over the countryside4 ,amongst the articles for sale were straw hats and mats1 spades and hatchets1 great heaps of fine pineapples1 sugar cane1 pigs1 cattle1 rice1 meat1 great piles of a small kind of dried fish1 salt1 tinware1 calico1 black soap 7like the soap our missionary1 ,mr4 ,cameron1 taught the natives to make eighty years ago71 buttons1 biscuits1 ducks1 vegetables--all in the greatest profusion4 ,perhaps the most interesting feature was the space set apart for the blacksmiths1 who were repairing spades1 tinware1 cart-wheels1 etc41 with the help of primitive forges4 ,the blast was created by two upright cylinders of wood with pipes from the bottom of them to convey the wind to the charcoal fire4 ,the air was driven into these pipes by means of plates of wood1 which were forced up and down the cylinders by poles attached to the upper surface and worked by men's hands4 ,they formed very effective bellows4 ,vangaina itself is a small village with two moats1 each about twenty feet deep1 in which banana trees were growing4 ,an interesting feature in the village is a great tree in which ,i saw three enormous nests of the crested-umber built in the forks of the tree and made of hay1 straw1 grass1 and twigs1 each one being about six feet long by six feet wide4 ,the bird is about the size of the domestic fowl with longer wings1 and is called the ,taketra4 ,it is a bird of ill-omen1 and in the old days when the ex-,queen used to come out to ,ambohimanga she would turn back again to ,tananarive if one of these birds crossed her path4 ,the old ,malagasy believe that these birds bring leprosy4 ,the most distant country station in ,imerina from ,tananarive is that of ,anjozorobe1 between sixty and seventy miles north-east of the ,capital4 ,on the way one passes through the town of ,ambohitrolomahitsy1 for some years the residential station for the district1 at which the late ,rev4 ,percy ,milledge1 and after him the ,rev4 ,w4 ,kendal ,gale1 carried on work4 ,we attended three large meetings at this place4 ,the journey thither to ,anjozorobe led us over a range of mountains1 one of which bears a ,malagasy name meaning 8,the mountain which cannot be climbed40 ,anjozorobe1 which is beautifully situated1 became a residential station in #aiaj1 when ,mr4 ,gale moved there from ,ambohitrolomahitsy4 ,he and his family live in a newly-erected ,mission house bearing a ,malagasy name1 which being interpreted means 8,the house of sweet breezes10 now quite familiar to readers of the ,society's magazines4 ,his missionary colleague1 ,mrs4 ,milledge1 formerly ,miss ,may ,sibree1 lives some distance away in the centre of the native village in a ,malagasy house4 ,anjozorobe is the centre of a very extensive district1 in which there are forty large outstations1 and includes the northern part of the ,bezanozano country1 the southern portion of which is connected with the ,isoavina ,station4 ,it was not my privilege to visit the ,bezanozano1 but one of my colleagues1 ,mr4 ,talbot ,wilson1 spent nine days in a tour in this country4 ,during our visit to ,anjozorobe a large united meeting for the whole district was held at the ,church4 ,visits were also paid to some of the nearer outstations4 ,the schools were inspected1 and a gathering held for the native workers4 ,much of ,mr4 ,gale's time is spent away from home1 his itinerating work through a widespread district necessitating his absence for many days at a time4 ,mrs4 ,milledge1 too1 spends much of her life travelling between outstations1 living in native houses1 and holding classes for women and girls in both the ,anjozorobe and ,ambohitrolomahitsy districts4 ,the journey back to the capital took us through ,ankazandandy and ,ambohibao1 where crowded and enthusiastic meetings were held4 ,by the work of our missionaries at these country stations1 and of hundreds of native pastors and preachers1 the light is being spread through the central province of ,imerina4 ,before the ,french occupation the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 work was much more extensive than it is at present4 ,it became necessary to hand over some of the work to the ,paris ,missionary ,society1 whose missionaries1 with those of the ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a4 and the ,s4 ,p4 ,g4 and their native workers1 have now for many years past been engaged in passing on the light from place to place4 ,the ,church is steadily growing and extending into the dark places beyond4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,betsileo--8,the ,sombre ,fringes of the ,night0 ,the glad ,dawn sets his fires upon the hills1 ,then floods the valley with his golden light1 ,and1 triumphing o'er all the hosts of night1 ,the waiting world with new-born rapture fills4 ,l4 ,c4 ,,moulton4 ,the scene now changes to the province of ,betsileo1 in the south of the ,island1 where the work is carried on amongst a backward people1 whose territory abuts upon the districts occupied by tribes more benighted still--the ,sakalava1 the ,bara1 and the ,tanala4 ,until quite recently the work in ,betsileo was separated from the work in ,imerina by a journey in a filanjana 7palanquin7 occupying from eight to ten days4 ,now the #bfd miles which separate ,tananarive from ,fianarantsoa are covered in two days in comfortable automobiles1 along a magnificent road which has been constructed by the ,french4 ,for almost the whole of the distance the country is very hilly1 the road rising to #d1ejj feet above the sea level1 and being carried over mountains in a continuous series of curves with easy gradients4 ,we were travelling in the middle of the ,malagasy winter4 ,the mornings were cold and misty1 but before long the sun broke out and we enjoyed a changing panorama of hill and mountain1 waterfall and river1 and far-spreading distant views4 ,peaks sixty miles away appeared to be quite near4 ,time after time the road traversed amphitheatres in the mountains1 and ,i was often reminded of stretches of country in the province of ,hunan in ,central ,china4 ,fianarantsoa is the capital of the ,betsileo province1 the inhabitants of which are a curly-haired1 dark-skinned people of a somewhat low type1 except in the large towns where most of the population is ,hova4 ,work is also carried on at outstations amongst the ,bara and ,tanala tribes in the south4 ,the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 first sent resident missionaries to settle in ,betsileo in #ahgj1 and the ,paris ,missionary ,society and the ,norwegian ,society are also at work there4 ,fianarantsoa is picturesquely situated in a mountainous region4 ,it stands considerably higher than the top of ,snowdon1 and commands a wonderful view on all sides--of mountains and moorland1 forest and river in infinite variety4 ,during our visit1 in the early mornings great seas of mist lay in the valleys1 but later in the day the whole landscape was flooded with brilliant sunshine4 ,the work in the ,capital itself and at seventy-four outstations is in charge of ,mr4 ,huckett and ,mr4 ,johnson1 who have borne the burden and heat of the day for upwards of thirty years1 while ,miss ,hare has been in charge of the ,girls' ,school for the last seventeen years4 ,the ,mission ,compound is extensive and contains the ,girls' ,school1 three ,mission houses1 the ,theological ,college1 which was once a hospital1 and cottage accommodation for the students at work in the ,college and the boys from the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 country stations attending the ,boys' ,school of the ,paris ,missionary ,society4 ,in ,fianarantsoa there were all the evidences of extensive missionary activities and of a successful work4 ,the numerous meetings that were held during our visit were crowded4 ,during our stay the annual gatherings of the ,betsileo ,isan-,kerin-,taona 7yearly meeting7 were held4 ,they were the first gatherings of the kind at which ,i had been present in ,madagascar4 ,as ,i attended meeting after meeting the impression made upon me as a visitor was that of 8fields white unto harvest40 ,to my unaccustomed eyes the white lambas1 which seemed to fill the ,churches1 suggested the white fields referred to in the ,gospels4 ,and then came the thought which gave rise to glad thanksgiving1 that in ,madagascar the harvest indeed had been plenteous1 though the labourers had been few4 ,then came a vision of the great harvest-home when from the north and south1 the east and west of this island men and women1 boys and girls would all be gathered into the ,kingdom1 and those who sowed and those who reaped would rejoice together4 ,three meetings stand out in my memory4 ,on the ,wednesday there was a representative gathering of the delegates from the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 and ,p4 ,m4 ,s4 ,churches in ,antranobiriky ,church4 ,m4 ,couve1 of the ,paris ,society1 addressed some burning words to the delegates1 which went to their hearts4 ,i spoke of the ,united ,malagasy ,church of the future1 and rejoiced to find so hearty a response to the idea of union4 ,next day at the ,assembly ,m4 ,couve spoke with great earnestness on the duty of self-support1 and ,mr4 ,houghton gave an eloquent address on self-government4 ,the third meeting was a memorable one4 ,it was a united ,communion ,service held on ,thursday afternoon in the ,church of the ,french ,protestant ,mission4 ,the spacious church was crowded to its utmost limits4 ,the aisles and stairs were thronged with devout worshippers4 ,a native pastor conducted the service4 ,missionaries and evangelists1 pastors and preachers joined with some #hjj ,christians and the ,deputations from the two societies round the table of our ,lord4 ,men and women1 brown and white1 were all as one in that sacred service of commemoration and consecration4 ,the solemnity of the gathering was emphasised by the thunderstorm which broke over the town while the service was proceeding4 ,the church became dark4 ,the wind howled4 ,the lightning flashed4 ,the thunder rolled4 ,the rain fell4 ,and then came the brilliant sunshine--a prophetic vision of the history of the ,church of ,christ in ,madagascar4 ,persecution1 trouble1 and anxiety have beset that ,church in the past4 ,even now there are clouds upon the horizon4 ,but the day is surely coming when the glorious shining of the ,sun of ,righteousness will flood this great island with light and love1 and all who live in it 8shall shine as the brightness of the firmament1 and 444 as the stars for ever and ever40 ,mr4 ,huckett has long carried on a fine piece of work in the ,theological ,seminary4 ,here pastors and evangelists receive a three years' course of training1 and there is a two years' course for catechists and itinerating preachers4 ,mr4 ,huckett also superintends the boys and youths from the country mission stations1 who come up to ,fianarantsoa to complete their education1 living in the cottages above referred to1 which are supported by the ,glasgow ,foundry ,boys' ,religious ,association4 ,another branch of ,mr4 ,huckett's manifold labours is the secretaryship of the local agency of the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society4 ,from the ,bible and ,book ,room in the ,compound the ,scriptures are distributed to the whole of the ,south of ,madagascar1 and five colporteurs are at work4 ,at the ,girls' ,high ,school1 conducted by ,miss ,hare1 there are one hundred girls on the books1 of whom on the occasion of our visit ninety-six were present4 ,there is ample accommodation for more scholars1 but the ,government regulations prevent it being utilised4 ,some of the girls at the school come from the country stations and live in the ,mission house with ,miss ,hare4 ,it would be a very great help to the work if a ,boarding ,home for ,girls could be established in ,fianarantsoa4 ,in addition to her duties in the ,school1 ,miss ,hare also has the oversight of the wives of the students at the ,theological ,seminary4 ,the ,paris ,mission carries on the ,boys' ,high ,school and a ,normal ,school1 to which the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 students go4 ,about an hour's journey from ,fianarantsoa another fine example of missionary activity is to be seen at the ,leper ,home1 at a place pathetically called 8,the ,village of ,hope40 ,this work was started by ,mrs4 ,huckett twenty years ago4 ,my visit was a sad experience1 and will be an abiding memory4 ,no leper who enters this home1 in which there are forty-three inmates1 ever comes out again4 ,the sufferers die1 and are buried in the grounds4 ,my thoughts naturally carried me back to ,dr4 ,fowler's ,leper ,home in ,central ,china at ,siao ,kan4 8,the ,village of ,hope0 might well be called the 8,village of ,despair10 for maimed and missing hands and feet told their tale only too plainly1 and pitiable sores on the legs and face were common4 ,but without exception all the patients seemed bright and happy1 and one could not doubt the joy that had come into the lives of the poor afflicted creatures1 thirty-three of whom were ,church members1 while others were enquirers4 ,we visited the rooms in which they live1 and afterwards attended a pathetic and yet happy meeting in the ,chapel at which we all spoke4 ,the lepers were genuinely glad to see us and gave us a hearty welcome4 ,after we left we could see the whole community1 standing in their white lambas just outside the gate on the top of the hill1 waving farewells to us for fully half an hour4 ,thirty-two miles south of ,fianarantsoa is the growing ,government town of ,ambalavao1 which is reached by pousse-pousse along another well-engineered road through the mountains4 ,as we approached the town we were met by streams of natives1 many gaily decorated1 returning from the annual three days' fair4 ,for many years ,ambalavao was worked from ,ambohimandroso1 but it has been a residential station since #aijc under the care of the ,rev4 ,d4 ,m4 ,rees1 whose untiring efforts are ably seconded by those of his wife1 who has the great advantage of an excellent knowledge of ,french4 ,the ,mission house is an old ,malagasy residence which has been enlarged4 ,the ,station ,church is one of the most handsome and best built churches in ,madagascar4 ,on the occasion of our visit it was crowded to its utmost capacity by a gathering representing the forty-four outstations in the district4 ,six miles south of ,ambalavao is situated ,ambohimandroso1 the most southerly station of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s41 where the ,rev4 ,thomas and ,mrs4 ,rowlands 7who1 like ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,rees1 keep up the connection between ,wales and ,madagascar7 have faithfully carried on work for the last thirty-four years4 ,at the bottom of the valley between the two stations is a river which is crossed by a ferry1 where ,i was met by a crowd of school children who escorted me up the steep hill to the ,mission house1 the boys assisting in propelling the pousse-pousse4 ,here again a crowded and enthusiastic united meeting was held1 with representatives from most of the fifty-one out-stations connected with this ,mission4 ,schools were inspected1 visits paid to some of the ,native workers1 and other gatherings held4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,rowlands find house-room for a dozen girls from country districts who are attending school4 ,each evening these girls file into the drawing-room for singing and prayer4 ,on the occasion of my visit they sang 8,nearer my ,god to ,thee0 in ,english4 ,then followed their salutation1 8,good-night1 ,mr4 ,hawkins10 with a curtsey4 ,i replied1 8,good-night1 girls2 ,god bless you40 ,then came their answer1 8,thank you1 ,mr4 ,hawkins40 ,the same formula is gone through with 8,madame0 and 8,sir40 ,the morning ,i left1 the girls were up early to see me off1 and stood in a row alongside the filanjana4 ,in a frivolous moment as ,i was leaving ,i pretended to weep to express my sorrow at parting from them1 and off ,i went4 ,mrs4 ,rowlands told me a week or two afterwards that at my departure all the girls had burst into tears and cried bitterly1 saying1 8,what a tender-hearted gentleman to cry when he leaves us4 ,he must be thinking of his own daughter in ,england who has dark hair and dark eyes like us60 ,from ,ambohimandroso ,i proceeded to the ,society's newest station in ,betsileo at ,alakamisy ,itenina1 where since #aije the ,rev4 ,d4 ,d4 ,green1 another ,welshman1 has resided and superintended the work of the thirty-seven outstations1 of which this place is the centre4 ,the journey occupied all day1 and the road lay amongst the mountains1 the views of the hills and clouds being magnificent4 ,several crowded meetings were held at the station and at outstations4 ,at one place the crowd that had gathered together was three times as large as the ,church could contain1 and the meeting was held in the open-air1 in defiance1 ,i am afraid1 of the ,french law4 ,i stood under the shadow of the ,church4 ,in the immediate foreground was the great congregation1 some on the seats which had been taken out of the ,church1 and some on the ground--a very picturesque crowd in white and gaily-coloured lambas4 ,beyond the worshippers stretched a glorious vista of mountain and valley1 rolling away into 8the purple distance fair10 with the brilliant sunshine bathing all in a flood of golden light4 ,the only residential station in ,madagascar which ,i was unable to visit was that at ,ambohimahasoa1 a town of growing importance1 where the ,rev4 ,charles ,collins has laboured for the last eleven years1 superintending from that centre thirty-eight outstations4 ,both my colleagues1 however1 were able to visit it1 and attended a large number of meetings there4 ,the ,society's work in ,betsileo is well organised1 and has been carried on for the last forty-three years with great and growing success4 ,from the centre at ,fianarantsoa1 over a wide-spreading district comprising #bdd outstations1 the ,gospel has been faithfully preached1 schools have been conducted1 ,christian ,endeavour ,societies1 ,dorcas meetings1 and many other missionary activities have been carried on1 and this manifold work has been accomplished by means of a small ,european staff which has never exceeded ten missionaries4 ,their efforts have been seconded by a native staff of about fifty ordained pastors and #ejj preachers4 ,the ,church is a growing one1 but much yet remains to be done to complete the evangelization of the large territory in which the ,society is at work4 ,beyond to the south1 as already mentioned1 are the unevangelized tribes of the ,bara and ,tanala districts1 amongst whom up to the present very little work has been done4 ,but the future is rich with promise1 and if the existing work can be maintained and somewhat extended1 the ,society will have a rich reward in building up a ,native ,church so strong and so missionary1 that before many years have passed it will be able to carry the light into the dark places around4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,glad and ,golden ,days ,spread the ,light6 ,spread the ,light6 ,till earth's remotest bounds have heard ,the glory of the ,living ,word2 ,till those that see not have their sight2 ,till all the fringes of the night ,are lifted1 and the long-closed doors ,are wide for ever to the ,light4 ,spread the ,light6 99 99 99 99 99 ,o then shall dawn the golden days1 ,to which true hearts are pressing2 ,when earth's discordant strains shall blend-- ,the one true ,god confessing2 ,when ,christly thought and ,christly deed ,shall bind each heart and nation1 ,in one ,grand ,brotherhood of ,men1 ,and one high consecration4 ,,john ,,oxenham4 ,after our return from ,betsileo and our visitation of the ,imerina country stations1 we spent three weeks in ,tananarive to meet with the missionaries in their ,district ,committee1 in order to consult together as to the present position and future work4 ,we also took part in a ,conference with the representatives of all the ,protestant ,missionary ,societies at work in the island1 and attended the great half-yearly meeting of the native ,christians known as the ,isan-,enim-,bolana4 ,it is not the purpose of this record of travel to discuss questions of missionary politics1 or to deal with matters considered at the ,joint ,conference4 ,suffice it to say that the intercourse with the missionaries of our own and other ,societies during those closing weeks of our stay was a time of happy fellowship4 ,in the interludes between more serious work delightful social receptions and garden parties were organised by several of the ,missions1 and we enjoyed the hospitality of the ,bishop of ,madagascar and of our ,french and ,norwegian friends4 ,there was one gathering1 however1 of very special interest to us1 as representatives of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 ,on ,september #cjth it was our privilege to take part in the celebration of the jubilee of the landing at ,tamatave of our honoured veteran missionary1 ,dr4 ,james ,sibree4 ,mr4 ,sibree1 as he was then1 went out to ,madagascar as architect of the ,memorial ,churches to be erected in ,tananarive in commemoration of the martyrs 8faithful unto death10 who lost their lives during the time of persecution4 ,these ,churches remain until this day1 not only as memorials to the martyrs1 but as monuments to the taste and skill of ,mr4 ,sibree as an architect4 ,but his services in this direction have not been confined to the ,memorial ,churches4 ,in after years to the present time he has prepared the plans of upwards of #dj ,churches in different parts of ,madagascar4 ,but ,dr4 ,sibree will leave behind him1 when the time comes for him to bid farewell to ,madagascar1 a more enduring memorial than churches of brick and stone4 ,when he had completed the task which originally took him to the island he returned to ,england1 and1 after taking his theological course at ,spring ,hill1 went back to ,madagascar as a clerical missionary1 and from that day to this1 with ceaseless energy and devotion1 he has been engaged in building the ,invisible ,church1 8a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens40 ,the epitaph upon the tomb of another architect1 ,sir ,christopher ,wren1 in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 8,si monumentum requiris circumspice10 is equally applicable to ,dr4 ,sibree1 for no missionary has left behind him in ,madagascar a more enduring memorial of his life and work than will ,dr4 ,sibree4 ,his energies1 too1 have found an outlet in other directions4 ,his most conspicuous service to the ,mission has been rendered in connection with the training of preachers and pastors4 ,for upwards of thirty years he has been associated with the ,society's ,theological ,college in ,tananarive1 and during that period several hundred students have received the benefit of his instruction and influence4 ,as a writer of books and articles he has given to the world much information1 not only with regard to ,madagascar1 but also with regard to the ,cathedrals of the ,homeland4 ,the articles on ,madagascar in the last two editions of the ,encyclopedia ,britannica have come from his pen1 and he is a recognised authority on all matters relating to the island4 ,he has rendered invaluable service as a translator1 and especially in the revision of the ,malagasy ,scriptures4 ,he does not know what it is to be idle4 ,in his seventy-seventh year he is an example and a rebuke to men of half his age2 from early morning until late at night he is always at work4 ,dr4 ,sibree has1 throughout his missionary life1 been ably seconded and supported in all his 8works of faith and labours of love0 by his devoted wife1 to whom the women and girls of ,ambohimanga1 and1 in later years1 of ,tananarive1 owe so much4 ,as ,i have already mentioned1 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,sibree have given four children to missionary work4 ,two of their daughters1 ,mrs4 ,milledge and ,miss ,elsie ,sibree are to-day rendering fine service to the kingdom in ,madagascar4 ,on the ,jubilee day a great gathering of missionaries was held in ,faravohitra ,church in honour of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,sibree4 ,several presentations were made to them from the ,directors of our ,society1 from their fellow missionaries and from the missionaries of other ,societies1 in recognition of the services they have rendered1 and of the respect1 esteem and affection in which they are held4 ,it is said that never before in the history of ,madagascar has such a large gathering of missionaries taken place4 ,later in the same day a reception and garden party were held1 at which even a larger number of the missionary community were present to celebrate the occasion4 ,a few days afterwards a great gathering of past and present students of the ,theological ,college met to offer their tribute of gratitude and esteem to the missionary who had trained so many of the preachers1 pastors1 and evangelists1 now engaged in the evangelization of the island4 ,illustration3 ,,dr4 ,,and ,,mrs4 ,,sibree4 ,only a passing reference can be made to the meetings of the ,joint ,conference4 ,this gathering was unique1 for it is believed that never before in the history of the ,christian ,church have all the ,protestant ,missionary ,societies at work in a mission field appointed simultaneous deputations to unite with the missionaries on the spot to study in common the problems and needs of the field1 and to plan together for its evangelization4 ,many matters of common interest to all the ,societies were considered1 and important discussions were held with the ,malagasy ,christian leaders4 ,the subjects of the evangelization of the island1 the work of delimitation1 education1 the social and moral condition of the people1 the recrudescence of heathenism1 the growth of atheism and agnosticism1 and many other questions vitally affecting the life of the people and the growth of the ,church came up for discussion4 ,the meetings were held in the beautiful ,french ,protestant ,church in ,tananarive in the early days of ,october4 ,the tone and spirit which prevailed throughout the deliberations were of the highest4 ,the ,conference owed much to its ,chairman1 ,m4 le ,pasteur ,couve1 who presided throughout with wisdom1 tact1 patience and good humour4 ,the holding of such a ,conference in which ,high ,anglican1 ,lutheran1 ,quaker and ,congregationalist1 ,british1 ,french1 ,norwegian1 and ,american took an equal part1 was a remarkable evidence of the growth of the spirit of comity and co-operation in the mission field4 ,but amongst the many vivid experiences of those crowded closing days in ,tananarive1 the most lasting impression was that made by the great meetings of the ,isan-,enim-,bolana4 ,this institution is a federation of the ,imerina ,churches of the ,l4 ,m4 ,s41 ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a41 and ,p4 ,m4 ,s41 and it holds a warm place in the regard and affection of the ,malagasy ,christians4 ,moreover1 it is a ,missionary ,society and sends its own native missionaries into the outlying districts in the ,north where1 but for its efforts1 there would be no ,christian work carried on4 ,it is the child of the ,london ,missionary ,society1 and came into being in the year #ahfh4 ,since then it has met every half-year in the ,capital1 and its gatherings are always marked with a spirit of great earnestness and enthusiasm4 ,it met in ,october1 and high as our expectations were from what we had heard1 the gatherings surpassed all that our imagination had pictured4 ,on ,wednesday afternoon1 ,october #hth1 five preaching services were held at the same hour in five of the largest ,churches in the ,capital1 and these were followed by two great meetings in connection with the ,christian ,endeavour ,societies4 ,perhaps a short account of my own experiences at the ,isan-,enim-,bolana1 which were similar to those of my fellow-delegates1 will convey some impression of the character of these ,meetings4 ,i was taking lunch with a party of ,french ,missionaries1 when ,m4 ,pierre de ,seynes came to tell me that the ,french ,church in which ,i was to speak was already crowded to its utmost limits1 although it was nearly two hours before the time for the commencement of the service4 ,on reaching the ,church an hour and a half later ,i had the greatest difficulty in effecting an entrance4 ,there was a dense crowd round the door of those who could not find room4 ,it required great care to walk up the aisle without treading upon the women1 who were sitting on the ground two abreast4 ,the great congregation occupied every foot of available space2 the floor of the chancel was packed1 and men were sitting on the communion rails1 on the top of the harmonium1 and on the pulpit steps4 ,moreover1 there were groups of people round the numerous open windows on the ground floor1 and the gallery and the steps leading to it were likewise crowded4 ,the scene from the pulpit can never be forgotten4 ,the contrast between the black hair1 brown faces and white lambas of the worshippers formed a striking picture4 ,pastor ,rabary1 the ,chairman of the ,isan-,enim-,bolana1 translated for me4 ,the vigorous action and fine declamation of the interpreter1 combined with the inspiration which one receives from the enthusiasm and devoutness of a great audience1 had their effect upon the quieter methods of the more phlegmatic ,englishman1 and ,i found myself moved to speak with a force and earnestness rarely experienced before4 ,my address was followed by what ,i am told was an eloquent sermon by one of the ablest of the younger ,malagasy leaders1 ,pastor ,rakotonirainy1 who is also a successful master in one of the ,f4 ,f4 ,m4 ,a4 ,schools4 ,as soon as the service was over the congregation hurried away to a great ,christian ,endeavour meeting at ,ampamarinana1 where the ,church was already packed4 ,an overflow meeting was arranged to be held in the ,church which we had just left1 and in a few moments that building was again filled to overflowing1 and ,i was called upon to give another address1 which was translated by ,pastor ,razafimahefa1 who interprets from both ,french or ,english into ,malagasy with wonderful force and fluency4 ,but the greatest gatherings took place on the following morning4 ,at #f o'clock seven of the most spacious ,churches were thronged to their utmost capacity1 some having arrived at #d a4m4 to secure a seat for the meetings1 which were not to commence till four hours later4 ,i was appointed to speak at the great meeting for men in the spacious ,ampamarinana ,church1 which had for hours been filled to overflowing4 ,as soon as ,i had spoken ,i was hurried away in a chair to an overflow meeting in a neighbouring ,church1 and1 having spoken there1 went on to ,faravohitra ,church1 which was crowded with women1 where my address was translated by ,mrs4 ,milledge1 who speaks ,malagasy like a native4 ,the service at this ,church was concluded by eleven o'clock4 ,then came one of the characteristic features of the meetings of the ,isan-,enim-,bolana4 ,it is the practice for the ,mother ,churches in the ,capital to entertain the delegates from the various ,daughter ,churches in the country4 ,i went to ,analakely1 where some #a1djj people sat down in five relays to abundant meals of rice and meat prepared by their hosts4 ,the same gracious hospitality was shown in each of the ,mother ,churches of ,tananarive4 ,after attending such gatherings one wonders whether there is any place in the world1 unless it is ,korea1 where such great crowds gather for ,christian worship4 ,the hearts of sympathetic visitors to ,madagascar are often thrilled at these manifest signs of the ,divine blessing upon the work of the ,missionaries1 but very little investigation shows that there is another side to the picture1 and that the young ,malagasy ,church needs all its zeal and courage to face the difficulties and dangers with which it is surrounded4 ,apart from the experience which unfortunately is common in all ,christian communities1 that practice does not always correspond with profession1 the ,malagasy ,christians have special difficulties of their own which confront the growing ,church4 ,they have to face the temptations which beset a backward race living in the tropics1 and the struggle with sensualism and immorality is a severe one4 ,moreover1 in recent years materialism and agnosticism have come into the land like a flood1 and tax to the uttermost the wisdom and consecration of the ,christian workers in the island4 ,again1 it must be remembered that the activities of the ,church are being carried on in an unsympathetic environment1 for apart from the deadening influence of the native heathenism amidst which the ,church is at work1 the unfriendly attitude towards religion of the ,french official class is felt on every hand4 ,again1 on the north-east and north-west coasts the menace of the advance of ,islam is increasingly felt1 and already there are at least #ge1jjj ,moslems in the country1 professing a degraded type of ,mohammedanism and introducing many vices1 especially drunkenness and immorality4 ,it will be a surprise to many to know that during the recent ,balkan war a collection was made in ,madagascar to help the ,turks to fight 8the vile ,christians40 ,with these and other difficulties confronting the young ,malagasy ,church1 it will be readily understood that the battle is by no means won4 ,moreover1 much of the field has1 up to the present1 not been occupied by the ,christian army1 and great is the work remaining to be accomplished4 ,if one stands on the verandah of 8the ,house of ,sweet ,breezes0 at ,anjozorobe1 the ,society's most northern station1 and turn one's eyes to the north1 there is a stretch of country extending well-nigh #ejj miles to ,diego ,suarez4 ,in this vast district1 the area of which exceeds that of ,england and ,wales1 there is at the present time but one white missionary4 ,it is true that some dozen native missionaries1 sent out by the ,isan-,enim-,bolana of ,imerina1 are at work in this territory1 and many of these men are carrying on their missionary labours with energy and devotion1 but without any ,european supervision4 ,the ,native ,missionary organisation which sent them forth would welcome such supervision1 and would be prepared to send more labourers into the vineyard1 if well-trained men were available for service4 ,in the near future the main work of the ,european missionary must be the training of the ,native missionary4 ,as the ,church at the centre grows and multiplies1 and becomes stronger and more efficient1 the need of the presence of a large number of ,european missionaries will gradually diminish4 ,the test of the success of their work will be that they have made themselves unnecessary4 ,as the ,college in ,tananarive attracts and trains and sets to work ,christian ,natives of good education and apostolic fervour1 so the work now carried on by the ,european missionaries will steadily pass into the hands of the ,native ,pastors1 and1 under the blessing of ,god1 the day will come in the not distant future when the foreign worker will be able to withdraw1 having completed his task4 8,and lo6 already on the hills ,the flags of dawn appear2 ,gird up your loins1 ye prophet souls1 ,proclaim the day is near2 ,the day in whose clear-shining light ,all wrong shall stand revealed1 ,when justice shall be clothed with might1 ,and every hurt be healed3 ,when knowledge1 hand in hand with peace1 ,shall walk the earth abroad1-- ,the day of perfect righteousness1 ,the promised day of ,god40