,,mary ,,slessor ,,of ,,calabar ,,pioneer ,,missionary ,,by ,w4 ,p4 ,,livingstone ,,prefatory ,,note ,life for most people is governed by authority and convention1 but behind these there lies always the mystery of human nature1 uncertain and elusive1 and apt now and again to go off at a tangent and disturb the smooth working of organised routine4 ,some man or woman will appear who departs from the normal order of procedure1 who follows ideals rather than rules1 and whose methods are irregular1 and often1 in the eyes of onlookers1 unwise4 ,they may be poor or frail1 and in their own estimation of no account1 yet it is often they who are used for the accomplishment--of important ends4 ,such a one was ,mary ,slessor4 ,towards the end of her days she was urged to write her autobiography1 but was surprised at the proposal1 and asked what she had done to merit the distinction of being put in a book4 ,she was so humble-minded that she could not discern any special virtue in her life of self-sacrifice and heroism2 and she disliked publicity and was shamed by praise4 ,when the matter was pressed upon her in view of the inspiration which a narrative of her experiences and adventures would be for others1 she began to consider whether it might not be a duty1 she never shrank from any duty however unpleasant4 ,her belief was that argument and theory had no effect in arousing interest in missionary enterprise2 that the only means of setting the heart on fire the magnetism of personal touch and example2 and she indicated that if account of her service would help to stimulate and strengthen the faith of the supporters of the work1 she would be prepared to supply the material4 ,she died before the intention could be carried further1 but from many sources1 and chiefly from her own letters1 it has been possible to piece together the main facts of her wonderful career4 ,one1 however1 has no hope of giving an adequate picture of her complex nature1 so full of contrasts and opposites4 ,she was a woman of affairs1 with a wide and catholic outlook upon humanity1 and yet she was a shy solitary walking alone in puritan simplicity and childlike faith4 ,few ham possessed such moral and physical courage1 or exercised such imperious power over savage peoples1 yet on trivial occasions she was abjectly timid and afraid1 ,a sufferer from chronic malarial affection1 and a martyr to pains her days were filled in with unremitting toil4 ,overflowing with love and tender feeling1 she could be stern and exacting4 ,shrewd1 practical1 and matter of fact1 she believed that sentiment was a gift of ,god1 and frankly indulged in it4 ,living always in the midst of dense spiritual darkness1 and often depressed and worried1 she maintained unimpaired a sense of humour and laughter4 ,strong and tenacious of will1 she admitted the right of others to oppose her4 ,these are but illustrations of the perpetual play of light and shade in her character which made her difficult to understand4 ,many could not see her greatness for what they called her eccentricities1 forgetting1 or perhaps being unaware of1 what she had passed through1 experiences such as no other woman had undergone1 which explained much that seemed unusual in her conduct4 ,but when her life is viewed as a whole1 and in the light of what she achieved1 all these angles and oddities fall away1 and she stands out1 a woman of unique and inspiring personality1 and one of the most heroic figures of the age4 ,some have said that she was in a sense a miracle1 and not1 therefore1 for ordinary people to emulate4 ,such an estimate she would have stoutly repudiated4 ,it is true that she began life with the gift of a strong character1 but many possess that and yet come to nothing4 ,she had1 on the other hand1 disadvantages and obstacles that few have to encounter4 ,it was by surrender1 dedication1 and unwearied devotion that she grew into her power of attainment1 and all can adventure on the same path4 ,it was love for ,christ that made her what she was1 and there is no limit set in that direction4 ,such opportunity as she had1 lies before the lowliest disciples2 even out of the commonplace ,love can carve heroines4 ,there is nothing small or trivial1 she once said1 for ,god is ready to take every act and motive and work through them to the formation of character and the development of holy and useful lives that will convey grace to the world4 ,it was so in her case1 and hence the value of her example1 and the warrant for telling the story of her life so that others may be influenced to follow aims as noble1 and to strive1 if not always in the same manner1 at least with a like courage1 and in the same patient and indomitable spirit4 ,w4,p4,l4 ,,contents ,,first ,,phase ,a ,,scottish ,,factory ,,girl ,,chapter ,i4 ,,saved ,,by ,,fear ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,in ,,the ,,weaving-,,shed ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,misery ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,taming ,,the ,,roughs ,,chapter ,v4 ,,self-,,culture ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,a ,,tragic ,,land ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,three ,,marys ,,second ,,phase ,,work ,,and ,,adventure ,,at ,,the ,,base ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,breath ,,of ,,the ,,tropics ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,first ,,impressions ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,in ,,the ,,underworld ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,pull ,,of ,,home ,,chapter ,v4 ,,at ,,the ,,seat ,,of ,,satan ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,in ,,elephant ,,country ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,with ,,back ,,to ,,the ,,wall ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,bereft ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,sorrows ,,of ,,creek ,,town ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,fulness ,,of ,,the ,,time ,,third ,,phase ,,the ,,conquest ,,of ,,okoyong ,,chapter ,i4 ,a ,,tribe ,,of ,,terrorists ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,in ,,the ,,royal ,,canoe ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,adventure ,,of ,,taking ,,possession ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,facing ,,an ,,angby ,,mob ,,chapter ,v4 ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,harem ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,strange ,,doings ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,fighting ,a ,,grim ,,foe ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,witchcraft ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,sorcery ,,in ,,the ,,path ,,chapter ,x4 ,,how ,,house ,,and ,,hall ,,were ,,built ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,a ,,palaver ,,at ,,the ,,palace ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,scottish ,,carpenter ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,her ,,greatest ,,battle ,,and ,,victory ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,aftermath ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,sweet ,,and ,,the ,,strong ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,war ,,in ,,the ,,gates ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,among ,,the ,,churches ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,love ,,of ,,lover ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,a ,,letter ,,and ,,its ,,result ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,blood ,,covenant ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,run1 ,,ma6 ,,run6 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,a ,,government ,,agent ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,eccentricities1 ,,spade-,,work1 ,,and ,,day-,,dreams ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,maiden-,,mother ,,and ,,angel-,,child ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,mary ,,kingsley',s ,,visit ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,an ,,all-,,night ,,journey ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,akom3 ,a ,,first-,,fruit ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,box ,,from ,,home ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,to ,,the ,,consul ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,after ,,seven ,,years ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,chiefs ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,clothed ,,by ,,faith ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,shy ,,speaker ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,isolation #a4 ,a ,,mother ,,in ,,israel #b4 ,,the ,,cares ,,of ,a ,,household ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,,exiled ,,to ,,creek ,,town ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,,pictures ,,and ,,impressions ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,a ,,night ,,in ,,the ,,bush ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,,with ,,loving-,,kindness ,,crowned ,,fourth ,,phase ,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,the ,,enyong ,,creek ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,the ,,long ,,juju ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,planting ,a ,,base ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,on ,,to ,,arochuku ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,a ,,slave-,,girl',s ,,triumph ,,chapter ,v4 ,a ,,bush ,,furlough ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,beginnings ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,moving ,,inland ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,the ,,women ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,a ,,christmas ,,party ,,chapter ,x4 ,,mutinous ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,on ,,the ,,bench ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,a ,,visitor',s ,,notes ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,a ,,rest-,,home ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,scotland3 ,,the ,,last ,,farewell ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,growing ,,weather ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,pity ,,of ,,it ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,settlement ,,begun ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,a ,,scottish ,,guest ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,a ,,motor ,,car ,,romance ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,struck ,,down ,,fifth ,,phase ,,onward ,,still ,,chapter ,i4 ,,in ,,heathen ,,deeps ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,real ,,life ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,autocratic ,,doctor ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,god',s ,,wonderful ,,palaver ,,chapter ,v4 ,,weak ,,but ,,strong ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,her ,,first ,,holiday ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,injured ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,friendships ,,with ,,officials ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,power ,,thbough ,,prayer ,,chapter ,x4 ,,bible ,,student ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,back ,,to ,,the ,,old ,,haunts ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,royal ,,recognition ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,battle ,,for ,a ,,life ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,a ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,night ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,storming ,,the ,,citadels ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,clarion ,,calls ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,love-,,letters ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,a ,,lonely ,,figure ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,when ,,the ,,great ,,war ,,came ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the ,,singing ,,of ,,birds ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,tribute ,,and ,,treasure ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,seen ,,and ,,unseen ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,alabaster ,,box ,,illustrations ,mary ,m4 ,slessor ,calabar ,mission ,field in #ahgf ,miss ,slessor and some of the ,people of ,ekenge ,calabar ,chief of the ,present ,day ,calabar ,sword ,king ,eyo's ,state ,canoe ,the ,first ,church in ,okoyong--at ,ifako ,miss ,slessor's ,mission ,house at ,ekenge ,ma's ,quarters at ,akpap ,the ,tragedy of ,twins ,the ,okoyong ,household in ,scotland ,native ,court in ,okoyong ,calabar ,mission ,map of the ,present ,day ,a ,glimpse of the ,enyong ,creek ,itu1 showing the ,beach where the ,slave-market was held ,court ,house at ,ikotobong ,ma1 with the ,material for the ,native ,oath at her ,feet ,administering the ,native ,oath to a ,witness ,the ,government ,motor ,car ,miss ,slessor's ,heathen ,friend1 ,ma ,eme ,one of ,miss ,slessor's ,bibles ,miss ,slessor's ,silver ,cross ,the ,house on the ,hill-top at ,odoro ,ikpe ,the ,last ,photograph of the ,household ,,first ,,phase #ahdh-ahgf4 ,age #a-bh4 ,a ,,scottish ,,factory ,,girl ,it was the dream of my girlhood to be a missionary to ,calabar4 ,i4 ,,saved ,,by ,,fear ,when the founding of the ,calabar ,mission on the ,west ,coast of ,africa was creating a stir throughout ,scotland1 there came into a lowly home in ,aberdeen a life that was to be known far and wide in connection with the enterprise4 ,on ,december #b1 #ahdh1 ,mary ,mitchell ,slessor was born in ,gilcomston1 a suburb of the city4 ,her father1 ,robert ,slessor1 belonged to ,buchan1 and was a shoemaker4 ,her mother1 who came from ,old ,meldrum1 was an only child1 and had been brought up in a home of refinement and piety4 ,she is described by those who knew her as a sweet-faced woman1 patient1 gentle1 and retiring1 with a deeply religious disposition1 but without any special feature of character1 such as one would have expected to find in the mother of so uncommon a daughter4 ,it was from her1 however1 that ,mary got her soft voice and loving heart4 ,mary was the second of seven children4 ,of her infancy and girlhood little is known4 ,her own earliest recollections were associated with the name of ,calabar4 ,mrs4 ,slessor was a member of ,belmont ,street ,united ,presbyterian ,church1 and was deeply interested in the adventure going forward in that foreign field4 ,i had1 said ,mary1 my missionary enthusiasm for ,calabar in particular from her--she knew from its inception all that was to be known of its history4 ,both she and her elder brother ,robert heard much talk of it in the home1 and the latter used to announce that he was going to be a missionary when he was a man4 ,so great a career was1 of course1 out of the reach of girls1 but he consoled ,mary by promising to take her with him into the pulpit4 ,often ,mary played at keeping school2 and it is interesting to note that the imaginary scholars she taught and admonished were always black4 ,robert did not survive these years1 and ,mary became the eldest4 ,dark days came4 ,mr4 ,slessor unhappily drifted into habits of intemperance and lost his situation1 and when he suggested removing to ,dundee1 then coming to the front as an industrial town and promising opportunities for the employment of young people1 his wife consented1 although it was hard for her to part from old friends and associations4 ,but she hoped that in a strange city1 where the past was unknown1 her husband might begin life afresh and succeed4 ,the family went south in #ahei1 and entered on a period of struggle and hardship4 ,the money realised by the sale of the furniture melted away1 and the new house was bare and comfortless1 ,mr4 ,slessor continued his occupation as a shoemaker1 and then became a labourer in one of the mills4 ,the youngest child1 ,janie1 was born in ,dundee4 ,all the family were delicate1 and it was not long before ,mary was left with only two sisters and a brother--,susan1 ,john1 and ,janie4 ,mrs4 ,slessor's fragility prevented her battling successfully with trial and misfortune1 but no children could have been trained with more scrupulous care4 ,i owe a great debt of gratitude to my sainted mother1 said ,mary1 long afterwards4 ,especially was she solicitous for their religious well- being4 ,on coming to ,dundee she had connected herself with ,wishart ,church in the east end of the ,cowgate1 a modest building1 above a series of shops near the ,port ,gate from the parapets of which ,george ,wishart preached during the plague of #aedd4 ,here the children were sent to the regular services--with a drop of perfume on their handkerchiefs and gloves and a peppermint in their pockets for sermon-time--and also attended the ,sunday ,school4 ,mary's own recollection of herself at this period was that she was a wild lassie4 ,she would often go back in thought to these days1 and incidents would flash into memory that half amused and half shamed her4 ,some of her escapades she would describe with whimsical zest1 and trivial as they were they served to show that1 even then1 her native wit and resource were always ready to hand4 ,but very early the ,change came4 ,an old widow1 living in a room in the back lands1 used to watch the children running about the doors1 and in her anxiety for their welfare sought to gather some of the girls together and talk to them1 young as they were1 about the matters that concerned their souls4 ,one afternoon in winter they had come out of the cold and darkness into the glow of her fire1 and were sitting listening to her description of the dangers that beset all who neglected salvation4 ,do ye see that fire8 she exclaimed suddenly4 ,if ye were to put your hand into the lowes it would be gey sair4 ,it would burn ye4 ,but if ye dinna repent and believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ your soul will burn in the lowin' bleezin' fire for ever and ever6 ,the words went like arrows to ,mary's heart2 she could not get the vision of eternal torment out of her mind3 it banished sleep1 and she came to the conclusion that it would be best for her to make her peace with ,god4 ,she repented and believed4 ,it was hell-fire that drove her into the ,kingdom1 she would sometimes say4 ,but once there she found it to be a ,kingdom of love and tenderness and mercy1 and never throughout her career did she seek to bring any one into it1 as she had come1 by the process of shock and fear4 ,,ii4 ,,in ,,the ,,weaving-,,shed ,the time came when ,mrs4 ,slessor herself was compelled to enter one of the factories in order to maintain the home1 and many of the cares and worries of a household fell upon ,mary4 ,but at eleven she1 too1 was sent out to begin to earn a livelihood4 ,in the textile works of ,messrs4 ,baxter ,brothers ,company she became what was known as a half-timer1 one who wrought half the day and went to the school in connection with the works the other half4 ,when she was put on full time she attended the school held at night4 ,shortly afterward she entered ,rashiewell factory to learn weaving under the supervision of her mother4 ,after trying the conditions in two other works she returned1 about the age of fourteen1 to ,baxter's1 where she soon became an expert and well-paid worker4 ,her designation was a weaver or factory girl1 not a mill- girl1 this term locally being restricted to spinners in the mills4 ,when she handed her first earnings to her mother the latter wept over them1 and put them away as too sacred to use4 ,but her wage was indispensable for the support of the home1 and eventually she became its chief mainstay4 ,life in the great factory in which she was but a unit amongst thousands was hard and monotonous4 ,the hours of the workers were from six ,a4,m4 to six ,p4,m41 with one hour for breakfast and one for dinner4 ,mary was stationed in a room or shed1 which has very much the same appearance to-day4 ,now as then the belts are whirring1 the looms are moving1 the girls are handling the shuttles1 and the air is filled with a din so continuous and intense that speech is well-nigh impossible4 ,mary had to be up every morning at five o'clock1 as she helped in the work of the home before going out1 while similar duties claimed her at night4 ,though naturally bright and refined in disposition she was at this time almost wholly uneducated4 ,from the factory schools she had brought only a meagre knowledge of reading and arithmetic1 and she had read little save the books obtained from the library of the ,sunday ,school4 ,but her mind was opening1 she was becoming conscious of the outer world and all its interests and wonders1 and she was eager to know and understand4 ,in order to study she began to steal time from sleep4 ,she carried a book with her to the mill1 and1 like ,david ,livingstone at ,blantyre1 laid it on the loom and glanced at it in her free moments4 ,so anxious was she to learn that she read on her way to and from the factory4 ,it was not a royal road1 that thoroughfare of grim streets1 but it led her into many a shining region4 ,her only source of outside interest was the ,church4 ,from the ,sunday ,school she passed into the ,bible ,class1 where her attendance was never perfunctory1 for she enjoyed the teaching and extracted all she could out of it4 ,she would carry home the statements that arrested and puzzled her1 and refer them to her mother1 who1 however1 did not always find it easy to satisfy her4 ,is baptism necessary for salvation1 mother8 was one of her questions4 ,well1 her mother replied1 it says that he that repents and is baptized shall be saved2 but it does not say that he that repents and is not baptized shall be damned4 ,some of her mother's sayings at this time she never forgot4 ,when one duty jostles another1 one is not a duty1 she was once told4 ,and again1 ,thank ,god for what you receive3 thank ,god for what you do not receive3 thank ,god for the sins you are delivered from2 and thank ,god for the sins that you know nothing at all about1 and are never tempted to commit4 ,mary was a favourite with her classmates4 ,there was something about her even then which drew others to her4 ,one1 the daughter of an elder1 tells how1 though much younger1 she was attracted to her by her goodness and her kind ways1 and how she would often go early to meet her in order to enjoy her company to the class4 ,,iii4 ,,misery ,the explanation of much in ,mary ,slessor's character lies in these early years1 and she cannot be fully understood unless the unhappy circumstances in her home are taken into account4 ,she was usually reticent regarding her father1 but once she wrote and published under her own name what is known to be the story of this painful period of her girlhood4 ,there is no need to reproduce it1 but some reference to the facts is necessary if only to show how bravely she battled against hardship and difficulties even then4 ,the weakness of ,mr4 ,slessor was not cured by the change in his surroundings4 ,all the endearments of his wife and daughter were powerless to save the man whose heart was tender enough when he was sober1 but whose moral sensibilities continued to be sapped by his indulgence in drink4 ,every penny he could lay hands upon was spent in this way1 and the mother was often reduced to sore straits to feed and clothe the children4 ,not infrequently ,mary had to perform a duty repugnant to her sensitive nature4 ,she would leave the factory after her long toil1 and run home1 pick up a parcel which her mother had prepared1 and fly like a hunted thing along the shadiest and quietest streets1 making many a turning in order to avoid her friends1 to the nearest pawnbroker's4 ,then with sufficient money for the week's requirements she would hurry back with a thankful heart1 and answer the mother's anxious1 questioning eyes with a glad light in her own4 ,a kiss would be her reward1 and she would be sent out to pay the more pressing bills4 ,there was one night of terror in every week4 ,on ,saturday1 after the other children were in bed1 the mother and daughter sat sewing or knitting in silence through long hours1 waiting in sickening apprehension for the sound of uncertain footsteps on the stairs4 ,now and again they prayed to quieten their hearts4 ,yet they longed for his coming4 ,when he appeared he would throw into the fire the supper they had stinted themselves to provide for him4 ,sometimes ,mary was forced out into the streets where she wandered in the dark1 alone1 sobbing out her misery4 ,all the efforts of wife and daughter were directed towards hiding the skeleton in the house4 ,the fear of exposure before the neighbours1 the dread lest ,mary's church friends should come to know the secret1 made the two sad souls pinch and struggle and suffer with endless patience4 ,none of the other children was aware of the long vigils that were spent4 ,the fact that the family was never disgraced in public was attributed to prayer4 ,the mother prayed1 the daughter prayed1 ceaselessly1 with utter simplicity of belief1 and they were never once left stranded or put to shame4 ,their faith not only saved them from despair1 it made them happy in the intervals of their distress4 ,few brighter or more hopeful families gathered in church from ,sunday to ,sunday4 ,nevertheless these days left their mark upon ,mary for life4 ,she was at the plastic age1 she was gentle and sensitive and loving1 and what she passed through hurt and saddened her spirit4 ,to the end it was the only memory that had power to send a shaft of bitterness across the sweetness of her nature4 ,it added to her shyness and to her reluctance to appear in public and speak1 which was afterwards so much commented upon1 for always at the back of her mind was the consciousness of that dark and wretched time4 ,the reaction on her character1 however1 was not all evil2 suffering in the innocent has its compensations4 ,it deepened her sympathy and pity for others4 ,it made her the fierce champion of little children1 and the refuge of the weak and oppressed4 ,it prepared her also for the task of combating the trade in spirits on the ,west ,coast1 and for dealing with the drunken tribes amongst whom she came to dwell4 ,her experience then was1 indeed1 the beginning of her training for the work she had to accomplish in the future4444 ,the father died1 and the strain was removed1 and ,mary became the chief support of the home4 ,those who knew her then state that her life was one long act of self-denial2 all her own inclinations and interests were surrendered for the sake of the family1 and she was content with bare necessaries so long as they were provided for4 ,,iv4 ,,taming ,,the ,,roughs ,in her church work she continued to find the little distraction from toil which gave life its savour4 ,she began to attend the ,sabbath ,morning ,fellowship and week-night prayer meetings4 ,she also taught a class of lovable lassies in the ,sabbath ,school--,i had the impudence of ignorance then in special degree surely was her mature comment on this--and became a distributor of the ,monthly ,visitor4 ,despite the weary hours in the factory1 and a long walk to and from the church1 she was never absent from any of the services or meetings4 ,we would as soon have thought of going to the moon as of being absent from a service1 she wrote shortly before she died4 ,and we throve very well on it too4 ,how often1 when lying awake at night1 my time for thinking1 do ,i go back to those wonderful days6 ,she owed much to her association with the ,church1 but more to her ,bible4 ,once a girl asked her for something to read1 and she handed her the ,book saying1 ,take that2 it has made me a changed lassie4 ,the study of it was less a duty than a joy2 it was like reading a message addressed specially to herself1 containing news of surpassing personal interest and import4 ,god was very real to her4 ,to think that behind all the strain and struggle and show of the world there was a ,personality1 not a thought or a dream1 not something she could not tell what1 in spaces she knew not where1 but ,one who was actual and close to her1 overflowing with love and compassion1 and ready to listen to her1 and to heal and guide and strengthen her--it was marvellous4 ,she wished to know all ,he had to tell her1 in order that she might rule her conduct according to ,his will4 ,most of all it was the story of ,christ that she pored over and thought about4 ,his ,divine majesty1 the beauty and grace of ,his life1 the pathos of ,his death on the ,cross1 affected her inexpressibly4 ,but it was ,his love1 so strong1 so tender1 so pitiful1 that won her heart and devotion and filled her with a happiness and peace that suffused her inner life like sunshine4 ,in return she loved ,him with a love so intense that it was often a pain4 ,she felt that she could not do enough for one who had done so much for her4 ,as the years passed she surrendered herself more and more to ,his influence1 and was ready for any duty she was called upon to do for ,him1 no matter how humble or exacting it might be4 ,it was this passion of love and gratitude1 this abandonment of self1 this longing for service1 that carried her into her life-work4 ,wishart ,church stood in the midst of slums4 ,pends1 or arched passages1 led from the ,cowgate into tall tenements with outside spiral stairs which opened upon a maze of landings and homes4 ,out of these sunless rookeries tides of young life poured by night and day1 and spread over the neighbouring streets in undisciplined freedom4 ,mary's heart often ached for these boys and girls1 whom she loved in spite of all their roughness2 and when a mission was determined on1 and a room was taken at #f ,queen ,street--a small side thoroughfare nearly opposite ,quarry ,pend1 one of the worst of the alleys--she volunteered as a teacher4 ,and so began a second period of stem training which was to serve her well in the years to come4 ,the wilder spirits made sport of the meetings and endeavoured to wreck them4 ,that little room1 she wrote1 was full of romantic experiences4 ,there was danger outside when the staff separated1 and she recalled how several of the older men surrounded the smaller individuals when they faced the storm4 ,one of these was ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,smith1 who became her warm friend and counsellor4 ,as the mission developed1 a shop under the church at the side of ,wishart ,pend was taken and the meetings transferred to it1 she having charge of classes for boys and girls both on ,sundays and week-nights4 ,open-air work was at that time dangerous1 but she and a few others attempted it3 they were opposed by roughs and pelted with mud4 ,there was one gang that was resolved to break up the mission with which she had come to be identified4 ,one night they closed in about her on the street4 ,the leader carried a leaden weight at the end of a piece of cord1 and swung it threateningly round her head4 ,she stood her ground4 ,nearer and nearer the missile came4 ,it shaved her brow4 ,she never winced4 ,the weight crashed to the ground4 ,she's game1 boys1 he exclaimed4 ,to show their appreciation of her spirit they went in a body to the meeting4 ,there her bright eyes1 her sympathy1 and her firmness shaped them into order and attention4444 ,on the wall of one of her bush houses in ,west ,africa there used to hang a photograph of a man and his wife and family4 ,the man was the lad who had swung the lead4 ,on attaining a good position he had sent her the photograph in grateful remembrance of what had been the turning-point in his life4444 ,another lad1 a bully1 used to stand outside the hall with a whip in hand driving the young fellows into ,mary ,slessor's meeting1 but refusing to go in himself4 ,one day the girl weaver faced him4 ,if we changed places what would happen8 she asked1 and he replied1 ,i would get this whip across my back4 ,she turned her back4 ,i'll bear it for you if you'll go in1 she said4 ,would you really bear that for me8 ,yes1 and far more--go on1 ,i mean it4 ,he threw down the whip and followed her in1 and gave himself the same day to ,christ4 ,even then she was unconventional in her methods and was criticised for it4 ,she had a passion for the countryside1 and often on ,saturday afternoons she would take her class of lads away out to the green fields1 regardless of social canons4 ,by and by a new field of work was opened up when a number of progressive minds in the city formed ,victoria ,street ,united ,presbyterian congregation1 not far from her familiar haunts4 ,in connection with the movement a mission service for the young was started on ,sunday mornings under the presidency of ,mr4 ,james ,logic1 of ,tay ,square ,church1 and to him ,mary offered her services as a monitor4 ,mr4 ,logie soon noticed the capacity of the young assistant and won her confidence and regard4 ,like most people she was unconscious at the moment of the unseen forces moulding her life1 but she came in after days to realise the wise ordering of this friendship4 ,mr4 ,logie became interested in her work and ideals1 and sought to promote her interests in every way4 ,she came to trust ,mm implicitly--,he is the best earthly friend ,i have1 she wrote-and he guided her thenceforward in all her money affairs4 ,she was as successful with the lads at this service as she had been elsewhere4 ,before the meeting she would flit through the dark passages in the tenements and knock1 and rouse them up from sleep1 and plead with them to turn out to it4 ,her influence over them was extraordinary1 ,they adored her and gave her shy allegiance1 and the result was seen in changed habits and transformed lives4 ,it was the same in the houses she visited4 ,she went there not as one who was superior to the inmates1 but as one of themselves4 ,in the most natural way she would sit down by the fire and nurse a child1 or take a cup of tea at the table4 ,her sympathy1 her delicate tact1 her cheery counsel won many a woman's heart and braced her for higher endeavour4 ,it was the same in the factory2 her influence told on the workers about her2 some she strengthened1 others she won over to ,christ1 and these created an atmosphere which was felt throughout the building4 ,and yet what was she8 ,only a working girl1 plain in appearance and in dress1 diffident and self-effacing4 ,but1 says one whom she used to take down as a boy to the mission and place beside her as she taught1 she possessed something we could not grasp1 something indefinable4 ,it was the glow of the spirit of ,christ which lit up her inner life and shone in her face1 and which1 unknown even to herself1 was then and afterwards the source of her distinction and her power4 ,v4 ,,self-,,culture ,for fourteen years1 and these the freshest and fairest years of her life1 she toiled in the factory for ten hours each full day1 while she also gave faithful service in the mission4 ,and yet she continued to find time for the sedulous culture of her mind4 ,she was always borrowing books and extracting what was best in them4 ,not all were profitable4 ,one was ,the ,rise and ,progress of ,religion in the ,soul by ,philip ,doddridge1 a volume much pondered then in ,scottish homes4 ,a friend who noticed that she was somewhat cast down said to her1 ,why1 ,mary1 what's the matter8 ,you look very glum4 ,i canna do it1 she replied4 ,canna do what8 ,i canna meditate1 and ,doddridge says it is necessary for the soul4 ,if ,i try to meditate my mind just goes a' roads4 ,well1 never mind meditation1 her friend said4 ,go and work1 for that's what ,god means us to do1 and she followed his advice4 ,of her introduction to the fields of higher literature we have one reminiscence4 ,her spirit was so eager1 she read so much and so quickly1 that a friend sought to test her by lending her ,sartor ,resartus4 ,she carried it home1 and when next he met her he asked quizzically how she had got on with ,carlyle4 ,it is grand6 she replied4 ,i sat up reading it1 and was so interested that ,i did not know what the time was1 until ,i heard the factory bells calling me to work in the morning6 ,there was no restraining her after that4 ,she broadened and deepened in thought and outlook1 and gradually acquired the art of expressing herself1 both in speech and writing1 in language that was deft1 lucid1 and vigorous1 ,her style was formed insensibly from her constant reading of the ,bible1 and had then a grave dignity and balance unlike the more picturesque1 if looser1 touch of later years4 ,the papers that were read from her at the ,fellowship ,association were marked by a felicity of phrase as well as an insight and spiritual fervour unusual in a girl4 ,her alertness of intellect often astonished those who heard her engaged in argument with the agnostics and freethinkers whom she encountered in the course of her visiting4 ,she spoke simply1 but with a directness and sincerity that arrested attention4 ,often asked to address meetings in other parts of ,dundee1 she shrank from the ordeal4 ,on one occasion a friend went with her1 but she could not be persuaded to go on the platform4 ,she sat in the middle of the hall and had a quiet talk on the words1 ,the common people heard ,him gladly4 ,and1 writes her friend1 the common people heard her gladly1 and crowded round her and pleaded that she should come again4 ,,vi4 ,a ,,tragic ,,land ,there was never a time when ,mary was not interested in foreign missions4 ,the story of ,calabar had impressed her imagination when a child1 and all through the years her eyes had been fixed on the great struggle going on between the forces of light and darkness in the sphere of heathenism4 ,the ,united ,presbyterian ,church in which she was brought up placed the work abroad in the forefront of its activity2 it had missions in ,india1 ,china1 ,jamaica1 ,calabar1 and ,kaffraria2 and reports of the operations were given month by month in its ,missionary ,record1 and read in practically all the homes of its members4 ,it was pioneer work1 and the missionaries were perpetually in the midst of adventure and peril4 ,their letters and narratives were eagerly looked for2 they gave to people who had never travelled visions of strange lands2 they brought to them the scent and colour of the ,orient and the tropics2 and they introduced into the quietude of orderly homes the din of the bazaar and harem and kraal4 ,these men and women in the far outposts became heroic figures to the ,church1 and whenever they returned on furlough the people thronged to their meetings to see for themselves the actors in such amazing happenings1 and to hear from their own lips the story of their difficulties and triumphs4 ,mrs4 ,slessor never missed hearing those who came to ,dundee1 and once she was so much moved by an address from the ,rev4 ,william ,anderson as to the needs of ,old ,calabar that she longed to dedicate her son ,john to the work4 ,he was a gentle lad1 much loved by ,mary4 ,apprenticed to a blacksmith1 his health began to fail1 and a change of climate became imperative4 ,he emigrated to ,new ,zealand1 but died a week after landing4 ,his mother felt the blow to her hopes even more than his death4 ,to ,mary the event was a bitter grief1 and it turned her thoughts more directly to the foreign field4 ,could she fill her brother's place8 ,would it be possible for her ever to become a missionary8 ,the idea floated for a time through her mind1 unformed and unconfessed1 until it gradually resolved itself into a definite purpose4 ,sometimes she thought of ,kaffraria1 with its red-blanketed people1 but it was always ,calabar to which she came back3 it had from the first captivated her imagination1 as it for good reason captivated the imagination of the ,church4 ,the founding of the ,mission had been a romance4 ,it was not from ,scotland that the impulse came but from ,jamaica in the ,west ,indies4 ,the slave population of that colony had been brought from the ,west ,coast1 and chiefly from the ,calabar region1 and although ground remorselessly in the mill of plantation life they had never forgotten their old home4 ,when emancipation came and they settled down in freedom under the direction and care of the missionaries their thoughts went over the ocean to their fatherland1 and they longed to see it also enjoy the blessings which the ,gospel had brought to them4 ,the agents of the ,scottish ,missionary ,society and of the ,united ,secession ,church1 who1 together1 formed the ,jamaica ,presbytery1 talked over the matter1 and resolved to take action2 and eight of their number dedicated themselves for the service if called upon4 ,a society was formed1 and a fund was established to which the people contributed liberally4 ,but the officials at home were cold2 they deprecated so uncertain a venture in a pestilential climate4 ,the ,presbytery1 undaunted1 persevered with its preparations1 and chose the ,rev4 ,hope ,m4 ,waddell to be the first agent of the ,society4 ,it is a far cry from ,jamaica to ,calabar1 but a link of communication was provided in a remarkable way4 ,many years previously a slaver had been wrecked in the neighbourhood of ,calabar4 ,the surgeon on board was a young medical man named ,ferguson1 and he and the crew were treated with kindness by the natives4 ,after a time they were able by another slaver to sail for the ,west ,indies1 whence ,dr4 ,ferguson returned home4 ,he became surgeon on a trader between ,liverpool and ,jamaica1 making several voyages1 and becoming well known in the colony4 ,settling down in ,liverpool he experienced a spiritual change and became a ,christian4 ,he was interested to hear of the movement in ,jamaica1 and remembering with gratitude the friendliness shown him by the ,calabar natives he undertook to find out whether they would accept a mission4 ,this he did through captains of the trading vessels to whom he was hospitable4 ,in #ahdh a memorial from the local king and seven chiefs was sent to him1 offering ground and a welcome to any missionaries who might care to come1 ,this settled the matter4 ,mr4 ,waddell sailed from ,jamaica for ,scotland to promote and organise the undertaking4 ,happily the ,secession ,church adopted the ,calabar scheme1 and after securing funds and a ship--one of the first subscriptions1 it is interesting to note1 was #ajjj from ,dr4 ,ferguson--,mr4 ,waddell1 with several assistants sailed in #ahdf1 and after many difficulties1 which he conquered with indomitable spirit and patience1 founded the ,mission4 ,in the following year it was taken over by the ,united ,presbyterian ,church1 which had been formed by the union of the ,united ,secession and ,relief ,churches4 ,in no part of the foreign field were conditions more formidable4 ,calabar exhibited the worst side of nature and of man4 ,while much of it was beautiful1 it was one of the most unhealthy spots in the world-- sickness1 disease1 and swift death attacking the ,europeans who ventured there4 ,the natives were considered to be the most degraded of any in ,africa4 ,they were1 in reality1 the slum-dwellers of negro-land4 ,from time immemorial their race had occupied the equatorial region of the continent1 a people without a history1 with only a past of confused movement1 oppression1 and terror4 ,they seem to have been visited by adventurous navigators of galleys before the ,christian era1 but the world in general knew nothing of them4 ,on the land side they were shut in without hope of expansion4 ,when they endeavoured to move up to the drier ,sahara and ,soudanese regions they were met and pressed back by the outposts of the higher civilisations of ,egypt and ,arabia1 who preyed upon them1 crushed them1 enslaved them in vast numbers4 ,and just as the coloured folk of ,american cities are kept in the low-lying and least desirable localities1 and as the humbler classes in ,european towns find a home in east-end tenements1 so all that was weakest and poorest in the negro race gravitated to the jungle areas and the poisonous swamps of the coast1 where1 hemmed in by the pathless sea1 they existed in unbroken isolation for ages4 ,it was not until the fifteenth century that the explorations of the ,portuguese opened up the coast4 ,then1 to the horrors of the internal slave-trade was added the horror of the traffic for the markets of the ,west ,indies and ,america4 ,calabar provided the slavers with their richest freight1 the lands behind were decimated and desolated1 and scenes of tragedy and suffering unspeakable were enacted on land and sea4 ,yet for #djj years ,europeans never penetrated more than a few miles inland4 ,away in the far interior of the continent great kingdoms were known to exist1 but all the vast coastal region was a mystery of rivers1 swamps1 and forests inhabited by savage negroes and wild beasts4 ,it is not surprising that when the missionaries arrived in ,calabar they found the natives to have been demoralised and degraded by the long period of lawlessness and rapine through which they had passed4 ,they characterised them in a way that was appalling3 many seemed indeed to have difficulty in selecting words expressive enough for their purpose4 ,bloody1 savage1 crafty1 cruel1 treacherous1 sensual1 devilish1 thievish1 cannibals1 fetish-worshippers1 murderers1 were a few of the epithets applied to them by men accustomed to observe closely and to weigh their words4 ,not an attractive people to work amongst4 ,neither must the dwellers of the earth have appeared to ,christ when ,he looked down from heaven ere ,he took ,his place in their midst4 ,and ,mary ,slessor shrank from nothing which she thought her ,master would have done3 she rather welcomed the hardest tasks1 and considered it an honour and privilege to be given them to do4 ,she was not blind to the conditions at home4 ,often when at the ,mission she realised how great was the need of the slums1 with their problems of poverty and irreligion and misery4 ,but the people there were within sight of church spires and within hearing of church bells1 and there were many workers as capable as she3 whilst down in the slums of ,africa there were millions who knew no more of the redemptive power of ,christ than did the beasts of the field4 ,she was too intelligent a student of the ,new ,testament not to know that ,christ meant ,his disciples to spread ,his ,gospel throughout the world1 and too honest not to realise that the command was laid upon every one who loved ,him in spirit and in truth4 ,it was therefore with a quiet and assured mind that she went forward to the realisation of the dream4 ,she told no one3 she shrank even from mentioning the matter to her mother1 but patiently prepared for the coming change4 ,in the factory she took charge of two #fj-;inch looms1 hard work for a young woman1 but she needed the money1 and she never thought of toil if her object could be gained4 ,early in #ahgd the news of the death of ,dr4 ,livingstone stirred the land3 it was followed by a wave of missionary enthusiasm2 and the call for workers for the dark continent thrilled many a heart4 ,it thrilled ,mary ,slessor into action4 ,she reviewed the situation4 ,her sisters were now in good situations1 and she saw her way to continue her share in the support of the home4 ,what this loyal determination implied she did not guess then1 but it was to have a large share in shaping her life4 ,broaching the subject to her mother she obtained a glad consent4 ,one or two of her church friends were lukewarm2 others1 like ,mr4 ,logic and ,mr4 ,smith1 encouraged her4 ,the former1 who was deeply interested in foreign missions and soon afterwards became a member of the ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 promised to look after her affairs during her sojourn abroad4 ,in ,may #ahge she offered her services to the ,foreign ,mission ,board4 ,her heart was set on ,calabar1 but so eager was she to be accepted that she said she would be willing to go to any other field4 ,women agents had long been engaged in ,calabar4 ,the first1 ,miss ,miller1 had gone out with ,mr4 ,waddell in l#hdi-she became the ,mammy ,sutherland who did such noble service-and they were playing an ever more important part1 and were stated to be both economical and effective4 ,requests had just been made for additions to the staff4 ,the application was1 therefore1 opportune4 ,her personality1 and the accounts given of her character and work1 made such an impression on the officials that they reported favourably to the ,board1 and she was accepted as a teacher for ,calabar and told to continue her studies in ,dundee4 ,in ,december it was decided to bring her to ,edinburgh1 at the expense of the ,board1 for three months1 for special preparation4444 ,the night before she left ,dundee1 in ,march #ahgf1 she stood1 a tearful figure1 at the mouth of the close where she lived4 ,good-bye1 she said to a friend1 and then passionately1 ,pray for me6 ,,vii4 ,,the ,,three ,,marys ,a stranger in ,edinburgh1 ,mary ,slessor turned instinctively to ,darling's ,temperance ,hotel1 which was then1 and is still1 looked upon as a home by travellers from all parts of the globe4 ,the ,darlings1 who were associated with all good work1 were then taking part in the revival movement of ,messrs4 ,moody and ,sankey1 and the two daughters1 ,bella and ,jane1 were solo-singers at the meetings4 ,the humble ,dundee girl had heard of their powers1 and she entered the hotel as if it were a shrine4 ,feeling very lonely and very shy1 she attended the little gathering for worship which is held every evening1 and was comforted and strengthened4 ,she found a lodging in the home of ,mr4 ,robert ,martin1 a city missionary1 connected with ,bristo ,street congregation1 and formed a friendship for ,ms daughter ,mary4 ,by her she was taken to visit a companion1 ,mary ,doig1 who lived in the south side4 ,the three became intimates1 and shortly afterward ,miss ,slessor went to live with the ,doigs1 and remained with them during her stay in the city4 ,it was a happy event for her4 ,warm-hearted and sympathetic1 they treated her as one of the family4 ,a daughter who was married1 ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 also met her1 and a lifelong affection sprang up between the two4 ,in later days it was to ,mrs4 ,m',crindle's house the tired missionary first came on her furloughs4 ,though she attended the ,normal ,school in the ,canongate1 she was not enrolled as a regular student1 and her name does not appear on the books2 but a memory of her presence lingers like a sweet fragrance1 and she appears to have been a power for good4 ,one who was a student with her says3 ,she had a most gracious and winning personality1 and impressed the students by her courage in going to what was called 'the white man's grave4' ,her reply to questioners was that ,calabar was the post of danger1 and was therefore the post of honour4 ,few would volunteer for service there1 hence she wished to go1 for it was there the ,master needed her4 ,the beauty of her character showed itself in her face1 and ,i have rarely seen one which showed so plainly that the love of ,god dwelt within4 ,it was always associated in my mind with that of ,miss ,angelica ,fraser2 a heavenly radiance seemed to emanate from both4 ,her leisure hours were given up to miscellaneous mission work in the city4 ,mary ,doig and ,mary ,martin were both connected with ,bristo ,street congregation1 and worked in the mission at ,cowan's ,close1 ,crosscauseway1 and they naturally took ,mary ,slessor with them4 ,another intimate friendship was formed with ,miss ,paxton1 a worker in connection with ,south ,gray's ,close ,mission in the ,high ,street4 ,miss ,paxton was standing at the entrance to the close one ,sunday1 after a meeting1 when ,miss ,slessor passed up with a ,mr4 ,bishop1 who afterwards became the printer at ,calabar4 ,mr4 ,bishop introduced her4 ,you want some one to help you8 he said2 you cannot do better than take ,miss ,slessor4 ,the two were kindred spirits1 and ,mary was soon at home among ,miss ,paxton's classes4 ,her first address to the women stands out clearly in the memory of her friend1 and is interesting as indicating her standpoint then and throughout her life4 ,it was on the question1 ,what shall ,i do with ,jesus8 ,she told them that ,christ was standing before them as surely as ,he stood before ,pilate2 and very earnestly she went on1 ,dear women1 you must do something with ,him3 you must reject ,him or you must accept ,him4 ,what are you going to do8 ,she gave them no vision of hell- fire3 she spoke to their reason and judgment1 putting the great issue before them as a simple proposition1 clear as light1 inexorable as logic1 and left them to decide for themselves4 ,her two companions soon came under her influence4 ,their culture1 piety1 and practical gifts seemed to mark them out for missionaries1 and as a result of her persuasion they offered themselves to the ,foreign ,mission ,committee of the ,church1 and were accepted for ,china4 ,in ,july the ,committee satisfied itself with regard to ,miss ,slessor's proficiency1 and decided to send her out at once to ,calabar4 ,her salary was fixed at #fj4 ,before sailing for their different stations the three ,marys1 as they came to be known1 attended many meetings together1 and were a source of interest to the ,church4 ,miss ,slessor was now twenty-eight years of age1 a type of nature peculiarly characteristic of ,scotland1 the result of its godly motherhood1 the severe discipline of its social conditions1 its stern toil1 its warm church life1 its missionary enthusiasm4 ,mature in mind and body1 she retained the freshness of girlhood1 was vivacious and sympathetic1 and1 while aglow with spirituality1 was very human and likeable1 with a heart as tender and wistful as a child's4 ,what specially distinguished her1 says one who knew her well1 were her humility and the width and depth of her love4 ,with diffidence1 but in high hope1 she went forward to weave the pattern of her service in the ,mission ,field4444 ,she sailed on ,august #e1 #ahgf4 ,two ,dundee companions went with her to ,liverpool4 ,at the docks they saw going on board the steamer ,ethiopia1 by which she was to travel1 a large number of casks of spirits for the ,west ,coast4 ,scores of casks6 she exclaimed ruefully1 and only one missionary6 ,,second ,,phase #ahgf-ahhh4 ,age #bh-dj4 ,,work ,,and ,,adventure ,,at ,,the ,,base ,i am passing through the lights and shadows of life4 ,i4 ,,the ,,breath ,,of ,,the ,,tropics ,there is a glamour like the glamour of the dawn about one's first voyage to the tropics2 and as the ,ethiopia passed out of the grey atmosphere of ,england into the spring belt of the world1 and then into a region where the days were a glory of sunshine and colour and the nights balmy and serene1 ,miss ,slessor1 so long confined within the bare walls of a factory1 found the experience a pure delight in spite of a sense of loneliness that sometimes stole over her4 ,her chief grievance was that ,sunday was kept like other days4 ,trained in the habits of a religious ,scottish home it seemed to her extraordinary that no service should be held4 ,my very heart and flesh cried out for the courts of ,god's house1 she wrote4 ,some of the crew comforted her by saying that there was always a ,sabbath in ,calabar4 ,it was not until the headland of ,cape ,verde was sighted and passed1 and she saw in succession stretches of green banks1 white sands upon which the surf beat1 and long grey levels of mangrove1 that she began to realise the presence of ,africa4 ,from the shore came hot whiffs of that indescribable smell so subtly suggestive of a tropical land2 while the names of the districts--the ,ivory ,coast1 the ,gold ,coast1 the ,slave ,coast--conjured up the old days of adventure1 blood-red with deeds of cruelty and shame4 ,this ,gulf of ,guinea was the heart of the slave trade3 more vessels loaded up here with their black cargo than at any other port of the continent1 and the ,bight of ,biafra1 on which ,calabar is situated1 was ever the busiest spot4 ,mangrove forests1 unequalled anywhere for immensity and gloom1 fringe the entire sweep of the ,gulf4 ,rooted in slime1 malodorous and malarious1 they form a putrescent paradise for all manner of loathly creatures4 ,out of the blue waters of the ,atlantic the ,ethiopia ran1 on ,saturday1 ,september #aa1 into the mud-coloured estuary of the ,cross and ,calabar ,rivers4 ,on the left lay the flat delta of the ,niger1 ahead stretched the landscape of mangrove as far as the eye could range2 to the south- east rose the vast bulk of the ,cameroon ,mountains4 ,with what interest ,mary gazed on the scene one can imagine4 ,somewhere at the back of these swamps was the spot where she was to settle and work4 ,that it was near the coast she knew1 for all that more distant land was unexplored and unknown3 most of what was within sight1 indeed1 was still outside the pale of civilisation2 through the bush and along the creeks and lagoons moved nude people1 most of whom had never seen a white face4 ,it might well seem an amazing thing to her1 in view of the fact that there had been commerce with the coast for centuries4 ,vessels had plied to it for slaves1 spices1 gold dust1 ivory1 and palm oil2 traders mingled with the people1 and spoke their tongue2 and yet it remained a land of mystery4 ,there were many reasons for this4 ,the country was owned by no ,european ,power4 ,britain regarded it--somewhat unwillingly at first--as a sphere of influence1 but had no footing in it1 and no control over the people4 ,these were divided into many tribes and sections of tribes1 each speaking a different tongue1 and each perpetually at war with its neighbour4 ,the necessities of trade fostered a certain intercourse2 there was neutral ground where transactions took place1 and products for the traders filtered down to the people at the coast who acted as middlemen4 ,these1 for obvious reasons1 objected to the white men going inland--they would get into touch with the tribes1 their authority would be undermined and their business ruined1 and as they controlled the avenues of approach and were masters in their own house their veto could not be disregarded4 ,in any case a journey up-river was full of peril4 ,every bend brought one to a new tribe1 alert1 suspicious1 threatening4 ,for ,europeans it was a foodless country1 in which they had to face hunger1 fever1 and death4 ,even the missionaries had only been feeling their way very slowly3 they explored and planted out stations here and there1 as permission was obtained from the chiefs1 but their main efforts were directed to the task of establishing a strong base at the coast4 ,the estuary is about twelve miles in breadth1 its banks are lined by mangrove1 and here and there its surface is broken by islands4 ,from these1 as the steamer passed1 parrots flew in flocks4 ,from the sandbanks and mudbanks alligators slid into the water with a splash4 ,occasionally a shrimp-fisher in his canoe was seen4 ,higher up were the ruins of the barracoons1 where the slaves were penned while waiting for shipment4 ,some fifty miles from the sea the steamer swung round to the east and entered the ,calabar ,river2 the swamps gave place to clay cliffs thick with undergrowth and trees1 and far ahead a cluster of houses came into view--this1 ,mary knew1 was ,old ,town4 ,then the hulks in the stream1 used as stores and homes by the traders1 appeared1 and the steamer anchored opposite ,duke ,town4 ,it lay on the right among swamps in a receding hollow of the cliff3 a collection of mud-dwellings thatched with palm leaf1 slovenly and sordid1 and broiling in the hot rays of a brilliant sun4 ,it was the scene she had often endeavoured to picture in her mind4 ,there was the hill where into the bush the dead bodies of natives used to be cast to become the food of wild beasts1 now crowned with the ,mission buildings4 ,what memories had already gathered about these6 ,what experiences lay behind the men and women who lived there6 ,what a land was this she had chosen to make her dwelling-place--a land formless1 mysterious1 terrible1 ruled by witchcraft and the terrorism of secret societies2 where the skull was worshipped and blood-sacrifices were offered to jujus2 where guilt was decided by ordeal of poison and boiling oil2 where scores of people were murdered when a chief died1 and his wives decked themselves in finery and were strangled to keep him company in the spirit-land2 where men and women were bound and left to perish by the water-side to placate the god of shrimps2 where the alligators were satiated with feeding on human flesh2 where twins were done to death1 and the mother banished to the bush2 where semi- nakedness was compulsory1 and girls were sent to farms to be fattened for marriage4 ,a land1 also1 of disease and fever and white graves4 ,there1 too1 lay her own future1 as dark and unknown as the land1 full of hard work1 she knew1 full1 it might be of danger and trial and sorrow4444 ,but the boats of the traders and the missionaries came off1 the canoes of the natives swarmed around1 the whole town seemed to be on the water4 ,with eyes that were bright and expectant ,mary stepped from the ,mission boat and set foot on ,african soil4 ,,ii4 ,,first ,,impressions ,the young missionary-teacher was delighted with the novelty and wonders of her surroundings4 ,she revelled in the sunshine1 the warmth1 the luxuriant beauty1 and began to doubt whether the climate was so deadly after all3 some of the missionaries told her that much of the illness was due to the lack of proper care1 and there was even one who said he preferred ,calabar to ,scotland4 ,she was impressed with the ,mission4 ,the organisation of church and school1 the regular routine of life1 the large attendance at the services1 the demeanour of the ,christians1 the quiet and persistent aggressive work going on1 satisfied her sense of the fitness of things and made her glad and hopeful4 ,to hear the chime of ,sabbath bells2 to listen to the natives singing1 in their own tongue1 the hymns associated with her home life1 the ,sabbath school and the social meeting2 and to watch one of them give an address with eloquence and power1 was a revelation4 ,she went to a congregational meeting at ,creek ,town and heard ,king ,eyo ,honesty ,,vii4 speaking1 and so many were present1 and the feeling was so hearty and united that it might have served as a model for the home churches4 ,she was attracted by the ,king2 a sincere kindly ,christian man1 she found him to be4 ,when she told him that her mother was much interested in him1 he was so pleased that he wrote ,mrs4 ,slessor1 and the two corresponded--he a negro ,king in ,africa and she an obscure woman in ,scotland1 drawn to each other across #djjj miles of sea by the influence of the ,gospel4 ,it was true that the results of thirty years' work in ,calabar did not seem large4 ,the number of members in all the congregations was #agd1 though the attendances at the services each ,sunday was over a thousand4 ,the staff1 however1 had never been very large2 of ,europeans at this time there were four ordained missionaries1 four men teachers1 and four women teachers1 and of natives one ordained missionary and eighteen agents2 and efforts were confined to ,duke ,town1 ,old ,town1 ,creek ,town1 ,ikunetu1 and ,ikorofiong--all on the banks of the rivers or creeks--with several out-stations4 ,her work at first was simple3 it was to teach in the day-school on ,mission ,hill and visit in the yards1 both on week-days and ,sundays4 ,not until the strangeness of things had worn off a little did she begin to see below the surface and discover the difficulties of the situation4 ,what assisted the process was a tour of the stations1 which it was thought well she should make in order to become acquainted with the conditions4 ,in the out-districts she came into contact with the raw heathen1 and felt herself down at the very foundations of humanity4 ,most of the journeying was through the bush3 there were long and fatiguing marches1 and much climbing and jumping and wading to do1 in which she had the help of three ,kroo boys1 but being active in body and buoyant in spirit1 she enjoyed it thoroughly4 ,a white ,ma was so curious a sight in some of the districts that the children would run away1 screaming with fright1 and the women would crowd round her talking1 gesticulating1 and fingering1 so that the chiefs had to drive them off with a whip4 ,she was a little startled by these demonstrations1 but was told the people were merely wishing to make friends with her1 and she soon overcame her nervousness4 ,her first meeting was held while she was with one of the native agents1 ,john ,baillie1 and took place in the shade of a large tree beside a devil-house built for a dead man's spirit1 and stocked with food4 ,after the agent had spoken in ,efik he turned to her and said1 ,have you anything to say to them8 ,she looked at the dark throng1 degraded1 ignorant1 superstitious4 ,all eyes were fixed on her4 ,for once she found it difficult to speak4 ,asking ,mr4 ,baillie to read ,john v4 #a-bd1 she tried to arrange her thoughts1 but seemed to grow more helpless4 ,when she began1 the words came1 and very simply1 very earnestly--the agent interpreting--she spoke of their need of healing and saving1 of which they must be conscious through their dissatisfaction with this life1 the promptings of their higher natures1 the experience of suffering and sorrow1 and the dark future beyond death1 and1 asking the question1 ,wilt thou be made whole8 pointed the way to peace4 ,as she observed and assimilated1 she came to hold a clearer view of the people and the problems confronting the missionaries4 ,she realised that the raw negroes1 though savage enough1 were not destitute of religious beliefs3 their theology1 indeed1 seemed somewhat too complicated for comprehension4 ,nor were their lives unregulated by principles and laws2 they were ruled by canons and conventions as powerful as those of ,europe1 as merciless as the caste code of ,india2 their social life was rooted in a tangle of relationships and customs as intricate as any in the world4 ,the basis of the community was the ,house1 at the head of which was a ,master or ,chief1 independent and autocratic within his own limited domain1 which consisted merely of a cluster of mud-huts in the bush4 ,in this compound or yard1 or town as it was sometimes called1 lived connected families4 ,each chief had numerous wives and slaves1 over whom he exercised absolute control4 ,the slaves enjoyed considerable freedom1 many occupying good positions and paying tribute1 but they could be sold or killed at the will of their master4 ,all belonging to a ,house were under its protection1 and once outside that protection they were pariahs1 subject to no law1 and at the mercy of ,egbo4 ,this secret society was composed of select and graded classes initiated according to certain rites4 ,its agents were ,egbo-runners1 supposed to represent a supernatural being in the bush1 who came suddenly out1 masked and dressed in fantastic garb1 and with a long whip rushed about and committed excesses4 ,at these times all women were obliged to hide1 for if found they would be flogged and stripped of their clothing4 ,egbo1 however1 had a certain power for good1 and was often evoked in aid of law and order4 ,naturally it was the divorcing of superfluous wives1 and the freeing of slaves that formed the greatest difficulty for the missionaries--it meant nothing less than breaking up a social system developed and fortified by long centuries of custom4 ,thus early ,miss ,slessor came to see that it was the duty of the missionary to bring about a new set of conditions in which it would be possible for the converts to live1 and the thought influenced her whole after-career4 ,the district of ,calabar afforded a striking object-lesson of what could be achieved4 ,there was no central native government1 and the ,british consular jurisdiction was of the most shadowy character4 ,so far there had been but the quiet pressure of a moral and spiritual agency at work1 but under its influence the people had become habituated to the orderly ways of civilisation1 and were living in peace and amity4 ,it was admitted by the officials that the agreements which they concluded with the chiefs had only been rendered possible by the teaching of the missionaries3 and later it was largely upon the same sure and solid foundations that ,british authority was to build4 ,so1 she realised1 it was not a case where one could say1 ,let there be light1 and light would shine4 ,the work of the ,mission was like building a lighthouse stone by stone1 layer by layer1 with infinite toil and infinite patience4 ,yet she often found it hard to restrain her eagerness4 ,it is difficult to wait1 she said4 ,one text1 however1 kept repeating itself--,learn of ,me4 ,christ never was in a hurry1 she wrote4 ,there was no rushing forward1 no anticipating1 no fretting over what might be1 ,every day's duties were done as every day brought them1 and the rest was left with ,god4 ',he that believeth shall not make haste4' ,and in that spirit she worked4 ,her better knowledge of the position made her resolve to acquire a thorough mastery of the language in order to enter completely into the life and thought of the natives4 ,interpretation she had already found to be untrustworthy1 and she was told the tale of a native who1 translating an address on the rich man and ,lazarus1 remarked1 in an aside to the audience1 that for himself he would prefer to be the rich man6 ,efik was the tongue of ,calabar and of trade and commerce1 and was understood more or less over a wide tract of country4 ,she learnt it by ear1 and from the people1 rather than from the book1 and soon picked up enough to take a larger share in the varied work of the ,mission4 ,life had a piquancy in these days when she lived with the ,andersons on ,mission ,hill4 ,daddy ,anderson was a veteran of the ,mission1 but it was ,mammy ,anderson with whom she came into closest relation4 ,of strong individuality1 she ruled the town from the ,mission ,house1 and the chiefs were fain to do her bidding4 ,at first ,mary stood somewhat in awe of her4 ,one of the duties assigned to her was to ring1 before dawn1 the first bell for the day to call the faithful to morning prayer4 ,there were no alarm clocks then1 and occasionally she overslept1 and the rebuke she received from ,mrs4 ,anderson made her cheeks burn4 ,sometimes she would wake with a start to find her room flooded with light4 ,half- dazed with sleep and shamed at her remissness she would hurry out to ring the bell1 only to discover that it was not dawn but the light of the moon that was making the world so bright4 ,at one time when doing duty in ,old ,town she had to walk along a narrow native track through the bush4 ,to let off the high spirits that had been bottled up in the ,mission ,house she would climb any tree that took her fancy4 ,she affirmed that she had climbed every tree worthy of the name between ,duke ,town and ,old ,town4 ,sometimes her fun made her late for meals1 and ,mrs4 ,anderson would warn her that if she offended again she would go without food4 ,she did offend1 and then ,mr4 ,anderson would smuggle biscuits and bananas to her1 with1 she was confident1 the connivance of his wife4 ,she had a warm affection for all the members of the ,mission staff1 but for none more than for ,mammy ,anderson4 ,there was one of the humbler inmates of the ,mission who watched with affectionate interest the young missionary with the soft voice and dancing eyes4 ,this was ,mrs4 ,fuller1 a coloured woman who had come over from ,jamaica in #aheh with the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,robb and ,mrs4 ,robb as a nurse1 and married and remained after they left to be a help and comfort to many4 ,she remembered the day when the slaves were emancipated in the ,west ,indies4 ,a kindly1 happy1 unselfish soul1 she never spoke ill of any one4 ,somebody said to her1 ,mammy1 ,i believe you would say a good word about the devil himself4 ,well1 she replied1 at any rate he minds his own business4 ,dear old ,mammy ,fuller1 ,miss ,slessor called her1 little dreaming that ,mammy would live to throw flowers into her grave4 ,,iii4 ,,in ,,the ,,underworld ,in the hush of a beautiful ,sunday morning the new missionary begins what she calls the commonplace work of the day4 ,looking out some illustrated texts she sends a few with a kindly message to all the big men1 reminding them that ,mr4 ,anderson expects them at service4 ,then she sets out for the town1 and few people escape her keen eye and persuasive words4 ,why are you not going to ,god's ,house8 she asks a man who is sitting at the door of his hut4 ,close by are the remains of a devil-house4 ,he rocks himself and replies1 ,if your heart was vexed would you go any place8 ,would you not rather sit at home and nurse your sorrow8 ,mary learns that his only child has died and has been buried in the house1 and according to custom the family is sitting in filth1 squalor1 and drunkenness4 ,she talks to him of the resurrection1 and he becomes interested1 and takes her into a room where the mother is sitting with bowed head over the grave1 the form of which can be seen distinctly under a blue cloth that covers the ground4 ,a bunch of dirty muslin is hanging from the ceiling4 ,it is a dismal scene4 ,she reads part of ,john xi41 and speaks about life and death and the beyond4 ,well1 remarked the man1 if ,god took the child ,i don't care so much-- but to think an enemy bewitched it6 ,to the mother she says1 ,do you not find comfort in these words8 ,no1 is the sullen reply4 ,why should ,i find comfort when my child is gone8 ,mary pats her on the head1 and tells her how her own mother has found comfort in the thought of the reunion hereafter4 ,the woman is touched and weeps3 the mother-heart is much the same all the world over4 ,a few slave-girls are all she finds in the next yard1 the other inmates having gone to work at the farms2 but she speaks to them and they listen respectfully4 ,another yard is crowded with women1 some eating1 some sleeping1 some dressing each other's hair1 some lounging half- naked on the ground gossiping--a picture of sheer animalism4 ,her advent creates a welcome diversion1 and they are willing to listen3 it helps to pass the time4 ,they take her into an inner yard where a fine-looking young woman is being fattened for her future husband4 ,she flouts the message1 and is spoken to sternly and left half-crestfallen1 half- defiant4 ,it is scenes like this which convince ,mary that the women are the greatest problem in the ,mission ,field4 ,she does not wonder that the men are as they are4 ,if they are to be reached more must be done for the women1 and a prayer goes up that the ,church at home may realise the situation4 ,farther on is a heathen house4 ,the master is dead3 the mistress is an old woman1 hardened and repulsive1 the embodiment of all that is evil1 who is counting coppers in a room filled with bush1 skulls1 sacrifices1 and charms4 ,a number of half-starved cowed women and girls covered with dirt and sores are quarrelling over a pipe4 ,the shrill voice and long arms of the mistress settle the matter1 and make them fly helter- skelter4 ,they call on ,mary to speak1 and after many interruptions she subdues and controls them1 and leaves them1 for the moment1 impressed4 ,she arrives at a district which the lady agents have long worked4 ,the women are cleanly1 pleasant1 and industrious1 but polished hypocrites1 always ready to protest with smooth tongue and honeyed words that they are eager to be god-women1 but never taking the first step forwards4 ,mary1 who is learning to be sarcastic1 on occasion1 gives them a bit of her mind and goes away heart-sick4 ,but she is cheered at the next yard1 where she has a large and attentive audience4 ,in the poorest part she comes upon a group of men selling rum4 ,at the sight of the white ,ma they put the stuff away and beg her to stay4 ,they are quiet until she denounces the sale of the liquor2 then one interrupts3 ,what for white man bring them rum suppose them rum no be good8 ,he be god-man bring the rum--then what for god-man talk so8 ,what can she answer8 ,it is a vile fluid this trade spirit1 yet the country is deluged with it1 and it leaves behind it disaster and demoralisation and ruined homes4 ,mary feels bitter against the civilised countries that seek profit from the moral devastation of humanity4 ,she cannot answer the man4 ,a husband brings his woebegone wife who has lost five children4 ,can ,ma not give her some medicine8 ,she again speaks of the resurrection4 ,a crowd gathers and listens breathlessly4 ,when she says that even the twin-children are safe with ,god1 and that they will yet confront their murderers1 the people start1 shrug their shoulders1 and with looks of terror slink one by one away4 ,she visits many of the hovels1 which are little better than ruins4 ,pools of filth send out pestilential odours4 ,there is starvation in every pinched face and misery in every sunken eye4 ,covered with sores the inmates lie huddled together and clamour only for food4 ,one old woman says3 ,i have prayed and prayed till there is no breath left in me4 ,god does not answer4 ,he does not care4 ,to whom do you pray8 ,i don't know1 but ,i call ,him ,god4 ,i tell ,him ,i have no friend4 ,i say ',you see me4 ,i am sick4 ,i am hungry4 ,i am good4 ,i don't steal4 ,i don't keep bread from any one4 ,i don't kill4 ,i don't speak with my mouth when my heart is far away4 ,have mercy upon me4' ,mary talks to her lovingly and earnestly1 and when she leaves1 the heart of the wretched woman is quietened and grateful4 ,it is afternoon1 and time for the ,efik service at four o'clock1 and ,mary1 a little tired with the heat and the strain1 turns and makes for ,mission ,hill4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,pull ,,of ,,home ,it was not long before she had to revise her opinion of the climate4 ,nature was beautiful1 but beneath its fair appearance lurked influences that were cruel and pitiless4 ,calabar needs a brave heart and a stout body1 she wrote2 not that ,i have very much of the former1 but ,i have felt the need for it often when sick and lonely4 ,both the dry and rainy seasons had their drawbacks1 but she especially disliked the former-which lasted from ,december to ,march-because of the smokes or harmattan1 a haze composed of fine dust blown from the great ,african desert1 that withered her up and sucked out all the energy she possessed4 ,she was frequently attacked by fever1 and laid aside1 and on one occasion was at the point of death4 ,but she never lost her confidence in ,god4 ,once she thought she had4 ,it was during an illness when she was only semi-conscious1 but on recovering the clearness of her mind she realised that she had given herself into ,his keeping and need not fear1 and a sense of comfort and peace stole over her4 ,so many attacks weakened her constitution and made her think oftener of home4 ,she began to have a longing to look again upon loved faces1 to have grey skies overhead1 and to feel the tang of the clean cool air on her cheek1 ,i want my home and my mother1 she confessed4 ,it was home- sickness1 and there is only one cure for that4 ,it comes1 however1 to pass4 ,it is not so overpowering after the first home-going1 and it grows less importunate after each visit4 ,one finds after a short absence that things in the old environment are1 somehow1 not the same2 that there has ceased to be a niche which one can fill2 that one has a fresh point of view2 and as time goes on and the roots of life go deeper into the soil of the new country1 the realisation comes that it is in the homeland where one is homeless1 and in the land of exile where one is at home4 ,but at first the pull of the old associations is irresistible2 and so when her furlough was due1 ,mary flew to ,scotland as a wandered bird flies wing-weary back to its nest4 ,she left ,calabar in ,june #ahgi and proceeded straight to ,dundee4 ,during her stay she removed her mother and sisters to ,downfield1 a village on the outskirts of the city1 and was happy in the knowledge that all was well with them4 ,friends who listened to her graphic account of ,calabar tell that even then she spoke of her desire to go up country into the unworked fields1 and especially to the ,okoyong district1 but ,daddy ,anderson was opposed to the idea4 ,before returning1 she wrote the ,foreign ,mission ,committee and begged to be sent to a station other than ,duke ,town1 though she loyally added that she would do whatever was thought best4 ,she sailed with the ,rev4 ,hugh ,goldie1 one of the veteran pioneers of the ,mission1 and ,mrs4 ,goldie1 and on arrival at ,calabar1 in ,october #ahhj1 found to her joy that she was to be in charge of ,old ,town1 and that she was a real missionary at last4 ,v4 ,,at ,,the ,,seat ,,of ,,satan ,the first sight she saw on entering her new sphere was a human skull hung on a pole at the entrance to the town4 ,in ,old ,town and the smaller stations of ,qua1 ,akim1 and ,ikot ,ansa1 lying back in the tribal district of ,ekoi1 the people were amongst the most degraded in ,calabar4 ,it was a difficult field1 but she entered upon it with zest4 ,although under the supervision of ,duke ,town1 she was practically her own mistress1 and could carry out her own ideas and methods4 ,this was important for her1 for1 to her chagrin1 she had found that boarding was expensive in ,calabar1 and as she had to leave a large portion of her salary at home for the support of her mother and sisters1 she could not afford to live as the other lady agents did4 ,she had to economise in every direction1 and took to subsisting wholly on native food4 ,it was in this way she acquired those simple1 ,spartan-like habits which accompanied her through life4 ,her colleagues attributed her desire for isolation and native ways to natural inclination1 not dreaming that they were a matter of compulsion1 for she was too loyal to her home and too proud of spirit to reveal the reason for her action4 ,one drawback of the situation was the dilapidated state of the house4 ,it was built of wattle and mud1 had a mat roof and a whitewashed interior4 ,she did not1 however1 mind its condition2 she was so absorbed in the work that personal comfort was a matter of indifference to her4 ,her household consisted of a young woman and several boys and girls1 with whose training she took endless pains1 and who helped her and accompanied her to her meetings4 ,school work made large drafts on her time at ,old ,town1 ,qua1 and ,akim4 ,young and old came as scholars4 ,at ,qua the chief man of the place after the king sat on a bench with little children1 and along with them repeated the ,sunday ,school lessons4 ,he set them an example1 for he was never absent4 ,but to preach the love of ,christ was her passion4 ,with every visitor who called to give compliments1 with every passer-by who came out of curiosity to see what the white woman and her house were like1 with all who brought a dispute to settle1 she had talk about the ,saviour of the world4 ,sunday was a day of special effort in this direction4 ,she would set out early for ,qua1 where two boys carrying a bell slung on a pole summoned the people to service4 ,one of the chiefs would fix the benches and arrange the audience1 which usually numbered from #hj to #ajj1 ,she would go on to ,akim or ,ikot ,ansa1 where a similar meeting was held4 ,on the way she would visit sick folk1 or call in at farms1 have friendly conversation with master and dependants1 and give a brief address and prayer4 ,by mid-day she would be back at ,old ,town1 where she conducted a large ,sunday ,school4 ,in the evening a regular church service was held1 attended by almost the entire community4 ,this1 to her1 was the meeting of the week4 ,it took place in the yard of the chief4 ,at one side stood a table1 covered with a white cloth1 on which were a primitive lamp and a ,bible4 ,the darkness1 the rows of dusky faces just revealed by the flickering light1 the strained attention1 the visible emotion made up a strange picture4 ,at the end came hearty good-nights1 and she would be escorted home by a procession of lantern-bearers4 ,such service1 incessant and loving1 began to tell4 ,the behaviour of the people improved2 the god of the town was banished2 the chiefs went the length of saying that their laws and customs were clearly at variance with ,god's fashions4 ,mr4 ,anderson reported to the ,church at home that she was doing nobly4 ,when two deputies went out and inspected the ,mission in #ahha-hb1 they were much impressed by her energy and devotion4 ,her labours are manifold1 they stated1 but she sustains them cheerfully--she enjoys the unreserved friendship and confidence of the people1 and has much influence over them4 ,this they attributed partly to the singular ease with which she spoke the language4 ,learning that she preferred her present manner of life to being associated with another white person--they were unaware1 like others1 of the real reason which governed her--they recommended that she should be allowed to continue her solitary course4 ,it was at ,old ,town that she came first into close contact with the more sinister aspects of mission work1 and obtained that training and experience in dealing with the natives and native problems which led her into the larger responsibilities of the future4 ,despite the influence of the missionaries and the ,british ,consul1 many of the worst heathen iniquities were being practised4 ,a short time previously the ,consul had made a strong effort to get the chiefs to enforce the laws regarding twin-murder1 human sacrifice1 the stripping and flogging of women by ,egbo-runners1 and other offences1 and an agreement had been reached2 but no treaty1 no ,egbo proclamation could root out the customs of centuries1 and they continued to be followed1 in secret in the towns and openly in the country districts4 ,the evil of twin-murder had a terrible fascination for her4 ,a woman who gave birth to twins was regarded with horror4 ,the belief was that the father of one of the infants was an evil spirit1 and that the mother had been guilty of a great sin2 one at least of the children was believed to be a monster1 and as they were never seen by outsiders or allowed to live1 no one could disprove the fact4 ,they were seized1 their backs were broken1 and they were crushed into a calabash or water-pot and taken out--not by the doorway1 but by a hole broken in the back wall1 which was at once built up--and thrown into the bush1 where they were left to be eaten by insects and wild beasts4 ,sometimes they would be placed alive into the pots4 ,as for the mother1 she was driven outside the bounds of decent society and compelled to live alone in the bush4 ,in such circumstances there was only one thing for the missionaries to do4 ,as soon as twins were born they sought to obtain possession of them1 and gave them the security and care of the ,mission ,house4 ,some of the ,mission compounds were alive with babies4 ,it was no use taking the mother along with them4 ,she believed she must be accursed1 for otherwise she would never be in such a position4 ,first one and then the other child would die1 and she would make her escape and fly to the bush4 ,mary realised that the system was the outcome of superstition and fear1 and she could even see how1 from the native point of view1 it was essential for the safety of the ,house1 but her heart was hot against it2 nothing1 indeed1 roused her so fiercely as the senseless cruelty of putting these innocent babes to death1 and she joined in the campaign with fearless energy4 ,she could also understand why the natives threw away infants whose slave-mother died4 ,no slave had time to bring up another woman's child4 ,if she did undertake the task1 it would only be hers during childhood2 after that it became the property of the master4 ,the chances of a slave-child surviving were not good enough for a free woman to try the experiment1 and as life in any case was of little value1 it was considered best that the infant should be put out of the way4 ,the need of special service in these directions made her suggest to the ,foreign ,mission ,committee that one of the woman agents should be set apart to take care of the children that were rescued4 ,it was impossible1 she said1 for one to do school or other work1 and attend to them as well4 ,if such a crowd of twins should come to her as ,i have to manage1 she would require to devote her whole time to them4 ,more and more also she was convinced of the necessity of women's work among the women in the farming districts1 and she pressed the matter upon the ,committee4 ,she was in line with the old chief who remarked that them women be the best man for the ,mission4 ,another evil which violated her sense of justice and right1 and against which she took up arms1 was the trade attitude of the ,calabar people4 ,although they had settled on the coast only by grace of the ,ekois1 they endeavoured to monopolise all dealings with the ,europeans and prevent the inland tribes from doing business direct with the factories4 ,often the up-river men would make their way down stealthily1 but if caught they were slain or mutilated1 and a bitter vendetta would ensue4 ,she recognised that it would only be by the tribes coming to know and respect each other1 and by the adoption of unrestricted trade with the stores that the full reward of industry could be secured4 ,she accordingly took up the cause of the inland tribes4 ,when ,efik was at war with ,qua1 sentries were posted at all the paths to the factories1 but the people came to her by night1 and she would lead them down the track running through the ,mission property4 ,at the factory next to the ,mission beach they would deliver their palm oil or kernels1 and take back the goods for which they had bartered them4 ,in this way she helped to open up the country4 ,it was not1 perhaps1 mission work in the ordinary sense any more than much of ,dr4 ,livingstone's work was missionary work1 but it was an effort to break down the conditions that perpetuated wrong and dispeace1 and to introduce the forces of righteousness and goodwill4 ,in all this work she had the sympathy of the traders1 who showed her much kindness4 ,she was a missionary after their own heart4 ,,vi4 ,,in ,,elephant ,,country ,the spirit of the pioneer would not allow her to be content with the routine of village work4 ,she began to go afield1 and made trips of exploration along the river4 ,the people found her different from other missionaries2 she would enter their townships as one of themselves1 show them in a moment that she was mistress of their thought and ways1 and get right into their confidence4 ,always carrying medicine1 she attended the sick1 and so many maimed and diseased crowded to her that often she would lose the tide twice over4 ,in her opinion no preaching surpassed these patient1 intimate interviews on the banks of the river and by the wayside1 when she listened to tales of suffering and sorrow and gave sympathy and practical help4 ,sometimes she remained away for nights at a time1 and on these occasions her only accommodation was a mud hut and her only bed a bundle of filthy rags4 ,a larger venture was made at the instance of a chief named ,okon1 a political refugee whom she knew4 ,he had settled at a spot on the western bank of the estuary1 then called ,ibaka1 now ,james ,town1 and had long urged her to pay the place a visit4 ,it was only some thirty miles away1 but thirty miles to the ,african is more than two hundred to a ,european1 and ,old ,town was in a state of excitement for days before she left4 ,nine ,a4,m4 was the hour fixed for departure1 but ,mary knew local ways1 and forenoon found her calmly cooking the dinner4 ,the house was crowded with visitors begging her to be careful1 and threatening vengeance if anything happened to their ,ma4 ,at #f ,p4,m4 came word that all was ready1 and1 followed by a retinue comprising half the population1 she made her way to the beach4 ,women who were not ordinarily permitted to be viewed by the public eye waited at every yard to embrace hers and to charge all concerned to look well alter her comfort4 ,a ,state canoe sent by the ,king lay at the water-side4 ,it had been repainted for the occasion in the gayest of colours1 while thoughtful hands had erected a little arch of matting to seclude her from the paddlers and afford protection from the dew1 and had arranged some rice-bags as a couch4 ,the pathos of the tribute touched her1 and with a smile and a word of thanks she stepped into her place and settled the four house-children about the feet of the paddlers4 ,more hours were lost in one way or another4 ,darkness fell1 and only the red gleam of the torches lit up the scene4 ,alligators and snakes haunted the spot1 but she had no fear so long as the clamour of the crowd continued4 ,at last1 ,sio ude6 ,the command was answered by the dip-dip of thirty-three paddles1 and the canoe glided into the middle of the river and sped onwards4 ,in her crib she tried to read by the light of a candle1 while the paddlers extemporised songs in her honour1 assigning to her all the virtues under the sun-- ,ma1 our beautiful1 beloved mother1 is on board1 ,ho6 ,ho6 ,ho6 ,the gentle movement1 the monotonous tom-tom-tum of the drummer1 and the voice of the steersman1 became mingled in a dreamy jumble1 and she slept through the night as soundly as on a bed of down4 ,ten hours' paddling brought the craft to its destination1 and at dawn she was carried ashore over golden sand and under great trees1 and deposited in the chief's compound amongst goats1 dogs1 and fowls4 ,she and the children were given the master's room--which always opens out into the women's yard--and as it possessed no door a piece of calico was hung up as a screen4 ,the days were tolerable1 but the nights were such as even she1 inured to ,african conditions1 found almost unbearable4 ,it was the etiquette of the country that all the wives should sit as close to the white woman as was compatible with her idea of comfort1 and as the aim of each was to be fatter than the other1 and they all perspired freely1 and there was no ventilation1 it required all her courage to outlast the ordeal4 ,lizards1 too1 played among the matting of the roof1 and sent down showers of dust1 while rats performed hop1 skip1 and jump over the sleepers4 ,crowds began to pour in from a wide area4 ,many of the people had never looked upon a white woman1 and she had to submit to being handled and examined in order to prove that she was flesh and blood like themselves4 ,doubtful men and women were forcibly dragged to her by laughing companions and made to touch her skin4 ,at meal times she was on exhibition to a favoured few1 who watched how she ate and drank1 and then described the operations to the others outside4 ,day by day she prescribed and bandaged1 cut out garments1 superintended washing1 and initiated women into the secrets of starching and ironing4 ,day by day she held a morning and evening service1 and it was with difficulty that she prevented the one from merging into the other4 ,on ,sabbath the yard became strangely quiet3 all connected with it were clothed and clean1 and in a corner stood a table with a white cloth and upon it a ,bible and hymn-book4 ,as the fierce-looking1 noisy men from a distance entered they stopped involuntarily and a hush fell upon them4 ,many heard the story of ,christ for the first time1 and never had she a more appreciative audience4 ,in the evening the throng was so great that her voice could barely reach them all1 and at the end they came up to her and with deep feeling wished her good-night and then vanished quietly into the darkness4 ,the people would not allow her to walk out much on account of the presence of wild beasts4 ,elephants were numerous--it was because of the destruction they had wrought on the farms that fishing had become the main support of the township4 ,early one morning a commotion broke out3 a boa constrictor had been seen during the night1 and bands of men armed with clubs1 cutlasses1 and muskets set off1 yelling1 to hunt the monster4 ,whenever she moved out she was followed by all the men1 women1 and children4 ,on every side she saw skulls1 rudely carved images1 peace-offerings of food to hungry spirits1 and other evidences of debased fetishism1 while cases of witchcraft and poisoning were frequent4 ,one day she noticed a tornado brewing on the ,cameroon heights1 and kept indoors4 ,while sitting sewing the storm burst4 ,the wind seized the village1 lifting fences1 canoes1 trees1 and buildings2 lightning played and crackled about the hut2 the thunder pealed overhead2 and rain fell in floods4 ,then a column of flame leapt from the sky to earth1 and a terrific crash deafened the cowering people4 ,accustomed as she was to tornadoes ,mary was afraid4 ,the slaves came rushing into the yard1 shrieking1 and at the same moment the roof of her hut was swept away1 and she was beaten to the ground by the violence of the rain4 ,in the light of the vivid flashes she groped her way through the water1 now up to her ankles1 and from her boxes obtained all the wraps she possessed4 ,to keep up the spirits of the children she started a hymn1 ,oh1 come let us sing4 ,amidst the roar of the elements they caught the tune1 and gradually their terror was subdued4 ,when the torrent ceased she was in a high fever4 ,she dosed herself with quinine1 and as the shadow of death is never very far away in ,africa she made all arrangements in case the end should come4 ,but her temperature fell1 and in two days she was herself again4 ,there was a morning when her greetings were responded to with such gravity that she knew something serious had occurred4 ,during the night two of the young wives of a chief had broken the strictest law in ,efik1 had left the women's yard and entered one where a boy was sleeping1 and as nothing can be hidden in a slave community their husband knew at once4 ,the culprits were called out1 and with them two other girls1 who were aware of the escapade1 but did not tell4 ,the chief1 and the men of position in his compound and district1 sat in judgment upon them1 and decided that each must receive one hundred stripes4 ,mary sought out ,okon and talked the matter over4 ,ma1 he said1 it be proper big palaver1 but if you say we must not flog we must listen to you as our mother and our guest4 ,but they will say that ,god's word be no good if it destroy the power of the law to punish evildoers4 ,he agreed1 however1 to delay the punishment1 and to bring the judges and the people together in a palaver at mid-day4 ,when all were assembled she addressed the girls3 ,you have brought much shame on us by your folly and by abusing your master's confidence while the yard is in our possession4 ,though ,god's word teaches men to be merciful1 it does not countenance or pass over sin1 and ,i cannot shelter you from punishment4 ,you have knowingly and deliberately brought it on yourselves4 ,ask ,god to keep you in the future so that your conduct may not be a reproach to yourselves and the word of ,god which you know4 ,many were the grunts of satisfaction from the people1 and the faces of the big men cleared as they heard their verdict being endorsed1 while darker and more defiant grew the looks of the girls4 ,with a swift movement she turned to the gathering3 ,ay1 but you are really to blame4 ,it is your system of polygamy which is a disgrace to you and a cruel injustice to these helpless women4 ,girls like these1 sixteen years old1 are not beyond the age of fun and frolic4 ,to confine them as you do is a shame and a blot on your manhood3 obedience such as you command is not worth the having4 ,frowns greeted this denunciation1 and the old men muttered3 ,when the punishment is severe1 neither slave nor wife dare disobey3 the old fashions are better than the new4 ,much heated discussion followed1 but at last she succeeded in getting the punishment reduced to the infliction of ten stripes and nothing more4 ,she had gone as far as she dared4 ,under ordinary circumstances salt would have been rubbed into the wounds1 and mutilation or dismemberment would have followed4 ,she thanked the men1 enjoined the wives and slaves to show their gratitude by a willing and true service1 and went to prepare alleviations for the victims4 ,through the shouting and laughing of the operators and onlookers she heard piercing screams1 as strong arms plied the alligator hide1 and one by one the girls came running into her1 bleeding and quivering in the agony of pain4 ,by and by the opiate did its work and all sank into uneasy slumber4 ,fourteen days went by1 and it was time for the return journey4 ,the same noise and excitement and delay occurred1 and it was afternoon ere the canoe left the beach4 ,the evening meal1 a mess of yam and herbs1 cooked in palm oil1 which had been carried on board smoking hot from the fire and was served in the pot1 had scarcely been disposed of when the splendour of the sunset and afterglow was swept aside by a mass of angry cloud1 and the moaning of the wind fell threateningly on the ear4 ,a stormy night ahead1 said ,mary apprehensively to ,okon1 who gave a long look upward and steered for the lee of an island4 ,the sky blackened1 thunder growled1 and the water began to lift4 ,the first rush of wind gripped the canoe and whirled it round1 while the crew1 hissing through their set teeth1 pulled their hardest4 ,in vain4 ,they got out of hand1 and there was uproar and craven fear4 ,sharing in the panic the master was powerless4 ,at the sight of others in peril ,mary threw aside her own nervousness and anxiety and took command4 ,in a few moments order was restored and the boat was brought close to the tangle of bush1 and the men1 springing up like monkeys into the branches1 held on to the canoe1 which was now being dashed up and down like a straw4 ,mary sat with the water up to her knees1 the children lashed to her by a waterproof1 their heads hidden in her lap4 ,lightning1 thunder1 rain1 and wave combined to make one of the grandest displays of the earth's forces she had ever witnessed4 ,as quickly as it came the storm passed1 and to the strains of a hymn which she started the journey was resumed4 ,she was shaking with ague1 and in order to put some heat into her the chief came and sat down on one side1 while his big wife sat on the other4 ,as her temperature rose1 the paddlers grew alarmed1 and pulled as they had never done in their lives4 ,dawn was stealing over the land when ,old ,town was reached1 and as ,ma was hardly a fit sight for critical eyes1 she was carried up by a bush path to the ,mission ,house4 ,ill as she was1 her first care was to make a fire to obtain hot tea for the children and to tuck them away comfortably for the night4 ,then she tottered to her bed1 to rise some days later1 a wreck of her former self1 but smiling and cheerful as usual4444 ,towards the close of the year #ahhb a tornado swept over ,old ,town and damaged the house to such an extent that she had to make a hasty escape and take refuge in a factory4 ,the ,presbytery brought her to ,duke ,town1 but she became so ill as a result of her strenuous life and her experience in the storm1 that she was ordered home1 and left in ,april #ahhh4 ,she was so frail that she was carried on board1 and it was considered doubtful whether she would outlive the voyage4 ,with her was a girl-twin she had rescued4 ,she had saved both1 a boy and girl1 but whilst she was absent from the house for a little1 the relatives came1 and1 by false pretences1 obtained possession of the boy1 and killed him4 ,she was determined that the girl should live and grow up to confute their fears1 and she would not incur the risk of leaving her behind4 ,,vii4 ,,with ,,back ,,to ,,the ,,wall ,many strange experiences came to ,mary ,slessor in her life1 but it is doubtful whether any adventure equalled that which she was now to go through in the quiet places of home1 or whether any period of her career was so crowded with emotion and called for higher courage and resource4 ,she remained for the greater part of the time with her mother and sisters at ,downfield1 seeing few people1 and nursing the little black twin1 who was baptized in ,wishart ,sunday ,school1 and called ,janie1 after her sister4 ,one of her earliest visits was to her friends the ,doigs in the south side of ,edinburgh1 and here again her life touched and influenced another life4 ,there was in connection with ,bristo ,street ,church a girl named ,jessie ,f4 ,hogg1 who worked in the mission at ,cowan's ,close where the two ,marys had formerly taught4 ,she had heard much about ,mary ,slessor1 and when1 one ,sunday1 a lady friend remarked that she was going to visit the missionary1 ,miss ,hogg declared she would give much to meet her4 ,then come with me1 said the lady1 ,i will leave you at the foot of the stair1 and if you are to come up ,i will call you4 ,she was invited up1 and was not five minutes in ,mary's presence before the latter said1 ,and what are you doing at home8 ,what is hindering you from going to the mission field8 ,there is nothing to hinder me1 was the reply4 ,then come3 there is a good work waiting for you to do4 ,miss ,hogg applied to the ,foreign ,mission ,committee and was accepted1 received some medical training1 and was in ,calabar before ,mary herself returned4 ,the anticipations of the latter were fulfilled4 ,for thirteen years1 with quiet heroism1 ,miss ,hogg did a great work as one of the ,mothers of the ,mission3 her name was a household word1 both in ,calabar and at home3 and when1 through ill-health1 she retired1 she left a memory that is still cherished by the natives4 ,there were few of the missionaries then who loved and understood ,mary better1 and whom ,mary loved so well4 ,mary's ideas of the qualities needed for work among the ignorant and degraded may be gathered from a letter which she wrote at this time to a friend in ,dundee3 ,nothing1 ,i believe1 will ever touch or raise fallen ones except sympathy4 ,they shrink from self-righteousness which would stoop to them1 and they hate patronage and pity4 ,of sympathy and patience they stand in need4 ,they also need refinement1 for the humble classes respect it1 and they are sharper at detecting the want of it than many of those above them in the social scale4 ,i am not a believer in the craze for ticket-of-leave men and converted prize-fighters to preach to the poor and the outcast4 ,i think the more of real refinement and beauty and education that enter into all ,christian work1 the more real success and lasting1 wide-reaching results of a ,christian and elevating nature will follow4 ,vulgarity and ignorance can never in themselves lay hold on the uneducated classes1 or on any class1 though ,god often shows us how ,he can dispense with man's help altogether4 ,then there is need for knowledge in such a work1 knowledge of the ,bible as a whole1 not merely of the special passages which are adapted for evangelistic services4 ,they know all the set phrases belonging to special services and open-sir meetings4 ,they want teaching1 and they will respect nothing else4 ,i am pained often at home that there is so little of depth1 and of ,god's word1 in the speeches and addresses ,i hear4 ,it seems as if they thought anything will do for children1 and that any kind of talk about coming to ,christ1 and believing on ,christ1 will feed and nourish immortal souls4 ,in ,january #ahhd she informed the ,foreign ,mission ,committee that her health was re-established and that she was ready to return1 and in accordance with her own desire it was arranged to make the house habitable at ,old ,town and send her back there4 ,meanwhile she had begun to address meetings in connection with the missionary organisations of congregations1 and at these her simple but vivid style1 the human interest of her story1 and the living illustration she presented in the shape of ,janie1 made so great an impression that the ladies of ,glasgow besought the ,committee to retain her for a time in order that she might go through the country and give her account of the work to quiet gatherings of women1 young and old4 ,the suggestion was acted upon1 and for some months she was engaged in itinerating4 ,it was not in the line of her inclination4 ,she was very shy1 and had a humbling consciousness of her defects1 and to appear in public was an ordeal4 ,it was often a sheer impossibility for her to open her lips when men were present1 and she would make it a condition that none should be in her audience4 ,when some distinguished minister or ,church leader had been requisitioned to preside1 a situation was created as embarrassing to him as to her4 ,she did not1 however1 seem to mind if the disturbing factor was out of sight1 and the difficulty was usually overcome by placing the chairman somewhere behind4 ,these meetings taxed her strength more than the work in ,africa1 and she began to long for release4 ,in ,december the ,committee gave her permission to return1 but1 as conditions in the field had changed1 decided to send her in the meantime to ,creek ,town to assist ,miss ,johnstone1 who was not in good health4 ,within a few weeks a situation developed which altered her plans4 ,the severe weather had told on the delicate constitution of her youngest sister ,janie1 a quiet1 timid girl1 but bright and intelligent1 and somewhat akin to herself in mind and manner2 and it was made clear that only a change to a milder climate would save her life4 ,mary was torn with apprehension4 ,she had a heart that was bigger than her body1 and she loved her own people with passionate intensity1 and was ready for any further sacrifice for their sake4 ,never bold on her own behalf1 she would dare anything for others4 ,thinking out the problem how best she could reconcile her affection for her sister and her duty to the ,mission1 she fell upon a plan which she would have shrunk from proposing had she alone been concerned4 ,if she could take the invalid out with her to ,creek ,town1 and if they were allowed to dwell by themselves1 the life of her sister would not only be prolonged1 but she herself would be able to continue1 by living native fashion1 to pay her share of the expenses at home4 ,to the ,committee1 accordingly1 she wrote early in #ahhe1 stating that she would not feel free to go to ,creek ,town unless she were permitted to take her sister with her1 and unless she were allowed1 instead of boarding with any of the ,mission agents1 to build a small mud house for their accommodation4 ,the ,committee received the proposal with a certain mild astonishment4 ,it had many a problem to solve in its administration of the affairs of the ,missions1 but its difficulties were always increased when it came into contact with that incalculable element1 human nature4 ,it could not be supposed to know all the personal and private circumstances that influenced the attitude of the missionaries3 it could only judge from the surface facts placed before it2 and as a rule it decided wisely1 and was never lacking in the spirit of kindness and generosity4 ,but even if the members had known of that fluttering heart in ,dundee1 they could not1 in the best interests of the ,mission1 have acquiesced in her scheme1 and it was probably well1 also1 for ,mary that it was gently but firmly put aside4 ,for her the way out was found in the recommendation of an ,exeter lady whom she had met1 who advised her to take her sister to ,devonshire4 ,she seized on the idea1 and forthwith wrote a letter stating that she felt it to be her duty to remove the invalid to the ,south of ,england1 where she hoped her health would be restored1 and asking whether in the event of her own way being cleared she would be allowed to return to ,calabar1 or whether she was to consider herself finally separated from the ,mission4 ,nothing could have been more sympathetic than the reply of the ,board4 ,it regretted her family afflictions1 said it would be glad to have the offer of her services again in the future1 and in consideration of her work continued her home allowance till the end of ,april4 ,meanwhile ,mary had1 in her swift fashion1 carried off her sister1 and her answer came from ,devonshire4 ,she thanked the ,committee for its consideration1 but1 with the independence which always characterised her1 accepted the allowance only up to the end of ,february4 ,thus voluntarily1 and from a sense of duty1 but with a sore heart1 she cut herself adrift1 for the time being1 from the service of the ,church4 ,as the climate of ,devonshire seemed to suit her sister1 they went to ,topsham1 where a house was secured with the help of a ,mr4 ,ellis1 a deacon in the ,congregational ,church1 to whom she was introduced4 ,it was soon furnished1 and then her mother was brought down1 and for all her toil and self-sacrifice she was rewarded by seeing a steady improvement in the condition of the invalid1 and the quiet happiness of both4 ,the place proved too relaxing for her own health1 and she was never free from headaches1 but she was not one to allow indisposition to interfere with her service for the ,master4 ,in the ,congregational ,church her winning ways made many friends1 and she was soon taking an active part in the meetings and addressing large gatherings on her work in ,calabar4 ,and then another event occurred which further complicated the situation4 ,her sister ,susan in ,scotland went to pay a visit to ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 and died suddenly on entering her house4 ,mary had now the full responsibility for the home and its upkeep2 she was earning nothing1 and she had her mother and sister and the ,african baby to provide and care for4 ,happily the invalid continued to improve1 and as it was imperative for ,mary to be back at work1 it was decided that she should apply for reinstatement4 ,she told her mother of her desire to go up-country1 and asked whether she would allow her to do so if the opportunity came4 ,you are my child1 given to me by ,god1 was the reply1 and ,i have given you back to ,him4 ,when ,he needs you and where ,he sends you1 there ,i would have you be4 ,mary never forgot these brave words1 which were a comfort to her throughout her life4 ,on applying to the ,foreign ,mission ,committee stating that she was willing1 if it saw fit1 to go back at once1 she was gladly reinstated1 and ,calabar was consulted regarding her location4 ,as there was some talk of a forward movement it was resolved to leave the matter over1 and send her in the meantime to ,creek ,town4 ,her friends in ,topsham assured her that they would look well after her mother and sister1 but all the arrangements she had made for the smooth working of the household collapsed a month before she was booked to sail4 ,her mother suddenly failed and took to her bed4 ,mary grew desperate with strain and anxiety1 and like a wild creature at bay turned this way and that for an avenue of escape4 ,in her agony of mind she went to ,him who had never failed her yet1 and ,he gave her guidance4 ,next day a letter was on its way to ,dundee to an old factory friend1 asking if she would come and take charge of the household4 ,a strange mingling of pathos and dignity1 a passionate love and solicitude1 marked the appeal1 which1 happily1 evoked a ready assent4 ,not less moving in its way was the practical letter she sent to her friend1 with long and minute directions as to travelling2 there was not a detail forgotten1 the mention of which might contribute to her ease and comfort4 ,her friend arrived a few days before her departure4 ,on ,guy ,fawkes' ,day ,mary wished to take her to a church meeting to introduce her to some acquaintances1 but was too afraid to venture out among the roughs--she who was soon to face alone some of the most savage crowds in ,africa6 ,on the sea the past months receded and became like an uneasy dream4 ,she was content simply to lie ,in her chair on deck and rest her tired mind and body4 ,on arriving it was pleasant to receive a warm welcome from all the ,mission friends1 and still more pleasant to find that there had been talk of her going to ,ikunetu to attempt to obtain a footing among the wild people of ,okoyong4 ,,viii4 ,,bereft ,despite her happiness in being back at the work she loved1 there was an underlying current of anxiety in her life4 ,her thoughts dwelt on the invalids at home2 she wearied for letters2 she trembled before the arrival of the mails2 even her dreams influenced her4 ,but she would not allow herself to grow morbid4 ,every morning she went to the houses in the ,mission before breakfast to have a chat and cheer up the inmates4 ,on ,new ,year's ,eve1 fearing the adoption of ,european customs by the natives1 and wishing to forestall them1 she invited all the young men who were ,christians to a prayer-meeting from eleven o'clock till midnight4 ,they then went up and serenaded ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,luke1 two new missionaries1 whose subsequent pioneer work up-river was a record of toil and heroism4 ,mr4 ,luke entered into the spirit of the innovation4 ,he gave out the #bnd ,paraphrase and read the #ijth ,psalm4 ,prayer was uttered1 and the company separated1 singing the evening hymn in ,efik4 ,next morning1 the first of the year #ahhf1 she arose early and wrote a letter1 overflowing with love and tenderness and cheer1 to her mother and sister4 ,it was finished on the third1 on the arrival of the home mail4 ,she was at tea with ,mrs4 ,luke before going to a meeting in the church1 when the letters came4 ,i was hardly able to wait for mine1 she wrote2 and then ,i rushed to my room and behaved like a silly body1 as if it had been bad news4 ,it brought you all so clearly before me4 ,at church ,i sat beside the ,king and cried quietly into my wrap all the evening1 ,the last words in her letter were1 ,tell me all your troubles1 and be sure you take care of yourselves4 ,she never received a reply4 ,mrs4 ,slessor had died suddenly and peacefully at the turn of the year4 ,she had been nursed by loving hands1 whilst her medical attendant and the minister of the ,congregational ,church1 and his wife1 showed her much kindness4 ,three months later ,janie also passed away1 and was laid beside her mother in ,topsham cemetery1 the deacons and members of the church and many friends attending and showing honour to one whom they had learned to love for her own sake as well as for her sister's4 ,mary was inconsolable4 ,i1 who all my life have been caring and planning and living for them1 am left1 as it were1 stranded and alone4 ,a sense of desolation and loneliness unsupportable swept over her4 ,after all the sorrow that had crowded upon her she felt no desire to do anything4 ,there is no one to write and tell all my stories and troubles and nonsense to4 ,one solace remained4 ,heaven is now nearer to me than ,britain1 and no one will be anxious about me if ,i go up- country4 ,it was characteristic of her that the same night she heard of her mother's death she conducted her regular prayer-meeting3 she felt that her mother would have wished her to do so1 and she went through the service with a breaking heart1 none knowing what had happened4 ,she wrote hungrily for all details of the last hours1 and specified the keepsakes she wished to have4 ,i would like something to look at1 was her repeated cry4 ,to her friend who had taken charge of the home she was for ever grateful4 ,in the midst of her grief she was thoughtful for her welfare and attended to the minutest details1 even repaying the sixpences expended for the postage of her letters to ,calabar4 ,all admirers of ,mary ,slessor will honour this lowly ,scotswoman who came to her help in the day of her greatest need1 and who quietly and efficiently fulfilled her task4444 ,so the home life1 the source of warmth and sweetness and sympathy1 was closed down and she turned to face the future alone4 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,sorrows ,,of ,,creek ,,town ,again three ,marys were in close association--,miss ,mary ,edgerley1 ,miss ,mary ,johnstone1 and ,miss ,mary ,slessor4 ,during the year1 however1 the two former proceeded home on furlough1 and the last was left in entire charge of the women's side of the work at ,creek ,town4 ,it was the final stage of her training for the larger responsibilities that awaited her4 ,there was at first little in the situation to beguile her spirits4 ,it was a bad season of rain and want1 and she was seldom out of the abodes of sickness and death4 ,so great was the destitution that she lived on rice and sauce1 in order to feed the hungry4 ,and never had she suffered so much from fever as she did now in ,creek ,town4 ,her duties lay in the ,day ,school1 ,sunday ,school1 ,bible ,class1 and ,infant ,class1 but1 as usual1 the more personal aspect of the work engaged her chief energies4 ,the training of her household1 which1 as she was occupying a part of ,mr4 ,goldie's house and had less accommodation1 was a small one then1 took much of her time and thought and wit4 ,first in her affections came ,janie1 now a big and strong girl of four years1 and as wild as a boy1 who kept her in constant hot- water4 ,she was a link with the home that had been1 and ,mary regarded her as specially her own3 she shared her bed and her meals1 and even her thoughts1 for she would talk to her about those who had gone4 ,the child's memory of ,britain soon faded1 but she never ceased to pray for all in ,scotland who remember us4 ,she was made more of than was good for her1 but was always brought to her level outside of ,creek ,town4 ,mary had heard that both her parents were dead1 but one day the father appeared at the ,mission ,house4 ,she asked him to come and look at his child4 ,he shrugged his shoulders1 and said1 ,let me look from a distance4 ,mary seized him and drew him towards the child1 who was trembling with terror4 ,in response to a command in ,efik the girl threw her arms around his neck1 and his face relaxed and became almost beautiful4 ,when he looked into her eyes1 and she hid her head on his breast1 the victory was complete4 ,he set her upon his knee and would scarcely give her up4 ,although he lived a long way off he returned every other day with his new wife and a gift of food4 ,next came a girl of six years1 whose father was a ,christian4 ,she also was full of tricks1 and1 with ,janie1 was enough for one house4 ,but there was also ,okin1 a boy of about eight1 whose mother was a slave with no voice in his upbringing1 but whose mistress wished him to be trained up for ,god1 a mischievous fellow whose new clothes lasted usually about a week1 but willing and affectionate and1 on the whole1 good2 and another boy of ten called ,ekim1 a son of the ,king of ,old ,town1 whose mother gave him to ,mary when she first went out4 ,on her departure for ,scotland he had gone back to his heathen home and its fashions1 but returned to her when she settled in ,creek ,town4 ,he was truthful1 warm-hearted1 and clever1 and as a free boy and heir to a responsible position the moulding of his character gave her much thought and care4 ,the last was ,inyang1 a girl of thirteen1 but bigger than ,mary herself1 possessing no brains1 but for faithfulness1 truthfulness1 honesty1 and industry without a peer4 ,she hated to dress or to leave the kitchen1 but she washed1 baked1 and did the housework without assistance1 and was kind to the children4 ,these constituted her inner circle1 but she was always taking in and caring for derelict children4 ,at this time there were several in the house or yard4 ,two were twins five months old1 whom she had found lying on the ground discarded and forlorn1 and who had developed into beautiful children4 ,their father was a drunken parasite1 with a number of wives1 whom he battered and beat in turn4 ,another castaway came to her in a wretched state4 ,the father had stolen a dog1 and the mother had helped him to eat it4 ,the owner threw down a native charm at their door1 and the woman sickened and died1 and as all believed that the medicine had killed her no one would touch the child4 ,the woman's mistress was a daughter of old ,king ,eyo1 and a friend of ,mary1 and she sent the infant1 dirty and starved1 to the ,mission ,house with her compliments4 ,mary washed and fed it and nursed it back to decent life1 but on sending to the mistress a request that one of the slave women might care for it1 she got the reply1 ,let it die4 ,she let it live4 ,in the mornings1 while busy with her household1 there were perpetual interruptions4 ,sick folk came to have their ailments diagnosed and prescribed for4 ,some of the diseases she attended to were of the most loathsome type1 but that made no difference in her compassionate care4 ,hungry people came to her to be fed1 those in trouble visited her to obtain advice and help1 disputes were referred to her to be settled4 ,when all these cases had been dealt with she would go her round of the yards1 the inmates of which had come to look upon her as a mother4 ,she would sit down and chat with them and discuss their homes1 children1 marketing1 illness1 or whatever subject interested them1 sometimes scolding them1 but always leading them to the only things that mattered4 ,if ,i told you what ,i have seen and known of human sorrow during the past months you would weep till your heart ached1 she wrote to a friend4 ,some of her experiences she could not tell2 they revealed such depths of depravity and horror that the actions of the wild beasts of the bush were tame in comparison4 ,at ,creek ,town1 as elsewhere1 it was not easy to tabulate what had been achieved1 as the fact that women could not make open confession without incurring the gravest penalties kept the missionaries ignorant of the effect of their work4 ,but ,mary saw behind the veil2 she knew quiet women whose souls looked out of their eyes1 and who were more in touch with the unseen than they dared tell2 women who prayed and communed with ,god even while condemned to heathen practices4 ,there was one blind woman whom she placed far before herself in the ,christian race3 ,she is so poor that she has not one farthing in the world but what she gets from us--not a creature to do a thing for her1 her house all open to rain and sun1 and into which the cows rush at times--but blind ,mary is our one living1 bright1 clear light4 ,her voice is ever set to music1 a miracle to the people here1 who only know how to groan and grumble at the best4 ,she is ever praising the ,lord for some wonderful manifestation of mercy and love1 and her testimony to her ,saviour is not a shabby one4 ,the other day ,i heard the ,king say that she was the only visible witness among the ,church members in the town1 but he added1 ,she is a proper one4 ,far advanced in spiritual knowledge and experience1 she knows the deep things of ,god4 ,that old hut is like a heaven here to more than me4 ,pray for us here was the appeal in all her letters to ,scotland at this time4 ,pray in a business-like fashion1 earnestly1 definitely1 statedly4 ,for herself she found a friend in ,king ,eyo1 to whom she could go at any time and relate her troubles and receive sympathy and support4 ,she1 in turn1 was often in his ,state room advising him regarding the private and complicated affairs of his little kingdom and his relations with the ,british ,government4 ,he honoured her in various ways1 but to her the dumb affection of a slave woman whom she had saved was more than all the favours which others1 high in the social scale1 sought to show her4 ,x4 ,,the ,,fulness ,,of ,,the ,,time ,the question of her future location received much consideration4 ,the needs of the stations on the ,cross ,river1 the highway into the interior1 were urgent1 and it was thought by some that the interests of the ,mission called for her presence there1 but her mind could not be turned from the direction in which she believed she could do the best work4 ,she was essentially a pioneer4 ,her thoughts were for ever going forward1 looking past the limitations and the hopes of others1 into the fields beyond teeming with populations as yet unreached4 ,she was of the order of spirits to which ,dr4 ,livingstone belonged4 ,like him she said1 ,i am ready to go anywhere1 provided it be forward4 ,from the districts inland came reports of atrocity and wrong3 accusations of witchcraft1 the ordeal of the poison bean1 the shooting of slaves1 and the destruction of infants2 and she felt the impelling call to go and attack these evils4 ,it was not that she did not recognise the value of base-work1 of order and organisation and routine4 ,the fact that she spent twelve years in patient and loyal service at ,duke ,town1 ,old ,town1 and ,creek ,town demonstrates how important she considered these to be4 ,but they had been years of training meant to perfect her powers before she went forward on her own path to realise the vision given her from above1 and they were now ended4 ,for her the fulness of the time had come1 and with it the way opened up4 ,the local ,mission ,committee decided1 in ,october #ahhf1 to send her into the district of ,okoyong1 and informed the authorities in ,scotland of the fact1 carefully adding that this was in line with her own desire4 ,a change had just been made in the relation of the women on the staff of the ,mission to the administration at home4 ,the ,zenana ,scheme of the ,church had been constituted as a distinct department of the ,foreign ,mission operations in #ahha1 and having appealed to the women of the congregations1 had proved a success4 ,it was now thought expedient that the ,calabar lady agents should be brought into the scheme1 and accordingly1 in ,may #ahhf1 they became responsible to the ,zenana ,committee1 and through them to the ,foreign ,mission ,board4 ,the ,zenana ,committee recommended that the arrangement regarding ,mary should be carried out1 and the ,foreign ,mission ,board agreed4 ,,third ,,phase #ahhh-aijb4 ,age #dj-ed4 ,,the ,,conquest ,,of ,,okoyong ,i am going to a new tribe up-country1 a fierce1 cruel people1 and every one tells me that they will kill me4 ,but ,i don't fear any hurt- only to combat their savage customs will require courage and firmness on my part4 ,i4 ,a ,,tribe ,,of ,,terrorists ,some time in the dim past a raiding force had swept down from the mountains to the east of ,calabar1 entered the triangle of dense forest- land formed by the junction of the ,cross and ,calabar ,hirers1 fought and defeated the ,ibibios who dwelt there1 and taken possession of the territory4 ,they were of the tribe of ,okoyong believed to be an outpost1 probably the most westerly outpost1 of the ,bantu race of ,central and ,south ,africa1 who had thrust themselves forward like a wedge into negro-land4 ,physically they were of a higher type than the people of ,calabar4 ,they were taller and more muscular1 their nose was higher1 the mouth and chin were firmer1 their eye was more fearless and piercing1 and their general bearing contrasted strongly with that of the supine negro of the coast4 ,to their superior bodily development they added the worst qualities of heathenism3 there was not a phase of ,african devilry in which they did not indulge4 ,they were openly addicted to witchcraft and the sacrifice of animals4 ,they were utterly lawless and contemptuous of authority4 ,among themselves slave-stealing1 plunder of property1 theft of every kind1 went on indiscriminately4 ,to survive in the struggle of life a man required to possess wives and children and slaves--in the abundance of these lay his power4 ,but if1 through incompetence or sickness or misfortune1 he failed he was regarded as the lawful prey of the chief nearest him4 ,to weaken the ,house of a neighbour was as clear a duty as to strengthen one's own4 ,oppression and outrage were of common occurrence4 ,so suspicious were they even of each other that the chiefs and their retainers lived in isolated clearings with armed scouts constantly on the watch on all the pathways1 and they ate and worked with their weapons ready to their hands4 ,even ,egbo law with all its power was often resisted by the slaves and women regardless of the consequences4 ,no free ,egbo man would submit to be dictated to by the ,egbo drum sent by another4 ,a fine might be imposed1 but he would sit unsubdued and sullen1 and then obtain his revenge by seizing or murdering some passing victim4 ,but all combined in a common enmity against other tribes1 and the region was enclosed with a fence of terrorism as impenetrable as a ring of steel4 ,the ,calabar people were hated because of the favoured position they enjoyed on the coast1 and their wealth and power2 and a state of chronic war existed with them4 ,each sought to outrival the other in the number of heads captured or the number of slaves stolen or harboured1 and naturally there was no end to the fighting4 ,all efforts to bring them together in the interests of trade had been in vain4 ,even ,british authority was defied1 and messages from the ,consul were ignored or treated with contempt4 ,they had their own idea of justice and judicial methods1 and trials by ordeal formed the test of innocence or guilt1 the two commonest being by burning oil and poison4 ,in the one case a pot was filled with palm oil which was brought to the boil4 ,the stuff was poured over the hands of the prisoner1 and if the skin became blistered he was adjudged to be guilty and punished4 ,in the other case the esr bean--the product of a vine--was pounded and mixed with water and drunk3 if the body ejected the poison it was a sign of innocence4 ,this method was the surest and least troublesome--for the investigation1 sentence1 and punishment were carried out simultaneously--unless the witch-doctor had been influenced1 which sometimes happened1 for there were various means of manipulating the test4 ,these tests were applied when it was desired to discover a thief1 or when a village wanted to know whose spirit dwelt in the leopard that slew a goat1 or when a chief wished to prove that his wife was faithful to him in her heart1 but chiefly in cases of sickness or death4 ,they believed that sickness was unnatural1 and that death never occurred except from extreme old age4 ,when a freeman became ill or died1 sorcery would be alleged4 ,the witchdoctor would be called in1 and he would name one individual after another1 and all1 bond and free1 were chained and tried1 and there would be much grim merriment as the victims writhed in agony and their heads were chopped off4 ,the skulls would be kept in the family as trophies4 ,occasionally the relations of the victims would be powerful enough to take exception to the summary procedure and seek redress by force of arms1 and a vendetta would reign for years4 ,if a man or woman were blamed for some evil deed an appeal could be made to the law of substitution1 and a sufficient number of slaves could be furnished as would be equivalent for themselves1 and these would be killed in their stead4 ,the eldest son of a free ,house1 for instance1 would be spared by the sacrifice of the life of a younger brother4 ,the fact that a man's position in the spirit-world was determined by his rank and wealth in this one1 demanded the sacrifice of much life when chiefs died4 ,a few months before ,miss ,slessor went up amongst them a chief of moderate means died1 and with him were buried eight slave men1 eight slave women1 ten girls1 ten boys1 and four free wives4 ,these were in addition to the men and women who died as a result of taking the poison ordeal4 ,even when death was due to natural decay the retinue provided was the same4 ,after her settlement she made careful enquiry1 and found that the number of lives sacrificed annually at the instance of this custom could not have averaged fewer than #aej within a radius of twenty miles1 while the same number must have died from ordeals and decapitation on charges of causing sickness4 ,to these had to be added the number killed in the constant warfare4 ,infanticide was also responsible for much destruction of life4 ,twin murder was practised with an even fiercer zeal than it had been in ,calabar4 ,child life in general was of little value4 ,it was significant of the state of the district that gin1 guns1 and chains were practically the only articles of commerce that entered it4 ,gin or rum was in every home4 ,it was given to every babe3 all work was paid for in it3 every fine and debt could be redeemed with it3 every visitor had to be treated to it3 every one drank it1 and many drank it all the time4 ,quarrels were the outcome of it4 ,then the guns came into play4 ,after that the chains and padlocks4 ,women were often the worst where drink was concerned1 ,there were certain bands formed of those born in the same year who were allowed freer action than others3 they could handle gun and sword1 and were used for patrol and fighting purposes1 and were so powerful that they compelled concessions from ,egbo4 ,they exacted fines for breach of their rules1 and feasted and drank and danced for days and nights at a time at the expense of the offenders4 ,such lawlessness and degradation at the very doors had long caused the ,calabar ,presbytery much thought4 ,efforts had been made to enter the district both from the ,cross and the ,calabar ,rivers4 ,in one of his tours of exploration ,mr4 ,edgerley was seized1 with the object of being held for a ransom of rum1 and it was only with difficulty that he escaped4 ,others were received less violently1 though every member of the tribe was going about with guns on full cock4 ,asked why1 they said1 ,inside or outside1 speaking1 eating1 or sleeping1 we must have them ready for use4 ,we trust no man4 ,when they learned of the new laws in ,calabar their amazement was unbounded4 ,killing for witchcraft prohibited6 they exclaimed4 ,what steps have been taken to prevent witchcraft from killing8 ,widows not compelled to sit for more than a month in seclusion and filth6--outrageous6 ,twins and their mothers taken to ,duke ,town--horrible6 ,has no calamity happened8 ,very little result was achieved from these tours of observation4 ,a ,calabar teacher was ultimately induced to settle amongst them1 but after a shooting affray was compelled to fly for his life4 ,missionaries1 however1 are never daunted by difficulties1 nor do they acquiesce in defeat4 ,ever1 like their ,master1 they stand at the door and knock4 ,once again the challenge was taken up1 and this time by a woman4 ,so difficult was the position1 that the negotiations for ,miss ,slessor's settlement lasted a year4 ,three times parties from the ,mission went up1 she accompanying them1 only to find the people--every man1 woman1 and child--armed and sullen1 and disinclined to promise anything4 ,i had often a lump in my throat1 she wrote1 and my courage repeatedly threatened to take wings and fly away--though nobody guessed it6 ,at last1 in ,june #ahhh1 in spite of her fears1 she resolved to go up and make final arrangements for her sojourn4 ,,ii4 ,,in ,,the ,,royal ,,canoe ,she went up the river in state4 ,ever ready to do her a kindness1 ,king ,eyo had provided her with the ,royal canoe1 a hollow tree-trunk twenty feet long1 and she lay in comfort under the cool cover of a framework of palm leaves1 freshly lopped from the tree1 and shut off from the crew by a gaudy curtain4 ,beneath was a piece of ,brussels carpet1 and about her were arranged no fewer than six pillows1 for the well-to-do natives of ,calabar made larger and more skilful use of these than the ,europeans4 ,the scene was one of quiet beauty2 there was a clear sky and a windless air2 the banks of the river--high and dense masses of vegetation-- glowed with colour2 the broad sweep of water was like a sheet of molten silver and shimmered and eddied to the play of the gleaming paddles4 ,as they moved easily and swiftly along1 the paddlemen1 dressed in loin- cloth and singlet1 improvised blithe song in her praise4 ,strange and primitive as were the conditions1 she felt she would not have exchanged them for all the luxuries of civilisation4 ,she needed sustenance1 for there was trying work before her1 and this a paraffin stove1 a pot of tea1 a tin of stewed steak1 and a loaf of home-made bread gave her4 ,wise mental preparation also she needed1 for there were elements of uncertainty and danger in the situation4 ,the ,okoyong might be on the war-path3 her paddlers were their sworn enemies3 a tactless word or act might ruin the expedition4 ,as the canoe glided along the river she communed with ,god1 and in the end left the issue with ,him4 ,man1 she thought1 can do nothing with such a people4 ,arriving at the landing beach she made her way by a forest track to a village of mud huts called ,ekenge1 four miles inland4 ,her reception was a noisy one2 men1 women1 and children thronged about her1 and called her ,mother1 and seemed pleased at her courage at coming alone4 ,the chief1 ,edem1 one of the aristocrats of ,okoyong1 was sober1 but his neighbour at ,ifako1 two miles farther on1 whom she wished to meet1 was unfit for human company1 and she was not allowed to proceed4 ,she stayed the night at ,ekenge1 where she gathered the ,king's boys about her to hold family worship4 ,the crowd of semi-naked people standing curiously watching the proceedings exclaimed in wonder as they heard the words repeated in unison3 ,god so loved the world1 and so on4 ,at ten o'clock the women were still holding her fast in talk4 ,one1 the chiefs sister1 called ,ma ,eme1 attracted her4 ,i think1 she said1 she will be my friend1 and be an attentive hearer of the ,gospel4 ,wearied at last with the strain she was forced to retire into the hut set apart for her4 ,a shot next morning startled the village4 ,two women on going outside had been fired at from the bush4 ,in a moment every man had his gun and sword and was searching for the assailant4 ,mary went with one of the parties1 but to find any one in such a labyrinth was impossible1 and the task was given up4 ,going to ,ifako she interviewed the chiefs4 ,the charm of her personality1 her frankness1 her fearlessness1 won them over1 and they promised her ground for a schoolhouse4 ,would1 she asked1 the same privilege be extended to it as to the ,mission buildings in ,calabar8 ,would it be a place of refuge for criminals1 those charged with witchcraft1 or those liable to be killed for the dead1 until their case could be taken into consideration8 ,they assented4 ,and the house she would build for herself--would it also be a harbour of refuge8 ,again they assented4 ,she thanked them and promptly went and chose two sites1 one at ,ekenge and one at ,ifako1 about twenty to thirty minutes' walk apart1 according to the state of the track1 in order that the benefits of the concession might operate over as wide an area as possible4 ,she foresaw1 however1 that as they were an agricultural and shifting people1 and spread over a large extent of territory1 she would require to be constantly travelling1 and to sleep as often in her hammock as in her bed4 ,rejoicing over the improved prospects1 she set out on the return journey to ,creek ,town4 ,it was the rainy season1 and ere long the canoe ran into a deluge and she was soaked4 ,then the tide was so strong that they had to lie in a cove for two hours4 ,the carcase of a huge snake drifted past1 followed by a human body4 ,she was on the outlook for alligators1 but only saw crowds of crabs on the rotten tree-stumps and black mud fighting as fiercely as the ,okoyong people4 ,she was too watchful to sleep1 but she heard the boys say softly1 ,don't shake the canoe and wake ,ma1 or ,speak lower and let ,ma sleep4 ,when they were once more out on the river she slumbered1 and awoke to find the lights of ,creek ,town shining through the darkness4 ,when her friends saw her packing her belongings they looked at her in wonder and pity4 ,they said she was going on a forlorn hope1 and that no power on earth could subdue the ,okoyong save a ,consul and a gunboat4 ,but she smiled and went on with her preparations4 ,king ,eyo again offered his canoe and paddlers and a number of bearers for her baggage4 ,by ,friday evening1 ,august #c1 #ahhh1 all was ready1 and she lay down to rest but not to sleep4 ,on the morrow she would enter on the great adventure of her life1 and the strangeness of it1 the seriousness of it1 the possibilities it might hold for her1 kept her awake and thoughtful throughout the night4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,adventure ,,of ,,taking ,,possession ,the dawn came to ,creek ,town grey and wet4 ,the rain fell in torrents1 and the negroes1 moving about with the packages1 grumbled and quarrelled4 ,wearied and unrefreshed after her sleepless night1 ,mary was not in the best of spirits1 and she was glad to see ,king ,eyo1 who had come to supervise the loading and packing of the canoe3 his kind eyes1 cheery smile1 and sympathetic words did her good1 and her courage revived4 ,few of the natives wished her ,god-speed4 ,one young man said with a sob in his voice1 ,i will constantly pray for you1 but you are courting death4 ,not great faith for a ,christian perhaps1 but her own faith at the moment was not so strong that she could afford to cast a stone at him4 ,as the hours wore on1 the air of depression became general1 and when the party was about to start ,mr4 ,goldie suddenly decided to send one of the ,mission staff to accompany her on the journey4 ,mr4 ,bishop1 the printer1 who was standing by1 volunteered1 and there and then stepped into the canoe4 ,mary and her retinue of five children stowed themselves into a corner1 the paddlers pushed off1 and the canoe swept up the river and disappeared in the rain4 ,the light was fading ere they reached the landing beach for ,ekenge1 and there was yet the journey of four miles through the dripping forest to be overtaken4 ,it was decided that she should go on ahead with the children in order to get them food and put them to sleep1 and that ,mr4 ,bishop and one or two men should follow with dry clothes1 cooking utensils1 and the door and window needed for the hut1 whilst the carriers would come on later with the loads4 ,as ,mary faced the forest1 now dark and mysterious1 and filled with the noises of night1 a feeling of helplessness and fear came over her4 ,what unseen perils might she not meet8 ,what would she find at the end8 ,how would she be received on this occasion8 ,would the natives be fighting or drinking or dancing8 ,her heart played the coward2 she felt a desire to turn and flee4 ,but she remembered that never in her life had ,god failed her1 not once had there been cause to doubt the reality of ,his guidance and care4 ,still the shrinking was there2 she could not even move her lips in prayer2 she could only look up and utter inwardly one appealing word1 ,father6 ,surely no stranger procession had footed it through the ,african forest4 ,first came a boy1 about eleven years of age1 tired and afraid1 a box containing tea1 sugar1 and bread upon his head1 his garments1 soaked with the rain1 clinging to his body1 his feet slipping in the black mud4 ,behind him was another boy1 eight years old1 in tears1 bearing a kettle and pots4 ,with these a little fellow of three1 weeping loudly1 tried hard to keep up1 and close at his heels trotted a maiden of five1 also shaken with sobs4 ,their white mother formed the rear4 ,on one arm was slung a bundle1 and astride her shoulders sat a baby girl1 no light burden1 so that she had to pull herself along with the aid of branches and twigs4 ,she was singing nonsense--snatches to lighten the way for the little ones1 but the tears were perilously near her own eyes4 ,had ever such a company marched out against the entrenched forces of evil8 ,surely ,god had made a mistake in going to ,okoyong in such a guise8 ,and yet ,he often chooses the weakest things of this world to confound and defeat the mighty4 ,the village was reached at last1 but instead of the noise and confusion that form a bush welcome there was absolute stillness4 ,mary called out and two slaves appeared4 ,they stated that the chief's mother at ,ifako had died that morning1 and all the people had gone to the carnival4 ,one obtained fire and a little water1 while the other made off to carry the news that the white woman had arrived4 ,she undressed the children and hushed them to sleep1 and sat in her wet garments and waited4 ,when ,mr4 ,bishop appeared it was to say that the men were exhausted and refused to bring up anything that night4 ,a woman of weaker fibre and feebler faith would have been in despair3 ,mary acted with her usual decision4 ,the glow of the fire was cheerful and the singing of the kettle tempting1 but the morrow was ,sunday1 there was no food1 the children were naked1 and she herself wet to the skin4 ,she gave one of the lads who had arrived with ,mr4 ,bishop a lantern1 and despatched him to the beach with a peremptory message that the mea must come at once and bring what they could4 ,but knowing their character she asked ,mr4 ,bishop to collect some of the slaves who had been left to watch the farms1 and send them after her as carriers1 and then1 bootless and hatless1 she plunged back into the forest4 ,she had not gone far before one of the other lads came running after her to keep her company2 a touch of chivalry which1 pleased and comforted her4 ,so dense was the darkness that she often lost sight of her companion's white clothes1 and was constantly stumbling and falling4 ,the shrilling of the insects1 the pulsation of the fire-flies1 the screams of the night-birds and the flapping of their wings1 the cries of wild animals1 the rush of dark objects1 the falling of decayed branches all intensified the weirdness and mystery of the forest gloom4 ,even the echo of their own voices as they called aloud to frighten the beasts of prey struck on their ears with peculiar strangeness4 ,by and by came an answer to their cries1 and a glimmer of light showed in the darkness4 ,it was the lad with the lantern4 ,as she had surmised1 he had failed in his mission4 ,she moved swiftly to the river1 splashed into the water1 and1 reaching the canoe1 threw back the cover under which the men were sleeping1 and routed them out1 dazed and shamefaced4 ,so skilful1 however1 was she in managing these dusky giants that in a short time1 weary as they were1 they were working good-humouredly at the boxes4 ,with the assistance of the slaves who came on the scene they transferred what was needed to ,ekenge1 and by midnight she felt that the worst was over4 ,sunday did not find her in more cheerful mood4 ,her tired limbs refused to move1 and wounds she had been unconscious of in the excitement of the journey made themselves felt1 while her feet were in such a state that for six weeks afterwards she was unable to wear boots4 ,whether it was the persistent rain and the mud and the weariness and the squalid surroundings1 or the fact that the tribe she had come to civilise and evangelise were given over to the service of the devil1 or that her faith had weakened1 or whether it was all of these together1 her first ,sunday in ,okoyong was one of the saddest she ever experienced4 ,more than once she was on the verge of tears4 ,and yet she was eager to begin work4 ,prudence1 however1 held her back from visiting the scene of debauchery at ,ifako4 ,a few women had come home with fractious babies1 or to procure more food for the revellers1 and gathering these about her she held a little service1 telling them in her simple and direct way the story of the ,christ who came from the ,unseen to make their lives sweeter and happier4 ,it was the first faint gleam of a better day for ,okoyong4 ,,iv4 ,,facing ,,an ,,angry ,,mob ,the room allotted to ,mary was one of those in the women's yard or harem of ,edem the chief1 and had been previously used by a free wife1 who had left its mud floor and mud walls in a filthy state4 ,at one entrance she caused a door to be hung1 while a hole was made in the wall and a window frame fitted in4 ,the work was rude and gaps yawned round the sides1 but she ensured sufficient privacy by draping them with bedcovers4 ,the absence of the villagers at ,ifako gave her time to complete the work1 and with her own hands she filled in the spaces with mud4 ,she also cleared a portion of the ground set apart for her and circled it with a fence1 and within this did her washing4 ,but soon there were calls upon her4 ,he took a little child and set him in the midst4 ,her work began with a child4 ,in a fight between ,okoyong and ,calabar a man of ,ekenge had been beheaded4 ,his head was recovered and sent home1 thus removing the disgrace1 but his wife did not survive the shock1 and left a baby girl1 which was now brought to ,mary4 ,it had been fed on a little water1 palm oil1 and cane juice1 and looked less like an infant than a half- boiled chicken4 ,its appearance provoked mirth in the yard1 but she stooped down and lifted it and took it to her heart1 resolving to give it a double share of the care and comfort of which it had been defrauded4 ,as she carried it about in her arms1 or sat with it in her lap1 she was regarded with a kind of amused astonishment4 ,but the old grandmother came and blessed her4 ,at first the child rallied to the new treatment3 it grew human-like3 sometimes ,mary thought it looked bonnie3 but in a few days it drooped and died4 ,the bodies of children were usually placed anywhere in the earth near the huts or under the bush by the wayside1 but she dressed the tiny form in white and laid it in a provision box and covered it with flowers4 ,a native carried the box to a spot which she had reserved in her ground3 here a grave was dug1 and she stood beside it and prayed4 ,the grandmother knelt at her feet1 sobbing4 ,looking on at a distance1 curious and scornful1 were the revellers from ,ifako2 they had heard of the proceedings1 and had come to witness the white woman's witchcraft4 ,all that they said in effect when they saw the good box and the white robe was1 ,why this waste8 ,and so the work in ,okoyong was consecrated by the death and ,christian burial of a little child4 ,when the people came crowding back from the devil-making they sought out a young lad who had detached himself from the orgies and remained in the village1 where he had been very attentive to ,mary4 ,they accused him of deserting their ancient customs4 ,she saw him standing in their midst near a pot of oil which was being heated over a fire1 and noticed the chief1 in front going through some movements and the lad holding out his arms1 but was unaware of what was taking place until she saw a man seize a ladle1 plunge it into the boiling oil1 and advance to the boy4 ,in a moment the truth flashed upon her and she darted forward1 but was too late4 ,the stuff was poured over the lad's hands1 and he shuddered in agony4 ,it was doubtful whether her intervention at that early period would have done any good4 ,they were following the law of the country1 and if she had managed to prevent the act they would probably have resorted to the ordeal thereafter in secret2 and her object was to show them a better way4 ,immediately after this the men of the village left on an expedition of revenge against a number of mourners with whom they had quarrelled4 ,a week of rioting followed4 ,then a freeman died in the neighbourhood1 and once more the village was deserted4 ,mary1 meanwhile1 moved hither and thither1 making friends with the women1 healing the sick1 tending the children1 and doing any little service that came in her way4 ,the return to normal conditions brought her into active conflict with the powers of evil4 ,the mistress of a harem in the vicinity bought a good-looking young woman whom the master coveted1 and she became a slave-wife4 ,she appeared sullen and unhappy4 ,one afternoon ,mary saw her mudding a house that was being built for a new free-born wife1 and spoke to her kindly in passing4 ,a few minutes later the girl made her way to one of her master's farms1 and sat down in the hut of a slave4 ,the latter was alarmed1 knowing well what the consequences would be1 but she refused to move4 ,the man went off to his work1 and she walked into the forest and hanged herself4 ,next morning the slave was brought in heavily ironed1 and at a palaver the master and his relatives decreed he must die2 they had been degraded by being associated in this way with a common slave4 ,mary1 who was present1 protested against the injustice of the sentence2 the man1 she argued1 had done no wrong2 it was not his fault that the girl had gone to his hut4 ,but1 was the reply1 he has used sorcery and put the thought into the girl's mind1 and the witch-doctor has pronounced him guilty4 ,she persisted4 ,the crowd became angry and excited2 they surged round her demanding why a stranger who was there on sufferance should interfere with the dignity and power of free-born people1 and clamoured for the instant death of the prisoner4 ,threats were shouted1 guns and swords were waved1 and the position grew critical1 but she stood her ground1 quiet and cool and patient4 ,her tact1 her good humour1 that spiritual force which seemed to emanate from her in times of peril1 at last prevailed4 ,the noise and confusion calmed down1 and ultimately it was decided to spare the man's life4 ,she had won her first victory4 ,but the victim was loaded with chains1 placed in the women's yard1 starved1 and then flogged1 and his body cruelly cut in order to exorcise the powers of sorcery that were in him4 ,when ,mary went to him he was a bruised and bleeding heap of flesh lying unconscious by the post to which he was fastened4 ,the women in the yard were sitting about indifferent to his plight4 ,v4 ,,life ,,in ,,harem ,for many weeks she was an inmate of the harem1 a witness of its degraded intimacies1 enduring the pollution of its moral and physical atmosphere1 with no other support than hallowed memories and the companionship of her ,bible4 ,her room was next that of the chief and his head wife3 the quarters of five lesser wives were close by2 other wives whose work and huts were at the farms shared the yard with the slaves1 visitors1 and children2 two cows--small native animals that do not produce milk--occupied the apartment on the other side of the partition2 goats1 fowls1 cats1 rats1 cockroaches1 and centipedes were everywhere4 ,in her own room the three boys slept behind an erection of boxes and furniture1 and the two girls shared her portion4 ,every night her belongings had to be taken outside in order to provide sufficient accommodation for them all1 and as it was the wet season they had usually to undergo a process of drying in the sun each day before being replaced4 ,there was a ceaseless coming and going in the yard1 a perpetual chattering of raucous voices4 ,the wives were always bickering and scolding1 the tongue of one of them going day and night1 her chief butt being a naked and sickly slave1 who was for ever being flogged4 ,there was no sleep for ,mary when this woman had any grievance1 real or imaginary1 on her mind4 ,both wives and visitors conceived it their duty to sit and entertain their white guest4 ,to an ,african woman the idea of loneliness is terrible1 and good manners made it incumbent that as large a gathering as possible should keep a stranger company4 ,all is implied in the word home1 its sacredness and freedom1 its privacy1 lies outside the knowledge and experience of polygamists4 ,kind and neighbourly as the women were1 they could not understand the desire of ,mary to be sometimes by herself4 ,she needed silence and solitude2 her spirit craved for communion with her ,father1 and she longed for a place in which to pour out her heart aloud to ,him4 ,as often as politeness permitted1 she fled to the ground reserved for her1 but they followed her there1 and in desperation she would take a machete and hack at the bush1 praying the while1 so that her voice was lost in the noise she made4 ,one woman of mark was ,eme ,ete--,ma ,eme as she was usually called--a sister of the master1 the same who had attracted her attention on the previous visit4 ,she was the widow of a big chief1 and had just returned from the ceremonies in connection with her husband's death1 where she had undergone a terrible ordeal4 ,all his wives lay under suspicion1 and each brought to the place of trial a white fowl1 and from the way in which it fluttered after its head was cut off the judgment was pronounced4 ,the strain was such that when the witch-doctor announced ,ma ,eme free from guilt she fainted4 ,big-boned and big-featured1 she had been fattened to immensity4 ,one day ,mary pointed to some marks on her arms and said1 ,white people have marks like these1 showing the vaccination cicatrice on her own arm4 ,ma ,eme simply said1 ,these are the marks of the teeth of my husband4 ,in that land a man could do as he liked with his free-born wife--bite her1 beat her1 kill her1 and nobody cared4 ,when consorting with the others ,ma ,eme had the coarse tone common to all1 but as she spoke to ,mary or the children her voice softened and her instincts and manners were refined and gentle4 ,a mother to every one1 she scolded1 encouraged1 and advised in turn1 and when the chief was drunk or peevish she was always between him and his wives as intercessor and peacemaker4 ,she watched over ,mary1 brought her food1 looked after her comfort1 and helped her in every way1 and did it with the delicacy and reserve of a well-bred lady4 ,unknown to all she constituted herself ,mary's ally1 becoming a sort of secret intelligence department1 and1 at the risk of her life1 keeping her informed of all the underground doings of the tribe4 ,a noble woman1 ,mary called her1 according to her lights and knowledge4 ,the wives appeared to have less liberty than the slaves4 ,how carefully guarded their position was by unwritten law ,mary had reason to know4 ,a girl-wife employed a slave-man to do work for a day4 ,his master unexpectedly sent for him1 and he asked the girl for the food which was part of his wage4 ,she at first declined2 her husband was absent1 and it was against the law of the harem1 but as he insisted she yielded and handed him a piece of yam4 ,when this became known she was seized1 bound1 and condemned to undergo the ordeal of the burning oil4 ,it was an occasion for feasting and merriment1 and as the fun progressed the cords were gradually tightened until she screamed piteously with the pain4 ,mary went and faced the crowd and pled for her release4 ,there was the usual uproar1 but she succeeded in carrying off the victim1 who was kept chained to her verandah until the dancing and rioting ended with the dawn4 ,conditions in the harem were not favourable to child life4 ,the mothers were ignorant and superstitious1 and there was no discipline or training4 ,infants were often given intoxicating drink in order that fun might be made of their antics and foolish talk4 ,as they grew up they learned nothing but what was vile4 ,the slave children became thieves-- they had to steal in order to live4 ,but if caught they would be chained to a post and starved or branded with fire-sticks4 ,they became deceitful--they had to lie in order to gain favour4 ,in this they simply followed the instinctive impulses of their nature and of the lower nature about them4 ,as the insects mimicked inanimate objects to escape injury or death1 so they simulated the truth to save themselves a beating or mutilation4 ,the free-born children did not require to steal1 but lying was in the air like a contagion1 and none could avoid its influence4 ,of the older boys and girls ,mary wrote3 ,they are such a pest to every one that it is almost impossible to love them4 ,yet with a divine pity she gathered them to her and mothered them4 ,her earlier observations of the character of the ,african women were confirmed by her sojourn in the harem4 ,hard and callous1 as a result of centuries of bush law and outrage1 their patience and self-repression under the most terrible indignities were to her a marvel4 ,they were not devoid of fine feeling1 and beneath the surface of their nature the flow of affection and pity often ran pure and sweet4 ,on one occasion a large number of prisoners were chained previous to undergoing the ordeal of the poison bean4 ,there were mothers with infants in their arms1 who throughout a hot day lay on the ground in torture and terror4 ,at dusk the guards left them for a time1 and seizing the chance a few of the older women stole tremblingly towards them with water1 which they gave to the children and divided the remainder among the mothers4 ,anticipating such an opportunity ,mary had had some rice cooked1 and this also the women smuggled to the prisoners4 ,had they been discovered their lives would have been forfeited4 ,bands of women of the special class already described came from a distance to see the white ,ma1 always more or less under the influence of drink2 loose in speech1 and destitute of modesty1 these ,amazons made her angry4 ,they would appear at night and demand admittance to the yard in the hope of obtaining rum and other good things from the wealthy white woman4 ,when barred out they threatened reprisals4 ,the chief1 who never allowed his wives to go out of the yard to dance even with his own relatives1 stood on guard all night before his guest's room1 and it was only after sunrise1 when all were astir1 that they were admitted4 ,haggard after their night's debauch1 they presented a sorry sight1 their bare bodies painted and decked with beads1 coloured wools1 and scraps of red and yellow silk1 and many with babies at their side4 ,mary regarded them with pity1 but all they could extract from her was disapproval and rebuke1 and they left with threats to make her position untenable4 ,some of the scenes she witnessed in the harem cannot be described4 ,had ,i not felt my ,saviour close beside me1 she said1 ,i would have lost my reason4 ,when at home the memory of these would make her wince and flush with indignation and shame4 ,she had no patience with people who expounded the theory of the innocence of man outside the pale of civilisation--she would tell them to go and live for a month in a ,west ,african harem4 ,,vi4 ,,strange ,,doings ,the sound of native voices chanting came through the brooding stillness of the hot afternoon4 ,with the wild war-song of ,okoyong the forest familiar1 but words were strange and wonderful2 ,jesus the ,son of ,god came down to earth ,he came to save us from our sins4 ,he was born poor that ,he might feel for us4 ,wicked men killed ,him and hanged ,him on a tree1 ,he rose and went to heaven to prepare a place for us4444 ,they were sung with a tremendous force1 and as each voice fell into the part which suited it1 the result was a harmony that thrilled the heart of the white woman who listened4 ,it was ,mary ,slessor's day school4 ,for a people possessing no written language1 no literature1 no knowledge beyond that handed down from father to son1 the first step towards right living1 apart from the preaching of the ,gospel1 is education4 ,schools go hand in hand with churches in missionary effort4 ,mary began hers before she had the buildings in which to teach1 one at ,ekenge and the other at ,ifako4 ,the latter was held in the afternoon in order that she might be back in her yard by sunset4 ,the schoolroom was the verandah of a house by the wayside2 the seats were pieces of firewood2 the equipment an alphabet card hung on one of the posts4 ,at first the entire population turned out and conned the letters1 but as novelty wore off and the men and women returned to their work the attendance dropped to thirty4 ,good progress was made1 and ere long the dark-skinned pupils were spelling out words of one and two syllables4 ,the lesson ended with a scripture lesson1 a short prayer1 and the singing of the sentences she taught4 ,the last was so much enjoyed that it was often dark before she could get away4 ,the school at ,ekenge was held in the outer yard of the chief's house in the evening1 when all the wives and slaves were at leisure4 ,men and women1 old and young1 bond and free1 crowded and hustled into the yard1 amidst much noise and fun4 ,after a lesson on the alphabet and the multiplication-table she conducted worship4 ,it was a weird scene--the white woman1 slim and slight1 standing bareheaded and barefooted beside a little table on which were a lamp and the ,book2 in front1 squatting on the ground1 the mass of half-naked people as dark as the night1 their shining faces here and there catching the gleam of the light2 the earnest singing that drowned the voices of the forest1 and the strange hush that fell1 as in grave sweet tones the speaker prayed to what was to them the ,unknown ,god4 ,the tale of such doings was carried to every corner of ,okoyong1 and invitations began to arrive from chiefs in other parts4 ,some1 who were known as the terror of ,calabar1 came personally to ask her to visit their villages1 and all laid down their arms at the entrance to her yard before entering into her presence4 ,but her own chief warned her against acting too hastily1 and she would probably have followed his advice and sought to strengthen her position at ,ekenge and ,ifako had the matter not been taken out of her hands4 ,,vii4 ,,fighting ,a ,,grim ,,foe ,the principal wife of a harem in close neighbourhood to ,mary went to pay a visit to her son and daughter at a village in the vicinity of the ,cross ,river1 some eight hours distant from ,ekenge4 ,she found the chief so near death that the head man and the people were waiting outside1 ready for the event4 ,hastening into the harem she spoke of the power of the white ,ma at ,ekenge4 ,had she not cured her grandchild who had bees very ill8 ,had she not saved many others8 ,let them send for her and the chief would not die4 ,her advice was acted upon1 and a deputation was despatched with a bottle and four rods--about the value of a shilling-- to secure ,mary's aid4 ,she was called to the private room of her chief1 where she found the messengers4 ,what is the matter with him8 she asked4 ,as no one knew she decided to go and see for herself4 ,edem and ,ma ,eme objected--the length of the journey1 the deep streams to be crossed1 the heavy rains1 made the task impossible4 ,i am going to get ready1 was her reply4 ,finding her immovable1 the chief turned with a face of gloom to the deputation and sent1 them back with a demand for an escort of freewomen and armed men4 ,mary imagined he was merely endeavouring to mark time until the death took place3 in reality he saw the district given over to violence and murder1 and she in the midst and her life imperilled4 ,she passed a sleepless night4 ,was she right1 after all1 in taking so great a risk8 ,she laid the matter where she laid all her problems1 and came to the conclusion that she was4 ,with the morning appeared the guard of women1 who intimated that the armed men would join them outside the village4 ,the rain was falling as they set out later came down in torrents1 continuous1 and pitiless4 ,her boots were soon abandoned2 then her stockings2 next her umbrella1 broken in battle with the vegetation1 was thrown aside4 ,bit by bit her clothes1 too heavy to be endured1 were transferred to the calabashes carried by the women on their heads1 and in the lightest of garments she struggled on through the steaming bush4 ,three hours of trudging brought her to a market-place where1 in the clearing atmosphere1 hundreds of natives were gathering4 ,they gazed at her in amazement4 ,feeling humiliated at her appearance1 she slunk shyly and swiftly through their midst and went on1 wondering if she had lost face and their respect4 ,afterwards she learnt that the self-denial and courage which that walk in the rain exhibited had done more than anything else to win their hearts4 ,others1 however1 were not so well- disposed4 ,at one town the old chief was anything but courtly1 and only with reluctance allowed her to pass4 ,when she reached the sick man's village and looked into the grim expectant faces of the armed crowd1 she felt as if she were walking into a den of wild beasts4 ,at any moment the signal might be given1 and the slaughter of the retinue for the spirit-land begin4 ,the women1 silent and fear-stricken1 carried off her wet clothes to dry4 ,she was cold and feverish1 but went straight to the patient and tended him as well as she could4 ,then she turned to the pile of odds and ends of garments which had been collected for her1 and looked at them with a shudder4 ,but there was no alternative1 and1 arraying herself in the rags1 she went forth to meet the critical gaze of the crowd4 ,the medicine she had brought had proved insufficient1 and more must be obtained2 many lives1 she knew1 depended upon it4 ,to go back to ,ekenge was out of the question4 ,was there1 she asked the people about her1 a way to ,ikorofiong8 ,the ,rev4 ,alexander ,cruickshank was stationed there1 and he would supply what was needed4 ,they confessed that there was a road to the river and a canoe could be got to cross1 but they dared not go there1 they would never come back1 they would be seized and killed4 ,some one told her that a ,calabar man1 whose mother was an ,okoyong woman and who came to trade1 was living in his canoe not far off4 ,seek him1 said she4 ,he was found1 but would not land until assured that it was a white woman who wanted him4 ,mary prevailed upon him to undertake the journey2 and he returned with all she required and more4 ,with the thoughtfulness and kindliness of pioneer missionaries ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,cruickshank sent over tea and sugar and other comforts and1 what she valued not less1 a letter of cheer and sympathy4 ,hot with fever1 racked with headache1 she brewed the tea in a basin1 and it seemed to her a royal feast4 ,the world of friends had drawn nearer1 she felt less lonely1 her spirits revived4 ,the patient drew back from the valley of death1 regained consciousness1 and gathered strength2 and the women looking on in wonder1 became obedient and reliable nurses2 the freemen thought no more of sacrifice and blood2 the whole community had visions of peace2 they expressed a wish to make terms with ,calabar and to trade with the ,europeans and learn book4 ,she was engaged all day in answering questions4 ,morning and evening she held a simple service1 and seldom had a more reverent audience4 ,much worn out1 she left them at last with regret1 promising to be always their mother1 to try and secure a teacher1 and to come again and see them4 ,her faith and fearlessness had been justified1 and she had her reward1 for from that time forward ,okoyong was free to her4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,witchcraft ,the belief in witchcraft dominated the lives of the people like a dark shadow more menacing than the shadow of death4 ,taking advantage of their superstition and fear the witch-doctors--some of the cunningest rogues the world has produced--held them in abject bondage1 and ,mary was constantly at battle with the results of their handiwork4 ,the chief of ,ekenge was lying ill4 ,since she had taken up residence in his yard he had treated her with consideration1 and guarded her interests and well-being1 and now came the opportunity to reciprocate his kindness4 ,she found him suffering from an abscess in his back1 and gave herself up to the task of nursing and curing him4 ,all was going well1 when one morning1 as she entered with his tea and bread1 she saw a living fowl impaled on a stick4 ,scattered about were palm branches and eggs1 and round the neck and limbs of the patient were placed various charms4 ,the brightness of her greeting died away4 ,edem was suspiciously voluble and frank1 flattered the goodness and ability of the white people1 but said they could not understand the malignity of the black man's heart4 ,ma1 it has been made known to us that some one is to blame for this sickness1 and here is proof of it--all these have been taken out of my back4 ,he held out a parcel which1 on opening1 she found to contain shot1 powder1 teeth1 bones1 seeds1 egg-shells1 and other odds and ends4 ,on seeing the collection the natives standing around shook with terror1 and frantically denounced the wickedness of the persons who had sought to compass the death of the chief4 ,mary's heart sank1 she knew what the accusation meant4 ,at once1 before her eyes1 men and women were singled out1 and seized and chained and fastened to posts in the yard4 ,remonstrance1 rebuke1 argument were in vain4 ,the chief at last became irritated with her importunity1 and ordered his retainers to carry him to one of his farms1 whither he was accompanied by his wives1 those of note belonging to his house1 and the prisoners4 ,he forbade ,ma to follow1 and enjoined secrecy upon all1 in order that no tales might be carried back to her4 ,but she had her own means of obtaining intelligence of what was going on1 and she heard that many others were being chained1 as they were denounced by the witch-doctors4 ,the chief became worse1 and stronger measures were decided on3 all the suspected must die4 ,mary was powerless to do more than send a message of stern warning4 ,days of suspense and prayer followed4 ,on the last night of the year she was lying awake thinking of the old days and the old friends1 her heart homesick1 and the hot tears in her eyes1 when the sound of voices and the flash of a lantern made her start up4 ,it was a deputation from the farm4 ,they had learnt that the native pastor1 the ,rev4 ,esien ,ukpabio1 at ,adiabo--the first native convert in ,calabar --was skilled in this form of disease1 and would ,ma give them a letter asking him to come over and see the chief8 ,the letter was quickly given1 and she returned to her rest and her memories4 ,when the native pastor asked what was the matter1 the reply was that ,some one's soul was troubling the chief4 ,in that case1 he said1 ,i can do nothing1 and no persuasion or bribe could move him from his position4 ,his sister1 however1 thought it might be well for her to go and see what she could do1 and he consented4 ,under her care the abscess broke and the chief recovered1 and all the prisoners were released with the exception of one woman1 who was put to death4 ,aware of the uncanny way in which his guest heard of things the chief sent his son to forestall any tale-bearer4 ,no one has been injured1 she was assured4 ,only one worthless slave woman has been sold to the ,inokon4 ,as it was the custom to dispose of slaves who were criminals and incorrigible to this cannibal section of the ,aros for food at their high feasts the story was plausible1 but she knew better1 and when the son added that the three children of the victim had been quite agreeable1 she thought of the misery she had witnessed on their faces4 ,she pretended to believe the message1 however1 for to have shown knowledge of the murder would have been to condemn scores to the poison ordeal1 in order that her informant might be discovered4 ,when the chief was convalescent it was announced by drum that he would emerge on a certain day from his filth--for the natives do not wash during illness--and that gifts would be received4 ,his wives and friends and slaves brought rum1 rods1 clothes1 goats1 and fowls1 and there ensued a week of drinking1 dancing1 and fighting1 worse than ,mary had yet seen4 ,in the midst of it all she moved1 helpless and lonely1 and somewhat sad1 yet not without faith in a better time1 ,,ix4 ,,sorcery ,,in ,,the ,,path ,a more extraordinary instance of superstition occurred soon after4 ,a chief in the vicinity1 noted far and wide for his ferocity1 intimated that he was coming to ,ekenge on a visit4 ,it meant trouble for the women1 and she prayed earnestly that he might be deterred from his purpose4 ,but he duly appeared1 and throwing all her anxiety upon ,god1 she faced him calm and unafraid4 ,days and nights of wild licence followed1 accompanied by an outcrop of disputes1 most of which were brought to her to settle4 ,one morning she found the guest drunk to excess1 but determined to return at once to his village4 ,his freemen and slaves were beyond control1 and soon the place was in an uproar3 swords were drawn1 guns were fired1 the excitement reached fever heat4 ,with a courage that seemed reckless she hustled them into order and hurried them off and accompanied them for the protection of the villages through which they must pass4 ,she was able to prevent more drink being supplied to them1 and all went well until1 at one point on the bush track1 they came upon a plantain sucker stuck in the ground1 and1 lying about1 a cocoanut shell1 palm leaves1 and nuts4 ,the fierce warriors who had been challenging each other and every one they came across to fight to the death1 were paralysed at the sight of the rubbish1 and turning with a yell of terror rushed back the way they had come4 ,mary sought forcibly to restrain them1 but1 frantic with fright1 they eluded her grasp1 and ran shrieking towards the last town they had passed to wreak vengeance on the sorcerers4 ,she ran with them1 praying for swiftness and strength3 she passed them one by one1 and breathlessly threw herself into the middle of the path1 and dared them to advance4 ,she felt she was almost as mad as they were1 but she relied on a ,power ,who had never failed her1 and ,he did not fail her now4 ,her audacity awed them3 they stopped1 protested1 argued1 and gradually their hot anger1 resentment1 and fear died down1 and eventually they retraced their steps4 ,she took up the medicine they dreaded1 and pitched it into the bush1 ironically invoking the sorcery to pass into her body if it wanted a victim4 ,but nobody could persuade them to proceed that way1 and they made a long detour4 ,unfortunately drink was smuggled to the band1 and fighting began4 ,she induced the more sober to assist her to tie a few of the desperadoes to trees4 ,leaving these1 the company went on dancing1 brandishing arms1 embracing each other1 and committing such folly that she felt that she could bear it no longer4 ,as the swift twilight fell she called her few followers and returned1 releasing on the way the delinquents bound to the trees1 but sending them homewards with their hands fastened behind their backs4 ,on passing the scene of the sorcery she picked up the plantain sucker1 laughingly remarking that she would plant it in her yard1 and give the witchcraft it possessed an opportunity of proving its powers4 ,nothing is hidden in an ,african community1 news travels swiftly4 ,next morning came a messenger from the chief she had escorted home4 ,it had been a terrible night1 he said2 the native doctor had come to his master and had taken teeth1 shot1 hair1 seeds1 fish-bones1 salt1 and what not1 out of his leg1 ,if they had been left in the body they would have killed him4 ,it was the plantain sucker that was to blame1 and his master demanded it back4 ,mary read the menace in the request3 the plant was to be used as evidence against some victim4 ,argument and sarcasm alike failed1 and she was obliged to hand it over1 ,edem was standing by4 ,that1 he grimly remarked1 means the death of some one4 ,on the arrival of the sucker native oaths were administered to all in the village accused of the sorcery1 ordeals of various kinds were imposed on young and old1 slave and free1 and the life-blood of a man was demanded by way of settlement of the matter4 ,strong in their innocence the people resisted the claim1 but by guile the chief's myrmidons caught and handcuffed a fine-looking young man belonging to one of the best families and dragged him into hiding4 ,any attempt to effect a rescue would have meant his murder1 and in their dilemma the people thought of the white ,ma and sent and begged her to come and plead with the chief for the life and liberty of the prisoner4 ,she had never a more unpleasant task1 for she detested the callous savage1 but there was nothing else to do2 and she went depending less upon herself than upon ,god4 ,she walked tremblingly into the man's presence1 but her fear soon passed into disgust and indignation4 ,he was the personification of brutality1 selfishness1 and cowardice4 ,laughing at her entreaties he told her to bring the villagers and let them fight it out4 ,she pointed out that neither he nor his ,house had suffered by what had happened2 that the accused people had taken every oath and ordeal prescribed by their laws2 and that his procedure was therefore unjust and unlawful1 ,it is due to your presence alone that ,i escaped1 he retorted2 they murdered1 me in intention if not in fact4 ,his head wile backed him up1 and both became so rude and offensive to ,mary that it took all her grace to keep her temper and her ground4 ,as she would not leave the house the chief said he would1 and walked out1 remarking that he was going to his farm on business4 ,swallowing her pride she followed him and begged him humbly as an act of clemency to free the young man4 ,he turned1 elated at her suppliant attitude1 laughed loudly1 and said that no violence would be used until all his demands had been complied with4 ,she returned to her yard1 and days of strain followed4 ,the situation developed into a quarrel between the truculent chief and ,edem1 and every man went armed1 women crept about in fear1 scouts arrived hourly with the latest tidings4 ,her life was a long prayer4444 ,one day the young man was set free1 without reason or apology being given or condition exacted1 and told to go to his people4 ,with his safety all desire for revenge was stilled1 and matters resumed their normal course4 ,the heart of ,mary once more overflowed with gratitude and joy4 ,x4 ,,how ,,house ,,and ,,hall ,,were ,,built ,she was impatient to have a house of her own1 but the natives were slow to come to her assistance4 ,they thought the haste she exhibited was undignified1 and smiled compassionately upon her4 ,there was no hurry-- there never is in ,africa4 ,if she would but wait all would be well4 ,when argument failed1 they went off and left her to cut down the bush and dig out the roots herself4 ,lounging about in the village they commiserated a ,mother who was so strongheaded and wilful1 and consoled themselves with the thought of the work they would do when once they began4 ,she could make no progress1 and there was nothing for it but to tend the sick1 receive visitors1 mend the rags of the village1 cut out clothing for those who developed a desire for it1 and look after her family of bairns4 ,one day1 however1 the spirit moved the people and they flocked to the ground4 ,she constituted herself architect1 clerk of works1 and chief labourer4 ,her idea was to construct a number of small mud-huts and sheds1 which would eventually form the back buildings of the ,mission ,house proper4 ,four tree-trunks with forked tops were driven into the ground1 and upon them were laid other logs4 ,bamboos1 crossed and recrossed1 and covered with palm mats1 formed the roof and verandah4 ,upright sticks1 interlaced and daubed with red clay1 made the walls4 ,two rooms1 each eleven feet by six with a shaded verandah1 thus came into existence4 ,then a shed was added to each end1 making three sides of a square4 ,fires were kept blazing day and night1 in order to dry the material and to smoke it as a protection against vermin4 ,drains were dug and the surrounding bush cleared4 ,in one of the rooms she put a fireplace of red clay1 and close to it a sideboard and dresser of the same material4 ,holes were cut out for bowls1 cups1 and other dishes1 and rubbed with a stone until the surface was smooth4 ,the top had a cornice to keep the plates from falling off1 and was polished with a native black dye4 ,her next achievement was a mud-sofa where she could recline1 and a seat near the fireside where the cook could sit and attend to her duties4 ,in the other room she deposited her boxes1 books1 and furniture4 ,hanging upon the posts were pots and pans and jugs1 and her alphabet and reading-sheets4 ,in front stood her sewing-machine1 rusty and useless after its exposure in the damp air4 ,there also at night was a small organ1 which during the day occupied her bed4 ,such was the caravan1 as ,mary called it1 which was her dwelling for a year3 a wonderful house it seemed to the people of ,okoyong1 who regarded it with astonishment and awe4 ,to herself it was a delight4 ,never had the building of a home been watched with such loving interest4 ,and when it was finished no palace held a merrier family4 ,at meals all sat round one pot1 spoons were a luxury none required1 and never had food tasted so sweet4 ,there were drawbacks--all the cows1 goats1 and fowls in the neighbourhood1 for instance1 seemed to think the little open yard was the finest rendezvous in the village4 ,her next thought was for the church and schoolhouse4 ,a mistress of missionary strategy1 she wished to build this at ,ifako1 in order that she might control a larger area1 but the chiefs for long showed no interest in the matter4 ,one morning1 however1 an ,ifako boy sought her with the message1 ,my master wants you4 ,she thought the command somewhat peremptory1 but went4 ,to her surprise she found the ground cleared2 posts1 sticks1 and mud ready1 and the chiefs waiting her orders4 ,she designed a hall thirty feet by twenty-five1 with two rooms at the end for her own use1 in case storm or sickness or palaver should prevent her going home4 ,work was started2 and not a single slave was employed in the carrying of the material or in the construction4 ,king ,eyo sent the mats1 some thousands in number1 for the roof1 and free women carried them the four miles from the beach1 plastered the walls1 moulded the mud-seats1 beat the floor1 and cleared up1 and all cheerfully1 and without thought of reward4 ,doors and windows were still awanting1 but she asked for the services of a carpenter from ,calabar to do this bit of work2 and meanwhile the humble building1 the first ever erected for the worship of ,god in ,okoyong1 was formally opened4 ,it was a day of days for the people4 ,mary had prepared them for it1 and all appeared in their new ,sunday attire1 which1 in many cases1 consisted of nothing more than a clean skin4 ,but the contents of various ,mission boxes had been kept for the occasion1 and the children1 after being washed1 were decked for the first time in garments of many shapes and colour--the wearing of a garment1 said ,mary1 never fails to create self-respect4 ,it was a radiant and excited company that gathered in the hall4 ,there was perhaps little depth in their emotion1 but she regarded the event as a step towards better things4 ,her idea was to separate the day from the rest1 and to make it a means of bringing about cleanliness and personal dignity1 while it also imposed upon the people a little of that discipline which they so much needed4 ,the chiefs were present1 and they voluntarily made the promise before all that the house would be kept sacred to ,god and ,his service1 that the slave-women and children would be sent to it for instruction1 that no weapon of warfare would be carried into it1 and that it would be a sanctuary for those who fled to it for refuge4 ,services and day school were now held regularly in the hall4 ,the latter was well attended1 all the pupils showing eagerness to learn book1 and many making rapid progress4 ,the larger ,mission ,house1 which ,mary intended to occupy the space in front of the yard at ,ekenge1 was a stiffer problem for the people1 and for a time they hung back from the attempt to build it4 ,,xi4 ,a ,,palayer ,,at ,,the ,,palace ,perhaps the greatest obstacle to ,christian truth and progress was not superstition or custom1 but drink4 ,she had seen something of the traffic in rum and gin at the coast1 but she was amazed at what went on in ,okoyong4 ,all in the community1 old and young1 drank1 and often she lay down to rest at night knowing that not a sober man and hardly a sober woman was within miles of her4 ,when the villagers came home from a drunken bout the chief men would rouse her up and demand why she had not risen to receive them4 ,at all hours of the day and night they would stagger into the hut1 and lie down and fall asleep4 ,her power1 then1 was not strong enough to prevent them--but the time came4 ,the spirit came up from ,calabar and was the chief article of trade4 ,when a supply arrived processions of girls carrying demijohns trooped in from all quarters1 as if they were going to the spring for water4 ,at the funeral of one big man seven casks of liquor were consumed1 in addition to that bought in small quantities by the poorer classes4 ,a refugee of good birth and conduct remarked to ,mary once that he had been three days in the yard and had not tasted the white man's rum4 ,three days6 she replied1 and you think that long6 ,ma1 he said1 in evident astonishment1 three whole days6 ,i have never passed a day without drinking since ,i was a boy4 ,she fought this evil with all her energy and skill4 ,her persuasion so wrought on the chiefs that on several occasions they agreed to put away the drink at palavers1 with the result that those who had come from a distance departed1 sober and in peace1 to the wonderment of all around4 ,she saw that the people were tempted and fell because of their idleness and isolation2 for they still maintained their aloofness from all their neighbours1 and there was yet no free communication with ,calabar4 ,if a missionary happened to pay her a visit he would be stopped on the forest track by sentries who1 after satisfying themselves as to his identity1 cooeed to other watchers farther on4 ,dr4 ,livingstone believed that the opening up of ,central ,africa to trade would help to stamp out the slave traffic1 and in the same way she was convinced that more legitimate commerce and the development of wants among the people would to some extent undermine the power of drink4 ,all the ordinary trade she had seen done so far was the sale of five shillings' worth of handkerchiefs and a sixpenny looking-glass4 ,she urged the chiefs to take the initiative1 and was never tired of showing them her possessions1 in order to incite within them a desire to own similar articles4 ,they were greatly taken with the glass windows and doors1 and one determined to procure wood and shut himself in4 ,her clock1 sewing-machine1 and organ were always a source of wonder1 and people came from far and near to see them4 ,the women quickly became envious of her household goods1 and she could have sold her bedcovers1 curtains1 meat-safe1 bedstead1 chest of drawers1 and other objects a score of times4 ,more promising still was their desire to have clean dresses like their ,ma1 and she spent a large portion of her time cutting out and shaping the long simple garment that served to hide their nakedness4 ,she also sent down to ,calabar and asked some of the native trading people whom she knew to come up with cloth1 pots1 and dishes1 and other useful articles1 guaranteeing them her protection2 but so great was their fear of the ,okoyong warriors and so poor their faith in her power1 that they refused point blank--they would as soon have thought of going-to the moon4 ,well1 said ,mary1 if they won't come to us we must go to them4 ,she had been seeking to familiarise the minds of the chiefs with the idea of settling their disputes by means of arbitration instead of by fighting1 and had been cherishing the hope that she might persuade some of them to proceed to ,creek ,town and discuss the subject with ,king ,eyo4 ,she now proposed to the ,king that he should invite them to a palaver at his house1 and at the same time she would endeavour to have some produce sent down direct to the traders4 ,the ,king had never ceased to take an interest in her work3 he frequently sent up special messengers to enquire if all was well1 and always reminded her that he was willing to be of service to the ,okoyong people4 ,a grandson of the first ,king ,eyo also sent men occasionally1 with instructions to do anything they could for the white ,mother1 and to bring down her messages to ,calabar4 ,such kindly thought often took the edge off her loneliness4 ,the ,king at once sent the invitation1 and1 trusting more in the word of ,mary than in that of the ,king1 all the chiefs in her neighbourhood accepted the offer and an expedition to ,creek ,town was organised4 ,a canoe was obtained1 and heaped with yams and plantains1 gifts for the ,king1 and with bags of palm-kernels and a barrel of oil1 the first instalment of trade with the ,europeans4 ,alas6 the natives know nothing about a load-line1 and as the tide rose the canoe sank4 ,it was not an unmixed pleasure setting out with men who were ignorant of the management of canoes1 but another day was fixed and another canoe was found4 ,the whole of ,okoyong seemed to be at the beach1 and every man1 woman1 and child was uttering counsel and heartening the intrepid voyagers4 ,several of the chiefs drew back and disappeared1 and of the half-dozen who remained only two could be persuaded to embark when they learnt that guns and swords must be left behind4 ,ma1 you make women of us6 ,did ever a man go to a strange place without his arms8 ,ma was inexorable4 ,she sat down and waited1 and after a two hours' palaver swords were ungirt and handed with the guns to the women4 ,those who still declined to go were received back with rejoicing1 and farewells were made with those who went1 amidst wailings and tears4 ,a start was made1 but the craft proved to be ill-balanced1 and the cargo had to be shifted4 ,as this was being done she detected a number of swords hidden below the bags of kernels4 ,her eyes flashed1 and the people scattered out of the way as she pitched the arms out on the beach4 ,with a meekness that was amusing the men scrambled into their places and the canoe shot into the river1 ,mary taking a paddle and wielding it with the best of the men4 ,the journey was made through dense darkness and drizzling rain1 and occupied twelve hours4 ,but she was rewarded by the result4 ,nothing could exceed the kindness of ,king ,eyo4 ,he bore himself as a ,christian gentleman1 listened courteously to the passionate and foolish speech of the ,okoyong representatives1 reminded the supercilious ,calabar chiefs that the ,gospel which had made them what they were had only just been taken to ,okoyong1 and in giving the verdict which went against them1 he gently made it the finding of righteousness1 according to the laws of ,god4 ,when all had been settled he asked ,mary to take the chiefs over his palace1 and invited them to a meeting in the church in the evening1 where he spoke words of cheer and counsel from the words1 ,to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death1 to guide our feet into the way of peace4 ,this experience made a great impression upon the chiefs3 they left with a profound reverence for the ,king and a determination to abide by his decisions in the future1 whilst ,mary had added much to her dignity and position4 ,this was proved the morning after they returned to ,ekenge4 ,she was awakened by a confused noise1 and on looking out was astonished to find several chiefs directing slaves1 who were working with building material4 ,what is the matter8 she asked in wonder4 ,instead of answering her one of the chiefs who had accompanied her to ,calabar turned to the crowd and1 in a burst of eloquence1 described all he had seen at ,creek ,town1 how the ,europeans lived1 and how ,king ,eyo and every chief and gentleman had treated their ,mother as a person superior to them1 and given her all honour4 ,they in ,okoyong must now treat her as befitted her rank and station1 and must build her a proper house to live in1 ,mary was hard put to it to preserve her gravity4 ,soon afterwards a young slave1 for whom she had often pled1 began to wash his hands in some dirty water in a dish outside3 his master ran at him with a whip1 and it was all she could do to prevent him being lashed4 ,opening out again and again he called the lad a fool for daring to touch a dish used by their ,great ,white ,mother4 ,but what was more important than all was the fact that the way had at last been opened up for trade relations with ,calabar4 ,the people began to make oil and buy and sell kernels1 and to send the produce down the river direct to the factories4 ,as she had foreseen1 they had now less time for palavers1 and less inclination for useless drinking1 and still more useless quarrelling and fighting4 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,scottish ,,carpenter ,the story of the settlement in ,okoyong and of the building of the hut and hall was related by ,miss ,slessor in the ,missionary ,record of the ,church for ,march #ahhi4 ,the hall she described as a beautiful building1 though neither doors nor windows are yet put in1 as we are waiting for a carpenter4 ,and1 she added1 if there were only a house built1 any other agent could come and take up the work if ,i fail4 ,in the same number of the ,record there appeared an appeal by the ,foreign ,mission ,committee for a practical carpenter1 with an interest in ,christian work1 for ,calabar4 ,there happened to be in ,edinburgh at this time a carpenter named ,mr4 ,charles ,ovens1 belonging to the ,free ,church1 who was keenly interested in foreign missions4 ,as a boy he had wished to be a missionary1 but believing that only ministers could hold such a post he relinquished the idea4 ,he was an experienced tradesman of the fine old type1 a ,scot of ,scots1 with the happy knack of looking on the bright side of things4 ,having been in ,america on a prolonged visit he was about to return there1 and had gone to say good-bye to an old lady friend1 a ,united ,presbyterian4 ,the latter remarked to him1 ,i see ,miss ,slessor wants a man to put in her doors and windows--why don't you go to ,calabar8 ,he had never heard of ,miss ,slessor1 but the suggestion struck him as good1 and he straightway saw the ,foreign ,mission ,secretary1 and then went and changed the address on his baggage4 ,he left in ,may1 and on his arrival in ,calabar was sent up to finish the work ,mary had begun4 ,all his speech at ,duke ,town was of ,america and its wonders1 but when he returned some months later he could talk of nothing but ,okoyong4 ,he found ,mary attired in a simple dress1 without hat or shoes1 dining at a table in the yard in the company of goats and hens4 ,she sprang up with delight on hearing the ,scots tongue1 and welcomed him warmly4 ,the conditions were most primitive1 and his room was only eight feet long and five feet wide1 but he possessed much of her ,spartan spirit4 ,although ignorant of the native language he was of great assistance to her during his stay1 while his humour and irresistible laugh lightened many a weary day4 ,as he worked he sang auld ,scots sangs1 like the ,rowan ,tree and ,the ,auld ,hoose4 ,when she heard the latter tears came into her eyes at the memories it recalled4 ,even ,tom1 his native assistant1 was affected4 ,i don't like these songs1 he said1 they make my heart big and my eyes water6 ,the ,mission ,house had progressed well under ,mary's superintendence4 ,she had aimed at making it equal to any at the big stations1 and had planned an upstairs building with a verandah six feet above the ground1 and a kitchen and dispensary4 ,she had mudded the walls1 and the mat roof was being tied on1 and now that ,mr4 ,ovens was at work all was promising well1 when an event occurred which put a stop to operations for months4 ,,xiii4 ,,her ,,greatest ,,battle ,,and ,,victory ,one morning1 when nature was as lovely as a dream1 ,mr4 ,ovens was working at the new house1 and ,miss ,slessor was sitting on the verandah watching him4 ,suddenly1 from far away in the forest1 there came a strange1 eerie sound4 ,ever on the alert for danger1 ,mary rose and listened4 ,there is something wrong1 she exclaimed4 ,for a moment she stood in the tense attitude of a hunter seeking to locate the quarry1 and then1 swiftly moving into the forest1 vanished from sight4 ,mr4 ,ovens sent ,tom1 his boy1 off after her to find out what was the matter4 ,he returned with a message that there had been an accident1 and that ,mr4 ,ovens was to come at once and bring restoratives4 ,as the ominous news became known to the natives standing around a look of fear came into their faces4 ,mr4 ,ovens found her sitting beside the unconscious body of a young man4 ,it is ,etim1 the eldest son of our chief1 ,edem1 she explained4 ,he was about to be married1 and had been building a house4 ,he came here to lift and bring a tree2 when handling the log it slipped and struck him on the back of the neck1 and paralysis has ensued4 ,he glanced at her face as if surprised at its gravity4 ,she divined what he thought1 and speaking out of her intimate knowledge of the people and their ways she said1 ,there's going to be trouble2 no death of a violent character comes apart from witchcraft4444 ,can you make some sort of a litter to carry him8 ,divesting himself of part of his clothing1 and obtaining some strong sticks1 he made a rough stretcher1 on which the inert form was laid conveyed to ,ekenge4 ,for a fortnight ,mary tended the patient in his mother's house1 hoping against hope that he would recover1 and that the crisis she dreaded would be averted1 but he was beyond human help4 ,one ,sunday morning he lay dying1 and the news sent a spasm of terror throughout the district4 ,hearing the sound of wailing ,mary rushed to the yard and found the lad being held up1 some natives blowing smoke into his nostrils1 some rubbing ground pepper into his eyes1 others pressing ,ms mouth open1 and his uncle1 ,ekpenyong1 shouting into his ears4 ,such treatment naturally hastened the end4 ,when life was fled1 the chief dropped the body into her arms and shouted1 ,sorcerers have killed and they must die4 ,bring the witch-doctor4 ,at the words every man and woman disappeared1 leaving only the mother1 who1 in an agony of grief1 cast herself down beside the body4 ,when the medicine-man arrived he laid the blame of the tragedy upon a certain village1 to which the armed freemen at once marched4 ,they seized over a dozen men and women1 the others escaping into the forest1 and after sacking all the houses returned with the prisoners loaded with chains1 and fastened them to posts in the yard1 which had only one entrance4 ,anxious to pacify the rage of the chiefs1 father and uncle1 ,mary undertook to do honour to the dead lad by dressing him in the style befitting his rank4 ,fine silk cloth was wound round his body1 shirts and vests were put on1 over these went a suit of clothes which she had made for his father1 the head was shaved into patterns and painted yellow1 and round it was wound a silk turban1 all being crowned with a tall black and scarlet hat with plumes of brilliant feathers4 ,thus attired the body was carried out into a booth in the women's yard1 where it was fastened1 seated in an arm-chair1 under a large umbrella4 ,to the hands were tied the whip and silver-headed stick that denoted his position1 while a mirror was arranged in front of him1 in order that he might enjoy the reflection of his grandeur4 ,beside him was a table1 upon which were set out all the treasures of the house1 including the skulls taken in war1 and a few candles begged from ,mary4 ,when the people were admitted and saw the weird spectacle they became frenzied with delight1 danced and capered1 and started on a course of drinking and wantonness4 ,you'll have to stop all work1 ,mary said to ,mr4 ,ovens1 who felt as if he were moving in some grotesque fantasy of sleep2 this is going to be a serious business4 ,we can't leave these prisoners for a moment4 ,i'll watch beside them all night and you'll take the day4 ,and time and time about in that filthy yard1 through the heat of the day and the chill of the night1 these two brave souls kept guard opposite the wretched band of prisoners1 with the half-naked people1 armed with guns and machetes1 dancing drinking about them4 ,as one barrel of rum was finished another was brought in1 and the supply seemed endless4 ,the days went by1 and ,mr4 ,ovens lost patience1 and declared he would go and get a chisel and hammer and free the prisoners at all costs4 ,na1 na1 replied ,mary wisely1 we'll have a little more patience4 ,one day she went to ,mr4 ,ovens and said1 ,they want a coffin4 ,they'll have to make one1 he retorted4 ,i think you'd better do it1 she rejoined2 the boy's father has some wood of his own1 of which he was going to make a door like mine1 and he is willing to use it for the purpose4 ,they proceeded to the yard to obtain measurements1 and as they entered ,mary caught sight of some esr beans lying on the pounding stone4 ,she shivered4 ,what could she do6 ,she returned to her hut4 ,prayer had been her solace and strength during all these days and nights1 and now with passionate entreaty she beseeched ,god for guidance and help in the struggle that was to come4 ,when she rose from her knees her fear had vanished1 and she was tranquil and confident4 ,reaching the yard she took the two brother chiefs aside1 and told them that there must be no sacrifice of life4 ,they did not deny that the poison ordeal was about to take place1 but they argued that only those guilty of causing the death would suffer4 ,she did not reply1 but went to the door of the compound and sat down3 from there she was determined not to move until the issue was decided4 ,the chiefs were angry4 ,to have a white woman-- and such a woman--amongst them was good1 but she must not interfere with their customs and laws4 ,the mother of the dead lad became violent4 ,even the slaves were openly hostile and threatening4 ,the crowd2 maddened by drink1 ran wildly about1 flourishing their guns and swords4 ,raise our master from the dead1 they cried1 and you shall have the prisoners4 ,night fell4 ,mr4 ,ovens gathered up the children and put them to bed4 ,mary scribbled a note to ,duke ,town and gave it to the two native assistant carpenters1 and directed them in ,english to steal in the darkness to the beach and make their way down the river4 ,there was distraction within the yard as well as without4 ,three of the women were mothers with babies1 who were crying incessantly from hunger and fear4 ,another1 who had chains round her neck and bare limbs1 had an only daughter about fifteen years of age1 who was a cousin of the dead lad1 and the betrothed wife of his father4 ,the girl clung to her mother1 weeping piteously4 ,sometimes she would come and clasp ,ma's feet1 beseeching her to help her1 or waylay the chiefs1 and offer herself in servitude for life in exchange for her mother's freedom4 ,mr4 ,ovens had gone to the hut1 and ,mary was keeping vigil when a stir warned her of danger4 ,several men came and unlocked the chains on one of the women--a mother--and ordered her to the front of the corpse to take the bean4 ,mary was in a dilemma4 ,was it a ruse to get her out of the yard8 ,if she followed1 would they bar the entrance and wreak their vengeance on the others who remained8 ,do not go1 they cried1 and gazed at her pleadingly4 ,but she could not see a woman walk straight to death4 ,one swift appeal to ,god and she was after the woman4 ,the table was covered with a white cloth1 and upon it stood a glass of water containing the poison4 ,as the victim was in the act of lifting the glass she touched her on the shoulder and whispered1 ',ifehe6 7run74 ,she gave a quick glance of intelligence into the compelling eyes and off both bounded1 and were in the bush before any one realised they were gone4 ,they reached the hut4 ,quick1 ,mary cried to ,mr4 ,ovens1 take the woman and hide her4 ,in a moment he had drawn her in and locked the door1 and ,mary flew back to the yard4 ,where is she8 the prisoners cried4 ,safe in my house1 she answered4 ,they were amazed4 ,she herself wondered at her immunity from harm4 ,it might be that the natives were stupefied with drink--but she thought of her prayer4 ,finding that she was not to be moved1 the chiefs endeavoured to cajole and deceive her4 ,god will not let anybody die of the bean if they are not guilty1 they said4 ,they released two of the prisoners1 substituting imbiam1 the native oath1 for the poison ordeal1 and later1 five others4 ,she still stood firm1 and two more obtained their freedom4 ,there they stopped4 ,we have done more for you than we have ever done for any one1 and we will die before we go further4 ,three remained4 ,one woman1 with a baby1 they would not release4 ,akpo1 the chief of her house1 escaped into the bush1 and the fact of his flight proves his guilt1 they argued2 we cannot ransom her4 ,the other two1 a freeman and the woman named ,inyam with the daughter1 were relatives of the bereaved mother1 and also specially implicated1 and they were seized and led away4 ,mary hesitated to follow1 but hoping that the girl might be able to keep her informed of what was going on she decided to remain with the woman with the infant4 ,another dawn brought visitors from a distance1 who only added to the rioting and her perplexity4 ,they told her that ,egbo was coming1 and advised her to fly to ,calabar4 ,she replied that he could come and play the fool as much as he pleased1 but she would not desert her post4 ,the father stormed and threatened1 and declared he would burn down the house4 ,you are welcome1 she said1 it is not mine4 ,in a blazing passion he cried that the woman would die4 ,so terrified and exhausted was the victim that she begged ,ma to give in4 ,at this point ,ma ,eme came to the rescue3 kneeling to her brother she besought him to allow ,mary to have the prisoner in the meantime--she could be chained to the verandah of the hut1 and could not possibly escape with such a weight of irons4 ,mary caught at the plan1 and declared that she would give a fair hearing to the charges against the house which she represented4 ,to her infinite surprise the chiefs gave in4 ,but1 said they1 if she is sent out of the way to ,calabar1 you pay a heavy fine1 and leave here for ever4 ,fearing they would repent1 she hastily called for the keys to unlock the chain1 but the slaves pretended ignorance1 said they could not find them1 and denounced the liberation of the murderers4 ,patience and firmness again succeeded1 the keys were produced1 the locks were opened4 ,mary gathered up the long folds of chain1 and ,ma ,eme1 also trembling with eagerness1 pushed them out in order that they might escape the crowd4 ,they ran through the scrub to the hut1 and here the mother and child were housed in a large packing-case1 while a barricade was put up to make the position more secure4 ,during the afternoon two of the ,calabar missionaries arrived1 and added the weight of their influence to ,mary's1 giving a magic-lantern exhibition in the open1 and in other ways endeavouring to lend prestige to the funeral1 in order to compensate for the lack of human sacrifice4 ,a quieter night followed1 though the vigil was unbroken4 ,in the morning the father of the dead lad called her aside1 and in a long harangue justified his desire to do his son honour by giving him a retinue in the spirit-land4 ,then calling to his retainers he ordered them to bring the freeman4 ,dragging him forward1 limping and dazed1 he presented him formally to ,ma1 saying1 ,this further act of clemency must satisfy you4 ,the woman who is left must take the poison3 you cannot object--she will recover if she is innocent4 ,she thanked him warmly1 but renewed her entreaties for the release of the woman also4 ,the chief turned away in anger and disgust1 and the battle went on4 ,as the missionaries were obliged to return to ,calabar she and ,mr4 ,ovens were again left alone4 ,all day she followed the chief1 coaxing and pleading4 ,sometimes he ignored her2 sometimes he brusquely showed his annoyance2 sometimes he looked at her in pity1 as if he thought she were crazed4 ,but he gave her no hope4 ,when a whisper came to her ears that the burial would take place that night in the house of the chief she was heart-sick with dread4 ,late in the evening1 as she was busy with her household1 she heard a faint cry at the barricade3 ,ma1 ,ma1 make haste1 let me in4 ,noiselessly she pulled aside the planks1 and ,inyam1 heavily ironed1 crawled on her hands and knees into the room4 ,her story was that she had managed by friction to cut one of the links of the chain which bound her1 and had escaped by climbing the roof4 ,mary looked at the thick chain hanging about her1 and guessed whose were the kindly black hands that had given her aid1 but she kept her thought to herself4 ,the last of the prisoners was now safe1 the funeral in the house of the chief had taken place1 and only a cow had been placed in the coffin1 and her joy was great4 ,but her troubles were not over4 ,a party of natives coming to the funeral met another party returning drunk with excitement and rum4 ,recalling some old quarrel the latter killed one of the men they met1 cut off his head1 and carried it away as a trophy4 ,fighting became general between the factions1 and many were seriously wounded4 ,one afternoon the village went suddenly mad with panic4 ,all the women and children and all the men without arms rushed frantically about4 ,mothers clutched their babies1 wives and slaves seized what belongings they could carry1 children screamed and held on to the first person they met4 ,they had heard sounds that heralded the advance of the dreaded ,egbo4 ,then1 by a common impulse1 all rushed for the protection of the white woman's yard4 ,she pulled down the barricade1 packed as many children and women into her room as it could hold1 and ordered the others into the bush at the back4 ,the women were almost insane with terror1 and the manacled prisoner begged to be killed4 ,as the beating of the drum and the shouting of the mob drew near ,mary trembled1 but again prayer restored her to calm4 ,even when the village was invaded and shouting began1 she was without fear4 ,and1 strange to say1 the mob remained but a short time1 and not a shot went home4 ,they had set fire to every house in the village from which the prisoners had been taken1 and wrecked another and burned the stock alive4 ,as no powerful chief submitted to ,egbo sent out by another ,house1 ,edem's village also ran amok1 and for over a week the population haunted the forest1 shooting down indiscriminately every man and woman who passed4 ,it was not until much blood had been shed that the various bands became tired of the struggle and returned to their dwellings4 ,for three weeks the prisoners were kept in the hut1 and then ,ma's pressure on the chiefs succeeded1 and the chained woman was released on condition that if her chief ,akpo were caught he would take the poison ordeal1 whilst ,inyam1 taking advantage of all the people being drunk one night1 stole out into the forest and escaped4 ,what became of her ,mary never knew1 until one day1 months after1 when travelling1 she passed a number of huts in the bush1 and was accosted by name and found herself face to face with the refugee4 ,this was the longest and severest strain to which she was subjected2 it was her worst encounter with the passions of the natives1 her greatest conflict with the most terrible of their customs1 and she came out of it victorious4 ,for the first time in the dark history of the tribe the death and funeral of one of the rank of a chief had occurred without the sacrifice of life4 ,in some mysterious way she had been able to subdue these wild people and bend them to her will4 ,her fame went far and wide throughout ,okoyong and beyond into regions still unexplored1 and many thought of her with a kind of awe as one possessing superhuman power4 ,there were1 indeed1 some amongst those who knew her who had a lurking suspicion that she was more than woman4 ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,aftermath ,various incidents came as an aftermath to these happenings4 ,one afternoon the women came running to ,ma saying that the elder chief1 ,ekpenyong1 was bent on taking the poison ordeal4 ,when she reached his yard she found him in a fury1 shouting and threatening1 the women remonstrating1 the slaves weeping4 ,it was some time ere she could learn the cause of the uproar4 ,a man from a neighbouring village had been about whispering that ,ekpenyong had slain his nephew1 in order that his own son might absorb the inheritance4 ,ekpenyong was determined to undergo the test1 and in accordance with native law1 which gave the right to a freeman to call others of equal rank to share the trial with him1 he demanded that his brother ,edem--who it was alleged had instigated the man to make the accusation--should also take the poison4 ,when ,mary had grasped the situation she ridiculed the attitude of the chief1 scolded him unmercifully1 and at last secured his promise not to carry out his threat4 ,as a guarantee of his good faith she claimed possession of the esr beans4 ,he denied that he had any4 ,with the help of his womenkind she made a secret search1 and found eleven beans at the bottom of a basket1 which she conveyed in the darkness to her hut4 ,as more beans could not be obtained until the morning she felt that all was well for the night4 ,shouting1 however1 made her run back4 ,mad with drink the chief was clinging to a bag which the women were endeavouring to seize4 ,he was hitting out at them with his heavy hand1 and most of them were bleeding4 ,there is poison in that bag1 they cried4 ,no1 ,ma1 only my palm-nuts and cartridges4 ,quietly1 firmly1 persistently1 she demanded the bag4 ,he threw it at her4 ,opening it she found palm-nuts and cartridges4 ,for a moment she looked foolish1 but diving deeper she pulled out no fewer than forty of the deadly beans4 ,i'll take the liberty of keeping these1 she said coolly1 but with a swiftly beating heart4 ,no1 no1 he shouted1 and his followers joined him in protest4 ,outwardly calm she walked between the lines of armed men1 ironically bidding them take the bag from her4 ,but their hands were held1 and she passed safely through1 reached her hut1 handed the beans to ,mr4 ,ovens1 and returned to the scene to pacify the crowd4 ,next morning she learnt to her consternation that ,ekpenyong had risen stealthily during the night and gone off on his errand of death4 ,fortunately a chief some miles off detained him by force until she arrived4 ,she stuck resolutely to him1 and as all the more powerful chiefs came over to her side from sheer admiration of her pluck1 he had eventually to abandon his purpose4 ,after taking the native oath he betook himself to another part of the forest1 where he built up a new settlement4 ,one more episode remained to round off the sequence of events4 ,the murderer of the young man in the funeral party was the oldest son of a ,house noted for bloody deeds1 and the act roused the slumbering fury of its neighbours4 ,war was declared and fighting began4 ,mary interfered and pressed for arbitration1 and both sides at last acceded to her request1 and asked her to conduct the palaver4 ,aware that the man was a triple murderer and the penalty death1 she shrank from the duty1 and begged them to put the matter into the hands of a ,calabar chief4 ,this they did1 and went to ,ikunetu on the ,cross ,river1 where blood for blood was the verdict4 ,fines and death by substitution of slaves were offered and refused2 the youngest son1 a mere baby1 was sent in atonement and rejected2 then the second son1 a lad of twenty1 was despatched1 and it was agreed that his death would redeem his brother4 ,mary's distress was acute1 especially as she had declined to act as judge1 but she was relieved on learning that the prisoner had escaped1 and was being sheltered by one of the slave-traders across the river4 ,she wished to get him into her own yard1 but the weeping mother said it was too dangerously near home4 ,one morning1 early1 she heard the sound of rapid firing1 and in alarm she sent messengers to enquire the cause4 ,the lad had been betrayed1 brought back1 filled with gin1 and amidst discharge of guns1 beating of drums1 singing and dancing1 had been strangled and hung in the presence of his mother and sister4 ,these two alone mourned the dead1 the others were glad that the matter had been so easily settled1 and for a week the loafers and drunkards in the district held high carnival4 ,as time passed and the heat of the persecution cooled1 ,mary made tentative proposals that ,akpo1 the escaped chief1 and his family1 should be allowed to return4 ,i will go and fetch them myself if their safety be guaranteed1 she said4 ,edem1 the father of the dead lad1 replied1 ,very well1 ,ma1 you can say that all thought of vengeance is gone from our heart1 and if he wishes to come to his own village or live in your home or go anywhere in ,okoyong he is at liberty to do so4 ,but trust is rare in ,africa1 and suspicion dies hard1 and ,akpo could not bring himself to believe that ,edem wished him well1 and he elected to remain where he was4 ,again she paid the exile a visit1 taking with her an elderly man1 who was betrothed to his daughter1 but he could not overcome his fears4 ,in his heart he and his friends were incredulous that the chiefs of ,okoyong would listen to a woman4 ,a third time the patient ,mary went to him1 and succeeded in bringing him and his son back with her1 the women remaining behind until a new house could be built4 ,the home-coming was fall of pathos4 ,house1 farm1 clothing1 seed-corn1 yams1 goats1 fowls1 all had vanished4 ,but as the chief stood amidst the familiar surroundings his gloom and silence fell away1 and he knelt and clasped ,ma's feet1 and with eyes filled with tears vowed that he and his house would be under yoke to her for ever1 and that they would never rebel against any commands she gave or do anything contrary to her wishes4 ,most people1 white and black1 occasionally felt disposed to dispute her rulings1 and more than once her will and that of the chief clashed1 but he stood to his word1 and there was no family in the district who gave her message a more loyal hearing4 ,edem acted nobly4 ,he not only arranged for the housing of the two men1 but gave them a piece of ground and seed for food plants4 ,when she went to tell him all had been done1 he simply said1 ,thank you1 ,ma4 ,but in the evening he came alone to her1 knelt and held her feet1 and thanked her again and again for her wonderful love and courage1 for her action1 in forbidding them to take life at his son's death1 and for all the peaceful ways which she was introducing4 ,we are all weary of the old customs1 he said1 but no single person or ,house among us has power to break them off1 because they are part of the ,egbo system4 ,and one by one1 secretly and unknown to each other1 the free people came to her and thanked her gratefully for the state of safety she was bringing about1 and charged her to keep a stout heart and to go forward and do away with all the old fashions1 the end of which was always death4 ,,xv4 ,,the ,,sweet ,,and ,,the ,,strong ,meanwhile the ,mission ,house had evolved into what was in her eyes a thing of beauty4 ,she could at any rate boast that it was the finest dwelling in ,okoyong1 and it was a happy day when she removed upstairs4 ,nor was the house all that was accomplished during these troublous times4 ,mr4 ,goldie had made her a gift of a canoe2 but without a boathouse it was exposed to rain and ants and thieves1 and she planned a shelter at the beach that would do both for it and for herself4 ,ma ,eme brought her people to the spot1 the men cut down trees and erected the framework1 and the women dug the mud and filled in the walls1 and ,mr4 ,ovens made a door and provided a padlock4 ,thus1 in the course of a short time1 she had built a hut2 a good house with accommodation for children1 servants1 and visitors2 a dispensary2 a church2 and a double-roomed boathouse4 ,all the native labour had been given cheerfully and without idea of money1 but from time to time she distributed amongst the workers a few gifts from the ,mission boxes1 or a goat or a bag of rice4 ,in addition to her house at ,ekenge she had a room in several of the villages1 where she put up on her journeys2 and it was characteristic of her that she secured these not for her own convenience but for the sake of the people1 in order that they might feel that they were being looked after4 ,it was1 indeed1 for the people she lived4 ,mr4 ,ovens states that she was at their beck and call day and night2 she taught in the schools1 preached in the church1 and1 as he puts it1 washed the wee bairnies herself1 and dressed the most loathsome diseases1 all with tenderness and gay humour4 ,i never saw a frown on her face1 he says4 ,she was always ready for anything and equal to any emergency4 ,one morning1 he recalls1 she came to me4 ',twins1' she said1 'and we have to go4' ,when we arrived at the spot we found that the bairns had been murdered by the grandmother1 and the mother was lying on the bare ground in a hut some distance away4 ,miss ,slessor sent her a bed and pillow1 and told her husband to be kind to her4 ,the man took her back into the house-- such a thing had never been known before4 ,it was at this time that the plump and pretty infant referred to by ,miss ,kingsley in her ,travels in ,west ,africa was saved4 ,the mother died a few days after the birth1 and as there was a quarrel between her family and that of the father the child was thrown into the bush by the side of the road leading to the market1 and lay there for five days and six nights4 ,this particular market is held every ninth day1 and on the succeeding market-day1 some women from the village by the side of ,miss ,slessor's house happened to pass along the path and heard the child feebly crying3 they came into ,miss ,slessor's yard in the evening1 and sat chatting over the day's shopping1 and casually mentioned in the way of conversation that they had heard the child crying1 and that it was rather remarkable that it should be still alive4 ,needless to say ,miss ,slessor was off1 and had that waif home4 ,it was truly in an awful state1 but just alive4 ,in a marvellous way it had been left by leopards and snakes1 with which this bit of forest abounds1 and1 more marvellous still1 the driver ants had not scented it4 ,other ants had considerably eaten into it one way and another2 nose1 eyes1 etc41 were swarming with them and flies2 the cartilage of the nose and part of the upper lip had been absolutely eaten into1 but in spite of this she is now one of the prettiest black children ,i have ever seen1 which is saying a good deal1 for negro children are very pretty with their round faces1 their large mouths not yet coarsened by heavy lips1 their beautifully-shaped flat little ears1 and their immense melancholy deer-like eyes1 and above these charms they possess that of being fairly quiet4 ,this child is not an object of terror1 like the twin children2 it was just thrown away because no one would be bothered to rear it--but when ,miss ,slessor had had all the trouble of it the natives had no objection to pet and play with it1 calling it the child of wonder1 because of its survival4 ,this child was named ,mary after the house mother1 and completed the number of those who for long constituted the inner circle of the family4 ,the others were ,janie1 ,alice--a rescued twin of royal blood1 and ,annie--the child of the woman who took a native oath to prove that she did not help her husband to eat a stolen dog4 ,these four were to grow up and become a comfort to their white ,mother1 and will reappear from time to time in the course of the story4 ,another helper in the house at this time was ,mana1 a faithful girl1 who had been caught by two men when going home from a spring1 and brought to ,okoyong and sold to ,ma ,erne4 ,other children there were1 all with more or less tragic histories1 and all were looked after and trained and loved4 ,but ,mary could be as stern and strong as her native granite when combating evil4 ,mr4 ,ovens saw her repeatedly thrust brawny negroes away from the drink1 taking them round the neck1 and throwing them back to the ground4 ,an intoxicated man1 carrying a loaded gun1 once came to see her4 ,she ordered him to put the weapon in a corner of the verandah4 ,he declined4 ,she went up1 wrested the gun from him1 placed it in a corner1 and defied him to touch it4 ,he went away1 and came back every day for a week before she gave it up4 ,another man came to her for medicine1 and after he had described his symptoms she brought a bottle of castor oil and told him to open his mouth4 ,fearful that it might be some sort of witchcraft1 he demurred4 ,ma simply gave him a smart box on the ear and repeated the order1 whereupon he meekly took the stuff and went ruefully away4 ,about this time1 also1 she went and prevented two tribes from fighting3 although her heart was beating wildly she stood between them and made each pile their guns on opposite sides of her1 until the heaps were five feet high4 ,on another occasion she stopped and impounded a canoe-load of machetes that were going up-river to be used in a war4 ,mr4 ,ovens was struck by her mental power and wide outlook4 ,despite her incessant preoccupation with matters about her she never ceased the cultivation of intellectual interests4 ,she was a loving student of the ,bible1 a wide and discriminating reader1 and she followed with a brooding mind the development of world affairs throughout the world4 ,before his work was finished ,mr4 ,ovens began to suffer from the exposure1 and she nursed him day and night through a serious illness4 ,when he returned to ,duke ,town she missed his cheery company2 her isolation and loneliness seemed intensified1 and she was only sustained by her faith in the efficacy of prayer and by her communion with the ,father1 ,my one great consolation and rest1 she wrote1 is in prayer4 ,so invariably was she comforted3 so invariably was she preserved from harm and hurt1 that her reliance upon a higher strength became an instinctive habit4 ,it conquered her natural nervousness and apprehension4 ,she had frequently to take journeys through the forest with the leopards swarming around her4 ,i did not use to believe the story of ,daniel in the lions dens she often said1 until ,i had to take some of these awful marches1 and then ,i knew it was true1 and that it was written for my comfort4 ,many a time ,i walked along praying1 ',o ,god of ,daniel shut their mouths1' and ,he did4 ,if she happened to be travelling with bearers or paddlers1 she would make them sing and keep them singing2 ,and1 ,etubom 7,sir1 ,chief1 or ,white ,man71 she would say1 when telling her experiences1 ye ken what like their singing is-- it would frighten any decent respectable leopard4 ,and yet in some things she was as timid as a child4 ,when travelling in the ,mission steam-launch she would bury her head in her hands and cry out in fear if the engine gave a screech or if the vessel bumped on a sandbank4 ,she was in terror all the time she was on board4 ,it was not possible for her to go on expending so much nervous force without a breakdown1 and as attacks of fever were coming with increasing frequency she began to think of her furlough4 ,the difficulty was to fill her place4 ,in #ahij ,mr4 ,goldie reported that only she or a man could fill it2 no native agent could go from4 ,calabar on account of tribal unfriendliness4 ,but she thought otherwise4 ,no person connected with me need fear to come to ,okoyong1 or suffer from lack of hospitality4 ,okoyong was a very different place from what it had been in #ahhh4 ,there was greater order and security1 and much less drinking among the younger people1 many of whom were at school2 none dared to use the slightest freedom with1 her2 they might come as far as the verandah but no farther4 ,the people were becoming ashamed of their superstition1 and were ready to inform her secretly when palavers and sacrifices were in contemplation4 ,chiefs came voluntarily and requested her to sit in the seat of judgment and adjudge their disputes4 ,the tribe1 as a whole1 was also working better1 and developing a regular trade with the ,europeans4 ,the problem was solved by another woman with a stout heart1 who voluntarily agreed to occupy the station during her absence4 ,this was ,miss ,dunlop4 ,the ,home ,board were anxious as to her safety1 and recommended frequent communications with her2 and later1 ,miss ,hutton1 who had just arrived from ,scotland1 was appointed to keep her company4 ,when ,miss ,dunlop went up before ,ma left1 she was met by what she thought was a crowd of peaceful1 cheerful--people1 eager only to greet her and to help her4 ,she modified her opinion later3 a wild and lawless class1 she called them1 boasting of their wildness1 and who came to the services drunk4 ,when she spoke of ,god's love they would say1 ,yes1 ,ma ,slessor tell us that plenty times4 ,but she bravely held the fort4 ,,xvi4 ,,war ,,in ,,the ,,gates ,at the last moment she was busy packing when messengers arrived from a far-off township with intelligence that a young freeman had accidentally shot his hand while hunting1 and a request that she would come to him with medicine4 ,she was weak and ill3 she was expecting tidings of the steamer2 she was beset with visitors from all parts who had come to bid her farewell4 ,telling them what to do1 and asking them to let her know only if serious symptoms set in1 she gave them what was needed4 ,almost immediately came secret news that the man had died1 that his brother had wounded one of the chiefs1 and that all the warriors of the latter had been ordered to prepare for fighting on the morrow4 ,she never knew how this message had come or who had brought it4 ,she made up her mind to proceed to the spot1 but the chief people about her opposed the idea4 ,they pointed to her weakness1 and the probability of her missing the steamer4 ,they enlarged on the savage character of those concerned4 ,they own no authority2 ,they will insult you in their drunken rage2 ,the bush will be full of armed men1 and they will fire indiscriminately2 ,the darkness will prevent them recognising you4 ,but they could not prevail upon her to relinquish what she thought was a duty to those who had sought her aid4 ,she1 however1 compromised by consenting to take two armed attendants with lanterns1 and to call at a chief's place some eight miles distant1 and secure a freeman to beat the ,egbo drum before her1 thus letting the people in the fighting area know that a free protected person was coming4 ,she reached their village about midnight4 ,the chief was reported to be at his farm1 and she was urged to lie down until the morning1 ,she suspected that he was not many yards away1 and she persuaded a messenger to carry an urgent request to him for an escort and drum4 ,the reply was in the language of diplomacy all the world over3 ,i have heard of no war1 but will enquire regarding it in the morning4 ,if1 in the event of there being war1 you persist in going on you prove your ignorance of the people1 who from all time have been a war-loving people1 are not likely to be helped by a woman4 ,this put her on her mettle4 ,in measuring the woman's power1 she responded1 you have evidently forgotten to take into account the woman's ,god4 ,she decided to go on4 ,the people were astonished1 not so much at her folly in risking her life as in daring to disobey the despot1 who held their fate in the hollow of his hand4 ,somewhat chilled by her unsympathetic reception she started1 without much enthusiasm1 on her journey1 but with her faith in ,god as strong as ever4 ,reaching the first town belonging to the belligerents she found it so silent and dark that she began to imagine the chief was right1 and she had come on a wild-goose chase4 ,she crept quietly up to the house of an old freewoman whose granddaughter had once lived with her3 there was a cautious movement within and a whispered1 ,who's there8 ,she had barely answered1 when she was surrounded by a band of armed men1 whose dark bodies were like shadows in the night4 ,in a few moments they were joined by scores of others1 and the greatest confusion prevailed4 ,she was asked what her business was and who were her informants1 but ultimately the chiefs permitted her to remain1 and the women saw to her comfort4 ,after conferring together the chiefs thanked her for coming at such discomfort to herself1 and promised that no fighting1 so far as they were concerned1 would take place until she heard the whole story4 ,all the same1 they averred1 we must fight to wipe out the disgrace that has been put on us-see here are men badly wounded4 ,now1 ,ma1 go to bed1 and we shall wake you at cock-crow1 and you can accompany us4 ,this meant an hour's rest1 which she urgently needed4 ,at second cock- crow she was called1 but before she was steady on her feet they were off and away down the steep hillside and through the stream at the foot like a herd of wild goats4 ,the women were at every house4 ,run1 ,ma6 they cried4 ,run6 ,was she not running as fast as her weak and breathless state allowed her8 ,but she soon lost sight of the warriors1 and could only fall back upon prayer4 ,a hundred yards from the village of the enemy she came upon the band in the bush making preparations for attack3 the war-fever was at its height1 and the air resounded with wild yells4 ,walking quietly forward she addressed them as one would speak to schoolboys1 telling them to hold their peace and behave like men and not like fools4 ,passing on to the village she encountered a solid wall of armed men4 ,giving them greeting1 she got no reply4 ,the silence was ominous4 ,twitting them on their perfect manners she went up to them1 and was about to force a passage4 ,then a strange thing happened4 ,from out of the sullen line of dark-skinned warriors there stepped an old man1 who came and knelt at her feet4 ,ma1 we thank you for coming4 ,we admit the wounding of the chief1 but it was the act of one man and not the fault of the town4 ,we beg you to use your influence with the injured party in the interests of peace4 ,it was the chief whom she had travelled in the rain to see and heal when she first came to ,okoyong4 ,her act of self-sacrifice and courage had borne fruit after many days4 ,she was so thankful that her impulse was to run back to their opponents in the forest and arrange matters there and then2 but she restrained herself1 and1 instead1 purposely told the men with an air of authority to remain where they were while her wants were attended to4 ,i am not going to starve while you fight1 she said1 and meanwhile you can find a comfortable seat ,in the bush where ,i can confer with the two sides2 choose two or three men of good address and good judgment for the purpose4 ,they obeyed her like children4 ,when the two deputies from the other side came forward1 two chiefs laid down their arms and went and knelt before them and held their feet saying it was foolish and unjust to punish the whole district for the action of a drunken boy1 begging them to place the matter before the ,white ,ma1 and expressing their willingness to pay whatever fine might be imposed4 ,she1 too1 knelt and begged that magnanimity might be shown1 and that arbitration might be substituted for war4 ,so novel a proposal was not agreed to at once4 ,the next few hours witnessed scenes of wild excitement1 rising sometimes to frenzy4 ,bands of men kept advancing from both sides and joining in the palaver1 and every arrival increased the indignation and the resolution to abide by the old1 manlier way of war4 ,she was well-nigh worn out1 but her wonderful patience and tact1 coupled with her knowledge of all the outs and ins of their character1 again won her the victory4 ,it was agreed that a fine should settle the quarrel1 and one was imposed which she thought exorbitant ,in the extreme1 but the delinquents accepted it1 and promptly paid part in trade gin4 ,here was another peril4 ,as the boxes and demijohns were brought forward and put down the mob began to grow excited at the thought of the drink4 ,she foresaw trouble and disaster1 but though her voice was now too feeble to be heard in the babel of sound1 she was not yet at the end of her resources4 ,divesting herself of as many of her garments as was possible1 she threw them over the stuff1 thus giving it the protection of her own body1 according to ,egbo law4 ,it was a custom for providers of spirits which might have been tampered with on the way from the boat1 to taste the liquor in order to prove that neither sorcery nor poison had been placed in it1 and every man wanted to be the taster on this occasion4 ,as soon as the test had been applied1 every man on the other side likewise demanded the gin1 and for a time it seemed as if all had gone mad4 ,mary seized the one glass which they held1 and as each bottle was opened she dealt out to the older and chief men one glass only1 resolutely refusing to give more1 and placed the bottle under the cover of her garments4 ,no one dared to touch the stuff4 ,there was some jostling around her1 but a few of the men constituted themselves into a bodyguard1 and by whip and drum kept the mob off4 ,amidst much tumult and grumbling and laughter at her sallies she got them to agree to leave the spirit in her charge on her declaring that she would be surety for it arriving in their several villages in good time1 and untampered with4 ,she made them promise to go straight home and remain at peace during her furlough 7a promise that was loyally kept72 but there was one party she was obliged to accompany for a mile or two4 ,they had--declared that they were ashamed to return like women1 without having fought4 ,they begged her to allow them to have a small scrap1 in order to prove they were not cowards4 ,not till they were safely past the danger zone did she leave them4 ,she remained till night at the village4 ,the feeling was still too disturbed to permit of a regular service1 but she spoke to them quietly of ,christ as a ,saviour3 and then ordering all to their rest she set out1 tired as she was1 on her lonely tramp through the long miles of forest path4 ,she found her baggage had gone1 and that messengers had arrived to take her down to ,duke ,town4 ,,xvii4 ,,among ,,the ,,churches ,arriving in ,england la ,january #ahia with ,janie1 who proved a great comfort and help1 she went straight to ,topsham to view the graves of her mother and sister4 ,she was anxious to spend as much of her furlough as possible amongst the scenes and with the friends associated with her loved ones1 and she secured and furnished a house4 ,it possessed a fine garden1 and there1 with the little black girl1 she passed a quiet and restful time until the autumn1 when she went to ,scotland1 making her headquarters at the home of her friend1 ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 now at ,joppa4 ,for many months she was engaged on the deputation work which missionaries on furlough undertake for the stimulation of the home congregations4 ,she had less liking than ever for addressing meetings1 but she did not shirk the duty4 ,it is a trial to speak1 she said2 but ,he has asked me to1 and it is an honour to be allowed to testify for ,him in any way1 and ,i wish to do it cheerfully4 ,she wanted also to persuade the women in the ,church to give themselves up more whole- heartedly to ,christ1 and to consecrate themselves to ,his cause4 ,no trouble was too great if it served that purpose4 ,as a halo of romance was beginning to gather about her she was in great request2 wherever she went the interest of the meeting centred in her1 and her visits were often followed by the formation of a ,zenana ,mission ,committee4 ,not always1 however1 did she satisfy expectations4 ,she would talk freely at the manse tea-table1 especially if children were present1 and be led on to give vivid pictures of her life in the bush1 so that the company would be still sitting entranced when the bell rang for the meeting4 ,then a rush would be made to the hall1 where impatient people would be waiting to be thrilled by stories of heroic service4 ,and what they heard was an evangelistic address6 ,the minister would look disappointed1 feeling that he could have done as well himself4 ,but she sometimes deprecated surface interest1 and said that if the heart was right and the life consecrated1 mission work would be well supported without any adventitious aid4 ,after addressing a meeting at ,slateford near ,edinburgh she was on the way to the station when a woman who had been in the audience took ,janie and kissed her and pressed some money into her hand4 ,next day the minister received a letter inscribed3 ,for the lady who gave ,janie the money and the kiss on the way to the station4-,m4 ,m4 ,slessor4 ,enclosed was a photograph of ,janie and a letter in which she wrote3 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend--,for such ,i must call you4 ,such a true womanly ,christian spirit as you showed yesterday is one of the fruits of our holy ,christianity--,i thank you for loving and kissing the child--,god bless you1 my dear sister4 ,i may yet see you in the flesh4 ,i will if ,i go back to ,slateford4 ,but ,i may be sure of meeting you in the ,father's house when the shadows flee away and the everlasting glory has dawned4 ,the recipient kept the photograph and letter and still treasures them as mementoes of one of whom she never ceased to think and for whom she always prayed4 ,it was in such ways that she knit hearts to her4 ,she made many friends in the manses and in the homes of the members of the ,church1 and greatly increased the interest in her work in ,calabar1 with the result that after she returned a larger stream of correspondence and ,mission boxes began to flow to ,okoyong4 ,,xviii4 ,,love ,,of ,,lover ,aware of her singleness of mind and aim in the service of ,christ1 and her whole-hearted devotion to the interests of the people of ,okoyong1 it came as a surprise to her friends to learn that she was engaged to be married4 ,the hidden romance was disclosed at a meeting of the ,mission ,board in ,september4 ,the suitor for her hand was ,mr4 ,charles ,w4 ,morrison1 one of the teachers on the ,mission staff1 a young man from ,kirkintilloch1 ,scotland1 then in his twenty-fifth year4 ,his career at home had been a successful one2 he had been an active ,christian worker1 and when he applied to the ,board for an appointment in ,calabar he was accepted at once and sent out to ,duke ,town4 ,he was a man of fine feeling1 with a distinct literary gift4 ,on the few occasions that he had seen ,mary he was attracted by the brilliant1 unconventional little woman1 and when she was ill was very attentive and kind to her4 ,before she left on furlough they had become engaged on the understanding that he would come and live at ,okoyong4 ,she made it clear to the ,board that she had pledged her word to her people not to leave them1 and that she would not1 even for her personal happiness1 break her promise1 ,mr4 ,morrison1 she believed1 would make a very good missionary1 and they would be able to relieve each other1 as she would remain at ,okoyong when he was at home4 ,the ,board took time to consider the proposal1 and meanwhile ,mary received the congratulations of her friends4 ,her replies indicate that there was no uncertainty in her own mind on the subject3 ,i lay it all in ,god's hands1 and will take from ,him whatever ,he sees best for ,his work in ,okoyong4 ,my life was laid on ,his altar for that people long ago1 and ,i would not take one jot or tittle of it back4 ,if it be for ,his glory and the advantage of ,his cause there to let another join in it ,i will be grateful4 ,if not ,i will still try to be grateful1 as ,he knows best4 ,both were a little doubtful as to the action of the ,board1 and ,mr4 ,morrison asked her whether1 in the event of a refusal1 she would consent to return to ,duke ,town1 ,such a project1 however1 she would not entertain3 ,it is out of the question1 she explained to a friend4 #a would never take the idea into consideration1 ,i could not leave my work for such a reason4 ,to leave a field like ,okoyong without a worker and go to one of ten or a dozen where the people have an open ,bible and plenty of privilege6 ,it is absurd4 ,if ,god does not send him up here then he must do his work and ,i must do mine where we have been placed4 ,if he does not come ,i must ask the ,committee to give me some one1 for it is impossible for me to work the station alone4 ,the ,board1 seemingly1 were not sure of the wisdom of the arrangement1 and their decision was a qualified refusal4 ,the work which ,mr4 ,morrison was doing at ,duke ,town1 they said1 was important1 and they could not sanction his transference to ,okoyong until full provision was made for carrying it on effectively and to the satisfaction of the ,calabar ,committee4 ,when ,mary was told the result she merely said1 ,what the ,lord ordains is right1 and1 apparently1 dismissed the subject from her mind4 ,mr4 ,morrison was1 shortly afterwards1 compelled to return to ,scotland on account of his health4 ,a medical specialist advised him against resuming work in ,calabar1 and he offered for service in ,kaffraria1 but there was no opening in that field1 and to the regret and disappointment of the ,committee1 who regarded him as an able and valued worker1 he resigned4 ,he went later to ,america and was living in a hut among the balsam woods of ,north ,carolina when a fire took place in which his much-treasured literary papers were consumed4 ,the loss affected him greatly1 and hastened his death1 which occurred shortly afterwards4 ,amongst the few treasured books which ,mary left at the end were battered copies of ,eugene ,aram and ,sketches by ,boz4 ,on the fly-leaf of one in her handwriting are the letters3 ,c4 ,w4 ,m4 ,m4 ,m4 ,s4 ,on the other are signatures in their respective hands3 ,c4 ,,morrison4 ,m4 ,m4 ,,slessor4 ,love of mother and sister had been lost to her long since1 and now love of lover and husband was denied1 and again she turned her face1 alone1 towards the future4 ,yes1 without cheer of sister or of daughter1 ,yes1 without stay of father or of son1 ,lone on the land and homeless on the water1 ,pass ,i in patience till my work be done4 ,,xix4 ,a ,,letter ,,and ,,its ,,result ,a sharp attack of influenza followed by bronchitis cut short her engagements4 ,during her convalescence she one day took up the ,missionary ,record1 and read a letter by the ,rev4 ,james ,luke entitled ,an ,appeal for ,lay ,missionaries for ,old ,calabar4 ,like her own writing it had a touch of style and originality1 and her comment was ,splendid6 ,but there was one incidental statement with which she did not agree4 ,mr4 ,luke called for two more artisan missionaries--not to teach the trades2 we haven't sufficient men for that1 even were ,calabar ripe for such instruction4 ,as the result of her own observation and experience she had often felt that something ought to be done to develop the industrial capabilities of the natives4 ,the subject had not been lost sight of by the missionaries and the ,mission ,board1 and the latter had sought1 by sending out competent artisans1 to attend not only to the work required in connection with the ,mission but to train some of the native youths in the various departments of labour4 ,there had1 however1 been no attempt to establish the work on organised lines1 and the remark which ,mr4 ,luke made induced her to place the whole matter before the ,church4 ,she penned a long letter1 the writing of which so exhausted her that she scarcely knew whether or not the words were rightly spelled4 ,it went to ,dr4 ,george ,robson1 then beginning his long and honourable editorship of the ,record1 and appeared in the next issue under the signature of ,one of the ,zenana ,staff4 ,it was a letter which displayed all the qualities of missionary statesmanship1 was clear1 logical1 and vigorous in style1 and glowed with restrained enthusiasm4 ,she pointed out that it was necessary to help the natives to become an industrial people as well as to ,christianise them1 and she combated the idea that they were not capable of being taught trades2 their weak point no doubt was their want of staying power1 their lack of persistence in the face of difficulties1 but this could be accounted for by their history2 their only rule and mode of life hitherto having been force of circumstance1 ,the question of training them1 however1 was too large a problem for the unaided missionary1 too large even for the ,mission ,board2 it was a matter for the whole ,church to take up4 ,let the science of the evangelisation of the nations occupy the attention of our sermons1 our congregations1 our conferences1 and our ,church literature1 and we will soon have more workers1 more wealth1 more life1 as well as new methods4 ,so earnest an appeal caused some stir in official circles4 ,the ,mission ,committee took up the subject1 and after interviewing the missionaries who were at home at the time1 including herself1 referred to ,calabar for information4 ,as she had no further connection with the matter the outcome may be briefly noted here4 ,the ,calabar ,committee were favourable to any scheme of industrial training1 and the local ,government also expressed their willingness to assist4 ,after the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,laws1 of ,livingstonia1 and the ,rev4 ,w4 ,risk ,thomson1 had gone out and reported on the situation and outlook1 the proposal rapidly took shape1 and the ,hope ,waddell ,training ,institute--thus called after the founder of the ,mission--came into being1 and was soon performing for ,west ,africa the same valuable service that ,lovedale and ,blythswood were doing for ,south ,africa4 ,she never took any credit for her part in promoting the undertaking1 and never made a single reference to it in her letters4 ,she was content to see it realised4444 ,medical advice sent her down to ,devon to recruit4 ,she did not complain or worry about the readjustment of her plans4 ,we alter things for the good of our children1 she said1 and ,god does the same to us4 ,with ,janie she left for ,calabar in ,february #ahib1 the ,congregational ,church at ,topsham bidding her farewell at a public meeting convened in her honour4 ,,xx4 ,,the ,,blood ,,covenant ,it was strange1 even for her1 to pass from the trim1 well-ordered life of ,britain into the midst of ,west ,african heathenism1--to find waiting for her in her yard two refugees who1 being charged with witchcraft1 had been condemned to be sold and killed and preserved as food1--to be interviewed by a slave woman who had been bought by an ,okoyong chief as one of his many wives1 after having been the wife of other two men1 one of whom had been disposed of to the cannibal tribe1 whilst her boy had been carried to ,calabar in bondage4 ,such were the conditions into which she was once more plunged4 ,the majority of the people admired and trusted hers and gave her implicit obedience1 but there were some who avoided and feared her1 and sought to undermine her authority and perpetuate the old customs4 ,her own chiefs remained staunch1 and ,ma ,erne1 although a heathen1 continued to be her truest friend and best ally4 ,it was to her that ,mary was still mainly indebted for news of what was going on4 ,if there was any devilry afoot she would send a certain bottle to the ,mission ,house with a request for medicine4 ,it was a secret warning that she was to be ready to act at a moment's notice4 ,as a result of these hints she was able to prevent many a terrible crime4 ,on one occasion1 when the natives were seeking to compass a man's death1 she lay down without undressing for a month of nights1 ready to set out1 and the first night she took off her clothes and endeavoured to obtain a good sleep she was called4 ,and just as she was she set out for the scene4 ,the chiefs began to think it was useless to hoodwink or browbeat the wonderful woman who seemed to know their inmost thoughts and all their hidden plans4 ,sometimes1 when she received the intimation that a palaver was beginning1 and that a fight was imminent1 she would not be ready1 and would resort to stratagem3 she would seize a large sheet of paper and scribble some words--any words--upon it and add some splashes of sealing--wax to make it look important4 ,this she would despatch by a swift runner to the chiefs1 and by the time they had discussed the mysterious official--looking document1 which none of them1 could read1 she would come on the scene and allay the excitement and settle the dispute4 ,one of her favourite devices during palavers was to knit4 ,she fancied that the act kept her from being nervous1 as well as from showing fear1 while the sight of the knitting going quietly and steadily on1 in the midst of uproar1 helped to calm the excitement4 ,she used to say that it was only during these long palavers that she could get some knitting done4 ,we can well believe this when we are told by an official that on one occasion she stayed knitting and listening the whole of one day and night1 until the opposing powers became hungry1 and retired without a fight4 ,the story of one of these knitting palavers must suffice4 ,shortly after she returned she wished to settle an important dispute that had been going on for a time between two sections of the ,okoyong people4 ,three years before1 a gathering such as she summoned would have been impossible--they would have laid down medicine and fought4 ,she trembled to go1 and longed for some of the ,calabar missionaries to come up and accompany her4 ,but ,god gave her peace4 ,after a sleepless night she started with her knitting material1 and reaching the clearing in the forest passed alone through the guards of armed men4 ,every chief was there1 dressed in all the colours of the rainbow1--thanks chiefly to ,mission boxes1--each sitting under a huge umbrella of blue and red and yellow silk1 with from twenty to fifty of his men forming a cordon about him1 all with guns loaded and swords hanging from their sides4 ,the sky was sober and grey1 and the magnificent foliage overhead made the atmosphere cool and sweet4 ,a chair was placed for her beside the oldest chief1 in the centre1 with the one party on the right and the other on the left4 ,but first she moved from one group to the other1 drawing laughter as she went with her jokes and by-play1 and trying to lessen the tension that all experienced4 ,then she took her seat1 started her knitting1 and the business began4 ,a word from her was sufficient to check any outburst of feeling1 but she only spoke now and then1 in order to elicit information or to make clear a bit of evidence4 ,time was nothing to these men1 and1 accustomed to one square meal a day1 they did not mind a long sitting2 but ,mary knew what backache and chill and hunger were and she was often tempted to tell them to keep to the point1 but it would have been of no avail4 ,night fell1 torches were lit1 the voices waxed louder1 the excitement spread1 until ,mary felt that matters were getting out of hand1 and brought the issue to a head4 ,an old chief summed up1 and did so with rare tact and patience and good humour4 ,she gathered up the main points and gave her verdict1 which was unanimously adopted with ringing cheers4 ,a native oath had now to be taken to ratify the agreement1 and the necessary materials were sent for--a razor1 corn1 salt1 pepper1 and rum4 ,a freeman from1 each side was called forward1 and after divesting themselves of all superfluous clothing they knelt at her feet and clasped each other's fingers4 ,another made an incision with the razor on the back of their hands1 and when the blood had flowed a little salt1 pepper1 and corn were laid upon the wounds4 ,then out of courtesy to ,ma1 they asked her to say a prayer4 ,but she always witnessed the oath under protest1 recognising that they knew no better way1 and she would not comply with their request1 though she offered no objection to one of the chiefs praying4 ,after the terrible oath formula had been repeated1 the two men sucked up the blood-saturated ingredients and swallowed them1 and the covenant was ratified4 ,relieved from the strain1 the whole assemblage became suddenly smitten with the spirit of fun4 ,the proceedings were over before midnight1 and after a tea hours' sitting ,mary began her homeward journey of four miles1 tired and hungry1 but happy4 ,,xxi4 ,,run1 ,,ma6 ,,run6 ,her letters at this time bear witness to the strenuous character of the life she led4 ,they often begin with a description of household events3 then a break will occur3 the next entry starts with ,it is many days since ,i had to leave off here1 and then follows an account of some sudden journey and adventure4 ,another interruption will take place1 caused by some long palaver or rescue3 and the end will be a remark such as this3 ,so1 you see1 life here1 as at home1 is just a record of small duties which occupy the time1 and task the strength without much to show for it4 ,here are some incidents which reveal to us the nature of what she deemed her commonplace work3 #a4 ,a ,forest ,vigil ,run1 run1 ,ma6 there is something going on6 was the significant message4 ,where8 ,she was told1 and went straight off4 ,a chief had died1 and the people were administering the poison ordeal at a spot deep in the forest1 in order to avoid her interference4 ,she arrived before the proceedings began1 and for four days and four nights she remained there constantly on the watch4 ,her clothes were never off--and only those who have lived in tropical lands know what this means4 ,all the rest she allowed herself was a short half-slumber1 as she lay upon some plantain fronds4 ,the men would not leave the spot1 hoping to tire her out1 and at night they lit fires to keep off the wild beasts of prey1 and slept about her4 ,in these long hours she was often afraid1 not of the armed men1 but of the wild creatures of the bush that came creeping up1 and with sombre eyes stared at her for a moment ere they slunk away from the flames4 ,such courage and endurance could not be withstood1--in the end the people gave in and life was saved4 #b4 ,egbo ,she was sitting quietly in the house1 thinking she was alone1 when a stealthy step behind made her look round3 it was a woman1 followed by others all crowding in as smoothly as tigers4 ,run1 ,ma6 run6 they said4 ,the words were no sooner spoken than ,mary was down the stair and out in the open square1 where she found a number of men pulling about and frightening the slaves and women4 ,she seized hold of one fellow and locked him in her yard1 and the act brought quiet4 ,the mob turned out to be ,egbo from a far-off town1 come to sue for a debt due by a widow1 who had already given up everything to liquidate it4 ,she knew the people1 had been kind to them1 and had induced them to trade with ,calabar4 ,she at once ordered them out of the place1 and made them restore the property they had seized1 and in a short time the matter was settled1 #c4 ,robbers ,one day she was busy standing on a box plastering a wall when the warning cry came1 ,run1 ,ma6 run6 ,the villagers had gone off with their arms and were fighting a band of plunderers1 who had stolen two slave- girls and two slave-men from ,ma ,eme's farm4 ,washing the mud off her hands and face she ran to the scene1 and all next day1 ,sunday1 she was sitting in the midst of a drinking mob trying to keep down their passions1 and succeeded at last in finding a pacific solution4 #d4 ,twins ,again the cry1 ,run1 ,ma6 run6 this time from two boys4 ,it was a case of twins born of a ,calabar mother1 who had come to ,okoyong after trade began4 ,the father and his womenkind were furious1 and the mother lay deserted and alone4 ,mary took the two babies into her lap1 and as they were ,calabar twins sent word to the elder chief4 ,the answer she received was ,ahem6 ,but the messenger added1 ,a big lady said1 ',why don't you take the twins to ,calabar8' ,she next sent to the younger chief1 and asked him to come and confer with her at a distance4 ,after two hours' weary waiting the reply was1 ,i am not coming1 what should ,i come for8 ,should ,i tell my ,mother what to do8 ,let her do what she sees fit4 ,well1 said ,mary1 as one chief says1 ',ahem' and the other gives no command1 ,i shall take the children by a back road to my own house1 and during the night the mother can follow1 and we will see how things turn round4 ,on being told that she had brought twins to the house ,edem groaned and said1 ,then ,i cannot go to my ,mother's house any more4 ,are they upstairs8 ,yes1 said the messenger1 and they are in her own bed4 ,he groaned again1 ,no1 no1 ,i cannot ever go any more4 ,mary went to his yard to see a sick baby1 whom she had nursed back from death's door after the witch-doctors had done their best with their charms and medicine1 but the mother held the child tightly in her arms and said1 ,ma1 you shall not touch her6 ,she turned away1 her heart sore4 ,on the ,sunday rain fell all day1 and she could not leave one of the children who was ill1 but in the late evening she took two lanterns and went to the roadside and held a short service with the few prepared to come1 and who huddled together in the rain4 ,but none of them guessed how near to tears the speaker was4 ,she felt the alienation from her people keenly2 it was the greatest trial that had come to her1 but she was resolved not to give in4 ,one of the twins died1 and some days later ,edem offered her a present of yams1 but she declined the gift1 as it might be mistaken for a bribe to her conscience4 ,he remonstrated1 but she remained firm1 although it cost her much4 ,gradually1 however1 he and his ,house showed contrition1 and the shadow passed away4 ,then a chief from another village came1 also with a present of yams4 ,going on his knees he held her feet and begged her not to give up the child4 ,you are our ,mother2 and a woman has proved stronger than all the men of the tribe3 we will be able to believe in all you ask us by and by1 but have patience with us4 ,when he was gone a message came3 ,a chief from a distance wants to see you2 come for a little4 ,this man was from a turbulent part of ,okoyong and given to fighting and plundering4 ,i live in my house as ever ,i did1 was her spirited reply2 and if any one wishes to see me ,i am here4 ,she felt pretty sure of her ground1 though she could not help trembling for the result4 ,the strangers arrived1 and ,edem with them1 and chairs and mats were placed for them in the court4 ,to her surprise she was asked for her advice1 and the visitor went away convinced that the new ways were better than the old4 ,the elder chief1 ,ekpenyong1 next sent and begged for forgiveness4 ,the ,mother cannot keep a strong heart against her son4 ,are you not the hope and strength and counsellor of my life8 ,forgive me1 for it was foolishness1 ,i have not been taught from my youth1 and have never seen a twin4 ,thus good came out of the trial1 and the bonds that bound her to the people were strengthened4 ,what was still more remarkable than the attitude of the chiefs was the fact that the husband took the twin- mother and the surviving child home4 #e4 ,the ,poison ,bean ,a slave woman of importance who occupied a position of trust died suddenly4 ,when her master was told he flew into a passion and despatched a messenger to ,mary with the rude intimation that somebody hereabouts knew how to kill people4 ,she returned a curt reply1 and he sent an apology4 ,the next development was the appearance of some chiefs and a crowd of armed men in her yard4 ,with them was a young man1 not a favourite of hers1 to whom they attributed the woman's death4 ,she questioned him1 and he asserted that he had not seen the woman for months1 and knew nothing of the supposed witchcraft2 but he would take the poison bean1 and1 he added vindictively1 if he did not die he would see that they paid for the outrage4 ,she sent a message by the chiefs to the owner of the woman to dissuade him from inflicting the extreme test4 ,there was the usual period of uproar1 and on her part the usual recourse to prayer1 and then back came the chiefs with the astonishing reply3 ,i have heard4 ,i understand that the ,mother is determined in her way4 ,what can ,i do but submit4 ,instead of death the sequel was a feast1 a goat was killed1 drink procured1 and dancing was indulged in all night4 ,next day the young man went home to his aged mother4 #f4 ,runaway ,slaves ,one day when she was baking1 a man and his wife1 slaves of a chief in the neighbourhood1 came to the door of the ,mission ,house1 and after giving compliments squatted down with the air of people who had come to stay4 ,well1 what is the matter8 she asked4 ,she knew the woman had a child1 which could not have been left at home4 ,a long tale was told4 ,the woman had been in the field all morning hoeing grass3 as the sun rose she and her child grew hungry and she went home to cook some food4 ,as she was doing so her master1 who was not a favourite either with bond or free1 unexpectedly appeared1 and angrily ordered her back to her work4 ,she protested that she needed food1 but1 brandishing a sword1 he frightened her into flight4 ,her husband1 a palm-oil worker1 heard the noise1 and came on the scene1 stopped her1 and told her to return and take the food4 ,what does it matter8 he remarked1 we are his2 he can kill us if he likes2 we have nothing to live for4 ,the master1 enraged1 seized a gun and fired at the man1 but missed4 ,taking hold of the screaming child he declared he would kill it and went off4 ,it was a simple case1 but required delicate handling4 ,she sent one of her girls to the chief with the message that his slaves were in her yard1 and that as they were householders and elderly people and parents1 she hoped there would be no palaver1 and that he would take them back4 ,i will come to-morrow1 was the reply4 ,the runaways slept in the yard and held something of the nature of a reception1 the other slaves coming and condoling with them as the poor do with each other all the world over4 ,it was like a scene from ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin4 ,one moment the company would encourage them cheerily1 urging them to have patience1 then came a string of doleful tales1 then a gush of warm sympathy1 and next a burst of laughter1 followed by a shower of tears4 ,next day their master did not appear1 and they went to work on the station grounds4 ,the woman was fretting for her child1 and ,mana1 one of the girls1 was sent with another message1 to the effect that if he could not come himself he must1 for the woman's sake1 send on the babe4 ,the messenger brought back the news that he was on his way1 but was tipsy1 and breathing out dire threats against everybody4 ,when ,mary heard that three of his wives were with him1 and that her own chief had joined the party1 her mind was at ease4 ,his first act was to lie down at her feet4 ,ma1 he said1 you are the owner not only of my head but of all my house and my possessions4 ,these wretched slaves did well to come to you--and so forth4 ,she sent for a chair and a palaver of several hours began4 ,the master sometimes lost control of himself and charged the slave with being full of sorcery and responsible for all the deaths of recent years4 ,shaking his fist in the man's face he cried3 ,if it wasn't for the reign of the white woman ,i would cut you in two6 ,the white woman is your salvation4 ,the slave biased with passion1 but ,mary entreated him to be calm4 ,she set the matter in the best light4 ,both had been angry and behaved as angry people usually do1 saying and doing things which in their saner moods they would have avoided4 ,alternately scolding and beseeching1 and throwing in a few jokes occasionally1 she at last said both must go home1 the master to restrain himself1 and the slaves to work faithfully and not to provoke him1 as he had troubles of which they were unaware4 ,thus with wise words she pacified them1 and when she had given them a few presents they went off in great good humour4 ,the slaves found that during their absence thieves had stolen their goats and fowls1 but the return of the child compensated for the loss1 and in their gratitude they sent ,ma a gift of food4 #g4 ,spoilt ,fashions ,a woman was seized on the assumption that she was concerned in the death of a girl1 and ,mary watched day and night until the burial was over4 ,a goat was killed and placed in the grave1 along with cloth1 dishes1 pots1 salt1 a lamp1 a lantern1 and a tin case of cooked food4 ,but her presence prevented any one being murdered to bear the dead company4 ,ma6 said a freeman reproachfully1 you have spoiled our fashions4 ,before you came1 a person took his people with him3 now one must go alone like this poor girl2 you have confused ,okoyong too much4 ,the woman who was seized was allowed to take the native oath1 praying that if she had a hand in the girl's death mbiam should eat her and corrupt her body until she died4 #h4 ,the ,cost ,mr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,weir1 who had joined the ,mission staff1 paid her a visit one day1 and they were enjoying a cup of tea when she suddenly became alert and said1 ,there's something wrong1 they will be here in a moment4 ,the words were hardly spoken when they heard the pit-pat of bare feet running towards the house4 ,a number of natives appeared1 and placing their hands on the floor shouted1 ,ma6 come6 come6 come6 ,she said to her guest1 ,come on4 ,they reached a large compound filled with people excitedly shouting and gesticulating4 ,on one side of the yard lay a girl on a mud slab who seemed to be ill1 and opposite was her mother1 in appearance a fiend incarnate4 ,it appeared that the girl1 the daughter of an old chief1 had taken a fainting fit1 and the mother1 who had once been a refugee in ,ma's yard1 was blaming people for taking her life4 ,mr4 ,weir examined the girl1 and said there was nothing much wrong1 but she was terribly excited with the noise4 ,mary at once said1 ,i'll get quietness1 and springing into the middle of the compound she seemed to exert her utmost will-power1 and1 crying in the native manner1 ,soi1 wara do 7,shoo1 go out there671 pointed to the door4 ,in a moment1 men1 women1 and children1 including the staid old chief of the village1 and the girl's mother1 struggled with each other to get out of the compound4 ,the scene reminded ,mr4 ,weir of nothing so much as a lot of sheep being hurried through a gate by a dog4 ,she then came to where he stood4 ,she was trembling from head to foot1 and as she sat down she remarked1 ,i am done for this day4 ,the girl was taken over to the ,mission ,house1 and under her care made a quick recovery4444 ,never in all her dealings with the tribes was she molested in any way4 ,once only1 in a compound brawl1 in which she intervened1 was she struck1 but the native who wielded the stick had touched her accidentally4 ,the cry immediately went up that ,ma was hurt1 and both sides fell on the wretched man1 and would have killed him had she not gone to the rescue4 ,,xxii4 ,a ,,government ,,agent ,in these years far-reaching changes were taking place in regard to the political status and destiny of the country4 ,hitherto the ,british ,government had exercised only a nominal influence over the coast districts4 ,a consul was stationed at ,duke ,towns but he had no means of exercising authority1 and the tribes higher up the ,cross ,river would war upon one another1 block the navigation1 and murder at will4 ,in #ahhi the ,imperial ,government took steps to arrange for an efficient administration1 and despite difficulties incidental to the absence of a central native authority succeeded in obtaining the sanction of the principal chiefs to the establishment of a protectorate--the ,niger ,coast ,protectorate4 ,in #ahia ,sir ,claude ,macdonald1 who had carried out the negotiations1 was appointed ,consul--,general4 ,no man was better fitted to lay the foundations of ,british authority in so backward a territory4 ,the period of transition from native to civilised rule brought to the surface many delicate and perplexing problems requiring tact1 skill1 and unwearied patience1 but the task was successfully accomplished1 though not without an occasional display of force4 ,it was a special cause of thankfulness to the missionaries that ,sir ,claude was in full sympathy with their work1 and co-operated with them in every scheme for the benefit of the people4 ,when he was promoted to ,pekin1 the ,foreign ,mission ,board in ,scotland expressed their sense of the value of his efforts in promoting the welfare of the native population4 ,sir ,claude appointed vice-consuls for the various districts1 and was proposing to send some one to ,okoyong4 ,miss ,slessor knew that her people were not ready for the sudden introduction of new laws1 and that there would be trouble if an outside official came in to impose them4 ,sir ,claude took her point of view1 and recognising her unique position and influence1 empowered her to do all that was necessary1 and to organise and supervise a native court4 ,he then left her very much to herself1 with the result that the inevitable changes were felt least of all in ,okoyong1 where they were made through a woman whom the chiefs and people implicitly trusted4 ,her position was akin to that of a consular agent1 and she conducted all the public affairs of the tribe4 ,she presided at the native court4 ,cases would be referred to her from ,duke ,town1 and she would travel over ,okoyong to try these1 taking with her the consular messenger1 who carried back her decision to headquarters for official signature4 ,crowds of the natives also visited her to consult her regarding the readjustment and co-ordination of their customs with the new laws1 and she was able to settle these matters so quietly that little was heard of her achievements4 ,although she rendered great service in this way1 creating public opinion1 establishing just laws1 and protecting the poor1 it was a work she did not like1 and she only accepted it because she thought it in line with her allegiance to ,christ4 ,her duties brought her in contact with the officials of the country4 ,government men came to see her1 and were not only amazed at her political influence1 but charmed with her original qualities4 ,one of these1 ,mr4 ,t4 ,d4 ,maxwell1 for whom she had a great regard--a dear laddie she called him--writes3 ,what sort of woman ,i expected to see ,i hardly know2 certainly not what ,i did4 ,a little frail old lady with a lace or lace-like shawl over her head and shoulders 7that must1 ,i think1 have been a concession to a stranger1 for ,i never saw the thing again71 swaying herself in a rocking-chair and crooning to a black baby in her arms4 ,i remember being struck--most unreasonably--by the very strong ,scottish accent4 ,her welcome was everything kind and cordial4 ,i had had a long march1 it was an appallingly hot day1 and she insisted on complete rest before we proceeded to the business of the ,court4 ,it was held just below her house4 ,her compound was full of litigants1 witnesses1 and onlookers1 and it was impressive to see how deep was the respect with which she was treated by them all4 ,she was again in her rocking-chair surrounded by several ladies-and babies-in-waiting1 nursing another infant4 ,suddenly she jumped up with an angry growl3 her shawl fell off1 the baby was hurriedly transferred to some one qualified to hold it1 and with a few trenchant words she made for the door where a hulking1 overdressed native stood4 ,in a moment she seized him by the scruff of the neck1 boxed his ears1 and hustled him out into the yard1 telling him quite explicitly what he might expect if he came back again without her consent4 ,i watched him and his followers slink away very crestfallen4 ,then1 as suddenly as it had arisen the tornado subsided1 and 7lace shawl1 baby1 and all7 she was again gently swaying in her chair4 ,the man was a local monarch of sorts1 who had been impudent to her1 and she had forbidden him to come near her house again until he had not only apologised but done some prescribed penance4 ,under the pretext of calling on me he had defied her orders--and that was the result4 ,i have had a good deal of experience of ,nigerian ,courts of various kinds1 but have never met one which better deserves to be termed a ,court of ,justice than that over which she presided4 ,the litigants emphatically got justice--sometimes1 perhaps1 like ,shylock1 more than they desired--and it was essential justice unhampered by legal technicalities4 ,one decision ,i recall--,i have often subsequently wished that ,i could follow it as a precedent4 ,a sued ,b for a small debt4 ,b admitted owing the money1 and the ,court 7that is ,ma7 ordered him to pay accordingly3 but she added1 ,a is a rascal4 ,he treats his mother shamefully1 he neglects his children1 only the other day he beat one of his wives with quite unnecessary vehemence1 yes and she was ,b's sister too1 his farm is a disgrace1 he seldom washes1 and then there was the palaver about ,c's goat a month ago4 ,oh1 of course ,a didn't steal it1 he was found not guilty wasn't he8--all the same the affair was never satisfactorily cleared up1 and he did look unusually sleek just about then4 ,on the other hand1 ,b was thrifty and respectable1 so before ,b paid the amount due he would give ,a a good sound caning in the presence of everybody4 ,,xxiii4 ,,eccentricities1 ,,spade-,,work1 ,,and ,,day-,,dreams ,does it seem as if we were watching the career of a woman of hard1 self-reliant1 and masculine character1 capable of living by herself and preferring it1 and unconscious of the natural weakness of her sex8 ,in reality ,mary was a winsome soul1 womanly in all her ways1 tremulous with feeling and sympathy1 loving love and companionship1 and not unacquainted with nervousness and fear4 ,when people saw1 or heard of her1 toiling with her hands they were apt to imagine that she possessed a constitution of iron1 never realising that her life was one long martyrdom4 ,she was seldom free from illness and pain4 ,whether her methods of life were partly responsible for this cannot be stated4 ,in any case1 she seemed able to do things that would have proved fatal to other people4 ,she never used mosquito-netting1 which is considered to be indispensable for the security of health in the tropics4 ,she never wore a hat1 which seems a miracle to those who know the strength of the sun in these regions4 ,her hair she kept cut close1 partly because it was a cleanlier fashion1 and partly because it was less trouble to look after4 ,shoes and stockings1 also1 she never wore1 although jiggers and snakes and poisonous plants were common in the bush pathways4 ,mr4 ,james ,lindsay1 who was the engineer of the ,mission at this time1 says1 ,i walked many miles with her through the bush1 and only once did ,i know her to be troubled with her feet4 ,she had been to ,duke ,town1 attending ,presbytery1 and made some small concession to the conventions by wearing a pair of knitted woollen slippers4 ,on returning to ,okoyong through the bush1 small twigs and sticks penetrated the wool and pricked her feet4 ,with an expression of disgust she took the slippers off and threw them into the bush4 ,that was the only time ,i saw her other than barefoot4 ,she never boiled or filtered the water she drank1 two precautions which ,europeans do not omit without suffering4 ,she ate native food1 and was not particular when meals were served4 ,breakfast might be at seven one morning and at ten the next2 dinner might be an hour or two late2 but this was1 of course1 mainly due to the constant calls upon her time1 for she was often afoot most of the night1 and her days were frequently taken up with long palavers4 ,these habits1 so seemingly eccentric to people lapped ,in the civilised order of things1 grown naturally out of the circumstances into which she had been forced ,in pursuit of the task she had set herself4 ,she had deliberately given up everything for her ,master1 and she accepted all the consequences that the renunciation1 involved4 ,what she did was for ,him and as she was not her own and had taken ,him at ,his word and believed that ,he would care for her if she kept in line with ,his will1 she went forward without fear1 knowing that she might1 through inadvertence1 incur suffering1 but willing to bear it for ,his sake and ,his cause4 ,her faith devotion led her into strange situations1 and these shaped the character of her outward life and habits4 ,she shed many conventions1 simply because it was necessary in order to carry out the will of ,christ4 ,she knew there were some people like the official who saw her pushing a canoe down to the river and preferred not to know her2 but she was always sustained by the knowledge that she was acting in her ,master's spirit4 ,she found in her ,new ,testament that ,he ignored the opinion of the world1 and she was never afraid to follow where ,he led4 ,what1 says ,mr4 ,lindsay1 she lost in outward respectability she more than gained in mobility and usefulness4 ,she kept herself untrammelled in the matter of dress that she might be ready for any emergency4 ,in of a sudden call in the night to some distant village where twin children had been thrown out or a bloody quarrel was imminent1 she was literally ready to leave at a moment's notice4 ,the one thing essential to her was her work1 and anything that hampered her freedom of action was dropped4 ,not that she was thoughtlessly reckless of her health4 ,she frequently wrote about the need of conserving her strength1 and stated that she was taking all due care4 ,she apologised for reading her ,bible in bed on ,sunday mornings2 it gave her a rest1 she said1 before she began her day's work4 ,as her ,sunday began at #e4cj ,a4,m4 and ended at #g ,p4,m41 and during the greater part of that time she was walking1 preaching1 and teaching1 she might well allow herself the indulgence4 ,it may be noted that she sometimes misplaced ,sunday4 ,i lost it a fortnight ago1 she wrote1 and kept it on a ,saturday4 ,never mind1 ,god would hear all the prayers and answer them all the same4 ,on another occasion she was discovered on a ,sunday on the roof of the house executing repairs1 thinking it was ,monday4 ,mr4 ,ovens relates that once when he went up on a ,monday to do some work he found her holding a service4 ,she was glad to see him2 but what1 said she1 is ,duke ,town coming to when its carpenter travels on the ,sabbath ,day8 ,sabbath ,day6 he echoed4 ,it's ,monday4 ,monday6 why1 ,i thought it was ,sabbath4 ,well1 we'll have to keep it as ,sabbath now4 ,na1 na1 he replied1 it's no ,sabbath wi' me4 ,i canna afford two ,sabbaths in a week4 ,ah1 we must though1 she said2 adding in a whisper1 ,i was whitewashing the rooms yesterday4 ,realising that he must save her face1 he took part in the service and started his work next morning4 ,in one of ,mr4 ,goldie's letters to a friend at this time there is a delightful touch4 ,i am at ,okoyong1 he wrote1 and am not sure of the date4 ,her womanly sympathy and tenderness were never better exhibited than in her relations with her dark sisters about her4 ,she entered into their lives as few have been able to do4 ,she treated them as human beings1 saw the romance and tragedy in their patient lives1 wept over their trials1 and rejoiced in their joys4 ,there was one little idyll of harem life which she liked to tell4 ,some slave-dealers arrived at ,ekenge1 and among their bargains was a young and handsome girl1 whom ,edem bought for one of his chief men4 ,ma ,erne1 who heard of the transaction but paid no attention to it1 had a respectable slave-woman at one of her farms whom she ordered to come and live in her own yard4 ,the woman obeyed somewhat unwillingly1 and in the village began to grumble to others about her enforced removal4 ,the new slave-girl was cooking her master's food when she heard the voice4 ,as she listened memories were stirred within her and she ran out and gazed at the woman1 then went nearer and stared closely into her face4 ,the woman demanded what she was looking at4 ,the girl screamed and caught her round the neck and uttered a word in a strange language4 ,it was the name of the woman1 who1 in turn1 stared at the girl4 ,when the latter called out her own name the two embraced and held each other in a grip of iron4 ,the daughter had found a mother who had been stolen many years before4 ,both went into the yard and sat on the ground discussing their experiences and receiving the warm congratulations of the other women in the village4 ,there was trouble at the time in the district1 and ,mary had occasion to see ,ma ,eme after midnight4 ,she found the two sitting beside some burning logs1 with ,ma ,eme on the other side1 all three talking over the mystery of life and its pain and parting and sorrow4 ,she squatted down beside them1 and gradually the girl told her story4 ,how she had prayed to the great ,god for some one to capture her so that she might have a chance of finding her mother when the traders went to ,calabar4 ,she believed that among the crowds at ,duke ,town she would see her face1 and when they left there she almost lost hope4 ,but ,ma craved the companionship of her kind1 and she enjoyed going down to ,duke ,town to the various meetings1 and seeing the ladies of the ,mission4 ,she would not leave the children behind1 and as the whole family would descend unexpectedly on a member of the ,mission staff1 some embarrassing situations occurred4 ,one missionary1 a bachelor1 was preparing to turn in about #aj ,p4,m4 when he heard people crowding up the stairs of the verandahs and a babel of voices4 ,it was ,ma and all her boys and girls and babies come to lodge with him for a week4 ,fortunately he knew his guests1 and1 as he surmised1 they were content with the floor4 ,when the household grew1 and she could not leave the children so often1 she would sometimes walk with them to ,adiabo on the ,calabar ,river1 taking provisions with her1 and there1 halfway1 would meet and picnic with the ,calabar lady agents4 ,it was about this time that the sense of her loneliness grew upon her to such1 an extent that she could not sleep at nights1 ,i feel dreadfully lonely1 she wrote1 and want a helper1 and ,i have made up my mind to ask the ,committee at next meeting for a companion4 ,but when she went to ,duke ,town and realised the depleted state of the ,mission caused by illness and death1 and the manner in which the staff was overworked1 she could not find the heart to prefer her request1 and instead she thanked ,god for being able to hold on4 ,she added her appeal to the other requests for workers that were so constantly sent home then1 and her idea of the kind of woman most suited for the ,calabar field is of interest3 444 ,consecrated1 affectionate women who are not afraid of work or of filth of any kind1 moral or material4 ,women who can nurse a baby or teach a child to wash and comb as well as to read and write1 women who can tactfully smooth over a roughness and for ,christ's sake bear a snub1 and take any place which may open4 ,women who can take everything to ,jesus and there get strength to smile and persevere and pull on under any circumstances4 ,if they can play ,beethoven and paint and draw and speak ,french and ,german so much the better1 but we can want all these latter accomplishments if they have only a loving heart1 willing hands1 and common sense4 ,surely such women are not out of our reach4 ,there are thousands of them in our churches1 and our home churches have no monopoly of privilege in choosing to keep them4 ,spare us a few4 ,induce them to come forward4 ,if there be the call from the ,holy ,spirit do not let mere accomplishments be a sine qua non4 ,help them to come forward4 ,take them to your own homes and let them have the benefit of all the conversation and refinement and beauty which fill these1 and so gently lead them out of their timidity and accustom them to society that they may meet out in the world1 and hand them on to us4 ,up in a station like mine they want to teach the first principles of everything1 and they need to help in times of trouble in the home or in the town palaver4 ,they will not need fine ,english1 for there is none to admire it4 ,no one knows other than native languages1 and ,i would gladly hail any warm-hearted woman from any sphere if she would come to me4 ,i cannot pretend to work this station3 the school work is simply a scramble at the thing1 mostly by the girls of the house4 ,i can't overtake it4 ,it is because ,i am not doing it efficiently that ,i am grieved4 ,on her visits to ,calabar she was an object of much interest4 ,one who knew her then says3 ,she had the power of attracting young men1 and she had great influence with them4 ,whether they were in ,mission work1 or traders1 or government men1 they were sure to be attracted by her vigorous character and by the large-hearted1 understanding way she would talk to them or listen to their talk of their work or other interests4 ,she loved to stir them to do great things4 ,it was sometimes remarked by visitors that her surroundings had not the spick-and-span appearance which usually characterises a ,scottish ,mission station4 ,she had1 nevertheless1 a real appreciation of order and beauty1 and liked to have everything clean and tidy about her4 ,how to accomplish this was her daily problem1 and perhaps only those who have lived in tropical lands can understand the position4 ,the difficulty there is not how to make things grow1 but how to prevent them growing4 ,she waged as fierce and incessant a war with vegetation as she did with man1 but it proved too much for her strength4 ,i think1 she wrote1 if ,i left alone some of the outdoor work1 even it the place did go to bush and dirt1 ,i would not be so tired1 and ,i could do more otherwise4 ,but ,i can't help it4 ,i must put my hands in wherever there is work to be done4 ,the task had not become easier for her1 for the new trade with ,calabar had brought about a demand for ,okoyong yams1 and the people were so busy planting at their farms that she was unable to hire labour4 ,the bush would creep up swiftly and stealthily to the edge of the dwellings and become a covering for beasts of prey1 and1 then she and her girls would sally out and cut it down and burn it and dig out the roots4 ,and in its place would be planted corn and cocos and yams and other products1 the children each having a plot to tend4 ,a private pathway to the spring which she had constructed in order that the girls might not mix with the village women and hear their talk had also to be kept clear4 ,it was hard work in the hot sunshine1 and she and her bairns literally watered the soil with their perspiration4 ,but no tears were shed at the work save those caused by merry jokes and laughter4 ,she often surveyed the scene with pride1 revelling in the wild beauty of form and colour1 the brilliancy of the flowering trees1 the tender green of the yams on their supports1 the starry jasmine with its keen perfume4 ,she loved flowers1 and taught her scholars to bring them to school4 ,they had never been conscious of these before1 and the fact that they began to appreciate them was1 she considered1 a step forward in their educational development4 ,often she longed for the power to bring out thousands of the slum people from the cities at home to enjoy the open life1 and to work the rich lands4 ,not that she used the word slum2 it seemed to reflect on the poor1 many of whom she regarded as the heroes and heroines of ,god2 in her humility she believed that many of them would have been far ahead of her if they had had the same advantages4 ,one of her day-dreams was to inherit a fortune and to spend it all on the poor4 ,if only-- but she would check herself and say1 ,mary ,slessor6 as if ,god does not know what to give and how to give it1 and as if ,he did not love and think for all these poor creatures who are so mercilessly pushed aside in the race of life4 ,,xxiv4 ,,maiden-,,mother ,,and ,,angel-,,child ,of all the tasks to which she put her hand the sweetest as well as the saddest was the care of the babes of the bush4 ,her house was the refuge of little children3 sickly ones that were left with her to nurse and return2 discarded ones that were taken to her2 outcast ones that she rescued from injury and death4 ,so many came1 received names1 were described in her letters1 and then passed out of sight1 that her friends in ,scotland were unable to keep abreast of her efforts in this direction4 ,they arrived in all stages of sickness1 but usually the last4 ,with many a broken body she had never a chance1 but with marvellous patience and tenderness she washed them and nursed them and loved them and fought the dark shadow that was ever ready to hover over the tiny forms4 ,night after night she would sit up watching a face that was wasted and twisted with pain1 or walk to and fro crooning snatches of song to soothe a restless mite in her arms4 ,sometimes a hammock was slung up beside her into which they were placed1 so that if they awoke during the night she could touch it with her foot and swing them to sleep again4 ,more than once1 when the supply of condensed milk ran out1 she strapped her latest baby to her body and tramped the long miles to ,creek ,town through the bush1 and returned next day with the child and the tins4 ,the children that were brought back to health and strength and restored to their parents it was always a pang to part with4 ,she wished she could have kept them and trained them up away from the degraded influences of their homes4 ,those who died she dressed and placed among flowers in a box1 held a service over them1 and buried them in a little cemetery1 which by and by became full of tiny graves4 ,she mourned over them as if they had been blood of her blood4 ,mr4 ,ovens used to say to her1 ,never mind1 lassie1 you'll get plenty mair--and indeed there were always plenty1 ,of all the ,african children that passed through her hands none endeared itself so much to her as ,susie1 her first ,okoyong twin4 ,the mother1 ,iye1 was a slave from ,bende1 light in colour and handsome1 and was the property of one of the big women1 who treated her with kindness and consideration4 ,when the twins arrived all was changed4 ,miss ,kingsley1 who arrived at ,ekenge the same day on a visit to ,mary1 thus describes the scene3 ,she was subjected to torrents of virulent abuse1 her things were torn from her1 her ,english china basins1 possessions she valued most highly1 were smashed1 her clothes were torn1 and she was driven out as an unclean thing4 ,had it not been for the fear of incurring ,miss ,slessor's anger1 she would1 at this point have been killed with her children1 and the bodies thrown into the bush4 ,as it was1 she was hounded out of the village4 ,the rest of her possessions were jammed into an empty gin-case and cast to her4 ,no one would touch her1 as they might not touch to kill4 ,miss ,slessor had heard of the twins' arrival and had started off1 barefooted and bareheaded1 at that pace she can go down a bush path4 ,by the time she had gone four miles she met the procession1 the woman coming to her1 and all the rest of the village yelling and howling behind her4 ,on the top of her head was the gin-case1 into which the children had been stuffed1 on the top of them the woman's big brass skillet1 and on the top of that her two market calabashes4 ,needless to say1 on arriving ,miss ,slessor took charge of affairs1 relieving the unfortunate1 weak1 staggering woman from her load and carrying it herself1 for no one else would touch it1 or anything belonging to those awful twin things1 and they started back together to ,miss ,slessor's house in the forest-clearing1 saved by that tact which1 coupled with her courage1 has given ,miss ,slessor an influence and a power among the negroes unmatched in its way by that of any other white4 ,she did not take the twins and their mother down the village path to her own house1 for though1 had she done so1 the people of ,okoyong would not have prevented her1 yet so polluted would the path have been and so dangerous to pass down1 that they would have been compelled to cut another1 no light task in that bit of forest1 ,i assure you4 ,so ,miss ,slessor stood waiting in the broiling sun1 in the hot season's height1 while a path was being cut to enable her just to get through to her own grounds4 ,the natives worked away hard1 knowing that it saved the polluting of a long stretch of market road1 and when it was finished ,miss ,slessor went to her own house by it1 and attended with all kindness1 promptness1 and skill to the woman and children4 ,i arrived in the middle of this affair for my first meeting with ,miss ,slessor1 and things at ,okoyong were rather crowded1 one way and another1 that afternoon4 ,all the attention one of the children wanted--the boy1 for there were a boy and a girl--was burying1 for the people who had crammed them into the box had utterly smashed the child's head4 ,the other child was alive1 and is still a member of that household of rescued children1 all of whom owe their lives to ,miss ,slessor4 ,the natives would not touch it1 and only approached it after some days1 and then only when it was held by ,miss ,slessor or me4 ,if either of us wanted to do or get something1 and we handed over the bundle to one of the house children to hold1 there was a stampede of men and women off the verandah1 out of the yard1 and over the fence1 if need be1 that was exceedingly comic1 but most convincing as to the reality of the terror and horror in which they held the thing4 ,even its own mother could not be trusted with the child2 she would have killed it4 ,she never betrayed the slightest desire to have it with her1 and after a few days' nursing and feeding up she was anxious to go back to her mistress1 who1 being an enlightened woman1 was willing to have her if she came without the child4 ,the woman's own lamentations were pathetic4 ,she would sit for hours singing or rather mourning out a kind of dirge over herself3 ,yesterday ,i was a woman1 now ,i am a horror1 a thing all people ran from4 ,yesterday they would eat with me1 now they spit on me4 ,yesterday they would talk to me with sweet mouth1 and now they greet me only with curses and execrations4 ,they have smashed my basin1 they have torn my clothes1 so on1 and so on4 ,there was no complaint against the people for doing these things1 only a bitter sense of injury against some superhuman power that had sent this withering curse of twins down on her1 ,the surviving infant1 ,susie1 was not commonplace in feature like the other black children2 she was not in reality a negress1 but fair1 shapely1 and clean-skinned1 with a nose like a white child's and a sweet mouth--a mouth which ,miss ,kingsley called the button-hole4 ,every one loved her1 and she was queen of the household4 ,when she was fourteen months old ,miss ,slessor one day went to the dispensary and left her in charge of ,mana1 who put down a jug of boiling water on the floor beside her4 ,susie thought it a plaything1 and1 seizing it1 pulled it over upon herself4 ,instead of calling for ,ma ,mana ran with the child to the bathroom and poured cold water over the wounds4 ,for thirteen days and nights she was never out of ,mary's hands4 ,fortunately ,miss ,murray1 a lady agent who1 at her own request1 had been stationed at ,okoyong for a time1 and whose companionship she valued1 helped her greatly4 ,she was like a sister to me1 she wrote4 ,thinking more might be done by a medical man she started off with the child in her arms1 arrived at ,creek ,town at midnight1 and woke up the doctor1 who1 however1 said he could not do more than she had done4 ,she returned at once to ,ekenge1 and again watched the suffering babe by day and night4 ,in the darkness and silence1 when all were asleep1 she would hear the faint words1 ,mem1 ,mem1 ,mem6--the child's name for her--and the wee hand would be held up for her to kiss4 ,early one ,sunday morning she passed away in her arms4 ,robed in a pinafore1 with her beads and a sash1 and a flower in her hand1 she looked like an angel child4 ,the event caused a strange stir in ,okoyong4 ,none of the villagers went to their farms or market while the child was hovering on the brink of death1 and when she passed away they came and mourned with ,ma4 ,she was buried in the cemetery where so many other hapless waifs were already at rest4 ,in her anguish ,mary could not conduct the service1 but sat at the window and looked out while ,miss ,murray bravely took her place4 ,the people1 respectful and sad1 gathered round the grave--the grave of a twin6--and one of the women1 a leader in heathenism1 praised the white ,mother's ,god for the child1 and prayed that they might all have her hope in the ,beyond4 ,surely1 was ,mary's comment1 they all felt the vast difference between their burials with all their drink and madness1 and ours so full of quiet hope and expectant faith4 ,the slave-mother had often come to visit her1 and had actually got to love the child1 and when it died she was heartbroken4 ,ma1 she said1 don't cry4 ,i have done this4 ,god hates me4 ,i shall go away and not bring any more evil on you4 ,with that she went back to her hut in the bush4 ,if ,i were a wealthy woman1 said ,ma1 ,i would buy her2 but ,i cannot afford it1 so we must do our best to cheer her up4 ,although she objected to buying slave-women1 even to restore them to freedom1 on account of the wrong impression it left on the native mind1 she made an exception in the case of ,iye1 and not long afterwards she was able to purchase her liberty for #aj1 and she became an inmate of the ,mission ,house1 ,miss ,slessor's intention being to train her so that she might be useful to any lady who lived at the station during her absences in ,scotland4 ,to the natives ,iye was an outcast1 and had no character4 ,etubom1 ,mary said to ,mr4 ,ovens1 ,if a slave-dealer came round ,i would not get #f for her4 ,why8 said he4 ,she has no character4 ,but he would buy her and take her up country4 ,what for8 ,to feed her for chop6444 ,for some time she suffered physically from the shock she had received4 ,no mother could have grieved more bitterly over the loss of a beloved child4 ,my heart aches for my darling1 she wrote4 ,oh the empty place1 and the silence and the vain longing for the sweet voice and the soft caress and the funny ways4 ,oh1 ,susie1 ,susie6 ,,xxv4 ,,mary ,,kingsley',s ,,visit ,miss ,kingsley paid her visit to the ,west ,coast in #ahic4 ,like all who travelled in ,west ,africa1 she heard of the woman missionary who lived alone among the wild ,okoyong1 and made a point of going up to see her4 ,miss ,slessor welcomed so capable and earnest a worker1 ,she gave me1 says ,miss ,kingsley1 some of the pleasantest days of my life4 ,in some respects these two brilliant women were much akin1 though they were poles asunder in regard to their outlook on spiritual verities4 ,they had long discussions on religious subjects1 and would sit up late beating over such questions as the immortality of the soul4 ,miss ,kingsley was profoundly impressed4 ,i would give anything to possess your beliefs1 she said wistfully1 but ,i can't1 ,i can't2 when ,god made me ,he must have left out the part that one believes with4 ,nevertheless ,miss ,slessor said that for all her beliefs and unbeliefs she was one of the most truly ,christian women she had ever met4 ,on her return to ,england ,miss ,kingsley spoke often of her in terms of affection and admiration1 and acknowledged to friends that she had done her much spiritual good4 ,mary1 on her part1 poured into her possession all her treasures of knowledge concerning the fetish ideas and practices of the natives1 and probably none knew more about these matters than she4 ,most missionaries confess that they never get to the back of the negro mind1 and one who worked in a neighbouring field once said that after nineteen years' careful study he had yet to master the intricacies of native superstition4 ,the information that ,mary supplied was therefore of great value1 and much of it was utilised in ,miss ,kingsley's books4 ,in ,travels in ,west ,africa she gives the following considered view of the missionary3 ,this very wonderful lady has been eighteen years in ,calabar2 for the last six or seven living entirely alone1 as far as white folks go1 in a clearing in the forest near to one of the principal villages of the ,okoyong district1 and ruling as a veritable white chief over the entire district4 ,her great abilities1 both physical and intellectual1 have given her among the savage tribe a unique position1 and won her1 from white and black who know her1 a profound esteem4 ,her knowledge of the native1 his language1 his ways of thought1 his diseases1 his difficulties1 and all that is his1 is extraordinary1 and the amount of good she has done1 no man can fully estimate4 ,okoyong1 when she went there alone--living in the native houses while she built1 with the assistance of the natives1 her present house--was a district regarded with fear by the ,duke and ,creek ,town natives1 and practically unknown to ,europeans4 ,it was given1 as most of the surrounding districts still are1 to killing at funerals1 ordeal by poison1 and perpetual internecine wars4 ,many of these evil customs she has stamped out1 and ,okoyong rarely gives trouble to its nominal rulers1 the ,consuls1 in ,old ,calabar1 and trade passes freely through it down to the seaports4 ,this instance of what one white can do would give many important lessons in ,west ,coast administration and development4 ,only the sort of man ,miss ,slessor represents is rare4 ,there are but few who have the same power of resisting the malarial climate1 and of acquiring the language and an insight into the negro mind1 so perhaps after all it is no great wonder that ,miss ,slessor stands alone1 as she certainly does4 ,with all her robust ability ,miss ,kingsley's mental range was curiously narrow4 ,she wrote strongly against ,protestant missionary aims and methods in ,west ,africa1 her views being entirely opposed to those of the ,white ,woman of ,okoyong1 who had a much greater right to speak on the subject4 ,but the latter1 nevertheless1 loved her1 and when the news of her death came1 some years later1 she was plunged into grief4 ,the world held not many so brave and so noble1 she wrote4 ,life feels very cold and seems grey and sunless4 ,hearing of a proposed memorial to the intrepid traveller she sent a guinea as her mite towards it4 ,,xxvi4 ,,an ,,all-,,night ,,journey ,an outburst of fighting had taken place amongst the factions around ,ekenge4 ,women were the cause of it1 and a number had been herded into a stockade near the ,mission ,house1 where a band of men were proceeding to murder them4 ,mary came on the scene and held them at bay4 ,all day she stood there and all night1 her girls handing her from time to time a cup of tea through the poles of the enclosure4 ,next night matters had become quieter1 a tornado of rain and wind having eased the situation1 but she was soaked1 whilst the mats of the ,mission ,house had blown up and the interior had been flooded1 so that both the girls and herself needed dry garments4 ,then the condensed milk was nearly done1 she was told1 and the baby she was nursing would suffer without it4 ,both clothing and milk could only be procured from ,calabar1 and as she had no messenger to despatch there1 she resolved to go herself4 ,after dark she stole out of the stockade1 placed the child in a basket1 secured a woman as guide1 and with a lantern started out to walk through the bush to ,creek ,town4 ,she reached ,adiabo on the ,calabar ,river about half-past ten1 obtained a cup of tea from the native pastor1 and pushed on4 ,her guide lost the way1 a deluge of rain fell1 and they wandered aimlessly for a time through the dripping forest1 before again striking the track4 ,creek ,town was reached at four o'clock in the morning4 ,she knocked up ,miss ,johnstone1 who sent her to bed for an hour1 and sought for some tins of milk4 ,as soon as two had been procured ,mary was eager to be off4 ,miss ,johnstone gave her some changes of clothing1 and ,king ,eyo put his canoe and a strong crew at her disposal1 and she was soon speeding up-river4 ,on her arrival she found to her satisfaction that her absence had not been discovered1 and she was able eventually to restore peace without the shedding of blood4 ,two days later a canoe which came down-river to ,duke ,town brought word that she was ill with dysentery4 ,dr4 ,laws of ,livingstonia1 who was then visiting the ,mission as a deputy1 happened to be at ,creek ,town and was asked to go and see her with ,mr4 ,manson1 one of the industrial staff1 as guide4 ,their canoe was nearly swamped by rain1 and they had to change their clothing when they arrived4 ,she was soon up and through to the hall to provide hospitality for her guests1 supporting herself by the table the while4 ,a peremptory order came from ,dr4 ,laws to return to bed at once4 ,she gave him a long curious look1 and then without a word went and lay down4 ,he noticed that his companion appeared both astonished and amused1 and it was not until he returned to ,calabar1 and heard ,mr4 ,manson telling how ,ma ,slessor had been taken in charge for once1 that he realised how bold he had been4 ,dr4 ,laws thought that few women1 or even men1 could have stood the isolation that she endured4 ,,xxvii4 ,,akom3 ,a ,,first-,,fruit ,although force of circumstances made her the instrument of law and order her chief aim was to win the people to ,christ1 and all her efforts were directed to that end4 ,it was for souls she was always hungering1 and the lack of conversions was her greatest sorrow4 ,nevertheless she was making progress4 ,the people were becoming familiar with the name of ,god and ,christ and the principles underlying the ,gospel1 and there were many who leant more to the new way than to the old1 whilst some in their hearts believed4 ,the boys that were being trained at school and service were perhaps the most cheering element in the situation1 and upon them she set her hopes4 ,it was wonderful that she achieved what she did in view of the conditions that prevailed4 ,how difficult it was for a native to break away from habits and customs ingrained in them through centuries of repetition may be gathered from the story of ,akom1 a freewoman1 one of the most self-righteous of the big ladies of the district4 ,she had been betrothed1 when a year old1 to a young and powerful chief1 and had been brought up in the harem and was a zealous upholder of all superstitious practices4 ,on her lord's death she escaped the poison ordeal1 and was active in placing wives and slaves into the grave4 ,by and by ,ekpenyong made her his wife and mistress of the harem1 and for twenty years she held undisputed sway4 ,when ,edem's son was killed by the falling of a log it will be remembered that ,ekpenyong was blamed for the event and retired to the bush4 ,not long afterwards a young chief there fell sick1 and the witch- doctor on consulting his oracle declared that he saw ,akom and her son dancing the whole night long1 and gaily piercing the sick man with knives and spears4 ,akom was charged with sorcery1 and asked to take the poison ordeal4 ,her friends advised her to flee1 and she and her son disappeared during the night and took refuge in ,umon1 where the people gave them the protection of their ibritam or juju4 ,ma was in ,scotland at the time4 ,when she returned ,ekpenyong begged her to interfere and have his wife brought back4 ,this she managed to do after ,akom had taken mbiam--the strongest and most dreaded of native oaths1 which included the drinking of blood shed from the wrist4 ,the woman came to see her1 but stood outside4 ,what8 exclaimed ,ma1 you cannot come within my gate8 ,no1 was the reply2 you had a twin- mother once living in the yard1 and ,i cannot come in lest ,i touch the place she touched1 ,those who took the mbiam oath1 believed that they would die if they came in contact in any way with a twin-mother4 ,ma pretended to be hurt1 and said1 ,if my house is polluted you had better go home1 as ,i do not receive visitors on the road4 ,after a time ,akom ventured in1 and she was kind to her and gave her an order for mats1 at the making of which she was an adept4 ,she then came regularly and listened intently to ,ma's teaching1 although she said nothing4 ,by and by she began to remark on the purity of the ,gospel religion and show increased reverence at the services4 ,twins came1 and she mastered her fear and went into the house4 ,but alas6 a mysterious pain straightway developed in her foot1 and this surely was mbiam punishing her2 and when a skin disease followed1 her faith nearly failed her1 and she wailed and mourned in despair4 ,ma spoke strongly to her2 and at last she rose and said1 ,i am a fool2 my ,god1 my ,father1 listen not to my foolishness4 ,kill me if ,thou wilt1 but do not leave me4 ,the disease was checked1 and a native medicine effected a cure4 ,but she stood out against any sacrifice1 saying very sensibly1 ,my ,father owns the bush and gives us the knowledge of the medicine1 and as the ,master knows what ,he has made ,he knows also how to bless it apart from any outsider4 ,ekpenyong all this while had ignored his wife1 expecting that the mbiam would do its work4 ,he looked grimly on1 and when she injured her foot against a root he believed the end had arrived4 ,all the people watched the struggle between the white woman's prayers and the mbiam's power1 and when the wound healed they were nonplussed1 but quaintly explained the miracle by saying that their ,mother was different from other white people1 and so had prevailed4 ,akom grew in grace despite her surroundings1 and found strength in her contact with ,christ4 ,an amazing thing to her was that the man who had accused her of witchcraft came and made friends with her4 ,ma1 she said1 see what ,god has wrought4 ,the man who demanded my life comes to tell me his affairs6 ,i sometimes wanted to take revenge1 but ,i have got it from ,god1 and ,his revenge is of a sweeter kind than that of the ,consul4 ,it was cases like this that coloured ,miss ,slessor's life with joy4 ,sometimes1 too1 she was unexpectedly cheered by evidence of the fruit of her work in past days4 ,in #ahid a lad1 an old scholar of hers in ,duke ,town1 turned up in the village4 ,he had made good use of his education1 and wherever he went1 on farm and on beach1 he held worship and got the people to listen4 ,it was not surprising that she regarded the boys as her most hopeful agents1 although she was always very careful in choosing them as teachers for bush schools2 she thought it belittled the message to send those who were not thoroughly fit for the work4 ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,box ,,from ,,home ,the most joyous break in the domestic life at ,ekenge1 both for the house-mother and the children1 was caused by the arrival of boxes of gifts from ,scotland4 ,so many congregations and ,sunday ,schools had become interested in her and her work that there was a continuous stream of packages to ,okoyong4 ,i am ashamed at receiving so much1 she would say4 ,her own friends also remembered her2 and on one occasion she wrote to a lady who had sent a personal contribution1 ,it seems like a box from a whole congregation1 not from an individual4 ,she was specially delighted with the articles that came from the children of the ,church1 and many a letter she wrote in return to the scholars in ,sunday ,schools4 ,none knew better how to thank them4 ,she would give them a picture of the landing of the boxes at ,duke ,town1 and the journey up the ,calabar ,river in the canoe or in the steamer ,david ,williamson--which they had themselves subscribed for and supplied--to the beach1 and of the excitement when the engineer came over1 perhaps with visitors1 to announce the arrival4 ,white people come1 ,ma6 ,the cry by day or night always roused the household4 ,one girl ran to make up the fire and put on the kettle1 another placed the spare room in order1 a third took the hand parcels and wraps1 and ,ma herself welcomed the guests with a ,scottish word or two1 and a warm hand-clasp4 ,they would give her home letters1 but these she would lay aside until she was more at leisure4 ,then a whisper would go round that there were goods at the beach1 and every man1 woman1 and child about the place would be eager to be off to bring them up4 ,but the boxes would be too large and heavy to be borne on heads through the forest1 and they would be opened and the contents made up into packages1 with which the carriers marched off in single file4 ,depositing them at the house they would return for more until all were safely conveyed4 ,then the articles would be exposed amidst cries of wonder and delight1 and the house become like a bazaar4 ,sometimes there would be a mix-up of articles1 but the loving messages pinned on to each would clear up the confusion4 ,mary dearly loved to linger over each gift and spin a little history into it1 and she would pray with a full heart1 ,lord ,jesus thou knowest the giver and the love and the prayers and the self-denial4 ,bless and accept and use all for ,thy glory and for the good of these poor straying ignorant children1 and repay all a thousandfold4 ,she was careful in her allocation of the gifts amongst the people in order that they might not be regarded as a bribe to ensure good behaviour or attendance at the services4 ,she would not even give them as payment for work done1 as this1 she thought1 put the service on a commercial basis and made them look again for an equivalent gain4 ,pictures and texts1 like dolls1 were somewhat of a problem1 as there was a danger of the people worshipping them4 ,but they liked to beautify their squalid huts with them1 and she regarded them as an educative and civilising agency not to be despised4 ,also to a certain extent they gave an indication of those who had sympathy with the new ideas1 and were sometimes a silent confession of a break with heathenism4 ,to one old woman1 the first ,christian1 was given a copy of ,the ,light of the ,world4 ,holding it reverently she exclaimed1 ,oh6 ,i shall never be lonely any more4 ,i can't read the ,book1 but ,i can sit or lie and look at my ,lord1 and we can speak together4 ,oh1 my ,saviour1 keep me till ,i see you up yonder6 ,it was explained that the picture was an allegory1 and the woman understood2 but she simply saw ,christ in all the fervour of her newborn love and faith1 and ,mary trusted to keep her right by daily teaching4 ,some of the articles found odd uses4 ,a dress would be given to a girl who was entering into seclusion for fattening2 a dressing-gown would go to the chief who was a member of the native ,court1 and he would wear it when trying cases1 to the admiration of the people2 a white shirt would be presented to another chief1 and he would don it like a ,state robe when paying ,ma a formal visit4 ,blouses she retained1 since no native women wore them4 ,the pretty baby-clothes were a source of wonder to the people--they were speechless at the idea of infants wearing such priceless things4 ,it must be confessed that there was something for which ,ma always searched when a box from her own friends arrived4 ,like the children she was fond of sweets1 and there would be a shriek of delight from more than juvenile lips when the well-known tins and bottles were discovered in some corner where they had been designedly hidden4 ,,xxix4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,to ,,the ,,consul ,religious missions have worked persistently and well1 and pointed out to the people the evil of their cruelties and wrongdoing1 but there comes a time when their efforts need backing up by the strong arm of the law of civilisation and right4 ,sir ,claude ,macdonald wrote this in the autumn of #ahid4 ,perhaps he had in mind the case of ,okoyong4 ,for in that year ,miss ,slessor came to the conclusion that it was time to invoke the great power which lay behind her in order to put a stop to the practice of killing on charges of witchcraft4 ,she was busy with a twin-murder case when word suddenly arrived that a man was being blamed for causing his master's death1 and that a palaver was going on4 ,she sent some of the children at once to say that when her household had retired she would walk over in the moonlight4 ,but a tornado came on1 and the rain poured all night4 ,as soon as it cleared she despatched a message3 ,don't do anything till ,i come--,i will come when the bush is drier4 ,on receiving this the accuser rose3 ,am ,i not to give him any ordeal till ,ma comes8 ,i will not be able to do it then6 ,she won't be willing4 ,unlock his chains and take him to ,okat ,ikan1 where he will be beyond her reach4 ,seizing the man his henchmen hurried him off1 and the chief followed with a grunt of satisfaction at having outwitted the ,white ,mother4 ,when she heard of the manoeuvre she determined not to go wandering aimlessly in the bush in search of the party4 ,she resolved to do what she had never done before1 send down to the ,consulate at ,duke ,town and seek the assistance of the ,government not only to rescue this particular victim1 but to end the evil throughout the length and breadth of ,okoyong4 ,the house-girls became aware of her intention1 and the news that ,ma's patience1 so often and so sorely tried1 was at last exhausted1 and that she was going to adopt stronger measures1 spread swiftly through the villages4 ,in order not to involve any native in the transaction she was the bearer of her own communication to the beach1 and she was not long gone on her walk through the forest when the people concerned arrived breathlessly at the ,mission ,house to beg her to forgive them for going beyond her voice4 ,ma is away1 announced the children1 and you cannot reach her now4 ,sadder and wiser they returned to their village1 for they feared the ,consul1 who was associated in their minds with big guns and burnt towns4 ,she returned late at night1 wearied with the journey1 yet was up early in the morning again and walked six miles in intense heat to a palaver1 carrying a couple of babies4 ,when she arrived she was at the point of fainting4 ,the next night the slave who had been carried off succeeded in breaking the lock of his chains and escaped to the ,mission ,house4 ,in his baffled rage his master chained all who belonged to him1 but fear of the impending visit of the ,consul made him reflect1 and he sent word later to ,ma to ask her forgiveness1 and to say that all the people had been freed4 ,he asked her to go down to ,duke ,town and make the ,consul come in peace and not in war4 ,she did so1 taking the refugee with her4 ,the ,consul adopted her view of the situation1 and arranged to visit the district and hold a conference4 ,to this she invited all the chiefs1 telling them to free their minds of fear1 and preparing them for the subjects that would be dealt with4 ,it was ,mr4 ,moor1 the ,vice-,consul1 who came1 and he brought a small guard of honour which paraded in the village1 and gave ,okoyong a greater thrill than it had yet experienced4 ,mr4 ,moor found ,ma on the roof of her house repairing the mats which had been leaking1 but she was not in the least perturbed1 and received him with perfect composure4 ,he was very patient and kind with the chiefs1 but sought to impress upon them the necessity for some improvement in their habits4 ,already ,mary had been much impressed with the new stamp of ,government official under ,sir ,claude ,macdonald1 and this representative of the class she thought one of the best4 ,as a result of the conference the chiefs promised to abstain from killing at funerals1 and to allow ,ma to have an opportunity of saving twins and caring for them in a special hut4 ,she gave thanks to ,god2 but she knew the ,african nature1 and did not relax her vigilance4 ,a month after the ,consul's visit a kinsman of the above chief1 older and much more wealthy1 died suddenly4 ,we trembled for their promise to the ,consul1 she wrote1 but we left them to themselves1 believing that it was better to trust them to a great extent1 and instead of going and staying with them to watch1 we sent our compliments and gifts1 and told them we expected they would remember their treaty and the consequences of any breach of faith4 ,after all was over not a slave or vassal was missing1 and though there were not wanting idle tongues let loose by the unlimited supply of strong drink1 and brawlings1 and determinations to take the poison of their own accord in order to prove their innocence1 not one person has died as the direct result of the dread event4 ,mrs4 ,weir once spent a week-end at ,okoyong1 and accompanied her to a village two or three miles away where she was in the habit of going to conduct a service4 ,when they arrived they found that the head of a house had died1 and was being buried1 according to custom1 inside the house4 ,they were taken to the place and saw the dead man's possessions --his pipe1 snuff-box1 powder-flask1 and other articles--placed in the grave in order that they might be useful to him in the other world4 ,mrs4 ,weir could not help wondering at their superstition after all the teaching that they had been given4 ,she said nothing2 but ,mary1 with her keen intuition1 read her thoughts and said4 ,you will be thinking they are not very different yet1 but when ,i came to ,okoyong1 do you think ,i would have seen men and women moving freely about like this8 ,they would have all been refugees in the bush1 and those who had been caught would have been in chains1 waiting to be put to death1 so that their spirits might accompany the chief4 ,towards the end of the year she had what she called one of her descents into the valley of the shadow1 and was removed to ,duke ,town4 ,daddy ,anderson1 who had retired1 but had come out again to ,calabar on a visit1 walked over to see her2 he said very little1 but just sat and held her hand4 ,he1 himself1 was passing into the shadow1 but not to return4 ,she was with him at the last1 and did her best to comfort him4 ,dear ,daddy ,anderson6 she wrote2 ,calabar seems a strange land to me now4 ,all the friends are strangers to the old order4 ,the ,calabar of my girlhood is among the things of the past4 ,her scepticism regarding the promise of the people was justified1 for the killing of twins went on as usual2 and in the following year she brought up ,sir ,claude ,macdonald himself to renew the covenant4 ,sir ,claude was all kindness and courtesy1 assuring the chiefs that he did not come to take their country1 but to guide them into a proper way of governing it1 that all1 bond and free1 might dwell in safety and peace4 ,what he insisted on was their recognition of the claims of justice and humanity4 ,the spokesman1 an old greyheaded man1 said they wished to retire1 in order to consult together4 ,on returning he naively excused their conduct by stating that when they only heard words once they thought the matter unworthy of their consideration1 but when they were repeated1 they thought there must be something in them1 and so they would obey the requirements of the ,government this time4 ,as regards twins1 they were doubtful1 ,we are not sure that no evil will happen to us if we obey you2 we have our fear1 but we will try4 ,they would not1 however1 consent to keep them in their own homes1 and again ,mary said that if they would notify her of the births she would be responsible for their welfare4 ,she had been acting as interpreter1 and as the palaver lasted from early morning until after dark she was much fatigued4 ,her last words were to encourage the chiefs to keep their pledge1 and they would enjoy the benefits when she might be no more with them4 ,the very suggestion of farewell alarmed them4 ,god cannot take you away from your children1 they exclaimed1 until they are able to walk by themselves4 ,,xxx4 ,,after ,,seven ,,years ,africa is slow to change3 the centuries roll over it1 leaving scarcely a trace of their passing3 the years come and go1 and the people remain the same3 all effort seems in vain4 ,could one weak woman affect the conditions even in a small district of the mighty continent8 ,it had been uphill work for her4 ,at first there had been only a dogged response to the message she had brought4 ,when some impression had been made she found that it soon disappeared4 ,in ordinary life the people were volatile1 quick as fire to resent1 and as quick to forgive and forget1 and they were the same in regard to higher things4 ,they went into rapture over the ,gospel1 prayed aloud1 clasped their hands1 shed tears1 and then went back to their drinking1 sacrificing1 and quarrelling4 ,they kept to all the old ways1 in case they might miss the right one4 ,yes1 ,ma1 they would say1 that is right for you2 but you and we are different4 ,but she never lost hope4 ,there is not much progress to report1 she was accustomed to say1 and yet very much to thank ,god for1 and to lead us to take courage4 ,she was quite content to go on bringing rays of sunshine into the dark lives of the people1 and securing for the children better conditions than their fathers had4 ,after all1 she would say1 it comes back to this1 ,christ sent me to preach the ,gospel1 and ,he will look after results4 ,she was always much comforted by the thought of something she had heard the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,beatt1 of her old church in ,aberdeen1 say in a sermon3 she could recall nothing but the heads1 and one of these was1 ,between the sower and the reaper stands the ,husbandman4 ,but results there were of a most important kind1 and it is time to take stock of them4 ,fortunately she was induced at this time to jot down some impressions of her work1 and these1 which were never published1 give the best idea of the remarkable change which had been wrought in the life and habits of ,okoyong4 ,it will be noticed that she does not use the pronoun ,i4 ,whenever she gave a statement of her work she always wrote we1 as if she were a co-worker with a ,higher ,power4 ,in these days of high pressure1 she says1 men demand large profits and quick returns in every department of our commercial and national life1 and these must be served up with the definiteness and precision of statistics4 ,this abnormal and feverish haste has entered to some extent into our religious work1 and is felt more or less in all the pulses of our ,church4 ,whatever may be the reasons for such a course in regard to worldly callings1 its methods and standards are utterly foreign to the laws of ,christ's kingdom1 and can only result in distortions and miscalculations when applied to ,his work4 ,while thanking ,god for every evidence of life and growth1 we shrink from reducing the throes of spiritual life1 the development and workings of the conscience1 or the impulse and trend toward ,god and righteousness1 to any given number of figures on a table4 ,hence it is with the greatest reluctance that we endeavour to sum up some tangible proof of the power of ,god's ,word among our heathen neighbours4 ,while to our shame and confusion of face it has not been what it might1 and would have been had we been more faithful and kept more in line with the will and spirit of ,god1 it has to the praise of the glory of ,his grace proved stronger than sin and ,satan4 ,we do not attempt to give in numbers those who are nominally ,christian4 ,women1 lads1 girls1 and a few men profess to have placed themselves in ,god's hands4 ,all the children within reach are sent to the school without stipulation4 ,one lady of free birth and good position has borne persecution for ,christ's sake4 ,we speak with diffidence2 for as no ordained minister has ever been resident or available for more than a short visit1 no observance of the ordinances of ,baptism or the ,lord's ,supper have been held and we have not had the usual definite offers of persons as candidates for ,church membership1 ,we have just kept on sowing the seed of the ,word1 believing that when ,god's time comes to gather them into the visible ,church there will be some among us ready to participate in the privilege and honour4 ,of results as affecting the condition and conduct of our people generally1 it is more easy to speak4 ,raiding1 plundering1 the stealing of slaves1 have almost entirely ceased4 ,any person from any place can come now for trade of pleasure1 and stay wherever they choose1 their persons and property being as safe as in ,calabar4 ,for fully a year we have heard of nothing like violence from even the most backward of our people4 ,they have thanked me for restraining them in the past1 and begged me to be their consul1 as they neither wished black man nor white man to be their king4 ,it would be impossible1 apart from a belief in ,god's particular and personal providence in answer to prayer1 to account for the ready obedience and submission to our judgment which was accorded to us4 ,it seemed sometimes to be almost miraculous that hordes of armed1 drunken1 passion-swayed men should give heed and chivalrous homage to a woman1 and one who had neither wealth nor outward display of any kind to produce the slightest sentiment in her favour4 ,but such was the case1 and we do not recollect one instance of insubordination4 ,as their intercourse with the white men increased through trade or otherwise1 they found that to submit to his authority did not mean loss of liberty but the opposite1 and gradually their objections cleared away1 till in #ahid they formally met and bound themselves to some extent by treaty with the ,consul4 ,again1 later1 our considerate1 patient1 tactful ,governor1 ,sir ,claude ,macdonald1 met them1 and at that interview the last objection was removed1 and they promised unconditional surrender of the old laws which were based on unrighteousness and cruelty1 and cordial acceptance of the just and1 as they called it1 'clean' code which he proffered them in return1 ,since then he has proclaimed them a free people in every respect among neighbouring tribes1 and so1 placing them on their honour1 so to speak1 has made out of the roughest material a lot of self-respecting men who conduct their business in a fashion from which ,europeans might take lessons4 ,of course they need superintendence and watching1 for their ideas are not so nicely balanced as ours in regard to the shades and degrees of right and wrong1 but as compared with their former ideas and practice they are far away ahead of what we expected4 ,no tribe was formerly so feared because of their utter disregard of human life1 but human life is now safe4 ,no chief ever died without the sacrifice of many lives1 but this custom has now ceased4 ,only last month the man who1 for age1 wealth1 and general influence1 exceeded all the other chiefs in ,okoyong1 died from the effects of cold caught three months before4 ,we trembled1 as they are at some distance from us1 and every drop of ,european drink which could be bought from all the towns around was bought at once1 and canoes were sent from every hamlet with all the produce at command to ,duke ,town for some more1 and all was consumed before the people dispersed from the funeral4 ,but the only death resulting has been that of a man1 who1 on being blamed by the witch-doctors1 went and hanged himself because the chiefs in attendance--drunk as they were--refused to give him the poison ordeal4 ,some chiefs1 gathered for palaver at our house on the day of his death1 in commenting on the wonderful change said1 ',ma1 you white people are ,god ,almighty4 ,no other power could have done this4' ,with regard to infanticide and twin-murder we can speak hopefully4 ,it will doubtless take some time to develop in them the spirit of self- sacrifice to the extent of nursing the vital spark for the mere love of ,god and humanity among the body of the people4 ,the ideals of those emerging from heathenism are almost necessarily low4 ,what the foreigner does is all very well for the foreigner1 but the force of habit or something more subtle evidently excuses the practice of the virtue among themselves4 ,of course there are exceptions4 ,all the evidence goes to show that something more tangible than sentiment or principle determines the conduct of the multitude1 even among those avowedly ,christian4 ,but with all this there has dawned on them the fact that life is worth saving1 even at the risk of one's own3 and though chiefs and subjects alike1 less than two years ago1 refused to hear of the saving of twins1 we have already their promise and the first instalment of their fidelity to their promise in the persons of two baby girls aged six and five months respectively1 who have already won the hearts of some of our neighbours and the love of all the school children4 ,seven women have literally touched them1 and all the people1 including the most practical of the chiefs1 come to the house and hold their palavers in full view of where the children are being nursed4 ,one chief who1 with fierce gesticulations1 some years ago protested that we must draw the line at twins1 and that they should never be brought to light in his lifetime1 brought one of his children who was very ill1 two months ago1 and laid it on our knee alongside the twin already there1 saying with a sob in his voice1 ',there6 they are all yours1 living or dying1 they are all yours4 ,do what you like with mine4' ,drinking1 especially among the women1 is on the decrease4 ,the old bands of roving women who came to us at first are now only a memory and a name4 ,the women still drink1 but it is at home where the husband can keep them in check4 ,in our immediate neighbourhood it is an extremely rare thing to see a woman intoxicated1 even on feast days and at funerals4 ,none of the women who frequent our house ever taste it at all1 but they still keep it for sale and give it to visitors4 ,indeed it is the only thing which commands a ready sale and brings ready money1 and their excuse is just that of many of the ,church members at home1 that those who want it will get it elsewhere1 and perhaps in greater measure4 ,but we have noted a decided stand being taken by several of the young mothers who have been our friends and scholars against its being given by husbands or visitors to their children4 ,we have also thankfully noted for long that on our making an appearance anywhere there is a run made to hide the bottles1 and the chief indignantly threatens any slave who brings it into our presence4 ,all this points to an improvement in the condition of the people generally4 ,they are eager for education4 ,instead of the apathy and incredulous laugh which the mention of the ,word formerly brought1 the cry from all parts is for teachers2 and there is a disposition to be friendly to any one who will help them towards a higher plane of living4 ,but it brings vividly before us the failures and weaknesses in our work2 for instance1 the desultoriness of our teaching1 which of necessity stultifies the results that under better conditions would be sure to follow4 ,school teaching has been carried on under great difficulties owing to the scattered population1 the family quarrels which made it formerly a risk to walk alone1 the fear of sorcery and of the evil spirits which are supposed to dwell in the forest1 the denseness of the forest itself1 which makes it dangerous for children to go from one place to another without an armed escort1 the withdrawing of girls when they have just been able to read in order to go to their seclusion and fattening1 and the consequent drafting of them to great distances to their husbands' farms1 the irregular attendance of boys who accompany their masters wherever they go1 and who take the place of postmen and news-agents-general to the country4 ,there have been difficulties on our own side--the distances consume time and strength1 the multifarious claims made on the ,mission ,house1 the household itself which is usually a large one having in addition to servants those who are training for future usefulness in special spheres--as the ,mission ,house has been until quite lately the only means of getting such training--and having usually one or more of the rescued victims of heathen customs4 ,the ,dispensary work calls also for much time and strength1 nursing often having to accompany the medicine2 the very ignorance and superstition of the patients and their friends making the task doubly trying4 ,then one must be ever at hand to hear the plaint of and to shelter and reconcile the runaway slave or wife or the threatened victim of oppression and superstition4 ,visitors are to be received1 and all the bothersome and1 to ,european notions1 stupid details of native etiquette are to be observed if we are to win the favour and confidence of the people4 ,moreover we must be both able and willing to help ourselves in regard to the wear and tear in our dwelling and station buildings4 ,we must make and keep in repair buildings1 fences1 drainage1 etc41 and all amid surroundings in which the climate and its forces are leagued against us4 ,add to all this the cares of housekeeping when there is no baker supply1 no butcher supply1 no water supply1 no gas supply1 no coal supply1 no laundry supply1 no trained-servant supply1 nor untrained either for that matter1 except when some native can and will lend you a slave to help you or when you can buy one--which1 under ordinary circumstances is a very doubtful practice1 as1 though in buying the person you are literally freeing him1 the natives are apt to misinterpret the motive1 and unless you are very fortunate in your purchase1 the slave may bring you into conflict with the powers that be1 owing to their law which recognises no freedom except that conferred by birth4 ,after all this is seen to day by day1 where is the time and strength for comprehensive and consecutive work of a more directly evangelistic and teaching type8--specially when the latter is manned year by year by the magnificent total of one individual4 ,is it fair to expect results under such circumstances8 ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,chiefs ,in the year #ahif ,miss ,slessor realised that she was no longer in the centre of her people4 ,like all agricultural populations addicted to primitive methods of cultivation1 they had gradually moved on to richer lands elsewhere4 ,even ,ma ,erne had gone to a farm some distance away4 ,a market had been opened at a place called ,akpap1 farther inland and nearer the ,cross ,river1 and farms and villages had grown up around it1 and she saw that it would be necessary to follow the population there4 ,the ,calabar ,committee--a ,committee had succeeded the ,presbytery--was at first doubtful of the wisdom of transferring the station1 largely owing to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the new site1 the nearest landing-place being six miles away1 at ,ikunetu on the ,cross ,river4 ,there was some advantage in this1 however1 for the ,mission launch was constantly moving up and down the waterway4 ,the voyage was between low1 bush-covered banks broken by vistas of cool green inlets1 with here a tall palm tree or bunch of feathery bamboos1 and there a cluster of huts1 while canoes were frequently passed laden with hogsheads of palm oil for the factory1 or a little dug-out containing a solitary fisher4 ,the track from ,ikunetu to ,akpap was the ordinary shady bush path1 bordered by palms1 bananas1 orange trees1 ferns1 and orchids1 but in the wet season it was overgrown with thick grass1 higher than one's head1 which made a guide necessary1 since one trail in the ,african forest looks exactly like another4 ,after some consideration it was decided to sanction the change1 and to build a good ,mission ,house with a beach shed at ,ikunetu4 ,long before the house was built1 however1 and even before it was begun1 ,mary installed herself at ,akpap1 in conditions similar to those of her first year at ,ekenge4 ,her home consisted of a small shed of two divisions1 without windows or floor1 into which she and the children and the furniture were packed4 ,and from this humble abode1 as from a palace1 she ruled ,okoyong with all the dignity and power of a queen4 ,never had her days been so busy or her nights so broken and sleepless4 ,no quarrel1 tribal or domestic1 no question of difficulty of any kind1 was settled other than in the ,mission hut4 ,sometimes the strain was almost greater than she could bear4 ,there was much sickness among the children1 and an infectious native disease1 introduced by a new baby1 caused the death of four4 ,matters were not mended by an epidemic of small-pox1 which swept over the country and carried off hundreds of the people4 ,for hours every day she was employed in vaccinating all who came to her4 ,mr4 ,alexander1 who was the engineer of the ,mission at this time--the natives called him etbom ubom nsuika captain of the smoking canoe--remembers arriving when her supply of lymph had run out1 and of assisting her with a penknife from the arms of those who had already been inoculated4 ,the outbreak was severe at ,ekenge1 and she went over and converted her old house into a hospital4 ,the people who were attacked flocked to it1 but all who could fled from the plague-stricken scene1 and she was unable to secure any one to nurse the patients or bury them when they died4 ,she was saddened by the loss of many friends4 ,ekpenyong was seized and succumbed1 and she committed his body to the earth4 ,then ,edem1 her own chief1 caught the infection1 and she braced herself to save him4 ,she could not forget his kindness and consideration for her throughout all these years1 and she fought for his life day and night1 tending him with the utmost solicitude and patience4 ,it was in vain4 ,he passed away in the middle of the night4 ,she was alone1 but with her own hands she fashioned a coffin and placed him into it1 and with her own hands she dug a grave and buried him4 ,then turning from the ghostly spot with its melancholy community of dead and dying1 she tramped through the dark and dew-sodden forest to ,akpap1 where1 utterly exhausted1 she threw herself on her bed as the land was whitening before the dawn4 ,towards the village that day two white men made their way1--,mr4 ,ovens1 who was coming to build a ,mission ,house1 and ,mr4 ,alexander who had brought him up4 ,when they arrived at the little shed it was eleven o'clock in the forenoon4 ,all was quiet4 ,something wrong1 remarked ,mr4 ,alexander1 and they moved quickly to the hut4 ,a weak voice answered their knock and call1 and on gaining entrance they found ,ma tired and heavy-eyed4 ,i had only just now fallen asleep1 she confessed4 ,but it was not for some time that they learned where she had been and what she had done4 ,when1 two days later1 ,mr4 ,alexander went over to bring some material from the old house1 he found it full of corpses and not a soul to be seen4 ,the place was never fit for habitation again1 and gradually it was engulfed in bush and vanished from the face of the earth4 ,conditions were the same far and wide1 and her heart was full of pity for the helpless people1 ,heartrending accounts1 she wrote1 come from up-country1 where the people1 panic-stricken1 are fleeing and leaving the dead and dying in their houses1 only to be stricken down themselves in the bush4 ,they have no helper up there1 and know of no ,saviour4 ,i am just thinking that perhaps the reason ,god has taken my four bairns is that ,i may be free to go up and help them4 ,if the brethren say that ,i should go ,i shall4 ,it is not surprising that these events had a depressing effect upon her2 she said she had no heart for anything4 ,it was an unusual note to come from her1 and indicated that her strength was waning4 ,the presence of ,mr4 ,ovens was a help2 his sense of humour seasoned the days1 and he made light of difficulty and trial1 though he was far from comfortable4 ,one of the divisions in the shed had been turned over to him1 she and her children crowding into the other4 ,the place was infested by ants and lizards1 and all night the rats used his body as a springboard to reach the roof4 ,there was always one scene in the strange household which touched him with a feeling of pathos and reverence--family worship in the evening4 ,a light from a small lamp illumined the interior4 ,miss ,slessor sat on the mud-floor with her back resting on the wall4 ,squatting before her in a half-circle were the girls and boys of the house4 ,behind these were ranged a number of baskets filled with twin babies4 ,ma spoke and prayed very simply and naturally4 ,then a hymn of her own composition was sung in ,efik to the tune of ,rothesay ,bay1 she accompanying it with a tambourine4 ,if the attention of the girls wandered she would lean forward and tap them on the head with the instrument4 ,one human solace never failed her--the letters from home4 ,how eagerly she longed for them6 ,how they lifted her out of her surroundings and chased away for a time the moral miasma that surrounded her and often seemed to choke her as if it were physical4 ,some one wrote about the ,synod meetings4 ,it is easy to be good1 she said1 with all the holy and helpful influences about you4 ,fancy a crowd of ,christians that fill the ,synod ,hall6 ,it makes me envious to read about it4 ,away up here among heathenism1 working away with the twos and the threes and the tens1 one almost forgets that there are crowds who would die for ,christ4 ,but1 with all their imperfections1 there are1 and we are not in a losing cause at all4 ,i am seldom in ,duke ,town or ,creek ,town1 and hear little in the way of sermons1 and have little of the outward help you have4 ,but ,christ is here and the ,holy ,spirit1 and if ,i am seldom in a triumphant or ecstatic mood ,i am always satisfied and happy in ,his love4 ,her furlough was overdue1 but there was a difficulty in filling her place1 and she would not leave the people alone4 ,meanwhile she kept drudging away as well as she could from dawn till dark4 ,people were coming to her now from far-off spots1 many from across the river from unknown regions who had never seen a white person before1 drawn to her by the fame of her goodness and power4 ,at first they sat outside1 and would not cook or eat or drink inside the compound because of the twins1 but by and by they gained courage and mixed with the household4 ,the majority of these people were neither bright nor good-looking1 but she only saw souls that were precious in the sight of her ,master4 ,in one of her letters she describes what was the daily scene3 ,four at my feet listening2 five boys outside getting a reading-lesson from ,janie2 a man lying on the ground who has run away from his master and is taking refuge until ,i get him forgiven2 an old chief with a girl who has a bad ulcer2 a woman begging for my intervention with her husband2 a nice girl with heavy leglets from her knee to the ankles1 with pieces of cloth wrapped round to prevent the skin being cut1 whom ,i am teaching2 and three for vaccination4 ,on the last night of the year she wrote3 ,my bairns have been made happy and myself glad by a handsome ,christmas box from the ,consul- ,general and ,colonel ,boisragon of our ,consular staff4 ,they were up with a party1 and spent the greater part of three days with me1 trying to do good among my people3 and they have sent dolls and sweets and fruit and biscuits1 and many useful things for the house1 and a carpenter to mend my stair1 and plane and rehang my doors4 ,he is here now doing odds and ends about the house1 so ,i feel quite cheered up4 ,he 7the ,consul7 must have gone to a steamer and got all these things for us1 for there are no such things for sale here1 and it shows how much interested he is in mission work4 ,it is seldom1 comparatively1 that ,government officials care for these things4 ,,xxxii4 ,,clothed ,,by ,,faith ,as ,mr4 ,ovens was at ,akpap engaged on the new ,mission ,house the ,calabar ,committee decided to send her home in #ahih whether they could supply the station or not4 ,it will be rather trying to get back to the home kind of life and language1 she said2 but ,i shall just want a place to hide in3 away from conventionalities and all the paraphernalia of civilisation4 ,her chief problem was the disposal of the children1 whom she dreaded to leave under native influences4 ,there were so few missionaries in the field then that it was difficult to find homes for them4 ,she settled two babies1 some of her girls1 and the former slave- woman with a lady agent4 ,the rest she made up her mind to take with her4 ,it was a daring thing to do1 but doing daring things was her normal habit4 ,she justified herself to a friend by saying that ,janie was now a big girl and a great help4 ,mary was five years old and able to fend for herself2 ,alice was about three and fairly independent1 and ,maggie was sixteen months1 and could sit about and be easily amused4 ,the next problem was how to equip both herself and her retinue for the voyage4 ,her wardrobe had been gradually deplenished in the bush1 and during her illnesses ants had eaten up all that remained4 ,she and the children had nothing but the old garments they had on4 ,but she was not dismayed3 in the simplicity of her faith she believed that the ,master knew her difficulty1 and would come to her aid and provide all her needs4 ,and she was not disappointed4 ,when at ,duke ,town1 preparatory to departure1 a box from ,renfield ,street ,church1 ,glasgow1 arrived for her1 and she went down to the beach and opened it to see if it contained anything she might require4 ,and everything she required was there1 including many knitted and woollen articles--a most uncommon circumstance4 ,there was also a shawl--,i do not know what ,i should have done without that on the voyage1 she said4 ,the ladies of the ,mission took the cloth and flannelette and soon had the whole party fitted out4 ,in acknowledging the box she begged the givers not to be vexed at what she had done3 the articles had been used in the service of ,christ as much as if they had been distributed in ,okoyong4 ,she was so far spent that she was carried on board4 ,on the voyage she received much kindness1 and believing that ,god was behind it all she accepted everything as from ,him and was very grateful4 ,her simple faith in the goodness of her kind was shown by the fact that the telegram she despatched on arriving at ,liverpool to ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 ,joppa1 was the first intimation that lady received that she was coming4 ,and at the railway station she confidingly handed her purse to the porter1 asking him to take it and buy the tickets1 ,mrs4 ,m',crindle met her at the ,waverley ,station1 ,edinburgh4 ,there was the usual bustle on the arrival of a train from the ,south4 ,the sight of a little black girl being handed down from the carriage caused a mild stir1 when another came the interest increased1 when a third dropped down a crowd gathered1 when a fourth stepped out the cabmen and porters forgot their fares and stared1 wondering who the slight1 foreign-looking lady could be who had brought so strange a family4 ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,shy ,,speaker ,eagerly looked for after her heroic service in ,okoyong she received a warm welcome from her friends in the ,united ,presbyterian ,church4 ,for some weeks she lived at ,joppa1 and then anxious to be independent she took a small house near at hand1 where she and ,janie managed the work and cooking4 ,it was not a very comfortable mnage1 and ,miss ,adam1 one of the chief women of the ,church and ,convener of the ,zenana ,mission ,committee1 made arrangements for her and the children staying at ,bowden1 ,st4 ,boswells4 ,here1 looking down upon a beautiful expanse of historic border country1 she spent a quiet and restful time4 ,as her vitality and spirits came back she began to address meetings1 and found that the interest in her work had deepened and extended4 ,she was1 if anything1 shyer than ever1 and would not speak before men4 ,at a drawing-room gathering in ,glasgow the husband of the lady of the house and two well-known ministers were present4 ,she rose to give an address1 but no words came4 ,turning to the men she said1 ,will the gentlemen kindly go away8 ,the lady of the house said it would be a great disappointment to them not to hear her1 ,then1 she replied1 will they kindly go and sit where ,i cannot see them8 ,when she began to speak she seemed to forget her diffidence1 and she held the little audience spell-bound4 ,at a ,stirling meeting a gentleman slipped in4 ,after a slight pause she said1 ,if the gentleman in the meeting would hide behind the lady in front of him ,i would be more at my ease4 ,on another occasion she fled from the platform when called on to speak1 and it was only with difficulty that she was brought back4 ,when people began to praise her she slipped out and remained away until they had finished4 ,she was a most gentle-looking lady1 writes one who heard her then1 rather below the average height1 a complexion like yellow parchment1 and short lank brown hair3 a most pleasing expression and winning smile1 and when she spoke ,i thought ,i had never heard such a musical voice4 ,she went to her home-city1 ,aberdeen1 and addressed a meeting in ,belmont ,street ,church1 which her mother had attended2 and of her power of speech the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,beatt1 the minister1 who was in the chair1 says3 ,it was characterised by a simple diction1 a tearful sympathy1 a restrained passion1 and a pleading love for her people1 which made it difficult to listen to her without deep emotion4 ,at one meeting in ,glasgow she spent an hour shaking hands4 ,what a lot of love there is in the world after all1 she said gratefully4 ,she received such a reception at a meeting in ,edinburgh that she broke down4 ,recovering herself she earnestly denied that her work was more remarkable than that of any other missionary in ,calabar3 ,they all work as hard or harder than ,i do4 ,she went on to plead for an ordained missionary for ,okoyong4 ,i feel that my work there is done1 ,i can teach them no more4 ,i would like to go farther inland and make a home among a tribe of cannibals4 ,many a stirring appeal she made for workers4 ,if missions are a failure1 she said1 it is our failure and not ,god's4 ,if we only prayed and had more faith what a difference it would make6 ,in ,calabar we are going back every day4 ,for years we have been going back4 ,the ,china ,inland ,mission keep on asking for men1 men1 men1 and they get what they want and more than we get4 ,we keep calling for money1 money1 money1 and we get money--of great value in its place--but not the men and the women4 ,where are they8 ,when ,sir ,herbert ,kitchener1 going out to conquer the ,soudan required help1 thousands of the brightest of our young men were ready4 ,where are the soldiers of the ,cross8 ,in a recent war in ,africa in a region with the same climate and the same malarial swamp as ,calabar there were hundreds of officers and men offering their services1 and a ,royal ,prince went out4 ,but the banner of the ,cross goes a-begging4 ,why should the ,queen have good soldiers and not the ,king of ,kings8 ,her nervous timidity was often curiously exhibited4 ,she was1 for instance1 afraid of crowds1 and she would never cross a city street alone2 and once1 when she was proceeding to a village meeting she would not take a short cut through a field because there was a cow in it4 ,yet she was never lacking in high courage when the need arose4 ,at a meeting in ,edinburgh several addresses had been delivered1 and the collection was announced4 ,as is often the case the audience drew a sigh of relief1 relaxed attention1 and made a stir in changing positions4 ,some began to whisper and to carry on a conversation with those sitting near them4 ,she stood the situation as long as she could1 then rose1 and spoke1 regardless of all the dignitaries about her1 and rebuked the audience for their want of reverence4 ,were they not presenting their offerings to the ,lord8 ,was that not as much an act of worship as singing and praying8 ,how then could they behave in such a thoughtless and unbecoming manner8 ,there was something of scorn in her voice as she contrasted the way in which the ,calabar converts presented their offerings with that of the well-educated ,edinburgh audience4 ,when she sat down it was amidst profound silence4 ,that is a brave woman1 was the thought of many4 ,with her bairns she left towards the end of the year 7#ahih71 ,miss ,adam accompanying them to ,liverpool to see them safely on board4 ,a more notable person than she realised1 she was sought out by a special representative of ,reuter's ,agency and interviewed4 ,her story of the superstitious practices connected with the birth of twins in ,west ,africa had the element of horror which makes good copy1 and most of the newspapers in the kingdom next day gave a long description of these customs and of her work of rescue4 ,incidentally she stated that up to that time she had saved fifty-one twins from destruction4 ,she thought nothing of this talk with the reporter1 never mentioning it to any one1 and was unaware of the wide publicity accorded to her remarks4 ,she spent ,christmas on board the steamer4 ,again every one was kind to her1 the officers and stewards vying with each other in showing her attention4 ,all along the coast she was well known1 and invitations came from officials at ,government headquarters1 but these she modestly declined4 ,she was interested in all things that interested others1 and would discuss engineering and railway extension and trade prices and the last new book as readily as mission work and policy4 ,the children she kept in the background1 as she had done in ,scotland1 and would not allow them to be spoiled4 ,on arrival in ,calabar they were much made of1 and it was only the experienced ,janie who did not like the process4 ,,xxxiv4 ,,isolation ,an exceptionally trying experience followed4 ,arrangements had been made by the ,committee in ,scotland for the better staffing of the station1 but these broke down1 and for the next three years she worked alone1 her isolation only being relieved by an occasional visit from the lady missionaries in ,calabar4 ,during that long period she fought1 single- handed1 a double battle in the depths of the forest4 ,she was incessantly at war with the evils that were still rife about her1 and she had to struggle against long spells of low fever and sleeplessness4 ,and right bravely did she engage in the task1 conquering her ill-health by sheer will-power1 and gaining an ever greater personal ascendancy over the people4 #a4 ,a ,mother in ,israel ,the gradual pacification of ,okoyong brought about by her influence and authority increased rather than diminished her work4 ,as the people settled down to orderly occupations and trade the land became valuable1 and disputes were constantly cropping up regarding ownerships and boundaries4 ,there was much underground palavering1 of which no one knew but herself1 which kept her always on the strain4 ,she had to mother the whole tribe1 and it took all her patience and tact to prevent them reverting to their old violent practices4 ,a ,government official of that time1 who had to enquire into a number of cases over which there had been correspondence with her1 says1 ,i stayed with ',ma' and had my first lesson in how to deal with natives4 ,it did not require very long for even a 'fresher' to see what a power in the land she was4 ,all came to her in any kind of trouble4 ,as an interpreter she made every palaver an easy one to settle1 by the fact that she could represent to each side accurately what the other party wished to convey4 ,her fame had gone still farther1 and people were now coming from places a hundred miles distant to see the wonderful person who was ruling the land and doing away with all the evil fashions4 ,and what did they see8 ,a powerful ,sultana sitting in a palace with an army at her command8 ,no4 ,only a weak woman in a lowly house surrounded by a number of helpless children4 ,but they1 too1 came under her mysterious spell4 ,they told her of all the troubles that perplexed their lives1 and she gave them advice and helped them4 ,in one week she had deputations from four different tribes1 each with a tale of wrong and oppression4 ,innocent people fled to her to escape the fate decreed by the witch-doctor3 guilty people sheltered with her1 knowing that they were sure at least of nothing worse than justice4 ,she welcomed them all1 and to all she spoke of the ,saviour1 and strove to bring them to ,his feet4 ,and none went away without carrying some of the fragrance of that knowledge1 and in remote districts unvisited by the white man it lingered for years1 so that when missionaries went there later on they would come across a man or a woman who said1 ,oh1 ,i know all about ,jesus1 the ,white ,mother once told me4 ,she was so interested in these strangers that the desire came to know more about them and their surroundings1 and she made numerous trips up the ,cross ,river by ,mission steamer and canoe and visited the townships on the banks4 ,on one of these journeys she felt for the first time that death was at her side4 ,a dispute had arisen between ,okoyong and ,umon1 and the ,umon people1 strong in the belief that she would mete out justice even against her own tribe1 begged her to come and decide the quarrel4 ,it was a long day's journey for the best walkers1 but1 said she1 if they can do it in a day1 so can ,i4 ,a well-manned canoe was1 however1 sent for her1 and she proceeded in it with some of the twin- children4 ,they were speeding down a narrow creek leading into the river1 a man standing with his paddle at the bow to negotiate the canoe past the logs and trees1 when a hippopotamus1 which was attended by its young1 rose immediately in front and attacked it savagely4 ,the man at the bow instantly thrust the paddle into the gaping mouth1 and shoved the canoe violently to one side4 ,mary seized some large tin basins with covers1 which the natives used for holding cooked food1 and placed them outside in front of the part where the children were sitting1 and where the infuriated hippopotamus was trying to grip and upset the canoe4 ,these curious weapons succeeded in baffling the monster4 ,several times it made a rush and failed4 ,the shouting1 the snapping of the jaws1 the whirling of the paddles1 the cries of the children--,o ,abasi ibom ,ete nyaa nyin mbok ,o6 7,o ,god1 ,father1 please save us1 ,oh67--almost unnerved her4 ,the hippo at last made for the stern1 where some of the paddlers beat it off and kept it at bay long enough to enable the others to turn the canoe and rush it out of its reach4 ,but she could not now afford to be long away from her station1 for the utmost vigilance was required to combat the evils around her4 ,in spite of ,british laws and gunboats twin-murder continued in secret4 ,she noticed1 however1 that where the people came within the influence of the ,mission their fears gradually disappeared4 ,what pleased her was that women to whom she had been kind voluntarily brought in twins to her that would otherwise have been killed4 ,one day she and ,mr4 ,alexander were sitting at breakfast when a woman walked in1 and without remark placed a large calabash on the table4 ,mary thought it was a dish of native food and said1 ,you have come too late1 we have just finished4 ,still the woman was silent4 ,mary opened the calabash and found that it contained two twin boys4 ,there were other promising signs4 ,the mother of a twin baby who was saved came to the ,mission ,house and lived there1 working at the farm during the day4 ,one master took a twin and the mother home4 ,all his other wives at once gathered up their children and left him1 but he remained firm4 ,as the woman had been a neighbour of ,ma's at ,ekenge1 it is probable that her influence had told on her then4 ,but the outstanding event in this direction was that a twin boy was taken home by his parents1 who were determined to keep him4 ,the affair made a great stir1 but she told all the chiefs that she would stand by the parents1 and if they dared to say a word or trace any calamity to the family she would make palaver4 ,they were grimly silent1 but could not dispute her word4 ,she believed that their attitude was only due to fear1 which would die away if a stand were made4 ,her work in school and ,bible ,class was beginning to tell4 ,six of the best boys of free birth and good standing whom she was training were now ,christians1 and working in the villages around4 ,two1 sons of the most powerful chiefs in the district1 took the reading and another was the speaker4 ,it was not much to boast of perhaps4 ,i feel the smallness of the returns she said1 but is the labour lost8 ,a thousand times ,no6 #b4 ,the ,cares of a ,household ,her most trying fight during these years was with ill-health4 ,she was now occupying the new house1 which she pronounced lovely1 but it was hotter than any she had lived in1 and she often sighed for her lowly mud-hut again4 ,at one time she was three months in bed1 and recovery was always a slow and weary process4 ,the people were afraid she would have to go to ,scotland and came and assisted her in every way1 while her boy scholars maintained the services4 ,but often she would struggle up and conduct the ,sunday meetings herself1 although it meant a sleepless night4 ,i am ashamed to confess1 she wrote1 that our poor wee services here take as much out of me as the great meetings at home did4 ,to fill in the wakeful hours she would rise in the middle of the night1 light a candle1 and answer a batch of correspondence4 ,there were friends to whom she did not require to write often3 ,ours is like the life above1 we do not need to tell2 we can go on loving and praying1 but this is a rare thing in the world4 ,others were not so considerate4 ,some of her letters at this period are marked ,midnight1 #c ,a4,m41 ,just before dawn1 and so on4 ,but more often she was unable to sit up1 and was too tired to write1 and lay thinking of her last visit home1 and particularly of her sojourn at ,bowden2 ,i never had such a time2 ,i live everything all over again during these sleepless nights2 it grips me more than my real home life of long ago4 ,she never grumbled to her correspondents1 even when in the grip of nervous debility4 ,her letters are filled with loving enquiries about people1 especially young people1 at home4 ,she kept them all in mind1 followed their lives with interest1 and was always anxious to know if they had consecrated themselves to the service of ,christ4 ,life is so great and so grand1 she would write1 and eternity is so real and so terrible in its issues4 ,surely my lads out here are not to take the crown from my boys at home4 ,now and again1 however1 a strain of sadness is perceptible in her letters1 perhaps due to the state of her health and her isolation1 as well as the outlook abroad1 which was then unrestful4 ,all is dark1 she said1 except above4 ,calvary stands safe and sure4 ,often she wondered what worldlings did in the midst of all their entanglements and the mysteries of life and death without some higher hope and strength4 ,life apart from ,christ1 she would say1 is a dreadful gift4 ,her own future loomed uncertain1 and the thought of the children began to weigh upon her mind3 ,it is not likely ,i shall ever go home again4 ,i feel as if ,i did not want to4 ,how could ,i leave the bairns in this dreadful land8 ,who would mother them in this sink of iniquity8 ,and soon afterwards she wrote3 ,i do not think ,i could bear the parting with my children again4 ,if ,i be spared a few years more ,i shall have a bit of land and build a wee house of my own near one of the principal stations1 and just stay out my days there with my bairns and lie down among them4 ,they need a mother's care and a mother's love more than ever as they grow up among heathen people1 and ,i could do a little1 through them1 for the dark homes and hearts around1 and it would be a house and home for them when ,i am gone1 where the missionaries could be near them4 ,janie1 the faithful1 unselfish soul who had been with her from babyhood1 was at last married4 ,her husband1 she said1 is my best scholar1 and if his social standing is not the highest1 he is a real companion to her and to my bairns1 who worship him4 ,the ceremony was performed by ,ma1 and the entry1 in ,efik1 in a tiny marriage register runs as follows3-- ,december #ba1 #ahii4 ,janie ,annan took oath before ,obon 7chief71 ,okon ,ekpo1 and ,erne ,ete1 that she will marry ,akibo ,eyo alone1 ,akibo also took oath that he will marry ,jane alone4 ,they went to the farm with ,eme ,ete4 ,m4,m4,s4 ,the break in the family life gave her much more to do1 but ,janie--or ,jean as she was now more often called--still clung to her1 and spent much time at the ,mission ,house attending to the babies as before1 her husband not objecting to her handling the twins1 and even allowing her to take one home to her house during the day4 ,but difficulty and disappointment came1 as they so often do in ,africa1 and once more ,jean became an inmate of the household1 in which she was to remain to the end4 ,one day a baby arrived whose mother had died after giving it birth1 and she took it and made it her special child4 ,this was ,dan ,mac,arthur ,slessor--called after a home friend of the ,mission--a black boy who was to become almost as well known in ,scotland as ,jean herself4 ,by and by with returning strength the house-mother was able to resume her old strenuous ways from cock-crow till star-shine4 ,the cares of her household never grew fewer4 ,housekeeping in the bush1 she would remark1 means so much more as well as so much less than in ,scotland4 ,there are no 'at homes1' no drawing-room ornaments to dust1 no starched dresses1 but on the other hand there are no butchers or bakers or nurses or washerwomen1 and so ,i have to keep my shoulder to the wheel both indoors and out of doors4 ,there were defects in the situation2 she did not need other people to tell her that2 she was often overwhelmed with the multitude of her duties1 at her wits' end to manage all the children4 ,i have only three girls at present1 she writes1 and ,i have nine babies1 and what with the washing and the school and the palavers and the visitors1 you may be sure there are no drones in this house4 ,sometimes she would stand in a state of pretended distraction and repeat-- ,there was an old woman who lived in a shoe1 ,she had so many children she didn't know what to do4 ,she was not a housewife in the real sense1 although she knew domestic economy with the best1 and there were days when she arose in her might and introduced order and tidiness1 but matters soon fell back into the normal conditions4 ,she was always quite candid about her deficiencies4 ,i have not an elaborate system or method of work2 it is just everything as it comes4 ,i am afraid my mind is not a trained machine4 ,it only works as it chooses4 ,yet no family of white children could have been more cared for or loved4 ,she endeavoured to make ,sunday a specially pleasant day for them1 and tea then was always a happy function4 ,all sat at a big table in the hall--,jean1 ,mana1 ,annie1 ,mary1 ,alice1 and ,maggie1 with bunches of small boys and girls on the floor4 ,it was then that boxes of delicacies from home were opened and devoured4 ,how grateful she was to all her friends6 ,the gifts1 she would write1 are veiled in a mist of love1 real ,scottish love1 reticent but deep and strong1 full of pathos and prayer2 the dear love inspired in our strong rugged ,scots character by the ,holy ,ghost and moulded by our beloved ,presbyterianism of the olden time2 love that does not forget with the passing years4 ,two years after she returned she related cheerfully that she was still wearing the dress that had been given to her on furlough as her best on the occasions when ,government officials called upon her4 ,she saw pathos in these gifts1 but none of that deeper pathos which lay in her own life4 ,she saw nothing to grieve about in her own position1 but only in the empty houses along the ,cross ,river4 ,she was not anxious about herself1 but desperately anxious about the extension of ,roman ,catholic influence in ,calabar4 ,to think1 she exclaimed1 that all our blood and treasure1 love and sacrifice and prayer1 should have been given to make a place for them4 ,from her house in the bush she had been eagerly watching the sweep of that great movement which culminated in #aijj in the union of the ,united ,presbyterian and ,free ,churches of ,scotland4 ,she loved the blue banner of the ,united ,presbyterian ,church1 and one of her constant admonitions to the younger generation was to carry on the grand old traditions4 ,at first she had been inclined to favour a kind of fraternal federation1 each denomination keeping its distinctive principles1 but she came to believe in the transfusion of the two streams of spiritual life4 ,we must not forget1 she wrote1 that the ,free ,church people were met at the ,disruption by an empty exchequer and a confusion and blank that taxed all their energies4 ,it took them such hard work in those days to get churches and homes for themselves that they got a bias that way1 and the outlook to the 'other sheep' may not have been so wide as that of our forefathers4 ,these used the little prayer-houses and humble meeting-places for prayer and preaching3 they were men nursed in persecution and contempt and poverty1 and they reaped ,god's compensations in a detachment from the world1 and in the grit and spirituality and faith and unity which stress and persecution breed4 ,and we have inherited it all1 and it is our contribution to the ,church life of to-day4 ,her hope was that the ,union might create a new and enlarged interest in the foreign field and fill up the ranks in ,calabar2 but she was to be disappointed in this1 and she often expressed the view that the ,mission to which she had given her heart and life had been swallowed up1 and had somehow lost its individuality4444 ,into the ,united ,free ,church the ,united ,presbyterians brought thirty- eight women missionaries and one hundred and eighty-five women agents1 and the ,free ,church brought sixty ,european women missionaries and ten ,eurasians1 and nearly four hundred native women agents1 making1 on the women's side of the work alone1 a total missionary staff in round numbers of one hundred ,european workers assisted by nearly six hundred local agents1 and all these were now put under a new body1 the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 composed of some of the most gifted and consecrated minds of the ,church4 ,,xxxv4 ,,exiled ,,to ,,creek ,,town ,a dramatic public event which vitally affected her own life and the course of the mission enterprise brought her seclusion to an end4 ,the story belongs more to the next phase of her career1 but may be briefly noticed here4 ,with the extension of ,british influence into the interior of the continent the form of ,government had undergone another development4 ,two protectorates were formed1 ,northern and ,southern ,nigeria1 and ,sir ,ralph ,moor was appointed ,high ,commissioner of the latter4 ,the same policy of pacifying and cleaning up the country continued2 but there were still large stretches practically untouched by the agents of the ,government1 including the territory lying between the ,cross ,river and the ,niger1 in the upper part of which slave-raiding and trading went on as it had done for centuries4 ,the ,aros1 a powerful tribe who controlled the juju worship1 were the people responsible for this evil4 ,they would not submit to the new conditions1 continued to make war on peaceable tribes1 and indulged in human sacrifices1 blocked the trade routes1 and resisted the authority of the ,government4 ,one officer was only able to penetrate fifteen miles west of the ,cross ,river1 not without perilous experiences1 and then was obliged to beat a rapid retreat to escape being killed and eaten4 ,the ,government was very patient and conciliatory2 but it became absolutely necessary at last to despatch a small expedition1 and a field force was organised at ,calabar for the purpose4 ,dr4 ,rattray of the ,mission staff was attached to it as medical officer4 ,the ,aros did not wait for the advance2 they raided a village only fifteen miles from ,ikorofiong1 and1 as a precaution1 all the missionaries upriver were ordered down to ,duke and ,creek ,towns4 ,okoyong was unmoved by these matters1 ,ma ,slessor's authority was supreme1 but while the ,government believed that all would be well1 they thought it better that she should also come to ,calabar until the trouble was over4 ,very much against her will she complied4 ,they sent up a special convoy for her1 and treated her with all consideration4 ,they even offered to build a house at ,creek ,town for her and her large family2 but she did not wish to become too closely identified with the ,government1 and declined their kindly assistance4 ,she found accommodation in part of the hospital1 where1 however1 she had no privacy1 and was not very comfortable4 ,it was the first time she had been in ,calabar since her arrival three years before1 and she was not happy4 ,she was never otherwise than ill1 and she longed to get away from the crowd and the bright1 the terribly bright sky4 ,the children also were unwell4 ,but there were compensations4 ,the ,okoyong people kept steady during the unrest1 and remained true to their ,queen4 ,they came down to see her1 brought all their disputes for her to settle1 and loaded her with gifts of food1 which were very acceptable1 as prices had risen4 ,her lads kept on the services1 and the people attended regularly4 ,she heard good news of the twins1 which the mothers had taken in order to relieve her2 they were in four different homes in four different districts1 and nothing had been said by the people4 ,one of her oldest friends1 the wife of a big chief1 a wealthy leisured woman1 bore twins4 ,she instantly wrote to the chief telling him to put her into a canoe and send her down to ,creek ,town4 ,i am sorry for her1 she said1 but we cannot make different laws for the rich and for the poor1 and yet one may press too far with a chief1 and incite rebellion4 ,after all we are foreigners1 and they own the country1 so ,i always try to make the law fit in1 while we adjust things between us4 ,a campaign of three months sufficed to break the power of the ,aros1 but long before that she was wearying to be back in ,okoyong4 ,at last she appealed to the ,commissioner4 ,he asked her to wait until a certain movement of troops was completed4 ,smilingly she replied that she would be off at the first opportunity--and she went4 ,her enforced sojourn in ,creek ,town was followed by the best results4 ,new missionaries had come out in whom she became interested4 ,the one to whom she owed most was the ,rev4 ,a4 ,w4 ,wilkie1 ,b4,d41 who soon afterwards married a daughter of ,dr4 ,george ,robson1 the ,editor of the ,missionary ,record4 ,with these two she formed a friendship which was to prove one of the joys of her life4 ,mr4 ,wilkie understood her from the first2 his keen insight enabled him to explore a character that was growing ever more complex1 and he possessed that quality of understanding sympathy to which alone her sensitive nature responded4 ,she enjoyed meeting these young workers who had come to carry on the traditions of the ,mission2 she liked them because of their eagerness and energy and their desire to do things4 ,all her knowledge was at their disposal1 and she would tell them of the golden days of the past and describe the characteristics and superstitions of the people as well as speak of the higher things of life4 ,some of them thought her the most fascinating woman they had ever met4 ,her talks1 they declared1 are better than medicine4 ,many a wise bit of counsel she passed on to her sister missionaries4 ,she gave me at the very beginning of life in ,calabar1 says one1 a piece of advice that ,i have never forgotten1 and which has comforted me over and over again4 ,i was saying that in a place like ,duke ,town it was so difficult to know exactly what to do1 and she said1 ',do8 lassie1 do8 ,you've not got to do1 you've just got to be1 and the doing will follow4' ,make a bold stand for purity of speech and charity of judgment1 she told another1 and let none of the froth that rises to the top of the life around you vex or disturb your peace4 ,many acknowledged that they had their lives enriched1 their faith strengthened1 and their work helped by contact with her4 ,,xxxvi4 ,,pictures ,,and ,,impressions ,the younger missionaries began to frequent ,akpap1 and from the accounts of their visits we obtain some unstudied and vivid pictures of ,ma and her household4 ,this slight woman with the shrunk and colourless skin1 the remarkable deep-set eyes1 and the ,scots tongue1 so poor in the gifts of the world1 so rich in the qualities of the spirit1 made a deep impression upon them1 although it is a question whether they ever fully understood all she was and did4 ,they lived in the ,european atmosphere1 she in the native2 they noticed only superficial aspects1 she moved deep beneath the surface amongst conditions of which they were only dimly aware4 ,we walk for five or six miles along the pleasant bush path1 writes one1 and as we near the big trees and the clearing round the ,mission ,house1 children's voices cry1 ',ma is coming1' and a sweet1 somewhat strident voice inquires1 ',what ,ma8 ,jean put the kettle on1 ,jean put the kettle on4' ',and we'll all have tea1' sings out my friend4 ',how are you1 ,ma8' for we have reached the verandah1 and ',ma1' eagerly hospitable1 is giving us a royal welcome4 ,she was usually found barefooted and bareheaded1 with a twin-baby in her arms and a swarm of children about her1 or on the roof nailing down the sheet-iron which a tornado had shifted1 or holding a palaver from the verandah1 or sitting in ,court1 but always busy4 ,no one can have much time for rest here1 was the verdict of one missionary after a short stay4 ,her power1 wrote another1 is amazing2 she is really ,queen of the whole of ,okoyong district4 ,the ,high ,commissioner and his staff leave the administration of it in her hands4 ,it is wonderful to see the grip she has of the most intricate native and political questions of the country4 ,the people tell me she knows their language better than they do themselves1 and that they appeal to her on their own customs and laws4 ,she has done a magnificent work1 and the people have a deeper reverence for her than you can imagine4 ,when they speak of her their tones change4 ,one thing ,i noticed1 she never allowed a native to sit in her presence4 ,she keeps them all at a respectful distance1 although when they are ill1 sometimes with the most loathsome diseases1 she will nurse them2 and she never shakes hands with them4 ,she told the ,high ,commissioner to do so with some--but for herself1 never6 ,when ,i asked her the reason she looked at me and said simply1 ',i live alone4' ,the reference to her command of the language bears out what all competent observers have stated4 ,some missionaries retain their accent even after long service and speak as foreigners1 but she had all the vocabulary1 the idioms1 the inflections1 the guttural sounds1 the interjections1 and sarcasms1 as well as the quick characteristic gestures that belong only to the natives4 ,she excelled even the natives themselves in their own tongue1 says ,mr4 ,luke4 ,she could play with it and make the people smile2 she could cut with it and make them wince2 she could pour spates of indignation until they cried out1 ',ekem6 ,enough1 ,ma6' and she could croon with it and make the twins she saved happy1 and she could sing with it softly to comfort and cheer4 ,one visitor who accompanied a missionary friend found her haranguing a crowd who had arrived to palaver4 ,she stopped now and again and spoke to the visitors in broad ,scots4 ,well1 said the missionary afterwards1 what do you think of her8 ,i would not like her to catch me stealing her chickens6 was the reply4 ,one of the qualities which astonished her guests was her utter fearlessness4 ,there were no locks on her mission doors4 ,she went everywhere1 condemning chiefs1 fining them1 divorcing them2 and came home to her bairns to be a child with them1 and to romp and sing to them queer little chants of her own composition4 ,one story of these days her visitors carried away4 ,a murder had been committed1 and the slayer was pursued by the people1 who intended to follow out their custom and torture him4 ,he was seized and chained4 ,straining to break loose1 his eyes almost bursting from their sockets1 he cried1 ,beware6 ,you may kill me1 but my spirit will come back and spoil you4 ,ay1 it will not be you1 the slaves1 but you1 the chiefs1 that will suffer4 ,beware6 ,i will come if you do not take me to ,ma's house4 ,he was taken to ,ma1 who on hearing the evidence ordered him to be conveyed to ,duke ,town4 ,then she loosed him from his chains and sat down with him alone in the house for the whole afternoon4 ,the doors and windows were open1 and all he had to do was to strike her down and fly4 ,but she showed no fear4 ,at night he was again chained and placed in the prayer-room or store-room underneath until the guard arrived4 ,during the night he managed to slip off his chains and was free to escape into the bush4 ,when she went into the room in the morning with food and called him1 there was no sound or reply4 ,it was dark in the place1 but she entered and moved around to find the prisoner4 ,at the back of the door she came into contact with his swinging body4 ,he had taken off his loin-cloth and hanged himself4 ,her visitors noticed1 almost with wonders her devotion to her children and the little morsels of humanity that came pouring in upon her4 ,miss ,welsh1 ,,ll4,a41 thus describes the household3 ,jean1 the ever-cheerful and willing helper2 ,annie the drawer of water and hewer of wood1 kind willing worker2 ,mary the smart1 handsome favourite2 ,alice the stolid dependable little body1 and ,maggie the fusionless1 ,dannie the imp1 and ,asoqu who looked with his big innocent eyes a wee angel1 and who yet was in constant trouble1 chiefly for insisting on sharing the cat's meals4 ,then there were the babies--a lovely wee twin-girl1 whom their mother was nursing1 a poor wee boy almost skin and bone lying cradled in a box4 ,behind the house in a rough shelter was another twin-mother caring none too kindly for her surviving child4 ,another writes1 ,i never saw anything more beautiful than her devotion to these black children4 ,she had a poor sick boy in her arms all the time1 and nursed him while walking up and down directing the girls4 ,he died at #aa4cj and she slept with him in her arms all night4 ,next morning he was put in a small milk packing-case1 and the children dug a grave and buried it and held a service4 ,and here we have the scene at evening prayers3 ,we began with an ,efik hymn of her own1 which she repeated line by line1 while the little ones chanted it with a weird intonation4 ,they then sang the whole to the tune ,french4 ,she tested their memory of the morning lesson1 and gave them a homely but powerful address1 interrupting herself once to tell us how hydrophobia had broken out a few days before1 and how she had held one poor lad of ten in her arms until he died4 ,she prayed1 and the children bowed down their heads till they rested upon the ground4 ,they next chanted the ',amen1' and half-chanted the ,lord's ,prayer1 and finished with what she called 'one of the new fanciful ,english hymns-- ',if ,i come to ,jesus4' ,then very simply and sweetly she commended us all to the ,father's love and care4 ,long talks1 often prolonged into the night1 would follow4 ,how ,ma talked1 says ,miss ,welsh1 and what a privilege it was to listen1 what an experience1 and what an education6 ,how she made the past vivid as she lived it over again--the days of her girlhood--her mischievous pranks1 her love of fun1 her early days in ,calabar1 tales of the old worthies1 tales of herself1 and her own life1 of her early pioneering1 of loved ones at home1 of kind letters whose messages of cheer she would share1 of comfort and help from ,god's word--from the passage of the day's reading1 of new lessons learned1 of new light revealed4 ,i can still hear her1 still listen with the old fascination1 still enjoy her wild indignations1 still marvel at her amazing personality1 her extraordinary vitality and energy1 still feel as ,i have ever felt her ,god-given power to draw one nearer to the ,lord she loved so well4 ,when her guests departed she would walk with them a long way1 her feet bare1 her head uncovered4 ,no1 said a missionary1 ,i would not like to see other ladies do that1 but ,i would not care to see her different4 ,it is easy to give a false impression of her4 ,she is not unwomanly4 ,she is eccentric if you like1 but she is gentle of heart1 with a beautiful simplicity of nature1 ,i join in the reverence which the natives show her4 ,,xxxvii4 ,a ,,night ,,in ,,the ,,bush ,miss ,slessor began to feel that her days in ,okoyong were drawing to a close4 ,her part of the work there was done4 ,the district was civilised1 and all that the station required was organisation in detail and steady development4 ,but she was not one to rest in any circumstances in which she was placed4 ,she abated nothing of her devotion in the interests of the peoples and although her strength did not now allow her to take long journeys on foot she never hesitated to answer the call upon her sympathy and courage4 ,she had more than one adventure in these days1 but she had passed through so many hard experiences that she made light of them1 regarding them as mere incidents in the day's work4 ,one afternoon1 while she was in school1 there appeared before her a young man of the superior class of slaves1 who said his wife had given birth to twins in the bush more than twelve miles away4 ,all the people had deserted her1 a tornado was brewing--would she come and help8 ,ma thought of her brood of children1 and one a sickly baby1 but turning them over to the slave twin-mother she had bought1 and leaving food with her in her hut1 she committed the whole twelve to ,providence and set out with ,jean4 ,the young man led them at a breathless pace4 ,if only you could dion the rain-cloud1 he cried back4 ,i am praying that ,god may keep it back1 was all ,mary could jerk out4 ,the way seemed endless1 and the shadows of night fell swiftly about them1 but at last they arrived near the spot and were joined by the mistress of the slave and an old naked woman4 ,they found the mother lying on the ground surrounded by charms4 ,ma pushed these away with her foot4 ,the night was pitch dark1 there were occasional raindrops1 and the woman was delirious4 ,she ordered the husband and his slave-man to make a stretcher4 ,they regarded the idea with horror1 and pleaded that they could never carry her1 their belief doubtless being that they would die if they touched the unclean burden4 ,all begged ,ma to leave the woman to her fate1 but she turned upon them with a voice of scorn1 and such was her power that the men hastily set to and constructed a rough stretcher of branches and leaves1 and even helped to place the woman upon it4 ,before leaving1 a sad little ceremony had to take place4 ,one of the infants was dead1 and ,jean took her machete and dug a little cavity in the ground1 and upon some soft leaves the child was laid and covered up4 ,she then lifted the other twin1 the men raised the stretcher1 and the party set off1 a fire-stick1 red at the point1 and twirled to maintain the glow1 dimly showing them the way4 ,the rain kept off1 but it was so dark that ,ma had to keep hold of the hem of ,jean's dress in order not to lose her4 ,the latter stumbled and fell1 bringing down ,mary also4 ,where are you8 each cried1 and then a hand or a foot was held out and gripped4 ,sometimes the men dropped to their knees1 but the jolting brought no cry from the unconscious form they were carrying4 ,by and by they drew up in the utter solitude1 and had to confess they were lost4 ,the men left to grope for signs of the path and the two women were alone4 ,jean grew depressed1 not on her own account but on ,ma's1 for she knew that she was utterly exhausted1 and could not hold out much longer4 ,what if they desert us8 she said4 ,well1 replied ,mary1 trying to appear as if fatigue and fear and wild beasts had no existence1 we shall just stay here until the morning4 ,jean's response was something like a grunt4 ,one of the men returned4 ,can't find a road1 he grumbled1 and disappeared again4 ,what was that8 ,a firefly8 ,no1 a light4 ,the other man had discovered a hut1 and had procured a lighted palm tassel dipped in oil4 ,poor as it was the light served to show the way until the path was reached4 ,after sore toil they gained the ,mission yard4 ,the men laid the stretcher in an open shed and1 overcome with their exertions1 threw themselves down anywhere and went asleep4 ,but there was no rest yet for ,mary4 ,securing some old doors and sheets of iron she patched up a room for the woman1 ,in which she could pass the night4 ,the children were awakened and crawled out of ,iye's hut into the yard crying in sleepy misery4 ,jean and ,annie carried them to the ,mission ,house and put them to bed1 and brought back some hot food for the patient1 who was constantly moaning1 ,cold1 cold2 give me a fire4 ,not till she was fed and soothed did ,mary give in4 ,she could not summon sufficient strength to go upstairs1 but lay down on the floor where she was1 with her clothes on1 and all the dirt of the journey upon her1 and slept till daybreak4 ,the baby died next day1 and the mother hovered at the point of death4 ,mary strove hard to save her1 but the result was doubtful from the first4 ,none in the yard would give any help save ,jean2 the woman was a social leper1 and all sat at a safe distance1 dumb or blaspheming4 ,conscious at the end1 the poor girl cried piteously to her husband not to reproach her4 ,it is not my fault1 she said1 ,i did not mean to insult you4 ,ma placed her hand on her hot brow calming her1 and prayed that she might find an entrance into a better world than the one which had treated her so badly4 ,when she passed away she thrust aside the leper woman whom her people sent to assist her1 and washed the body herself and dressed her so that for once a twin-mother was honoured in her death4 ,she was placed in a coffin of corrugated iron1 strengthened with bamboo splints1 and beside her were put the spoons and pot and dish and other things which she had used4 ,her husband and his slave bore her away into the bush1 and there at a desolate spot1 where no one was likely to live or plant or build1 they left her and stole from the place in terror4 ,,xxxviii4 ,,with ,,loving-,,kindness ,,crowned ,on the fifteenth anniversary of that notable ,sunday in #ahhh when ,mary settled at ,ekenge1 the first communion service in ,okoyong was held4 ,it crowned her service there1 and put a seal upon the wonderful work she had accomplished for civilisation and for ,christ4 ,alone1 she had done in ,okoyong what it had taken a whole ,mission to do in ,calabar4 ,the old order of heathenism had been broken up1 the business of life was no longer fighting and killing1 women were free from outrage and the death menace1 slaves had begun to realise that they were human beings with human rights1 industry and trade were established1 peace reigned4 ,above all1 people were openly living the ,christian life1 and many lads were actively engaged in ,church work4 ,no congregation had been formally organised1 but the readiness of the young people to join the ,church was brought to the notice of the ,rev4 ,w4 ,t4 ,weir1 who was stationed at ,creek ,town1 with the result that he was appointed to go up and conduct the necessary services4 ,on the ,saturday night in ,august corresponding to the one when she arrived1 a preparatory service was held in the hall beneath the ,mission ,house1 and in the presence of the people seven young ,christians were received into the ,church by baptism4 ,more were coming forward1 but the fears of their friends succeeded in preventing them4 ,wait and see1 they urged1 until we know what the thing is4 ,some of the parents anxiously asked ,ma whether the ceremony was in any way connected with mbiam4 ,on ,sunday came a great throng1 which filled the hall and overflowed into the grounds1 many sitting on native stools and chairs1 and even on gin-boxes4 ,before the communion service she presented eleven of the children1 including six she had rescued1 for baptism4 ,it was a quiet and beautiful day1 with the hush that comes with ,god's rest-day all the world over4 ,as the company gathered to the first ,memorial ,table in ,okoyong1 she thought of all the years that lay behind1 and was greatly moved4 ,in the stillness the old ,scottish ,psalm tunes rose thrilling with the gratitude and praise of a new-born people4 ,after the bread and wine had been partaken of1 thanks were returned by the singing of the #ajcrd ,psalm to the tune ,stroudwater4 ,when the third and fourth verses were being sung-- ,kprukpru muquakp ke ima ,all thine iniquities who doth ,enye adahado2 ,most graciously forgive3 ,anam ud okure1 ,who thy diseases all and pains ,ye ndutukh fo4 ,doth heal1 and thee relieve4 ,enye onm fi ke uwem1 ,who doth redeem thy life1 that thou ,osio ka mkpa2 ,to death may'st not go down2 ,onyu odori fi eti ,who thee with loving-kindness doth ,mfn y'aqua ima4 ,and tender mercies crown-- ,she seemed to be lost ,in a trance of thought1 her face had a far-away look1 and tears stood in her eyes4 ,she was thinking of the greatness of ,god's love that could win even the oppressed people of dark ,okoyong4 ,she could not let the assembly break up without saying a few words4 ,now that they had the beginnings of a congregation they must1 she said1 build a church large enough for all who cared to come4 ,and she pled with those who had been received to remain true to the faith4 ,okoyong now looks to you more than to me for proof of the power of the ,gospel4 ,in the quiet of the evening in the ,mission ,house1 she seemed to dwell in the past4 ,long she spoke of what the conditions had been fifteen years before1 and of the changes that had come since4 ,but her joy was in those who had been brought to confess ,christ1 and she was glad to think that1 after all1 the work had not been a failure4 ,and all the glory she gave to her ,father who had so marvellously helped her4 ,for a moment also her fancy turned to the future4 ,she would be no longer there1 but she knew the work would go on from strength to strength1 and her eyes shone as she saw in vision the gradual ingathering of the people1 and her beloved ,okoyong at last fair and redeemed4 ,,fourth ,,phase #aijb-aiaj4 ,age #ed-fb4 ,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,the ,,enyong ,,creek ,i feel drawn on and on by the magnetism of this land of dense darkness and mysterious weird forest4 ,i4 ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,the ,,long ,,juju ,again had come the fulness of the time1 and again ,mary ,slessor1 at an age when most women begin to think of taking their ease1 went forward to a new and great work for ,christ and civilisation4 ,kind eyes and loving hands beckoned to her from ,scotland to come and rest1 but she gazed into the interior1 towards vast regions as yet unentered1 and saw there the gleam of the ,divine light leading her on1 and she turned with a happy sigh to follow it4 ,in this case there was no sharp division between the old and new spheres of service4 ,for ten years she had been brooding over the conditions in the territory on the west side of the ,cross ,river1 so near at hand1 so constantly skirted by missionaries1 traders1 and officials as they sailed up-river1 and yet so unknown1 and so full of the worst abominations of heathenism4 ,just above ,calabar the ,cross ,river bends back upon itself1 and here at the point of the elbow the ,enyong ,creek runs inland into the heart of the territory towards the ,niger4 ,at its mouth on high ground stands the township of ,itu1 of sinister reputation in the history of the ,west ,coast4 ,for there on the broad beach at the foot of the cliff was held market which for centuries supplied ,calabar and the ,new ,world with slaves4 ,down through the forest paths1 down the quiet waters of the ,creek1 countless victims of man's cupidity had poured1 had been huddled together there1 had been inspected1 appraised1 and sold1 and then had been scattered to compounds throughout the country or shipped across the sea4 ,and there still a market1 was held1 and along the upper borders of the ,creek human sacrifice and cannibalism were practised4 ,only recently a chief had died1 and sixty slave people had been killed and eaten4 ,one day twenty-five were set in a row with their hands tied behind them1 and a man came and with a knife chopped off their heads4 ,it is a strange irony that this old slave creek1 the scene of so much misery and anguish1 is one of the prettiest waterways in ,west ,africa4 ,it is narrow and still and winding1 and great tropical trees covered with the delicate tracery of creepers line the banks1 their branches sometimes interlacing above1 while the undergrowth is rich in foliage and blossom4 ,lovely orchids and ferns grow in the hollows of the boughs and old trunks that have fallen2 but the glory of the ,creek is its water-lilies1 which cover the surface everywhere1 so that a boat has often to cut its way through their mass4 ,on either hand1 side-creeks can be seen twisting among the trees and running deeper into the heart of the forest4 ,the silence of the primeval solitude is unbroken save when a canoe passes1 and then a startled alligator will slip into the water1 monkeys will scurry chattering from branch to branch1 parrots will fly screaming away1 blue kingfishers and wild ducks will disappear from their perch1 and yellow palm birds will gleam for a moment as they flit through the sunlight4 ,the ,creek is beautiful at all times1 but in the early morning when the air is cool and the light is misty and the vistas are veiled in dimness1 the scene is one of fairy-like enchantment4 ,above the ,creek all the country between the ,cross ,river and the ,niger up to near ,lokoja in ,northern ,nigeria1 was occupied by the ,ibo tribe1 numbering about four millions1 of a fairly high racial type1 who were dominated by the ,aros clan dwelling in some twenty or thirty towns situated close together in the district of ,arochuku 7,god of the ,aros74 ,a remarkable and mysterious people1 the ,aros were light- coloured1 intelligent1 subtle1 and cunning4 ,more intellectual and commercial than warlike1 they developed two lines of activity--trade and religion--and made each serve the other4 ,their chief commodity was slaves4 ,each town controlled certain slave routes1 and each had a definite sphere of influence which extended over a wide tract of territory4 ,when slaves were scarce they engaged mercenaries to raid villages and capture them4 ,but they had usually a supply from the ,long ,juju situated in a secret1 well-guarded gorge4 ,the fame of this fetish was like that of the ,delphic oracle of old2 it spread over the country1 and people came far distances to make sacrifices at its shrine1 and consult the priests on all possible subjects4 ,these priests were men chosen by the various towns1 who were raised to a semi-sacred status in the eyes of the people4 ,enormous fees and fines were imposed1 but the majority who entered the spot never left it alive2 they were either sacrificed and eaten1 or sold into slavery4 ,the shrine was built in the middle of a stream1 which was alive with ugly fish with glaring eyes that were regarded as sacred4 ,when the friends of the man who had entered saw the water running red1 they believed that the ,juju had devoured him4 ,in reality some red material had been cast in1 and the man would be sent as a slave to a remote part of the country4 ,the priests despatched their emissaries far and wide2 they settled in townships1 swore blood brotherhood with the chiefs1 and took part in local affairs4 ,they planted farms1 and traded and acquired enormous power4 ,when disputes arose they got the matter sent for adjustment to the town in ,aro within whose sphere of influence they lived1 or to the ,long ,juju4 ,in this way they acted as agents of the slave system4 ,other men took round the slaves on definite routes4 ,their usual plan was to leave one on approval1 obtaining on their own part so much on each1 or a slave of lower value4 ,when the trader returned the bargain would be completed4 ,the usual price of a new slave was #bjj or #cjj rods and a bad slave4 ,so widespread was the net east by the ,aros1 and so powerful their influence1 that if a chief living a full week's journey to the north were asked1 ,what road is that8 he would say1 ,the road to ,aro4 ,all roads in the country led to ,aro4 ,a few years before this a party of eight hundred natives had proceeded from the territories about the ,niger to consult the ,long ,juju on various matters4 ,they were led by a circuitous route to ,arochuku1 and housed in a village4 ,batches of from ten to twenty were regularly taken away1 ostensibly to the ,juju1 but were either sacrificed or sold into servitude1 only a miserable remnant of #acj succeeding in reaching the hands of ,government officials4 ,of a totally different type were the people living to the south of the ,creek1 called the ,ibibios4 ,they were one of the poorest races in ,africa1 both morally and physically1 a result largely due to centuries of fear and oppression4 ,ibibio was the chief raiding-ground of the head-hunters1 and the people lived in small isolated huts and villages deep in the forest1 in order to lessen the risk of capture4 ,in demeanour they were cowed and sullen1 gliding past one furtively and swiftly1 as if afraid2 in language and life they were untruthful and filthy4 ,the women1 who wore no clothing save a small piece of native cloth made of palm fibre1 were mere beasts of burden4 ,all the young people went naked4 ,most unpromising material they seemed4 ,yet they never ceased to draw out the sympathy and hope of the ,white ,mother of ,okoyong2 there was no people1 she believed1 who could not be recreated4 ,she knew a great deal about the ,aros and their slave system1 more1 probably1 than any other white person in the country4 ,indeed few had any knowledge of them4 ,what is sad about the ,aro ,expedition1 wrote ,mr4 ,luke1 one of the ,cross ,river pioneers1 is that nearly all the town names in connection with it are unknown to those of us who thought we had a passable knowledge of ,old ,calabar4 ,i never heard of the ,aros1 of ,bende1 or of ,arochuku4 ,it is somewhat humiliating that after over fifty years' work as a mission1 the district on the right bank should be so little known to us4 ,mary had first-hand acquaintance with the people4 ,refugees came to her from both ,ibo and ,ibibio with stories of cruelty and wrong and oppression2 chiefs from both regions sought her out for advice and guidance2 slave-dealers from ,arochuku and ,bende1 with their human wares1 called at ,ekenge and ,akpap1 and with many of these she was friendly1 and learned from them the secrets of their trade4 ,she told them frankly that she was coming some day to their country1 and they gave her a cordial invitation1 but hinted that it might not be quite safe4 ,it was not the danger that prevented her4 ,she would have gone before1 but the difficulty was providing for ,okoyong when she was absent4 ,she would not leave her people unless they were cared for by competent hands4 ,she asked for two ladies to be sent in order that she might be free to carry out her idea of visiting the ,aro country1 but none could be spared1 and so she had1 perforce1 to wait4 ,it was not easy1 but she loyally submitted4 ,the test of a real good missionary1 she wrote1 is this waiting1 silent1 seemingly useless time4 ,so many who can distinguish themselves at home1 missing the excitement and the results1 get discontented1 morose1 cynical1 and depreciate everything4 ,everything1 however seemingly secular and small1 is ,god's work for the moment1 and worthy of our very best endeavour4 ,to such1 a mission house1 even in its humdrum days1 is a magnificent opportunity of service4 ,in a home like mine a woman can find infinite happiness and satisfaction4 ,it is an exhilaration of constant joy--,i cannot fancy anything to surpass it on earth4 ,then came the military expedition to break up the slave system and the false gods of ,aro4 ,the troops were moved into ,arochuku by way of the ,creek1 and the forces of civilisation encountered the warriors of barbarism in the swamps and bush that edge the waterway4 ,when the troops entered the towns they found juju-houses everywhere1 and in almost every home were rude images smeared with the blood of sacrifice4 ,the dreaded ,long ,juju was discovered in a gloomy defile about a mile from ,arochuku4 ,the path to it wound a tortuous way through dense bush1 with others constantly leading off on both sides1 evidently intended to puzzle the uninitiated4 ,a watch-tower was passed where sentinels had been posted4 ,at the bottom of the valley1 between high rocky banks clothed with ferns and creepers1 ran a stream which widened out into a pool covered with water-lilies4 ,in the dim light was seen a small island1 and upon it a rude shelter surrounded by a fence of gun- barrels4 ,lying about were gin-bottles1 cooking-pots1 and human skulls1 the witness of past orgies4 ,at the entrance was a white goat starving to death4 ,most of the chiefs had never seen-a white man1 and when ,sir ,ralph ,moor went up to hold a palaver1 their interest was intense4 ,they sat on the ground in a semicircle in the shade of a giant cotton tree1 suspicious and hostile1 listening to the terms of the ,government1 which included disarmament1 the suppression of the juju-worship1 and the prohibition of the buying1 pawning1 and selling of slaves4 ,after much palaver these were agreed to4 ,over two thousand five hundred war-guns were surrendered1 but sacrifices continued--and still to some extent go on in secret in the depths of the forest4 ,much work also had still to be done before ,government rule was generally accepted4 ,throughout the whole time occupied by the expedition1 but more particularly in the later stages1 the important chiefs kept continually in touch with ,ma ,slessor1 and one official states that it was to her influence more than all the force and power of the ,government emissaries that the final settlement of the country was due4444 ,it is interesting to speculate what might have been the course of events had she been able to carry out her plan before the punitive expedition was called for4 ,mr4 ,wilkie goes so far as to say that had she been settled in the ,aro country it is doubtful whether an armed expedition would have been necessary1 and it is at least possible that the suppression of the slave-trade would have been achieved by the peaceable means of the ,gospel4 ,primitive peoples often bend more quickly before ,christ than break before might of arms4 ,,ii4 ,,planting ,a ,,base ,a large tract of new territory was now open to outside influences4 ,who was to be the first to settle in it--official1 trader1 or missionary8 ,mary studied the situation again in the light of the new conditions1 obtaining information first-hand from officials and natives4 ,there were two stations on the west of the ,cross ,river--,ikorofiong1 which1 however1 was really an ,efik trading town1 and higher up1 ,unwana1 which was a back-water and unfit for a base for inland work4 ,tentative efforts had been made from time to time to secure a footing elsewhere1 but had come to nothing1 and the policy of the ,mission had been to continue up-river as being the line of least resistance4 ,her conviction was that extension1 for the present at least1 should take place not up the river1 where the stations were cut off from the base during the dry season1 but laterally across the country between the ,cross ,river and the ,niger4 ,there were1 she saw1 three strategetic factors which dominated the situation--the ,enyong ,creek giving admission to the new territory1 ,itu at its mouth1 and ,arochuku1 the religious and political centre of the ,ibos4 ,the central position of ,itu impressed her2 it commanded the three contiguous regions and peoples--the ,ibo1 ,ibibio1 and ,efik1 and her plan was to seize and hold it as a base1 then one of the towns of ,arochuku as the threshold of ,iboland1 and1 if possible1 ,bende4 ,her views did not commend themselves to all her colleagues in ,calabar1 but how wise1 how far-seeing1 how statesmanlike was her policy the later history of the ,mission proves4 ,she felt she could do nothing until help was obtained for ,akpap4 ,fortunately there was one lady missionary in ,calabar who had the courage to prefer ,okoyong to quieter stations-,miss ,wright of the ,girls' ,institute1 who asked the local ,committee to send her there as assistant to ,miss ,slessor2 and although the ,committee approved1 the matter was referred to the ,women's ,committee at home4 ,as there seemed no prospect of anything being done1 she began to move quietly along her own lines4 ,her school lads were now old enough and educated enough to be used as advance agents1 and her hope lay in these4 ,in ,january #aijc she left ,akpap with two boys1 ,esien and ,effiom1 and one of her girls1 ,mana1 and canoed to ,itu1 and planted them there to teach school and hold services4 ,esien took the chief part in the latter1 whilst ,effiom led the singing4 ,mana's work was the teaching of the girls4 ,a few weeks later she found that the results had exceeded all her dreams4 ,the chief said he was too old to change his ways1 but the younger ones could learn the new ideas--anyway ,god had made him1 and so was bound to look after him whatever sins he committed4 ,but the children were eager to learn1 and made apt scholars1 and the people crowded to the services until there was no more room for them4 ,she went up again and selected a site on the top of the hill with a magnificent view and built a school1 speeding the work with her own hands1 and set the willing people to construct a church1 with two rooms for herself at the end4 ,when one of her fellow-missionaries1 ,dr4 ,rattray1 heard of this he wrote3 ,bravo6 ,uganda was evangelised by this means1 and the teachers there could only read the gospels and could not write or count2 the ,mission understood its business to be to spread the ,gospel1 and all who could read taught others and spread the news4 ,perhaps we educate the people too much1 and make them think that education is religion4 ,when in ,february she heard that the ,roman ,catholics were intending to settle at ,bende her heart was heavy4 ,the thought that all that is holiest in the ,church1 should have been shed to create an opening for that corrupt body makes me ill4 ,and not even a station opened or the hope of one6 ,oh1 if ,i were able to go or send even a few of my bairns just to take hold4 ,the country is far from being at rest1 but if the ,roman ,catholics can go so can ,i4444 ,there is a great future for ,nigeria2 if only ,i were young again and had money6 ,she wrote to ,dr4 ,adam1 a ,government friend in ,bende1 a soldier of the ,church as well as a servant of the ,king1 and he supplied her with all the information she needed4 ,bende1 he said1 was not the place it was supposed to be2 the population numbered from two to four thousand2 it was not likely to become a trading centre2 whilst the overland transport was a disadvantage4 ,the journey was by launch to ,itu1 by steel canoe up the ,enyong ,creek1 thence by foot or hammock to ,arochuku and ,bende4 ,he stated that ,bishop ,johnston of the ,church ,missionary ,society was already in ,bende prospecting4 ,when she received his letter she said to herself1 ,shall ,i go8 ,she did not wish to compromise the mission in any way1 and proposed to go about the matter quietly1 at her own expense4 ,she would travel if necessary in a hammock1 as she was not so sure of herself as of old1 and would find rest at wayside huts1 and she would take ,iye to act as interpreter where the women did not know ,efik4 ,i would do what ,i like1 and would come back to my work rested and refreshed4 ,but--,i want ,god to send me4 ,what was influencing her also was the conviction that the end had come for her at ,akpap4 ,again she had the consciousness that it was time for the station to be taken over by an ordained missionary1 who would build up a congregation4 ,i shall not say that ,i shall leave my home without a pang1 but ,i know that ,i can do work which new folk cannot do1 and my days of service are closing in1 and ,i cannot build up a church in the way a minister can4 ,she believed that in the special conditions of ,west ,africa women were better than men for beginning work in the interior4 ,and she still retained her faith in the home-trained domesticated type--girls who had brothers and sisters and had learned to give and take and find duty in doing common things1 rather than those turned out by the training schools1 who were1 she thought1 apt to be too artificial and full of theories4 ,her ideal of a man missionary was ,dr4 ,rattray1 who was a good carpenter and shoemaker and general handy-man1--far better accomplishments than a college education for the ,african field4 ,she did not1 of course1 depreciate culture1 so long as practical qualities of heart and hand went with it4 ,the proposal regarding ,miss ,wright going to ,akpap having been agreed to1 she began to look forward to her advent as an event that would determine the future4 ,seldom has one been so eagerly watched for2 for months it was nothing but ,when ,miss ,wright comes1 ,wait till ,miss ,wright comes1 so on4 ,for days before she appeared the household were in excited mood1 every morning fresh flowers were placed in her bedroom1 the boys and girls kept themselves dressed and ready to receive her4 ,when she did arrive it made all the difference that was hoped4 ,she was a capable1 unselfish1 plucky girl2 she knew the language1 and was experienced in the ways of the people4 ,very quietly she slipped into the method of the house1 taking the school and dispensary off ,ma's hands1 and looking after the babies with the same pitying sympathy4 ,the girls became quite at home with her1 in the long nights she would sing to them1 recalling the times in the bush when ,mr4 ,ovens used to entertain them4 ,she is a right sisterly helpmate1 wrote ,mary1 and a real help and comfort in every way4 ,things go as smoothly as on a summer's day1 and ,i don't know how ,i got on alone4 ,it seems too good to be true4 ,,iii4 ,on ,to ,arochuku ,on a morning of ,june #aijh she left ,akpap for ,itu1 tramping the forest path to ,ikunetu in order to pick up the ,government launch on its weekly journey to the garrisons up-river4 ,the ,government1 as usual1 gave her every facility for carrying on her new work1 granted her free passages1 took charge of her packages and letters1 placed their ,rest ,houses at her disposal1 and told her to ask for whatever she wanted4 ,she did not care to trouble them unduly1 but was very grateful for their consideration4 ,on arriving at ,ikunetu she went into the teacher's house to rest1 charging the boys to call her as soon as they sighted the launch4 ,they did not notice it until it was too late for her to signal1 and it passed onwards and out of sight4 ,but she was not put out2 her faith was always strong in the guiding hand of ,god2 and she turned and tramped back the same long road4 ,when she reached the ,mission ,house tired and weary1 she assured ,miss ,wright that all was well--,god had not meant her to travel that day1 and she must have been kept back for some purpose4 ,next week she set out again1 and when she joined the launch at ,ikunetu1 ,colonel ,montanaro1 the ,commander of the ,forces1 was on board on his way up to ,arochuku4 ,in the course of their conversation he gave her a pressing invitation to go there1 and to accept his escort4 ,she was almost startled by what seemed so direct a leading4 ,but she was not prepared for a longer journey2 she had no change of clothing or supply of food4 ,she thought and prayed over the matter all the way4 ,here is the challenge to enter that region of unbroken gloom and despair1 she mused4 ,if it is not entered now1 the ,roman ,catholics will come in1 and the key position to the whole territory will be taken out of our hands1 and only the coast tribes be left to the ,mission4 ,if ,i go now we shall be the first in the field1 and it will not be discourteous to the ,roman ,catholics--as it would be if we came in afterwards4 ,before the end of the journey she consented to go4 ,when she arrived at ,arochuku she found herself in the old slave centre of the ,aros1 a densely populated district1 some #hj1jjj people living within a radius of a few square miles4 ,it was a strange experience to walk over these roads that had been trodden for centuries by countless feet on their way to the pens of the coast and the horrors of the middle passage1 and latterly to the ,efik slave-market1 and to gaze on the spot where the secret iniquities of the ,long ,juju had taken place2 stranger still to receive a welcome from the men who had been responsible for these evils4 ,the chiefs and traders1 many of whom she knew1 were delighted with her courage and touched by her self- sacrifice1 and promised to do all they could to assist her work4 ,making arrangements to come up later and start a school1 she left1 profoundly thankful for the privilege she had been granted1 and praying that the ,church at home would have a vision of the grand opportunity opening up before it4 ,the officials of the ,church1 of course1 knew of the opportunity1 but the members at large were not interested4 ,dr4 ,robson1 as ,convener of the ,calabar ,sub-,committee1 pointed out how the situation was practically a crisis--no ground had been broken west of the ,cross ,river1 no teachers had been sent to the east4 ,for a quarter of a century the supply of men had not sufficed for the existing needs of the ,mission1 and extension had been impossible4 ,the givings of the ,church for foreign missions had been far below the urgent requirements4 ,either1 he said1 the staff and income must be largely increased1 or they would have to step aside and invite others to divide the field with them4 ,no adequate response was made to this and similar appeals1 and the lonely pioneer was forced onwards upon her solitary path4 ,a short time afterwards she went back to ,arochuku1 taking two lads1 and a school was opened in the palaver shed of ,amasu1 one of the towns nearest the ,creek1 ,a hundred children crowded into the building along with women and men1 and not a few of the old slavers1 and the scholars were soon well on in the first book4 ,in one village which she visited she found a young trader who had brought news of the ,christ religion from the ,niger1 and was anxious to introduce a church and teacher4 ,when she left the district again1 the people came to the landing-beach and cried after her1 ,don't be long in coming back1 ,ma6 ,if you don't care for us1 who will care for us8 ,as her canoe was paddled down the creek1 she lay back enjoying the beauty of the scene4 ,the water was as smooth as a mirror1 and like a mirror reflected the delicate tracery of the overhanging foliage2 bright birds sailed hither and thither1 gorgeous butterflies flitted about1 and brilliant blossoms coloured the banks4 ,she had passed in succession two snakes attempting to cross the stream1 and was watching the efforts of a third when a small canoe shot out from behind a clump of bushes and bumped into her craft4 ,she apologised to the man in it1 but standing cap in hand he said1 ,i meant it1 ,ma2 ,i have been waiting for you2 my master at ,akani ,obio sent me to waylay you and bring you to his house4 ,taking a letter from his cap he handed it to her4 ,the canoe was turned and entered a still creek1 a picture of delicate loveliness1 with multitudes of lilies and other aquatic plants1 which made her feel as if she were moving through an exquisite dream4 ,a shingly beach1 evidently a busy trading-place1 was reached1 and there stood a young man and young woman1 handsome and well-dressed1 who assisted her to land4 ,they led her into a good house and into a pretty room with concrete floor1 a ,european bedstead1 clean and dainty1 with mosquito curtains and all the appointments that indicated people of taste4 ,the man was ,onoyom ,iya ,nya1 a born statesman1 the only one in the district who had not been disarmed by the ,government1 and the one who had been chosen ,president of the ,native ,court1 and was shaping well as a wise and enlightened ruler4 ,it was a moving story that ,mary heard from his lips1 while his wife stood by and listened4 ,it went back to #ahge when he was a boy4 ,one day a white man appeared in the ,creek1 and all the people decamped and hid4 ,he1 alone1 stayed on the beach1 and in response to a request from the white man1 offered to lead him to the chief's house4 ,during the palaver that ensued he lingered by1 an absorbed listener4 ,when the white man left he was tried by the heads of the town and severely punished for having acted as guide4 ,the stranger was the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,robb1 one of the ablest missionaries in the ,mission1 then stationed at ,ikorofiong4 ,the boy never forgot the incident4 ,but he grew up a heathen1 and went to the cannibal feasts at ,arochuku4 ,when his father died1 ten little girls were slaughtered1 and five of the bodies were placed beneath the corpse1 and five above1 that they might occupy the position of wives in the spirit world4 ,he married1 but misfortune seemed to dog him4 ,his house was burned down1 and then his child died4 ,seeking for the man who had wrought these things by witchcraft1 in order to murder him1 he met a native who had once been a ,mission teacher in ,calabar1 but who had fallen into evil ways and was now homeless and a drunkard4 ,how do you know1 the latter said1 that it is not the ,god of the white man that is angry with you8 ,he is all-powerful4 ,where can ,i find this ,god6 the chief queried4 ,i am not worthy to say1 but go to the white ,ma at ,itu1 and she will tell you4 ,i will go1 was the reply4 ,he took a canoe and watched for ,mary on the ,creek1 but missed her4 ,in his impatience he engaged the old teacher1 who had still his ,bible1 to come and read ,iko ,abasi to him4 ,again he sent for ,ma1 but she had gone on to ,arochuku4 ,then he kept a man on the look-out in the ,creek1 and it was he who had intercepted her4 ,and now1 he said1 will you show me what to do8 ,as he told the story several big1 fattened ladies had come in1 and a number of children and dependants4 ,she prayed with them1 sent for the teacher's ,bible1 and talked with them long and earnestly4 ,the chief's wife made her a cup of tea1 and she left1 promising to come later and see what she could do to develop a station4 ,the detour had made her late1 and the canoe ran into a sudden storm of wind and rain1 but her heart was jubilant1 and kept singing and praying all the way to ,itu4 ,for ,god was good1 and ,he was leading her1 and that was perfect happiness4 ,,iv4 ,a ,,slave-,,girl',s ,,triumph ,the problem was how to follow up so promising a beginning4 ,it occupied her thoughts day and night1 but she came to the conclusion that she could not conscientiously leave ,miss ,wright alone at ,akpap4 ,the station was too isolated for her1 and if she became ill it might be weeks before any one knew4 ,an alternative was to remain herself at ,akpap1 and allow ,miss ,wright to go to ,itu1 where she would be in touch with the ,mission1 and could canoe down to ,calabar if anything went wrong4 ,the plan she liked best was to hand the station over to a minister1 so that both she and ,miss ,wright could establish themselves at ,itu and work the ,creek between them4 ,as the months went by and she paid flying visits to the infant causes at ,itu and ,amasu1 she became more and more convinced of the magnificent opportunity lying to the ,church's hand in these regions4 ,at ,itu the congregation had grown to one of over three hundred intelligent and well-dressed people meeting in a church built by themselves4 ,in ,august at ,amasu she found a school of sixty-eight on a wet day1 and of these thirty-eight could read the first book4 ,that they had been brought under discipline was shown by the fact that as she entered all rose silently and simultaneously1 as if they had been years instead of weeks at school4 ,the same month witnessed an event which gave her unbounded happiness4 ,jean1 and ,mana the slave-girl1 ,iye the twin-mother of ,susie1 ,akom the first-fruit of ,ekenge1 and ,esien the teacher at ,itu1 were baptized1 and sat down at the communion-table4 ,many others were there1 and joined in spirit in the celebration1 but owing to difficult native complications could not take the step1 and ,mary never cared to force matters4 ,esien's mother had been very unwilling for her son to come under ,christian influence1 and now she was not only present1 but actually sat beside two twin-mothers4 ,akom's face was transfigured4 ,jean's adopted child1 ,dan1 was also baptized on the occasion1 and it was a great and solemn joy to ,mary to see her oldest bairn give him to ,god1 and promise to bring him up in ,his fear4 ,in ,october she was at ,itu watching the building of the house for herself and teacher1 and nothing delighted her more than the way in which the women worked along with the men4 ,i wish ,crockett had been here to gather the shafts and sparks of wit and satire that flew with as much zest as ever obtained in a ,galloway byre or market fairin'4 ,it is such a treat to me1 for no intercourse is permitted between the sexes in ,okoyong1 except that of the family1 and then it is strained and unnatural1 but here they were daffin' and lauchin' as in ,scotland4 ,how wholesome are ,god's own laws of freedom and simplicity4 ,the house was to1 have six rooms--three for herself1 one for ,miss ,wright or other lady missionary1 one for ,mana1 and one for ,esien and ,effiom4 ,i'm afraid that is too much for you1 she said1 thinking of the mats which were not easy to obtain4 ,it's not too much1 ,ma2 nothing can be too much4 ,we will do it4 ,one woman came and insisted on washing her feet in hot water4 ,she had to give in1 and as she sat down the woman said1 ,ma1 ,i've been so frightened you would take our teacher away because we are so unworthy4 ,i think ,i could not live again in darkness4 ,i pray all the time4 ,i lay my basket down and just pray on the road4 ,this woman sometimes prayed in the meetings1 and electrified the audience1 and she had begun to have devotions in her own home1 though her husband laughed at her4 ,there were many others of the same type1 and it was a black slave-girl who had been the one behind it all4 ,mana taught and nursed and trained them1 quietly and modestly1 as a mother might4 ,it was an inspiration to ,mary to see her2 as she looked upon such results she cried1 ,oh6 if only the ,church knew4 ,if only it would back us up4 ,to her friends she wrote1 ,prayer can do anything2 let us try its power4 ,returning to ,akpap with two of the girls and some small children1 she was caught in a tornado and made her way over the six miles of bush- road through pelting rain4 ,the darkness was lit up by almost continuous lightning1 but they lost their way1 and she had at last to commandeer an old native to lead them4 ,such experiences were now part of her ordinary life again4 ,on her trips up and down the ,creek she was constantly drifting into strange situations1 and being reduced to sleeping on mud floors1 or on straw in the open1 drinking tea made in empty milk tins1 and subsisting for days on yam and oranges4 ,and always she was treated by the natives with as much gallantry and courtesy as if she were a queen1 and always she was singing in her heart psalms of thanksgiving and gratitude4 ,but she was not able as formerly to resist the effects of such exposure1 and was often weary1 and her weariness brought nervousness and lack of sleep4 ,at times she was afraid of the unknown future opening out before her1 and appalled when she thought of all the details of labour1 supplies1 and management that were coming upon her shoulders4 ,in the dark she would rise and cry1 ,calm me1 ,o ,god1 and keep me calm4 ,then she would go and look at the sleeping children and comfort herself with the sight4 ,surely1 she would say1 ,i have more reason to trust ,god than childhood has after all the way ,he has led me4 ,v4 ,a ,,bush ,,furlough ,she at last determined to give up her furlough in ,scotland1 now drawing near1 and spend the time instead in prospecting in the new country4 ,all her hopes and aims were expressed in a definite and formal way in the following document1 which she sent to be read at the ,november meeting of the ,committee--now the ,mission ,council--at ,calabar3 ,i think it is an open secret that for many years the workers here have felt that our methods and modes were very far from adequate to overtake the needs of our immense field1 and1 as the opportunities multiply and the needs grow more clamant1 the question grows in importance and gravity4 ,the fact that only by stated consecutive work can a church be evolved and built up1 and a pagan nation be moulded into a ,christian people1 cannot be gainsaid1 and yet there is an essential need for something between1 something more mobile and flexible than ordinary congregational work and methods4 ,the scattered broken units into which our ,african populations are divided1 their various jujus and mbiams and superstitions which segregate even the houses of any common village1 make it necessary for us to do more than merely pay an occasional visit1 even if that visit results in a church or a school being built4 ,many plans suggest themselves4 ,church members organised into bands of two or three or four to itinerate for a week over local neighbourhoods2 native teachers spending a given number of days in each month in the outlying parts of their districts2 trading members of the church undertaking service in any humble capacity on up-river trading stations--in these and many other ways the gaps might be bridged and a chain of personal interest and living sympathy link on the raw heathen to the church centres1 and the first rays of gospel light be conveyed and communication be opened without the material expense which the opening of new stations involves4 ,for instance1 ,i have spent a ,sabbath at ,umon1 and ever so many ,efik traders1 men and women1 joined in the congregational worship1 reading from ,bibles and hymn-books which had been locked in their boxes2 but either timidity or some other cause kept them silent when there was no one to lead4 ,could not a beginning be made for those1 either by initiating such a service or organising those who were trading at any place so that evening worship or some such simple way of bringing gospel truth before the minds of the heathen could go on continuously8 ,the same holds good of ,itu and other places4 ,for the last decade the nearer reaches of the river on which we ply have occupied a great deal of my thoughts1 but from various causes no sort of supervision at all adequate suggested itself4 ,so there has been little definite work accomplished4 ,a few readers at ,odot1 desultory teaching at ,eki and the back of ,itu1 and ,umon1 covers it all1 ,i fear4 ,with ,miss ,wright's coming1 opportunities1 not of our personal seeking1 have forced themselves on us1 and though we have done the best we could with the materials at hand1 all seems so little and incomplete that the following proposal or petition or request or whatever you may term it1 has been prepared1 and that from no mere impulse of the moment but after careful1 prayerful consideration4 ,i may say here that ,miss ,wright is fully in sympathy with it1 and it is from both of us4 ,by the #bnd ,january #aijd ,i shall have been out five years1 and so my furlough would then be due1 but as ,i have not the slightest intention of going to ,britain--,i am thankful to say ,i do not feel any necessity for so doing--,i propose to ask leave from the station for six months1 during which time ,i should1 in a very easy way1 try to keep up an informal system of itinerating between ,okoyong and ,amasu4 ,already ,i have seen a church and a dwelling-house built at ,itu1 and a school and a couple of rooms at ,amasu4 ,i have visited several towns of ,enyong in the ,creek1 and have found good enough accommodation1 as there are semi- ,european houses available and open for a lodging4 ,i shall find my own canoe and crew1 and shall stay at any given place any length of time which the circumstances suggests so as not to tax my own strength1 and members of my own family shall help in the elementary teaching in the schools4 ,from our home here we should thus superintend the small school at ,idot1 and start in a small way work at ,eki1 and reside mostly at ,itu as the base1 working the ,creek where the ,enyon towns are on the way to the farther base at ,amasu1 reside there or itinerate from there among the ,aro people in an easy way1 and back again by ,creek and ,itu home4 ,what ,i have to ask of you is that in order to do this a lady be sent out to be with ,miss ,wright4 ,the latter is perfectly capable of attending to the station2 the school and dispensary work are already in her hands1 and with some one to help her ,i have not the slightest hesitation in leaving her in charge4 ,both ladies could co-operate in the travelling as choice or circumstances pointed1 and as ,miss ,wright has had a large share in the formation and equipment of the ,itu and ,aro stations it would be very natural that she should take such a part in developing them as might suggest itself to her4 ,the three of us1 ,i have no doubt1 could dovetail the details of the work so that no part should suffer1 nor should any special strain be put on our health4 ,we should like this to take shape by the end of the year1 as the people will be more get-at-able in their villages in such a visitation kind of way than in the ordinary church methods during the dry season4 ,all work in towns is slack then1 and village and visitation work have their proper value4 ,in proposing this ,i know ,i am going in the very face of what seems to be the only possible way of dividing our stations4 ,my own desire is to have a missionary with his wife and a native teacher take over ,okoyong1 congregate the educated1 and at least nominal ,christian part of our community1 and build up a church in the ordinary way4 ,he has more than he can undertake to work upon in ,okoyong alone1 and he has endless scope for extension up between the rivers toward ,ugep and ,edi-,iba4 ,it may be out of my province to speak of anything outside my own station1 but in as far as ,i know ,i am voicing the opinion of the missionaries who are now working up ,higher4 ,i may say that if we are to compass the peoples that lie at our hands1 such as ,itu1 ,enyong1 ,umon1 and those who may be reached all the year round1 we ought to have ,itu manned as a proper ,european station4 ,all and each of these peoples can be reached and worked from ,itu4 ,then as a natural and strategic point in the business conduct of our ,mission1 ,itu is incomparable4 ,it was not without reason that it was the slave mart1 and that it became the ,government base for all work both for north and flank4 ,the gateway to the ,aros and the ,ibibios1 holding the ,enyong1 and being just a day's journey from what must ever be our base1 namely the seaport of the ocean steamers1 having waterway all the year round and a good beach front1 it is the natural point1 ,i think1 at which our up and down river work should converge4 ,but ,i am willing to change1 and ,miss ,wright is willing to change1 any plan of ours in order to let any larger undertaking make way if it should be proposed4 ,this communication was considered1 and various proposals made1 but the finding of the ,council was that they were unable to accept the whole responsibility of the scheme1 and that the matter should be forwarded to the ,women's ,committee in ,scotland1 and ,miss ,slessor asked to wait their decision4 ,the question of further development was1 however1 discussed1 and the unanimous opinion was that ,itu should be adopted as a medical station in view of extension into the ,aro country4 ,miss ,slessor was not discouraged4 ,she next asked ,mr4 ,wilkie to come and see the nature of the ground for himself1 and the possibilities it held2 and the result was a ,new ,year trip up the ,creek1 the party consisting of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wilkie1 ,miss ,wright1 and herself4 ,she was far from well--far more unwell than even ,miss ,wright was aware of--but she1 nevertheless1 resolved to go1 and was conveyed to ,ikunetu in a hammock4 ,at ,itu they camped at the church and house1 neither of which was yet finished1 the doors being temporary erections1 and the windows being screened by grass mats4 ,mrs4 ,wilkie's camp-bed occupied one end of the church1 ,miss ,wright's the centre1 whilst at the other end ,miss ,slessor's native sofa was placed with mats round it for the children4 ,mr4 ,wilkie found a resting-place in one of the native houses in the town4 ,military operations were still progressing1 and there was a camp of soldiers at the foot of the hill1 whose presence terrified the people1 and they besought the missionaries to remain for their protection until the men moved on1 and this they did4 ,colonel ,montanaro1 who arrived later1 called on the ladies1 and had a long talk with ,mary1 to whom he expressed his delight at the result of his invitation to ,arochuku4 ,these men1 she wrote1 are held by invisible but strong bands to what is good1 though outsiders do not see it4 ,on the way up the ,creek they were obliged to pass the night at ,akani ,obio1 where ,chief ,onoyom came down to the beach and escorted them to his house1 and gave them all the room they required1 two courts lit up by ,european lamps1 and new mats4 ,his fine face and courteous manners made the same impression on the strangers as they had done on ,miss ,slessor4 ,it was found that the native teacher had been doing his best1 but the chief was keen for all the advantages of a station1 and was relying upon ,ma's word to assist him4 ,next morning they again took to the canoe1 but the water became so shallow that they had to land and tramp six miles to ,amasu1 passing the trenches where the natives sought to ambush the punitive force4 ,new roads were being constructed everywhere1 and barracks had been erected on a wind-swept hill in the neighbourhood4 ,the church was built near the ,creek1 and was still incomplete4 ,as there was no house they camped in the church as best they could1 ,mrs4 ,wilkie sleeping on a mud seat4 ,the district1 including the scene of the ,long ,juju1 was inspected1 and the people interviewed1 and the party returned as they had come4 ,they stopped at several villages1 in one of which an old chief brought out a box containing ,bibles and a ,pilgrim's ,progress and reading-books4 ,i had a son1 he said1 ,i was fond of him1 and he was anxious to learn book and ,god palavers1 and ,i bought these books and got some one to teach him1 and was looking forward to my boy becoming a great man and teaching the people good ways1 but two moons ago he died1 and ,i have no more heart for anything4444 ,i want ,god1 he continued fiercely1 and you won't leave me till ,i find ,him4 ,oh1 father1 replied ,mary1 ,god is here4 ,he is waiting for you4 ,the chief found ,god1 and became a ,christian4 ,,vi4 ,,beginnings ,miss ,slessor's indomitable spirit never gave in1 but her body sometimes did4 ,she had been suffering much these past months from weakening ailments brought on as the result of exposure and lack of nourishing food1 and she finally collapsed and was again far down in the dark valley4 ,but kind hands ministered to her and nursed her back to health4 ,i rose1 she said1 a mere wreck of what ,i was1 and that was not much at the best4 ,my hair is silvered enough to please any one now1 and ,i am nervous and easily knocked up1 and so rheumatic that ,i cannot get up or down without pain4 ,she was gladdened by the news that the ,mission ,council had given her permission to make her proposed tour1 and was not troubled by the condition that she must not commit the ,mission to extension4 ,the ,council thought that in view of her illness she ought rather to go home1 and offered to provide for the work at ,akpap and care for her children until she returned4 ,but the burden of the ,creek lay sore on her mind1 and as ,miss ,wright's furlough was also due1 she wished to be near ,akpap in case of need4 ,she informed the ,council that if she could be relieved she would begin her tour at once4 ,when ,miss ,wright left she gave more into the hands of ,jean1 who1 she said1 was as good as any white servant2 her right hand and her left4 ,when the matter once more came up at the ,council it was decided to send up two ladies to ,akpap1 and she was at last free to carry out her desire4 ,she looked forward to the enterprise with mingled feelings4 ,it seems strange1 she said1 to be starting with a family on a gipsy life in a canoe1 but ,god will take care of us4 ,whether ,i shall find ,his place for me up-river or whether ,i shall come back to my own people again1 ,i do not know4 ,he knows1 and that is enough4 ,perhaps the most remarkable feature of this new forward movement was that she was going at her own expense1 backed by the private liberality of friends in ,scotland1 and assisted by native girls and boys1 who received nothing from her but their board4 ,she never asked the ,mission to defray any of the expenditure which she incurred1 and the building was accomplished by herself and household1 with the free labour of the people4 ,all that the opening up of the ,enyong ,creek to the ,gospel cost the ,mission was her salary--which was now #ajj per annum4 ,she spent scarcely anything of this on her own personal wants4 ,i have no object on earth1 she wrote at this time1 but to get my food and raiment1 which are of the plainest1 and to bring up my bairns4 ,a certain amount was reserved at home by ,mr4 ,logie1 who all these years had managed her affairs1 and even this she was always encroaching upon4 ,whenever she saw an appeal in the ,press for any good object she would write to him and request him to send a contribution4 ,there were many matters to be attended to before she left ,akpap1 and she went down to ,duke ,town to hand over the business of the native ,court1 and buy material for the buildings in the ,creek4 ,it was the first time for many years that she had been on ,mission ,hill1 and she greatly enjoyed her stay with the ,wilkies1 in whose home she was able to find quietness and comfort4 ,the old people who knew the early pioneers of the ,mission flocked to see her1 and her sojourn was one long reception4 ,a command invitation also came from the ,commissioner1 but this she had the temerity to decline1 saying that she was not visiting4 ,it is doubtful whether she had the attire fit for the occasion4 ,he1 however1 came to see her1 and was charmed with her personality4 ,it was on this visit that she brought another of the younger missionaries under her spell--the ,rev4 ,j4 ,k4 ,macgregor1 ,b4,d41 ,principal of the ,hope ,waddell ,institute4 ,after his first meeting he wrote3 ,a slim figure1 of middle height1 fine eyes full of power1 she is no ordinary woman4 ,it was wonderful to sit and listen to her talking1 for she is most fascinating1 and besides being a humorist is a mine of information on mission history and ,efik custom4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,macgregor grew into intimate friends1 and their home1 like that of the ,wilkies'1 thereafter became a haven of healing and rest4 ,she reached her base1 ,itu1 with her family1 in ,july1 her health still enfeebled1 but her spirit burning like a pure fire1 and established herself in a house that was still unfinished4 ,what a picture it presented1 writes a ,government doctor who visited her then4 ,a native hut with a few of the barest necessities of furniture4 ,she was sitting on a chair rocking a tiny baby1 while five others were quietly sleeping wrapped up in bits of brown paper and newspapers in other parts of the room4 ,how she managed to look after all these children1 and to do the colossal work she did my comprehension4 ,the joy of the people at her advent boundless4 ,her bairns had done wonders2 the congregation numbered #cej1 all devout1 intelligent people4 ,to-day1 she wrote1 as the custom is after the lesson1 the bairns each took a part in prayer1 and before we rose a boy started ',come1 ,holy ,spirit1 come4' ,we sang it through on our knees4 ,but calls came every day from other regions4 ,a deputation from the interior of ,ibibio pled1 ,give us even a boy6 ,another brought a message from a chief in the ,creek2 ,it is not book that ,i want2 it is ,god6 ,the chief of ,akani ,obio again came4 ,ma1 he said1 we have #c in hand for a teacher1 and some of the boys are finished with the books ,mr4 ,wilkie gave us and are at a standstill4 ,and1 most pathetic of all1 one night1 late1 while she was reading by the light of a candle1 a blaze of light shone through the cracks of the house1 and fifteen young men from ,okoyong appeared before her to say that the young ladies who had come to ,akpap had already gone1 and they were left without a ,ma4 ,she sent them to a shelter for the night1 and spent the hours in prayer1 ,oh ,britain1 she exclaimed1 surfeited with privilege6 tired of ,sabbath and ,church1 would that you could send over to us what you are throwing away6 ,invited to the ,mission ,council in ,november #aijd1 she went1 this being her first attendance for six years1 and gave what the minutes call a graphic and interesting account of what had been accomplished4 ,in ,itu a church and teacher's house had been built2 and there were regular ,sabbath services and a catechumens' class1 with forty candidates1 and a day-school was conducted4 ,at ,amasu1 ,arochuku1 a good school was built1 and ground had been given by the chiefs4 ,there were also the beginnings of congregations and buildings at four points in the ,creek1 at ,okpo1 ,akani ,obio1 ,odot1 and ,asang4 ,the work1 she said1 had not yet reached a stage when she could conscientiously leave it2 but she hoped before departing to see established such a native1 self-supporting agency under the control of the ,mission as would guarantee a continuance of the enterprise4 ,the ,council received her report with thankfulness1 and gave her permission to continue for other six months on the same condition as before--that no expense to the ,mission should be involved in what she undertook4 ,many months of strenuous upbuilding followed1 constantly interrupted by petty illnesses of a depressing kind4 ,the house at ,itu was completed1 she herself laying down a cement floor1 and ,jean whitewashing the walls4 ,cement underfoot for many reasons was preferred1 one being that it was impervious to ants4 ,if these pests obtained hold of a house it was difficult to drive them out1 and many a night her entire family was up waging battle with them4 ,in connection with her supplies of cement she was once picked up at ,ikunetu by some of her colleagues1 who remarked on the number of trunks which accompanied her4 ,you are surely richer than usual in household gear1 they said4 ,household gear6 she echoed2 these are filled with cement--,i had nothing else to bring it in6 ,once in ,scotland a lady asked her if she had had any lessons in making cement4 ,no1 she replied2 ,i just stir it like porridge2 turn it out1 smooth it with a stick1 and all the time keep praying1 ',lord1 here's the cement if to ,thy glory1 set it1' and it has never once gone wrong4 ,a picture of the days at this time is supplied by ,miss ,welsh3 ,we visited the women in their homes--we had evening prayers in such yards as the owners were willing to allow them4 ,from morning till night ',ma' was busy--often far into the night4 ,one brought a story of an unjust divorce1 another was sick2 one brought a primer for a reading-lesson1 another was accused of debt and wished ',ma' to vouch for his innocence2 another had1 he declared1 been cheated in a land case4 ,all found a ready listener1 a friendly adviser and helper1 though not all found their protestations of innocence believed in1 and none went away without hearing of the salvation ,god had prepared for them4 ,the ,okoyong people continued to come to her with their troubles4 ,they seem to think1 she says1 that no one can settle their affairs but this old lady4 ,rescues of twin-children were also going on all this time4 ,she could not now rush off1 as she used to do1 when the news arrived1 but she sent ,jean flying to the spot1 and the infants would be seized and the excited people held in check until she came on the scene4 ,one more woman spoilt1 she would say1 and another home broken up4 ,nothing gave her greater joy than the rapid development going on at ,akani ,obio4 ,chief ,onoyom had never swerved from his determination to ,christianise his people1 and1 although knowing practically nothing of the white man's religion1 had already started to build a church1 using for the purpose #hjj which he had saved4 ,at first he planned a native building1 but reflecting that if he were constructing a house for himself it would be of iron1 he felt he could not do less for ,god4 ,he therefore decided to put up as fine a structure as he could1 with walls of iron and cement floor and a bell-tower4 ,to make the seats and pulpit he had the courage to use a magnificent tree which was regarded as the principal juju of the town4 ,the story goes that the people declared the juju would never permit it to be cut down4 ,god is stronger than juju1 said ,onoyom1 and went out with a following to attack it4 ,they did not succeed the first day1 and the people were jubilant4 ,next morning they returned and knelt down and prayed that ,god would show ,himself stronger than juju1 and then1 hacking at the trunk with increased vigour1 they soon brought it to earth4 ,that the people might have no excuse for absenting themselves from the services during the wet season1 ,onoyom also erected a bridge over the ,creek for their use4 ,to the dedication of the building came a reverent1 well-dressed assembly4 ,the chief himself was attired in a black suit1 with black silk necktie and soft felt hat4 ,he provided food for the entire gathering1 but would not allow anything stronger than palm wine to be drunk4 ,very shyly he came up to ,ma and offered her a handful of money1 asking her to buy provisions for herself1 as he did not know what kind she liked4 ,two short years before1 the place and people had been known only to traders4 ,up in ,arochuku similar progress was being made4 ,her first long stay there1 spent in a hut without furniture--with not even a chair to sit on--was a happy and strenuous one4 ,she was busily engaged in erecting a schoolhouse with two rooms at the back4 ,little did ,i dream1 she wrote1 that ,i would mud walls and hang doors again4 ,but the ,creek is at the back door1 and we have bathing in the sunshine1 and it is a delightful holiday4 ,the earlier meetings were held in the open2 the chiefs sat on improvised seats1 the principal women1 clothed and unclothed1 squatted on skins or mats on the ground1 lads and children stood about1 the townspeople kept well back amongst the protecting foliage4 ,in the centre1 in the shade of a giant tree1 was a table covered with a fine white cloth1 and upon it a ,bible and a native primer4 ,here she stood to conduct the service1 so strange to the savage people4 ,as she began1 there was a stir at the side and a big chief1 one of the principal traders to ,okoyong in former days1 moved into the circle1 along with his head wife4 ,he was followed by another and his children1 and then others appeared1 until she had a great audience4 ,she could scarcely command her voice4 ,to gain time she asked a chief to begin with prayer in the ,ibo tongue4 ,all knelt4 ,a hymn followed2 there was not the least semblance of a tune1 all joining in anyhow1 but sweeter music she never heard4 ,the ten commandments were translated1 sentence by sentence1 by a chief1 as were also the lessons and the address4 ,another hymn was sung1 then came a prayer by an old man1 and another by a woman1 and the meeting closed with all repeating the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,it was the same at other towns and villages along the ,creek4 ,churches or schools were going up and congregations being formed4 ,the notable thing was that women were taking a prominent part in the meetings2 this1 no doubt1 was due to the fact that the pioneer missionary was a woman4 ,and the cry from all the districts was for women and not men--,a ,white ,ma to teach our women book and washing and machine4 ,in ,july ,mr4 ,macgregor was able to visit the infant stations1 and was greatly impressed4 ,to him the journey up ,creek was a new experience4 ,as the canoe pushed its way through the water-lilies the ,institute boys sang ,scottish ,psalms to the tunes ,invocation and ,st4 ,george's much to ,mary's delight4 ,it's a long time since ,i heard these1 she exclaimed4 ,it puts me in a fine key for ,sabbath4 ,at ,asang she translated ,mr4 ,macgregor's sermon to a gathering of #cjj people4 ,her interpretation1 he says1 was most dramatic2 she gave the address far more force in ,efik than it had in ,english4 ,it was magnificent4 ,and how the people listened6 ,he had the opportunity here of seeing how deftly she handled a bad native4 ,don't come to ,god's house4 she ended2 ,god has no need of the likes of you with your deceit and craft4 ,he can get on quite well without you--though you can't get on without ,god4 ,ay1 you have that lesson to learn yet4 ,at ,arochuku it happened to be ,egbo day1 and the place was astir with naked people1 who came and stared at them as they ate4 ,one man1 who was dressed in a hat1 a loincloth1 and a walking-stick1 sat in a corner and received a lecture from ,ma1 which lasted the whole meal4 ,they explored the district1 saw the tree where criminals were hanged after terrible torture1 the old juju-house with its quaint carving and relics of sacrifices1 the new palaver-shed of beaten mud1 and the great slave- road into the interior4 ,at one spot she stopped and exclaimed1 ,that was the road to the devil4 ,it was the path to the ,long ,juju of bloody memory4 ,they returned by the new road through the ,ikot ,mbiam1 the accursed bush into which the sick and dying slaves were flung when their days of useful service were over4 ,at first the people would not use this road2 but now the land was laid out in farms and cultivations1 a tribute to the influence of ,british rule4 ,on the voyage down there were frequent showers in the ,creek1 and ,mary sat with a waterproof over her head and shoulders1 a strange figure1 but with a face glowing with spirit4 ,when the end was in sight she proposed that they should sing the ,doxology1 and1 none offering to accompany her1 she sang it herself-twice4444 ,in the quiet of the tropic nights she read the books and magazines and papers which friends sent her1 and in this way kept abreast of world affairs4 ,her favourite journals were ,the ,british ,weekly1 ,the ,christian1 ,the ,life of ,faith1 and ,the ,westminster ,gazette4 ,her ,record she read from cover to cover4 ,it was with painful interest that she followed at this time the developments of the great ,church crisis in the homeland4 ,it tears my heart1 she wrote1 to see our beloved ,church dragged in and through the mire of public opinion4 ,but she had faith that good would issue out of it all4 ,a keen politician1 she thirsted for election telegrams during periods of parliamentary transition4 ,but in all times of public unrest and excitement she fell back on the thought that ,god was on ,his throne and all was well4 ,,vii4 ,,moving ,,inland ,ibo or ,ibibio--which was it to be8 ,both regions were calling to her1 and both attracted her4 ,as the result of an arrangement with the ,church ,missionary ,society the administrative districts adjoining the ,cross ,river were recognised as the sphere of the ,united ,free ,church ,mission4 ,now that this is settled1 she wrote1 ,i shall try to take a firmer hold in ,arochuku4 ,the church there is almost finished4 ,my heart bleeds for the people1 but the ,spirit has not yet suffered me to go4 ,the dark masses behind her at ,itu drew her sympathies even more1 simply because they were lower in the scale of humanity4 ,it is a huge country1 and if ,i go in ,i can only touch an infinitesimal part of it4 ,but it would be criminal to monopolise the rights of occupation and not be able to occupy4 ,her line of advance was practically determined by the ,government4 ,even with military operations still going on a marvellous change was being effected in the condition of ,ibibio4 ,the country was being rapidly opened up1 roads were being pushed forward1 and courts established2 the stir and the promise of new life was pulsating from end to end of the land4 ,to her hut at ,itu came ,government and trade experts1 consulting her on all manner of subjects1 and obtaining information which no other one could supply4 ,the natives1 on the other hand1 came to her enquiring as to the meaning of the white man's movements1 and she was able to reassure them and keep their confidence unshaken in the beneficial character of the changes4 ,she made rapid reconnaissances inland1 and these set her planning extension4 ,even the officials urged her to enter4 ,they pointed to the road4 ,get a bicycle1 ,ma1 they said1 and come as far as you can--we will soon have a motor car service for you1 ,motors in ,ibibio8 ,the idea to her was incredible1 but in a few months it was realised4 ,come on to ,ikot ,okpene1 wrote the officer at that distant centre--the road is going right through1 and you will be the first here4 ,she thought of these men and their privations and their enthusiasm for ,empire4 ,oh1 she said1 if we would do as much for ,christ6 ,she1 at any rate1 would not be found lagging1 and in the middle of the year #aije she sallied forth1 taking with her a boy of twelve years named ,etim1 who read ,english well1 and1 at a place called ,ikotobong1 some five and a half miles inland1 she formed a school and the nucleus of a congregation4 ,i trust1 she said1 that it will be the first of a chain of stations stretching across the country4 ,the old chief is pleased4 ,he told me that the future1 the mystery of things1 was too much for him1 and that he would welcome the light4 ,the people are to give ,etim food1 and ,i will give him #es4 a month for his mother out of my store4 ,the lad proved an excellent teacher and disciplinarian1 and gathered a school of half a hundred children about him4 ,soon she was again in the thick of building operations1 and for a time was too busy even to write4 ,slowly but surely ,ikotobong became another centre of order and light4 ,the officials who ran in upon her from time to time said it was like coming on a bit of ,britain1 and the ,governor who called one day declared that the place was already too civilised for her4 ,much to her joy there was a forward movement also on the part of the ,church4 ,the ,mission ,council had not put aside its decision to make ,itu a medical base1 and had been pressing the matter upon the ,foreign ,mission ,committee in ,scotland1 which also recognised the value of her pioneer work and the necessity of following it up and placing it upon a proper basis4 ,it was finally agreed to carry out the suggestion4 ,dr4 ,robertson from ,creek ,town was transferred to ,itu to take oversight of the work on the ,creek1 a new mission house and a hospital were planned1 and a motor launch for the ,creek journeys was decided on4 ,for the launch the students of ,new ,college1 ,edinburgh1 made themselves responsible1 and they succeeded in raising a sum of nearly #djj for the purpose4 ,the hospital and dispensary and their equipment were provided by ,mr4 ,a4 ,kemp1 a member of ,braid ,united ,free ,church1 ,edinburgh1 an admirer of ,miss ,slessor's work1 and at his suggestion it was called the ,mary ,slessor ,mission ,hospital4 ,when the news came to her she wrote3 ,it seems like a fairy tale4 ,i don't know what to say4 ,i can just look up into the blue sky and say1 ',even so1 ,father2 in good and ill1 let me live and be worthy of it all4' ,it is a grand gift1 and ,i am so glad for my people4 ,thus relieved of ,itu she established herself at ,ikotobong4 ,but she was again eager to press forwards1 and wished to plant a station some fifteen miles farther on4 ,it was a pace faster than the ,church could go4 ,it had neither the workers nor the means to cope with all the opportunities she was creating4 ,it is a striking picture this1 of the restless little woman ever forging her way into the wilderness and dragging a great ,church behind her4 ,she had been amused at the idea of riding a bicycle1 but she would have tried to fly if she could thereby have advanced the cause of ,christ1 and when ,mr4 ,charles ,partridge1 the ,district ,commissioner of ,ikot ,ekpene1 presented her with a new machine of the latest pattern1 direct from ,england1 she at once started to learn4 ,fancy1 she wrote1 an old woman like me on a cycle6 ,the new road makes it easy to ride1 and ,i'm running up and down and taking a new bit in a village two miles off4 ,it has done me all the good in the world1 and ,i will soon be able to overtake more work4 ,i wonder what the ,andersons and the ,goldies and the ,edgerleys will say when they see that we can cycle twenty miles in the bush6 ,the ,commissioner had also brought out a phonograph with him1 and she was asked to speak into it4 ,she recited ,in ,efik the story of the ,prodigal ,son1 and when the words came forth again1 the natives were electrified1 ,does not that open up possibilities1 she said1 for carrying the ,gospel messages into the bush8 ,her work of patient love and faith on the ,creek saw fruit towards the end of the year 7#aije71 when the two churches at ,akani ,obio and ,asang were opened4 ,a special meeting of ,presbytery was held in the district1 and eight members were present at the ceremonies4 ,at ,akani ,obio the ,rev4 ,john ,rankin accepted the key from ,chief ,onoyom in the name of the ,presbytery1 and handed it to ,miss ,slessor1 who inserted it in the lock and opened the door4 ,there was an atmosphere of intense devotion1 and ,mr4 ,weir preached from the text1 ,this is none other but the house of ,god1 and this is the gate of heaven4 ,the collection was over #e4 ,boarding their canoe again the party proceeded to ,asang1 and were met by crowds of people4 ,flags floated everywhere1 and they passed under an arch of welcome4 ,when the new native church1 larger even than that at ,akani ,obio1 came into sight1 surrounded by well-dressed men and women and children1 words failed the visitors from ,calabar4 ,again ,mary opened the door1 and again the building was unable to hold the audience4 ,mr4 ,rankin preached from ,to you is the word of this salvation sent4 ,the collection was watched with astonishment by the visitors4 ,it was piled up before the minister on the table1 and bundle after bundle of rods followed one another1 coming from those outside as well as those inside1 until the amount reached #bj--;a remarkable sum from a people who were still heathen1 but who were eager to know and learn about ,god and the right way of life4 ,the visitors looked at one another4 ,it is wonderful1 they said4 ,surely it is of ,god4 ,ma was pleased but not surprised2 she knew how the people were crying for the light1 and how willing they were to give and serve4 ,after the meeting the people would not depart1 and she and ,mr4 ,weir addressed them outside4 ,on the party returning to ,akani ,obio an evening service was held1 and1 wrote one of them1 the night closed down on as happy a group of missionaries as one could imagine1 ,it was grand1 said another2 the best apologetic for ,christianity ,i ever saw4 ,some weeks later the church at ,okpo1 where ,jean had been teaching the women and girls1 was opened in the view of hundreds of the people1 who contributed a collection of #g4 ,not all the natives regarded these strange doings with equanimity4 ,at ,akani ,obio some of the chiefs were so alarmed that they left the town in the belief that misfortune would come upon them on account of the church4 ,but when they saw the people throwing away their charms and flocking to the services and no harm befalling them1 they returned4 ,they were very angry when ,onoyom put away his wives--he made ample provision for them--and took back as his one consort a twin-mother whom he had discarded4 ,by and by came a fine baby boy to be the light of his home4 ,akani ,obio became a prohibition town1 and on ,sundays a white flag was flown to indicate that no trading was allowed on ,god's day4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,the ,,women ,one of the most baffling of ,west ,african problems is the problem of the women4 ,there is no place for them outside the harem2 they are dependent on the social system of the country1 and helpless when cast adrift from it2 they have no proper status in the community1 being simply the creatures of man to be exploited and degraded--his labourer1 his drudge1 the carrier of his kernels and oil1 the boiler of his nuts4 ,a girl-child1 if not betrothed by her guardian1 lacks the protection of the law4 ,she can1 if not attached to some man1 be insulted or injured with impunity4 ,there was no subject which had given ,mary so much thought1 and she had long come to the conclusion that it was the economic question which lay at the root of the evil4 ,it seemed clear that until they were capable of supporting themselves1 and subsisting independently of men1 they would continue in their servility and degradation1 a prey to the worst practices of the bush1 and a strong conservative force against the introduction of higher and purer methods of existence4 ,enlightened women frankly told ,miss ,slessor that they despaired of ever becoming free from the toils of tradition and custom1 and that there seemed no better destiny for them than the life of the harem and the ways of sin4 ,it was a serious outlook for those who became ,christians1--about whom she was most concerned1--and she could not leave the matter alone4 ,her active mind was always moving amongst the conditions around her1 considering them1 seeing beyond them1 and suggesting lines of improvement and advance2 and in this case she saw that she would have to show how women could be rendered independent of the ties of a ,house1 ,in ,calabar ,christian women supported themselves by dressmaking1 and much of their work was sent up-country1 and she did not wish to take the bread out of their mouths4 ,gradually there came to her the idea of establishing a home in some populous country centre1 where she could place her girls and any twin-mothers1 waifs1 or strays1 or any ,christian unable to find a livelihood outside the harem1 and where they could support themselves by farm and industrial work4 ,a girls' school could also be attached to it4 ,two principles were laid down as essential for such an institution3 it must be based on the land1 and it must be self-supporting--she did not believe in homes maintained from without4 ,all native women understood something of cultivation and the raising of small stock1 and their efforts could be chiefly engaged in that direction1 as well as in washing and laundrying1 baking1 basket-making1 weaving1 shoemaking1 and so forth4 ,machinery of a simple character run by water-power could be added when necessary4 ,in view of the uncertainty of her own future1 and the opening up of the country1 she wisely held back from deciding on a site until she knew more about the routes of the ,government roads and the possible developments of districts4 ,she wanted virgin land and good water-power1 but she also desired what was still more important--a ready and sufficient market for the products4 ,in her journeys into the interior of ,ibibio she was constantly prospecting with the home in mind1 and once a chief who thought he had found a suitable site took her into a region of more utter solitude than she had ever experienced in all her wanderings1 where a path had to be cut for her through the matted vegetation4 ,not one of her guides would open his lips2 while they feared the wild beasts and reptiles1 they feared still more the spirits of the forest1 and they remained silent in case speech might betray them to these invisible presences4 ,being a ,european she could not1 according to the law of the land1 buy ground1 but she proposed to acquire it in the name of ,jean and the other girls1 and then give the ,mission a perpetual interest in it4 ,in a report of her work on the ,creek1 which ,miss ,adam induced her to write at this time1 in the shape of a personal letter to herself1 and which appeared in the ,record1 and was characterised by masterly breadth of outlook and clear insight into the conditions of the country1 she made a reference to the project1 saying3 ,the expenditure of money is not in question--,i am guarded against that by the express command of the ,committee4 ,i shall only expend my own1 or what my personal friends give me4 ,,ix4 ,a ,,christmas ,,party ,with the few white men in the district she was very friendly4 ,they were chiefly on the ,government staff1 and included the surveyors on the new road4 ,most of them were public-school men1 and some1 she thought1 were almost too fine for the work4 ,life1 she said1 is infinitely harder for these men than for the missionary4 ,but they never complain4 ,they work very cheerfully in depressing surroundings1 living in squalid huts1 and undergoing many privations1 doing their bit for civilisation and the ,empire4 ,and they are all somebody's bairns4 ,she won them by her sympathy1 entering into their lives1 appreciating their difficulties and temptations1 and acting towards them as a wise mother would4 ,her age1 she said1 gave her a chance others in the ,mission had not1 and she sought in the most tactful way to lead them to a consideration of the highest things4 ,christmastide as a rule came and went in the bush without notice1 except for a strange tightening of the heart1 and a renewal of old memories4 ,but this year1 #aije1 the spirit of the day seemed to fall upon these lonely white folk1 and they forgathered at ,ikotobong1 and spent it in something like the home fashion4 ,in a lowly shed1 which had no front wall1 and where the seats were of mud1 no fewer than eight men--officials1 engineers1 and traders from far and near--sat down to dinner4 ,they could have gone elsewhere1 wrote ,ma1 but they came and held an innocently happy day with an old woman1 whose day for entertaining and pleasing is over4 ,there was no lack of ,christmas fare4 ,an officer of high standing had received his usual plum-pudding from home1 but as he was leaving on furlough1 he sent it to ,ma2 a cake had come from ,miss ,wright1 the dear lassie at ,okoyong1 and shortbread had arrived from ,scotland1 ,but there was not a drop of intoxicating drink on the table4 ,after dinner the old home songs and hymns full of memories and associations were sung1 often tremulously1 for each had loved ones of whom he thought4 ,jean1 who had secured a canoe and come from ,okpo1 and the other children1 were present1 and they sang an ,efik hymn2 and although ,mary was the only ,scot present the proceedings were rounded off with ,auld ,long ,syne4 ,i just lay back and enjoyed it all1 she wrote1 ,it is fifteen years since ,i spent a ,christmas like it4 ,wasn't it good of my ,father to give me such a treat8 ,i was the happiest woman in the ,mission that night6 ,if ,i could only win these men for ,christ-- that would be the best reward for their kindness4 ,next day they sent her a ,christmas card on a huge sheet of surveying-paper1 with their names in the centre4 ,miss ,wright1 along with ,miss ,amess1 a new colleague1 arrived on the #hjth on a visit1 and three of the ,public ,works officials spent the evening with them4 ,mary began to talk as if it were the last night of the year4 ,oh1 said one of the men1 we have another day in which to repent1 ,ma4 ,have we8 she replied4 ,i thought it was the last night-- and ,i've been confessing my sins of the past year6 ,i'll have to do it all over again4 ,these officials asked the ladies to dine with them on ,new ,year's night1 the form of invitation being-- ,the ,disgraces three desire the company of the ,graces three to dinner this evening at seven o'clock4 ,lanterns and hammocks at #aj ,p4,m4 ,r4,s4,v4,p4 ,in reply ,ma wrote some humorous verses4 ,the dinner was given in the same native shed as before4 ,as the table-boy passed the soup1 one of the men made as if to begin4 ,ma1 who was sitting beside him1 put her hand on his and said1 ,no1 you don't1 my boy1 until the blessing is asked1 and then she said grace4 ,after dinner the bairns1 who had been sitting at the door in the light of a big fire1 were brought in1 and prayers were conducted by ,mary4 ,on that occasion1 when ,miss ,amess was bidding her ,good-bye1 she said to her1 ,lassie1 keep up your pluck4 ,these men were very much afraid of the least appearance of cant1 but they would do anything for ,ma2 and when1 a few days later1 in order to give an object-lesson to the natives1 she proposed an ,english service1 they agreed1 and one of them read the lessons1 and another led the singing4 ,a short time before white men were unknown to the district4 ,x4 ,,mutinous ,she was1 under official ruling1 to return to ,akpap in ,april #aijf1 and she was now reminded of the fact4 ,she was in great distress1 and inclined to be mutinous4 ,there is an impelling power behind me1 and ,i dare not look backward1 she said4 ,even if it cost me my connection with the ,church of my heart's love1 ,i feel ,i must go forward4 ,and again1 ,i am not enthusiastic over ,church methods4 ,i would not mind cutting the rope and going adrift with my bairns1 and ,i can earn our bite and something more4 ,she had thoughts of taking a post under ,government1 or1 with the help of her girls1 opening a store4 ,in a letter to the ,rev4 ,william ,stevenson1 the ,secretary of the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 she pointed out how her settlement at ,itu had justified itself1 and referred to the rapid development of the country3-- ,in all this how plainly ,god has been leading me4 ,i had not a thought of such things in my lifetime1 nor1 indeed1 in the next generation1 and yet my steps have been led1 apart from any plan of mine1 right to the line of ,god's planning for the country4 ,first ,itu1 then the ,creek1 then back from ,aro1 where ,i had set my heart1 to a solitary wilderness of the most forbidding description1 where the silence of the bush had never been broken1 and here before three months are past there are miles of road1 and miles and miles more all surveyed and being worked upon by gangs of men from everywhere1 and free labour is being created and accepted as quickly as even a novelist could imagine4 ,and the minutes says ,i am to return to ,akpap in ,april6 ,okoyong and its people are very dear to me4 ,no place on earth now is quite as dear1 but to leave these hordes of untamed1 unwashed1 unlovely savages and withdraw the little sunlight that has begun to flicker out over its darkness6 ,i dare not think of it4 ,whether the ,church permits it or not1 ,i feel ,i must stay here and even go on farther as the roads are made4 ,i cannot walk now1 nor dare ,i do anything to trifle with my health1 which is very queer now and then1 but if the roads are all the easy gradient of those already made ,i can get four wheels made and set a box on them1 and the children can draw me about4444 ,with such facts pressing on me at every point you will understand my saying ,i dare not go back4 ,i shall rather take the risk of finding my own chop if the ,mission do not see their way to go on4 ,but if they see their way to meet the new needs and requirements1 ,i shall do all in my power to further them without extra expense to the ,church4 ,this1 she characteristically added1 is not for publication2 it is for digestion4 ,there had never1 of course1 been any intention on the part of the ,church to draw back from the task of evangelising the new regions4 ,but the various bodies responsible for the work were stewards of the money contributed for foreign missions1 and they had to proceed in this particular part of the field according to their resources4 ,both men and means were limited1 and had to be adjusted to the needs1 not in an impulsive and haphazard way1 but with the utmost care and forethought4 ,all connected with the ,mission were as eager for extension as she was1 but they desired it to be undertaken on thorough and business-like lines4 ,the difference between them and her was one of method2 she1 all afire with energy and enthusiasm1 would have gone on in faith2 they1 more prudent and calculating1 wished to be sure of each step before they advanced another4 ,to her great relief she was permitted to have her way4 ,when it was seen that she was bent on pressing forward1 it was decided to set her free from ordinary trammels and allow her to act in future as a pioneer missionary4 ,it was a remarkable position1 one not without its difficulties and dangers1 and one naturally that could not become common4 ,but ,mary ,slessor was an exceptional woman1 and it was to the honour of the ,church that it at last realised the line of her genius1 and in spite of being sometimes at variance with her policy1 permitted her to follow her ,master in her own fashion4 ,her faith in the people and their own ability to support the work was proved more than once4 ,it was a plucky thing for these men and women to become ,christians1 since it meant the entire recasting of their lives4 ,yet this is what was now being often witnessed4 ,one event at ,akani ,obio was to her a foretaste of heaven--the baptism of the chief and his slave-wife and baby1 a score of her people1 and sixteen young boys and girls1 including one of the lads who had assisted to paddle the canoe on the day when the ,creek was first entered4 ,she was ill1 and was carried to and from the town in sharp pain and much discomfort1 but she forgot her body in the rare pleasure she experienced at the sight of so many giving themselves to ,christ4 ,she had to hide her face on the communion-table4 ,over forty sat down in the afternoon to remember our ,lord's death 'till ,he come4' ,it cannot go back this work of ,his4 ,akani ,obio is now linked on to ,calvary4 ,she thought of those rejoicing above4 ,i am sure our ,lord will never keep it from my mother4 ,the news from ,arochuku was also cheering1 although the messages told of persecution of the ,infant ,church by the chiefs1 who threatened to expel the teachers if they spoiled the old fashions4 ,and what did you say to that8 she enquired4 ,we replied1 ',you can put us out of our country1 but you cannot put us away from ,god4' ,and the women8 ,they said they would die for ,jesus ,christ4 ,she was anxious to visit ,arochuku again1 but there had been exceptional rains1 and the ,creek had risen beyond its usual height and flooded the villages4 ,akani ,obio suffered greatly1 the church being inundated4 ,the chief was downcast1 and in his simplicity of faith thought ,god was punishing him1 and searched his heart to find the cause1 until ,ma comforted him4 ,he determined to rebuild the church on higher ground1 and this intention he carried out later4 ,about a mile further up the ,creek he chose a good site1 and erected a new town called ,obufa ,obio1 the first to be laid out on a regular plan4 ,the main street is about forty yards wide1 and in the middle of it is the chief's house1 with the church close by4 ,the side streets are about ten yards wide4 ,all the houses have lamps hanging in front1 and these are lit in the evenings1 ,the boys have a large football field to themselves4 ,chief ,onoyom1 who is one of the elders of session1 continues to exercise a powerful influence for good throughout the ,creek4 ,one incident of the floods greatly saddened ,mary4 ,a native family were sleeping in their hut1 but above the waters4 ,the mother woke suddenly at the sound of something splashing about below4 ,thinking it was some wild animal1 she seized a machete and hacked at it4 ,her husband also obtained his sword and joined in4 ,when lights came1 the mangled form of the baby1 who had fallen from the bed1 was seen in the red water4 ,distracted at having murdered her child1 the mother threw herself into the ,creek and was drowned4 ,so convinced was ,mary of the importance of ,arochuku1 and so anxious to have a recognised station there1 that she offered to build a house free of expense to the ,mission1 if two agents could be sent up4 ,this brought the whole matter of extension to a definite issue1 and a forward movement was unanimously agreed on by the ,council--the ladies being specially anxious for this--any developments to take place by the way of the ,enyong ,creek4 ,a committee was appointed to visit ,arochuku and to confer with ,mary4 ,two ladies were actually appointed by the ,council1 one being ,miss ,martha ,peacock1 who was afterwards to be so closely allied with her4 ,when these matters came before the ,foreign ,mission ,committee in ,scotland1 a resolution was passed1 which it is well to give in full3 #a4 ,that they recognise the general principle1 that1 in all ordinary circumstances the ,women's ,foreign ,mission should not make the first advance into new territory1 but follow the lead of the ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 the function of the former being to supply the necessary complement to the work of the latter4 #b4 ,that1 however1 in view of 7a7 the earnest desire of the people of the district in question to receive ,christian teaching1 and their willingness to help in providing it2 7b7 the fact that the region has been claimed by the ,united ,free ,church as within the sphere of its operations1 and has had that claim acknowledged by the ,church ,missionary ,society2 7c7 the steps which have already been taken by ,miss ,slessor1 and what she is further prepared to do3 they regard it as not only highly desirable1 but the duty of the ,church to occupy the region in question as soon as it is possible4 #c4 ,that in view1 on the other hand1 of the present condition of their funds1 which are overtaxed by the already existing work1 the ,committee deeply regret that it is beyond their means to add two new members to the staff1 as the ,council requests1 and that1 therefore1 the sending of two new agents to ,arochuku must be meantime delayed4 #d4 ,that the ,committee1 however1 approve of the acceptance by the ,mission ,council of ,miss ,slessor's generous offer to build the house1 but recommend the ,council to consider whether the execution of the work should not be delayed till there is a nearer prospect of new agents being supplied4 ,they further return thanks to ,miss ,slessor for her generosity1 and record their warm appreciation of her brave pioneer work2 and they express the earnest hope that the ,church1 by larger liberality1 may soon enable them to make the advance which has been so well prepared4 ,meanwhile the ,rev4 ,john ,rankln had been given a roving commission in order to ascertain the best location for the future station1 and he came back from a tour in ,ibo and ,ibibio and fired the ,council with the tale of what he had seen1 and the wonderful possibilities of this great and populous region4 ,close to ,arochuku within a circle1 the diameter of which is less than three miles1 there are1 he said1 nineteen large towns4 ,i visited sixteen of these1 each of which is larger than ,creek ,town1 ,the people are a stalwart race1 far in advance of ,efik4 ,the majority are very anxious for help4 ,a section is strongly opposed1 even to the point of persecution of those who are under the influence of ,miss ,slessor1 and others have already begun to try to live in ',god's fashion4' ,this opposition seems to be one of the most hopeful signs1 as proving that there will be at least no indifference4 ,the head chief of all the ,aros1 who was the chief formerly in control of the 'long juju' is one of those most favourable4 ,he has already announced to the other chiefs his intention to rule in ,god's ways4 ,he has been the most keen in asking the missionary to come4 ,a new church will be built1 and he offers to build a house for any missionary who will come4 ,with something like enthusiasm the ,committee set apart ,mr4 ,rankin himself to take up the work at ,arochuku1 and accepted the responsibility of sending him at once4444 ,thus ,arochuku1 like ,itu1 passed into the control of the ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 and became one of their stations and the centre of further developments1 and thus ,miss ,slessor's long period of anxiety regarding its position and future was at an end4 ,,xi4 ,,on ,,the ,,bench ,recognising that ,ma had an influence with the natives1 which it was impossible to abrogate1 the ,government decided to invest her with the powers of a magistrate4 ,the native courts of ,nigeria consist of a number of leading chiefs in each district1 who take turns to try cases between native and native4 ,the ,district ,commissioner is ex-officio president of those within his sphere1 and each court is composed of a permanent vice-president and three chiefs4 ,before leaving ,itu she was asked informally whether she would consent to take the superintendence of ,court affairs in the district1 as she had done in ,okoyong1 but on a recognised basis4 ,if she agreed1 the ,court would be transferred to ,ikotobong to suit her convenience and safeguard her strength4 ,she was pleased that the ,government thought her worthy of the position1 and was favourable to the idea4 ,already she was by common consent the chief arbiter in all disputes1 and wielded unique power1 but she thought that if she were also the official agent of the ,government she might increase the range of her usefulness4 ,her aim was to help the poor and the oppressed1 and specially to protect her own downtrodden sex and secure their rights1 and to educate the people up to the ,christian standard of conduct2 and such an appointment would give her additional advantage and authority4 ,it will be a good chance1 she said1 to preach the ,gospel1 and to create confidence and inspire hope in these poor wretches1 who fear white and black man alike2 while it will neither hamper my work nor restrict my liberty4 ,on stating that she would do the work she was told that a salary was attached to the post1 but she declared that nothing would induce her to accept it1 ,i'm born and bred1 and am in every fibre of my being1 a voluntary4 ,the formal offer came in ,may #aije1 in the shape of this letter3 #a4 ,i am directed by ,his ,excellency the ,high ,commissioner to enquire whether you would accept office as a ,member of ,itu ,native ,court with the status of permanent ,vice-,president4 ,his ,excellency is desirous of securing the advantage of your experience and intimate knowledge of native affairs and sympathetic interest in the welfare of the villagers1 and understands that you would not be averse to place your service at the disposal of the ,government4 #b4 ,it is proposed to assign you a nominal salary of one pound a year1 and to hand you the balance--forty-seven pounds per annum--for use in forwarding your ,mission work4 #c4 ,it is proposed to transfer ,itu ,court to ,ikotobong4 ,she thanked the ,government for the honour and for the confidence reposed in her1 and said she was willing to give her services for the good of the people in any way1 but she declined to accept any remuneration4 ,she took over the books in ,october1 acting then and often afterwards1 as clerk1 and carrying through all the tedious clerical duties4 ,it was strange and terrible1 but to her not unfamiliar work4 ,she came face to face with the worst side of a low-down savage people1 and dealt with the queerest of queer cases4 ,one of the first was a murder charge in which a woman was involved4 ,women were indeed at the bottom of almost every mischief and palaver in the country4 ,with marriage was mixed up poisoning1 sacrifice1 exactions1 oaths1 debts1 and cruelty unspeakable4 ,mary was often sick with the loathing of it all4 ,god help these poor helpless women6 she wrote4 ,what a crowd of people ,i have had to-day1 and how debased6 ,they are just like brutes in regard to women4 ,i have had a murder1 an esr case1 a suicide1 a man for branding his slave- wife all over her face and body2 a man with a gun who has shot four persons--it is all horrible6 ,here are three specimen charges1 and the results1 in her own writing3-- ,,for ,,imprisonment ,o4 ,i4 ,found guilty of brawling in market and taking by force #h rods from a woman's basket4 ,one month's hard labour4 ,p4 ,b4 ,chasing a girl into the bush with intent to injure4 ,one month's hard labour4 ,u4 ,a4 7a7 ,seizing a woman in the market4 7b7 ,chaining her for #ad days by neck and wrists4 ,throwing mbiam with intent to kill should she reveal it to white man4 ,sentenced to six months' hard labour1 and to be sent back on expiry of sentence to pay costs4 ,she had the right of inflicting punishment up to six months' imprisonment1 but often1 instead of administering the law1 she administered justice by giving the prisoner a blow on the side of the head6 ,the oath taken was usually the heathen mbiam4 ,for this were needed a skull and a vile concoction in a bottle1 that was kept outside the ,court ,house on account of the smell4 ,after a witness had promised to speak the truth1 one of the members of the ,court would take some of the stuff and draw it across his tongue and over his face1 and touch his legs and arms4 ,it was believed that if he spoke falsely he would die4 ,after ,miss ,slessor took up her duties1 a heathen native1 who had clearly borne false witness1 dropped down dead on leaving the ,court1 with the result that mbiam was in high repute for a time in the district4 ,although three local chiefs sat by her side on the bench1 and the jury behind her1 she ruled supreme4 ,i have seen her get up1 says a ,government official of that time1 and box the ears of a chief because he continued to interrupt after being warned to be quiet4 ,the act caused the greatest amusement to the other chiefs4 ,they often writhed under her new edicts regarding women1 but they always acquiesced in her judgment4 ,for not providing water for twin-mothers1 she fined a town #c4 ,miss ,amess tells of a poor woman wishing a divorce from her scamp of a husband4 ,the ,court evidently thought she had sufficient cause1 and there and then granted the request1 and asked her colleague to witness the act4 ,the woman was triumphant1 feeling very important at having two white people on her side1 while the man stood trembling1 as ,ma expressed her candid opinion of him4 ,in the ,government report for #aijg it was stated that a number of summonses had been issued by the ,district ,commissioner against husbands of twin-bearing women for desertion and support1 and in every case the husbands agreed to take the women back1 the sequel being that other women in the same plight were also received again into their families4 ,the result1 says the report1 is a sign of the civilising influence worked through the ,court by that admirable lady1 ,miss ,slessor4 ,some of her methods were not of the accepted judicial character4 ,she would try a batch of men for an offence1 lecture them1 and then impose a fine4 ,finding they had no money she would take them up to the house and give them work to earn the amount1 and feed them well4 ,needless to say they went back to their homes her devoted admirers4 ,her excuse for such irregular procedure was1 that while they were working she could talk to them1 and exercise an influence that might prove abiding in their lives4 ,this was the motive animating all her actions in the ,court4 ,when ',ma' ,slessor presided1 it was said1 her ,master was beside her1 and ,his spirit guided her4 ,the ,court was popular1 for the natives had their tales heard at first hand1 and not through an interpreter4 ,ma's complete mastery of their tongue1 customs1 habits1 and very nature1 gave her1 of course1 an exceptional advantage4 ,one ,district ,commissioner spent three days in trying a single case1 hearing innumerable witnesses1 without coming within sight of the truth4 ,in despair he sought her aid1 and she settled the whole dispute to the satisfaction of every one by asking two simple questions4 ,it was impossible for any native to deceive her4 ,a ,government doctor had occasion to interview a chief through an interpreter4 ,she was standing by4 ,as the chief spoke she suddenly broke in1 and the man simply crumpled up before her4 ,the doctor afterwards asked her what the chief had done4 ,he told a lie1 and ,i reprimanded him--but ,i cannot understand how he could possibly expect me not to know4 ,again and again she reverted to the matter4 ,to think he could have expected to deceive me6 ,another official tells how a tall1 well-built1 muscular chief cowered before her4 ,having no knowledge of the language1 ,i could not tell what it was all about1 but plainly the man looked as if his very soul had been laid bare1 and as though he wished the earth would open and swallow him4 ,she combined most happily kindliness and severity1 and indeed ,i cannot imagine any native trying to take advantage of her kindness and of her great-hearted love for the people4 ,this is the more remarkable to any one with intimate personal acquaintance with the native1 and of his readiness to regard kindness as weakness or softness1 and his endeavour to exploit it to the utmost4 ,all this ,court business added to her toil1 as a constant stream of people came to her at the ,mission ,house in connection with their cases4 ,she did not1 however1 see them all4 ,it became her practice to sit in a room writing at her desk or reading1 and send the girls to obtain the salient features of the story4 ,they knew how to question1 and what facts to take to her1 and she sent them back with directions as to what should be done4 ,when she was ill and feeble she extended this practice to other palavers4 ,people still came from great distances to secure her ruling on some knotty dispute1 and having had their statements conveyed to her1 she would either give the reply through the girls1 or speak out of the open window1 and the deputation would depart satisfied1 and act on her advice4 ,her correspondence also increased in volume1 and she received many a curious communication4 ,the natives would sometimes be puzzled how to address her1 and to make absolutely sure they would send their letters to ,madam1 ,mr41 ,miss1 ,slessor4 ,,xii4 ,a ,,visitor',s ,,notes ,a pleasant glimpse of her at this time is given in some notes by ,miss ,amess4 ,on ,miss ,wright going home--she shortly afterwards married ,dr4 ,rattray of the ,mission staff1 both subsequently settling in ,england-- ,miss ,amess was not permitted to stay alone in ,okoyong1 and she asked to be associated with ,miss ,slessor at ,ikotobong4 ,it was a happy arrangement for the latter4 ,what a relief it is1 she wrote1 to have some one to lean on and share the responsibility of the bairns4 ,miss ,amess is so sane and capable and helpful1 and is always on the watch to do what is to be done--a dear consecrated lassie4 ,miss ,amess says3 ,when ,i went to ,calabar ,i heard a great deal about ,miss ,slessor1 and naturally ,i wished to see her4 ,she had been so courageous that ,i imagined she must be somewhat masculine1 with a very commanding appearance1 but ,i was pleasantly disappointed when ,i found she was a true woman1 with a heart full of motherly affection4 ,her welcome was the heartiest ,i received4 ,her originality1 brightness1 and almost girlish spirit fascinated me4 ,one could not be long in her company without enjoying a right hearty laugh4 ,as her semi-native house was just finished1 and she always did with the minimum of furniture and culinary articles1 the ,council authorised me to take a filter1 dishes1 and cooking utensils from ,akpap1 and ,i had also provision cases and personal luggage4 ,i was not sure of what ,ma would say about sixteen loads arriving1 because there were no wardrobes or presses1 and one had just to live in one's boxes4 ,when ,ma saw the filter she said1 ,ye maun a' hae yer filters noo-a-days4 ,filters werna created2 they were an after-thocht4 ,she quite approved of my having it all the same4 ,mail day was always a red-letter day4 ,we only got letters fortnightly then4 ,she was always interested in my home news and told me hers1 so that we had generally a very happy hour together4 ,then the papers would be read and their contents discussed4 ,to be with her was an education4 ,she had such a complete grasp of all that was going on in the world4 ,one day after studying ,efik for two hours she said to me1 ,lassie1 you have had enough of that to-day1 go away and read a novel for a short time4 ,she was very childlike with her bairns and dearly loved them4 ,one night ,i had to share her bed1 and during the night felt her clapping me on the shoulder4 ,i think she had been so used with black babies that this was the force of habit1 for she was amused when ,i told her of it in the morning4 ,there was no routine with ,ma4 ,one never knew what she would be doing4 ,one hour she might be having a political discussion with a ,district ,commissioner1 the next supervising the building of a house1 and later on judging native palavers4 ,late one evening ,i heard a good deal of talking and also the sound of working4 ,i went in to see what was doing and there was ,ma making cement and the bairns spreading it on the floor with their hands in candle light4 ,the whole scene at so late an hour was too much for my gravity4 ,when at prayers with her children she would sometimes play a tambourine at the singing1 and if the bairns were half asleep it struck their curly heads instead of her elbow4 ,her outstanding characteristic was her great sympathy1 which enabled her to get into touch with the highest and the lowest4 ,once while cycling together we met the ,provincial ,commissioner4 ,after salutations and some conversation with him she finished up by saying1 ,good-bye1 and see and be a guid laddie6 ,while out walking one ,sabbath we came across several booths where the natives who were making the ,government road were living4 ,she began chatting with them1 and then told them the ,parable of the ,lost ,sheep4 ,she told everything in a graphic way1 and with a perfect knowledge of the vernacular1 and they followed her with reverence and intense interest all through4 ,to most of them1 if not to all1 that would be the first time they had heard of a ,god of ,love4 ,she had really two personalities4 ,in the morning one would hear evildoers getting hotly lectured for their fashions1 and in the evening when all was quiet she lifted one up to the very heights regarding the things of the ,kingdom4 ,she always had a wonderful vision of what the power of the ,gospel could make of the most degraded1 though bound by the strongest chains of superstition and heathenism4 ,one might enter her house feeling pessimistic1 but one always left it an optimist4 ,,xiii4 ,a ,,rest-,,home ,a touch of romance seemed to be connected with all her work4 ,the next idea she sought to develop was a ,rest-,house or week-end1 holiday1 or convalescent home1 where the ladies of the ,mission1 when out of spirits1 or run down in health1 could reside and recuperate without the fear of being a trouble or expense to others4 ,in a tropical country1 where a change and rest is so often essential to white workers1 such a quiet accessible resort would1 she thought1 prove a blessing4 ,but there was no money for the purpose4 ,one day1 however1 she received a cheque for #bj4 ,years before1 in ,okoyong1 ,dr4 ,dutton of the ,tropical ,school of ,medicine had stayed with her for scientific study4 ,he went on to the ,congo1 and there succumbed4 ,on going over his papers1 his family found her letters1 and in recognition of her kindness and interest1 sent her a gift of #bj4 ,thinking of a way of spending the money which would have pleased her friend1 she determined to apply it to the building of her ,rest-,house4 ,the site for such a resort required to be near the ,creek1 and she discovered one on high land at ,use between ,ikotobong and ,itu1 and two miles from the landing-beach4 ,the road here winds round hills from which beautiful views are obtained4 ,on this side one sees far into ,ibo beyond ,arochuku1 on that the vision is of ,itu and the country behind it1 while on the west the palm-covered plain rises into the highlands of ,ikot ,ekpene4 ,it is one of the fairest of landscapes1 but is the haunt of leopards and other wild beasts1 and after rain the roadway is often covered with the marks of their feet4 ,the ground was cleared1 and building operations begun1 the plan worked out being a small semi-,european cottage and native yard4 ,other cottages would follow4 ,before long1 however1 the feeling grew that ,ikotobong should be taken over by the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 and she foresaw that ,use would require to be her own headquarters4 ,towards the end of the year ,miss ,e1 ,m',kinney1 one of the lady agents1 called at ,use1 and found her living in a single room1 and sleeping on a mattress placed upon a sheet of corrugated iron4 ,as the visitor had to leave early in the morning1 and there were no clocks in the hut1 ,ma adopted the novel device of tying a rooster to her bed4 ,the plan succeeded2 at first cock-crow the sleepers were aroused from their slumbers4 ,it was not so much a rest-house for others that was needed1 as a rest for herself4 ,she was gradually coming to the end of her strength4 ,throughout the year #aijf she suffered from diarrhoea1 boils1 and other weakening complaints1 and the ,government doctor at last frankly told her that if she wished to live and work another day1 she must go home at once4 ,her answer to his fiat was to rally in a wonderful way4 ,it looks1 she said1 as if ,god has forbidden my going4 ,does this appear as if ,he could not do without me8 ,oh1 dear me1 poor old lady1 how little you can do6 ,but ,i can at least keep a door open4 ,it was1 however1 only a respite4 ,by the beginning of #aijg she could not walk half-a-dozen steps1 her limbs refused to move1 and she needed to be carried about4 ,it was obvious1 even to herself1 that she must go home4 ,home6 the very word brought tears to her eyes4 ,the passion for the old land and kent faces1 and the graves of her beloved1 grew with her failing power4 ,a home picture made her heart leap and long4 ,oh1 the dear homeland1 she cried1 shall ,i really be there and worship in its churches again6 ,how ,i long for a wee look at a winter landscape1 to feel the cold wind1 and see the frost in the cart-ruts1 to hear the ring of shoes on the hard frozen ground1 to see the glare of the shops1 and the hurrying scurrying crowd1 to take a back seat in a church1 and hear without a care of my own the congregation singing1 and hear how they preach and pray and rest their souls in the hush and solemnity4 ,she arranged to leave in ,may1 and set about putting her household affairs in order4 ,the safeguarding of the children gave her much solicitude4 ,for ,jean and the older girls she trembled4 ,they must be left in charge of the babies1 with only ,god to protect them4 ,dan1 now six years old1 she took with her as a help to fetch and carry4 ,her departure and journey were made wonderfully easy by the kindness of ,government officials1 who vied with each other in taking care of her and making her comfortable4 ,one of her friends1 ,mr4 ,gray1 packed for her1 stored her furniture1 conveyed her to ,duke ,town1 and asked his sister in ,edinburgh to meet her4 ,mr4 ,middleton1 of ,lagos1 wrote to say he was going home1 and would wait for her in order to convoy her safely through all the foreign countries between ,lagos and the other side of the ,tweed4 ,now there1 she wrote to the ,wilkies--,doth ,job serve ,god for nought8 ,very grateful she was for all the attention4 ,god must repay these men1 she said1 for ,i cannot4 ,he will not forget they did it to a child of ,his1 unworthy though she is4 ,after the voyage she wrote3 ,mr4 ,middleton has faithfully and very tenderly carried out all his promises4 ,had ,i been his mother1 he could not have been more attentive or kind4 ,,xiv4 ,,scotland3 ,,the ,,last ,,farewell ,a telegram to ,mrs4 ,m',crindle at ,joppa informed her that her friend had arrived at ,liverpool and was on the way to ,edinburgh4 ,she met the train1 and saw an old wrinkled lady huddled in a corner of a carriage4 ,could that be ,miss ,slessor8 ,with a pitying hand she helped her out and conveyed her1 with ,dan1 to the comfort of her home4 ,but soon letters1 postcards1 invitations1 parcels began flowing in4 ,this correspondence1 she wrote1 is overwhelming4 ,i cannot keep pace with it4 ,there was no end to the kindness which people showered upon her4 ,gifts of flowers1 clothes1 and money for herself and her work1 and toys for ,dan were her daily portion4 ,it is a wonderful service this1 she said1 which makes the heart leap to do ,his will1 and it is all unknown to the nearest neighbour or the dearest friend1 but it keeps the ,kingdom of ,heaven coming every day anew on the earth4 ,one #e was slipped into her hand for her bairns4 ,my bairns don't require it1 she replied1 and won't get it either1 but it is put aside1 till ,i see the ,board1 as the nest-egg of my ,home for ,girls and ,women in ,calabar4 ,if ,i can get them to give the woman or women1 ,i shall give half of my salary to help hers1 and will give the house and find the servants1 and ,i can find the passage money from personal friends4 ,pray that the ,board may dare to go on in faith1 and take up this work4 ,between spells of colds and fevers she visited friends4 ,at ,bowden again she had the exquisite experience of enjoying utter rest and happiness4 ,a pleasant stay was at ,stanley1 with the family of ,miss ,amess1 who was also at home1 and with whom she rose early in the morning and went out cycling4 ,she cycled also with ,miss ,logie at ,newport1 but was very timid on the road4 ,if she saw a dog in front she would dismount1 and remount after she had passed it4 ,she went over to ,dundee and roamed through her former haunts with an old factory companion1 looking wistfully at the scenes of her girlhood4 ,i have been gladdened1 she wrote to an ,english friend1 at finding many of those ,i taught in young days walking in the fear and love of ,god1 and many are heads of families who are a strength and ornament to the ,church of ,christ4 ,about thirty-five or thirty-eight years ago three ladies and myself began to work in a dreadful district-one became a district nurse1 one worked among the fallen women and the prisons of our cities1 and one has been at home working quietly--and we all met in good health and had such a day together4 ,we went up the old roads and talked of all ,god had done for us and for the people1 and again dedicated ourselves to ,him4 ,it was probably the last time we shall meet down here1 but we were glad in the hope of eternity4 ,she had not been in ,scotland since the ,union of the ,churches1 and one of her first duties was to call upon ,mr4 ,stevenson1 the ,secretary of the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 and his assistant1 ,miss ,crawford4 ,she had a high sense of the value of the work going on at headquarters1 and always maintained that the task of organising at home was much harder than service in the field4 ,but she had a natural aversion to officialdom1 and anticipated the interviews with dread4 ,she pictured two cold1 unsympathetic individuals--a conception afterwards recalled with amusement4 ,what the reality was may be gathered from a letter she wrote later to ,mr4 ,stevenson3 ,i have never felt much at home with our new conditions1 and feared the result of the ,union in its detail1 though ,i most heartily approved of it in theory and fact4 ,no6 ,i shall not be afraid of you4 ,both ,miss ,crawford and yourself have been a revelation to me1 and ,i am ashamed of my former fancies and fears1 and ,i shall ever think of1 and pray for the secretaries with a very warm and thankful heart4 ,there was an element of humour in her meeting with ,miss ,crawford4 ,the two women1 somewhat nervous1 stood on opposite sides of the office door4 ,she1 without1 was afraid to enter1 shrinking from the task of facing the unknown personage within--a woman who had been in ,india and written a book1 and was sure to be masculine and hard6 ,she1 within1 of gentle face and soft speech1 leant timidly on her desk1 nerving herself for the coming shock1 for the famous pioneer missionary was sure to be difficult and aggressive4 ,when ,mary entered they glanced at one another1 looked into each other's eyes1 and with a sigh of relief smiled and straightway fell in love4 ,when ,mary gave her affection she gave it with a passionate abandon1 and ,miss ,crawford was taken into the inmost sanctuary of her heart4 ,you have been one of ,god's most precious gifts to me on this furlough1 she said later4 ,in her humility ,miss ,crawford spoke about not being worthy to tie her shoe4 ,dear daughter of the ,king1 exclaimed the missionary1 why do you say that8 ,if you knew me as ,god does6 ,never say that kind of thing again6 ,the ordeal of meeting the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee was also a disillusionment4 ,her friend1 ,dr4 ,robson1 was in the chair1 and his opening prayer was an inspiration1 and lifted the proceedings to the highest level4 ,nothing could have been kinder than her reception1 which delighted her greatly4 ,there was such a sympathetic hearing for ,calabar1 especially from the old ,free ,church section1 who are as eager for the ,mission as the old ,united ,presbyterians4 ,a conference was held with her in regard to the position of ,ikotobong1 and her heart was gladdened by the decision to take over the station and place two lady missionaries there1 ,miss ,peacock and ,miss ,reid4 ,at another conference with a sub-committee she discussed the matter of the ,settlement1 gave an outline of her plans1 and intimated that already two ladies had offered #ajj each to start the enterprise1 while other sums were also on hand4 ,the sub-committee was much impressed with the sense of both the necessity and promise of the scheme1 and recommended the ,women's ,committee to express general approval of it1 and earnest sympathy with the end in view1 and to authorise her to take the necessary steps on her return for the selection of a suitable site1 the preparation of plans1 and estimates of the cost of the ground1 buildings1 and agents1 in order that the whole scheme might be submitted through the ,mission ,council1 at the earliest practicable date1 for sanction4 ,the general ,committee unanimously and cordially adopted this recommendation4 ,it was expected that she would address many meetings throughout the country during her furlough to interest people in her work and projects1 but she astonished every one by intimating that she was leaving for ,calabar in ,october1 although she had only been a few months at home4 ,in her eyes friends saw a look of sorrow1 and said to one another that the burden of the work was lying upon her heart4 ,but few knew the secret of her sadness4 ,to some who remonstrated she said1 ,my heart yearns for my bairns--they are more to me than myself4 ,the truth was that a story about ,jean had been set afloat by a native and had reached her in letters1 and she could hardly contain herself until she had found out the meaning of it4 ,at all costs she must get back4 ,even her pilgrimage to the graves of her dear ones in ,devon must be given up4 ,much against her will and pleading she was tied down to give at least three addresses in the great towns1 but with her whole being unhinged by the shadow that overhung her1 she had little mind for public speaking4 ,her old nervousness in the face of an audience returned with tenfold force4 ,i am trembling for the meetings1 she wrote1 but surely ,god will help me4 ,it is ,his own cause4 ,and again1 ,i am suffering tortures of fear1 and yet why is it that ,i cannot rest in ,him8 ,if ,he sends me work1 surely ,he will help me to deliver ,his message1 and to do it for ,his glory4 ,he never failed me before4 ,if ,he be glorified that is all1 whether ,i be considered able or not4 ,she never prepared a set speech1 and when she was going up to the ,edinburgh meeting with ,mrs4 ,m',crindle1 she turned to her and said1 ,what am ,i to say8 ,just open your lips and let ,god speak1 replied her friend4 ,she was greatly pleased with the answer1 and on that occasion she never spoke better4 ,dr4 ,robson presided1 and ,mrs4 ,duncan ,m',laren1 in bidding her farewell on behalf of the audience1 said1 ,there are times when it needs ,god-given vision to see the guiding hand4 ,we feel that our friend has this heavenly vision1 and that she has not been disobedient to it4 ,we all feel humbled when we hear what she and her brave colleagues have done4 ,in ,god's keeping we may safely leave her4 ,at the meeting in ,glasgow the feeling was even more tense and emotional1 and a hush came over the audience as the plain little woman made her appeal1 and told them that in all probability she would never again be back4 ,at the benediction she stood1 a pathetic figure1 her head drooping1 her whole attitude one of utter weariness4 ,on the eve of her departure she was staying with friends4 ,at night they went into her room and found her weeping quietly in bed4 ,they tried to comfort her1 and she said half-whimsically that she had been overcome by the feeling that she was homeless and without kith and kin la her own country4 ,i'm a poor solitary with only memories4 ,but you have troops of friends--you have us all--we all love you4 ,yes1 ,i ken1 and ,i am grateful1 she replied1 but--wistfully--it's just that ,i've none of my ain folk to say good-bye to4 ,she was very tired when she left1 ,i'm hardly myself in this country1 she said4 ,it has too many things1 and it is always in such a hurry4 ,i lose my head4 ,again kind hands eased her way1 and settled her on the steamer4 ,dan was inconsolable1 and wept to be taken back to ,joppa4 ,the voyage gave her a new lease of life4 ,the quietness and peace and meditation1 the warm sunshine and the breezes1 the loveliness of the sky and sea1 rested and healed her4 ,this1 despite the conduct of some wild passengers bound for the gold-mines4 ,one day she rose and left the table by way of protest1 but in the end they bade her a kindly good- bye1 and listened to her advice4 ,at ,lagos the ,governor sent off his aide-de-camp with greetings1 and a case of milk for the children4 ,mr4 ,grey also appeared and escorted her to ,calabar4 ,am ,i not a privileged and happy woman8 she wrote to his sister4 ,the same note of gratitude filled a letter which she wrote on board to ,dr4 ,robson1 asking him to put a few lines in the ,record thanking every one for their kindness1 as it was impossible to answer all the letters she had received4 ,the letter itself was inserted1 and we give the concluding paragraph3 ,to all who have received me into their homes1 and given me a share of what are the most sacred things of earth1 ,i give heartfelt thanks4 ,what the ,bethany house must have been to our ,lord1 no one can better appreciate than the missionary coming home to a strange place1 homeless4 ,i thank all those who have rested me1 and nursed me back to health and strength1 and who have nerved me for future service by the sweet ministries and hallowing influences of their home life4 ,to the members of the ,mission ,board for their courtesy1 their confidence1 and sympathetic helpfulness1 ,i owe much gratitude4 ,and not only for services which can be tabulated1 but for the whole atmosphere of sympathy which has surrounded me2 for the hand-clasps which have spoken volumes2 for the looks of love which have beamed from eyes soft with feeling2 for the prayer which has upheld and guided in days gone by1 and on which ,i count for strength in days to come2 for all ,i pray that ,god may say to each giving1 sympathetic heart1 ,inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren1 ye did it unto ,me4 ,she was praying all the while for her bairn4 ,on her arrival1 as fast as boat would take her1 she sped up to ,use4 ,the chiefs and people came crowding to welcome her1 bringing lavish gifts of food-yams and salt and fish and fowl4 ,there were even fifty yams1 and a goat from the back of ,okoyong4 ,dan with his ,english clothes was the centre of admiration1 and grave greybeards sat and listened to the ticking of his watch1 and played with his toy train4444 ,to her unspeakable relief she found the story about ,jean to be a native lie4 ,she was too grateful to be angry4 ,,xv4 ,,growing ,,weather ,the short furlough in ,scotland1 broken by so much movement and excitement1 had done little permanent good4 ,she was tired when she began her work1 and there came a long series of up and down days which handicapped her activity1 yet she continued her duties with a resolution that was unquenched and unquenchable4 ,things are humdrum1 she wrote1 just like this growing weather of ours1 rainy and cloudy1 with a blink here and there4 ,we know the brightness would scorch and destroy if it were constant2 still the bursts of glory that come between the clouds are a rich provision for our frail and sensitive lives4 ,her conception of achievement was a little out of the common4 ,one day she sat in court for eight hours2 other two hours were spent with the clerk making out warrants2 afterwards she had to find tasks to employ some labour2 then she went out at dusk and attended a birth case all night1 returning at dawn4 ,whole days were occupied with palavers1 many of the people coming such long distances that she had to provide sleeping accommodation for them4 ,old chiefs would pay her visits and stay for hours4 ,it is a great tax1 she remarked1 but it pays even if it tires4 ,sundays were her busiest days2 she went far afield preaching1 and had usually from six to twelve meetings in villages and by the wayside4 ,often on these excursions she came across natives who had made the journey to ,okoyong to consult her in the old days4 ,the situation was now reversed1 for people from ,okoyong came to her4 ,one day after a ten hours' sitting in ,court she went home to find about fifty natives from the hinterland of that district waiting with their usual tributes of food and a peck of troubles for her to straighten out4 ,it was after midnight before there was quiet and sleep for her4 ,her heart went out to these great-limbed1 straight-nosed1 sons of the aboriginal forest1 and she determined to cross the river and visit them4 ,she spent three days fixing up all their domestic and social affairs1 and making a few proclamations1 and diligently sowing the seeds of the ,gospel4 ,when she left she had with her four boys and a girl as wild and undisciplined as mountain goats1 who were added to her household to undergo the process of taming1 training1 and educating ere they were sent back4 ,in what she called her spare time she was engaged in the endless task of repairing and extending her forlorn little shanties4 ,there was always something on hand1 and she worked as hard as the children1 nailing up corrugated iron1 sawing boards1 cementing floors1 or cutting bush4 ,jean1 the ever-willing and cheerful1 was practically in charge of the house1 keeping the babies1 looking after their mothers1 and teaching the little ones in the school4 ,up to this period she had never received more than her board1 and ,ma felt it was time to acknowledge her services1 and she therefore began to pay her #as4 per week4 ,now and again in her letters there came the ominous words1 ,i'm tired1 tired4 ,on the last night of the year she was sitting up writing4 ,i'm tired1 she said1 and have a few things to do4 ,my mother went home eighteen years ago on the passage of the old year1 so it is rather lonely to-night with so many memories4 ,the bairns are all asleep4 ,but ,he hath not failed1 and ,he is all-sufficient4 ,she was often so wearied that she could not sit up straight4 ,she was too exhausted to take off her clothes and brush her hair until she had obtained what she called her first rest4 ,then she rose and finished her undressing4 ,she would begin a letter and not be able to finish it4 ,the ladies nearest her1 ,miss ,peacock and ,miss ,reid at ,ikotobong1 redoubled their attentions4 ,miss ,reid she said was a bonnie lassie1 tenderly kind to me4 ,what ,miss ,peacock was to her no one but herself knew4 ,she was a keen judge of character1 though generous1 almost extravagant in her appreciation of those she loved1 and ,miss ,peacock has justified her estimate and her praise4 ,sterling as a ,christian1 splendid as a woman1 whole-hearted as a missionary1 capable as a teacher1 she is one after my own heart1 she wrote4 ,she is very good and kind to me1 and a tower of strength4 ,i am proud of her and the great work she is doing4 ,miss ,peacock began the habit about this time of cycling down on ,saturday afternoons and spending a few hours with her1 and ,mary looked forward to these visits with the greatest zest4 ,the friends at home were also ceaseless in their kindness4 ,they scrutinised every letter she sent1 and were frequently able to read between the lines and anticipate and supply her needs1--much to her surprise4 ,have ,i been grumbling8 she would enquire4 ,you make me ashamed4 ,i am better off than thousands who give their money to support me4 ,a carpet arrived4 ,and oh1 she writes1 what a difference it has made to our comfort4 ,you have no idea of the transformation6 ,the mud and cement were transformed at once into something as artistic as the 'boards' of the bungalow1 and the coziness was simply beyond belief4 ,it did not look a bit hot1 and it was so soothing to the bare feet1 and ,i need not say it was a wonder to the natives1 who can't understand a white man stepping on a cloth--and such a cloth6 ,on another occasion a bed was sent out to her1 and she wrote3 ,i've been jumping my tired body up and down on it just to get the beautiful swing1 and to feel that ,i am lying level4 ,i'm tired and ,i'm happy and ,i'm half-ashamed at my own luxury4 ,and next morning1 ,what a lovely sleep ,i've had6 ,the ,macgregors made their first visit to ,use in #aijh1 and on arrival found ,ma sitting with a morsel of infant in her lap4 ,she was dressed in a print overall with low neck2 it was tied at the middle with a sash1 and she was without stockings or shoes4 ,on the ,sunday she set out early on foot on her customary round1 carrying two roasted corn-cobs as her day's rations1 whilst ,mr4 ,macgregor took the service at ,ikotobong4 ,he was tired after his one effort1 but when he returned in the evening he discovered her preaching at ,use ,church-her tenth meeting for the day1 and her tour had not been so extensive as usual4 ,at six o'clock next morning people had already arrived with palavers4 ,one woman wanted a husband4 ,ma looked at her with those shrewd eyes that read people through and through1 and then began in ,scots1 ,it's bad eneuch being a marriage registrar1 without being a matrimonial agent forby4 ,eke mi'o6 ,mr4 ,macgregor1 send up any o' your laddies that's wanting wives4 ,then she went into ,efik that made the woman wince1 and pointed out that she had come to the wrong place4 ,she watched with interest the progress of the ,creek stations1 although they were out of her hands4 ,there were now at ,okpo forty members in full communion1 and the contributions for the year amounted to #dh3 #c3 #c4 ,at ,akani ,obio1 where there were forty-five members in full communion1 the total contributions amounted to #ih3 #aa3 #d4 ,and at ,asang1 where there were one hundred and fifteen members1 the contributions amounted to #adf3 #fh4 ,at those three stations the total expenses were fully met1 and there was a large surplus4 ,where four years ago there was no church member and no offering1 there were now two hundred members1 and contributions amounting in all to #bhg4 ,so the ,kingdom of her ,lord grew4 ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,pity ,,of ,,it ,one experience of #aijh1 when she was down at ,duke ,town attending the ,council meetings1 is worth noting4 ,though she liked the bush better she was always interested in watching the movements there4 ,it is a great cheer to me1 she said1 to meet all the young folks1 and to be with them in their enthusiasm and optimism1 and this vast hive of industry1 the ,hope ,waddell ,institution1 with its swarm of young men and boys1 gives me the highest hopes for the future of the ,church and the nation now in their infancy4 ,mr4 ,macgregor is a perfect ,principal1 sane1 self- restrained1 and tactful1 but ,i would not be in his place for millions4 ,the town was a very different place from that which she first saw in #ahgf4 ,it was now a flourishing seaport1 with many fine streets and buildings4 ,the swamp had been drained4 ,there was a fully-equipped native hospital1 and a magnificent church in the centre of the town1 and the ,europeans enjoyed most of the conveniences and even the luxuries of civilisation4 ,on this occasion an invitation came from the ,high ,commissioner to dine at ,government ,house1 and meet a certain woman writer of books4 ,she would not hear of it4 ,she had no clothes for such a function1 and she did not wish to be lionised4 ,the ,macgregors1 with whom she was staying1 advised her to go2 they thought it would do her good4 ,she consented at last1 but when she left in a hammock1 which had been specially sent for her1 there was the light of battle in her eyes4 ,mr4 ,macgregor knew that look and laughed2 there was no doubt she was going to enjoy herself2 she had still the heart of a school-girl1 and greatly loved a prank4 ,when she returned1 her face was full of mischief4 ,ay1 she said1 ,i met your lady writer1 and ,i made her greet four times and she gied me half a sovereign for my bairns6 ,under the title of ,but yet the pity of it1 the authoress gave an account of the meeting in the ,morning ,post1 in a way which excited laughter and derision in the ,calabar bush4 ,it was in the pathetic strain3 ,i am not given to admiring missionary enterprise1 she wrote4 ,the enthusiasm which seems to so many magnificent seems to me but a meddling in other people's business2 the money that is poured out1 so much bread and light and air and happiness filched from the smitten children at home4 ,but this missionary conquered me if she did not convert me4 ,she was a woman close on sixty1 with a heavily-lined face1 and a skin from which the freshness and bloom had long1 long ago departed2 but there was fire in her old eyes still1 tired though they looked2 there was sweetness and firmness about her lined mouth4 ,heaven knows who had dressed her4 ,she wore a skimpy tweed skirt and a cheap nun's veiling blouse1 and on her iron-grey hair was perched rakishly a forlorn broken picture-hat of faded green1 chiffon with a knot of bright red ribbon to give the bizarre touch of colour she had learned to admire among her surroundings4 ',ye'll excuse my hands1' she said1 and she held them out4 ,they were hardened and roughened by work1 work in the past1 and they were just now bleeding from work finished but now2 the skin of the palms was gone1 the nails were worn to the quick2 that they were painful there could be no doubt1 but she only apologised for their appearance4 ,ma is thus made to tell the incident of the witness dying suddenly after attending the court at ,ikotobong3 ',if you put mbiam on a man and he swears falsely he dies4 ,oh1 he does4 ,i ken it4 ,i've seen it mysel'4 ,there was a man brought up before me in the court and he was charged wi' stealing some plantains4 ,he said he had naught to do with them1 so ,i put mbiam on him1 an' still he said he had naught to do wi' them1 so ,i sent him down to ,calabar4 ,an' see now4 ,as he was going he stopped the policeman an' laid himself down1 because he was sick4 ,an' he died4 ,he died there4 ,i put mbiam on him1 an' he knew he had stolen them and died4' ,there was pity in her face for the man she had killed with his own lie1 but only pity1 no regret4 ,so well was she succeeding with her mystification that she went on to talk of the hard lot of women and the puir bairns1 and then comes the conclusion3 ',my time's been wasted4 ,the puir bairns4 ,they'd be better dead4' ,her scarred hands fumbled with her dress1 her tired eyes looked out into the blazing tropical sunshine1 her lips quivered as she summed up her life's work4 ',failed1 failed1' she cried4 ,all that she had hoped1 all that she had prayed for1 nothing for herself had she ever sought except the power to help these children1 and she felt that she had not helped them4 ,they would be better dead4444 ,but the ,commissioner did not think she had failed4 ,is the victory always to the strong8 ',she has influence and weight1' he said 'she can go where no white man dare go4 ,she can sway the people when we cannot sway them4 ,because of her they are not so hard on the twins and their mothers as they used to be4 ,no1 she has not failed4' ,and so with a reference to ,thermopylae1 and the ,coliseum and ,smithfield1 the lady litterateur places her in the ranks of the immortal martyrs of the world4 ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,settlement ,,begun ,this was one of the waiting periods in ,mary ,slessor's life1 which tried her patience and affected her spirits4 ,the mist had fallen upon her path1 and the direction was dim and uncertain4 ,she had received what she thought was a call from a distant region up-country1 but if she settled far away1 what would become of her home for women and girls8 ,she had no clear leading1 and she wished the way to be made so plain that there could be no possibility of mistake4 ,friends were sending her money1 and the ,government were urging her to start the ,settlement1 and promising to take all the products that were grown4 ,the ,district ,commissioner was here to-day1 she wrote4 ,he wonders how he can help me1 has had orders from the ,governor to assist me in any way1 but the ,pillar does not move4 ,i have building material lying here1 and have a #aj note from a friend at home for any material ,i want1 but there is no leading towards anything yet4444 ,i am longing for an outlet1 but ,i can't move without guidance4 ,she would not hurry--the matter was not in her hands4 ,god1 she was assured1 was softly1 softly1 working towards a natural solution1 and as she was only ,his instrument1 she could afford to wait ,his time4 ,one night the mist on the path lifted a little1 and next day she walked over the land at ,use1 and there and then fixed the site for the undertaking4 ,there was ample room for all the cultivations that would be required1 and plenty of material for building and fencing1 and good surface water4 ,already she had three cottages built1 including the one she occupied1 and these would make a beginning4 ,she at once set about obtaining legal possession1 and with the permission and help of ,government she secured the land in the name of the girls4 ,the ,council agreed with her that it was most advisable to develop industries which the people had not yet undertaken1 such as basket-making1 the weaving of cocoanut fibre1 and cane and bamboo work4 ,when asked if she would agree to remain at ,use for one year to establish the ,settlement and put it in working order with the assistance of one or two agents1 she would not commit herself4 ,she rather shrank from the idea of a large institution2 it ought1 in her view1 to begin in a simple and natural way by bringing in a few people1 instructing them1 and then getting them to teach others4 ,and there were other regions calling to her4 ,when reminded that a large sum of money was on hand for the project1 she said it was not all intended for this special purpose2 much of it was for extension2 and she pointed to the needs of the region up the ,cross ,river1 stating that she was willing to have the funds used for providing agents there4 ,nothing more definite was decided1 and meanwhile she went on quietly with the beginnings of things4 ,she planted fruit trees sent up by the ,government1--mangoes1 guavas1 pawpaws1 bananas1 plantains1 avocado pears1 as well as pineapples1 and other produce1 and began to think of rubber and cocoa4 ,she also started to accumulate stock1 though the leopards were a constant menace4 ,she had even a cow1 which she bought from a man to prevent him going to prison for debt--and often wished she had not1 for it caused infinite trouble1 and the natives went in terror of it4 ,although it had a pail attached to it by a rope1 it was often lost1 and the whole town were out at nights searching for it4 ,it would run away with the whole household hanging on1 and so little respect did it pay to dignitaries1 that on one occasion it ran off with the ,mother of the ,mission and the ,principal of the ,hope ,waddell ,institute1 who had been pressed into the humble service of leading it home4 ,ma ,slessor's coo became quite famous in the ,mission4 ,it was characteristic of her that she did not want her name to be put to anything1 and she thought the ,settlement should be called after ,mrs4 ,anderson or ,mrs4 ,goldie1 who did so much for women and girls4 ,,xviii4 ,a ,,scottish ,,guest ,during the year #aiji she continued to fight a battle with ill-health4 ,she was compelled to give up much of her outdoor work1 for an oppressive sense of heart-weakness made her afraid to cross deep streams and climb the hills4 ,sometimes she used her cycle1 but only when she could obtain one of the girls or lads to run alongside and assist her up the ascents4 ,boils1 an old enemy1 tortured her again2 she was covered with them from head to foot1 and was one mass of pain4 ,only sleeping draughts1 she said1 keep me from going off my head4 ,as the months went on she became feeble almost to fainting point1 and had given up hope of betterment4 ,a note of sadness crept into her letters4 ,i cannot write1 she told a friend at home1 but there is no change in the heart's affection1 except that it grows stronger and perhaps a little more wistful as the days go by and life gets more uncertain4 ,she was anxious to recover sufficiently before ,march1 to do honour to two deputies who had been appointed by the home ,church to visit the ,mission1 and who were expected then1 and if possible to return to ,scotland with them4 ,but she scarcely anticipated holding out so long4 ,jean1 unfortunately1 was not with her4 ,it had been discovered that she had long been suffering in silence from an internal complaint1 and the medical men now advised an operation4 ,ma was opposed to this1 and left her for a time at ,duke ,town for a change and treatment1 which did her much good4 ,it was sheer will-power that gained her a little strength to face the ordeal of the official visit4 ,she determined to make no change whatever in the course of her daily life1 and she was afraid the deputies might not find things to their liking and be disappointed4 ,they were the ,rev4 ,james ,adamson1 ,m4,a41 ,b4,sc41 of ,bonnington1 ,leith1 and the ,rev4 ,john ,lindsay1 ,m4,a41 ,bathgate1 who was accompanied by ,mrs4 ,lindsay4 ,they entered the ,creek one market day1 when it was crowded with canoes1 and the landing-beach--one for the missionaries had just been constructed at ,okopedi--was swarming with people1 amongst whom the arrival of the strangers caused the greatest excitement4 ,on bicycles the party proceeded uphill to ,use4 ,mr4 ,adamson went on ahead1 and at a spot where a few rough steps were cut in the steep bank he saw a boy standing1 ,he called out1 ,ma ,slessor8 ,the boy signed to ,mm to come--it was a short cut to the house4 ,clambering up the bank and making his way through the bush1 ,mr4 ,adamson came upon a little native hut4 ,miss ,slessor advanced to meet him4 ,come awa in1 laddie1 oot o' the heat1 was her greeting4 ,when the ,lindsays arrived it was also her chief concern to get them into the shade4 ,mr4 ,adamson was her guest1 whilst the ,lindsays went on to ,ikotobong4 ,his room--an erection built out from the house--had mud walls and a mat roof1 and was furnished with a camp-bed1 a box for dressing-table and another for a washstand1 and for company he had abundance of spiders and beetles and lizards4 ,he proved a delightful guest4 ,he is a dear laddie1 wrote ,mary2 all the bairns are in love with him1 and so am ,i6 ,while he was with her a woman came to the yard with twins4 ,she had been driven out of her house and town1 and had come several miles to ,ma for shelter4 ,her husband and her father were with her--which denoted some advance--and the three were crouched on the ground1 a picture of misery4 ,the twins were lying in a basket and had not been touched4 ,mr4 ,adamson helped ,ma to attend to them1 and she felt as proud of him as of a son when she saw him sitting down beside the weeping mother and gently trying to comfort her4 ,she gave the parents some food and a hut to sleep in1 and made the man promise to stay until the morning4 ,neither would1 however1 look at the twins1 and they were given over to the girls4 ,a service was held at which ,mr4 ,lindsay was also present1 and about a hundred people attended4 ,take our compliments to the people of your country1 the latter said to the deputies1 and tell them that our need is great1 and that we are in darkness and waiting for the light4 ,what astonished the natives was to see the white visitors standing up courteously when spoken to by black men4 ,from the meeting the party cycled to the little wattle-and-thatch ,court ,house at ,ikotobong1 ,miss ,slessor being pushed by ,dan up the hills4 ,she took her seat at the table in the simplest possible attire4 ,before her was a tin of toffee1 her only refreshment1 with the exception of a cup of tea1 during a long sitting4 ,the jury1 composed of the older and more responsible men in the various villages1 occupied a raised platform behind4 ,in front was a bamboo railing1 which formed the dock2 at the side another railing marked the witness-box4 ,several cases were heard1 the witnesses giving their evidence with volubility and abundant gesture1 and the judge1 jury1 and clerk retiring to a little shed at the back to discuss the verdicts4 ,one was that of a man who1 under the influence of trade gin1 had hacked his wife with a machete1 because she had insulted his dignity by accidentally stumbling against him4 ,such a case always aroused ,ma's ire1 and she wished a severe punishment awarded4 ,the jury were very unwilling4 ,the headman started by laying down as a fundamental principle that men had a perfect right to do whatever they liked with their wives2 otherwise they would become unmanageable4 ,but in deference to the white woman's peculiar views they would go the length of admitting that perhaps the husband had gone a little too far in the use of his instrument4 ,he had not done anything to merit a severe sentence1 but in view of the prejudices of the ,court1 they would send him to prison for a short term4 ,suddenly the toot of the ,government motor-car was heard1 and in a moment jury1 witnesses1 prisoners1 and policemen rushed out of the building to catch a glimpse of the new steamer that ran on the road4 ,then back they drifted1 and the proceedings went on4 ,mr4 ,adamson appreciated the service which ,miss ,slessor was accomplishing by her work in the ,court4 ,she told him she did not care for it2 the moral atmosphere of a native court is so bad1 she declared1 that ,i would never go near one were it not that ,i want the people to get justice4 ,but he saw the exceptional opportunity she possessed of dispensing gospel as well as law4 ,as a rule1 he says1 her decision is accompanied by some sound words of ,christian counsel4 ,he left ,use with a profound admiration both for herself and ,miss ,peacock4 ,words1 he wrote in the ,record1 cannot describe the value of the work that is being done by these heroic women4 ,there was no improvement in her health as the months went on1 and another severe illness caused by blood-poisoning shattered her nerves4 ,the ,wilkies spared no labour or love to heal and strengthen her4 ,once more1 she wrote1 ,i believe ,i owe my life to them4 ,she felt that the time had come to relinquish her court work1 and accordingly in ,november she sent in her resignation4 ,the ,commissioner of the ,eastern ,province wrote in reply3 ,,dear ,,miss ,,slessor--,i have been informed of your decision to resign the ,vice-,presidentship of the ,ikotobong ,native ,court by the ,district ,commissioner1 ,ikot ,ekpene1 which ,i note with great regret1 and take this opportunity of thanking you for the assistance you have in the past given the ,government1 and of expressing my deep appreciation of the services you have rendered to the country during the period you have held the office which you have now relinquished4--,believe me1 ,yours very sincerely1 ,w4 ,,fosbery4 ,she slipped out of the work very quietly1 and was glad to be free of a tie which hindered her from moving onward on her ,king's more pressing business4 ,,xix4 ,a ,,motor ,,car ,,romance ,the ,government motor car1 which now ran up and down the road into the interior1 was the cause of several changes in the household of ,use4 ,in charge of it at first was a white chauffeur1 who1 curiously enough1 was a member of ,wellington ,street ,church in ,glasgow1 which now supported ,miss ,slessor1 and with him was a native assistant1 a young well- educated ,anglican1 who came from ,lagos4 ,when the car made its appearance ,dan was so fascinated with it that he could scarcely keep off the road1 and he now struck up an acquaintance with the native driver1 which brought him many a rapturous hour4 ,ma1 who did not then know the lad1 was in terror for the safety of his body and his morals1 and so despatched him as a pupil to the ,institute at ,duke ,town to be under the care of ,mr4 ,macgregor4 ,but ,david1 the driver1 had done more than capture ,dan2 he had captured the heart of one of the girls--,mary4 ,annie was already happily married1 and she and her husband were preparing to join the ,church2 but ,mary was not disposed to follow her example1 although she had two suitors1 one in ,okoyong1 and one in ,ibibio4 ,why can't ,i stay at home with you8 she said to ,ma4 ,i don't want to go anywhere4 ,but the ,lagos lad succeeded where others had failed1 and ,ma1 giving her consent1 they were married1 before the ,district ,commissioner in ,court4 ,david went back to his work1 and his wife to the ,mission ,house1 for ,ma would not allow him to take her home until the ,church ceremony had been performed4 ,mr4 ,cruickshank appeared one day before he was expected1 and before the wedding-gown was quite ready1 but a note was sent to ,david1 and he cycled down in his black suit4 ,miss ,annie ,m',minn1 then at ,ikotobong1 came and dressed the bride1 the children put on white frocks1 and there was a quaint and picturesque wedding4 ,there was also1 of course1 a breakfast4 ,it was given in the verandah of the hut4 ,david was early on the scene arranging tables and forms1 and ,miss ,peacock and ,miss ,m',minn laid and decorated them1 a conspicuous object being a bunch of heather from ,scotland4 ,jean and the bride cooked the breakfast4 ,by #aa o'clock the company had assembled4 ,at the head sat an aged ,mohammedan in white robes and turban1 a friend of ,david's family4 ,a number of his co-religionists had come to the district1 and some even attended ,ma's services4 ,this particular man greatly admired her4 ,only ,god can make you such a mother and helper to everybody1 he had said at his first interview1 and on leaving he had taken her hand and bent over and kissed it1 and with tears in his eyes invoked a blessing upon her4 ,few expressions of respect from white men had touched her more1 though she was half-afraid her feeling was scarcely orthodox4 ,then came the bride and bridegroom and ,ma's clerk4 ,at the next table sat another of ,david's friends--an interpreter--and a lad from the bride's house1 headman on the road ,department2 ,david's next-door neighbours1 a man and his wife2 and eight headmen over the road labourers4 ,outside were the school children1 who were fed by ,jean with ,calabar chop1 sweets1 and biscuits4 ,after the breakfast the ,mohammedan came indoors to ,miss ,slessor and made a speech4 ,i knew ,david's mother before he was born1 he said1 and ,i praise ,god he was led here for a wife4 ,david came forward1 ,mother1 he said1 you won't let us go without prayer8 and down he knelt1 and she committed the couple to ,god1 ,a pie and cake1 which the ,ikotobong ladies had baked1 were presented1 along with a motor cap1 silk handkerchief1 ribbon1 and scissors4 ,one of ,ma's presents was a sewing-machine4 ,then she walked down to see them off1 supported in her weakness by the ,mohammedan1 ,when the pair arrived at their home1 the latter stood on the doorstep praying for them as they entered on their new life4 ,it was only a bamboo shanty run up by the ,government1 but it was a home1 and not1 like all others1 a room in a compound1 and family worship was conducted in it in ,english4 ,good news came from it as time went on4 ,the bride was sometimes seen driving in the motor car4 ,she was here this morning1 writes the house-mother1 full of importance as she passed to market4 ,she had biscuits for the children1 a new water- jar and a bunch of fine bananas for me1 and the whole house were round her full of questions and fun1 and you would think she had become a heroine1 just because she was married two months ago4 ,she is very happy and proud of her husband4 ,ma watched over her with jealous care1 and when in due time a baby arrived1 she was as delighted as if it had been of her own blood4 ,,xx4 ,,struck ,,down ,the hot1 dry season was always a trial to ,miss ,slessor2 it shrivelled her up1 and reduced her energy1 and she panted for the cooling rains4 ,this year it affected her more than ever4 ,the harmattan was like an ,edinburgh haar1 though it was not cold except between midnight and daybreak2 the air was thick with fine sand dust1 and often she could not see three yards away4 ,she longed for a wee blink of home1 and a home ,sabbath4 ,but though the tears are coming at the thought1 you are not to think for one moment that ,i would take the offer if it were given me6 ,a thousand times no6 ,i feel too grateful to ,god for ,his wonderful condescension in letting me have the privilege of ministering to those around me here4 ,how the interest of the spiritual aspects of her work submerged the afflictions of her body was seen when the first baptismal service and communion at ,use took place4 ,with her dread of the spectacular she did not make the event known1 but the little native church was crowded1 men and women squatting on the floor1 and the mothers with babies on the verandah4 ,mr4 ,cruickshank conducted the service4 ,mary took a creepie stool--her mother's footstool of old--and sat down by the young communicants to help them and show them what to do4 ,david1 she wrote1 had bought a bottle of wine for his wedding1 but of course it was never opened1 and he said to me1 ',keep it1 ,ma1 it may be useful yet4' ,so it was drawn for our first communion well-watered4 ,the glass sugar- dish on a teaplate was the baptismal font1 but it was all transfigured and glorified by the ,light which never shone on hill or lake or even on human face1 and some of us saw the ,king in ,his beauty--and not far off4 ,bear with me in my joy2 this sounds small in comparison with home events1 but it is only a very short time since this place was dark and degraded and drunken and besotted4 ,the glow and exaltation of the service lingered with her for weeks1 and her letters are full of sprightliness and wit4 ,she told of a visit from ,lady ,egerton--a true woman--and of the ,christmas gift from their ,excellencies--a case of milk2 and of the present of a new cycle sent from ,england from her old chief ,mr4 ,partridge1 to replace the old one which he thought must be worn out by this time4 ,the wonders of aviation were engrossing the world then1 and she merrily imagined a descent upon her some afternoon of her friends from ,scotland1 and discussed the capabilities of her tea-caddy4 ,well on into the next year she was busy with regular station work1 teaching1 training1 preaching1 building up the congregation1 and acting as ,mother to her people and to many more4 ,then in the midst of her strenuous activity she was suddenly and swiftly struck down by what she termed one of the funniest illnesses she ever had4 ,the children were alarmed1 and sent word to ,david4 ,he informed the white officers1 and they rushed in a motor car down to ,use and removed her to ,itu1 where she was nursed back to life by ,mrs4 ,robertson4 ,i shall never forget the kindness and the tenderness and the skill which have encompassed me1 and ,i shall ever remember ,dr4 ,robertson and his devoted wife1 and ask ,god to remember them for their goodness4 ,dr4 ,robertson brought me out of the valley of the shadows and when ,i was convalescent he lifted me up in his strong arms and took me to see the church and garden and anywhere ,i wished1 just as he might have done to his own mother4 ,her friends in ,calabar also did everything they could for her1 the ,hon4 ,mr4 ,bedwell1 the ,provincial ,commissioner1 sending up ice and ,english chicken and other delicacies in a special launch4 ,the little daughter of the missionaries was a source of great delight to her who loved all children4 ,she was a very winsome girl1 and had won the hearts of the natives1 who regarded her with not a little awe4 ,she was the only white child they had seen1 and were not sure whether she was not a spirit4 ,ma and she had good times together1 playing and make-believing4 ,maimie and ,i1 she wrote1 have been having the dolls out for a drive1 and we have just given them their bread and milk and put them to bed6 ,when she was convalescent the ,macgregors insisted on her coming down to ,duke ,town for a change1 and the ,government placed the fast and comfortable ,maple ,leaf at their disposal4 ,she protested1 saying she could not put herself on a brother and sister whose lives were so strenuous1 but they would take no refusal4 ,they turned their dining- room into a bedroom for her convenience1 and here she talked and read the newspapers and the latest new books and her ,bible1 and wrote long letters to her friends4 ,i am doing nothing but eating1 she told her children1 and am growing fat and shedding my buttons all over the place4 ,but underneath all her gaiety and high spirits she felt profoundly grateful for the wonderful goodness and mercy ,god had made to pass before her1 and the perfect peace ,he had given her4 ,here ,i am1 she said1 being spoiled anew in an atmosphere not merely of tender love1 but of literary and cultured ,christian grace and winsomeness1 and it has been as perfect a fortnight as ever ,i spent4 ,she had literally to run away from the kind attentions of the ,government officials and doctors1 and a swift ,government launch again conveyed her up-river4 ,jean1 who had long since returned1 had bravely held the fort for the five ,sabbaths she had been absent1 and ,david and his wife had been there to protect her1 and the work1 therefore1 had been kept going4 ,after each breakdown she seemed to feel that she must make up for lost time1 and she planned an advance towards ,ikot ,ekpene1 being anxious to secure that point and the intervening area for her church4 ,on her bicycle she made a series of pioneer trips into the bush1 here and there selecting sites for schools1 interviewing chiefs about twin- mothers1 and generally preparing the way for further operations4 ,about twelve miles' distant1 or half-way to ,ikot ,ekpene1 where there was a camp1 she met some forty chiefs and arranged for ground for a school and the beginning of the work1 and for a hut for herself at the back of the native prison1 where1 she thought1 she would have some influence over the warders4 ,as she was never able to establish this station1 its history may be rounded off here4 ,early in the year #aiaa she brought the matter before the ,calabar ,council1 which agreed to build a house at ,ibiacu out of the extension fund1 and later she went in a hammock to complete the arrangement1 accompanied by ,miss ,welsh1 who1 as ,ma phrased it1 fitted into bush life like a glove1 and who occupied and developed the station4 ,this young missionary lives alone1 looks after the children1 has a clever pen and clever hands1 and ,is following very much on the lines of the great ,ma4 ,to the chagrin of the latter1 ,ikot ,ekpene was taken over by the ,primitive ,methodist ,mission before she could secure it1 but she consoled herself with the thought that it did not matter who did the ,master's works so long as it done4444 ,then her path1 which had been so long hidden1 cleared1 and she saw it stretching out plain and straight before her4 ,,fifth ,,phase l#il#j-;,january #aiae4 ,age #fb-ff4 ,,onward ,,still ,it is a dark and difficult land1 and ,i am old and weak--but happy4 ,i4 ,,in ,,heathen ,,deeps ,the new sphere to which ,miss ,slessor felt she was called1 had been occupying her attention for some time4 ,during one of the minor military expeditions into the interior1 the troops were suddenly attacked by a tribe who fled at the first experience of disciplined firing4 ,a lad who had been used by the soldiers was persuaded by some of their number to conduct them to the great ,white ,mother for her advice and help4 ,when they appeared at ,use1 she and they talked long and earnestly1 and they returned consoled and hopeful4 ,some time afterwards the guide came down on his own account1 bringing a few other lads with him4 ,her influence was such that they wished to become ,god-men1 and they returned to begin the first ,christian movement in one of the most degraded regions of ,nigeria4 ,she knew nothing of the place save that it was away up in the north- west1 on one of the higher reaches of the ,enyong ,creek1 and a two days' journey for her by water4 ,the lads lived at a town called ,ikpe1 an old slave centre1 that had been in league with ,aro1 and the focus of the trade of a wide and populous area4 ,it was a closed market1 no ,calabar trader being allowed to enter4 ,on her return from ,scotland the young men again appeared1 saying that there were forty others ready to become ,christians1 begging her to come up1 and offering to send down a canoe4 ,she disliked all water journeys1 and even on the quiet creek was usually in a state of inward trepidation4 ,but nothing could separate her from her duty1 and she responded to the call4 ,for eight hours she was paddled along the beautiful windings of the ,creek2 then a huge hippopotamus was encountered1 and frightened her into landing for the night on the ,ibibio side1 where she put up in a wretched hut reeking with filth and mosquitoes4 ,here the ,chief was reaching out for the ,gospel1 holding prayers in his house1 and trying to keep ,sabbath1 though not a soul could read1 and the people were laughing at him4 ,as the ,creek made a bend she left the canoe and trudged through the bush to ,ikpe4 ,she found the town larger and more prosperous than she had anticipated1 with four different races mingling in the market1 but the darkness was terrible1 and the wickedness shameless1 even the children being foul-mouthed and abandoned4 ,the younger and more progressive men gave her a warm welcome1 but the older chiefs were sulky--,poor old heathen souls1 she remarked1 they have good reason to be1 with all they have to hope from tumbling down about their ears4 ,the would-be ,christians had begun to erect a small church1 with two rooms for her at the end4 ,that they were in earnest was proved by their attitude4 ,she had eager and reverent audiences1 and once1 on going unexpectedly into a yard1 she found two lads on their knees praying to the white man's ,god4 ,she made a survey of the district1 and came to the conclusion that ,ikpe was another strategic point1 the key to several different tribes1 which it would be well to secure for the ,church1 and she made up her mind to come and live in the two rooms1 and work inland and backwards towards ,arochuku4 ,there was the ,settlement to consider1 but that1 she thought1 she could manage to carry on along with the occupation of ,ikpe4 ,her bright and eager spirit did not reckon with the frailties of the body4 ,when she returned1 she entered on a long period of weakness4 ,now and again deputations came down to her4 ,once a score of young men appeared1 and before stating their business said1 ,let us pray4 ,she made another visit1 saw the beginnings of the church at ,ikpe1 and another at ,nkanga on the ,creek bank1 three miles below ,ikpe1 and1 what affected her more1 heard rumours of a possible occupation by the ,roman ,catholics4 ,i must come1 she said to herself4 ,on one journey she was accompanied by ,miss ,peacock1 who rose still more highly in her regard on account of the resolute way in which she braved the awful smells in the villages4 ,on another1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,macgregor shared the hardships of the trip with her4 ,when these two arrived at the landing-beach for ,use1 a note was put into their hands from ,ma1 to the effect that she had not been able to obtain a canoe1 and they had better come to the house until she saw what the ,lord meant by it4 ,they remained at ,use some days1 ,ma suffering from fever1 but refusing to postpone the trip1 saying that if she had faith she would be able to go4 ,they were to start early one morning1 but her guests sought to keep her in sleep until it was too late4 ,they succeeded until #a ,a4,m41 when she awoke1 gave directions about packing1 and rose4 ,what do you think of her8 they asked of ,jean4 ,she is often like that1 and gets better on the road1 she replied1 which was true4 ,as ,ma herself said1 ,i begin every day1 almost every journey in pain1 and in such tiredness that ,i am sure ,i can't go on1 and whenever ,i begin1 the strength comes1 and it increases4 ,the party left at #c4ae in the moonlight1 and soon afterwards were in a canoe4 ,for hours they paddled1 past men with two-pronged fish-spears fishing1 by long stretches of water-lilies of dazzling whiteness1 by farms where the fresh green corn was beginning to sprout1 by extensive reaches of jungle where brilliant birds flitted1 and parrots chattered1 and monkeys swung from branch to branch by a bridge of hands4 ,they stopped for lunch1 and ,mr4 ,macgregor was interested in watching her methods with the people4 ,a chief wished to see the ,principal1 and said he was anxious to place two more boys with him in the ,institute4 ,she told ,mr4 ,macgregor to say he would see him after they had eaten4 ,the business-like ,principal thought this a waste of time1 but she held that he must not cheapen himself--if he made food of more importance than the education of their boys they would think him dignified and respect him4 ,and she was right4 ,by and by they came to a tortuous channel as narrow as a mill-dam1 and it was with difficulty that the canoe was punted through4 ,they swept on under trees1 hung with orchids1 where dragon-flies flashed in and out of the sunlight4 ,this was the country of the hippos1 and the banks were scored by their massive feet2 it was also1 as they found to their cost1 the haunt of ibots1 a fly with a poisonous bite4 ,after passing over a series of shallows they reached ,ikpe beach towards dark1 and camped in the unfinished church1 ,ma in the vestry1 and the ,macgregors inside the building4 ,mr4 ,macgregor had seen much of ,nigeria1 but he had never witnessed such degradation as he found existing here4 ,the girls went without any clothing1 except a string of beads1 and the married women wore only a narrow strip of cloth4 ,he had again a lesson in native manners4 ,paying ceremonial visits to the chiefs1 they sat and looked at the ground1 and yawned repeatedly1 and after a time left4 ,to him the yawning seemed rude1 but ,ma said it was the correct thing1 and when the chiefs returned the calls he knew that1 as usual1 she was right4 ,one of the questions that the chiefs asked was1 ,is this the man you have brought to stay and teach us8 ,ma turned to the ,principal with a wry face4 ,well1 she said in ,english1 ,i like that4 ,they'll need to be content wi' something less than a ,b4,d4 for a wee while--till they get started at any rate4 ,she informed them who ,mr4 ,macgregor was1 and the great work he was doing in ,calabar1 and that in the goodness of his heart he had come up to see the position of things in the town4 ,ma--incredulously--do you mean that this is not the man who is to come and lead us out of darkness8 ,no1 he is not the man-yet4 ,ma--reproachfully--you always say wait4 ,we have waited two years1 and again you come to us and say wait4 ,when are you coming to us8 ,there was nothing for it but to put them off once more4 ,but she improved the occasion by extolling the ,institute1 with the result that when they left1 two boys were taken to the canoe and consigned to ,mr4 ,macgregor's care1 one decently clad in a singlet and loin-cloth1 and the other with only a single bead hanging at the throat4 ,mr4 ,macgregor went exploring on his own account1 and came across a ,government ,rest ,house perched on the brow of a cliff1 with a magnificent view over the plain4 ,here he noticed that the people were particularly opposed to white men4 ,one of the villages ,ma had labelled dangerous1 and he learnt that when the ,court messengers appeared1 they were promptly seized1 beaten1 and cast out4 ,this1 it is interesting to note1 came to be the scene of ,ma's last exploits4 ,he rejoined the ladies at ,nkanga1 where the little native church had been completed4 ,they held the opening service4 ,the ,principal had no jacket2 his shirt was torn1 his boots bore traces of the streams and mud through which he had passed4 ,miss ,slessor wore the lightest of garments4 ,it was one of the strangest opening ceremonies in the history of ,missions1 but they worshipped ,god from the heart1 and ,ma seemed lifted out of herself1 and to be inspired1 as she told the people what the church there in their midst meant1 and the way they should use it for their highest good4 ,the ,macgregors left her at ,arochuku1 and she continued down-creek4 ,she had been upheld by her indomitable spirit throughout the journey1 but now collapsed1 and was so ill that she had to spend the night in the canoe4 ,in the darkness she was awakened by one of the babies crying1 but was so weak that she could not move4 ,the girls were sound asleep1 and could not hear her4 ,exerting her willpower1 she rolled over to the child1 whose head had become wedged between a box and the footboard of the canoe1 and was being slowly killed4 ,in the early dawn the journey was resumed to ,okopedi beach1 and thence she crawled over the weary miles to ,use4 ,,ii4 ,,real ,,life ,i must go4 ,i am in honour bound to go4 ,it was her constant cry4 ,she heard that services were being held regularly at ,ikpe on ,sundays and week-days1 and yet no one knew more than the merest rudiments of ,christian truth2 none could read4 ,a teacher had gone from ,asang1 but he was himself only at the stage of the first standard in the schools1 and could impart but the crudest instruction4 ,they were groping for the light1 and worshipping what to most of them was still the ,unknown ,god1 and yet were already able to withstand persecution4 ,the pathos of the situation broke her down4 ,why1 she cried1 cannot the ,church send two ladies there8 ,why don't they use the money on hand for the purpose8 ,if the wherewithal should fail at the end of two years1 let them take my salary1 ,i shall only be too glad to live on native food with my bairns4 ,once more she went up1 and once more she stood ashamed before their reproaches4 ,she could not hold out any longer4 ,i am coming1 she said decisively4 ,she was not well--she was never well now--she had bad nights1 was always tired out1 too tired for anything1 yet she went forward to the new life with unshakeable fortitude4 ,in a short time she was back with fifty sheets of corrugated iron and other material for the house4 ,i am committed now1 she wrote4 ,no more idleness for me4 ,i am entering in the dark as to how and where and when4 ,how ,i am to manage ,i do not know1 but my mind is at perfect peace about it1 and ,i am not afraid4 ,god will carry it through4 ,the ,pillar leads4 ,she did not care much for the situation that had been granted2 it was low-lying1 and she was anxious to conserve her health for the work's sake1 but she had faith that she would be taken care of4 ,palm trees bordered the site on three sides1 and amidst these the monkeys loved to romp4 ,these palms1 she said1 are my first joy in the morning when the dawn comes up1 pearly grey in the mist and fine rain1 fresh and cool and beautiful4 ,she lived in two rooms at the back of the church1 with a bit of ground fenced off for kitchen1 and her furniture consisted of a camp-bed and a few dishes4 ,but she was chiefly out of doors1 for she had as many as two hundred and fifty people engaged in cutting bush1 levelling1 and stumping4 ,despite the discomfort and worry incidental to such conditions1 she was quite happy4 ,the natives as a whole were hostile to white people2 they wanted neither them nor their religion2 but there was nothing martial or predatory about ,ma1 and her very helplessness protected her4 ,and there was that in her blood which made her face the conflict with zest2 it always braced her to meet the dark forces of hell1 and conquer them with the simple power of the ,gospel4 ,her fearlessness was as marked as ever4 ,one ,sunday1 during service1 there was an uproar in the market4 ,she went out and found a mob fighting with sticks and swords1 a woman bleeding1 and her husband wounded and at bay4 ,she seized the man's wrist and compelled quiet1 and soon settled the matter by palaver4 ,on another occasion the ,government sent native agents with police escort to vaccinate the people1 as small-pox was rife4 ,they resented the white man's juju1 and there was much excitement4 ,the conduct of the agents enraged the crowd1 guns appeared1 and bloodshed was imminent1 when an appeal was made to ,ma4 ,she succeeded in calming the rising passions1 and in reassuring the people as to the purpose of the inoculation4 ,this poor frail woman1 she said1 is the broken reed on which they lean4 ,isn't it strange8 ,i'm glad anyhow that ,i'm of use in protecting the helpless4 ,the people said if she would perform the operation they would agree1 and she sent to ,bende for lymph1 and was busy for days4 ,it was a difficult task1 the people were suspicious1 and she had to banter and joke and coax when she herself was at fainting point4 ,apart from this she doctored men and women for the worst diseases1 nursed the sickly babies1 and generally acted her old part of a mother in ,israel4 ,it is a real life ,i am living now1 she wrote1 not all preaching and holding meetings1 but rather a life and an atmosphere which the people can touch and live in and be made willing to believe in when the higher truths are brought before them4 ,in many things it is a most prosaic life1 dirt and dust and noise and silliness and sin in every form1 but full1 too1 of the kindliness and homeliness and dependence of children who are not averse to be disciplined and taught1 and who understand and love just as we do4 ,the excitements and surprises and novel situations would not1 however1 need to be continuous1 as they wear and fray the body1 and fret the spirit and rob one of sleep and restfulness of soul4 ,use was still her headquarters1 and she often traversed the long stretch of ,creek1 though the journey always left her terribly exhausted4 ,on one occasion1 when she had arrived at ,use racked with pain1 she was asked how she could ever endure it4 ,oh1 she said1 ,i just had to take as big a dose of laudanum as ,i dared1 and wrap myself up in a blanket1 and lie in the bottom of the canoe all the time1 and managed fine4 ,she often met adventures by the way4 ,once1 after thirteen hours in the canoe1 she arrived at ,okopedi beach late in the evening1 along with ,maggie and ,whitie and a big boy baby4 ,stowing the baggage in the beach house they started in the dark for ,use1 ,ma carrying a box with five fowls and some odds and ends1 and ,maggie1 who was ill1 the baby4 ,when they reached the house they found they had no matches and were afraid of snakes1 but she was so tired that she lay down as she was on a bed piled high with clothes1 the others on the floor1 the baby crying itself to sleep4 ,at cock-crow fire was obtained from the village1 and a cup of tea made her herself again1 and ready for the inevitable palavers4 ,again1 she went up to ,ikpe with supplies by night2 the water had risen1 she had to lie flat to escape the overhanging branches1 and finally the canoe ran into a submerged tree and three of the paddle boys were pitched into the water4 ,not long afterwards she left ,ikpe at #f4cj ,a4,m41 was in the canoe all night1 and reached the landing-beach at #e4cj on ,christmas morning with the usual motherless baby4 ,on this occasion she received a message1 ,ekereki said ,i was to tell you that his mother is asleep--referring to the death of one of the first members of the congregation1 a gentle and superior woman for whom she had a great regard4 ,the wording of the message made her realise how soon the ,gospel had the power of changing even the language of a people4 ,some time previously ,annie's two-year-old boy had died1 and the question of a ,christian burial-place had been considered by the congregation4 ,heathen adults were buried in the house and the children under the doorstep4 ,it seemed cruel to leave bodies out in the cold earth1 but of their own volition the members secured a piece of ground and laid the child there2 and now this woman was placed by his side1 the first adult to obtain a ,christian burial in that part of ,ibibio4 ,on ,new ,year's eve she was down with fever1 and was very weak1 but1 she wrote1 ,my heart is singing all the time to ,him ,whose love and tender mercy crown all the days4 ,in the middle of the night she was obliged to rise4 ,my 'first-feet' were driver ants1 thousands and thousands of them1 pouring in on every side1 and dropping from the roof4 ,we had two hours' hard work to clear them out4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,autocratic ,,doctor ,returning from ,ikpe on one occasion in #aiaa1 she found that a tornado had played havoc with the ,use house1 and immediately set to1 and with her own hands repaired it4 ,the strain was too great for her enfeebled frame1 and symptoms of heart weakness developed4 ,she had nights of high fever and delirium1 and yet so great was her power of will1 that she would rise next day and teach and work1 while on ,sundays she took the services1 although she was unable to stand4 ,i had a grand day1 she would say1 notwithstanding intense weakness4 ,dr4 ,robertson of ,itu had gone home on furlough1 and there came to take his place1 ,dr4 ,hitchcock1 a young1 eager1 clear-headed man1 as masterful in his quiet way as ,ma4 ,he had proposed going to ,china in the service of the ,church1 but agreed meanwhile to put in a year at ,itu4 ,she watched him for a time with growing admiration1 and saw the curiosity of the natives turn rapidly to confidence1 then to appreciation1 then to blind devotion and worship4 ,when she looked at the great crowds flocking day after day to the dispensary and hospital1 she thought of the scene of old when the poor and the halt and the maimed gathered round ,christ4 ,a rare man1 she said1 a rare ,christian1 a rare doctor4 ,a physician for soul and body4 ,i am beginning to love him like a son4 ,and like a son he treated her4 ,although he had scarcely a minute to spare from his work1 he ran up every second day to ,use to study her4 ,he believed that she was not being nourished4 ,that there were grounds for his suspicions her own diary records4 ,there was money for her in ,duke ,town1 she had often cheques lying beside her1 but it was not always easy to obtain ready cash1 and sometimes she ran short4 ,on ,june #ad she wrote3 ,market ,morning4--,have only #c;d4 in cash in the house2 sent it with #b ,ikpats 7the first ,efik schoolbook7 and ,new ,testament to buy food1 and sold all #c books for #f;d4 ,got #e small yams1 oil1 and shrimps1 with pepper and a few small fresh fish4 ,it was on the following morning as early as six o'clock that the doctor called to examine her again4 ,his decision was that she was not to go to ,ikpe1 she was not to cycle1 she was to lie down as much as possible4 ,she laughed1 and on the ,sunday went to church and conducted two services2 but she almost collapsed1 and when the doctor came next day he ordered her to take to her bed1 and not go to any more meetings until she obtained his permission4 ,mary had at last met her equal in resolution4 ,he is very strict1 she confessed1 but he is a dear man4 ,thank ,god for him4 ,a trip to ,ikpe which she had planned for the ,macgregors had to be cancelled1 and they decided to go to ,use instead1 and aid and abet the doctor in his care of her4 ,she got up to receive them1 and then wrote1 ,the doctor has sent me back to bed under a more stringent rule than ever4 ,very stern4 ,i dare not rise4 ,you must eat meat twice a day1 the doctor said4 ,i'm not a meat eater1 doctor1 she rejoined4 ,his reply was to send over a fowl from ,itu with instructions as to its cooking4 ,why did you send that fowl1 doctor8 she asked next day1 ,because it could not come itself1 was all the satisfaction she got4 ,it was not the first fowl that came from ,itu--the next came cooked-- while the ,macgregors telegraphed to ,duke ,town for their entire stock4 ,what a trouble you dear folk take1 she sighed4 ,you will have to go to ,duke ,town for a change1 suggested the doctor one day4 ,na1 na1 she replied2 ,i've all my plans laid1 and ,i cannot draw a salary and not do what ,i can4 ,you have done so well in the past1 remarked ,mr4 ,macgregor1 that you need not have any qualms about that4 ,i've been paid for all ,i've done1 was her retort4 ,but the doctor insisted1 and the very thought of leaving the station and the household work unattended to1 put her in a fever4 ,of course1 she said1 to the doctor my health is the only thing1 but ,i can't get rest for body while my mind is torn about things4 ,he is vexed1 and ,i am vexed at vexing him4 ,not satisfied with the progress she was making1 the doctor transferred her to ,use1 where she was under his constant observation4 ,life is hardly worth living1 she complained1 but ,i'm doing what ,i can to help him to help me1 so that ,i can be fit again for another spell of work4 ,that was her one desire1 to be well enough to go back to the bush4 ,a messenger from ,ikpe came down to find out when she was returning4 ,seven weeks1 was the doctor's firm reply4 ,i may run up sooner than that1 was hers4 ,i'm quite well1 if he would only believe it4 ,but it was well on towards the end of the year before she was1 in her own words1 out of the clutches of the dearest and cleverest and most autocratic ,mission doctor that ever lived4 ,she literally ran away1 and was up at ,ikpe at once1 exultant at having the privilege of ministering again to the needs of the people4 ,there was a throng at the beach to welcome her4 ,she was soon as busy as she had ever been1 though she was usually carried now to and from church and other meetings4 ,jean she placed at ,nkanga as teacher and evangelist1 the people giving her #as4 per week and her food1 and ,ma providing her clothes4 ,it was astonishing to her to see how she had developed4 ,an insatiable reader1 she would place a book open anywhere in order that she might obtain a glimpse of the words in passing1 reminding ,ma of her own device in the ,dundee weaving-shed4 ,her knowledge of the ,bible was so thorough and correct that the latter considered her the best ,efik teacher she knew4 ,soon she gathered about her some two hundred men and women from the upper ,enyong farms1 who were greatly pleased with her preaching4 ,she came over to ,ikpe for ,christmas1 the first the household had spent in that savage land1 and there was a service in the church1 which was decorated with palms and wreaths of ferns4 ,mary told the story of ,bethlehem1 and the scholar lads1 of their own accord1 marched through the town singing hymns4444 ,about this time ,miss ,slessor rendered important service to the ,mission by her testimony before an ,imperial ,government ,commission1 which had been sent out to ,investigate the effects of the import1 sale1 and consumption of alcoholic liquor in ,southern ,nigeria4 ,she provided very convincing evidence of the demoralisation caused through drink1 but with keen intuition she felt that little would come of the palaver1 and she was right4 ,,iv4 ,,god',s ,,wonderful ,,palaver ,her attitude to money was as unconventional as her attitude to most things4 ,it had no place in her interests2 she never thought of it except as a means of helping her to carry out her projects4 ,how ,i wish we could do without it6 she often used to say4 ,i have no head for it1 or for business4 ,her salary she counted as ,church money1 and never spent a penny of it on herself except for bare living1 and until the last years the girls received nothing but food and their clothes1 ,you say1 she wrote to one giver1 that you would like me to spend the money on my personal comfort4 ,dear friend1 ,i need nothing4 ,my every want is met and supplied without my asking4 ,her belief was thus expressed3 ,what is money to ,god8 ,the difficult thing is to make men and women4 ,money lies all about us in the world1 and ,he can turn it on to our path as easily as ,he sends a shower of rain4 ,her faith was justified in a marvellous way1 for throughout all these years and onwards to the end she obtained all she needed1 and that was not little4 ,she required funds for extension1 for building1 for furniture1 for teachers' wages1 for medicines1 for the schooling of her children1 and many other purposes1 and yet she was never in want4 ,nothing came from her people1 for she would not accept collections at first1 not wishing to give them the impression that the ,gospel was in any way connected with money4 ,it came from friends1 known and unknown1 at home and abroad1 who were interested in her and in her brave and lonely struggle4 ,there was scarcely a mail that did not bring her a cheque or bank-draft or ,post-,office order4 ,it often happens1 she said once1 that when the purse is empty1 immediately comes a new instalment4 ,god is superbly kind in the matter of money4 ,i do not know how to thank ,him4 ,it is just wonderful how we ever fail in our trust for a moment4 ,on one occasion1 when she was a little anxious1 she cried1 ,shame on you1 ,mary ,slessor1 after all you know of ,him6 ,her attitude towards all this giving was one of curious detachment4 ,she looked upon herself as an instrument carrying out the wishes of the people at home who supplied the means1 and she gave them the honour of what was accomplished4 ,their gifts justified her going forward in the work2 each fresh #aj note she took as a sign to advance another stage1 so that1 in one sense1 she felt her ,church was backing up her efforts4 ,as she regarded herself as being owned by the ,church1 all the money she received was devoted exclusively to its service2 even donations from outside sources she would not use for personal needs4 ,one day she received a letter from the ,governor conveying to her1 with the deep thanks of the ,government1 a gift of #be to herself1 in recognition of her work4 ,the letter she valued more than the money1 which she would only accept as a contribution towards her home for women4 ,all the sums were handed over to ,mr4 ,wilkie or ,mr4 ,macgregor1 who banked them at ,duke ,town1 and they formed a general fund upon which she drew when necessary4 ,she looked upon this fund as belonging to the ,mission ,council1 to be used for extension purposes either up the ,cross ,river or the ,enyong ,creek1 or for the ,home for ,women and ,girls when the scheme matured1 and she never sought to have control of it4 ,mr4 ,wilkie was always afraid that she was not just to herself1 and she had sometimes to restrain him from sending more than she required4 ,it was the same later when ,mr4 ,hart1 ,c4,a41 had charge of the accounts4 ,this explains why1 on more than one occasion1 she was reduced to borrowing or selling books in order to obtain food for herself and her household4 ,there was money in abundance at ,duke ,town1 but she would not ask it for private necessities4 ,sometimes also she was so remote from civilisation that she was unable to cash a cheque or draft in time to meet her wants4 ,many a hidden romance lay behind these gifts that came to her--the romance of love and sacrifice and devotion to ,christ4 ,one day there arrived a sum of #ej1 accompanied by a charming letter4 ,long she looked at both with wonder and tears4 ,her thoughts went back to the ,edinburgh days1 when she was a girl1 on the eve of leaving for ,calabar4 ,one of her friends then was a ,biblewoman1 who was very good to her4 ,always on her furloughs she had gone to see her in the humble home in which she lay an invalid1 or as ,mary expressed it1 lingering at the gate of the city4 ,she thought she must now be dependent upon others1 for she was old and frail4 ,and yet here she had sent out #ej to help on her work4 ,if there was romance in the giving1 there was pathos in the spending4 ,acknowledging sums she was bidden expend upon herself1 she would go into detail as to her purchases--a new ,efik ,bible to replace her old tattered copy1 the hire of three boys to carry her over the streams1 seed coco yams for the girls' plots1 a basin and ewer for her guest- room--,i can't1 she said1 ask visitors to wash in a pail1--a lamp1 and so on4 ,she sought to explain and extenuate the spending of every penny4 ,is that extravagant8 ,is that too selfish8 she anxiously asked4 ,after enumerating a number of things which she intended to buy for ,ikpe house1 she said1 ,does that seem too prosaic8 ,but it will clarify your views of ,mission work1 and make them more practical and real1 for1 you see1 the missionary cannot go about like ,adam and ,eve1 and the natives must be taught cleanliness and order1 and be civilised as well as ,christianised4 ,her own small financial affairs had been in the hands of her old friend ,mr4 ,logic1 ,dundee1 whose death in #aiaj sent her into silence and darkness for weeks4 ,he had been like a father to her2 to him1 indeed1 she chiefly owed the realisation of her dream to be a missionary4 ,she did not know for a time how she stood1 and as her purse was nearly empty1 she was growing anxious1 when a small amount arrived from a friend1 to whom she wrote3 ,i have been praying for a fortnight for money to come from somewhere1 as ,i have been living on #gs4 given to the children by a merchant here who is a great friend of our household4 ,so your gift is a direct answer to prayer4 ',before they call ,i will answer4' ,she applied to ,mr4 ,slight1 another tried friend1 who had been ,treasurer of the ,united ,presbyterian ,church1 and took a warm personal interest in all the missionaries1 and after the ,union was the accountant of the ,united ,free ,church4 ,he made matters simple and clear to her understanding and set her fears at rest--she had no debts of any kind save debts of gratitude4 ,mr4 ,slight's death in #aiab again made her feel orphaned4 ,i had no idea how much ,i leant on him till he was removed1 and it seems now that my last link with the old ,church has snapped4 ,what he has done for me through a score of years ,i can never acknowledge warmly enough4 ,in later years her affairs at home were managed by ,miss ,adam4 ,congregations continued to send her boxes of goods1 whilst her own friends were unceasing in their thought for her4 ,i should never mention a want1 she told them1 because you just take it up and bear the burden yourselves1 and it makes me ashamed4 ,here are all my needs in clothing for the children and myself anticipated1 and here are luxuries of food and good things1 and all steeped and folded in the most delicate and tender sympathy and love4 ,surely no one has so many mercies as ,i have4 ,she saw few pretty things1 and had never the opportunity of looking into a shop window1 so that the arrival of these boxes was an occasion of much pleasurable excitement to her and to the girls4 ,her only trouble was that she could not hand on some of the food to others2 ,when you have a good thing1 or read a good thing1 or see a humorous thing1 and can't share it1 it is worse than having to bear a trial alone4 ,she was particularly grateful for a box of ,christmas goods that came in #aiaa4 ,she had been much upset by the local food1 and she ate nothing but shortbread and bun for a week1 and that made her better6 ,the people about her1 too1 were kind4 ,women would bring her presents of produce2 one1 for instance1 gave her fifteen large yams and a half- crown bag of rice1 and a large quantity of shrimps4 ,you are a stranger in these markets1 she said1 and the children may be hungry4 ,v4 ,,weak ,,but ,,strong ,she met with a severe disappointment early in #aiab4 ,the ,calabar ,council was willing to send two ladies to ,ikpe1 but thought it right to obtain a medical report on the site which had been given for the house4 ,this was unfavourable2 the ,creek overflowed its banks for four hundred paces on one side and thirty on the other1 and the surroundings of the house would be muddy and damp4 ,she would not1 however1 acquiesce in the judgment thus passed1 and remained on1 and prosecuted the work as usual4 ,the ,council was very anxious for her to take a furlough1 and her friends1 personal and official1 in ,scotland were also urging her to come for a rest4 ,she had now never an hour of real health or strength1 and was growing deaf1 and felt like a spluttering candle1 and she began to think it would be the wisest thing to do4 ,as the idea took definite shape in her mind1 she looked forward with zest to the renewal of old friendships4 ,we shall have our fill of talk and the silences which are the music of friendship4 ,the ,east ,coast of ,scotland was now barred to her by medical opinion1 but she had visions of the lonely hills of the south1 and of ,yarrow1 and all that ,border country where she had spent so many happy days1 and would go there1 away from the crowds and the rush4 ,discerning a note of pity in the letters from ,scotland1 she bade her friends not to waste their sympathy upon her4 ,i am just surrounded with love1 she wrote4 ,it was to the children she referred4 ,i wake up in the early dusk of the dawn and call them1 and before ,i can see to take my ,bible1 the hot cup of tea is there1 and a kiddie to kiss me ',good-morning' and ask1 ',ma1 did you sleep8' ,it was not wonderful that she loved those black girls4 ,they had been with her from their birth4 ,she had nursed them and brought them up and taught them all they knew1 and they had been faithful to her with the faithfulness which is one of the most remarkable traits in the ,african nature4 ,mary could never abide the superior folk who referred slightingly to them because of their black skin1 and she was too proud to justify her feelings towards them4 ,alice1 the princess1 had now grown into a fine womanly girl1 quiet and steady and thoughtful4 ,one night in the dark she crept to ,ma's side and shyly told her that some months before she had given her heart to ,christ4 ,it was a moment of rare joy4 ,as neither ,alice nor ,maggie was betrothed-though often sought after-and they had no legal protector against insult1 she decided to send them for training to the ,edgerley ,memorial ,school1 where they would be under the influence and care of ,miss ,young1 another capable agent whom she had led to become a missionary and with whom she had a very close and tender friendship4 ,she regarded her as an ideal worker1 for she had been thoroughly trained in domestic science4 ,i would have liked that sort of training better than the ,normal training ,i got at ,moray ,house1 she said4 ,meanwhile1 as she was forbidden to cycle1 her thoughts harked back to her old plan of a box on wheels4 ,she had never been reconciled to a hammock4 ,i feel a brute in it1 it seems so selfish to be lying there1 while four boys sweat like beasts of burden4 ,to push a little carriage is like skilled labour and no degradation4 ,she1 therefore1 wrote to ,miss ,adam1 whom she called the joint-pastor of her people1 to send out a catalogue of these things4 ,miss ,adam was1 however1 unwell1 and the ladles of ,wellington ,street ,church1 ,glasgow1 hearing of the request1 promptly despatched what was called a ,cape cart1 a kind of basket-chair1 capable of being wheeled by two boys or girls4 ,the gift sent her whole being thrilling with gratitude1 as well as with shame for being so unworthy of so much kindness1 but her comfort was that it was for ,god's work1 and she took it as from ,him4 ,the vehicle proved a success1 but the success proved the undoing of her furlough4 ,instead of going home as ,i had planned1 in order to get strength for a wider range of work1 ,i shall stay on and enjoy the privilege of going over ground impossible for my poor limbs4 ,on one of the first drives she had1 she went in search of a site for a new and larger church which she had determined to build41 and was gathering material for1 at ,use1 and then she planned to go to ,ikpe via ,ikot ,ekpene by the new ,government road1 opening up out-stations wherever she could get a village to listen to the message4 ,her aim1 indeed1 was nothing less than to plant the whole ,ibibio territory with a network of schools and churches4 ,she seemed to grow more wonderful the older and frailer she became4 ,the spurt lasted for a time1 but again the terrible weakness troubled her1 and she had to conduct household affairs from a couch4 ,school work was carried through on the verandah1 and when she spoke in the church she was borne there and back4 ,she came to see that only a real change would do her permanent good1 and that it would be true economy to take a trip home1 even for the sake of the voyage1 which1 much as she feared the sea1 always invigorated her4 ,what made her hesitate now was the depleted condition of the ,mission4 ,we were never so short-handed before1 she said1 and ,i can do what others cannot do1 what1 indeed1 medical opinion would not allow them to try4 ,no one meddles with me1 and ,i can slip along and do my work with less expenditure of strength than any1 ,had there been some one to fill her place she would have gone1 but she was very reluctant to shut the doors of the stations for so long a period4 ,how she regarded the idea may be gathered from a letter to a friend who had given her some domestic news3-- ,these little glimpses1 like pictures1 of home and the old country1 of family ties and love1 make me long for just one long summer day in the midst1 if only as an onlooker1 and for the touch of loving hands and a bit of family worship in our own tongue1 and maybe a ,sabbath service thrown in with a psalm and an old-fashioned tune1 and then ,i should feel ready for a long spell of work4 ,but ,i should fret if it were to take me from this1 my own real life and home and bairns4 ,this life is full1 the other lies at the back quiescent1 and is a precious possession to muse on during the night or in the long evening hours when ,i'm too tired to sleep and the light is not good enough to read or sew1 or mostly when ,i'm not well and the doldrums come very near4 ,but ,i should choose this life if ,i had to begin again2 only ,i should try to live it to better purpose4 ,another respite or two carried her into the middle of the year1 when her opportunity of a furlough was lost4 ,she said she would have to hold on now for another winter--or go up higher4 ,in ,september she completed thirty-six years as a missionary1 and took humorous stock of herself3 ,i'm lame and feeble and foolish2 the wrinkles are wonderful-no concertina is so wonderfully folded and convulated4 ,i'm a wee1 wee wifie1 verra little buikit--but ,i grip on well1 none the less4 ,ay1 said an old doctor friend to her1 you are a strong woman1 ',ma4' ,you ought to have been dead by ordinary rule long ago--any one else would4 ,,vi4 ,,her ,,first ,,holiday ,anxiety as to her health deepened both in ,calabar and ,scotland1 and pressure was brought upon her to take a rest4 ,one of her lady friends on the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee1 ,miss ,cook1 appreciated her fear of the home winter1 and wrote asking her to take a holiday to the ,canary ,islands1 and begged the kindness at her hands of being allowed to pay the expense4 ,i believe1 she said1 in taking care of the ,lord's servant4 ,i am afraid you do not fully realise how valuable you are to us all1 the ,church at home1 and the ,church ,in ,nigeria4 ,the offer1 so delicately put1 brought tears to ,mary's eyes1 and it made her wonder whether after all she was safeguarding her health enough in the interests of the ,church4 ,as soon as the matter became a duty1 she gave it careful consideration1 resolving to abstain from going up to ,ikpe1 and to go down to ,duke ,town instead1 where she would consult the ,wilkies and the ,macgregors4 ,but she would not dream of the cost of any change being borne by ,miss ,cook1 and she asked ,miss ,adam to find out if her funds would allow of her taking a trip4 ,there was no difficulty regarding clothing4 ,among the ,mission boxes she had received was one full of warm material1 and she surmised that ,god was on the side of a holiday4 ,her friends at ,calabar did not hesitate a moment2 they wanted her off at once4 ,she went to consult her old friend1 ,dr4 ,adam1 the senior medical officer1 that burning and shining light1 as she called him1 who first showed her through the ,hospital1 where she spoke with loving entreaty to every patient she passed1 and left many in tears4 ,after a thorough examination1 he earnestly besought her to take the next boat to ,grand ,canary4 ,still she shrank from the prospect4 ,it was a selfish thing to do2 there were others more in need of a holiday than she1 it was a piece of extravagance1 it would involve closing up the stations4 ,and yet might it not be meant8 ,might it not be of the nature of a good investment8 ,might she not be able for better work8 ,might it not do away with the necessity for a furlough in the following year8 ,she decided to go4 ,it was arranged that ,jean should accompany her1 and that she should put up at the ,hotel ,santa ,catalina1 ,las ,palmas4 ,letters from ,government officials were sent to smooth the way there for her4 ,miss ,young and others prepared her outfit1 and made her1 as she said1 wise-like and decent1--she1 the while1 holding daily receptions1 for she was now regarded as one of the ,west ,african sights1 and every one came to call upon her4 ,mr4 ,wilkie managed the financial side1 and gave the cash-box to the ,captain4 ,when she transhipped at ,forcados4 it was handed to the other ,captain1 and he on arrival at the ,islands passed it on to the manager of the hotel4 ,on board she was carried up and down to meals1 and received the utmost kindness from officers and passengers alike4 ,the ,captain said he was prouder to have shaken hands with her than if she had been ,king ,george4 ,the season at ,grand ,canary had not begun1 and there were very few visitors at the hotel4 ,those who were there saw a frail nervous old lady1 followed by a black girl who was too shy to raise her eyes4 ,we were certainly a frightened pair1 ,mary afterwards confessed4 ,but the management attended to her as if she were a princess4 ,what love is wrapped round me6 she wrote4 ,all are kind1-- the manager's family1 the doctor's family1 and the visitors4 ,it is simply wonderful4 ,i can't say anything else4 ,the first days were spent in the grounds1 drinking in the pure air1 watching the changing sea and sky1 and admiring the brilliant vegetation4 ,the ,english flowers1 roses and geraniums and ,michaelmas daisies and mignonette1 were a continual joy1 whilst the crimson clouds piled above the sapphire sea often made her think of the city of pure gold4 ,later1 she was able to ascend the hill at the back1 and there she says1 ,i sat and knitted and crocheted and sewed and worked through the ,bible all the day long1 fanned by the sea-breeze and warmed by the sun1 and the good housekeeper sent up lunch and tea to save my walking1 and in the silence and beauty and peace ,i communed with ,god4 ,he is so near and so dear4 ,oh1 if ,i only get another day in which to work6 ,i hope it will be more full of earnestness and blessing than the past4 ,it was her first real holiday1 but she felt it had been worth waiting a lifetime for4 ,there was something infinitely pathetic in her ecstasy of enjoyment and the gratitude for the simple pleasures that came to her4 ,only one thread of anxiety ran through her days1 the thought of the appalling expense she was incurring1 for she had made up her mind that the cost was to be paid out of her own slender funds4 ,a lady in the hotel1 with whom she formed an intimate and lasting friendship1 and who saw much of her1 gives this impression of her character3 ,she made many friends1 her loving sympathy1 her simplicity1 her keen interest in all around her1 her sense of humour and love of fun endearing her to all4 ,the entire negation of self which she evinced was remarkable1 as well as her childlike faith and devotion to her ,master and to ,his service4 ,a lady was heard to say1 ,well1 after talking to ,miss ,slessor ,i am converted to foreign missions1 ,her mind was ever upon her work and her children1 and she used often to say she was idling1 there was so much to be done1 and so little time in which to do it4 ,of all the people ,i have met she impressed me the most as the perfect embodiment of the ,christian life1 ,jean waited upon her mother-mistress with a patient and thoughtful devotion which was a wonder to those who saw it4 ,she wore her ,calabar frock and bandana1 and had she not been a very sane person1 her head would have been turned1 for she was a favourite with every one1 and was given as many ribbons as would serve her all her life4 ,but she was as shy the day she left as when she arrived4 ,the departure came in the middle of the night4 ,a general and his aide- de-camp and a merchant each offered to convoy her to the ship1 and pleaded that they had conveyances1 but the manager of the hotel would not hear of it1 saw her himself safely into her cabin1 and placed the cash-box once more into the ,captain's hands4 ,it was the same steamer by which she had travelled to the ,islands1 so that she felt at home4 ,on board also was ,dr4 ,hitchcock1 on his way out again to take up work at ,uburu1 a large market town in the far north amongst a strangely interesting tribe4 ,how she envied him1 young and strong and enthusiastic1 entering on such glorious pioneer work6 ,at ,accra the ,governor of the ,gold ,coast1 a stranger to her1 sent off to the steamer a bouquet of flowers1 with an expression of his homage and best wishes for a renewal of her health4 ,when she arrived at ,duke ,town ,dr4 ,adam again examined her1 assisted by ,professor ,leiper of the ,london ,school of ,tropical ,medicine1 and the verdict was3 ,good for many years-if you only take care4 ,she was given written directions as to the care of her health1 and these she regarded with a rueful face4 ,life will hardly be worth living now1 she said4 ,but for the work's sake ,i must obey4 ,god wants us to be efficient1 and we cannot be so except by living decently and taking care of the wonderful body ,he has given us4 ,she turned up her ,bible and found the verse she had marked as a promise before leaving3 ,but if the ,spirit of ,him that raised up ,jesus from the dead dwell in you1 ,he that raised up ,christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit that dwelleth in you4 ,she saw now that this meant something besides the ,resurrection1 for the voyage1 the climate1 the food1 and the rest had worked in her a miracle1 and she realised more than ever what prayer and faith could do for the body as well as for the spirit4 ,there was a lesson in it1 too1 she thought1 for the ,church4 ,she had had a month at sea1 and a month in the ,islands1 with the best of care and food1 and no furlough had ever done her more good4 ,she felt that a visit to ,scotland would not have rested her so much4 ,there was the bustle and excitement and movement and speaking-of all the bugbears of a furlough1 she said1 speaking at meetings was the chief4 ,if only the hard deputy work at home could be eliminated from the missionaries' programme1 they would have a happier and a better time4 ,but here the personal equation obscured her judgment4 ,for to abandon the system would be to do away with the intimate touch and association by which interest in the ,mission ,field is so largely maintained4 ,to many missionaries1 also1 the duty of telling to the congregations up and down the country the story of their work is one of the chief pleasures of their furlough4 ,laden with chemical foods1 medicines1 and advice1 she returned to ,use to find that the entire cost of the trip had been defrayed by ,miss ,cook1 who wrote3 ,i am only sorry that ,i did not beg you to stay longer in order to reap more benefit4 ,come home next year2 we all want to see you4 ,,vii4 ,,injured ,but a furlough home was far from her thoughts4 ,she rejoiced in her new strength1 and set herself with grim determination to redeem the time4 ,she was now doing double work1 carrying on all the activities of the settled station at ,use1 and establishing her pioneer centre at ,ikpe4 ,during the next two years she travelled between the two points1 sometimes using the canoe1 but more often now the ,government motor car1 which ran round by ,ikot ,ekpene and dropped her at the terminus1 five miles from ,ikpe4 ,david was the driver1 and she had thus always the opportunity of seeing ,mary1 his wife1 who lived at ,ikot ,ekpene4 ,at ,use the work had gone on as usual2 there had been no backsliding1 and the services and classes had been kept up by the people themselves2 and she proceeded with the building of the new church1 which was erected under her superintendence and without any outside help4 ,when she was at ,ikpe she placed ,annie's husband--they were both now members of the ,church--in charge1 and he conducted the services1 but ,miss ,peacock1 whom ,mary styled her ,bishop1 gave general supervision4 ,on one of her early journeys up to ,ikpe she met with a slight accident1 a pellet of mud striking one of her eyes4 ,the people were alarmed at the result1 and would have gone off at once to the ,district ,commissioner had she not restrained them4 ,some native workmen passing his station later mentioned the incident1 and within a few minutes the officer had a mounted messenger speeding along the tract to ,ikpe1 with an urgent order to the people to get her conveyed in the ,cape cart to the nearest point on the road1 where he would have a motor car waiting4 ,next morning1 although it was market day1 the members of the church left everything and took her to the spot indicated4 ,here were the ,district ,commissioner and a doctor1 with eye-shade and medicine and every comfort1 and with the utmost despatch she was taken round the ,government road to ,use4 ,the hurt was followed by erysipelas1 and she was blind for a fortnight and suffered acute pain and heavy fever2 but very shame at being ill after so fine a holiday made her get up although the eye was swollen and sulky1 and she was soon in the midst of her work at ,ikpe as if nothing had happened4 ,building1 cementing1 painting1 varnishing1 teaching1 healing1 and preaching filled in the days4 ,a visitor found her once at #aj ,a4,m4 finishing school in a shed4 ,she continued it in the afternoon4 ,then she visited the yards of the people1 and they crowded round her and brought her gifts of food4 ,later she leant against a fallen tree trunk and talked to one and another4 ,in the gathering dusk she sat on a small stool and attended to the sick and dressed their sores4 ,after dinner some men and lads arrived carrying lamps1 and she held her catechumens' class--a very earnest and prayerful gathering4 ,the burden of the untouched region around her vexed her mind4 ,sometimes she was depressed about it all1 and said she would need to fill her letters with nonsense1 for it would not bear writing4 ,time and again she sought to impress her friends with the needs of the situation3 ,the last time ,i was at school ,i counted eight hundred women and girls running past in eager competition to secure the best places at the fishing-grounds where the men had been working all the morning1 and these are but a fraction of our womankind4 ,but what can ,i do with supervision of the school and church and dispensary and household8 ,she did not pretend that she worked her station properly1 and she pointed out how necessary settled1 steady1 persevering teaching was4 ,these infant churches1 she said1 need so much to be instructed4 ,the adults are illiterate1 and the young need systematic teaching of the ,bible4 ,they are an emotional people1 and are fain to keep to speaking and singing and long prayers1 and the sterner practical side of ,christianity is set aside4 ,they are children in everything that matters1 and when we have led them to ,christ we are apt to forget how much more they need in order to make a strong1 upright1 ethical character on which to build a nation4 ,then we need a literature1 and this1 too1 is the work of the ,church4 ,what ails it8 ,is it not forgetting that ,god can't give ,his best till we have given ours8 ,with all its bustle it was a very lonely and isolated life she led4 ,there was no mail delivery1 and she had to depend mainly on the kindness of ,government officials to forward her correspondence4 ,i have been here seven weeks1 she wrote on one occasion1 without one scrap from the outside--letter or paper--nothing to read but the old advertisement sheets of papers lining the press and the boxes4 ,if you wish for the names of hotels or boarding-houses ,in any part of ,europe-- send to me4 ,i have them all on my tongue's end4 ,it was a red-letter day when a stray white visitor entered the district1 for there would be tea and a talk1 and a bundle of newspapers would be left--one never forgets another in this way in the bush4 ,she was amused to receive a note from ,scotland asking her to hand on a message to ,dr4 ,hitchcock at ,uburu4 ,do you know8 she replied1 you are nearer him than ,i am--the quickest way for me to send it is via ,britain6 ,life was not without its menace from wild beasts1 the forest being full of them1 and the doors had always to be closed and fastened at night to keep them out4 ,snakes were prevalent1 and prowled about the building1 and many a fight ,jean and the others had with the intruders4 ,,viii4 ,,friendships ,,with ,,officials ,throughout these years1 as always1 ,ma ,slessor's relations with the ,government officials were of the most friendly nature1 ,it was remarkable that although she was essentially feminine and religious1 and although she was engaged in ,mission work1 she attracted men of all types of character4 ,much of this power was due to her intense sympathy1 which enabled her to get close to minds that would otherwise have been shut to her4 ,what she wrote of another applies to herself3 ,what a strange thing is sympathy6 ,undefinable1 untranslatable1 and yet the most real thing and the greatest power in human life6 ,how strangely our souls leap out to some other soul without our choosing or knowing the why4 ,the man or woman who has this subtle gift of sympathy and magnetism of soul possesses the most precious thing on earth4 ,hence it is rare4 ,so few could be trusted with such a delicate1 sensitive1 ,godlike power and hold it unsullied that ,god seems to be hampered for want of means for its expression4 ,is that the reason that ,he made ,his ,son a ,man of ,sorrows and acquainted with grief8 ,most of these men had no interest in missions1 and some did not believe in them4 ,the more ,i see of mission work in ,west ,africa the less ,i like it1 said one frankly to her4 ,give me the genuine bushman1 who respects his ancestral deities and his chief and himself4444 ,but if all missionaries were like you6 ,none of these men belonged to her own ,church2 three of her favourites were ,roman ,catholics4 ,her introductions to some were of the most informal character4 ,one day a stranger appeared and found her busy on the roof of the house4 ,well1 she said1 eyeing him critically1 what do you want8 ,he stood1 hat in hand4 ,please1 ,ma'am1 he replied meekly1 ,i'm your new ,district ,commissioner--but ,i can't help it6 ,she was delighted1 and took him into the inner circle at once4 ,as frequent changes took place in the staff1 the number whose acquaintance she made gradually increased1 until she became known and talked of in all the colonies on the ,west ,coast and even in other parts of the world4 ,the official view of her work and character differed little from any other4 ,says one who knew her long and well3 ,i suppose that a pluckier woman has rarely existed4 ,her life-work she carried out with immeasurable courage and capacity4 ,her strength of character was extraordinary1 and her life was one of absolute unselfishness4 ,she commanded the respect and confidence of all parties1 and for years ,i would have personally trusted to her judgment on native matters in preference to all others4 ,shrewd1 quick-witted1 sympathetic1 yet down on any one who presumed1 she would with wonderful patience hear all sides equally4 ,her judgment was prompt1 sometimes severe1 but always just4 ,she would speak much of her work to those who1 she knew1 took an interest in it1 but very rarely of herself4 ,another writes3 ,my first impression of her was that she was a lady of great strength of mind and sound common sense4 ,also that for one who had lived so many years in the bush wilds she was very well read and up-to-date on all subjects4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,d4 ,maxwell1 who knew her in ,okoyong days and to the end1 says3 ,i am sure that her own ,church never had a more loyal adherent1 but her outlook on this life--and the next--was never narrow4 ,her religion was above religions--certainly above religious differences1 ,i have often heard her speak of the faiths and rituals of others1 but never without the deepest interest and sympathy4 ,she was young to the end2 young in her enthusiasm1 her sympathy1 her boundless energy1 her never-failing sense of humour1 her gift of repartee1 her ability always to strike the apt--even the corrosive--epithet4 ,a visit to her was1 to use one of her own phrases1 like a breath o' caller air to a weary body--and in ,west ,africa that means incomparably more than it can at ,home4 ,it was a peculiarly affectionate relation that existed between her and many of those men whom she regarded as the strength and the glory of ,britain4 ,a witty member of the ,mission once said they were given over to ,mariolatry--an allusion to her first name4 ,they never were near without visiting her1 and often made long journeys for the privilege of a talk4 ,they were delighted with her sense of humour1 and teased her as well as lionised her4 ,half the fun of a visit to her was taking her unawares1 and they often threatened to bring their cameras and snapshot her on sight1 ,ma1 they would write before calling1 get your shoes on1 we are coming to tea6 ,they wrote her about their work and ambitions and worries as if she were a mother or sister1 and discussed the political and racial problems of the country as if she were a colleague1 always with a delicate deference to her experience and knowledge1 sometimes veiled in light banter4 ,i am at your feet1 ,ma1 said one1 and your wisdom is that of ,solomon4 ,they often twitted her about being able to twist them round her little finger3 ,you break our hearts1 and get your own way shockingly4 ,on one occasion she received a grave and formal ,government typewritten communication about land1 which ended in this way3 ,i have the honour to be1 ,madam1 and affectionate ,your obedient servant4 ,when they left the ,colony they kept up the friendship4 ,many were bad correspondents1 yet from the remotest parts of the world they wrote letters1 as long as her own1 full of kind enquiries about her work and the bairns1 and begging for a reply4 ,on her part she wrote them racy and informative letters2 and she also got into touch with their mothers1 sisters1 and wives at home1 who welcomed her news of the absent ones1 and were good to her in turn4 ,one lady she delighted by praising her husband4 ,naturally1 the lady replied1 ,i agree with you1 and you are welcome to court and woo him as much as you like6 ,a high official brought out his wife1 and she wrote ,mary from a desire to make her husband's friends hers also4 ,she ended in the usual way1 but he added1 ,she sends her kindest regards--,i send my love6 ,the nature of some of the friendships formed at home through officials may be surmised from an order she gave for a silver gift1 value #e1 to be sent to the first-born child of one of her chums4 ,it went to the mother1 and the inscription was ,from one whom his father has helped4 ,very notable was the kindness shown by the ,government to her as woman and missionary4 ,instructions were issued that she was to be allowed to use any and every conveyance belonging to them in the ,colony1 on any road or river1 and that every help was to be afforded to her4 ,workmen were lent to her to execute repairs on her houses4 ,individual members sought opportunities to be kind to her4 ,she was taken her first motor- car drive by a ,commissioner4 ,the highest officials did not think it beneath them to buy feeding-bottles and forward them on by express messenger4 ,they sent her gifts of books1 magazines1 and papers--one forwarded ,the ,times for years--and at ,christmas there would come plum puddings1 crackers1 and sweets4 ,one dark1 showery night the ,governor of ,southern ,nigeria1 ,sir ,w4 ,egerton1 and several officials appeared at her house to greet her1 and left a case of milk1 two cakes1 and boxes of chocolates and crystallised fruit4 ,the ,governor is a ,scotsman1 she wrote1 and must be sympathetic to mission work1 or else why did he come with his retinue and all to a mud house and see me at that cost to his comfort and time on a wet night8 ,lord ,egerton was charmed with her4 ,replying to some remark of his she said1 ,hoots1 my dear laddie--,i mean ,sir6 ,it was the great anxiety of her official friends that she should not outlive her powers3 her influence generally was so great that to them the thought of this was distressing4 ,they were always very solicitous about her health1 writing to her frequently to say that she should take life more easily1 ,take care of yourself1 ,ma--as much as you can4 ,don't be so ridiculously unselfish4 ,learn a little selfishness--it will do you all the good in the world1 was the advice showered upon her4 ,when she had the ,court work she was often urged to take a month's holiday4 ,on hearing of her intention to go to ,ikpe one wrote1 ,dear ,lady1 ,i hate the idea of your going so far into the bush4 ,don't go4 ,there are plenty of men willing and eager to be of service to you1 but away up there you are far away from help or care4 ,another warned her against the people2 ,but1 he added1 we know you will go in spite of it--and conquer6 ,latterly they became more importunate4 ,do be careful1 one wrote4 ,do take quinine and sleep under a net and drink filtered water4 ,her custom of going hatless into the blazing sunshine was long a sore point1 and when they failed to persuade her of the danger1 they resorted to scheming4 ,we know why you do it1 they said artfully4 ,you know you have pretty hair and like to display it uncovered1 imagining that it gets its golden glint from the sun4 ,oh1 vanity of vanities6 ,fancy a nice1 quiet missionary being so vain6 ,certainly no argument could have sent her more quickly to the milliner's4 ,,ix4 ,,power ,,through ,,prayer ,the power which enabled ,mary ,slessor to live so intensely1 to triumph over physical weakness1 and to face the dangers of the ,african bush1 and gave her the magnetic personality that captivated the hearts of white and black alike1 was derived from her intimate and constant contact with the ,unseen1 and the means of that contact were prayer and the ,bible4 ,she had an implicit belief in the reality of prayer1 simply because she had tested its efficacy every day of her life1 and had never found it to fail4 ,when her old friend1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,dundee1 asked for her testimony to include in his book1 ,our ,faithful ,god3 ,answers to ,prayer1 she wrote3 ,my life is one long daily1 hourly1 record of answered prayer4 ,for physical health1 for mental overstrain1 for guidance given marvellously1 for errors and dangers averted1 for enmity to the ,gospel subdued1 for food provided at the exact hour needed1 for everything that goes to make up life and my poor service1 ,i can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that ,i believe ,god answers prayer4 ,i know ,god answers prayer4 ,i have proved during long decades while alone1 as far as man's help and presence are concerned1 that ,god answers prayer4 ,cavilings1 logical or physical1 are of no avail to me4 ,it is the very atmosphere in which ,i live and breathe and have my being1 and it makes life glad and free and a million times worth living4 ,i can give no other testimony4 ,i am sitting alone here on a log among a company of natives4 ,my children1 whose very lives are a testimony that ,god answers prayer1 are working round me4 ,natives are crowding past on the bush road to attend palavers1 and ,i am at perfect peace1 far from my own countrymen and conditions1 because ,i know ,god answers prayer4 ,food is scarce just now4 ,we live from hand to mouth4 ,we have not more than will be our breakfast to-day1 but ,i know we shall be fed1 for ,god answers prayer4 ,she realised that prayer was hedged round by conditions1 and that everything depended upon the nature of the correspondence between earth and heaven4 ,she likened the process to a wireless message1 saying1 ,we can only obtain ,god's best by fitness of receiving power4 ,without receivers fitted and kept in order the air may tingle and thrill with the message1 but it will not reach my spirit and consciousness4 ,and she knew equally well that all prayer was not worthy of being answered4 ,those who were disappointed she would ask to look intelligently at first causes as well as regretfully at second causes4 ,to one who said he had prayed without avail1 she wrote3 ,you thought ,god was to hear and answer you by making everything straight and pleasant--not so are nations or churches or men and women born2 not so is character made4 ,god is answering your prayer in ,his way4 ,and to another who was in similar mood she wrote3 ,i know what it is to pray long years and never get the answer--,i had to pray for my father4 ,but ,i know my heavenly ,father so well that ,i can leave it with ,him for the lower fatherhood4 ,in this as in other things she had to confess that she herself often failed4 ,i am a poor exponent of faith1 she would say4 ,i ought to have full faith in our ,father that ,he will do everything1 but ,i am ashamed of myself1 for ,i want to 'see1' and that sends faith out of court4 ,i never felt more in sympathy with that old afflicted father before in his prayer1 ',lord1 ,i believe1 help ,thou my unbelief'--every syllable suits me4 ,she had absolute faith in intercession1 ,prayer1 she said1 is the greatest power ,god has put into our hands for service--praying is harder work than doing1 at least ,i find it so1 but the dynamic lies that way to advance the ,kingdom4 ,she believed that some of her official friends1 the ,empire-builders1 were kept straight in this way3 ,the bands that mothers and sisters weave by prayer and precept are the strongest in the world4 ,there was nothing she asked her friends more often at home to do than to pray for the ,mission and the workers4 ,don't stop praying for us1 she pleaded1 and her injunctions were sometimes pathetic in their personal application3 ,pray that the power of ,christ may rest on me1 that ,he may never be disappointed in me or find me disobedient to the heavenly vision when ,he shows the way1 pray that ,i may make no false moves1 but that the spirit will say1 ',go here and go there1' ,she was always convinced that it was the prayers of the people in ,scotland that carried her on and made the work possible4 ,it is so customary to put aside those who1 like myself1 are old-fashioned and unable for the burden and heat of the day2 but in my case it is care and love and forbearance all the way through2 and all this ,i trace back to the great amount of prayer which has ever followed me1 to the quality more than the quantity of that intercession4 ,prayer-waves pulsate from ,britain all through ,calabar4 ,to one who had always prayed for her she also wrote3 ,i have always said that ,i have no idea how and why ,god has carried me over so many funny and hard places1 and made these hordes of people submit to me1 or why the ,government should have given me the privilege of a magistrate among them1 except in answer to prayer made at home for me4 ,it is all beyond my comprehension4 ,the only way ,i can explain it is on the ground that ,i have been prayed for more than most4 ,pray on1 dear one-the power lies that way4 ,she also urged prayer for the ,mission ,committees1 ,home and ,foreign--,we expect them to do so much and to do it so well1 and yet we withhold the means by which alone they can do it4 ,almost invariably1 when acknowledging money1 she would beg the donors to follow up their gifts by prayer for workers4 ,now1 she would say1 let us ask ,god earnestly and constantly for the greater gift of men and women to fill all these vacant posts4 ,she used to pray much for her friends in all their circumstances1 asking for many things for them that they desired1 but eventually her petition came to be1 ,lord give them ,thy best and it shall suffice them and me4 ,her religion was a religion of the heart1 and her communion with her ,father was of the most natural1 most childlike character4 ,no rule or habit guided her4 ,she just spoke to ,him as a child to her ,father when she needed help and strength1 or when her heart was filled with joy and gratitude1 at any time1 in any place4 ,he was so real to her1 so near1 that her words were almost of the nature of conversation4 ,there was no formality1 no self-conscious or stereotyped diction1 only the simplest language from a quiet and humble heart4 ,it is told of her that when in ,scotland1 after a tiresome journey1 she sat down at the tea-table alone1 and1 lifting her eyes1 said1 ,thank ye1 ,faither--ye ken ,i'm tired1 in the most ordinary way1 as if she had been addressing her friends4 ,on another occasion1 in the country1 she lost her spectacles while coming from a meeting in the dark4 ,snow lay on the ground1 and there seemed little hope of recovering them4 ,she could not do without them1 and she prayed simply and directly3 ,o ,father1 give me back my spectacles4 ,early next morning the milk-boy saw something glistening in the snow1 and she had the spectacles in time to read her ,bible4 ,a lady asked her how she obtained such intimacy with ,god4 ,ah1 woman1 she said1 when ,i am out there in the bush ,i have often no other one to speak to but my ,father1 and ,i just talk to ,him4 ,it was in that way she kept herself in tune with the highest4 ,sometimes1 when there had been laughing and frivolous conversation before a meeting1 she lost grip1 and was vexed and restless and dumb4 ,but a little communion with her ,father would put matters right4 ,once1 oppressed by a similar mood1 she foresaw complete failure1 but the minister who presided1 as if conscious of her attitude1 prayed in such a way as to lift the burden from her heart1 and she was given not only a calm spirit but also an eloquent tongue4 ,how natural it was for her to pray is evidenced by an incident at one of the ladies' committee meetings at ,duke ,town4 ,speaking of it she said1 ,all the ladies were laughing and daffin' over something of a picturesque sort1 when it struck me we ought to be praying rather1 and ,i just said so1 and at once the whole lot jumped up1 and we went into the nearest room and were closeted with our ,master for a bit4 ,sometimes in the ,mission ,house she would call the children to prayer at odd hours1 and ,jean would remonstrate and say1 ,ma1 the time is long past4 ,jean1 she would reply1 the gate of heaven is never shut4 ,she said she wished to teach them that they could pray anywhere and at any time1 and not only in the church4 ,we are not really apart1 she once wrote to a friend in ,scotland1 for you can touch ,god direct by prayer1 and so can ,i4 ,x4 ,,bible ,,student ,she had always been an earnest and intelligent student of the ,bible1 and to her it grew more wonderful every day4 ,she believed that the spread of the ,book was the simplest and most natural and direct way of preaching the ,gospel and keeping it pure4 ,her own reading of it was mainly accomplished in the early morning4 ,as soon as there was light enough--which was usually about #e4cj--she took a fine pen and her ,bible and turned to the book she was studying in the ,old or ,new ,testament4 ,she underlined the governing words and sentences as she went along in her endeavour to grasp the meaning of the writer and the course of his argument2 word by word1 sentence by sentence1 she patiently followed his thought4 ,sometimes it would be three days before she completed a chapter1 but she would not leave it until she had some kind of idea as to its purpose4 ,she was her own commentator1 and on the margin she noted the truths she had learned1 the lessons she had received1 her opinions about the sentiment expressed1 or the character described4 ,if her expositions were not according to the ordinary canons of exegesis1 they had the merit of being simple1 fresh1 and unconventional4 ,her language was as candid1 often as pungent1 as her remarks in conversation1 its very frankness and force indicating how real to her were the life and conditions she was studying4 ,when one ,bible was finished she began another1 and repeated the process1 for she found that new thoughts came as the years went by4 ,on one occasion we find her interested in a recent translation1 reading it to discover whether it gave any clearer construction of the more difficult passages4 ,such sedulous study had its effect upon her character and life2 she was interpenetrated with the spirit of the ,book2 it gave her direction in all her affairs--in her difficult palavers she would remark1 ,let us see what the ,bible says on this point --it inspired her with hope1 faith1 and1 and courage4 ,often after an hour or two of meditation over it she felt no desire for ordinary literature1 all other books seeming tame and tasteless after its pages4 ,some of the later ,bibles she used are in existence1 and bear testimony to the thoroughness of her methods4 ,almost every page is a mass of interlineations and notes4 ,as one turns them over1 phrases here and there catch the eye1 arresting in thought and epigrammatic in form2 such for instance as these3 ,god is never behind time4 ,if you play with temptation do not expect ,god will deliver you4 ,a gracious woman has gracious friendships4 ,no gift or genius or position can keep us safe or free from sin4 ,nature is under fixed and fine laws1 but it cannot meet the need of man4 ,we must see and know ,christ before we can teach4 ,good is good1 but it is not enough2 it must be ,god4 ,the secret of all failure is disobedience1 ,unspiritual man cannot stand success4 ,there is no escape from the reflex action of sin2 broken law will have its revenge1 ,sin is loss for time and eternity1 ,the smallest things are as absolutely necessary as the great things4 ,an arm of flesh never brings power4 ,half the world's sorrow comes from the unwisdom of parents4 ,obedience brings health1 ,blessed the man and woman who is able to serve cheerfully in the second rank--a big test1 ,what they were weary of was the punishment1 not the sin that brought it4 ,slavery never pays2 the slave is spoiled as a man1 and the master not less so4 ,it were worth while to die1 if thereby a soul could be born again4 ,she was deeply interested in the earlier books1 for the reason that the moral and social conditions depicted there were analogous to those she had to deal with in ,calabar4 ,every now and then we come across such remarks as these3 a ,calabar palaver1 a chapter of ,calabar history1 a picture of ,calabar outside the gospel area1 this happens in ,okoyong every day4 ,her own experience helped her to understand the story of these primitive civilisations1 and her annotations on this part of the ,bible have always the sharpest point4 ,to the sentence1 ,the ,lord watch between me and thee1 she appends1 ,beautiful sentiment1 but a mbiam oath of fear4 ,jacob she terms in one place a selfish beggar4 ,of ,jael she says1 ,not a womanly woman1 a sorry story2 would ,god not have showed her a better way if she had asked8 and of part of ,deborah's song she remarks1 ,fine poetry1 poor morality4 ,her opinion of ,jezebel is thus expressed3 ,a vain1 heartless woman2 one of the most revolting stories in history1 and she might have been such a queen6 ,a good woman is the most beautiful thing on earth1 but a bad woman is a source of corruption4444 ,had only her soul been clean1 dogs might have been welcome to her body4 ,the book of ,job was always well studied4 ,she had a great admiration for the upright1 wealthy1 greatly-feared1 and respected sheikh1 and little or none for the typical philosophers1 who came1 ,calabar fashion1 and sought to comfort him in his day of trial4 ,job was not1 in her view1 rebellious2 his plaint was a relief to his own spirit1 and an appeal for sympathy4 ,on chapter ix4 she writes1 ,the atmosphere is clearing2 the clouds are scattering1 glimpses of sunshine1 of starlight1 and beauty2 the spirit swings back on its pivot and begins to see ,god4 ,farther on1 ,right1 ,job--turn to ,god ,i ,leave it to ,him-- the fit of depression will pass when you have sounded the depths1 and profit will follow4 ,on chapter xviii4 her comment is1 ,such is the friendship of the world2 on chapter xx41 ,how very sure the fool is in his explanations of ,god's ways2 on chapter xxvii41 ,the ultimate values of life shall be fixed not by wealth but by character2 on chapter xxviii41 ,a very mine of gems and precious things--exquisitely lovely thoughts and language4 ,poetry like this in the earliest ages of the world6 ,of ,elihu's contentions in chapter xxxiv41 ,a good many truths1 but served up with bitter herbs1 not with love3 on chapter xxxvii41 ,beautiful poetry1 but a very bleak and barren picture of ,god2 hard1 arbitrary1 selfish1 self-centred1 striking terror into ,his works1 and compelling obedience and service4 ,nature cannot reveal ,him1 ,elihu6 ,on the next chapter1 ,the ,god of nature turns the picture1 and behold it is no more destruction and blind force1 but beneficence and gracious design and beauty1--and so on to the end1 when we read1 ,the voice of humanity demands some such judgment and relief from the mysteries and trials and misrepresentations of this life4 ,the poem rings true to the cry of the spirit of man4 ,is there a modern drama in any language to come near to this ancient production8 ,the ,new ,testament was brooded over and absorbed with a care and thoroughness which must have made every line and every thought familiar to her4 ,st4 ,john was her favourite book4 ,a few specimens of her remarks may be given3 ,when the people saw that ,jesus was not there 444 they took shipping and came 444 seeking for ,jesus4 ,the secret of our failures in winning men2 they don't find ,him with us4 ,the ,pharisees also with the ,sadducees came and tempted ,him that ,he would1 show them a sign from ,heaven4 ,man's cry for the moon6 ,what does a sign prove8 ,is ,god known by magic8 ,and the people asked ,him saying1 ,what shall we do then8 444 ',he that hath two coats let him impart to him that hath none4' ,by love serve4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,when ,i sent you without purse and scrip and shoes lacked you anything8 ,no1 ,lord1 never was lack with ,thee6 ,and her parents were astonished1 but ,he charged them that they should tell no man what ,he had done4 ,life will tell4 ,speech will end in chatter4 ,these illustrations1 picked out at random1 will serve to indicate what an intimate companion she made of her ,bible1 and with what loving patience and insight she studied it for the illumination and deepening of her spiritual life4 ,,xi4 ,,back ,,to ,,the ,,old ,,haunts ,eight years had passed since she had left ,akpap1 and she had never been back1 although she had paid flying visits to the hinterland4 ,miss ,amess1 with whom her friendship had grown close1 was in charge1 being minister1 doctor1 dispenser1 teacher1 and mentor to the people1 and with her was ,miss ,ramsay4 ,they had built a new church1 which was almost ready1 and ,miss ,amess determined to bring ,ma over and have the ,macgregors to meet her4 ,ma could not resist the temptation to revisit the scenes of her greatest adventures1 and went in ,july #aiac1 taking the children with her1 except ,mary1 and ordering the others at ,calabar1 including the two youngest1 ,whitie and ,asuqu1 who were also natives of the district1 to join her4 ,her arrival caused much excitement1 and her stay was one long reception4 ,all day the ,mission ,house was like a market2 from far and near the people came to km their ,mother4 ,she could scarcely be got to come to meals4 ,on the first day when she was called1 she said1 ,these are my meat to-day1 and then she told those about her what ,christ had said to ,his disciples after ,his conversation with the woman of ,samaria4 ,such love as the ladies saw on both sides they had not thought possible between missionary and native4 ,she seemed to remember the names of most of the people1 and all the details of their family histories4 ,one after another came forward and talked and revived stories of the old times4 ,but she seemed vexed to see so many who were interested in her1 and with no concern for the things of ,god1 and with these she pled earnestly to come to church and give themselves to the ,saviour4 ,two notable figures were ,mana1 and the mother of ,susie1 ,iye4 ,the children were a source of astonishment to all4 ,these healthy1 happy1 handsome young people1 the babies that had been cast away or despised--it was wonderful6 ,they gazed upon them in a kind of awe4 ,a few of the older and women held aloof from the twins1 but not in any offensive way1 and the general disposition was to ignore the stain on their birth4 ,there was a touching meeting with ,ma ,eme1 who could not conceal her affection and joy at seeing her old ,ma again4 ,much to ,mary's sorrow she was still a heathen1 and a very zealous one1 as she sacrificed daily to the spirits in the crudest way1 with food and blood1 in abasement and fear4 ,so strong was superstition rooted in her nature that she would not touch the twins1 although she confessed it was marvellous that they had grown up4 ,the two women1 bound by so strange a friendship1 talked long about the old days4 ,it was1 ,do you remember this8 ,do you remember that8 and then would follow reminiscences of the killing time when they worked hand in hand in secret for the preservation of life4 ,nothing that ,ma could say would induce ,ma ,eme to throw off her allegiance to her ,african beliefs1 and at the end of a long day she left1 the same kind1 high-bred1 mysterious heathen woman that she had always been4 ,she died shortly after4 ,my dear old friend and almost sister1 said ,mary1 she made the saving of life so often possible in the early days1 ,it is sad that she did not come out for ,christ4 ,she could have been the honoured leader of ,god's work had she risen to it4 ,i cannot fancy ,okoyong without her4 ,she made a foolish choice1 and yet ,god cannot forget all she was to me1 and all she helped me to do in those dark and bloody days4 ,a service was arranged1 but the throng who wished to hear ,ma was so great that it had to be held in the unfinished church1 and thus ,mary had the joy of being at the first service4 ,over four hundred well- dressed natives were present1 the largest number ever in a church in ,okoyong1 ,she thought of the wild old days1 and contrasted them with the present scene4 ,truly1 she said to herself1 one soweth and another reapeth4 ,she spoke for half an hour1 giving a strong1 inspiring talk on the duties of those who are believers to the world around them4 ,with her usual thought for others she sat down and wrote to her old comrade1 ,miss ,wright 7,mrs4 ,rattray71 in ,england1 giving her the details of her visit1 and accounts of the people4 ,this house1 she said1 is full of memories of you1 and you are not forgotten4 ,she described with pride and hope the way in which the ladies were conducting the station1 and praised them in her usual generous manner4 ,after she left1 it seemed to them that they had greater influence among the people than ever4 ,,xii4 ,,royal ,,recognition ,the friends who had known her long were noticing that a new softness and graciousness were stealing into her life4 ,she never grew commonplace1 and was original as ever1 but her character was mellowing1 and her love and humility becoming even more marked4 ,love will overcome all1 was her belief1 and love1 for her1 included all the qualities of the ,christian faith--simplicity1 kindness1 patience1 charity1 selflessness1 confidence1 hope4 ,in herself she was conscious of many faults4 ,i don't half live up to the ideal missionary life1 she said1 with a sigh4 ,it is not easier to be a saint here than at home4 ,we are very human1 and not goody-goody at all4 ,often she was deep in the valley of humiliation over hasty words spoken and opportunities of service let slip4 ,but she was saved from depression by her sense of humour4 ,she laughed and dared the devil4 ,of one who had just come out she wrote3 ,she is very serious1 and will take life and work more in the sense of tasks than of a glad free life 444 we want one to laugh1 to hitch on to the yoke1 and joke over all that we don't like4 ,she also became less uncompromising in her views4 ,my opinions1 she acknowledged1 may not just suit every one1 and it is possible other people may be right and ,i far wrong4444 ,but although we differ amongst ourselves1 and some things differentiate our work1 we are all in full friendship and sympathy with one another4 ,it was not possible for self-abnegation to go farther than it did in her case4 ,she was unable to see that she had done anything out of the common4 ,i have lived my life very quietly and in a very natural and humble way1 she would say1 and all the credit of her work was given to ,god4 ,it isn't ,mary ,slessor doing anything1 but ,something outside of her altogether uses her as her small ability allows4 ,she did not say my plan1 or my scheme--if she did she checked herself and said1 ,what ,god wants me to do4 ,and she always paid generous tribute to her girls1 who1 she said1 did more than she did1 though no one counted it to them4 ,she was distressed to receive letters praising her4 ,one who saw her go out from ,scotland to her life-work1 and had lovingly followed her career ever since1 wrote saying that her reward would be a starry crown in the glory land1 and her reply was1 ,what would ,i do with starry crowns except to cast them at ,his feet8 ,nothing illustrated this feature so notably as an event which occurred shortly after her visit to ,akpap4 ,two years previously a few of her friends in ,calabar1 official and missionary1 had talked over the possibility of securing some public recognition of her unique service4 ,mr4 ,macgregor wrote an account of her life-work for the ,government1 but it was not until ,sir ,frederick ,lugard arrived as ,governor-,general of the united provinces of ,northern and ,southern ,nigeria that action was taken4 ,he was so struck by the heroic record placed before him that he at once sent home a strong recommendation to the ,secretary of ,state for the ,colonies1 that ,mary's services should be brought to ,royal notice4 ,the ,secretary of ,state was equally impressed1 and laid the matter before the ,chapter-,general of the ,order of the ,hospital of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem in ,england1 of which the ,king is ,sovereign ,head1 and the ,duke of ,connaught ,grand ,prior4 ,this was done1 and she was selected for admission4 ,when she received the august-looking document asking her to accept the honour1 she said to herself1 ,now1 who has done this8 ,who am ,i1 and what is my distinction that ,i should have it8 ,she was in a quandary how to answer1 but eventually complied with the request1 thinking that would be the end of it4 ,shortly afterwards came a letter stating that her selection had received the sanction and approval of ,his ,most ,gracious ,majesty ,king ,george ,v4 ,the ,chapter-,general1 it was stated1 elected her with particular satisfaction to the grade of ,honorary ,associate4 ,this honour is only conferred on persons professing the ,christian faith1 who are eminently distinguished for philanthropy1 or who have specially devoted their exertions or professional skill in aid of the objects of the ,order4 ,the ,badge of an ,honorary ,associate is a ,maltese ,cross in silver1 embellished at the four principal angles with a lion passant guardant and a unicorn passant alternately4 ,it is worn by women on the left shoulder1 attached to a black watered riband tied in a bow4 ,ma kept the matter a secret1 even after she had received the diploma1 but the silver ,badge came through the ,colonial ,office to the ,commissioner at ,duke ,town1 and the honour being made public1 her friends schemed to get her down to a formal presentation4 ,it was a difficult problem1 but it was solved by a letter being sent stating that the decoration had arrived1 that1 of course1 she would not care to have it given to her surreptitiously1 and that her duty was to come to ,calabar for it4 ,a telegraph form1 ready for dispatch1 and bearing the one word ,coming1 was enclosed4 ,they knew she would get agitated1 and have no peace until the telegram was out of her hands4 ,their surmise was correct4 ,she sent the message and committed herself to the ordeal4 ,she was not elated at the prospect of appearing at a ,government function2 neither was she perturbed1 and she went about her duties as usual4 ,miss ,gilmour1 one of the new lady agents1 tells how on the eve of her departure she gathered the bairns for family worship1 and in a simple and beautiful way read to them the story of the ,good ,shepherd and the sheep that followed4 ,then1 as an illustration1 she took the story of ,peter's denial of our ,lord1 and showed that ,peter sinned because he followed afar off4 ,eh1 bairns1 she said1 it's the wee lassie that sits beside her mother at meal times that gets all the nice bittocks4 ,the one who sits far away and sulks disna ken what she misses4 ,even the pussy gets more than she does4 ,keep close to ,jesus the ,good ,shepherd all the way4 ,a ,government launch was sent to bring her down1 an honour she felt as much as the bestowal of the insignia1 and as she walked up to the ,macgregors' house--the ,wilkies were in ,scotland--there were many who were struck by the dignity of her appearance1 dressed though she was in an old but clean cotton dress1 straw hat1 and list shoes4 ,on the ,saturday afternoon she went to an ,at ,home at the ,barracks1 where she was lionised in a quiet way4 ,she attended a cricket match--she was an advocate of all games1 and believed they were excellent civilising agencies--and also witnessed a sham fight1 where the enemy dressed themselves up as savage warriors and attacked the ,barrack ,hill4 ,she was much impressed1 and kept saying to her old friend the ,hon4 ,horace ,bedwell1 the ,provincial ,commissioner1 ,that's just splendid4 ,look how the officers lead them4 ,on ,sunday she spoke for three-quarters of an hour to the boys in the ,institute in ,efik1 and no boys could have listened more intently4 ,on ,monday night she was at ,government ,house at dinner4 ,the presentation took place in the ,goldie ,memorial ,hall on ,wednesday1 ,mr4 ,macgregor presiding4 ,all the ,europeans who could leave business gathered to do her honour4 ,the boys of the ,training ,institute and the girls of the ,edgerley ,memorial ,school were also in the hall4 ,had it not been that ,mr4 ,bedwell and ,mrs4 ,bedwell were beside her1 and that it was the former who made the presentation1 she would have felt more nervous4 ,as it was1 she sat with her head buried in her hands4 ,mr4 ,bedwell spoke of her unique work and influence1 and of her genius for friendship in a way that overcame her4 ,she could not at first find words to reply4 ,she turned to the children1 and in ,efik told them to be faithful to the ,government1 for at bottom it was ,christian1 and1 as the silver ,badge proved1 friendly to missions4 ,self was thus entirely effaced in her interpretation of the act2 she made it appear to be the recognition by the ,government of the work of the ,mission1 and suggested that it might have been awarded to any member of the staff4 ,having recovered her courage she spoke in ,english1 saying that she did not understand why she had been chosen for the distinction1 when others deserved it more4 ,in a closing passage of simple beauty1 she gave ,god the honour and praise for all she had been able to accomplish4 ,what had impressed her at the sham fight was that the officer was always in front leading and guiding his men4 ,if ,i have done anything in my life it has been easy because the ,master has gone before4 ,forty ,europeans came to tea at the ,macgregors'1 and ,ma was brilliant and entertaining4 ,on ,thursday her hosts convoyed her back to ,use4 ,mrs4 ,bedwell had presented her with a bouquet of flowers1 and she had taken out the roses--of which she was passionately fond--and placed them in water4 ,on her arrival she carefully planted one of the stems1 and to her great joy it grew and flourished in front of her hut4 ,don't think1 she wrote home1 that there is any difference in my designation4 ,i am ,mary ,mitchell ,slessor1 nothing more and none other than the unworthy1 unprofitable1 but most willing1 servant of the ,king of ,kings4 ,may this be an incentive to work1 and to be better than ever ,i have been in the past4 ,at home the honour was made known chiefly through the ,record of the ,church1 in which ,mr4 ,macgregor gave some account of her romantic career4 ,he stipulated that this should be anonymous1 for ,ma1 he feared1 would never forgive him if she knew that he had been connected with it4 ,she gained a repute that was akin to fame4 ,congratulations from all parts of the world were showered upon her4 ,sir ,frederick ,lugard sent his hearty and sincere congratulations1 and his appreciation of this well-earned reward for her life of heroic self- sacrifice4 ,in confusion of heart she escaped to ,ikpe4 ,i shall never look the world in the face again until all this blarney and publicity is over1 she said4 ,i feel so glad that ,i can hide here quietly where no one knows about newspapers and ,records1 and do my small portion of work out of sight4 ,for a time she was kept busy replying to the correspondence that the event evoked1 and to all she made the same modest reply1 that she saw in the honour ,god's goodness to the ,mission and her fellow-labourers1 who were levelling and building and consolidating the work on every side4 ,it is a token that ,he means to encourage them in the midst of their discouraging circumstances4 ,,xiii4 ,,battle ,,for ,a ,,life ,each new kindness shown her was an incentive to harder service4 ,she threw herself again into work with an extraordinary keenness4 ,dissatisfied with what she was doing at ,ikpe1 she moved in all directions in her box on wheels1 prospecting for new spheres of usefulness1 fording rivers1 crossing swamps1 climbing hills1 pushing through bush1 traversing roads that were unsafe and where by the law people had to go in couples1 and often putting up at villages six or ten miles distant4 ,she saw crowds of people1 and hundreds of women and children in every street1 but no light2 not even a desire for it1 though here and there she found a disciple or two4 ,she met with more opposition from the chiefs than she had done in all her experience4 ,they would not hear of ,god fashions1 and would not permit teachers to enter their districts or churches to be built2 they forbade all meetings for worship4 ,she braced herself1 body and mind1 for the fight4 ,she spent days in palaver1 but they would not give in4 ,she insisted that at least the right of the disciples to meet and worship in their own homes must be recognised4 ,when the chiefs saw her face1 set with iron resolution1 they were afraid1 wavered1 and agreed4 ,they then became quite friendly4 ,we don't object to schools1 they admitted4 ,we want our children to learn to read and write1 but we want no interference with our fashions4 ,if houses of ,god are built1 we shall all die1 and we are dying fast enough4 ,i shall never give you teachers without the ,gospel1 she declared4 ,if you don't take the one1 you won't have the other4 ,but ,i'm going to bring both4 ,i shall put up a shed on the roadside1 and hold services there whenever ,i get a chance4 ,all right1 ,ma1 they said with something like admiration4 ,come yourself1 but don't send boys4 ,and then she remembered4 ,how can this poor tabernacle do it1 even with six lads to push and pull and carry the cart through the streams8 ,but ,i have opened the way1 and that is something4 ,in ,ikpe itself the currents of heathenism ran deep and strong1 and she found progress as difficult as in ,okoyong4 ,but she solved all the problems in the same fearless way as she had done there4 ,unlike those in other centres1 the women and girls of the town took no interest in the work1 and would not come forward1 and she knew there was no hope for the community unless she secured their sympathy and attachment to the cause4 ,at first a few girls had ventured to sit by themselves in church4 ,then some village accident made the chiefs believe that their juju was angry because the girls had forsaken their sacrifices and deserted the heathen plays1 and they placed pressure on them to return4 ,some were flogged and made to pray before a clay-pot with an egg in it1 and all were forced out on the moonlight nights to take part in the plays4 ,if they don't do that1 demanded the chiefs1 how can they have children for us8 ,the girls lost courage and forsook the church1 but she did not blame them4 ,poor things1 they are as timid as hares1 and have never had a choice of what to do until ,i came4 ,but the chiefs--,i will be hard on them6 ,one day she gathered all those who were faithful to the church laws1 and interviewed the chiefs4 ,the spokesman for her party urged that the antagonism that had been shown should cease2 he agreed that any one who broke the ordinary laws should be punished1 but no girl or young man should be compelled to sacrifice or pray to idols1 or be ostracised or fined for fearing ,god4 ,the words were received with scornful looks and laughs1 the chiefs being hardly able to restrain themselves1 but they had a wholesome fear of ,ma1 and were never outwardly disrespectful in her presence4 ,they looked at her4 ,she kept a severe and solemn face1 and they were a little nonplussed4 ,ma1 have you heard8 they asked1 ,am ,i not here8 she replied4 ,taking the gift of rods that had been offered1 the chiefs retired4 ,when they returned they said3 ,ma1 we hear4 ,let the present of rods lie1 we accept of it1 and we promise that we will respect ,god's laws1 in regard to the joining in our sacrifices2 and in regard to the ,sabbath1 we shall respect it and leave our work2 but we will not join in the confusions of the church1 that we cannot do4 ,god will doubtless be immensely pleased and benefited by your wondrous condescension1 said she with good-humoured sarcasm1 and they laughed heartily and tried to be friendly1 but ,mary airily told her people to rise and go4 ,fearing she was not pleased1 the chiefs made to accompany her4 ,i'm going round to see a woman in the next street1 said ,mary pointedly4 ,they stopped dead at once4 ,here was the confusion they referred to1 for the woman was a twin-mother4 ,it was the old weary battle over again1 ,her patience and persistence eventually won a victory for the girls4 ,they were allowed to return to church1 but the line was drawn at the day-school4 ,the chiefs said girls were meant to work and mother the babies1 and not to learn book4 ,even the boys who attended1 each burdened with an infant to justify the waste of time1 were not allowed to bring a baby girl4 ,if the baby of the home was a girl1 he looked after her there and his place was vacant4 ,mary began to think of teaching the girls apart from the boys1 when one day several girls marched in2 she courted them with all the skill she possessed1 and gradually one or two chiefs brought their daughters1 who returned with dresses from the ,mission box1 and that ended the opposition4 ,but there was no end to the struggle over twins4 ,time and again she had to send the girls to bring babes to the ,mission ,house1 and many a stirring night she had1 she sleeping with them in her bed1 whilst outside stealthy forms watched for a chance to free the town from the defilement of their presence4 ,the first that survived was a boy4 ,the husband1 angry and sullen1 was for murdering it and putting the mother into a hole in the swamp4 ,she faced him with the old flash in her eye1 and made him take oath not to hurt or kill the child4 ,he even promised to permit it to live1 for which magnanimity she bowed ironically to the ground1 an act that put his courage at once to flight4 ,she had come to realise that it was not good to take twins from their mother1 and she insisted on the child being kept in the home4 ,jean was sent to stay and sleep with the woman1 and as she had1 on occasion1 as caustic a tongue as ,ma1 the man had not a very agreeable time4 ,it was decided later to bring the woman and child to the hut1 and there1 beneath her verandah1 they rigged up a little lean-to1 where they were housed1 ,jean sleeping with them at night and keeping a watchful eye on the mother4 ,it is really1 said ,ma1 far braver and kinder of her to live with that heathen woman with her fretting habits than it is for her to go out in the dark and fight with snakes4 ,jean has as many faults as myself1 but she is a darling1 none the less1 and a treasure4 ,all going well1 they went on ,sunday to church and left the mother4 ,when they returned they found she had broken the baby's thigh and given him some poisonous stuff4 ,with care the boy recovered1 but they redoubled their precautions1 hoping that when the parents saw how handsome and healthy and normal the little fellow was1 they would consent to keep him4 ,ma was due at ,use1 but she would not leave ,ikpe until she had conquered4 ,another month passed1 and she was running out of provisions1 including tea4 ,to be without tea was a tremendous deprivation4 ,she thought of the big fragrant package that had been sent out as a gift1 and was lying fifty miles away but un-get-at-able1 and felt far from saintly as she resorted to the infusion of old leaves4 ,one ,sunday evening there was a shout4 ,a canoe had arrived1 and in it was a box4 ,with sudden prescience ,jean flew for a hammer and chisel and broke it open1 and sure enough inside was the tea from ,use4 ,mary marvelled1 and with all the young folk round her stood and thanked ,god1 the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 for ,his goodness4 ,the beverage had never tasted so sweet and invigorating4 ,though her thrifty ,scottish nature rejoiced that she had been able to save a little1 she confessed that she would never be a miser where tea was concerned1 ,whenever she received a package she invariably sent a share to old ,mammy ,fuller at ,duke ,town4 ,mammy1 she told a home friend1 has lived a holy and consecrated life here for fifty years1 and is perhaps the best-loved woman in ,duke ,town4 ,uncle ,tom in the old cabin is a child in the knowledge of ,god to ,mammy4 ,so we all love to share anything with her1 and she especially loves a cup of tea4 ,the parents of the twin were at last persuaded to take the big happy child home and provide for it4 ,four days later they sent for ,jean1 who returned1 carrying a weak1 pinched form that had death written on its face4 ,it succumbed shortly afterwards--and that was the end of ,ma's strenuous fight and ,jean's ten weeks' toil by night and day4 ,,xiv4 ,a ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,night ,she was down at ,use for ,christmastide with all her children about her1 and was very happy at seeing the consummation of her efforts to build a new church4 ,the opening took place on ,christmas ,day1 ,a bonnie kirk it is1 she wrote4 ,mr4 ,cruickshank officiated1 and was at his very best4 ,miss ,peacock1 my dear comrade and her young helper ,miss ,cooper--a fine lassie--came and spent the whole day1 so we had a grand time1 the biggest ,christmas ,i've ever had in ,calabar4 ,three tall flag-poles with trade-cloth flags in the most flaming colours hung over the village from point to point embracing the old and the new churches4 ,the people provided a plain breakfast in their several homes for over eighty of our visitors1 who therefore stayed over the forenoon4 ,it made our ,christian population look fairly formidable1 and certainly very reputable as a force for uplifting and regenerating society4 ,it looks but yesterday that they were a horde of the most unlikely and unresponsive people one could approach1 and yet the ,gospel has made of them already something to prove that it is the power of ,god unto salvation to a people and to an individual every and anywhere4 ,it was to her one of the reddest of red-letter days1 such a day as only comes at rare intervals1 and she fell into the snare1 as she said1 of being carried away with it1 with the result that at night she was down with fever4 ,this kept recurring every alternate night4 ,it was the harmattan season1 in which she always wilted like some delicate flower in the sun1 and she grew so limp and fragile that she could not sit up4 ,she felt that she would be compelled to go home in the summer with the ,macgregors1 but the idea frightened her1 chiefly because of the stir that had been caused by the honour she had received4 ,i dare not appear at home after all this publicity1 she said4 ,i simply could not face the music4 ,as she recovered a little she superintended the work of the girls outside1 and was amused at the way her advice was now received4 ,jean and ,annie do not hesitate to set it aside quietly in their superior way2 it often works out better than mine1 truth to tell-- though ,i say it does so by accident6 ,this was a different house-mother from the one who ruled years before4 ,in one of her fever nights1 tossing in semi-delirium1 she had a vision4 ,she had been following the ,chapman-,alexander ,mission in ,glasgow with keen interest1 and in the long watches her excited brain continued to dwell on the meetings4 ,she dreamt1 or imagined1 that out of gratitude for what had been accomplished1 two young ,glasgow engineers had taken a six months' holiday1 and come out with their motor car to ,calabar4 ,they spent their days running up and down the ,government ,road through ,ibibio1 singing and giving evangelistic addresses1 she interpreting1 the girls1 who were packed into the cars1 doing the catering and cooking1 and the ,government ,rest ,houses providing the lodging4 ,what a night it was6 she wrote4 ,the bairns were afraid1 for ,i was babbling more than usual1 but to me it was as real as if it had all happened4 ,we ran backwards and forwards between ,itu and ,ikpe1 spending alternate ,sundays with the ,churches1 and taking ,miss ,peacock to her outstations1 and visiting ,miss ,welsh1 ,it was magnificent4 ,the vision did not pass away2 she took it as a sign from ,god2 and out of it in the morning she formulated a scheme which one day she hoped would be realised4 ,it is strange1 she said1 that it has never dawned on us before4 ,here is the ,government making use of the motor car to do its work4 ,why should not the ,church do the same when the roads are here8 ,it would permit one man to do the work of three1 it would save strength1 and make for efficiency4 ,the reason why ,i have been able to go farther than my colleagues1 is that ,i have had the privilege of using ,government conveyances by land and water2 to have a car and a mechanic missionary would be supplying us with a grand opportunity for multiplied service4 ,she expatiated on the matter in letters to her friends at home1 and the longer she thought of the idea1 the more it fired her imagination4 ,within a few days she was flying over the ground in the ,government car on her way to ,ikpe--with many a ca' canny to the driver--and her experience brought the conviction that the proposal was a good one4 ,it might be too novel a plan for the ,church to take up officially1 but she thought wealthy men in ,scotland might materialise her vision as a thank-offering4 ,,xv4 ,,storming ,,the ,,citadels ,the ,government road went as far as ,odoro ,ikpe1 where a ,rest ,house1 used as a shelter by officials on the march or on judging tours1 and the one seen by ,mr4 ,macgregor1 had been built on the brow of a hill above the township4 ,it was ,saturday when she arrived here1 and she climbed the ascent1 taking over an hour to do it1 and was captivated by the situation4 ,it had the widest outlook of any spot she had seen2 she seemed to be on the very roof of the world4 ,a vast extent of bush stretched out before her1 unbroken save by the white road winding down the hill1 and instead of the stifling stillness of the plains1 a soft breeze blew and cooled the atmosphere4 ,it was five miles from ,ikpe1 and the centre of a number of populous towns4 ,for months past she had been praying for an entrance into these closed haunts of heathenism1 and as she sat down in the lonely little ,rest ,house1 she made up her mind not to move a step further until she had come to grips with the chiefs4 ,knowing that the ,government would not object1 she took possession of the building4 ,it had a doorway but no door2 the windows were holes in the wall high up under the eaves2 the floor was of mud1 and there was no furniture of any kind4 ,but these things were of no consequence to the gipsy-missionary4 ,she slept on a camp-bed borrowed from ,miss ,peacock1 the girls lay on the mud floor among the lizards1 and some pots and pans were obtained from the people until she could procure her own from ,ikpe4 ,the commissariat department was run on the simplest scale4 ,a tin of fat1 some salt and pepper1 tea1 and sugar1 and roasted plantain for bread1 formed the principal constituents of the frugal meals4 ,their clothes were taken off piece by piece as each could be spared1 and washed in a pail from the little prison yard4 ,ma's calico gown went through the process in the forenoon1 was dried on the fence in the hot sun1 and donned in the afternoon1 in order1 as she humorously put it1 to be ready for visitors and tea4 ,in her eyes it was a sort of glorified picnic4 ,she did not pity the girls2 she thought such an experience was better for them as ,african citizens and missionaries than a secondary education4 ,from this high centre as from a fort1 she began to bombard the towns in the neighbourhood4 ,next day she summoned some disciples from a place called ,ndot1 and service was held in the yard4 ,then the lads pushed her chair out to ,ibam1 two miles distant1 where she met the headman and his followers4 ,these were an arrogant1 powerful sept--not ,ibibios--who had been allies of the slavers of ,aros1 and were disliked and suspected by all4 ,she told them that she wanted the question of ,gospel entrance settled4 ,they looked at her indulgently4 ,we have no objection to you coming1 ,ma1 said the chief4 ,and the saving of twins1 and the right of twin-mothers to live as women and not as unclean beasts in the bush8 she asked4 ,no1 no1 we will not have it4 ,our town will spoil4 ,after much talk they said1 ,go home1 ,ma1 and we shall discuss it and see you again--the native way of ending a matter4 ,her next discussion was with the town of ,odoro ,ikpe itself4 ,the old chief was urbane1 and gave her every honour4 ,bringing out a plate with #cs4 upon it1 he said1 ,take that to buy food while staying here1 as we have no market yet4 ,she took the money1 kissed it1 put her hands on his head1 and thanked him1 calling him father1 but requested him to take it and buy chop for the children1 and she would eat with him another day4 ,the old man went away and returned with some yams1 which he asked her to cook and eat4 ,as they talked he gradually lost his fear1 and then she asked him bluntly about his attitude to the ,gospel4 ,he and his big men told her frankly what their difficulties were1 and these she demolished one by one4 ,after two hours' fencing and arguing the tension gave way to a hearty laugh1 and the old chief said1 with a sweep of his hand toward the crowd3 ,well1 ,ma1 there they are1 take them and teach them what you like--and you1 young men1 go and build a house for book4 ,no6 cried ,ma1 we don't begin or end either with a house4 ,we begin and end with ,god in our hearts4 ,a young man came forward1 and without removing a quaint hat he wore1 said1 ,ma1 we can't take ,god's word if you bring twins and twin-mothers into our town4 ,it was out at last4 ,instead of arguing1 ,ma looked at him as witheringly as she could and replied2 ,i speak with men and people worthy of me1 and not with a puny bush-boy such as you have shown by your manners you are4 ,off came the hat1 and then ,ma spoke to him in such a way that the crowd were fain to cry3 ,ma1 forgive6 forgive6 he does not know any better4 ,there was no more after that about twins1 and when she left she felt that progress had been made4 ,striking while the iron was hot she sent to ,ikpe for school books1 and going into the highways and byways1 she began to coax the lads to come and learn4 ,they stood aloof1 half-afraid and half-scornful1 and would not respond4 ,then she adopted a flank movement1 and began to speak to them about the rubber and cocoa which the ,government were planting in the district1 and tried to awaken their interest and ambitions by telling them how the world was moving outside their home circle4 ,gradually the sullenness gave way1 and they began to ask questions and to chat4 ,she took the alphabet card1 but they shied at the strange- looking thing1 and would not speak4 ,one little fellow who had been at ,ikpe1 and knew more than the others1 began tremblingly1 ,a--,b--1 and she and ,alice who was with her1 joined in until one after another surrendered1 and before long all were shouting the letters4 ,by the end of the week the lads were coming every spare hour for lessons1 and would scarcely give her time to eat4 ,the ,ikpe disciples had ruefully watched this development1 and at last went to her3 ,ma1 we are glad you have got a footing out here1 but are you forsaking us8 ,her heart ached at the words1 and although now reduced to coming and going in her ,cape cart1 she determined to give them every alternate week when she was not at ,use4 ,thus from now onwards she was keeping three centres going by her own efforts4 ,after a week at ,ikpe in fulfilment of her promise1 she returned to ,odoro ,ikpe to hold the first ,sabbath service4 ,a play was being enacted in the town1 and scores of naked young men and women were dancing to the compelling throb of the drum4 ,but some ,ikpe and ,ndot lads came to support the service1 and their presence helped the local sympathisers to come forward4 ,it was very simple2 she said it would have seemed babyish to ,europeans1 but it was an epoch to the natives4 ,another meeting was held in the afternoon2 and at night in the dark square1 lit only by the light of the fires where the women were cooking their meal1 she stood1 and again proclaimed1 with passionate earnestness1 the love of ,god and the power of ,christ to save and uplift4 ,it was1 no doubt1 a day of small things1 but she knew from long experience that small things were not to be despised4 ,a month later1 when she was at ,ikpe holding the services1 she was astonished to see thirty of the ,odoro ,ikpe lads marching into church4 ,they had grown so interested1 that they had come the five miles to hear her speak4 ,the ,ikpe people at once rose and gave the strangers their seats1 finding a place for themselves on the floor4 ,it was pathetic to see their earnest faces and their ignorance as to what they should do during the service1 which was more elaborate than they had been accustomed to4 ,having brought some food they cooked it at the house and remained all day4 ,on her return to ,odoro ,ikpe the chiefs appeared one morning1 and asked her to come out at once and survey the land1 and choose a site for a station4 ,her heart leapt at the significance of the request4 ,she happened to be in her night attire1 but as it might have been full ,court dress for all they knew1 she went and tramped over the land and chose what she believed would be the best situation in the ,mission4 ,it was on the brow of a hill overlooking a magnificent stretch of country1 across which a cool breeze blew all the time4 ,she immediately planned a house--one of six rooms--three living rooms above and stores and hall and girls' rooms below1 with a roof of corrugated iron for security against wind and insects1 and prepared to go down to ,use to buy the material4 ,there was one town still holding out1 ,ibam 7where she had been told to go home and they would think about it71 and she prayed that it1 too1 might accept the new conditions4 ,on the ,sunday before she left for ,use1 while she was conducting service1 six strange men came in and waited until all had gone4 ,we are from ,ibam1 they said4 ,come at once1 ,ma1 and we will build a place to worship ,god1 and will hear and obey4 ,she was so uplifted that she seemed to live on air for the next few days4 ,the villagers of ,ibam gave up their best yard to her1 and1 crowds came to the meetings4 ,all the citadels of heathenism in the district had now been stormed4 ,sitting one night on the floor of the ,rest ,house1 her aching back leaning against the mud wall1 a candle1 stuck in its own grease1 giving her light1 she wrote to her friends in ,scotland1 telling them that she was the happiest and most grateful woman in the world4 ,,xvi4 ,,clarion ,,calls ,the discovery of coal up in the interior at ,udi brought a new interest into her life1 for her far-seeing mind at once realised all the possibilities it contained4 ,she believed it would revolutionise the conditions of ,west ,africa4 ,and when a railway was projected and begun from ,port ,harcourt1 west of ,calabar1 to ,udi1 and there was talk of an extension to ,itu1 she sought to make her friends at home grasp the full significance of the development4 ,that railway would become the highway to the interior1 and ,calabar would cease to be so important a port4 ,great stretches of rich oil-palm country would be opened up and exploited4 ,she urged the need for more men and women to work amongst the rank heathenism that would soon collect and fester in the new industrial and commercial centres4 ,up there also was the menace of ,mohammedanism4 ,shall the ,cross or the ,crescent be first8 she cried4 ,we need men and women1 oh1 we need them6 ,she had been saddened by the closing of stations for furloughs1 and the apathy of the ,church at home4 ,we are lower in numbers in ,calabar than ever--fewer1 if you except the artisans in the ,institute1 than in the old days before the doors were opened6 ,surely there is something very far wrong with our ,church1 the largest in ,scotland4 ,where are the men8 ,are there no heroes in the making among us8 ,no hearts beating high with the enthusiasm of the ,gospel8 ,men smile nowadays at the old-fashioned idea of sin and hell and broken law and a perishing world1 but these made men1 men of purpose1 of power and achievement1 and self-denying devotion to the highest ideals earth has known4 ,we have really no workers to meet all this opened country1 and our ,church1 to be honest1 should stand back and give it to some one else4 ,but oh6 ,i cannot think of that4 ,not that1 ,lord6 ,for how could we meet the ,goldies1 the ,edgerleys1 the ,waddells1 the ,andersons8 ,how can our ,church look at ,christ who has given us the privilege of making ,calabar history1 and say to ,him1 ,take it back4 ,give ,it to another8 ,she had been deeply interested ,in the great ,world's ,missionary ,conference in ,edinburgh in #aiaj1 and had contrasted it with ,state diplomacy and dreadnoughts1 but was disappointed that so little practical result had followed4 ,after all1 she said1 it is not committees and organisations from without that is to bring the revival1 and to send the ,gospel to the heathen at home and abroad1 but the living spirit of ,god working from within the heart4 ,all this made her more than ever convinced of the value of her own policy4 ,she believed in the roughest methods for a raw country like ,nigeria4 ,too much civilisation and concentration was bad1 both for the work and the natives4 ,there should be1 she thought1 an office of itinerating or travelling missionary permanently attached to the ,mission4 ,it would have its drawbacks1 as1 she recognised1 all pioneer work had1 but it would also pay well4 ,she was not sure whether the missionaries did right in remaining closely to their stations1 and believed that short regular expeditions into the interior would not only keep them in better health1 but give them a closer knowledge of the people4 ,not much teaching could be given in this way1 but their confidence would be won1 and the way would be prepared for further advance4 ,her hope lay in women workers2 they made better pioneers than men1 and as they were under no suspicion of being connected with the ,government1 their presence was unobjectionable to the natives4 ,they could move into new spheres and do the spade-work2 enter the homes1 win a hearing1 guide the people in quiet ways1 and live a simple and natural life amongst them4 ,when confidence had been secured1 men missionaries could enter and train and develop1 and build up congregations in the ordinary manner4 ,even then she did not see why elaborate churches should be erected4 ,she was always so afraid to put anything forward save ,christ1 that she was quite satisfied with her little mud kirks4 ,the raw heathen knew nothing of the ,church as white people understood it4 ,to give them a costly building was to give them a foreign thing in which they would worship a foreign ,god4 ,to let them worship in an environment of their own setting meant1 she believed1 a more real apprehension of spiritual truth4 ,the money they were trained to give1 she would spend1 not on buildings so much as on pioneer work among the tribes4 ,so1 too1 with the ,mission houses4 ,she thought these should be as simple as possible1 and semi-native in style2 such1 she believed1 to be the driest and most healthy4 ,in any case disease could come into a house costing #bjj1 as into one costing #bj1 and there was such a thing as ,god's providence4 ,still1 she recognised the importance of preserving the health of newcomers1 and admitted that her ideas might not apply to them4 ,it would be wrong1 she said1 to insist on mud-huts for a nervous or sthetic person4 ,it was much the same feeling that ran through her objection to the natives suddenly transforming themselves into ,europeans4 ,her views in this respect differed a good deal from those of her co-workers4 ,one ,sunday1 after a special service1 a number of women who had arrayed themselves in cheap ,european finery1 boots and stockings and all1 called upon her4 ,she sat on a chair1 her back to them1 and merely threw them an occasional word with an angry jerk of her head4 ,they were very upset1 and at last one of them ventured to ask what was the matter4 ,matter6 she exclaimed1 and then spoke to them in a way which brought them all back in the afternoon clothed more appropriately4 ,on all these questions she thought simply and naturally1 and not in terms of scientific theory and over-elaborated system4 ,she believed that the world was burdened and paralysed by conventional methods4 ,but she did not undervalue the sthetic side of existence4 ,so many think that we missionaries live a sort of glorified glamour of a life1 and have no right to think of any of the little refinements and elegancies which rest and sooth tired and overstrained nerves--certainly coarseness and ugliness do not help the ,christian life1 and ugly things are not as a rule cheaper than beautiful ones4 ,her conviction was that a woman worth her salt could make any kind of house beautiful4 ,at the same time she believed--and proved it in her own life--that the spirit- filled woman was to a great extent independent of all accessories4 ,what always vexed her was to think of thousands of girls at home living a purposeless life1 spending their time in fashionable wintering- places1 and undergoing the strenuous toil of conventional amusement4 ,why1 she asked1 could they not come out here and stay a month or six months doing light work1 helping with the children1 cheering the staff8 ,what a wealth of interest it would introduce into their lives6 ,she declared it would be better than stoning windows1 for she had no patience with the policy of the women who sought in blind destruction the solution of political and social evils4 ,i'm for votes for women1 but ,i would prove my right to it by keeping law and helping others to keep it4 ,god-like motherhood is the finest sphere for women1 and the way to the redemption of the world4 ,many a clarion call she sent to her sisters across the waters3 ,don't grow up a nervous old maid6 ,gird yourself for the battle outside somewhere1 and keep your heart young4 ,give up your whole being to create music everywhere1 in the light places and in the dark places1 and your life will make melody4 ,i'm a witness to the perfect joy and satisfaction of a single life--with a tail of human tag-rag hanging on4 ,it is rare6 ,it is as exhilarating as an aeroplane or a dirigible or whatever they are that are always trying to get up and are always coming down6444 ,mine has been such a joyous service1 she wrote again4 ,god has been good to me1 letting me serve ,him in this humble way4 ,i cannot thank ,him enough for the honour ,he conferred upon me when ,he sent me to the ,dark ,continent4 ,over and over again she put this idea of foreign service before her friends at home4 ,some were afraid of a rush of cranks who would not obey rules and so forth4 ,she laughed the idea to scorn4 ,i wish ,i could believe in a crush--but there are sensible men and women enough in the ,church who would be as law-abiding here as at home4 ,,xvii4 ,,love-,,lettebs ,during the course of her career ,miss ,slessor wrote numberless letters1 many of them productions of six1 ten1 twelve1 and fourteen pages1 closely penned in spidery writing1 which she called her hieroglyphic style4 ,she had the gift1 which more women than men possess1 of expressing her ideas on paper in as affluent and graceful a way as in conversation4 ,her letters indeed were long monologues1 the spontaneous outpouring of an active and clever mind4 ,she sat down and talked vivaciously of everything about her1 not of public affairs1 because she knew people at home would not understand about these1 but of her children1 the natives1 her journeys1 her ailments1 the services1 the palavers1 all as simply and naturally and as fully as if she were addressing an interested listener4 ,but it was essential that her correspondent should be in sympathy with her4 ,she could never write a formal letter2 she could not even compose a business letter in the ordinary way4 ,neither could she write to order1 nor give an official report of her work4 ,the prospect of appearing in print paralysed her4 ,it was always the heart and not the mind of her correspondent that she addressed4 ,what appeared from time to time in the ,record and in the ,women's ,missionary ,magazine1 were mainly extracts from private letters1 and they derived all their charm and colour from the fact that they were meant for friends who loved and understood her4 ,in the same way she would be chilled by receiving a coldly expressed letter4 ,i wish you hadn't said ,dear ,madam1 she told a lady at home4 ,i'm just an insignificant1 wee1 auld wifey that you would never address in that way if you knew me4 ,i'll put the ,madam aside1 and drag up my chair close to you and the girls you write for1 and we'll have a chat by the fireside4 ,she could not help writing2 it was the main outlet for her loving nature1 so much repressed in the loneliness of the bush4 ,had she not possessed so big and so ardent a heart1 she would have written less4 ,into her letters she poured all the wealth of her affection2 they were in the real sense love-letters2 and her magic gift of sympathy made them always prized by the recipients4 ,she had no home people of her own1 and she pressed her nearest friends to make her one of the family4 ,if1 she would say1 you would let me share in any disappointments or troubles1 ,i would feel more worthy of your love--,i will tell you some of mine as a counter-irritant6 ,many followed her behest with good result4 ,i'm cross this morning1 wrote a young missionary at the beginning of a long letter1 and ,i know it is all my own fault1 but ,i am sure that writing to you will put me in a better temper4 ,when things go wrong1 there is nothing like a talk with you4444 ,now ,i must stop1 the letter has worked the cure4 ,her letters of counsel to her colleagues when they were in difficulties with their work were helpful and inspiring to the highest degree4 ,on occasions of trial or sorrow she always knew the right word to say4 ,how delicately1 for instance1 would she try to take the edge off the grief of bereaved friends by describing the arrival of the spirit in heaven1 and the glad welcome that would be got there from those who had gone before4 ,heaven is just a meeting and a homing of our real selves4 ,god will never make us into new personalities4 ,everlasting life--take that word life and turn it over and over and press it and try to measure it1 and see what it will yield4 ,it is a magnificent idea which comprises everything that heart can yearn after4 ,on another occasion she wrote1 ,i do not like that petition in the ,prayer ,book1 ,from sudden death1 good ,lord deliver us4 ,i never could pray it4 ,it is surely far better to see ,him at once without pain of parting or physical debility4 ,why should we not be like the apostle in his confident outburst of praise and assurance1 ',for ,i am persuaded444'8 ,again3 ,don't talk about the cold hand of death--it is the hand of ,christ4 ,it was not surprising that her correspondence became greater at last than she could manage4 ,the pile of unanswered communications was like a millstone round her neck1 and in these latter days she began to violate an old rule and snatch time from the hours of night4 ,headings such as #aj ,p4,m41 ,midnight1 #h4de ,a4,m41 became frequent1 yet she would give love's full measure to every correspondent1 and there was seldom sign of undue strain4 ,if my pen is in a hurry1 she would say1 my heart is not4 ,when she was ill and unable to write1 she would simply lie in bed and speak to her ,father about it all4 ,there was a number of friends to whom she wrote regularly1 and whose relations to her may be judged from the manner in which they began their letters4 ,my lady of ,grace1 ,my beloved missionary1 ,dearest sister1 were some of the phrases used4 ,but her nature demanded at least one confidante to whom she could lay bare her inmost thoughts4 ,she needed a safety-valve1 a city of refuge1 a heart and mind with whom there would be no reservations1 and ,providence provided her with a kind of confessor from whom she obtained all the understanding and sympathy and love she craved for4 ,this was ,miss ,adam1 who1 while occasionally differing from her in minor matters of policy1 never1 during the fifteen years of their friendship1 once failed her4 ,what she was to the lonely missionary no one can know4 ,mary said she knew without being told what was in her heart1 and how sweet1 she added1 it is to be understood and have love reading between the lines4 ,month by month she sent to ,bowden the intimate story of her doings1 her troubles1 hopes1 and fears1 and joys1 and received in return wise and tender counsel and encouragement and practical help4 ,she kept the letters under her pillow and read and reread them4 ,never self-centred or self-sufficient1 she depended upon the letters that came from home to a greater extent than many of her friends suspected4 ,she needed the inflow of love into her own life1 and she valued the letters that brought her cheer and stimulus and inspiration4 ,once she was travelling on foot1 and had four miles of hill-road to go1 and was feeling very weary and depressed at the magnitude of the work and her own weakness1 when a letter was handed to her4 ,it was the only one by that mail1 but it was enough4 ,she sat down1 and in the quiet of the bush she opened it1 and as she read all the tiredness fled1 the heat was forgotten1 the road was easy1 and she went blithely up the hill4 ,outside the circle of her friends many people wrote to her from ,scotland1 and some from ,england1 ,canada1 and ,america4 ,boys and girls whom she had never seen sent her letters telling her of their cats and dogs1 of football1 and lessons and school4 ,with her replies sometimes went a snake skin1 a brass tray1 a miniature paddle1 or other curio4 ,but it was the letter1 rather than the gift1 that was enjoyed4 ,as one girl wrote2 ,you are away out helping the poor black kiddies and people1 and just as busy doing good as possible1 and yet you've time to send a letter home to a little ,scottish girl1 a letter fragrant with everything lovely and good1 that makes one try harder than ever to do right1 and that fills one's heart with beautiful helpful thoughts4 ,to her own bairns1 wherever they were1 she wrote letters full of household news and gentle advice4 ,to ,dan at the ,institute she wrote regularly--very pleased she was when she heard he had been at lectures on bacteria and understood them6--and when ,alice and ,maggie were inmates of the ,edgerley ,memorial ,school she kept in the closest touch with them4 ,here is a specimen of her letters1 written chiefly in ,efik1 and addressed apparently to ,alice3 ,,my ,,precious ,,children--,i am thinking a lot about you1 for you will soon be losing our dear ,miss ,young2 and while ,i am sorry for myself ,i am sorrier for you and ,calabar4 ,how are you all8 and have you been good8 and are you all trying to serve and please ,jesus your ,lord8 ,whitie has gone to sleep4 ,she has been making sand and y-ing my bedroom1 the bit that you did not finish4 ,janie has y-d the high bits1 so ,whitie is very tired4 ,janie has gone to stay all night with the twin-mother and her baby in the town where ,effiom used to live long ago4 ,one baby was dead1 but she is keeping the other1 and the chief says1 ,ma1 you are our mother1 but what you have done will be the death of us4 ,but ,i tell them just to die4 ,the mother almost died4 ,one child was born dead1 and ,janie and ,i stayed all night there4 ,mary is at ,ikot ,ekpene4 ,we saw her as we passed in the motor4 ,the whole town came to-day and put splendid beams in the verandah both in front and behind1 swept all behind1 and put on a corrugated iron roof1 did the porch and various other things1 and the safe4 ,good-bye4 ,are you well8 ,we are well1 through ,god's goodness4 ,are you coming soon for holidays8 ,my heart is hungry to see you and to touch your hands4 ,greetings to ,ma ,fuller4 ,greet ,ma ,wilkie and ,mr4 ,wilkie for me4 ,greet each other4 ,all we greet you4 ,with much love to ,maggie1 ,dan1 ,asuqu1--,i am1 in all my prayers1 your mother1 ,m4 ,slessor4 ,the girls and ,dan also wrote regularly to her in ,efik--such letters as this3 ,i am pleased to send this little letter to you4 ,are you well8 ,i am fairly well through the goodness of ,god4 ,why have you delayed to send us a letter8 ,perhaps you are too busy to write1 but we are coming home in a fortnight4 ,if you hear we are on the way come quickly out when you hear the voices of the people from the beach1 because you know it will be us4 ,greet ,whitie1 ,janie1 ,annie and all1 and accept greeting from your loving child ,,maggie4 ,after her death there was found at ,use a bundle of papers1 evidently much treasured1 labelled ,my children's letters4 ,,xviii4 ,a ,,lonely ,,figure ,she returned to ,use1 but only remained long enough to arrange for the material for the house at ,odoro ,ikpe4 ,of the special difficulties that would beset her on this occasion1 she was quite aware4 ,the timber supply on the ground was scarce1 transport would be expensive1 there was no local skilled labour1 and she was unable to work with her own hands1 while it was not easy to procure carriers and other work-people1 since the ,government1 with the consent of the chiefs1 were taking batches of men from each village for the coalfields and railway1 a measure she approved1 as it prevented the worst elements in the community drifting there4 ,but nothing ever discouraged her1 and she returned at the end of ,april and embarked once more1 and for the last time1 on building operations4 ,friends kept tempting her to come to ,scotland4 ,her friend ,miss ,young was now ,mrs4 ,arnot1 wife of the ,rev4 ,david ,arnot1 ,m4,a41 ,blairgowrie1 and from her came a pressing invitation to make her home at the manse4 ,i will meet you at ,liverpool1 ,mrs4 ,arnot wrote1 and bring you straight here1 where you will rest and be nursed back to health again4 ,it was proposed that ,alice should come with her1 and be left at ,blairgowrie while ,mary visited her friends4 ,she was delighted1 and wrote gaily that when she did come she would not be a week-end visitor or a tea visitor1 but a barnacle4 ,it is1 however1 all too alluring4 ,one only thing can overtop it1 and that is duty as put into my hands by my ,king4 ,then she paints a picture of the piles of timber and corrugated iron about her for the building of a house1 for the happy and privileged man or woman who shall take up the work of salvage1 and of ,ikpe waiting patiently1 and the towns surrendering on all sides1 and adds1 ,put yourself in my place1 and with an accession of strength given since ,i camped up here1 how could you do other than ,i have done8 ,i verily thought to be with the ,macgregors1 but this came and the strength has come with it1 and there must be no more moving till the house is up1 when ,i hope and pray some one will come to it4 ,what a glorious privilege it all is6 ,i can't think why ,god has so highly honoured and trusted me4 ,she entered on a period of toil and tribulation which proved to be one of the most trying and exacting in her life4 ,the house itself was a simple matter4 ,large posts were inserted in the ground1 and split bamboos were placed between2 cross pieces were tied on with strips of the oil-palm tree1 and then clay was prepared and pounded in4 ,but fifty men and lads were employed1 and she had never handled so lazy1 so greedy1 so inefficient a gang4 ,compelled to supervise them constantly1 she often had to sit in the fierce sunshine for eight hours at a time2 then with face unwashed and morning wrapper still on she would go and conduct school4 ,if she went to ,ikpe for a day1 all the work done required to be gone over again4 ,sometimes she lost all patience1 and resorted to a little muscular ,christianity1 which caused huge amusement1 but always had the desired effect4 ,but she was very philosophical over it4 ,it is all part of the heathen character1 and1 as ,mrs4 ,anderson used to say1 ',well1 ,daddy1 if they were ,christians there would have been no need for you and me here4' ,jean often became very wroth1 and demanded of the people if ,ma was not to obtain time to eat1 and if they wanted to kill her8 ,annie and her husband had been placed at ,nkanga1 and ,jean now managed the household affairs4 ,the faithful girl had her own difficulties in the way of catering1 for on account of the isolation money frequently ran done1 and she could not obtain the commonest necessities to feed her ,ma4 ,an empty purse always worried ,mary1 but it was a special trial to her independent and sensitive spirit at this period1 for she was in debt to the skilled carpenter who had been engaged1 and to the labourers1 and was compelled to undergo the humiliation of borrowing4 ,on one occasion she obtained a loan of #es4 from one of her rare visitors1 a ,government doctor1 a ,scot and a ,presbyterian1 who was investigating tropical diseases1 and who1 finding her in the ,rest ,house1 had contentedly settled down with his microscopes in the ,court ,house shed4 ,after working all day in the bush he spent many evenings with her1 and she was much impressed by his upright character1 and his kindness and courtesy to the natives1 and said matters would be very different in ,africa if all civil and military men were of the same stamp4 ,the only other two visitors she had at this time were ,mr4 ,bowes1 the printer at ,duke ,town1 and ,mr4 ,hart1 the accountant1 the latter bringing her all the money she needed4 ,by the end of ,july the house was roughly built1 and she was able to mount up to the top rooms by means of a hen ladder1 and there on the loose1 unsteady boards she sat tending her last motherless baby1 and feeling uplifted into a new and restful atmosphere4 ,a pathetic picture she made1 sitting gazing over the wide ,african plain4 ,she had never been more isolated1 never felt more alone4 ,so lonely 'twas1 that ,god ,himself ,scarce seemed there to be4 ,she was without assistance1 her body was broken and pitifully weak1 and yet with dauntless spirit and quenchless faith she looked hopefully to the future1 when those infant stations about her would be occupied by consecrated men and women4 ,,xix4 ,when the ,great ,war ,came ,into the ,african bush1 the home of many things that white men cannot understand1 there was stealing a troubled sense of mystery4 ,the air was electric with expectation and alarm4 ,impalpable influences seemed fighting the feeble old woman on the lonely hill-top4 ,she was worried by transport difficulties4 ,what the causes were she did not know1 but the material did not come1 and as she was paying the carpenter a high wage she was compelled to dismiss him4 ,what work there was to do she attempted to accomplish with her own thin1 worn hands4 ,in the early days of ,august the natives began to whisper to each other strange stories about fighting going on in the big white world beyond the seas4 ,news came from ,calabar that the ,european firms had ceased to buy produce3 canoes which went down river for rice and kerosene1 returned again with their cargoes of nuts and oil4 ,she wondered what was happening4 ,then excited natives came to her in a panic1 with tales of a mad ,europe and of ,britain fighting ,germany4 ,she pooh-poohed the rumours and outwardly appeared calm and unafraid in order to reassure them1 but the silence and the suspense were unbearable4 ,on the #acth she received letters and heard of the outbreak of the war4 ,all the possibilities involved in that tremendous event came crowding upon her mind1 the immense suffering and sorrow1 and1 not least to her1 the peril to ,calabar4 ,nigeria was conterminous with the ,cameroons1 and she knew the ,germans well enough to anticipate trouble4 ,the cost of articles1 too1 she realised1 would go up1 and as she had little food in the house she at once sent to the market for supplies4 ,already prices were doubled4 ,her kerosene oil gave out1 and she had to resort to lighted firewood to read at prayers4 ,she went on bravely with the routine duties of the station--,dan1 who was now with her1 helping in the school--but she longed impatiently for news1 ,oh1 for a telegram1 she would cry1 even a boy bawling in the street6 ,the officer at ,ikot ,ekpene1 knowing her anxiety1 sent over the latest intelligence1 but she half suspected that he kept back the worst4 ,the worst came in her first war mail which arrived when she was sitting superintending operations at the house4 ,she read why ,britain had entered the conflict and exclaimed1 ,thank ,god6 our nation is not the aggressor4 ,then came the story of the invasion of ,belgium and the reverses of the ,allies4 ,shocked and sad she essayed to rise1 but was unable to move4 ,the girls ran to her aid and lifted her up1 but she could not stand4 ,exerting her will-power and praying for strength she directed the girls to carry her over to the ,rest ,house and put her to bed4 ,ague came on1 and in half an hour she was in a raging fever which lasted1 with scarcely an interval1 for a fortnight4 ,she struggled on amidst increasing difficulties and worries1 the horrors of the war with her night and day4 ,her old enemy1 diarrhoea1 returned1 and she steadily weakened and seemed entering the valley of the shadow4 ,she did not fear death1 but the thought of passing away alone in the bush troubled her1 for her skull might be seized and be worshipped as a powerful juju by the people4 ,at last she lay in a stupor as if beyond help4 ,it was a scene which suggested the final act in ,dr4 ,livingstone's life4 ,the girls were crying4 ,the church lads stood alarmed and awed4 ,then they raised her in her camp-bed and marched with her the five miles to ,ikpe4 ,next morning they lifted the bed into a canoe and placed her under a tarpaulin and paddled her down the ,creek4 ,they landed at ,okopedi beach1 where she lay in the roadway in the moonlight1 scarcely breathing4 ,the agent of a trading-house brought restoratives and sent for ,dr4 ,wood1 then at ,itu1 who accompanied her to ,use and waited the night as he feared she would not recover4 ,all through the hours her mind was occupied with the war and the soldiers in the trenches4 ,next day she was a little better1 but would not hear of going to ,itu to be cared for there4 ,to her ,use was home where the children could minister to her1 but realising her lack of strength she sent a message to ,miss ,peacock asking her to come over4 ,miss ,peacock said to her fellow-worker1 ,ma must be very ill before she would send for any one1 and she cycled to ,use at once4 ,mary confided to her that it might be the end1 and ,oh1 she exclaimed1 if only the war were over and my children safe in the ,kingdom1 how gladly would ,i go6 ,she called the bairns to her and told them what to do in the event of her death4 ,like all natives in the presence of serious illness they were greatly upset and wept bitterly1 but as the disorder passed they began to think that she would get better1 and went about their duties1 ,jean to her marketing1 and ,alice to the care of the house1 with ,whitie to help1 while ,maggie looked after the baby4 ,the shadow of the war continued to darken her heart4 ,she agonised for the cause which her native land had taken up1 and many a cry went up to ,god on its behalf in the hour of trial4 ,miss ,peacock remained several nights1 and returned to ,ikotobong with a strong presentiment that ,ma was not to be long with them1 and she and ,miss ,couper arranged to keep in touch with her as closely as possible4 ,as she plodded on towards strength and as better news arrived about the war situation she began to be more like herself and take up her old duties4 ,for a time she lay in the verandah on a deck chair2 and then went to the church1 conducted the ,sunday services1 but was obliged to sit all the time and lean her body against the communion-table4 ,yet in the midst of her weakness and suffering she had always a bright laugh and a word of encouragement for others4 ,reluctantly she came to the conclusion that nothing would heal her but a voyage home and as she was longing for a few more hours--it was not years now--of work she made up her mind to face it1 and to include in her furlough a visit to the graves of her mother and sister at ,exeter4 ,the difficulty of the east wind in ,scotland was overcome by a proposal from ,mrs4 ,arnot1 who in the mystery of things1 had suddenly been bereft of her husband1 that she would take a small house where they could live together in quiet4 ,i shall meet you1 that lady wrote1 and make a home for you and care for you if ,god puts it into your heart to come4 ,the wonderful kindness of the offer brought tears to her eyes and she consented with a great content4 ,her plan was to return to ,odoro ,ikpe1 complete the house1 and leave for ,scotland early in the spring2 and she asked ,miss ,adam to send her a hat and boots and other articles which civilisation demanded4 ,her only regret was at leaving her people and specially those at ,ikpe4 ,it is ten years since ,i first took them on1 and they have never got a teacher yet4 ,it is bitterly hard6 ,miss ,peacock and ,miss ,couper noticed1 however1 that the old recuperative power which had always surprised them was gone1 and one day she said that she had been overhauling her desk and tearing up letters in case anything should happen4 ,the tragedy of the war came home personally to her4 ,two of her official friends1 ,commander ,g4 ,gray and ,lieutenant ,h4 ,a4 ,child1 ,c4,m4,g41 were serving in the ,navy and were both drowned by the capsizing of a whaler when crossing the bar at the entrance to the ,nyong ,river4 ,they were my oldest and most intimate friends here1 capable1 sane ,empire-builders1 and she sorrowed for them with a great sorrow4 ,sometimes her old fighting spirit was roused by the news of the deeds of the enemy4 ,oh if ,i were thirty years younger1 and if ,i were a man6 444 ,we must not have peace until ,germany licks the dust and is undeceived and stricken once for all4 ,her comments brought out the fact that she had followed ,european events very closely during the past thirty years1 whilst her letters to her faint-hearted friends in ,scotland showed her usual insight3 ,god does not mean you and me to carry the burden1 and ,german soldiers are flesh and blood and must give out by-and-by1 and they cannot create new armies1 and with long-drawn out lines of battle on ,east and ,west they can't send an army that could invade ,britain4 ,they could harass1 that's all1 and our women are not ,belgians2 they would fight even ,german soldiers4 ,yes6 they would stand up to ,william the ,execrated4 ,moreover1 ,zeppelins can do a lot of hurt1 but they can't take ,london2 and ,ostend and ,antwerp are no nearer ,britain for any kind of air attack than ,berlin is1 and above all our perspective is doubtless better than yours--any one can see that to try and take towns and to fight in streets filled with civilians has not a pennyworth of military value4 ,it is a sheer waste of energy and life which should have been utilised on the armies and strongholds of a country4 ,brussels1 ,bruges1 ,antwerp1 even ,paris1 had they got it1 would be a mere blare of trumpets1 a flash in the pan1 a spectacular show1 and if they took ,edinburgh or ,london or ,aberdeen1 it would be the same1 they would still have to reckon with a nation or nations4 ,it has all been a mistake for their own downfall1 and they will clear out of ,belgium poorer than they entered it4 ,haven't the ,east ,indians done nobly8 ,bravo our ,allies6 ,she had now fallen into calmer mood4 ,miss ,slessor1 she would say severely to herself1 why do you worry8 ,is ,god not fit to take care of ,his own universe and purpose8 ,we are not guilty of any aggression or lust of conquest1 and we can trust ,him to bring us through4 ,he is not to be turned aside from the working out of ,his purpose by any ,war ,lord4 ,she always fell back on the thought1 ,the ,lord reigneth as on a soft pillow and rested there4 ,writing one morning at #f o'clock she described the beauty of the dawn and the earth refreshed and cooled and the hope and the mystery of a new day opening out1 and contrasted it with the darkness and cold and fog experienced by the army and navy4 ,god is always in the world1 she said2 the sunshine will break out and light will triumph4 ,and she did not ignore the deeper issues1 ,may our nation be sent from its pleasures to its knees1 and the ,church be awed and brought back to ,him4 ,on ,christmas ,day a service was held at which she intimated the opening of the subscription list for the ,prince of ,wales' ,fund4 ,she did not like to speak of war among ,christian nations to natives2 but it was current history1 and she made the best explanation she could1 though she was glad to turn their thoughts to the day of ,national ,intercession on the following ,sabbath4 ,dan acted as interpreter in the evening to ,mr4 ,hart1 who gave an address4 ,to a friend she wrote3 ,there will be few merry ,christmasses in ,europe this year4 ,but1 thank ,god1 there will be a more profound sense of all ,christ came to be and do for mankind1 and a closer union and communion between ,him and ,his people1 through the sadness and insufficiency of earthly good4 ,he will ,himself draw near1 and will fill empty chairs in lonely homes and hearts1 and make ,his people--aye--and thousands who have not sought ,him in prosperity--to know that here and now ,he is the ,resurrection and the ,life1 that he that believeth in ,him shall never die4 ,on ,new ,year's ,day ,miss ,peacock and ,miss ,couper went to spend the afternoon with her1 and the former writes3 ,according to old-time customs ,i had made her her favourite plum-pudding and sent it over with a message that we meant to come to tea on ,new ,year's ,day4 ,on our arrival the tea-table was set1 and the plum-pudding with a rose out of the garden stuck on the top was on the table4 ,miss ,slessor was as happy as a girl1 and said she had to exercise self- control to keep from tasting the pudding before we arrived4 ,and we had a merry meal4 ,then1 when we left1 she had to escort us to the end of the road4 ,a new tenderness seemed to have come into her life1 and with regard to those with whom she differed1 she seemed to go out of her way to say the kindest things possible4 ,she spoke to me of something she had written which she had torn up and said1 ,i wonder ,i could have been so hard4 ,it was not difficult to see the last touches of the ,master's hand to the life ,he had been moulding for so many years4 ,,xx4 ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the ,,singing ,,of ,,birds ,at the turn of the year her thoughts were again with her mother who had passed away then1 twenty-nine years before4 ,she was feeling very weak1 but read and wrote as usual4 ,her last letter to ,miss ,adam told1 amongst other things1 of the previous day's service and how ,annie's little girl would run about the church and point to her and call to her--,i can't say ',don't bring her' for there should be room enough for the babies in our ,father's house4 ,her closing words to her old friend were1 ,god be with you till we meet again4 ,even in her feeble state she was always thinking of others4 ,david had taken his wife to ,lagos1 and her vivid imagination conjured up all the dangers of the voyage1 and she was anxious for their safety4 ,in the same letter in which she speaks of them1 written on the #eth1 she pours out sympathy and comfort to a lady friend in ,edinburgh whose two sons had joined the ,forces4 ,my heart bleeds for you1 my dear1 dear friend1 but ,god's love gave the mother heart its love and its yearning over its treasures1 so ,he will know how to honour and care for the mother1 and how to comfort her and keep her treasures for her4 ,just keep hold on ,him1 dear one1 and put your boys into ,his hand1 as you did when they were babies4 ,he is able to keep them safe in the most difficult and dangerous situations4 ,i am constantly praying with you1 and with others of my friends1 who1 just as you1 are giving up their dearest and most precious at the call of ,duty4 ,god can enrich them and you and all the anxious and exposed ones even through the terrible fires4 ,in ,god's governance not one precious thing can ever be lost4 ,on ,friday the #hth she sat on a deck-chair in the little garden outside the door enjoying the sunshine1 for the harmattan wind was cold1 and writing some letters4 ,the last she penned was to ,mrs4 ,arnot1 in which she said she was better though a wee shade weaker than usual4 ,it was never finished1 and was found1 later1 on her pad4 ,the final words were3 ,i can't say definitely whether ,i shall yet come in ,march--if ,i be spared till then 444 ,in the afternoon there was a recurrence of fever4 ,alice tended her unceasingly1 seldom leaving her bedside1 and stretching herself1 when in need of rest1 on a mat beside the bed4 ,she was a great comfort to ,mary4 ,on ,sunday spirit again dominated body2 she struggled up1 went over to the church1 and conducted service4 ,next day she was suffering acutely from diarrhoea and vomiting1 and one of the girls went to ,ikotobong and summoned ,miss ,peacock1 who immediately cycled over4 ,i got a messenger1 says ,miss ,peacock1 and sent him to ,itu stating the symptoms1 and asking ,dr4 ,robertson to come and see her4 ,all the afternoon the vomiting and diarrhoea continued until ,dr4 ,robertson arrived4 ,he had secured some ice at one of the factories1 and gave her some medicine1 and both the diarrhoea and vomiting were stopped4 ,all the afternoon there had been a great restlessness and weariness1 and unless to ask for something she seldom spoke4 ,her mails were brought into the room by one of the girls1 but she took no notice of them4 ,she was moved from her bed on to her chair1 and back again several times1 but did not seem to be able to rest anywhere2 then she would give a great cry of weariness as if she were wearied unto death4 ,as the evening wore on she became quieter1 but had a great thirst1 and begged that a little bit of the ice might be put into her mouth4 ,she had a very quiet night1 without any recurrence of the former symptoms1 and ,i thought she was somewhat better1 until the morning revealed how exhausted she was4 ,the old restlessness began again1 and ,i got a lad from the school to take a message over to ,itu to ,dr4 ,robertson4 ,my report was that ,miss ,slessor had had a quiet night1 but was suffering from extreme exhaustion4 ,the doctor sent over some medicine with instructions1 and she seemed again to be able to lie quietly4 ,once when ,i was attending to her she said1 ',ma1 it's no use1' and again she prayed1 ',o ,abasi1 sana mi yok' 7',o ,god release me'74 ,as ,i fed her with milk or chicken soup1 she would sometimes sign to me1 or just say ',ma4' ,a lonely feeling came into my heart1 and as ,i had to send a message to ,ikotobong1 ,i asked ,miss ,couper to cycle over in the afternoon4 ,she stayed all the afternoon1 and when she left ,miss ,slessor was still quiet1 and her pulse was fairly good4 ,this was the #abth4 ,the girls--,janie1 ,annie1 ,maggie1 ,alice1 and ,whitie--were all with me1 and we made our arrangements for the night-watch4 ,it was not a grand room with costly furnishings2 the walls were of reddish-brown mud1 very roughly built2 the floor was of cement1 with a rug here and there1 and the roof corrugated iron4 ,besides the bed1 washhand-stand1 and a chair or two1 there was a chest of drawers which had belonged to her mother1 and in which was found all that was needed for the last service4 ,her greatness was never in her surroundings1 for she paid little attention to these1 but in the hidden life which we caught glimpses of now and then when she forgot herself and revealed what was in her mind with regard to the things that count4 ,as the hours wore on1 several times she signed to us to turn her1 and we noticed that her breathing was becoming more difficult4 ,it was a very dark night1 and the natives were sound asleep in their houses1 but ,i sent off two of the girls to rouse two men to go to ,itu2 and we waited anxiously the coming of the doctor4 ,a strange uneasiness seemed to come upon us4 ,all the girls were round the bedside1 and now and then one or two would begin to weep4 ,the clock had been forgotten1 and we did not know the time4 ,a cock crew1 and one of the girls said1 ',day must be dawning1' but when ,i drew aside the curtain there was nothing but pitch darkness4 ,it was not nearly daybreak1 and we felt that the death-angel was drawing very near4 ,several times a change passed over the dear face1 and the girls burst out into wild weeping2 they knew only too well the sign of the dread visitor4 ,they wished to rush away1 but ,i told them they must stay1 and together we watched until at #c4cj ,god took her to ,himself4 ,there was no great struggle at the end2 just a gradual diminishing of the forces of nature1 and ,ma ,akamba1 ',the ,great ,mother1' entered into the presence of the ,king4 ,and so the long life of toil was over4 ,the time of the singing of birds1 she used to say1 is where ,christ is4 ,for her1 now1 the winter was past1 the rain was over and gone1 the time of the singing of birds had come4444 ,when the girls realised that she was gone1 they gave way to their grief1 and lamented their position in the world4 ,my mother is dead--my mother is dead--we shall be counted as slaves now that our mother is dead4 ,the sound of the weeping reached the town and roused the inhabitants from their slumbers4 ,men and women came to the house and mingled their tears with those of the household4 ,they sat about on the steps1 went into the bedroom and gazed sorrowfully on the white still face of her whom they regarded as a mother and friend4 ,as the news was passed on1 people came from ,itu and the district round1 to see in death her who had been ,eka kpukpru owo1 ,everybody's ,mother4 ,as soon as ,mr4 ,wilkie received the telegram announcing the end1 he obtained a launch and sent it up with the ,rev4 ,w4 ,m4 ,christie1 ,b4,a41 who1 ,mr4 ,macgregor being at home1 was in charge of the ,institute4 ,while it was on the way an ,english and an ,efik service were being held at ,itu4 ,the launch arrived at #e4cj ,p4,m41 the coffin was placed on board1 and the return voyage begun4 ,it was midnight ere ,duke ,town was reached1 and the body rested at ,government ,beach until dawn4 ,there the mourners gathered4 ,government officials1 merchants1 and missionaries1 were all there4 ,the boys of the ,institute were drawn up on the beach1 policemen were posted in the streets1 and the pupils of ,duke ,town school continued the line to the cemetery4 ,all flags flew at half-mast1 and the town was hushed and still4 ,great crowds watched the procession1 which moved along in silence4 ,the coffin was draped with the ,union ,jack1 and was carried shoulder high by the boat boys1 who wore black singlets and mourning loin-cloths1 but no caps4 ,at the cemetery on ,mission ,hill stood a throng of natives4 ,old ,mammy ,fuller who had loved ,mary so much1 sat alone at the top of the grave4 ,when the procession was approaching she heard some women beginning to wail1 and at once rose4 ,kutua oh1 kutua oh1 she said4 ,do not cry1 do not cry4 ,praise ,god from whom all blessings flow4 ,ma was a great blessing4 ,a short and simple service was conducted by ,mr4 ,wilkie and ,mr4 ,rankin1 and some of the native members led the singing of ,when the day of toil is done1 and ,asleep in ,jesus4 ,the coffin was lowered by eight of the teachers of ,duke ,town ,school1 and lilies and other flowers were thrown upon it4 ,mammy ,fuller uttered a grateful sigh4 ,safe1 she murmured4 ,one or two women wept quietly1 but otherwise there was absolute silence1 and those who know the natives will understand the restraint which they imposed upon themselves4 ,upon the grave were placed crosses of purple bougainvillea and white and pink frangipanni1 and in the earth was planted a slip from the rose bush at ,use1 that it might grow and be symbolic of the fragrance and purity and beauty of her life4 ,ma1 said ,mammy ,fuller to ,mrs4 ,wilkie when all was over1 ,i don't know when ,i enjoyed anything so much2 ,i have been just near heaven all the time4 ,,xxi4 ,,tribute ,,and ,,treasure ,many tributes were paid to the dead pioneer4 ,as soon as ,sir ,frederick ,lugard1 the ,governor-,general of ,nigeria1 heard of the event he telegraphed to ,mr4 ,wilkie3 ,it is with the deepest regret that ,i learn of the death of ,miss ,slessor4 ,her death is a great loss to ,nigeria4 ,and later came the formal black-bordered notice in the ,government ,gazette3-- ,it is with the deepest regret that ,his ,excellency the ,governor-,general has to announce the death at ,itu1 on #ahth ,january1 of ,miss ,mary ,mitchell ,slessor1 ,honorary ,associate of the ,order of the ,hospital of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem in ,england4 ,for thirty-nine years1 with brief and infrequent visits to ,england1 ,miss ,slessor has laboured among the people of the ,eastern ,provinces in the south of ,nigeria4 ,by her enthusiasm1 self-sacrifice1 and greatness of character she has earned the devotion of thousands of the natives among whom she worked1 and the love and esteem of all ,europeans1 irrespective of class or creed1 with whom she came in contact4 ,she has died1 as she herself wished1 on the scene of her labours1 but her memory will live long in the hearts of her friends1 ,native and ,european1 in ,nigeria4 ,testimony regarding her qualities and work was given in ,scotland by the ,mission ,committees of the ,united ,free ,church1 by officials1 missionaries1 and others who knew her1 and by the ,press1 whilst from many parts of the world came notices of her career which indicated how widely known she had been4 ,the appreciation which would perhaps have pleased her most was a poem written by a ,scottish girl1 fifteen years of age1 with whom she had carried on a charming correspondence-- ,christine ,g4 ,m4 ,orr1 daughter of ,sheriff ,orr1 ,edinburgh4 ,she would1 doubtless1 have had it included in any notice of her work1 and here1 therefore1 it is given3 ,,the ,,lament ,,of ,,her ,,african ,,children ,she who loved us1 she who sought us ,through the wild untrodden bushlands1 ,brought us healing1 brought us comfort1 ,brought the sunlight to our darkness1 ,she has gone--the dear white ,mother-- ,gone into the great ,hereafter4 ,never more on rapid waters ,shall she dip her flashing paddle1 ,nor again the dry leaves rustle ',neath her footstep in the forest1 ,never more shall we behold her ,eager1 dauntless on her journeyings4 ,now the children miss their teacher1 ,and the women mourn their helper2 ,and the sick1 the weak1 the outcast ,long that she once more might touch them1 ,long to hear her speaking comfort1 ,long to feel her strong hand soothing4 ,much in loneliness and danger1 ,fevered oft1 beset with trouble1 ,still she strove for us1 her children2 ,taught us of the great good ,spirit1 ,he who dwells beyond the sunrise2 ,showed to us the love ,he bears us1 ,by her own dear loving-kindness2 ,told us not to fear the spirits1 ,evil spirits in the shadows1 ,for our ,father-,god is watching1 ,watching through the cloudless daytime1 ,watching at the silent midnight1 ,so that nothing harms ,his people2 ,taught us how to love each other1 ,how to care for little children ,with a tenderness we knew not1 ,how1 with courtesy and honour1 ,to respect the gentle women1 ,nor despise them for their weakness1 ,but1 as wives and mothers1 love them4 ,thus she taught1 and thus she laboured2 ,living1 spent herself to help us1 ,dying1 found her rest among us4 ,let the dry1 harsh winds blow softer ,and the river's song fall lower1 ,while the forest sways and murmurs ,in the mystery of evening1 ,and the lonely bush lies silent1 ,silent with a mighty sorrow4 ,oh6 our mother--she who loved us1 ,she who lost herself in service1 ,she who lightened all our darkness1 ,she has left us1 and we mourn her ,with a lonely1 aching sorrow4 ,may the great good ,spirit hear us1 ,hear us in our grief and save us1 ,compass us with ,his protection ,till1 through suffering and shadow1 ,we with weary feet have journeyed ,and again our mother greets us ,in the ,land beyond the sunrise4 ,both the ,calabar ,council and the ,women's ,foreign ,mission ,committee in ,scotland felt that the most fitting memorial to her would be the continuation of her work1 and arrangements were accordingly made for the appointment and supervision of teachers and evangelists at ,use1 ,ikpe1 and ,odoro ,ikpe1 and for the care of the children4 ,it was also decided to realise her settlement scheme and call it ,the ,mary ,slessor ,home for ,women and ,girls1 with a memorial missionary in charge1 and later an appeal for a capital sum of #ejjj for the purpose was issued4 ,it would have pleased ,mary to know that the lady chosen for the position of memorial missionary was her old colleague ,mrs4 ,arnot4 ,she had worked hard and waited long for the accomplishment of this idea1 and she may yet1 from above1 see of the travail of her soul and be satisfied4444 ,by and by her more special possessions were collected and sent home4 ,if she had been an ordinary woman one might have expected to see a collection of the things that a lady likes to gather about her2 the dainty trinkets and souvenirs1 the jewellery and knicknacks that have pleasant associations connected with them4 ,when the little box arrived it was filled less with these than with pathos and tears4 ,it held merely a few much-faded articles1 one or two ,bibles1 a hymn-book 7the gift of some twin-mother at home71 an old-fashioned scent-bottle1 a pebble brooch1 hair bracelet1 two old lockets1 and her mother's ring-- all these were evidently relics of the early days--a compass1 and a fountain pen4 ,but there also came a large packet of letters1 those received during her last years1 which revealed where her treasures on earth were stored--in a multitude of hearts whose love she had won4 ,they were from men in ,nigeria--,government officials1 missionaries1 and merchants-- from men and women in many lands1 from the mothers and sisters of the boys to whom she had been kind1 from ,church officials1 from children --all overflowing with affection and admiration and love4 ,she had often called herself a rich woman4 ,one learned from these letters the reason why4 ,,xxii4 ,,seen ,,and ,,unseen ,miss ,slessor had a sure consciousness of her limitations1 and knew she was nothing but a forerunner1 who opened up the way and made it possible for others to come in and take up the work on normal lines4 ,both in the sphere of mission exploration and in the region of ideas she possessed the qualities of the pioneer1--imagination1 daring1 patience1--and like all idealists she met with opposition4 ,it was not1 however1 the broad policy she originated that was criticised1 so much as matters of detail1 and no doubt there was sometimes justification for this4 ,she admitted that she had no gifts as an organiser1 and when she engaged in constructive work it was because there was no one else to do it4 ,what she accomplished1 therefore1 cannot be measured only by the visible results of her own handiwork4 ,the ,hope ,waddell ,institute was the outcome of her suggestions1 and from it has gone out a host of lads to teach in schools throughout the country1 and to influence the lives of thousands of others4 ,she laid the foundations of civilised order in ,okoyong1 upon which regular church and school life has now been successfully built4 ,when she unlocked the ,enyong ,creek1 some were amused at the little kirks and huts she constructed in the bush1 and asked what they were worth--just a few posts plastered with mud1 and a sheet or two of corrugated iron4 ,but they represented a spiritual force and influence far beyond their material value4 ,they were erected with her life-blood1 they embodied her love for her ,master and for the people1 they were outposts1 the first dim lights in the darkness of a dark land1 they stood for ,christ ,himself and ,his ,cross4 ,and to-day there exist throughout the district nearly fifty churches and schools in which the work is being carried on carefully and methodically by trained minds4 ,the membership numbers nearly #aejj1 and there is a large body of candidates and enquirers and over #bjjj scholars4 ,the remarkable progress being made in self-support may be gathered from the following figures taken from the accounts of the five ,creek congregations for #aiad3 ,members ,income ,cash in bank ,itu 4 4 4 4 #aji #aac #i #d #ig #ac #f ,okpo 4 4 4 4 #aja #gf #g #g #fb #af #h ,asang 4 4 4 4 #dbh #ahd #ag #aj #hfe #ac #f ,obufa ,obio 7,chief ,onoyom7 4 4 4 #aah #aah #af #aj #gcf #ai #d ,ntan ,obu 4 4 4 #aaa #hc #aa #i #bjd #a #b ,all these churches and others that she began are spreading the ,gospel not only by direct effort1 but also by means of their members as they trade up and down the country4 ,one cannot estimate the value of her general influence on the natives2 it extended over an area of more than #bjjj square miles1 from all parts of which they came to seek her help and advice1 whilst her fame reached even to ,northern ,nigeria1 where she was spoken of as the good ,white ,ma who lived alone4 ,to ,west ,africans1 a woman is simply a chattel to be used for pleasure and gain1 but she gave them a new conception of womanhood1 and gained their reverence and confidence and obedience4 ,although she came to upset all their ideas and customs1 which represented home and habit and life itself to them1 they loved her and would not let the wind blow on her4 ,she thus made it easy for other women agents to live and work amongst them2 probably there is no similar mission field where these can dwell in such freedom and safety4 ,and through her womanhood she gave them some idea of the power and beauty of the religion which could make that womanhood possible4 ,her influence will not cease1 for in the ,african bush1 where there are no daily newspapers to crowd out events impressions1 and tradition is tenacious1 she will be remembered in hut and harem and by forest camp fire1 and each generation will hand down to the next the story of the ,great ,white ,mother who lived and toiled for their good4 ,upon the ,mission staff her example acted like a tonic4 ,her tireless energy1 her courage1 her enthusiasm1 were infectious and stimulating1 to the highest degree1 and stirred many to action4 ,such an inspiring force is a valuable asset in a tropical land1 where everything tends to languor and inertia4 ,and in ,scotland her influence was also very great4 ,round her name and work gathered a romance which deepened and widened interest in the missionary enterprise of the ,church4 ,her career demonstrates how important is the personal touch and tie in sustaining and increasing the attraction of the work abroad4 ,by the spell of her personality she was able to draw support not only from large numbers of people within her own ,church1 but from many outside who had little thought or for missions4 ,it was because she not a mere name on a list1 but a warm1 living1 inspiring1 human presence4 ,for while she was great as a pioneer and worker1 she was equally great as a woman4 ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,alabaster ,box ,but the interest in ,nigeria on the part of the home people as a whole was never enough for ,miss ,slessor4 ,it was largely an interest in herself and her work1 and she wanted rather the larger vision which would realise the possibilities of that great field1 and endeavour to conquer it for the ,master4 ,the general indifference on the subject was a deep disappointment to her4 ,but it had always been so4 ,the story of ,calabar is one of the most thrilling in the history of missions1 yet through it also there runs an undercurrent of tragedy-- the tragedy of unseized opportunities and unfulfilled hopes4 ,as one reads1 he can fancy that he is standing by a forest at night listening to the sound that the wind brings of a strange conflict between a few brave spirits1 and legions of wild and evil forces1 with incessant cries for help4 ,from the first days of the ,mission1 urgent appeals for more workers have constantly been made2 there is scarcely a year that the men and women on the spot have not pressed its urgent needs upon the home ,church1 but never once has there been an adequate response4 ,to-day1 as always1 the staff is pitifully small4 ,to minister to the needs of the many millions within the area assigned to the ,church1 there are only eighteen ,european missionaries1 three medical missionaries1 and thirteen women agents1 apart from the wives of the married missionaries4 ,in ,duke ,town and ,okoyong1 on the ,cross ,river and the ,enyong ,creek1 and far up at ,uburu1 the city of the salt lakes1 all the stations are undermanned1 and the medical men are overwhelmed by the thousands of patients who flock to them to be healed4 ,what ,mary ,slessor did1 other women are doing in the same spirit of selflessness and courage1 but with the same sense of powerlessness to overtake what is required4 ,the number of these women agents does not appreciably increase1 for1 while fresh appointments are continuously being made1 there are usually more changes amongst them than amongst the men missionaries1 on account of resignations from ill-health or marriage4 ,yet in ,nigeria women have unlimited opportunities for the employment of their special gifts4 ,the remarkable feature of the situation is that the ,mission is face to face with an open door4 ,it is not a question of sitting down in the midst of a religiously difficult and even hostile community as in ,india or ,china1 and waiting patiently for admission to the hearts of the people1 but of entering in and taking possession4 ,the natives everywhere are clamouring for teachers and missionaries1 education1 enlightenment1 and they are clamouring in vain4 ,the peril is that under the new conditions governing the country1 they will be lost to the ,christian ,church4 ,with freer intercommunication1 ,islam is spreading south4 ,all ,mohammedans are missionaries1 and their religion has peculiar attractions for the natives4 ,already they are trading in the principal towns1 and in ,arochuku a ,mullah is sitting1 smiling and expectant1 and ingratiating himself with the people4 ,here the position should be strengthened2 it is1 as ,miss ,slessor knew1 the master-key to the ,ibo territory1 for if the ,aros are ,christianised1 they will carry the evangel with them over a wide tract of country4 ,miss ,slessor's life shadowed by the consciousness of how little had been done1 as well as by the immensity of what was still to do4 ,making every allowance for the initial difficulties that had to be overcome1 and the long process of preparing the soil1 the net result of seventy years' effort seemed to her inadequate4 ,there is only a ,christian community of #aj1hjj1 and a communion-roll of #cdab1 and the districts contiguous to the coast have alone been occupied1 whilst no real impression has been made on the interior4 ,over the vast1 sun-smitten land she wept1 as her ,master wept over the great city of old1 and she did what she could--no woman could have done more--to redeem its people1 and sought1 year in1 year out1 to make the ,church rise to the height of its wonderful opportunity--in vain4 ,she knew1 however1 that the presentation of startling facts and figures alone would never rouse it to action2 these might touch the conscience for a moment1 but the only thing that would awaken interest and keep it active and militant would be a revival of love for ,christ in the hearts of the people2 and it was for this she prayed and agonised most of all4 ,for with it would come a more sympathetic imagination1 a warmer faith1 greater courage to go forward and do the seemingly impossible and foolish thing4 ,it would1 she knew1 change the aims and ideals of her sisters1 so many of them moving in a narrow world of self1 and thrill them with a desire to take part in the saving and uplifting of the world4 ,there would be no need then to make appeals1 for volunteers would come forward in abundance for the hardest posts1 and consecrated workers would fill up the ranks in ,nigeria and in all the ,mission ,fields of the ,church4 ,she knew1 because it was so in her case4 ,love for ,christ made her a missionary4 ,like that other ,mary who was with ,him on earth1 her love constrained her to offer ,him her best1 and very gladly she took the alabaster box of her life and broke it and gave the precious ointment of her service to ,him and ,his cause4 ,many influences move men and women to beautiful and gallant deeds1 but what ,mary ,slessor was1 and what she did1 affords one more proof that the greatest of these is ,love4 ,,the ,,end