Part 13 (1/2)

They went out and began the work, but the trunk was thick, and after a time they stopped.

”See, we cannot cut it.”

The heathen crowd, standing in a ring watching them, were overjoyed.

”Ah, ha!” they cried, ”our juju is stronger than Ma's G.o.d.”

Next morning Onoyom took out a party of men who wanted to be disciples of the new faith, and before beginning to hack at the tree they knelt down and prayed that the White Mother's G.o.d would prove more powerful than the juju. Then, rising, they attacked it with l.u.s.ty strokes, and soon it tottered and fell with a mighty crash. It was the turn of Onoyom to rejoice.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE JUJU TREE.]

When the Creek churches were ready, missionaries travelled up from Calabar to open them, and were astonished to see the happy, well-clothed people, and the big sums of money they brought. At one place there was a huge pile of bra.s.s rods, the value of which was 20. You must remember that these were still heathen people, but they were longing to love and serve the true G.o.d. So eager, indeed, were they that they worried Ma until she was almost distracted. Messages came every day like this: ”We want to know G.o.d: send us even a boy.” ”We want a White Ma like you to teach us book and was.h.i.+ng and sewing.” ”We have money to pay a teacher, send one.” Sometimes she laughed, and sometimes she cried.

”What can I do? I am only one poor old woman!”

Then she prayed that more missionaries might hear these calls, and come out from Scotland to help. Sometimes another kind of cry came down the Creek. A messenger from Arochuku arrived.

”Ma, the bad chiefs are going to thrust the teachers out of the land.”

Ma was startled.

”And what did the teachers say?” she asked.

”That the chiefs could put them out of the land, but they could not put them away from G.o.d.”

”Good, and what do the people say?”

”That they will die for Jesus.”

”Why, that is good news!” Ma exclaimed with delight. ”Go and tell them to be patient and strong, and all will be well.”

As there were no missionaries to come up and help her, she went on alone, this time into the great dark forest-land that stretched far to the west of Itu. It was the home of the Ibibios, that naked down-trodden race who had been so long the victims of slave-hunters, ”untamed, unwashed, unlovely savages,” Ma called them; but it was just because they were so wretched that she pitied them and longed to uplift them.

Like Jesus, she wanted to go amongst the worst people rather than amongst the best.

The Government were now making a road through the forest, and as she looked at it stretching away so straight and level and broad, she began to dream again. ”I will go with the road,” she said, ”and build a row of schools and churches right across the land.” She had troops of friends amongst the white officers, who all admired and liked her, and they, also, urged her to come, and one said she should get a bicycle.

”Me on a bicycle!” she said. ”An old woman like me!”

She had watched their bicycles going up and down the road, and was afraid of them. She said she would not go near them in case they should explode; but one of the officers brought her out a beautiful machine from England, and that cured her. She soon learned to ride, and it became a great help in her work.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

One day she took Etim, another of her bright scholars, who was only twelve, and set out for a village called Ikotobong, six miles beyond Itu, in a beautiful spot amongst the hills, and started a school and congregation. Etim was the schoolmaster! And right bravely the little fellow wrought; very soon he had a hundred children deep in the first book.

The head-teacher at Ikotobong, one of those who learned to love Jesus through her, thus tells the story of her coming:

When she walked through the town she saw many idols which we all wors.h.i.+pped, and she pitied us very much. Seeing that the people were sitting in darkness she asked for a dwelling-place. The town's chiefs gave her a very nice little hill in the middle of the town. And from the first day all the people were astonished very much at her wisdom, gentleness, and love, because they had never seen a white person like her before. And amazement fell upon every one in the town concerning all that she told them about G.o.d, and pleasure filled their hearts because she lived amongst them. Before she came the people hated one another, and did not sit in love and peace, but when she came to us her good influence and love becalmed us. Though she was an old woman she had to work like a very powerful big man. The Ibibio people wondered and wondered about her in gladness, she was so full of love to every one, and working hard every day for their good. So by all her kind and compa.s.sionate work she came to be called _Adiaha Makara_, meaning the eldest daughter of all Europeans, and _Ma Akamba_, meaning great madam.

At last G.o.d answered Ma's prayers. Three things happened.

First, the Church in Scotland, which was now called the United Free Church, resolved to follow her into the wilderness and made Itu into a regular station with a doctor in charge. A hospital, called the Mary Slessor Mission Hospital, was added, and a launch was sent out for the Creek work. ”It is just like a fairy-tale,” said Ma. ”I am so glad for the people.”