The Man Who Did the Right Thing: A Romance
"dhow" which would convey them and the porters of their expedition to
Lingani on the mainland, whence they would start on a two weeks' journey
up-country. They were taking with them Snider rifles and ammunition to
defend their caravan against wild beasts on the road and also to shoot
game for the caravan's meat supply. At Mr. Callaway's advice they had
been practising with these rifles at the shooting butts of the Sultan's
army for the past week.... Thomas had been told off for Taita....
Then ensued a long silence and Lucy, now thoroughly interested, was
getting anxious. But in January came a letter of many pages headed
"Hangodi, Ulunga, November, 1886." John wrote that he and his
companions had encountered many difficulties. On the fortnight's march
inland from Lingani their porters had several times run away in alarm,
hearing that a bloodthirsty tribe called "Wahumba" were on the march, or
that there was famine ahead. The German traders on the coast had not
been friendly, and the attitude of the Arab chiefs in the coast-belt was
surly. However, one of these Arabs, Ali bin Ferhani, was a kindlier man
than the others and had told off some of his slaves (John feared they
were, but what could you do?) to carry their loads to the Ulunga
country. They also had with them a Christian convert, a native of
Ulunga and a released slave (Josiah Briggs) who could speak English to
some extent and was very useful as an interpreter and head man....
Well, they had reached Hangodi at last and liked its surroundings. There
were mountains--quite high ones--all round. Hangodi, itself, was over
three thousand feet above sea level and quite cool at nights. Indeed
John now regretted he had spurned the idea of mantel-borders, for they
had fireplaces in the dwelling-houses, both those already built and
those they were planning. A fire at night, in fact, was often welcome
and cheerful. The Chief approved of the settlement, wanted them to teach
his people, and keep off the "Wa-dachi," as he called the Germans, whom
he did not seem to like. But the Chief's people, the Wa-lunga, were
suspicious and quarrelsome, and as he could not speak their language and
had to explain the Gospel through an interpreter, they paid him little
attention. The elders of the tribe liked to come and talk with him in
his verandah, that is to say, _they_ did the talking--punctuated by a
good deal of snuff-taking and spitting; and he gleaned what he could of
its sense from the summaries given to him by Josiah Briggs. It seemed
to consist of many questions as to how the white men became so rich and
why he could not teach this method to their young people. If he tried
to expound Sacred things to them they asked in return for a cough
medicine or to be shown how to make gunpowder and caps, and how to cure
a sick cow. Yet he felt sure their minds would be pierced ere long by a
gleam of Gospel light....
There were also some Muhammadan traders from the Coast settled for a
time with the Chief, who, he strongly suspected, was selling them
slaves, war-captives. Though the Chief seemed willing to listen to their
story of the Redeemer, he nevertheless sent out his "young men," his
warriors, on raiding expeditions against the tribes to the south, and
they sometimes returned from such forays with cattle, with men cruelly
tied with bush-rope and their necks fastened to heavy forked sticks, and
with weeping young women whom they took as wives.... The Wangwana, as
these black "Arabs" were called, were very hostile to his mission--more
so sometimes than the real Arabs. Occasionally he had met a
white-skinned Arab who reminded him most strongly of the Bible
patriarchs, and who seemed very desirous of being on friendly terms with
the white man. But these black Arabs who spoke Swahili, the language of
Unguja, though they affected outward politeness, were working hard
against the good influence of the East African Mission and trying to
persuade the Chief to reconsider his first grant of land and expel the
white people who were spies in the service of the great Balozi and the
English men-of-war, watching to intercept slave dhows....
The children of the Wa-lunga were frightened of him and his two
companions and could not be induced, even by gifts of beads, to sit on
their knees. But their mothers, on the other hand, worried the white
men incessantly for beads and calico, soap and salt, which last they ate
as though it was a sweetmeat. Yet they ran away when he sent for the
interpreter and tried to tell them about God. One woman had shouted
back at him that it was very wicked to talk about God; it would only
draw down the lightning ... much better leave God alone and then He left
you alone--this at least was how Josiah had translated her speech.
He could not see any idols about the place. He fancied the people
worshipped the spirits of the departed, which they believed to dwell in
large hollow trees. They were also terribly afraid of witch-craft....
Hangodi was, however, rather a pretty district, and Lucy would be
pleased with the site the Mission had chosen. Bayley, who had some
knowledge of surveying, made out its altitude above sea-level to be
3,500 feet, more or less. There was a clear stream of water running
through a gorge below the Mission enclosure--for they had constructed a
rough hedge. A few wild date palms might be seen in the stream valley
and there were plenty of pretty ferns and wild flowers.
As to lions; they could be heard roaring every night in the open
country, but hitherto he had not actually seen one. Then with a few
devout phrases and others expressive of his longing for her to join him
the letter came to a conclusion.
During all this time Lucy saw little of the Baines family. But a few
days after she had read this letter from Hangodi, Mr. Baines called on
Lucy at the school--it was at the beginning of February--and put into
her hands a copy of _Light to Them that Sit in Darkness_. "There's a
letter in here of John's which they've printed," said Mr. Baines with
considerable exultation, "and mother thought you might like to read it.
Mind you return the magazine to her when you've done so. Good-bye.
S'pose you are starting in a couple of months?"
Lucy found a column scored at the side with pencil, where the following
matter appeared:
BLESSED NEWS FROM EAST AFRICA
We have received the following intelligence from Brother John Baines,
who has recently joined the East African Mission:
HANGODI, NGURU,
_November_ 20, 1886.
MY DEAR MR. THOMPSON,--
We arrived here about a month ago after a pleasant stay with the
brethren at Unguja. We reached Hangodi in about two weeks of travel
from the port of Lingani, accompanied by Broth's Anderson and Bayley,
and were greeted most warmly on arrival by Brothers Boley and
Batworth--the "busy B.'s," as they are called--who feared from the
rumours afloat that we should be stopped by native disturbances on the
road. We brought with us from Unguja Josiah Briggs, a convert who was
originally a freed slave from this very district of Hangodi. He has
lived for five years at our depot in Unguja or at the Presbyterian
Mission station at Dombasi. He will be able to assist me materially as
interpreter among the Wa-lunga as Kagulu is his native tongue.
The journey from Lingani to Hangodi was rather a fatiguing one as the
donkeys we took with us to ride either fell sick poisoned by some herb,
or strayed and were eaten by lions. So we ended by having to walk. Our
Unguja porters ran away before we had got far inland, scared by rumours
of Wahumba raids or stories of the famine raging in the interior; but a
kindly Arab, who is supposed to have known Dr. Livingstone, came to our
assistance and sent a large number of his people to convey us and our
loads to Ulunga, as this district is called (the root--_lunga_--means
the "good" or the "beautiful" country, as indeed it will be, when it has
received the Blessed Gospel).
Mr. Goulburn, who is pioneering and is "spying out the land" to the
north, travelled with us as far as Gonja and then quitted us, after we
had prayed together in my tent. We turned south and continued our
journey to the Ulunga mountains with the Arab's porters and guided by
Josiah Briggs.
The country became very hilly, and as it was the beginning of the rainy
season we had occasional violent thunder-storms and the streams were
difficult to cross. Fortunately, however, the early arrival of the
rains kept us from attacks on the part of the terrible roving tribes of
Masai or "Wahumba," who only seem to exist to raid and ravage their
agricultural neighbours, but who don't like doing so in wet weather.
Moreover, they appreciate the springing up of the new green grass after
the drought and prefer taking their cattle--whom they worship--out to
graze. This new grass attracts to the district incredible herds of
antelopes and zebras and gives the lions and leopards such abundance of
food and occupation that they never deemed it worth their while to
attack our caravan, though during the dry season--the Arabs told us--you
could hardly get through the plains without losing a proportion of your
carriers from lions, leopards or hyenas. This early breaking of the
rainy season therefore seemed to us an act of special intervention on
the part of Divine Providence to ensure our safe arrival at our
destination. When we reached Hangodi we were hospitably received by the
Chief Mbogo, to whom Brother Batworth introduced us. Mbogo rules over
the district of Ulunga. He rejoiced greatly that we had come to teach
the Gospel and asked me many questions about the Christian faith. An
earnest spirit of inquiry prevails amongst all his people, who are
flocking to see us and who listen with rapt attention to my simple
exhortations delivered through the medium of Josiah. The Arab traders
at this place are very annoyed that an English missionary should settle
here and expose their wicked traffic in slaves, but I hope to be able to
frustrate their intrigues and induce the Chief to expel them. For that
reason I am working hard at the language with Josiah and with the
vocabularies I have obtained from Mr. Goulburn and Mr. Boley.
Many of the women in this place are eager to hear the blessed tidings
and bring their little ones with them while they listen spell-bound to
our teaching. I trust soon to have beside me one whose sweet duty it
will be to lead these poor sinful creatures into the way of Truth and
Life....
The building of the houses, school and chapel was commenced, as you
know, two years ago by Brothers Boley and Batworth, whom we relieved,
and who are going to Taita to perform similar work for Mr. Goulburn. In
completing the station we shall be our own architects, but Mr. Callaway
has sent us up two Swahili masons and a Goanese carpenter from Unguja.
Anderson is already doing a brisk business at our improvised store.
And now, dear Mr. Thompson, I remain in all Christian love,
Yours sincerely,
JOHN BAINES.
*CHAPTER V*
*ROGER'S DISMISSAL*
"So it is really settled, Roger, that you are to go out to that African
place with the violent name--something about 'gouging' I know," said
Lady Silchester, one evening in the winter-spring of 1887.
She believed she was _enceinte_ and treated herself--and was being
treated--with the utmost consideration. Lord Silchester was transfused
with delight at the possibility of having a direct heir and promised
himself the delicious revenge of taunting those officious friends and
advisers who had taxed him with folly in marrying a woman thirty years
younger than himself. So she was lying on a couch in the magnificent