The men did not like to hear that.  They did not like to hear that their ways were wrong.

“If punishment is hard,” said the old men, “wife and slave will be afraid to disobey.”

“King Okon,” said Mary, “show that you are a good king by being kind and merciful.  Don’t be too hard on these young girls.”

“All right, Ma,” said the king, “I will make it only ten blows with the whip.  Also we will not rub salt into the wounds to make them sting.”

When the whipping was over, Mary took the girls into her room.  There she put healing medicine on their backs while she told them about Jesus who could heal their souls.

At last it was time for Mary to go back to Old Town.  The king and the people were sorry to see her go.  On her homeward way a tropical storm struck the canoe and the people in it.  Mary was soaked.  The next morning she was shaking with sickness and fever.  The rowers feared their white Ma would die.  They rowed as fast as they could for Old Town.  Mary was so sick that she had to take a long rest.

A few months later a big storm tore off the roof of her house and again she was soaked as she worked to save the children.  Again she became very sick.

“You must go home to Scotland,” said Daddy Anderson.  “You must go home and rest and get well.”

“Since you tell me to do that and the Board has ordered it, too, I can only obey,” said Mary.  “I am going to take my little black Janie with me.  It is too dangerous to leave her here where some of the heathen might steal her and kill her because she is a twin.”

With a heart that was sad at leaving Calabar, but glad to have a chance to see her dear ones in Scotland again, Mary sailed for Dundee in April, 1883.

#5#

Into the Jungle

“Oh, Mary, it is good to see you again,” said Mother Slessor when Mary arrived once more in Scotland.  “And this is little Janie about whom you have written us so often!  We are happy to have you with us, Janie.”

“I am glad to be home, Mother,” said Mary, “but I am anxious to go back to Africa as soon as I can.  There are so many souls there to be won for Jesus.”

Mary soon got over her sickness and was well and strong again.  Now she went to the churches in Scotland to tell about the missionary work in Calabar.  She made many friends.  Some of the young people who heard her wanted to become missionaries.  Miss Hoag, Miss Wright and Miss Peabody decided to become missionaries and later worked in Calabar, too.

Mary was so successful in interesting the people in mission work that the Board of Missions asked her to stay longer and visit more churches.  Mary did what the Board asked, although she was anxious to get back to Africa.  At last this work was finished.  Now she could go back.

Mary was getting ready to go back to Africa when her sister Janie became sick.

“You will have to take her to a warmer climate,” said the doctor.  “That is the only way she will get well.”