Mary knew of Someone who could help her.  She prayed to God again and again to keep these people from doing the bad things they planned.  Days went by.  Mary prayed that Chief Edem might get well.  God heard Mary’s prayers.  He did what she asked.  He made Chief Edem well again.

When Chief Edem was well again he decided not to kill the prisoners, the people he thought might have done witchcraft against him.  He let them go free.  Then the chief and his wives and the chief men came back to the village.

The tribe had a big party to celebrate.  They were happy the chief was well.  It was the wildest party Mary had ever seen.  The people stuffed themselves with food until they became sick.  They got drunk.  They had wild dances.  They did many wicked things.

Mary had often prayed that God would turn the heathen people from their wicked ways, but here they were carrying on worse than ever.  The only answer to her prayers that she could see was that the prisoners who were going to be killed had been set free.

“Am I doing anything for my Saviour?” Mary asked herself.  “Am I having any success in winning people for Jesus?”

#7#

Witchcraft

One day Chief Njiri and his warriors came to visit Chief Edem.  They stayed several days.  They had wild parties every day.  They drank native beer until they became drunk.  Then they would quarrel and fight.  They asked Mary to settle their quarrels and decide who was right.  Mary was praying every day that there would not be bad fights and that no one would be killed.

Finally it was the last night of the visit.  The men were so drunk that Mary knew there would be trouble.  When the chief and his men were ready to leave, everyone was excited.  The people were shouting and pushing.  Some shots were fired and the men began stabbing with their swords.  They were too drunk to know what they were doing.  Mary ran into the crowd.  She went up to Chief Njiri.

“Chief,” said Mary, “your visit is over.  Go now before trouble starts.”  She took hold of the chief’s arm and led him out of the village and his men followed him.  They started for their own village.

“I’m glad that’s over,” said Mary, but she had spoken too soon.

On their way home, as they were staggering along, Bakulu, one of Njiri’s men, cried out, “Look!” and pointed with his finger.  The chief and his men stopped.

“It is witchcraft,” said Bakulu.  “See the little banana plant with palm leaves, nuts and a coconut shell close by!”

“Don’t go past it,” said one of the other men.  “It is bad medicine.  You will get sick and die.”

“It is the people in the last village we passed through.  They did it.  Let us punish them,” said Chief Njiri.

“Yes, let’s punish them,” shouted the men.  Mary had been following the men to make sure they would go home.

She heard the shouting.  Now the men started running past her.  She tried to stop them, but they slipped away.  Mary took a short cut through the jungle.  She reached the road to the village before the men did.