“But you must send it,” said Chief Edem.  “If you do not send it, he will make war on us.”

“Very well,” said Mary, “I will send it.  But I know there will be much trouble.”

So he took the banana plant to Chief Njiri.  When he received it, he and his warriors went to the village which he thought was working witchcraft against him.  He made all the people of the village come to him.  In great fear they came.

“Every one of you must swear that you did not make that bad medicine against me.  I am going to find out who is working that witchcraft to hurt me.”

All the people of the village swore they had not done it.

“I am going to take one of your finest young men with me.  If I find that you have told me a lie, I will kill him.”

Njiri’s warriors captured a young man and took him along.  If the villagers had tried to rescue him, he would have been killed, and many of them would have been killed also.  They sent a man to Mary.

“Ma,” said the man, “please help us.  Please get Njiri to free Kolu.”

“I don’t like to have anything to do with Njiri.  He is very wicked.  But I will go and try to get Kolu free.”

Mary went to the village of Chief Njiri.  She walked right up to the chief.  The warriors of Chief Njiri looked at her with angry faces.  They shook their spears at her.

“Chief Njiri,” said Mary, “why have you taken this young man?  He has done you no harm.  You are doing a bad thing.”

“Ha, ha,” laughed Chief Njiri.  “Do you think I am so foolish, Ma?  I know these people put bad medicine in my path.  I saw the sticks and shells which the witch doctor took from my leg.  If sickness comes, I will kill this man.”

“The village people have sworn to you that they did not put those things in your path,” said Mary.

“Perhaps they are lying.”

“They are not lying, but you have lied.  You promised to go home and not harm these people.  You lied to me.  You have made trouble.  You went to their village and made them swear.  You stole this young man.  It is wrong to lie.  God will surely punish those who speak with a lying tongue.  Please set this young man free so that he may return to his village and his people.”

“Ma,” answered Chief Njiri, “you do not understand these things.  You do not know the badness in the hearts of these people.  You do not know the bad things they want to do against me.  You do not know about witchcraft.”

“Oh, yes, I do,” said Mary.  “I know that God will punish those who do witchcraft.  He will punish those who are foolish enough to believe in it.  The people who trust in Jesus do not fear witchcraft.  Why do you not trust in Jesus?”

“I don’t need Jesus.  I am a strong chief.  I have many warriors.  No one can harm me.”

“If no one can hurt you, why don’t you set this young man free?”

“I will not set him free.  If I keep him, his people will be afraid even to try hurting me.”