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A. MACKAY RUTHQUIST 
 
Thirteenth Thousand. Crown ^vo, cloth, ys. 6d. With 
 Etched Portrait. 
 
 A. M. MACKAY, 
 
 Pioneer Missionary of the Clmrcli Missionary 
 
 Society to Uganda. 
 
 "It is a pleasant thing, after all the horrors we have 
 lately been hearing in connection wiih Africa, to_ come 
 across such a very bright episode in its history as is con- 
 tained in the life of Alexander Mackay. Such a career of 
 absolute self-devotion and heroic perseverance in the 
 selected task may well be set against some of the worst 
 instances of what Englishmen allow themselves to do in 
 uncivilised countries." — Spectator. 
 
 Eighth Thousand. Zz'o, cloth, gilt edges. With Portrait 
 and Illustrations, 55. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE LIFE 
 
 OF MACKAY OF UGANDA. 
 TOLD FOR BOYS. 
 
 "A veritable romance of noble self-sacrifice."— 7'zw^i'. 
 
 " Should be one of the most popular boys' books of the 
 season." — Record. 
 
 "Full of interest from beginning to end." — Daily 
 Chronicle. 
 
 LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON. 
 
• • •• 
 
From pholo. by H . Gordon, Aberdeen . 
 
 :-wa.ri tlpclrv: Lnfra.vintf 
 
 
A. MACKAY RUTHOUIST 
 
 OR 
 
 SINGING THE GOSPEL AMONG HINDUS AND g6nDS 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 A. M. MACKAY. PIONEER MISSIONARY OF THE C.M.S. 
 TO UGANDA" 
 
 'Take my voice, and let me sing 
 Always, only for my King." 
 
 Fkances Ridley Havergal 
 
 Jfonbon 
 
 HODDER AND STOUGHTON 
 
 27, PATERNOSTER ROW 
 
 MDCCCXCIII 
 

 Butler & Tanner, 
 
 The Selvvood Printing Works, 
 
 Fromk, and London. 
 
 HEMRY MORSE STEFHBfIS 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A LEXINA MACKAY RUTHQUIST proved 
 herself a true missionary. Her work was 
 thorough, and its fruits are manifest. 
 
 Combined with an invincible devotion to the work 
 she undertook, she possessed a fearless yet winning 
 manner, and a marked strength of character which 
 gave her staying power and made her a stay to 
 others. 
 
 Women, and not women only, but very frequently 
 fathers of families, yourg soldiers and little children, 
 gave her glad welcome, because she carried sunshine 
 and song with her wherever she went. She was 
 a living epistle, full of good tidings, clearly and 
 brightly written, and many of all classes read her 
 to their own profit and the glory of God. 
 
 Her last call came to her when executing a 
 self-denying work which she undertook from pure 
 
 512875 
 
VI TREFACE. 
 
 Christian compassion, and thus her missionary 
 career ended as it began — in the spirit of perfect 
 consecration to the will and service of our Blessed 
 Lord, and now she has her reward. 
 
 Her letters reveal her mind and heart, and vividly 
 set forth her work. Some people may think them 
 too revealing, and would prefer that they were 
 pruned and trimmed ; but, in a Biography, readers 
 have a right to know, and increasingly demand to 
 know, the real mind and heart of its subject. So the 
 letters have been left as they were. For this they 
 are much the better, as they portray her in all the 
 sincerity, and beauty, and ardour of her character. 
 
 May this record of a bright, sunny, self-sacrificing 
 
 life help to turn the eyes of many to a heathen 
 
 land whence twelve hundred souls pass every hour 
 
 into eternity ! 
 
 J. W. H. 
 
 September^ 1893. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ON THE BEACH i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A BEAM OF SUNSHINE 6 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 A YIELDED LIFE ii 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WAITING i6 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG ... 27 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "THE CITY OF SERPENTS" 38 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CAMPING OUT 66 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS .... 78 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT .... 120 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ALONE ..... , ... 131 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OPEN DOORS . , . : . . . , is8 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH 219 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "THE TRUTHFUL GONDS" 265 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SORROW AND SERVICE ... , . 283 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IN THE RED SEA ... 326 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 ON THE BEACH. 
 
 " And nearer voices^ wild or tame^ 
 Of airy flock and childish throng^ 
 Up from the water's edge there came 
 Faint snatches of familiar song." 
 
 ON the rocky Banffshire coast of the Moray Firth, 
 midway between the busy fishing towns of 
 Portsoy and Cullen, is a long stretch of beautiful 
 silvery sand, terminating in a cove or creek, around 
 which nestle some forty homesteads, forming a ham- 
 let known as " Sandend." 
 
 These cottages were evidently not built with any 
 desire to command the prospect of the changeful 
 ocean, for not infrequently the gable-end in which 
 there was not the slightest pretext of a window, was 
 directed to the bay. No ! these busy fisher-folk pre- 
 ferred to "gang furth" to see the view; and on an 
 autumn evening, some thirty years ago, when the 
 day's work of repairing and drying the nets was over, 
 
 M.R. ? I 
 
ft, f> e-.f » c> « 
 
 2 ON THE BEACH. 
 
 seated on a bench at a point of vantage, would be 
 found the elderly inhabitants of the place. 
 
 " The tough old boatmen, half amphibious grown," 
 
 with horny hands, and faces tanned and seamed from 
 exposure in all weathers, smoked their pipes and 
 gazed right sea-wards, interrupted only by an occa- 
 sional glance overhead, while the women, whose 
 knitting needles seemed to go by magic, more wist- 
 fully even than iheir companions scanned the briny 
 deep. 
 
 No homeward bound mail steamer or troop-ship 
 was in sight, but a fleet of open herring boats, drifting 
 with the tide, manned, several of them, by their kith 
 and kin — able-bodied men of the hamlet. Some of 
 these grand-sires had sunk far into the infirmities of 
 age, but as the sun set, their dim eyes saw in imagina- 
 tion the drift net " shot " into the sea, and murmuring 
 the prayer, — 
 
 " O God of might, O God of right ! 
 
 Go with Thy children where they go ; 
 Be Thou their guide, their beacon light, 
 And keep them safe from every foe," 
 
 they retired indoors to rest, and to dream of toiling 
 at the long labyrinth of ropes, meshes, bladders and 
 cork-floats, in the darkness of the night, and of the 
 " glow of living light " in the boats caused by the 
 phosphoric properties of the newly-hauled herring. 
 
FISHER FOLK. 3 
 
 On an August evening, in the year 1859, a little 
 group of people had spent a quiet hour on a bench at 
 the end of the " big hoose," when a pleasant-looking 
 old woman, dressed in a dark serge gown (about 
 which was a strong "savour of the sea") and a white 
 kerchief neatly arranged across her bosom, suddenly 
 exclaimed, "Sandy ! isna it gettin' late, an' time thae 
 bairns had gaen their ways hame ? " 
 
 The individual addressed, gave a look at the sky, 
 continued chewing his tobacco, but vouchsafed no re- 
 mark. The woman eyed him nervously, for well she 
 knew that 
 
 *• In moons and tides and weather wise, 
 He read the clouds as prophecies, 
 And foul or fair could well divine, 
 By many an occult hint and sign." 
 
 After some minutes he quietly replied, " Dinna 
 fash yersel', gudewife ; they're a' richt ; saut water 
 winna hurt them ; " butevidently discerning that this 
 remark failed to re-assure her, he continued, "Lat the 
 little anes alane. What for wud ye spile their play ? 
 Bless their little herts ! they'll niver be sae happy 
 again, niver in this warld." 
 
 " That's nae to the pint, Sandy," the woman re- 
 joined. " Their folk will be fay aboot them, sae they 
 maun gae hame this vera meenit ; " and suiting the 
 action to the word, she jerked her knitting wires into 
 
4 ON THE BEACH. 
 
 a straw sheath which the string of her apron fastened 
 to her waist, and with an air of decision, she marched 
 
 off in the direction of the sands. 
 
 ***** 
 
 I think I see them still — a happy little party of 
 
 sun-brown children. They had dropped their shoes 
 
 and stockings, and like the clanging sea-gulls in the 
 
 distance, were gambolling in the water, the chief 
 
 fun being to meet the white-maned waves, which 
 
 rolled in swift advance towards the beach, and then 
 
 to turn and rush back, so as to escape a soaking from 
 
 the spray. Tired of that, a bonnie, winsome little 
 
 maid of some ten summers, a very *' bundle of fun," 
 
 mounted the sandwich basket on her shoulders in 
 
 imitation of a Newhaven fishwife, and to the great 
 
 amusement of her companions, sang out, in a clear, 
 
 rich voice : — 
 
 " Wha'll buy caller herrin'? 
 They're bonnie fish and halesome farin', 
 Wha'U buy caller herrin,' 
 
 New drawn frae the Forth ? " 
 
 Had Thomas Edwards passed by, on one of his 
 
 evening excursions along the coast, in quest of moths 
 
 and butterflies, or to visit his sea-traps in some deep 
 
 rock-pool, most probably he would have been too 
 
 much occupied, crooning an old Scotch air, to have 
 
 even noticed the children, nor is it likely that any 
 
 stray pedestrian on the sands gave them more than a 
 
EMBRYO MISSIONARIES. 5 
 
 passing glance ; but a pretty picture they made that 
 evening, and one whose value and interest has been 
 enhanced by time. For no fewer than three of that 
 little group faithfully redeemed the opportunity of 
 life's brief day, and became pioneers of progress, and 
 light-bearers to the dark places of the earth. 
 
 That fair, curly-headed boy, in the kilt of varie- 
 gated tartan, is Alexander Mackay, whose name will 
 ever be associated with the early days of Christianity 
 in Uganda, while his cousins, the little singer and her 
 younger sister by her side, consecrated their voices to 
 the service of Christ, and responded to the call :^ 
 
 " Go tell thy dusky kinsman, 
 
 As he bows by Ganges' tide. 
 Of the sacred stream that courses 
 
 From a Saviour's riven side." 
 
 With the exception of the boy, the group hailed 
 
 from the Free Church Manse of Fordyce, about two 
 
 miles inland. They had crossed "the haughs " and 
 
 the foot-bridge, and run down through the fragrant 
 
 bean fields and the waving corn for a frolic on the 
 
 beach ; and now, with their friend's not too gentle 
 
 reminder that it was "gettin' dark," they made their 
 
 way home, 
 
 "And sped the time with stories old, 
 Wrought puzzles out, and riddles told, 
 Or stammered from their school-book lore 
 The chief of Gambia's golden shore." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 A BEAM OF SUNSHINE. 
 
 " Bright be the skies that cover thee, 
 
 Child of the sunny brow — 
 Bright as the dream flimg over thee 
 
 By all that ?neets thee 7iow. 
 Thy heart is beati?ig joyously, 
 
 Thy voice is like a birds, 
 Aiid sweetly breaks the inelody 
 
 Of thy imperfect words. 
 I know no fou7it that gushes out 
 As gladly as thy tiny shout P 
 
 1\ /IRS. ALEXINA RUTHQUIST, the sub- 
 
 ^^ ^ ject of this sketch, and the little singer of 
 
 the preceding page, was the third child of the Rev. 
 
 M. Mackay, Free Church Minister of Fordyce, and 
 
 was born there on September 8th, 1848. 
 
 Her maternal grandfather was the Rev. John 
 Robertson, Minister of the parish of Gartly, in the 
 famous presbytery of Strathbogie, who cast in his lot 
 with the Free Church of Scotland at the Disruption, 
 while her grandmother, Mrs. Robertson, was a gracious, 
 
FORDYCE. 7 
 
 highly cultured, and strong-minded Christian of a 
 type of the old Scottish gentlewoman, now, unhappily, 
 well-nigh passed away. 
 
 The village of Fordyce is a dreary enough place in 
 winter ; but to a lover of nature its very solitude is 
 charming. No railway-whistle or coach-horn is heard 
 in its precincts, and not a sound reaches the ear but 
 the bubbling of the brook, the whispering of the trees, 
 the carolling of birds, the lowing of cattle, or, mayhap, 
 the lashing of the waves against the distant rock- 
 bound coast. 
 
 "A place of idle eyes and ears, 
 
 A cobwebbed nook of dreams ; 
 Left by the stream whose waves are years. 
 
 The stranded village seems." 
 
 In such environments Alexina grew in grace and 
 sweetness. A merry little girl, full of rhyme and 
 repartee, she was not only a very sunbeam in the 
 home, but her brightness extended also to the cottages 
 of the villagers. At a very early age it was her wont 
 to spend the play-hour every morning in a round of 
 visits to the blind, deaf, and afflicted old people of 
 her acquaintance, to " give them a cheery word, and 
 brighten their lonely day," which, judging from the 
 welcome she received, it no doubt did, although it 
 seldom amounted to more than a kindly greeting or 
 a humorous remark. 
 
5. A BEAM OF SUNSHINE. 
 
 " For to children oft is giv'n 
 A grace like habitants of heav'n, 
 Gems of God's infinite art, 
 Flowers from the Eternal Heart." 
 
 One night when Alexina was in her fourth year, an 
 incident occurred which might have proved disastrous, 
 especially if the brook had been frozen, or a high 
 wind blowing. She and her sisters had been com- 
 mended to the care of the Good Shepherd, and 
 " tucked " in their little cots by their mother's loving 
 hands, when, some hours afterwards, the nurse entered 
 the room in search of something from a cupboard.^ 
 In a moment of abstraction she left the burning 
 candle on the shelf, and having locked the cupboard 
 door, quitted the room. Unfortunately the shelves 
 contained quantities of the Witness diud other news- 
 papers filed for reference. By-and-by the family 
 became alarmed by the extraordinary smoke, and 
 hurrying upstairs, extricated the children, who awoke 
 to find themselves little white-robed figures by their 
 father's study fire. Some of the older ones were 
 nervous and frightened, but " four year old," although 
 she confessed afterwards that she *' felt eerie enough," 
 so soothed and comforted her companions^ and 
 made fun of the whole affair, that they had quite a 
 good time, and on retiring again to rest, expressed the 
 
 ^ Called in Scotland, a " press." 
 
A REVIVAL. 9 
 
 hope "that there would soon be another fire, as it was 
 such fun !" 
 
 Yet there was a thoughtfulness about the h'ttle girl, 
 and a quiet depth of character, which many wondered 
 at. 
 
 The love of Jesus Christ ruled and reigned in the 
 home, and from early infancy her parents had taught 
 her that 
 
 " God wants the girls, the happy-hearted girls 
 The loving girls, the best of girls. 
 * ♦ ♦ ♦ ■)«• 
 
 God wants to make the girls His pearls, 
 And so reflect His holy face, 
 And bring to mind His wondrous grace, 
 That beautiful the world may be, 
 And filled with love and purity." 
 
 In the year i860 a great wave of revival of religion 
 passed over Scotland, and about that time Mr. Dun- 
 can Matheson and Mr. James Turner, well-known 
 evangelists in the North, held meetings at Fordyce, 
 and were guests at the Free Church Manse. Mr. 
 Reginald Radcliffe and Mr. Grant of Arndilly had 
 also similar evangelistic services at Portsoy, to which 
 Alexina was taken as a little girl, and she generally 
 also accompanied the other members of the family to 
 the revival services held every summer in the grounds 
 of Huntly Lodge, kindly lent for that purpose by the 
 sainted Duchess of Gordon. But it is not known 
 
10 A BEAM OF SUNSHINE. 
 
 when she was first awakened. It is questionable if 
 she herself knew of any time when she did not love 
 her Saviour, for she seemed to have been specially 
 consecrated for the Lord's work from her early 
 infancy. 
 
 A well-known writer says : — *' The secret of happi- 
 ness here and hereafter, the gold thread of youth, lies 
 in loving God, and loving our neighbour ; loving them 
 early if it be yet possible, loving them well ; losing 
 one's own life in theirs, becoming guileless, meek and 
 reverent in our intercourse with them, loving them 
 long, yea, for ever." 
 
 At a very early age Alexina learnt this secret, and 
 she grew up into young womanhood like a beautiful 
 myrtle tree, imparting a sweet fragrance all around, 
 and delighting the eye with its white fairy-like bloom. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A YIELDED LIFE. 
 
 " Use me ! and let my weapon be 
 
 The clear brook's polished stone; 
 The weakness of the work be mine^ 
 The glory all Thine own^^ 
 
 HER grandfather, the Rev. John Robertson, had 
 his sympathies enh'sted in the cause of 
 Christian missions in the early part of the century, 
 in days when little was known of the condition of 
 the heathen, and consequently little zeal or enthusi- 
 asm manifested in their behalf The Jesuits had 
 imparted new life into the decrepit Roman system 
 and had, since the founding of their Society, in 1534, 
 been working, with exemplary devotion and intensity 
 of purpose, " for the greater glory of God," in every 
 known region of the earth, and John Knox had, as 
 far back as the year 1560, pledged the Reformed 
 
12 A YIELDED LIFE. 
 
 Kirk "to preche this glaid tydings of the Kyngdome 
 through the haill warld," yet the Church ^ of Scotland 
 did not awake to her duty with regard to the heathen, 
 and did absolutely nothing for them as a Church, 
 until 1829, when she sent out the noble Alexander 
 Duff as her first foreign missionary, the centre of his 
 labours being Calcutta. 
 
 Many influences were, doubtless, fashioning and 
 moulding Alexina for her part in life, and she may 
 have inherited some of her grandfather's enthusiasm 
 for missionary work. At all events it is worthy of 
 notice that no fewer than four of Mr. Robertson's 
 grand-daughters have devoted the best part of their 
 lives to the foreign field. 
 
 Perhaps also, as she sat at the drawing-room 
 window of the Manse, poring over a volume of the 
 Free Church Children s Missionary Record^ in its 
 gay binding of blue and gold, and looked out on the 
 rippling ocean below, and thought of India, of its 
 hoary superstitions, its child sacrifice, its widow 
 burning, and its blood-stained opium traffic, the 
 tender heart may have been stirred until the very 
 sails covering the horizon seemed so many handker- 
 
 ^ One of her ministers, however, has the honour of being one 
 of the chief originators of the London Missionary Society, in 
 1795, ^i^d Robert Morrison, the founder of Protestant Missions 
 in China, in 1807, was of Scottish parentage. 
 
EARLY CONSECRATION. 1 3 
 
 chiefs waving and beckoning to her, and she heard 
 the voice : — 
 
 " Bane instead of blessing 
 
 Britain pours to-day, 
 Over India's millions, 
 
 Under Britain's sway. 
 
 Asia's sons are dying, 
 
 Pierced by Britain's hand ; 
 Blood to God is crying : 
 
 Can ye listless stand ? " 
 
 Anyhow the idea of devoting her life to the work 
 of God in India sprang up and matured, unknown to 
 her friends, until at last, while she was at school ^ in 
 Edinburgh she was enabled to say, — 
 
 " Jesu, Master, take me, use me ; 
 
 I belong to Thee ; 
 Thou art mine ; — my life shall serve Thee 
 
 Through eternity ! " 
 
 She immediately wrote home and acquainted her 
 parents of her resolve. They were far from being 
 surprised, yet — 
 
 " Her mother could not speak for tears ; she ever mused thus, 
 The bees will find out other flowers,— but what is left for us ? " 
 
 Like EHi of old, her father " perceived that the 
 Lord had called the child," and exclaimed with 
 heartfelt thanksgiving, " It is the Lord ; let Him do 
 what seemeth Him good," yet the mother, although 
 
 * Miss Milne's Seminary, 26, Palmerston Place. 
 
14 A YIELDED LIFE. 
 
 by example and precept she had ever striven to give 
 the noblest direction to the lives of her children, and 
 continually kept the Lord in remembrance of His 
 promise, " I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a 
 blessing ; and in thee shall all families of the earth be 
 blessed," could not part with her treasure. Little had 
 she dreamed, as she and her husband had patiently, 
 and with much wrestling with God in prayer, not 
 only sought to make their children choose the better 
 part, but had also, with quite exceptional care, 
 endeavoured to fashion and mould their lives after 
 the Divine Pattern, that in the dim horizon of the 
 future there was awaiting Alexina a lone bungalow, 
 in the outskirts of a dirty city, teeming with idolaters, 
 under a tropical sun, and in a land of pestilence, 
 storm and cyclone ! 
 
 The Rev. E. Lombe, in his admirable paper,^ " How 
 is the Present Need of Missionaries to be met ? " 
 says, "One," and he might have said The "great 
 source of supply is the home of the Christian 
 parents." 
 
 " Parents," he continues, " train your children, not 
 for God only, that they may be saved, but for God^s 
 work, that they may be employed by Him in it. Seek 
 place, seek high honours for them. Seek them with 
 
 ^ Published by the Church Missionary Society. 
 
A PROBLEM FOR PARENTS. 1 5 
 
 all your powers, but let it be place in the household 
 of God, to do His work, high honours, such as attach 
 to him who goes forth to enlarge the dominions of 
 the King of kings and Lord of lords." 
 
 Yes ! To every home in Christendom, — to every 
 mother-heart in such — the question comes : — 
 
 " What gifts for Christ, then, bring ye with the rest ? 
 
 Your hands have worked well ; is your courage spent 
 In handwork only ? Have you nothing best, 
 
 Which generous souls may perfect and present, 
 And He shall thank the giver for? no light 
 
 Of teaching, liberal nations, for the poor 
 Who sit in darkness when it is not night? 
 
 No cure for wicked children ? Christ, — no cure? 
 No help for women sobbing out of sight, 
 
 Because men made the laws ? " 
 
 To Alexina's mother this was plaintive music borne 
 ashore by a summer zephyr, from a distant ship, but 
 much too far off for the ear to catch the tune. Like 
 Mary at the sepulchre, that which she had so dili- 
 gently sought and ardently longed for, she did not 
 at first recognise for her tears. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WAITING. 
 
 " / look without; how great 
 EartKs enmity to Thee, how dejtse her gloom ! 
 I would restore her to an Eden's bloom, 
 Save her from present woe and future doom. 
 
 And yet Thou bidd''st me — waity 
 
 IN deference to her mother's feelings Alexina 
 agreed not to apply to any missionary society, 
 nor take any step whatsoever to further her desire. 
 On the other hand, should a call to the Foreign Field 
 come, the maternal sanction was to be no longer 
 withheld. This was to be the test of whether or not 
 the matter was of the Lord, and subsequent events 
 abundantly justified the wisdom of the arrangement. 
 
 An eminent writer says, "How will you find good } 
 It is not a thing of choice ; it is a river that flows 
 from the foot of the invisible Throne, and it flows by 
 the path of obedience." Alexina faithfully kept her 
 promise, believing that those 
 
 i6 
 
KINDRED SPIRITS. I 7 
 
 "Who may not strive, may yet fulfil 
 The harder task of standing still, 
 And good but wished with God is done ! " 
 
 She needed the sorrows and discipline of life to 
 strengthen and deepen her beautiful character — "a 
 taking root downward, as well as a bearing fruit up- 
 ward." 
 
 *f* 3|C 3fC 3|C *f» 
 
 Eight " long harmonious years " passed, and it is 
 in 1876, in the little town of Alva, in Stirlingshire. 
 Here we find Alexina, teaching in the family of Mr. 
 Cowan, banker. Since the new year had dawned 
 her heart has been greatly stirred, and the old long- 
 ing for service in the foreign field revived, for Alex- 
 ander Mackay, the playmate of her childhood, and 
 with whom she was still 
 
 " One in kind. 
 As moulded like in Nature's mint ; 
 And hill and wood and field did print 
 The same sweet forms in either mind," 
 
 has been accepted by the Church Missionary Society, 
 as one of the pioneers for their new mission to the 
 heart of the " Dark Continent." The winter had 
 been severe, and had lingered late, and although it 
 is now April, there are still patches of snow on the 
 Ochils, but the first herald of spring has come at last, 
 and 
 
 M.R. 2 
 
1 8 WAITING. 
 
 " There is an upward movement in the heather, 
 
 Night drops down starry gold upon the furze, 
 Wild rivers and wild birds sing songs together, 
 Dead Nature breathes and stirs." 
 
 Subtle influences are at work ; the sun's rays are 
 touching every tree and bush into Hfe, and the bright 
 aspect of Nature accords with Alexina's feehngs ; 
 and her hope 
 
 " Becomes an April violet, 
 And buds and blossoms like the rest." 
 
 For, strange to say, she has received a letter from her 
 home, stating that a friend of the family, who knew 
 nothing of her wishes, had been asked by a member 
 of the Acting Committee of the Free Church of 
 Scotland '' Ladies' Society for Female Education in 
 India and South Africa," whether she knew of any 
 consecrated young lady who would be willing to 
 leave home and kindred to carry the gospel to her 
 dusky sisters in the far-off East. 
 
 The Aberdeen Auxiliary of this Society had been 
 for some time pushing to the front, and now felt that 
 they ought to have a representative of their own as 
 visitor and religious teacher to the prison-like seclu- 
 sions of the caste women of India. A well-educated 
 girl with a good linguistic turn ; a good singer ; but 
 one especially alive to the opportunities and possi- 
 bilities that are open to women for extending the 
 
FIT FOR THE KINGS SERVICE. 1 9 
 
 kingdom of Christ in the homes of the Hindus was 
 wanted. Where was she to be found ? 
 
 One of the greatest of living preachers says : " It 
 is not out of every roadside quarry that you can cut 
 and polish a corner-stone for a king's palace. And 
 it i^ not to every so-called Christian family that you 
 can come to look for a Christian lady. . . . It is 
 a common saying among us, indeed, that boys and 
 young men are often seen to rise in talent, and in 
 manners, and in refinement of mind far above their 
 extraction ; but girls and young women seldom or 
 never. And thus it is that, in our delineation of a 
 Christian lady, we are more dependent on our know- 
 ledge of her father and her mother than we are in 
 the case of a Christian gentleman." Accordingly, 
 this friend replied without any hesitation, — "Yes! 
 I know the family of a Free Church minister, where 
 there are several girls — all pious, for they have the 
 inestimable blessing of a mother who spends much 
 of her time in secret prayer. If you can secure one 
 of them you will do well." One daughter was named 
 as being considered eminently suitable, but she is 
 not the subject of these pages. 
 
 Immediately the Rev. Mr. Mackay was communis 
 cated with, and the letter was forwarded to Alexina. 
 Her reply to a sister, preserved more by accident 
 than design, runs as follows : — 
 
20 WAITING. 
 
 " My dearest 
 
 "OcHiL Bank, Alva, 
 
 ''April, 1876. 
 
 "Many thoughts have been stirred within me 
 since I received your kind letter, charged with such 
 weighty contents. I will tell you simply how I feel 
 in regard to this most important subject, and may 
 God overrule the whole matter for His own glory and 
 our good. Well, when I read your letter, a burst of 
 grateful surprise took possession of me, since it 
 seemed to me that here, at last, I had got the call to 
 go forth to the work I had many a time longed to be 
 permitted to engage in ! and at once I submitted the 
 matter to God's hands, that He might dispose of it 
 as He saw fit. With Him, then, I desire that it may 
 rest. I think this is pretty much my attitude of 
 mind, in regard to the answer to the question — 
 
 'As a little child relies 
 
 On a care beyond his own ; 
 Feels he's neither strong nor wise, 
 
 Fears to stir a step alone — 
 So let me with Thee abide, 
 As my Father, Guard and Guide.' 
 
 " I feel that it would be a great privilege (I shrink 
 from viewing it in the bare light of a duty) to be 
 permitted to enter the lists with those favoured few 
 who have been called to bear the 'lamp of life' 
 into the dark corners of the earth, and if, in the pro- 
 
AM I FIT f 21 
 
 vidence of God, I am being called to that honour, I 
 desire to respond, * Here I am,' and to venture for- 
 ward on the unknown, untried path, in the spirit of 
 the hymn that says, — 
 
 ' I know not the way I am going, 
 But well do I know my Guide" 
 
 (there is much need I should get to know Him better, 
 and to trust Him more) ; 
 
 * With a child-like trust I give my hand 
 To the mighty Friend by my side.' 
 
 " I believe I am physically and morally constituted, 
 so as to be equal to such an undertaking (do not set 
 me down as being heartless^ if I am stronger of heart 
 than some are, according to natural constitution), — the 
 question is how am I constituted spiritually ? To 
 this I can give no satisfactory answer, but He is able 
 to make all grace abound ; and, after all, my labours 
 (should I indeed enter upon them) would be more 
 of a secular nature than purely missionary, so that the 
 question of personal devotion, in the highest sense of 
 the term, need not necessarily be the hinge on which 
 my decision turns. 
 
 " Now write to me very soon again on the subject, 
 and do not fear to express the opinion of each one 
 of you on the subject. I am in no excitement in 
 
22 WAITING. 
 
 regard to this suggestion, longing to be off, etc., etc., 
 but I am a little in the attitude of Eleazar when he 
 watched to see what was to be the result of his 
 master Abraham's mission. 
 
 "Don't, don't think me indifferent in my affections! 
 but all of you consider yourselves as much deciders 
 in this matter as myself, and so we shall understand 
 and sympathise with each other aright. 
 
 " Please thank Miss Patton cordially in my name 
 for the honour she has put on our family in communi- 
 cating with us as she has done. 
 
 " Your affectionate sister, 
 "Alexin A." 
 
 When this reply reached her home, her mother 
 now clearly saw the hand of God in the matter, and 
 she herself carried the letter to the monthly com- 
 mittee meeting of the Aberdeen Auxiliary Branch of 
 the Society. At the very moment she arrived, 
 prayer was being offered for a suitable missionary, 
 and the committee regarded the visit as a direct 
 answer from on high. 
 
 After some correspondence, Alexina went to Edin- 
 burgh to see the General Committee, and on May 
 2nd, the very day Alexander Mackay first sighted 
 the coast of Africa, and the thirtieth anniversary of 
 the founding of the Hislop College at Nagpoor, we 
 
ACCEPTED. 23 
 
 find her writing home the following description of 
 this interview : — 
 
 "OcHiL Bank, Alva, 
 " Tuesday y May 2ndy 1876. 
 "My dearest Mother, — 
 
 " I returned last night from a most successful 
 visit to Edinburgh. Yes, * successful ' is the right 
 word in reply to the one inquiry present, I am quite 
 certain, in all your minds, for God seems to be pros- 
 pering my way. It is now virtually settled that, 
 nothing unforeseen occurring, I go to India ! But, 
 mother, only on an engagement of three years! This 
 fact is to me a great relief, and is it not to you ? I 
 thought I might have to go on as long as my health 
 stood out, and I calculated that I had a good deal 
 more than a three years' stock ! In this, however, I 
 am probably mistaken ; but, be this as it may, I feel 
 that faith and fancy can easily bridge over such a 
 separation, though it is at the -same time true, at 
 home or abroad, that we know not what a day may 
 bring forth. What do you think Miss Angelica 
 Fraser requested, in the course of the beautiful prayer 
 she offered up, at Mrs. Lumsden's request, when our 
 interview was closing ? It was that if I were not the 
 right person to be sent, or if it were wrong for me to 
 go, God would raise up some insurmountable wall of 
 
24 WAITING. 
 
 difficulty ! This wonderful request was, however, 
 immediately followed by words like these : — 
 
 " ' But, O Lord ! let it be otherwise. Be pleased 
 rather to make the way very plain to Thy young 
 servant, to go before her, and to prepare a place for 
 her in that distant land, which she will feel to be of 
 Thine own appointment.' 
 
 " I can't tell you whether Calcutta or Nagpoor is, 
 D.V., to be the scene of my labours. This depends 
 on the reply Mrs. Lumsden gets to a letter she is to 
 send to Calcutta, inquiring whether a vacancy that 
 had occurred there has been filled up or not (as I 
 understand). If it has been, Nagpoor will be my 
 destination, as there is a place awaiting some one there. 
 A Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are at the head of the little 
 Free Church Mission there, and a Miss Berrie has 
 been provided as one of two assistants who were 
 required ! I hear that Mrs. Cooper is a delightful, 
 energetic, cheerful woman, who enjoys good health 
 out there. By the bye, I will need to conform to the 
 rule of submitting to be reviewed by one of that 
 highly inquisitive class — doctors ! although Miss 
 Fraser remarked that she thought they might quite 
 risk sending me out independently of this. She 
 seemed to think I carried my certificate in my face 
 (unusually flushed, of course !) October would be 
 the time of departure. No one can corroborate my 
 
ALWAYS SINGING. 25 
 
 Statement as to Dr. and Mrs. Murray Mitchell's in- 
 tention to return to India in the end of the year. 
 " Good-bye, dear ones, 
 
 " Your own 
 
 "Alexina." 
 
 The Rev. W. D. Moffat, late United Presbyterian 
 Minister at Alva, now of Rose Street, Edinburgh, 
 writes concerning this time : — 
 
 "Alexina was foremost in every kind of service 
 that lay open to her in Sabbath School, Bible Class, 
 Mission District, and in warm interest in the poor, 
 the sick, the distressed, and the intemperate in the 
 general community. 
 
 " Her services in leading the praise, both in Sab- 
 bath and Bible Class, won for her the love of young 
 and old, and the parting present she received when 
 leaving for the foreign field was a proof of how much 
 her work in that direction was appreciated. 
 
 " Indeed, she was always singing. There was a 
 note of praise in her eyes as well as in her voice. 
 She was the picture of a happy Christian. Always 
 bright, sunny, hopeful, and brimful of a mirth that 
 was contagious, a cheerfulness that had its roots in 
 the love of God, and a buoyancy that left room for 
 neither depression nor despair. 
 
 '• Everything she did was done so naturally and 
 
26 WAITING. 
 
 with such a quiet repose of soul, that no one could 
 have guessed, by casual observation, the amount of 
 work she did for the Master. Her very activity was 
 restful. 
 
 " It was no astonishment to me when I learned 
 that she had consecrated herself to service in the 
 foreign field. When I think of her life as I knew it, 
 I can see just how the Spirit was leading her out 
 into the higher service, and how, finding her faithful 
 in a few things, the Lord made her ruler over many 
 things. On her first visit home on furlough she 
 called on me in Edinburgh, and I can never forget 
 how, as she sang the sweet native hymns and de- 
 scribed her work in the zenanas, her soul seemed on 
 fire with enthusiasm and love for her work. 
 
 " To me, one of the mysteries of the Kingdom is 
 the removal of such beloved and fervent workers 
 from the place where they are so much needed 
 and sorely missed. ' Even so, Father, for so it 
 seemeth good in Thy sight.' Sad as the circum- 
 stances of her death were, they were only in keeping 
 with the whole of her life. She never seemed to 
 think of herself. Her self-sacrifice reminded one 
 continually of Christ. It was the secret, not only of 
 her joy, but of her power in winning others." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 " Light for the darkened earth / 
 
 Ye blessed^ its beams who shedy 
 Shrink not^ till the day-spring hath its birth^ 
 
 Till wherever the footstep of man doth t ready 
 Salvation^ s banner^ spread boldly forthy 
 Shall gild the dream of the cradle-bedy 
 And clear the tomb 
 From its lingering glooniy 
 For the aged to rest his weary head." 
 
 T^ROM the earliest dawn of history a halo of 
 -■- romance has surrounded the land of the Hindus. 
 Poets sang of its "ambrosial fruits and vegetable 
 gold." Crusaders craved the treasures of its hoary- 
 temples. Emperors and kings cast envious eyes to- 
 wards the dazzling throne of its Great Mogul. In 
 search of its gorgeous products, navigators sought 
 to compass the ice-bound shores of Labrador, and 
 even the frozen steppes of Siberia, and in every, 
 direction the spirit of maritime discovery was stimu- 
 
 87 
 
28 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 lated to effect a quick and easy passage thither, 
 and — 
 
 " Joy was upon the lonely seas, 
 When Indian forests pour 
 Forth to the billow and the breeze 
 Their fragrance from the shore." 
 
 But at length the spell was broken. Britain had 
 been slowly and surely gaining supremacy over the 
 country from the latter end of the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth, when the East Indian Company estab- 
 lished themselves at Surat. 
 
 It was in truth the " clime of the sun ; " the trees 
 were never destitute of flowers ; diamonds were still 
 cut and polished at Golconda ; and the court of the 
 Emperor of Delhi realised all the wonders of the 
 " Thousand and One Nights." Yet it was a land of 
 moral darkness, where the most cruel and revolting 
 rites were practised, and where, on the sacred days 
 of festivals to the gods, the very temples reeked with 
 blood. The mass of the people were sunk in the 
 deepest ignorance and superstition, although they 
 rank among the most ancient and civilised of nations, 
 and can boast of their Homer, their Shakespeare 
 and their Milton ! 
 
 To this benighted and joyless land, a century ago, 
 Carey and other missionaries of the cross heard the 
 call— 
 
HINDU ATROCITIES. 29 
 
 " Go, break the chain of caste ; 
 Go, quench the funeral pyre, and bid no more 
 The Indian river roll its waves of gore ; 
 Look up, thou East, thy night is overpast." 
 
 Since then the British Government has " aboh'shed 
 the cruel * suttee,' the casting infants to the alligators 
 of the Ganges, the human sacrifices offered to the 
 goddess Kali, the Meriah sacrifices of h'ving victims 
 in the Madras Presidency, the car of Juggernaut and 
 its blood-stained wheels, ' Thuggee,' and many other 
 atrocities." ^ 
 
 Hinduism is the religion of nine-tenths of the 
 whole population, and numbers among its votaries 
 fully 207,731,000 of people, of whom only one out of 
 twenty can read. As a system Dr. Duff has aptly 
 applied to it Milton's words, — 
 
 " An unfathomable ocean, without bounds, 
 Without dimensions, where length, breadth and height, 
 And time and space are lost ! " 
 
 The law of caste is the basis of this ancient super- 
 stition, and is the great hindrance to all missionary 
 endeavour. Having its root in the home, it sends 
 its ramifications into every grade of society, and is 
 carried into the pettiest affairs in life. Originally 
 there were but four castes. The highest in dignity 
 
 * See " Infant Marriage and Enforced Widowhood in India," 
 CM.S. Jntelligencer^ December, 1890. 
 
30 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 and privilege is that of the Brahmans or Priests, who 
 form the learned order of the community. To them 
 belong the exclusive right of teaching the Vedas or 
 sacred books, and of officiating at sacrifices. The 
 second caste is the Kshutryas, or military. Then 
 come the Vaisyas, or agriculturists and merchants. 
 All these three castes are denominated "twice born." 
 The last and lowest is the Sudras, or " once born," 
 whose highest honour is to wait on the Kuleen 
 Brahmans, although they may humbly serve any of 
 the twice-born. In one respect they have an advan- 
 tage over their honoured neighbours, inasmuch as 
 they may sojourn where they choose, whereas the 
 limits of the other castes are prescribed. Besides 
 these, there is a variety of mixed castes, according to 
 trade and occupations, and these refuse to eat, drink, 
 or intermarry with any other class than that in which 
 they are born. It is generally said that when once 
 caste is lost, it is irrecoverable, and that " to attempt 
 to pass from one caste to another is impossible and 
 absurd ; a donkey might as soon expect to become 
 a butterfly, or a frog to be transformed into a 
 humming-bird ! " The priests, however, will give 
 back caste on payment of an enormous sum of 
 money, and " in some cases, impure families may, in 
 process of time, regain the place from which they 
 have fallen ; and the base-born, by the performance 
 
CASTE YIELDING. 3 1 
 
 of certain meritorious acts, may hope to attain final 
 beatitude."^ One-fifth of the entire population are 
 said to be outcasts, or persons who have forfeited the 
 privileges of their original class. These poor crea- 
 tures are denied the common rights of humanity ; 
 they are turned out of their homes, required to wear 
 only the clothes of the dead, and for ornaments only 
 rusty iron, and to use only broken vessels for their 
 food. They are denied all intercourse with their 
 friends, and have to roam from place to place, until 
 death releases them from hopeless misery. 
 
 But the cords of caste are being untied all over 
 India. Sir C. U. Aitchison ^ says, " It will be easily 
 understood how the connection of India with England 
 has resulted in a great awakening. We are not re- 
 ferring at this moment to the direct effect of Chris- 
 tianity, though that is very marked ; but to the 
 general effect of contact with Europe and Western 
 civilisation, of education, science, railways, trade, and 
 the thousand material improvements introduced into 
 the country during the last three-quarters of a cen- 
 tury, and especially since the assumption of the 
 government of India by the Crown. . . . The 
 practices of Hinduism may be submitted to by 
 
 * Thornton's " British Empire in India," vol. i. p. 9. 
 
 * See " The Brahmo Somaj, or the New Dispensation," 
 C.M,S. Intelligencer^ March, 1 893. 
 
32 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 educated men in their homes, to please their wives 
 
 or their mothers ; outside the home they are fast 
 
 losing hold upon the life. The regulations as to 
 
 food and marriage are probably the only ones that 
 
 are now at all generally observed, and even these are 
 
 being gradually relaxed." 
 
 We shall now take a peep inside the homes, or 
 
 zenanas, as they are called, where the wives and 
 
 mothers lead a life of absolute seclusion, and of utter 
 
 subjection to their husbands, — 
 
 " Pining in the silence of a woe, 
 Which from the heart shuts daylight." 
 
 Here, for centuries, the women, who have moulded 
 the character and opinions of millions of the Hindu 
 youth have been hidden away behind the " purdah," 
 where "all life dies and death alone lives." Down- 
 trodden and degraded by traditional customs, they 
 have been immured in these prison homes. 
 
 In the year 1834 the "Society for Promoting 
 Female Education in the East " was established for 
 the purpose of restoring the women of the zenanas 
 to the image of God, and the following year access 
 was gained to a native home in Calcutta by one of 
 the lady agents of this Society. In 1852 the "Indian 
 Female Normal School and Instruction Society " was 
 originated, and since the mutiny many similar 
 societies have been formed, and hundreds of Chris- 
 
A HINDU LADYS PRAYER. 2)0 
 
 tian ladies from Britain and America have spent their 
 lives in visiting these homes, and in endeavouring to 
 mitigate their " time-honoured social wrongs." After 
 the first fright is overcome, they are eagerly wel- 
 comed 
 
 " By the eyes that watch and weary 
 For the morn that does not wake, 
 By the hearts with nameless longings, 
 That in darkness beat and break." 
 
 Many of these ladies (for they are the upper class 
 women) have never seen a tree, nor a river, nor a 
 mountain, nor anything at all beyond the precincts 
 of their own quarters, their "outing" consisting of 
 the daily ablutions in a walled-in pond in the court- 
 yard. Miss Abbie B. Child, Secretary, Woman's 
 Board of Missions, in connection with the American 
 Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, in an 
 able paper read at the Centenary Conference on 
 Protestant Missions, quotes the following remarkable 
 prayer, expressing the soul longings of a Hindu lady: 
 
 " O Lord, hear my prayer. For ages dark ignor- 
 ance has brooded over our minds and spirits ; like a 
 cloud of dust it rises and wraps us round ; and we 
 are like prisoners in an old and mouldering house, 
 choked and buried in the dust of custom, and we 
 have no strength to get out. Bruised and beaten, we 
 are like the dry husks of the sugar-cane when the 
 
 M.R. 3 
 
34 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 sweet juice has been extracted. Criminals confined 
 in jails are happier than we, for they know something 
 of Thy world. They were not born in prison, but 
 we have not for one day, no, not even in our dreams, 
 seen Thy world ; and what we have not seen we can- 
 not imagine. To us it is nothing but a name ; and 
 not having seen Thy world, we cannot know Thee, 
 its Maker. We have been born in this jail ; we have 
 died here, and are dying. O God of mercies, our 
 prayer to Thee is this, that the curse may be re- 
 moved from the women of India." 
 
 Many Hindu ladies begin their secluded life at 
 six years of age, and they must all be betrothed 
 before they are eight, although the wedding may be 
 delayed until they are ten. Their years are spent, 
 for the most part, in doing their hair, and in making 
 curry and sweets. Some, more favoured, may say to 
 their lords, — 
 
 " We sew, sew, prick our fingers, dull our sight, 
 Producing what ? A pair of slippers, sir, 
 To put on when you're weary — or a stool 
 To stumble over and vex you . . . ' Curse that stool ! ' 
 Or else at best, a cushion, where you lean 
 And sleep, and dream of something we are not, 
 But would be for your sake." 
 
 There are twenty-five millions of widows in India 
 and seventy-seven thousand of these are actually not 
 ten years of age ! The results of this cruel system 
 
A HINDU WIDOW. 35 
 
 of child-marriage are inconceivable. The plaint of a 
 young widow who has learned to write is a fit accom- 
 paniment to the prayer given above ^ : — 
 
 "If by chance my face is seen early in the morning, 
 I prove a curse. If through haste or by accident my 
 veil falls from my head, I am chained with a hundred 
 bands of scolding. Every visitor to the house speaks 
 of me ironically, and treats me with disdain. From 
 every word I speak, offence is taken. My heart has 
 become sore from the piercing of these bitter words. 
 I am deprived of every pleasure. While every one 
 else in the house puts on dresses of different colours, 
 and plays, laughs and talks among the company, I 
 alone, the most wretched and full of grief, am de- 
 prived of such enjoyments. If even by mistake a 
 spot of colour is seen upon my raiment, it causes 
 trouble. In the house one woman will be engaged 
 in adorning herself in fine robes, another will be busy 
 combing her hair, blacking her eyes and teeth, 
 another will be making the house ring with the tink- 
 ling of her foot jewels and ankle ornaments, while I 
 am condemned to sit in a corner and weep alone with 
 my broken heart. Even this comfort it is difficult for 
 me to indulge in, for if any one should happen to see 
 me weeping, he would consider it a bad omen, and 
 
 * See Regions Beyond^ May, 1893. 
 
36 THE CRADLE OF FABLE AND SONG. 
 
 curse me for it The will of my persecutors is that I 
 should neither scream nor weep, but die quietly in 
 my misery. While the whole family enjoys eating 
 delicious food, I am served with/r^>^ da I and coarse 
 bread. I am strictly forbidden the comfort of sleep- 
 ing upon a bedstead, but a mat upon the floor and a 
 coarse piece of carpet is my bedding. The wretched 
 barber's wife shaves my head daily. On every festive 
 occasion and at weddings every one is present but 
 me. The women whose husbands are alive take the 
 lead in all ceremonies. One sings, one plays on the 
 musical instruments, another puts on the holiday 
 costume, another primps with pride before the look- 
 ing-glass, while I am shut up in my room to prevent 
 the ill omen which would be the result of my face 
 having been seen. Who can be more wretched than 
 I ? Death comes to all, but I am deprived of that 
 blessing also. This is the rainy season, the rain falls 
 heavily ; my equals, dressed with gay skirts and 
 coloured veils, with their fingers dyed red, are singing 
 gaily the songs of this season of the year. Showers 
 of tears flow from my eyes. I feel that some one 
 has broken my heart ; it is withered like the kammal 
 (lotus) flower. I exist, but my life is useless ; no 
 flowers, no fruits. I have no rest, not even for a 
 single day. I am as thin as a thorn ; my body has 
 become like a skeleton, and yet I am abhorred by 
 
HOPELESSNESS. 37 
 
 Others, and they are disgusted at the sight of me. I 
 look upon all sides, but find no comforter. There is 
 no one to inquire into my condition, and no one to 
 wipe away my tears. Our Gracious Queen Victoria 
 takes pity upon all others. The cries of unfortunate 
 widows like myself have not yet reached her ears. 
 The Lord Jesus Christ gave life to the dead, but His 
 followers do not attempt to relieve us from our 
 sufferings. In what hope shall I spend the days of 
 my life ? How can the ship be anchored in the 
 midst of the tempest ? ' The boat is in the midst of 
 the river, but there is no captain.' The Government 
 prosecutes the person who shows cruelty to animals 
 deprived of utterance, but no notice is taken of the 
 sufferings and cruelties which we poor women endure 
 Alas ! that dear comforter, Hope, can do us no good. 
 "A Christian widow hopes to meet with her husband 
 in heaven after death, but in our Hindu religion there 
 is no hope of such a meeting. No one listens To 
 whom shall I complain ? Before whom shall I go ? 
 O God ! what shall I do .? " 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "THE CITY OF SERPENTS." 
 
 " But he whom Heavoi 
 Hath called to be tU awakener of a land 
 Should have his souVs affections all absorbed 
 In that majestic pu7'pose^ aiid press on 
 To its fulfil mejit, as a moicntain-borjt 
 A7id jnighty stream, with all its vassal-rills 
 Sweeps proudly to the ocean, pausing not 
 To dally with theflowersP 
 
 IN the year 1811, Carey finished the Marathi 
 translation of the New Testament. Six years 
 later he records the baptism of the first convert at 
 Nagpoor, the capital of the empire of the Berar 
 Marathas. In this year (18 17) not only did the 
 village of Blantyre, on the Clyde, give to the world 
 an eminent missionary and explorer, but at Duns, 
 in Berwickshire, was also born one who was to be to 
 Central, and then unknown and unexplored India, 
 exactly what Livingstone was to become to Central 
 Africa. This man was Stephen Hislop. In 1845 he 
 commenced his pioneer work, in connection with the 
 
 38 
 
A BOLD UNDERTAKING. 39 
 
 Free Church of Scotland, at Nagpoor, i.e. " City of 
 Serpents," a great idolatrous city, situated on a plain 
 1,200 feet above the sea level, in the very heart of 
 India, and 580 miles north-east of Bombay. Amid 
 successes and discouragements he laboured on until 
 we find him, on the 8th September, 1848, the day on 
 which the subject of this sketch was born, and the 
 anniversary also of his own birth, in fear lest the door 
 at Nagpoor was to be closed against him, and he 
 would have to flee. This was owing to the contro- 
 versy which arose on the persecution and lengthened 
 imprisonment of a Brahman lad, Baba Pandurang, 
 who had openly professed Christianity. A few months 
 later, ere Alexina had emerged from the cradle, 
 Hislop had opened the first girl's school in Nagpoor. 
 " The undertaking was a bold one, and was com- 
 menced not without much hesitation ; but it has 
 succeeded fully better than we had ventured to 
 hope." " Such," says his biographer, " is the ardent 
 evangelist's description of the beginning of what has 
 proved to be one of the most successful Woman's 
 Missions in the East." ^ 
 
 The Edinburgh committee having approved of the 
 choice of Alexina by the Aberdeen Auxiliary as 
 
 * See "Stephen Hislop, Pioneer Missionary and Naturalist 
 in Central India," by Dr. George Smith, p. 79- London : John 
 Murray. 
 
40 *'THE CITY OF SERPENTS. 
 
 their Zenana agent at Nagpoor, she was formally set 
 apart for this work to be under the care of the zealous 
 and experienced missionaries, Rev. J. G. and Mrs. 
 Cooper, who, since the lamented death of the noble 
 Hislop, had been at the head of the Mission there. 
 
 Alexina had a long time to wait since she wrote 
 those lines in p. 2i. It is now 1877 — 
 
 "A wintry blast 
 Was hurrying wildly o'er land and sea ; 
 The glory of spring time was long gone past, 
 And the branches were bare on the trembling tree," 
 
 ere she sailed from England ; yet after all the delay ^ 
 she reached her destination many months before 
 Alexander Mackay sighted the silvery waters of the 
 noble Nyanza. Compared with the pioneer diffi- 
 culties which he encountered on his wearisome march 
 from Zanzibar, and subsequent voyage across the 
 lake in an open boat to Uganda, or with the eight 
 months of continuous peril and disaster experienced 
 by the first missionary sent to India by the Free 
 Church of Scotland, her voyage was uneventful. 
 Reaching Bombay by the Italia on November 9th, 
 she found kind friends awaiting her, who took her on 
 to Nagpoor by rail — a different rate of progress from 
 the twenty miles per day by which the pioneer mis- 
 
 ^ Unfortunately there are no letters of this period extant 
 and no one remembers the reason of her detention. 
 
A FAVOURITE. 4 1 
 
 sionary party accomplished the tedious journey of 
 580 miles, in the year 1845 ! 
 
 Soon after her arrival Mrs. Cooper wrote : — " I 
 feel sure Miss Mackay will write to interest the 
 Aberdeen ladies ; each morning at breakfast she 
 describes her experiences in the city, and if she only 
 writes as she tells us, they cannot fail to be satisfied. 
 The more we know her, the more we love her, and 
 thank God for giving us such a helper in the work 
 of labouring among the zenanas of this benighted 
 country." 
 
 Another lady writes : — " Miss Mackay is very 
 delightful — a favourite with everybody, and always 
 pleasant. How the women like a bright happy face 
 when you go to see them !" 
 
 Again Mrs. Cooper says : — " At the close of a 
 year I cannot help writing again to thank you for 
 the valuable help you gave us when you sent dear 
 Miss Mackay, and the wisdom you showed in select- 
 ing her. We truly needed help, and Miss Mackay 
 has proved herself equal to the work, and been able 
 to carry it on with vigour, so that we have every 
 cause to thank God for so guiding you, and inclining 
 your hearts to help us." 
 
 About this time Alexina addressed the following 
 lines to her dear mother : — 
 
42 ''the city of serpents." 
 
 Grieve no longer, O my mother, 
 Sitting 'mid the shadows dim ; 
 
 See the Saviour stand beside you, 
 Lift your tearful eyes to Him. 
 
 He will soothe your every sorrow, 
 Hush you in His arms to rest ; 
 
 None who pillow on His bosom 
 Are with cares or fears opprest. 
 
 Said you in your hasteful moments, 
 He had robbed your happy nest ? 
 
 Nay, but listen, He will tell you 
 All He did was for the best. 
 
 Souls were sitting in the darkness, 
 Jesus knew a table bright, 
 
 Where the lamps so thick were crowded, 
 That they killed each other's light. 
 
 Well He knew each lamp was valued, 
 Well He knew each had its place ; 
 
 But He yearned o'er homeless wanderers, 
 And would have them know His grace. 
 
 '' Lend one lamp," He whispered gently, 
 But His voice seemed far away ; 
 
 Jesus comes in strange disguises, 
 And we often say Him " Nay." 
 
 Many a heart-beat, many a tremor 
 Suffer weak disciples here ; 
 
 All because the Master's accents 
 Are not heard distinct and clear. 
 
 " Fear not ! It is I who love you ; 
 
 Fear n^ot ! You to Me are dear ; 
 With My precious blood I bought you 
 
 Shed for you full many a tear." 
 
A GOOD LINGUIST. 43 
 
 " Yes, Lord Jesus ! Yes, my Master, 
 
 Thou shalt never ask in vain ; 
 Take my children, keep them for me ; 
 
 Thou wilt give them back again." 
 
 Hark ! I hear the Saviour singing — 
 
 Singing 'mid the choirs above : 
 " She who spared not her loved one 
 
 Loves Me with her deepest love ! " 
 
 Before leaving Aberdeen Alexina had four lessons 
 in Marathi from Mrs. Dr. Anderson, Old Aberdeen, 
 and formerly wife of the late Rev. Robert Nesbit, of 
 Bombay, who is described by Mr. Hislop as " the 
 best Marathi scholar and the best preacher in that 
 language in all the Bombay Presidency." These 
 lessons enabled Alexina to study a good deal on 
 board ship, and knowing well that the only way to 
 reach the hearts of the people is through their 
 language, she resolved to master both Marathi and 
 Hindustani; and so quickly did she acquire the former, 
 that her pundit wished her to pass a Government 
 examination in that tongue. She considered the 
 proposal, but declined it, as the class of words needed 
 would not have proved helpful in mission work. 
 Within six months she was able to sing native hymns 
 and to read the Scriptures to the inmates of the 
 zenanas to which she gained access. Generally 
 
44 
 
 speaking the female portion of the Hindu community 
 among Marathi-speaking people — even those of the 
 highest caste — are not " in purdah," and enjoy much 
 more freedom than their Bengali and Madrasee 
 sisters, who are very strict — never venturing to shop 
 for themselves, nor being seen in the street, and only 
 allowed out for a drive when carried in a " palky," 
 which resembles an ordinary travelling-trunk, in the 
 floor of which the victim has to sit, squeezed up into 
 as small dimensions as possible ; and as there is 
 neither window nor ventilator to the box, there can 
 neither be change of scene nor air. 
 
 Marathi-speaking women, however, go freely on 
 the public road for water, or to visit each other ; only 
 before their husbands, even in the house, there is a 
 great deal of feigned modesty. On the entry of her 
 lord, the wife rises from her seat and turns away her 
 head ! 
 
 Hindu homes are very dirty and dusty. Even the 
 ladies' apartments have no appearance of culture, or 
 even of comfort, and are most meagrely furnished. 
 Hideous pictures of gods and goddesses (and there 
 are three hundred and thirty millions of these) adorn 
 the walls, but there are seldom flowers or ferns, or 
 books, or musical instruments, or anything to suggest 
 the presence of the gentle sex. Dogs swarm in the 
 rooms, and hens, chickens, and even crows are al- 
 
A ROYAL ZENANA. 45 
 
 lowed to roam unmolested, and perch on the bed- 
 steads or anywhere they choose, as part of the Hindu 
 worship is that beasts and birds are to be fed. The 
 homes of the Mohammedans are equally unattrac- 
 tive, but of course with them "no dogs are ad- 
 mitted ! " 
 
 In the Royal Zenana of the late Rajah of Nagpoor, 
 there were, at the time of his death, six queens, two 
 of whom sought access to Mrs. Hislop's school in 
 order to escape the persecution and cruel treatment 
 invariably shown to widows in the upper circles. 
 The queen-mother, however, of this zenana was a 
 bigoted Hindu, who daily worshipped and feasted 
 the Brahmans, and drank the water consecrated by 
 their great toes ! This was not because she loved 
 them, but the poor heathen believed that unless she 
 honoured them and treated them well, they would 
 not aid her entrance into heaven. This queen- 
 dowager, Baki Bay, expired on Alexina's tenth 
 birthday, and Mr. Hislop thus graphically describes 
 her last hours : — 
 
 " Five sacred humped cows were brought into her 
 sick chamber, and to the tail of each successively the 
 woman's hands were applied, the priest meanwhile 
 holding it by the head, and ready to lead it away, to- 
 gether with a handsome donation in rupees. It is 
 believed that the invalid at the moment of death is 
 
46 '' THE CITY OF SERPENTS." 
 
 thus dragged into heaven at the tail of the cow, under 
 the superintendence of the holy Brahman." 
 
 On the same day the dying queen "called for a 
 cow, and falling at its feet, as far as her now fast- 
 failing strength would permit, offered it grass, which 
 she invited it to eat under the venerated name of 
 mother ! " This may cause a smile, but is there no 
 lesson to be gathered from Baki Bay's anxiety to 
 enter the golden gates ? Like all Hindu women she 
 was deplorably ignorant and fond of her religion, 
 and she knew of no other way to the city than 
 
 "By the helplessness that bowed her 
 'Neath cold custom's heartless sway." 
 
 There had only been one zenana agent in Nag- 
 poor prior to Alexina's arrival, and as this lady was 
 obliged to return to England at the end of twelve 
 months, through failing health, it was really pioneer 
 work for a long time that Alexina found herself en- 
 gaged in. The following letters, sent to her family 
 during her first year's service, describe her efforts to 
 disperse the shadows from the hearts of her dusky 
 sisters by telling them — 
 
 " When He findeth as He seeketh 
 Access where His love may show, 
 How God makes the sweets of heaven 
 Out of bitterness below." 
 
AT WORK EARLY. 47 
 
 {To her Sister J .) 
 
 Zenana Mission Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 March 23;'^, 1878. 
 I am beginning to feel as if I were in my proper 
 sphere of action. I have got my mornings all filled 
 up now, and really a spirit of interest in my proceed- 
 ings is being manifested, as well as in some cases 
 great regard for myself This morning, about six 
 o'clock, when I was seated in an old rickety, wicker- 
 work armchair, placed for me in the courtyard in 
 front of the home of one of my lady pupils, as I was 
 busily engaged reading aloud to the gathered com- 
 pany, the sun was observed to peer inquisitively upon 
 me from behind the trees, and a " bhoy " was sent 
 into the house for a punkah, an ornamental fan, 
 made in this case of paper roses ! and the umbrella 
 which I opened to shade myself with was consider- 
 ately taken from my hand, and given to a servant to 
 hold. Notwithstanding this deference paid to me, 
 however, Rebckah, the girl I had with me as inter- 
 preter, remarked to me afterwards that a mat had 
 not been spread for Amundai, the Bible-woman, or 
 herself to sit upon, the bare ground consequently 
 becoming their seat. If the same omission is made 
 next day, I will take notice of it. I did observe the 
 look of disgust which passed over the face of 
 
48 '* THE CITY OF SERPENTS." 
 
 Lodookai's mother when poor Amundai (an elderly, 
 rather toothless, somewhat cross-looking, but good 
 woman) was about to sit down beside her, on the 
 bedstead she was occupying ! This was on account 
 of the difference of caste, I understand. You would 
 be amused at the attempts I make to teach polite- 
 ness to the women. There seems to be no word 
 synonymous with " Thank you " in Marathi, so, as 
 the utterance of the word " Salaam " is the nearest 
 approach to it, I get them to make use of this form ; 
 only one feels amused to see it accompanied by the 
 graceful token of obeisance wedded to it in saluting 
 superiors ! It is the same with " If you please," 
 their own substitute for which, when literally trans- 
 lated, means, " Mercy making ! " We had an addi- 
 tion to our number of two very respectable-looking 
 young wives, both of whom had been taught to read ; 
 but they wish to learn to work. The pleasing 
 thought is that, in coming for this, they will be in 
 the way of receiving Christian instruction, both by 
 listening to the reading, singing, and explanation 
 that precedes the work, and by means of the 
 Christian books put into their hands. Again, at 
 Gujerabai's house we found a nice, working, elderly 
 woman, who had come in from a village fourteen 
 miles off, on business of her own. She had seen 
 Mrs. Cooper there in the course of one of her dis- 
 
ENCOURAGEMENTS. 49 
 
 trict visiting tours, and had heard of God ; but she 
 is still very ignorant, although much interested in 
 the subject. I read for her benefit the chapter in 
 the " Peep of Day," beginning " When did God begin 
 to live in heaven ? " and every now and then, as I 
 read, she signified her assent audibly. Amundai 
 reasoned with her afterwards on the subject of 
 worshipping idols, and the poor woman was very 
 amenable to instruction, only she explained that 
 because they cannot see God they worship through 
 an image. Of course we tried to meet this from 
 God's Word. 
 
 March 24^//. I have just returned in excellent 
 spirits from my visiting. The encouragement I have 
 had this morning has been very great. There were 
 upwards of twenty gathered in the " long room," the 
 greater part of whom were women, but there were 
 some children, and some four or five of the male sex. 
 One young man had begged a holiday from his 
 heathen schoolmaster, so anxious was he to be 
 present! We read and sang "Jesus of Nazareth," 
 after which I read the chapter in the " Peep of Day " 
 about Jesus being sent into the world to redeem 
 mankind from the consequences of the fall. Then, 
 by the request of one of the women (who can read, 
 and had been looking over the native hymn-book), 
 we sang a hymn entitled, " Mary's Lament." As its 
 
 MR. 4 
 
50 
 
 title denotes, it treats of the anguish of the mother 
 of Jesus when she saw her Son nailed to the cross. 
 As we proceeded with it I could hear every now 
 and then a little sympathetic moan from one of 
 the mothers. After this we reasoned with them on 
 behalf of the worship of God instead of images, and 
 then we read the introductory chapter of the most 
 valuable " Reading-Book for Females." This chap- 
 ter speaks of the opinions concerning women-children 
 by the male sex in India, and points out how efforts 
 are being made by Christians to raise their condition. 
 A ready assent is always granted to this statement. 
 Before I left I was asked " if I would eat anything 
 they gave me." I replied that " I would with plea- 
 sure." In fact, I had been feeling faint, as I had not 
 eaten anything since getting up. The question was 
 put with an eye to the future, however, for as I was 
 stepping into the bullock-coach it was intimated to 
 me that they were going to make a feast for me. I 
 felt much gratified, as you may suppose, only I had 
 to say that it would need to be in the morning, as I 
 could not go out in the heat of the day. They were 
 rather nonplussed on hearing this, but finally de- 
 clared that they could manage it. Is it not nice to 
 have gained their love } 
 
 On leaving this house 1 was conducted by Amundai 
 to another she had found entrance into, and again I 
 
A DYEING ESTABLISHMENT. 5 1 
 
 found myself in most interesting circumstances. We 
 were introduced to a homely dyeing establishment, 
 where the male sex predominated, the women hang- 
 ing diffidently back. Scarcely were we seated ere 
 the good man of the house (who has three wives) 
 placed on the ground before me a large brass salver, 
 with a sort of egg-stand upon it, containing carda- 
 moms, betel-nuts, etc., from which, before I left, I 
 helped myself to a few. After a little talk we sang 
 a hymn, the burden of which is synonymous with 
 our " Nothing either great or small." It asks, " Why 
 do you go on pilgrimage and wash in holy water } " 
 etc I asked mine host if he thought it pretty, and 
 he answered in the affirmative, with a pleased ex- 
 pression of face. Next I asked Rebekah to tell them 
 I had been learning their language for a few months, 
 and to ask if they would like to hear me read a little 
 in it. To this a most cordial assent was given, and 
 again I lifted up my voice. I was soon interrupted 
 by the question put by one of the men as to 
 " whether Satan can be seen by us ? " " Naku," was 
 the answer, and immediately the questioner made 
 use of the Marathi word for spirit to describe him. 
 My rendering of their language met with a hearty 
 eulogium, and the conviction was expressed that I 
 would soon be able to speak it well. Indeed, they 
 complimented me on doing that already, because I 
 
52 *' THE CITY OF SERPENTS, 
 
 gave fluent utterance to a few stock phrases! A 
 marriage is about to come off in the house, and 
 preparation for this makes them busy ; but they are 
 to call for me after it is over, and they assured me of 
 the pleasure my visit had given them. 
 
 Last night, as I was preparing to go to bed, having 
 shut the doors of my little bungalow on my two girls 
 and myself, I was startled by an excited knocking at 
 the back-door, and the impatient voices of some of 
 the girls from the orphanage, calling loudly for one 
 of my companions. I asked who were there, and 
 what had happened, and was informed that Virima's 
 mother was dead ! She had been in her usual health 
 up to a few minutes before, when she took a fit of 
 coughing, and, complaining that she could not 
 breathe, immediately expired. To-day Mrs. Cooper 
 took me to Virima's home, that I might see the re- 
 mains put in the coffin ; and truly I was never present 
 at such a scene. There was a Roman Catholic Sister 
 there, who gave the most frantic expression to her 
 grief. She expanded her arms over the bed on 
 which the body was lying, and poured out endearing 
 terms, in her own language, with an expression of 
 ecstatic grief, so to speak, on her face. Then she 
 brought down her hands lightly on the body, over 
 and over again, as if embracing it. She even kissed 
 the feet ! and, finally, on the removal of the coffin, 
 
NATIVE AFFECTION. 53 
 
 she ran out after it, presently returning to throw 
 herself on the floor and toss her arms about ! It 
 seems, however, that though her grief was most 
 violent, she had not been the best of daughters. 
 
 The old husband's grief was very affecting. On 
 taking his last look, and bestowing a farewell kiss, he 
 retired from the side of the coffin, striking such blows 
 on his chest as might well have seriously hurt him, 
 had he been in a less excited state of mind. 
 
 Virima was deeply moved, but in a quieter way. 
 Mrs. Cooper appeared in a very good light on the 
 occasion. She improved the opportunity by talking 
 away in Marathi on the subject of death to a visitor, 
 who presented a most interesting spectacle, as she 
 stood, with her tall, erect figure and large, wondering 
 soft eyes, taking in what was being said with the 
 simplicity of a child, and asking questions where she 
 could not understand. She seemed to wonder how 
 one could be in heaven, and yet lying in the grave. 
 Atina^ the soul, I explained ! 
 
 And now I have a suggestion to make, and it is 
 
 this, that M should take lessons in Marathi, if 
 
 possible, from Mrs. Anderson's proU^g^e, her pupil ! 
 Perhaps, dear mother, you will " grow in grace " so 
 much yet as to let her join me sometime, on a three 
 years' engagement, if the Aberdeen ladies can afford 
 to maintain two agfents. She could come out with 
 
54 ** THE CITY OF SERPENTS, 
 
 J) 
 
 Mr. Whitton, and the understanding would be that 
 she would return with me at the end of three years ! 
 I am sure she would gain the affections of these 
 women ; as I told Mr. Whitton, she is beloved by 
 every creature she comes near ! and I and a Higher 
 would take care of her. Don't take fright, dear 
 mother ; I have merely dropped a seed-thought. 
 Cover it up and see whereunto it will grow, or if it 
 will grow at all. Even were Miss Duncan to continue 
 an agent, if the work increases as we would like it 
 to do, there will be room for many more hands ! 
 Forgive me, dear mother, I am all alone, though I 
 am cheery enough in lixy personal solitude. I know 
 the grief and anxiety I have caused you in the past, 
 and pray, pray for me. 
 
 If you had seen me this morning telling the gospel 
 story to an old man, ready to worship the angelic- 
 looking (because white) declarer, you would have 
 felt wonderfully moved ! But the story itself seemed 
 to reach his heart. He, to all appearances, believed 
 the things that were said, and declared with enthu- 
 siastic simplicity that he would never any more 
 worship idols ! 
 
A POOR RECEPTION ROOM. 55 
 
 {To her Brother^ 
 
 Seetabaldi, Nagpoor, 
 April 2gth, 1878. 
 I got up this morning at 4.30. As Mr. Cooper has 
 made the usual hot-weather change of school hours 
 down in the Institution from eleven o'clock to six, 
 and as Miss Duncan and I both visit in the early 
 morning, and there is only one Zenana Mission con- 
 veyance, we will have to avail ourselves of the spare 
 seat in the bullock-coach (a sort of omnibus, and a 
 good protection from the sun) which conveys the 
 three gentlemen, Messrs. Cooper, Whitton, and 
 Clubb ; and as each of us needs to be accompanied 
 by one or two native helps, my companion girl will 
 have to sit outside with the driver. We enjoyed our 
 drive to the city under the light of the remaining 
 quarter of the waning moon, and the few stars bear- 
 ing it company, and alighted in one of the narrow 
 lanes. After some delay caused by the explanations 
 volunteered by some men who were about, to the 
 effect that the female community we had come to 
 see had been up all night at a marriage, and had 
 gone to sleep, Amundai went in to inquire, and came 
 to say that they could see us. Well, in we went to 
 the place set apart for our reception — literally what 
 I call a shed. In the far end was a noisy cock, 
 
56 '*THE CITY OF SERPENTS.' 
 
 whose clamour had to be stilled by a basket being 
 thrown over its head ; albeit said basket was very 
 mercifully constructed, for it had a large circular 
 hole in the top, large enough to admit of the bird's 
 exit, were he to become very impatient. Then there 
 was a bunch of sugar-cane straw on the floor as 
 another piece of furniture, while saddle-girths or 
 such-like hung on the wall. Nevertheless a wicker- 
 work armchair was provided for me, and another for 
 Amundai, only she preferred to sit on a native seat, 
 exactly like a baking-board, with feet of an inch or 
 two in length, so that Mrs. Gujerabai herself occu- 
 pied the chair. We had three grown women, all 
 more or less done out with jewelry — the nice-looking 
 one, whose lesson (out of an advanced book, called 
 " Summary of Christian Doctrine ") I heard, had a 
 pearl-studded nose-jewel and massive-looking twisted 
 anklets, etc. Then there were two much younger 
 wives, a toddling, perfectly nude little child, and 
 quite a circle of outsiders, mostly men. This does 
 not answer to the picture sketched for us by Mrs. 
 Murray Mitchell, does it } But of course her picture 
 holds good in regard to women occupying a superior 
 position in life, in Calcutta especially. After a little 
 talk we explained and sang a hymn called, " The 
 Way of Salvation " ; then, as the women had been 
 telling us that the bride whose marriage they had 
 
HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES. 57 
 
 been at was only a very little girl, and that she had 
 been crying for her mother, I got Amundai to read 
 aloud, from the book purposely written for Indian 
 females, the chapter on the subject of marriage. Of 
 course it points out all the abuses of this institution, 
 etc. Then we each took a pupil, and as the one I 
 had was reading about the creation and the Creator, 
 and our duty to Him as such, I afterwards read it 
 aloud for the benefit of the whole group. 
 
 In regard to the Eitwarree women, it was believed 
 that some of them were living immoral lives. All 
 the more need they have of light, don't you think ? 
 It seems as if it is to be my lot to go out into the 
 highways and hedges in quest of souls, while Miss 
 Duncan attends to the better class of people ! Well, 
 she filled up the breach made by Miss Berrie's de- 
 parture, while I did not mean to begin active work 
 till I had become in some good measure acquainted 
 with the language. The appeal of the "man of 
 Macedonia," however, made me change my resolve. 
 Said man, I may remark, is showing remarkably 
 little interest in his charge, now that I have con- 
 sented to visit at his house. It is suspected that he 
 had interested motives in being so active formerly, 
 that he expected to be paid for his trouble in gather- 
 ing the women ; but since no personal good is 
 accruing, his zeal is evaporating. Meantime my 
 
58 ''the city of serpents." 
 
 services are highly prized by " Sonnabai," my 
 foundling ; but, on account of my visiting her, I am 
 forbidden access to the house of a well-to-do neigh- 
 bour, an educated man, whose wife I had begun to 
 visit. I cannot help this. Indeed, it was only after 
 having turned away three times from his door with- 
 out having seen his wife, who was ill, that I cast my 
 eyes about for another opening, and got hold of 
 "Sonnabai." If the latter does not give up her evil 
 ways, I don't say that I will go on visiting her ; but 
 I will certainly try to let her know that they are 
 evil. Two dear little boys always join the company 
 gathered in her house. They listen eagerly, and 
 crowd quite close to see the fancy-work stitch. One 
 of them had brought Sonnabai on capitally with her 
 letters, in the interval between my two visits. Both 
 boys are attending the school of " Mark," one of the 
 native Christians, and they can read English very 
 nicely. It was delicious to hear their ringing little 
 voices giving such distinct utterance to the English 
 words. 
 
 Mr. Browning, who is General Inspector of Govern- 
 ment Schools in the Central Provinces, has kindly 
 volunteered to get an introduction for me into a good 
 house he has access to. The head of it is a well- 
 educated man, who can speak English beautifully. 
 
DOORS OPENING. 59 
 
 Seetabaldi, Nagpoor, 
 May nth, 1878. 
 My beloved Father,— 
 
 ?|C 3|C 5fC 5jC 5p 
 
 I am getting into a good deal of work now 
 Amundai, the Bible-woman, hunts up the houses, 
 and then I go forward as general of the party ! To- 
 day the gathering at a new house was most interest- 
 ing. The head of the house is a widow (but not 
 being a Brahman, she is not deprived of her hair, etc., 
 etc.), and one or two other widows came, as well as 
 quite a little assemblage of mothers, with children, 
 and two or three men, one of whom had a beaming 
 smile of satisfaction on his face all the time ! "Kurry 
 Gosht," he kept saying from time to time as the "new 
 doctrine" fell on his ears. He laughed aloud when 
 Amundai pointed out how vain it was to think that 
 though water can cleanse the body it can cleanse the 
 soul from sin — in acquiescence, of course. The hus- 
 band of one of the widows present had received 
 instruction from the late eminent missionary, Mr. 
 Hislop. There is a road in Nagpoor named after 
 him, and a kind of fossil discovered by him to be 
 seen in the Museum. He was a great geologist. 
 
 We have been introduced to one of the grand 
 houses (as things go here) this week as well. The 
 first day I went I enjoyed myself vejy much. We 
 
60 ** THE CITY OF SERPENTS." 
 
 had a splendid opportunity of making known the 
 good news to a large promiscuous gathering of the 
 men, women, and children connected one way or 
 other with the household. One man, the head of 
 the house, I think, seemed perfectly delighted with 
 the hymns. He told me they were '' gord'' (roll the 
 r), i.e. sweety to him. Beautiful work in beads was 
 displayed ; it was all brought in on a sort of shovel, 
 and formally placed at my feet by a servant ! I 
 duly inspected and unfeignedly admired the various 
 knick-knacks ; but I find that the young woman who 
 made them (she can read well, too, and I have given 
 her the nice " Book for Females ") is rather con- 
 ceited—she does not appreciate the favours bestowed 
 on her sufficiently. To-day we found them all very 
 busy. A marriage had been on the tapis^ only of a 
 male servant, however. Very soon, however, the 
 verandah got well peopled by a company of meiiy 
 quite ready to become listeners ! Unfortunately we 
 had to ask them to retire, as the women stood shyly 
 peeping out of a doorway, and would not come for- 
 ward on account of them ! After all, we had to 
 proceed, in spite of noise and interruptions, as work 
 had to be done, and one and another ordered away, 
 etc., because they were servants. But we must not 
 regard the clouds or the winds, but continue to 
 labour in season and out of season. 
 
GRINDING AT THE MILL. 6 1 
 
 REPORT TO THE HOME COMMITTEE, 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting mode of giving in 
 the report of my first year's experience of zenana 
 visiting in Nagpoor will be by asking my friends to 
 accompany me in imagination on my various rounds 
 in the city, taking up each day's work as it comes in 
 connection with the successive days of the week. 
 
 To begin with Monday ! A pleasant drive along 
 a country road, skirted with trees, and lying at the 
 city end of it, along an extensive, picturesque-looking 
 tank, leads us into the city ; and after threading our 
 way through a couple of streets, a lane, and an alley, 
 we reach our first house. On entering the narrow 
 old wooden door leading into the yard, the first 
 thing that meets the eye is a mass of weedy 
 luxuriance, occupying a spot in the yard which 
 might be turned to better account (by our advice 
 something of improvement was effected for the sake 
 of health on the spot in front of the house), while in 
 another corner stands a painted clay model of a 
 sacred bull, in close proximity to which two women 
 are busy grinding the morning's supplies by turning, 
 in conjunction, a round, flat stone, with a handle in 
 the middle, upon a similarly shaped one beneath. 
 " Salaam," we say, and pass on round the house to 
 the outside room we occupy while teaching. Some- 
 
62 
 
 thing in the shape of a carpet has been thrown down 
 on the floor, and an old chair, in preparation for the 
 arrival of " Missi Baba," as I am termed ; and, after a 
 few minutes' waiting, we are joined by Sukyabai and 
 her mother, Lodubai, both nice-looking women, and 
 both pupils, the mother having first urged on her 
 daughter to acquire the art of reading, and requesting 
 latterly to be taught herself. Four little girls from 
 the neighbouring houses attend here as well, and 
 listeners often drop in. We begin by singing a 
 hymn, and explaining the meaning of it ; and the 
 effect of this opening exercise is wonderful upon 
 those who are present for the first time. Times are 
 surely changed, when we can fearlessly open fire 
 upon a group of heathen men, women, and children, 
 and attempt to storm their prejudices by singing out 
 such words as these : '' Why do you toil in vain ? 
 Bathing and going on pilgrimage, and all your 
 many ceremonies, will profit you nothing" — the only 
 result being an interchange of looks of pleased sur- 
 prise, with perhaps an attempt at argument after- 
 wards on the part of some zealous believer in the 
 " Shasters." After we have sung, I am in the habit 
 of reading aloud either a passage from the New 
 Testament, or a portion from some nice tract or 
 adaptation of Scripture ; but for the most part I 
 have as yet to hand the explanatory part to 
 
BRAHMANS. 6^ 
 
 Amundai, the native Bible-woman, who accompanies 
 me, or to employ my young friend from the Orphan- 
 age, to convey my thoughts to the listeners. It is 
 not easy for one living among English people to 
 acquire a foreign language conversationally. Still, I 
 do not scruple to make attempts to converse with my 
 native friends, and I may report, for the comfort of 
 my friends, that I am well understood. 
 
 On Tuesday we visit in another and very distant 
 quarter of the city, where eight houses are open to 
 us. I cannot overtake all of these in one morning, 
 so I mean to divide the labour and go once a week 
 to each four. In this way we shall be able to spend 
 more time in the various houses, and to get more 
 satisfactory work done, though our visits must be 
 less frequent. In the first of these houses, separated 
 in some cases by considerable distances, live a most 
 respectable Brahman family, father, mother, widowed 
 daughter, and some others, related I don't quite 
 know how. There is another widow, with such a 
 sweet-looking little boy. Besides- these, several 
 friends come in from time to time, amongst others 
 a very respectable-looking man, a son of the old 
 Brahman, at the head of the house, who keeps a 
 school next door, and some of his boy-pupils. A 
 very interesting feature of the work in which I am 
 engaged is, that ever and anon opportunities of 
 
64 /'THE CITY OF SERPENTS." 
 
 spreading the good news occur unexpectedly in 
 connection with the comers and goers in the homes 
 we visit ; and here I must remark that, so far as I 
 have seen, the women of Nagpoor are not kept in 
 nearly such seclusion as those in other parts of 
 India are. It is true that my work lies at present 
 amongst the humbler class of people, but I remark 
 this even in exceptional cases. Certainly, so much 
 the better. But I must hasten to look in on the 
 other houses. A few yards down the lane we find 
 another open door, but here the " frooshkal kam," i.e.y 
 much work of the mother and grandmother, together 
 with the business calls paid to the head of the house, 
 who is a goldsmith, I am told, prevent our doing any 
 very steady work in the way of giving instruction. 
 We persevere in visiting, however, and it was through 
 this house we heard of several others. A little way 
 off lives another Brahman widow, such a happy-look- 
 ing old woman, in spite of her shorn head. In her 
 house we have four pupils, one of them her little pet, 
 a grandchild, in whose lesson on the alphabet she 
 eagerly joined one day, by way of encouraging the 
 child, who was rather shy. Near this house is 
 another, where a number of showy-looking women 
 assemble, some of whom are avoided by their neigh- 
 bours on account of the low platform of morality 
 they occupy. I am not supposed to know their 
 
EVANGELISTIC WORK. 65 
 
 private character, however ; and, in any case, our 
 reh'gion teaches us to stoop and try to lift up the 
 fallen, and to sow beside all waters. 
 
 But it would be tedious to enumerate all the 
 houses visited. I shall therefore take the liberty of 
 asking my friends to content themselves with the 
 glimpse into various homes already given. I have 
 access at present to sixteen houses. In many of 
 these our work is purely evangelistic ; but, on adding 
 up the number of those who are learning to read, I 
 find that I have twenty-nine pupils. In considera- 
 tion of the fact that these numbers represent ground 
 gained since this time last year (with one exception), 
 I think there is good cause for encouragement in the 
 prosecution of the work. Will the friends at home 
 then continue to remember us specially in their 
 prayers, in answer to which already a certain amount 
 of success has been granted ? 
 
 A. Mackay. 
 
 M.K. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 " ' Iji the Jdghways and hedges go seek for the lost, 
 Gather them into the fold'' — 
 Was the earnest command that our Saviour Divi?te 
 Taught His disciples of old. 
 
 Urge them to come, show them the way, 
 Tenderly, lovingly bring them to-day ; 
 Urge them to come; why should they roam ? 
 Bring them along to our dear Sabbath homeP 
 
 FROM the report of Alexina's labours during her 
 first year in Nagpoor it will be seen that the 
 greater number of the zenanas, in the common ac- 
 ceptation of the term, were closed against her ; but, 
 nothing daunted, she went wherever she could find an 
 open door, believing that God is no respecter of 
 persons, and that the soul of the poor outcast is as 
 precious in His sight as that of the lady clothed in 
 her richly embroidered sarree, and bedecked with 
 jewels from head to feet. She thus gained access 
 not only to the women of the humbler classes, but to 
 
 66 
 
A THOROUGH EVANGELIST. (>"] 
 
 hundreds of working men and boys, whom otherwise 
 the gospel story might never have reached. This 
 sort of work found great favour at the late decennial 
 conference at Bombay, and had many advocates. 
 The Rev. James Smith, of Simla, says : — " In my 
 deliberate judgment the higher castes will be reached 
 and converted through the lower, and not through 
 higher education " ; and he goes on to tell how the 
 sons of low-caste parents are already competing with 
 rich Brahmans, and acquiring positions of trust and 
 responsibility in both Government and mercantile 
 services. 
 
 Sitting on a mud-wall enclosing the courtyard of 
 some gold-filigree worker, or of one who styled him- 
 self an artist, but in reality was only a painter of 
 heathen gods ! and addressing and singing to the 
 motley group gathered around, Alexina was perfectly 
 happy. She was a thorough evangelist, and em- 
 braced every opportunity of speaking for her Master. 
 Going along the road, it mattered not whether she 
 met lepers, strolling beggars, or religious devotees ; 
 she engaged in conversation with them, lest they 
 might never have another opportunity of hearing the 
 gospel story. She ever lived in full view of that 
 eternity which lies in the shadowy distance to most 
 people, recalling to mind the words of the sainted 
 Henry Martyn : " Live more with Christ, catch more 
 
68 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 of His spirit ; for the spirit of Christ is the spirit of 
 Missions, and the nearer we get to Him the more 
 intensely missionary we become." Therefore, when 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cooper invited her to join them on 
 their cold season itinerancy in the villages, in the 
 jungle of the Weingunga valley, she gladly accom- 
 panied them, and realized the words of the ancient 
 record : — " These were they who dwelt among plants 
 and hedges ; there they dwelt with the King for His 
 work." 
 
 The real life of the Hindu is seen more in the 
 villages than in the towns, and there also one 
 thoroughly understands the immense hold which 
 idolatry and superstition have on the minds of the 
 natives. 
 
 The following letters to her father describe the 
 valuable experience which she obtained on this tour. 
 
 The Tent, Patton Saonee, 
 
 December i^tk, 1878. 
 Yesterday morning saw us make an early start 
 for "the district," before daylight. Mr. Cooper, 
 Timothy and Elisha had set out on foot. Take a 
 peep at us as we turn out of the avenue into the 
 road. In front are Virima and a band of the bigger 
 girls, all looking very comfortable in their bright 
 shawls. Mrs. Cooper and I follow, and the rear is 
 
A FRUITFUL LAND. 69 
 
 brought up by " the ark," or large coach-like gharree, 
 my tonga, and a Madras cart for the girls. It was a 
 lovely morning, keenly cold, but so clear and bright 
 that all nature looked glad. We passed beautiful 
 fields of " zewaree," a native grain, with stalks resem- 
 bling that leafy reed always to be seen in the picture 
 of Moses and the ark of bulrushes ! Each head of 
 corn resembles in massiveness a bunch of the lilac 
 flower, only that this is grain, not blossom ; and 
 when ripe, it bends over the stem, like a matured but 
 humble Christian nearing his end. To protect these 
 fields men are stationed here and there in little boat- 
 like structures, elevated several yards above the 
 ground by means of long supporting poles, and 
 reached by ladders. Farther on were fields of to- 
 bacco and cotton plants, and a species of oil-plant, 
 with delicate green leaves and a tiny blue blossom, 
 which I much admired. Milestone after milestone 
 we passed, as we journeyed on, and still we did not 
 seem to near our purposed place of encampment ; for 
 instead of eight miles it turned out to be fourteen, 
 as our pedestrians found to their cost. When we did 
 draw up, hard by a fine grove of large mango trees, 
 there lay poor Mr. Cooper, not indeed like a stranded 
 wreck, but his bronzed countenance suggesting the 
 possibility that he felt footsore and weary. He 
 looked more like a well-seasoned East India coffee 
 
70 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 planter, however, in his buff corduroys, stout shoes 
 and ample headpiece (large brimmed sun topee or 
 pith-hat, covered with grey muslin), than a way-worn 
 missionary. It was good to see that he could com- 
 fort himself over a twist of the " Indian weed " in the 
 absence of the luggage carts conveying our victuals, 
 for they had fallen behind. When they did come up, 
 it was most interesting to watch the lively scene that 
 followed. Two or three groups busied themselves 
 over getting ready the morning meal. The others, 
 with all haste, got out the tent-gear, and set to work 
 erecting the same into these wonderful patriarchal 
 tenements, so suggestive of olden times. First, the 
 stakes on which the cords were to be fastened had to 
 be driven into the ground. Just before being reared, 
 the tent looks like a folded umbrella, but by a long 
 pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together, it is gra- 
 dually induced to expand itself generously for the 
 accommodation of the houseless ones seeking its 
 shelter. I have a little Noah's Ark-like tent for my- 
 self, by way of a bedroom — a little pet it is, with its 
 quaint brown canvas walls, figured with a perpen- 
 dicular coral-like pattern. I cannot say I spent a 
 very comfortable night in it, however, for do what I 
 might, I could not get warm. 
 
 In the afternoon we all set out for the neighbour- 
 ing village to do a little evangelistic work. Mr. 
 
A HINDU TIMOTHY. 7 1 
 
 Cooper and his assistants went by themselves, to 
 minister to the men, while Mrs. Cooper and the rest 
 of us went to seek out the women. I had fallen be- 
 hind with one or two of the girls, and this led to our 
 ultimate separation from the rest of the party, as a 
 woman beckoned me to speak to her, and we soon 
 found ourselves surrounded by a group of her neigh- 
 bours, along with herself, to whom we sang and told 
 the gospel story. Passing on in search of Mrs. 
 Cooper, but not finding her, we again gathered a 
 group around us, and did what we could amongst 
 them. This morning I wandered into the city, and 
 not knowing in which direction to turn, I was look- 
 ing about me, when I discovered Mr. Cooper sur- 
 rounded by a little band, to whom Timothy was 
 preaching. I quietly joined them, and was greatly 
 pleased to have an opportunity of hearing this good 
 young man address his fellow countrymen in their 
 own tongue. I felt quite touched when he told them 
 that he was just a simple man like themselves until 
 he became a Christian, thirteen years ago, and how 
 he became so happy by believing in Jesus — his sun- 
 lit countenance and mild expression giving beautiful 
 emphasis to his words. One man, sitting just before 
 him, kept up a kind of thinking aloud conversation 
 with his instructor, asking for fuller information on 
 this and that point, giving his whole attention to the 
 
72 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 things being told him. He came to the tent after- 
 wards to get a little book, that he might instruct 
 himself more fully, as he could read. 
 
 Ram Teak, 
 
 December lyth. 
 We have made two other marches since I wrote 
 the above. We stayed over Sunday at the first 
 place, Patton Saonee, going into the town every day 
 to hold meetings, and getting access to really a great 
 many. On Sunday afternoon I asked Mrs. Cooper 
 to let me have Virima (the Biblewoman) with me, as 
 well as my usual quota of the girls to help with the 
 singing, and she was quite agreeable. In passing up 
 the street we were called by a woman (beside whose 
 house we had taken our stand, or rather our seat on 
 the little mud wall of the courtyard, on two previous 
 occasions). She wanted to hear us again, as she had 
 " forgotten what we had told her the day before ! " 
 Poor woman, the " certain strange things " brought to 
 her ears had not been sufficiently grasped by her. 
 She was a woman in very humble circumstances, 
 trying to spin cotton, though her arms and hands 
 were sadly deformed and shrunken ! A good many 
 neighbours gathered round, and we had a nice little 
 meeting, which was brought to a close by our telling 
 them that we must go farther up the street and tell 
 
IN TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE. 73 
 
 Others what we had been telling them. Where were 
 we to locate ourselves next ? was the question. It is 
 really like drawing a bow at a venture, this walking 
 along through the streets of a strange town, looking 
 about to see where we can get an opening. I sug- 
 gested our seeking permission to sit down on the 
 ledge of a nice clean courtyard near the Bazaar, in 
 which hundreds of people were congregated, engaged 
 in buying and selling. Virima said that if we sat 
 there we would be surrounded by a number of men, 
 but I didn't think that was any objection ; so there 
 we located ourselves, and by-and-by were engaged 
 in ministering the gospel to a large concourse ot 
 people — men, women and children — the first class 
 largely predominating. I was pleased to recognise 
 one earnest-looking young man, who had been with 
 us in another place in the morning. He pushed his 
 way through the crowd, and stationed himself in the 
 front row, listened with marked attention, and asked 
 questions with a view to his better understanding the 
 things spoken. In the next village we went to, I 
 again chose for our site the threshold of a house very 
 near the teeming bazaar. The women in the veran- 
 dah we made up to were engaged in spinning cotton, 
 and they began to make excuses when asked to allow 
 us to sit down beside them, saying, " they could not 
 understand," etc. We still urged our plea, however, 
 
74 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 telling them that all we wanted was a seat on their 
 doorstep, that they need not listen unless they liked, 
 but others might wish to hear ! We were backed up 
 by some men standing near, who said to us, " Bei-ta 1 " 
 " Bei-ta ! " i.e. Sit, sit ; and so we did, and began to 
 sing one of our hymns, the signal, as you may sup- 
 pose, for the motley gathering we succeeded in 
 surrounding ourselves by ! And we had, indeed, a 
 satisfactory meeting. Of course my white face was 
 the grand primary attraction. The gloaming had set 
 in before we rose to go, and the babel that sprang up 
 on my announcing that I would give a book or two 
 to any amongst them who could read, made us fain 
 to tear ourselves away after distributing some to 
 those who came forward first. 
 
 We are finding wonderful opportunities, too, at 
 Ram Teak, though it is quite a Brahman seat. Yes- 
 terday, on visiting the lovely temple built on one of 
 the picturesque wooded heights in the neighbour- 
 hood, to reach which 480 steps had to be climbed, 
 we saw a god, in the shape of an enormous hog, 
 under the belly of which the worshippers pass, in 
 order to leave their sins behind them ! It seems that 
 stout Brahmans have such difficulty in doing this, 
 that they have either to pay handsomely for assist- 
 ance, or provide themselves with substitutes. The 
 very fat ones are thought to be the greatest sinners. 
 
GARLANDS FOR A HOG. 75 
 
 Good Timothy intercepted a few of the worshippers, 
 as they passed along with their garlands of flowers, 
 and preached Christ to them. I entered into conver- 
 sation myself with a nice-looking man at the head of 
 the long stair, gave him a little book, and proceeded 
 to read a few sentences to him from another, in 
 answer to his objections; but after he had listened for 
 a few minutes, he said he " would need to go and do 
 his Pujah (worship), or he would be too late ! " He 
 promised, however, to read the little book at home. 
 Don't think, however, that all are equally docile. 
 One conceited young Brahman quite contradicted the 
 contents of a little book I set him to read aloud last 
 night, affirming that " to drink the water in which the 
 feet of a Brahman had been washed does purify the 
 soul ! " etc., etc. At the same time a friend by his 
 side looked all attentive and receptive. 
 
 Our next march is on to Bandhara. We will have 
 to break it into at least three days' journeys. I like 
 camp life very much. The taking down the tents in 
 the early morning, pursuing our way in the twi- 
 light, on foot, in the clear cool air, the conveyances 
 following ; then emerging into a new landscape with 
 the dawn of day; the fording of bridgeless rivers, the 
 re-erection of the tents ; the preparation of breakfast 
 in the open air, gipsy fashion, the partaking the 
 meal under a tree, etc., etc., all have a charm for me. 
 
76 CAMPING OUT. 
 
 Had I only faith and love in large measure^ I could 
 "rejoice in the Lord." 
 
 The day before the last of the old year, i.e, 
 December 30///, 1878. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cooper's tent, pitched beside a few 
 trees on the roadside, on the outskirts of a small 
 village whose name I don't remember ! 
 
 We are a little beyond Bandhara, which you will 
 find in a map of India. It will be marked as situated 
 near the Weingunga River, which we crossed to- 
 day. I must tell you in what circumstances your 
 letter found me, for they were novel enough ! Well, 
 you must know that we were spending a few days at 
 a place called D'Orabella's Village, away from the 
 haunts of men, in a retired nook in the "jungle," shut 
 in from the outer world by lovely hills covered with 
 " bush," much of which bore a tassel of honey-scented 
 blossom, on a background of small white leaves, 
 which lit up the green shrub very prettily. The 
 owner of this village is a quiet, worthy man, a native 
 Christian, who dresses, however, like a European. He 
 taught in the Mission School in Nagpoor, in Mr. 
 Hislop's time, but he has since taken to farming. He 
 was very anxious that Mr. Cooper should visit him 
 and his family in their retirement, especially as he 
 had a little grandchild to be baptised, and his wife's 
 brother wished to make a profession of his faith in 
 
NATIVE HOSPITALITY. "]"] 
 
 Christ at the same time. Well, this simple-minded, 
 unpretending man treated our whole company with 
 the courtesy and munificence of a king. He and his 
 wife knew that they could not entertain Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cooper and myself comfortably at their own place, 
 consisting of huge shed-like enclosures for his 
 numerous family ; so they sent bountiful provision 
 down to our tents for us. We were there over Sun- 
 day, and Mr. Cooper had two services, held under the 
 shade of a thatched canopy, supported on wooden 
 poles all round, the walls being of ether, and the 
 poles merely acting as props to the roof. In the 
 morning the baptisms were performed in presence of 
 a good many of the unreclaimed natives, who had 
 come together to see what was going on. These 
 were addressed afterwards by Timothy, in Marathi, 
 and the sight of one man seated on the ground, just 
 in front of the speaker, his face softened into the 
 heavenly beauty begotten of believing adoration, 
 affected me considerably, together with the beautiful 
 statement of the gospel story being made by 
 Timothy, who gets quite enthusiastic as he narrates 
 instance after instance of the power put forth by 
 Jesus while on earth. The old man looked quite 
 "drunk up" with what he was hearing, as he sat 
 slowly moving his head in rapt contemplation. I 
 
 thought how such a sight would affect dear 
 
 who covets the possession of such a simple faith. 
 
CHAPTER Vlir. 
 
 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 " Rise a7id lift tJie yoke thai cart Ji-p owe? 
 Lays upofi weaii woinaiis necJ:^ 
 And with lureath of regal va tit age 
 Womanhood's meek brow bedeckP 
 
 AS time went on Alexina was admitted into 
 Brahman and other superior homes, and her 
 work continued to advance with many tokens of 
 encouragement. Sometimes she found the husbands 
 greatly averse to their wives being taught the true 
 rehgion, but her bright winning manner generally 
 overcame their prejudices. She says : — "The follow- 
 ing is the copy of a letter (in pencil) put into my 
 hand by the husband of a woman I was visiting in 
 the city the other day : 
 
 " ' My dear Madam,— 
 
 " * I hope you will excuse me to express my opinion 
 in regards teaching of our women. I am strictly of 
 opinion that no books or sermons on matters adverse 
 
 78 
 
A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER. 79 
 
 to the religion in which the learner is brought up 
 should be taught or preached, unless and until they 
 have acquired sufficient strength of mind not to be 
 led away by the superficial light. This strength, 
 I perceive, cannot be obtained unless they advance 
 in their study. For the present, I think you will 
 kindly stick to rudimentary teachings and needle- 
 work, and such other fine things which are essential 
 to a family woman. 
 
 " ' Yours faithfully, 
 
 "'NiLKANTTKAO.' 
 
 " ' My reply, written there and then : — 
 
 *' ' My dear Friend,— 
 
 " * I am very sorry to find that your mind is so 
 prejudiced against the religion of Jesus Christ, the 
 Saviour of the world. I cannot consent to keep 
 silence on this all-important subject, on the occasion 
 of my visits to your house. I suppose I must, there- 
 fore, discontinue my visits till your own mind be- 
 comes enlightened. 
 
 *' * Sincerely yours, etc., 
 
 " ' A. Mackay.' 
 
 " I was not allowed by the wife to leave the com- 
 pound till I had an interview with her husband, 
 in his private office, surrounded, as he was, by a 
 
8o IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 number of business friends ! I found him a most 
 pleasant man, and we had a long talk on the subject 
 in hand. As he had been educated in the city or 
 Government School, he had read a little of the Bible, 
 so I am going to give him one. That day I gave 
 him two Gospels in MarathI to begin with, and he 
 promised to study them." 
 
 After a little time Alexina was asked to return to 
 this man's house, as his wife missed her visits so 
 much. 
 
 It is most difficult to get Hindus to comprehend 
 the meaning of sin. They never ask their gods to 
 take away their sins. When they offer their idols 
 flowers and fruit, grain, or even animals, these are 
 as presents, not in the sense of sacrifice for sin. The 
 picture of heaven as a holy place is unintelligible 
 to the dark minds of the women ; but when told 
 that there " God shall wipe away all tears from their 
 eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 
 sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more 
 pain," then rapt attention is at once gained. 
 
 Gospel stories and the parables are particularly 
 suited to their modes of thought, but nothing so 
 commends itself to them as sacred song. Mr. C. E. 
 Chapman (late of the Indian Civil Service), in an 
 address at the discussion on the Missionary in Re- 
 lation to Literature, in connection with the Centenary 
 
SINGING THE GOSPEL. 8 1 
 
 Conference on Protestant Missions, says : — " Let me 
 also remind you how important a part hymnology 
 must play — how important it is to take the native 
 lute and to train up men who go into the villages 
 with their lutes to sing the gospel. We want the 
 gospel sung in such a way that every native, high 
 or low, shall listen to it — not to go in a stilted form, 
 just as a preacher will preach infinitely above the 
 heads of his audience, but to go right down and 
 take their modes of thought, and communicate to 
 them. We want to get down to the masses, to their 
 everyday life, and if we can, to saturate that with 
 the blessed principles of the gospel of Christ." The 
 Rev. John Hesse (Calw, Wiirtemberg) also says : — 
 " As to adapting our methods to the native taste — 
 singing the gospel, I once came to the great city 
 of Tanjore, and there I saw a fine building, half 
 Oriental and half European in style. I was told it 
 was the house of a native Christian singer and poet, 
 a member of the Lutheran Leipzig Missionary 
 Church in India. This man and his whole family 
 were given to singing the gospel. They had evening 
 meetings, chiefly during Passion Week, and the 
 natives used to flock in and hear the whole story 
 of the Passion of Christ, by singing." 
 
 Regarding this subject, Alexina writes : — " Two 
 incidents I may mention. One was my being pro- 
 
 M.R. 6 
 
82 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 mised a pice (a copper coin, less than \d. in value), 
 if I would sing a hymn to a crowd of people gathered 
 in and around the verandah of a house we had just 
 passed, towards which I had been looking with long- 
 ing eyes, feeling as if I should make up to it. Of 
 course the strolling native singers and the Gurus, 
 too, are paid for their services ! 
 
 " ' Without money, and without price ' has, on more 
 than one occasion, been a recommendation of our 
 message ! We had such a delightful time amongst 
 these people. One old blind man, sitting beside me, 
 had a long story to tell me, in the course of which 
 he was checked by his neighbour, who wished to 
 hear the end of my story about why I had left my 
 own land, etc. The blind man said that he had 
 heard me sing somewhere else, and had been longing 
 to hear me again ! 
 
 *' The second incident is, that as we were leaving 
 this house, a woman came up and regretted that she 
 had heard nothing. I said I would go to her house 
 if she would lead the way, and presently, hemmed 
 in by a mob which accompanied us, we found our- 
 selves in a beautifully clean outer room, facing the 
 street, into which we were welcomed by a devout- 
 looking old man, who proceeded to pay us homage, 
 as if we had been goddesses ! I had repeatedly to 
 check him, and tell him not to worship me ! He 
 
REJECTS WORSHIP. S^ 
 
 said, 'Is not God in you?' 'No/ I replied, per- 
 ceiving the fallacy underlying his question, for he 
 would have invested a consecrated stone with the 
 same honours, * but God is near me. He is present 
 with us, but Satan is in the hearts of some people 
 in the sense that God is in the hearts of others.* 
 I don't remember particularly the order of my re- 
 marks. Suffice it to say that in return for the tender 
 veneration in which I was held by this saintly- 
 looking old man, I tried to enlighten his mind in 
 some measure, while in his company, and left an 
 instructive little book with him, as he could read. 
 Do not think that I am well pleased with myself, 
 and self-satisfied, as I narrate these incidents. My 
 imagination is pleased, but oh, the heart knoweth 
 its own bitterness — and I am often ' ready to halt.' 
 What sweet, choice passages those were father sent 
 me for my birthday! The first: 'Be careful for 
 nothing,' etc., seems to be dear Mr. Cooper's life 
 motto ; he so often quotes it in prayer." 
 
 May 1st, 1879. 
 
 Some More of My Experiences in the City. 
 
 The other day, on entering the large Brahman 
 house I have often spoken of, we found it the scene 
 of an unusual amount of business. We were asked 
 
84 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 to go Upstairs, however, and, on getting seated, I 
 soon discovered what was going on. 
 
 In the lower verandah a couple of little boys were 
 seated, tailor-fashion, on a pair of square wooden 
 footstools, being taught their prayers, etc., by an 
 old Brahman ! They had newly been invested with 
 the Brahminical thread, which thread they must 
 prove themselves worthy of ! The little fellows were 
 quite devoid of clothing, only their bodies were 
 stained yellow all over with saffron, and their fore- 
 heads painted red, and ornamented with a white 
 pattern laid upon the background. Their heads were 
 shaved, too, all save the crown-lock, I suppose. If 
 you could only have seen the farce their teacher was 
 putting them through! Let me try to describe it. 
 Before them are arranged several brazen vessels, 
 some of them containing clean water, which the little 
 novices are directed to ladle out into the left hand, 
 which has immediately to be waved round the 
 head, and applied to the forehead and ear in quick 
 succession. After this the hands have to be quickly 
 clapped together, and the body whirled quickly 
 round. These ceremonies concluded, a number of 
 " muntras " have to be uttered, etc., etc. 
 
 The old Brahman teaching the little boys re- 
 sembled an old experienced nurse, who might be 
 excused taking liberties with her dull children, rather 
 
BRAHMAN CEREMONIES. 85 
 
 than a sacred teacher ; for, not only would he indulge 
 in a self-satisfied laugh in connection with a mistake 
 made, but he would firmly shake into obedience the 
 uninitiated little hand of the younger boy. 
 
 But, apart from the grotesqueness of the sight, 
 it was a sad one, and I tried to tell the older boys 
 who were looking on from the upper verandah, along 
 with myself, how valueless, in the sight of God, all 
 such external ceremonies are. 
 
 In a little while, a highly respectable English- 
 speaking young man came upstairs (we had been 
 asked to forego our instructions for once, and look 
 at what was going on), and entered into conversa- 
 tion with me. I shall describe part of our conversa- 
 tion : — 
 
 Indian youth — " How long have you been in this 
 country?" 
 
 " For about eighteen months, now." 
 
 " I suppose you are in employment?" 
 
 " How do you mean ? Yes, I go from house to 
 house to instruct the women." 
 
 " Yes, I know. You are a missionary, are you 
 not ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "You are not married, I suppose .?" 
 
 " No. In our country we don't marry until we 
 are quite grown up, and sometimes not at all." 
 
S6 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 " What is your age ? I suppose you are about 
 sixteen or seventeen ?" 
 
 (Aside,) (Oh, I did feel this rich !) 
 
 " Well, I am not in the habit of telling my age. I 
 will keep that to myself, if you have no objection." 
 
 " Oh, I have no objection. Do you belong to the 
 Unitarian or the Trinitarian party ?" 
 
 " Oh, the Trinitarian ; but we don't call ourselves 
 by that name. The Unitarians don't hold right 
 doctrine." 
 
 (The doctrine of the Trinity was a great mystery 
 to him. I told him no human mind could under- 
 stand it, that the finite mind could not grasp the 
 Infinite, and told him the story of the gentleman 
 who used the simple illustration to a friend of the 
 clover-leaf, which, though divided into three, is still 
 one.) Then, he could not get himself to believe, he 
 said, that a merciful God would punish the innocent, 
 in the person of His own Son, for the guilty. Why 
 could He not have forgiven man without this ? I 
 told him that God could not lay aside His justice, and 
 pointed out to him that Jesus willingly offered Him- 
 self in our room. The question of original sin, too, 
 he took up. He told me they believe that we inherit 
 no sin, and that if we act according to conscience, 
 we will be saved. I asked him what he made of the 
 fact that little children, before they know right from 
 
A CRITICAL INQUIRER. 87 
 
 wrong, give way to angry passions, striking their 
 own mothers when they are crossed? He replied 
 that they were not responsible at that age, but he 
 couldn't deny that it proved that sin was in them. 
 As to acting according to the light of conscience, 
 I told him that since sin came into the world, our 
 consciences had become darkened, referring him (for 
 he was educated in the Mission School) to the perse- 
 cution of the Christians conscientiously carried on 
 by Saul of Tarsus, etc. 
 
 Then he asked me what came of all the people 
 who lived in the world before Jesus Christ came. In 
 reply, I told him that as soon as man fell, God inti- 
 mated the coming of a Saviour, and appointed sacri- 
 fices as a symbol of the Great Sacrifice that would 
 one day be offered, and that all who believingly 
 looked forward to the coming Saviour were saved. 
 After this and much more had passed between us, 
 I told him I did not think he should ask any more 
 questions to unsettle his mind, adding, that I would 
 like to make one remark in closing our conversation, 
 namely, that the religion of Jesus Christ taught men 
 to care for the salvation of others, whereas they were 
 content to be saved themselves ! To this he replied : 
 " No. If I had been able to instruct in our religion 
 from the beginning,.! think I would have got you 
 to believe it ; but you have grown up in the Christian 
 
88 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 belief." I asked him if he did not himself think it a 
 great delusion to teach the two little boys to depend 
 for salvation on the absurd outward ceremonies they 
 were being initiated into, seeing that God, who is 
 a Spirit, looks to the heart ! He said these cere- 
 monies were not necessary, and that many additions 
 had been made to their religion — that it was origin- 
 ally much purer. To this I replied : " Well, do you 
 not see that whatever has its origin in man gets 
 into a more and more corrupted state ? " 
 
 We parted very good friends. I showed him my 
 likenesses, and offered him any book he might fancy 
 out of my bag. He wished for an English book, 
 however. He said it was no matter on what sub- 
 ject it was, and I mean to give him a copy of " The 
 Pilgrim's Progress." He occupies a very good posi- 
 tion, under Government, in a neighbouring town. 
 Mr. Cooper says he used to be very well behaved 
 and a good scholar when at school, and it seems 
 he once showed the mission party great kindness 
 when they were out on tour, if I mistake not. He 
 told me he liked very much to have a conversation 
 on religious subjects, and that there was no one 
 he could speak with where he is settled. I assured 
 him I was very glad we had met. The book is to 
 be sent to him through his mother or wife, who 
 lives in Nagpoor (the latter is only betrothed, as 
 
NATIVE VISITORS. 89 
 
 yet, I understand), and is about to visit him. I 
 hope God will bless it to him. 
 
 [To her Sister M.) 
 
 Zenana Mission Bungalow, Nagpoor. 
 
 July ()th, 1879. 
 I have just bid good-bye to a native woman I 
 brought up with me, along with her little girl, from 
 the city, that they might see my bungalow ! — Moty- 
 abai, whose name you may remember, and Laonybai. 
 Motyabai had long promised herself this treat, but 
 her husband's gharree is not always at her com- 
 mand, as it is required away at a village owned 
 by him ; therefore Checnie and I gave her a seat 
 in our own. She was greatly pleased with every- 
 thing she saw. First, I brought her in with me to 
 Mrs. Cooper's attractive-looking bungalow, asking 
 her and the little girl to sit on a couch and look 
 about them for a little, while I ate my breakfast. 
 (Of course, to have partaken with me would have 
 been fairly to break their caste, though their pre- 
 judices are greatly broken down.) I may mention 
 that, true to the Eastern fashion, my friend didn't 
 come empty-handed, but brought with her a few 
 mangoes, and a small wicker-work basket, full of 
 " meetae," native sweetmeat, as an offering, to be 
 shared by Mrs. Cooper and myself I showed her, 
 
90 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 as the first curiosity, a piece of loaf (doable rotee) 
 as they call it, then the wheat porridge I was break- 
 fasting off (called by her, gungee). Meantime, Mrs. 
 Cooper had come in to speak to my visitors, who 
 had the politeness of feeling to stand when she 
 entered ! Mrs. Cooper graciously received the above- 
 mentioned offerings, much as a queen might do, 
 she, the stout lady, sitting, quite at home, on a 
 chair, while her courtiers, a pair of timid, barefooted 
 native women, approached, offering them to her in 
 a couple of plates, hastily removed from the break- 
 fast-table for the purpose ! Then Mrs. Cooper 
 gratified their curiosity by taking them into her 
 bedroom, the study, etc., all the time speaking away 
 to them in their own language (according to her 
 rendering of it) in just those cheerful, re-assuring 
 tones you use when engaged in conversation with 
 little children, to whom the uneducated natives bear 
 a striking likeness in their simplicity. After this 
 they were taken out to the schoolroom, to see the 
 children in their nice building, and hear them sing 
 a hymn, and then I ushered them into my little 
 mansion, and showed them everything, letting them 
 peep into my chest of drawers, etc., with a view both 
 of entertaining them and developing their intelli- 
 gence. Afterwards I played to them on Mrs. 
 Cooper's beautiful harmonium, time still being on 
 
MASTERING MARATHI. 9 1 
 
 our hand (for we had to wait for the return of Ram 
 Chunee, my gharree-man, to drive them back to the 
 city, when it would be time for Miss Duncan to go 
 on her rounds). 
 
 I trust I am really on the fair way to speak 
 Marathi now, for I got on unaided with Motyabai, 
 during that hour or two, wonderfully well, and I 
 do launch out at some length every now and then, 
 in the city, in the hearing of a considerable com- 
 pany ! Of course I have always one of the girls 
 at my elbow, upon whom I can fall back, when 
 I am in want of a word. I was quite pleased, one 
 day, lately, to overhear an active-looking, elderly 
 Brahman, who took his seat in the midst of a com- 
 pany gathered round us, remarking, with pleased 
 astonishment, that I was reading just like one of 
 themselves ! I do not feel at all proud of my ac- 
 quirements in connection with the language, but I 
 am glad to be assured that my pronunciation is 
 pure, and my utterance distinct, and therefore 
 intelligible. 
 
 I have had such a nice little experience, lately, 
 in connection with a house I asked leave to enter ! 
 The lad coming out of the gate, to whom I ad- 
 dressed myself, was willing enough, but the few 
 people sitting in the verandah did not understand 
 what I could have to say to them 1 Not easily 
 
92 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 overcome, however, we maintained the footing we 
 had got, offering to sing a hymn, and presently 
 quite a little gathering took place, amongst which 
 was one intelligent boy, who attends our Free 
 Church Institution. His little sister, with such a 
 superior little Brahman face, was there, too, and we 
 secured her as a reading pupil. She had begun to 
 learn with me, as I recognised, in a neighbouring 
 house, but had been withdrawn almost immediately. 
 The other day, yesterday, on calling there, we found 
 that the morning meal was going on, a ceremony 
 neither to be disturbed nor hastened, being con- 
 sidered a religious act (a lesson to us). A messenger 
 who had been despatched from another house entered 
 the yard, just on our arrival, however, and asked us 
 to follow him, which we did, anon finding ourselves 
 the centre of attraction in a large company gathered 
 in a roomy verandah ! I immediately recognised 
 my friend, the Brahman school-boy, whose home 
 this was, not the other house, and around him were 
 the various members of a most respectable household, 
 besides some Brahman boys from an adjoining house. 
 The father, whose portly figure I caught sight of 
 as he stood, taking his bath in a small adjoining 
 room, the door of which was wide open, called out 
 quite frankly : " Salaam ! salaam ! " making some of 
 the others laugh by doing so in the circumstances ; 
 
A NATIVE SCHOOL. 93 
 
 for, of course, except that he had on a kind of " bath- 
 ing pants," he was devoid of any other encumbrance. 
 I used to wish to turn up this lane, fancying from 
 the buzz of voices there must be a school there, 
 or, at least, a gathering of some kind! We sang, 
 and I read- a capital chapter from " The Summary 
 of Scripture Doctrine," arguing with the listeners on 
 the subject of idolatry, as best I could, afterwards, 
 and no one opposed us. Then the little girl got her 
 lesson. Her brother had been helping her, so that 
 she did remarkably well. She is to get a " dollie " 
 when she can read. " Gungubai " is her name. 
 
 {To Mrs. Colonel Yoinig) 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 July 18///, 1879. 
 
 I have been very much cheered in connection with 
 my visiting, within the past few days, so that I feel 
 inclined to tell you a little about my experiences. 
 
 Some time ago you may remember that we made 
 bold to go up to a Native School, which was held 
 in a large verandah facing the street^ in hope of 
 securing some openings through the influence of the 
 master, or, at least, of being allowed to sing a hymn 
 or two to the assembled children (all boys, of course). 
 Well, we were allowed to sing, but, although we paid 
 a second visit soon after, to inquire as to the result 
 
94 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 of the intimation made to the children of our readi- 
 ness to visit their homes, we had no encouragement 
 given us, as no one wished to learn ! 
 
 On a subsequent day, however, we heard that a 
 woman living in an upper storey of the building was 
 very anxious to see us. This was good news, and 
 we soon presented ourselves in the large verandah, 
 from which the school had adjourned somewhere 
 else, to inquire after her. We got rather a rough 
 reception, however, from an old Brahman, who had 
 lain down to sleep there. He told us we " had no 
 concern with them, indeed," so that we had to with- 
 draw, concluding that the poor woman who wished 
 to see us must have her difficulties in getting her 
 desire gratified. On hearing that it was still her 
 wish that we should call, we returned on another day, 
 but though not repulsed as before, we had again to 
 retire, as a feast was being given to a company of 
 Brahmans within ! 
 
 Well, once again, a few days ago, we had a direct 
 call from the woman herself, as we were passing, and 
 soon we were surrounded, not only by a little com- 
 pany of women with such kindly faces, in the 
 centre of which was our own special friend, in the 
 shape of a Brahman widow ; but a large gathering 
 from outside, consisting of men, youths and children, 
 grouped round us, and listened very quietly to some 
 
NEW OPPORTUNITIES. 95 
 
 of the most stirring hymns selected by us, as well as 
 to a plain statement I read to them from a little 
 book, concerning the true way of salvation. 
 
 As we were taking leave of this company, several 
 of the women from other houses urged us to visit 
 their homes too, which we were only too glad to do, 
 finding new opportunities in the circle of friends 
 connected with each. 
 
 The young native teacher of another school to 
 which we introduced ourselves came up to our 
 gharree the other day, and asked us to visit his 
 mother-in-law (Sassoo), sending a boy along with us 
 to show the way. Here we had a capital opportunity, 
 a number of women crowding in, while several men 
 and boys seated themselves in the little courtyard. 
 The teacher himself joined us, and graciously granted 
 permission to his shy-looking wife to learn to read, 
 along with another member of the company, who had 
 consented to become a pupil. 
 
 Several wished to be taught to make topees, but 
 our general rule is that reading (in its preliminary 
 stage) must be acquired first. We make an excep- 
 tion in the case of elderly women and Mussulmanees, 
 who do not always care to learn to read Marathi, 
 Hindustani being their language. I hope, if spared, 
 to acquire this second very important language after 
 I have got a better hold of Marathi. 
 
g6 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 While sitting in a certain house one morning, 
 about to begin our first hymn, a young minstrel, a 
 religious beggar of some sort, appeared in the yard. 
 He had a tambourine, or some such musical instru- 
 ment, in his hand, and we allowed him to treat us to 
 one of his songs, afterwards asking him to listen to 
 us. He had been singing about one of their heroes, 
 Sukaram by name, as he informed me. I told him 
 our song was about the true God, who filled heaven 
 and earth, and had created us and everything. When 
 we had finished singing, he asked us for a hymn- 
 book. Now these hymn-books cost four annas, i.e. 
 about 6d., and on ordinary occasions we insist on the 
 payment of this small sum, if the person soliciting it 
 seems to be in comfortable circumstances, otherwise 
 there would be no end to our gratuities. In this case, 
 however, in consideration that the young man in 
 question could read (in itself a rare accomplishment) 
 and moreover, that he made his living by song- 
 singing, and might himself unconsciously become a 
 propagator of the true religion if he took to singing 
 our hymns, or even carrying them about with him, I 
 made one over to him, as well as the little First Book, 
 containing so much Christian instruction. Meeting 
 him since at another house, I was able to give him a 
 little book written by one of our missionaries, con- 
 taining the history of /lis hero, Sukaram ! We 
 
STROLLING MUSICIANS. 97 
 
 frequently invite these strolling musical or other 
 mendicants to sit down and listen to a hymn, when 
 they call at the houses we are visiting, and some of 
 them are really attentive, intelligent and interesting- 
 looking, living, as they do, a simple, dependent 
 life, in conscientious conformity with the manner of 
 life of their forefathers. Their stated visits to their 
 neighbours are taken as a matter of course — the 
 handful of grain being at once brought out and 
 bestowed as well as received in silence ! 
 
 We began to visit such an interesting little house- 
 hold, lately, consisting of the head of the house, a 
 most respectable man, his delicate wife, and two fine 
 boys, who attend our Free Church Institution. The 
 father is, I think, the most interested listener. He 
 seats himself quite docilely in our midst, his little 
 family round him, just like some decent Scotchman 
 at a " Diet of Catechising," acquiescing in every 
 statement made, and even supplementing a little 
 from his own conviction of what is the truth. The 
 house this man lives in is not at all like a native's. 
 It resembles rather one of these small, box-like 
 observatories, occupied by the pointsmen on the 
 " line," and is so clean and well-lighted. The room 
 we generally sit in is reached from without by 
 means of a narrow stair along the wall. Our friend 
 learned his business— that of a scientific mechanic, in 
 
 M.R. 7 
 
98 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 Bombay, and one day, after having bestowed the most 
 lovely wreaths of fresh red roses upon us, together 
 with a large parcel of native sweets, wrapped up, 
 according to custom, in withered leaves, we were 
 treated in his little garden to a rather entertaining 
 sight, namely, the action of a jet of water made to 
 play, fountain-like, by means of machinery constructed 
 by himself, upon a metal ball thrown into the centre 
 of the little net-work contrivance. The water was 
 utilised as well, for a bed of healthy-looking cresses 
 lay at the bottom of the fountain, and got nicely 
 watered while we were being entertained. 
 
 It was rather amusing to discover that Mr. Douglas, 
 whose gharree we had shared, had found his way to 
 the house of our native friends in quest of us, as we 
 were being detained longer than usual ! Of course 
 his appearance in our midst, or rather the news that 
 he was approaching, was a signal for the mother to 
 beat a hasty retreat to the house ! She looked out 
 upon us from the window, however — a grated opening, 
 it must have been — and seemed to enjoy seeing the 
 sahib, to whom Amundibai immediately transferred 
 her wreath of roses. The funniest custom is the 
 presenting one with a tiny piece of wadding at the 
 end of a splinter of wood, dipped in sandal-wood oil, 
 that you may squeeze out the contents and anoint 
 yourself therewith. If you feel reluctant to do this, 
 
ANOINTING. 99 
 
 the kind hands of your hostess soon perform upon 
 you instead ! I was urged to transfer the little 
 scented sponge to my ear (the upper part of it) by one 
 friend, but I preferred lodging it in my handkerchief. 
 Visitors of the male sex frequently come to 
 see my bungalow ! One day six men honoured me 
 with a visit, simultaneously. I knew one of them, as 
 we visit his wife. After we had conversed for a 
 little, the request for a hymn was proffered, and it 
 was suggested that the young friend from the 
 Orphanage, who usually accompanies me to the 
 city, should be sent for to help me ! Accordingly 
 my friend himself stepped over the way to ask 
 Dnyanapoo to come, and soon we were doing our 
 best to entertain and edify our friends. To gratify 
 curiosity I had to favour them with one or two 
 specimens in English as well ! I do so like to come 
 across the school -boys in the city, and we are often 
 sought out by them, and even followed here and 
 there. They are intelligent, and can read. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Alexina Mackay. 
 
lOO IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 {To a Young Friend) 
 
 Zenana Mission Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 January i^th, 1879. 
 
 Thank you very much for your loving and lovely 
 gifts, so unexpectedly discovered in the heart of my 
 home parcel. It was delicious to find myself all at 
 once surrounded by such a dear little family of 
 pussies and doggies, and to feel that somebody, all 
 unknown to me, had been thinking so kindly of me. 
 
 I would like to tell you about the marriage of a 
 native Christian here, at which I was present the 
 other day. The bridegroom was Elisha, who teaches 
 in Mrs. Cooper's Orphanage, and his bride's name 
 was Martha. She seemed quite pleased to become 
 his third wife, for two former wives have died ! 
 After the usual admonitions were given, and the 
 marriage knot tied, the little bride's-maids hurried 
 forward, laden with long wreaths of white jessamine- 
 like flowers, and presently all the principal people in 
 the room looked quite grand. Then a tray of ''pan " 
 (that funny roll of leaves from the betel-nut tree, 
 with spices inside) was handed round, and afterwards 
 a bottle of perfume was freely lavished upon us. 
 While this was going on, Virima, the matron of the 
 Orphanage, assisted by some of the girls, sang some 
 lively sacred songs, suitable for the occasion, and 
 
WITHOUT CEREMONY. lOI 
 
 after a good deal of shaking of hands, etc., we dis- 
 persed. I daresay there would be a supper given in 
 the bride's house in the evening, but the guests 
 would feel more at home without us, as we could 
 hardly manage to sit and eat in their way. 
 
 Some of the women I visit in the city have been 
 extra kind to me just now, because they are glad to 
 see me back from the district. In one house a tray 
 full of strange-looking fancy cakes of their own 
 making, as well as a good deal of fruit, was presented 
 to me. How to carry it home I didn't know, but 
 the difficulty was soon got over by a mantle being 
 brought out — a large cloth or kapura, as they call 
 it — which had evidently been worn by some one I 
 Into this the fruit was unceremoniously turned, and 
 duly stowed away in our gharree. The native chil- 
 dren in the Orphanage thought it very good, I have 
 no doubt, for I made most of it over to them. 
 
 I greatly amused some of my friends this morning 
 by trying to turn the large, heavy upper mill-stone, 
 at which two of them were engaged grinding wheat. 
 They called out that I could never manage it, but I 
 did make at least one round, by dint of a great deal 
 of effort. 
 
 Yesterday such a nice little boy led the way for us 
 to his home, where we found his mother and some 
 other friends waiting for us. Almost immediately a 
 
I02 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 wreath of splendid roses was thrown round my neck, 
 and this the month of January, remember ! and the 
 usual refreshment of betel-nut offered, after which we 
 sang and explained a nice hymn. A little baby of a 
 month old was shown to us. The mother wishes to 
 be taught to read and make topees soon. The boy 
 is very anxious to learn English, but his father will 
 not pay the school fees. He is a selfish man, and 
 spends the money on himself The grandfather was 
 an educated man ; he taught in a school founded by 
 a famous missionary, now dead, a Mr. Hislop. He 
 almost made up his mind to profess Christianity. I 
 do hope the way will be opened up for my little 
 friend, for he has a very interesting face, and I would 
 like him to become a good man, and to preach to his 
 countrymen. I would give something for his school- 
 ing myself, but Mr. Cooper says the fees are so small 
 that any one anxious can meet them, and those who 
 are educated for nothing do not prize their privileges. 
 We'll see ! He can read Marathi very well. I gave 
 him a religious little book one day ; I hope it will be 
 blessed to him. 
 Good-bye, dear, 
 
 Your loving friend, 
 Alexin A Mack ay. 
 
IN MANY TONGUES. IO3 
 
 ( To her Father) 
 
 My Little Bungalow, 
 
 September yd, 1 879. 
 I have had my heart cheered to-day by the kind- 
 ness shown me in a Mohammedan house which it 
 used to be a trial to visit, on account of its dirt and 
 disorder. I was invited to a feast there ! and I felt it 
 right to accept of the invitation. Well, Karoona and 
 I, on our arrival, went through the usual lessons and 
 instruction, though the cold part of our collation was 
 already spread for us on a wooden coiich covered with 
 a clean duster-like cloth ! I made the pleasing dis- 
 covery meanwhile, that several nice-looking young 
 women amongst them could read fluently in Urdu 
 (though of course not in Marathi) from a Gospel I 
 had brought in my bag in that character ; and as I 
 had also taken a copy of the New Testament in the 
 Roman character with me, we were able to follow 
 each other wonderfully well ! Another pleasant ex- 
 perience I had when a hymn (wholly unintelligible 
 to me, because in Hindustani, not Marathi) brought 
 tears into the eyes of a stout woman amongst the 
 listeners, who had been trying to show me that the 
 Koran is the revelation to them as the Bible is to us ! 
 I begin to reap the firstfruits of persevering in visit- 
 ing all who call me, be their language what it may, 
 
I04 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 and their motive what it may, in inviting me. My 
 impressions on this head were a little shaken on dis- 
 covering how certain others had resolved to stick 
 to Marathi-speaking people, with a view to doing 
 more efficient work, and also (which does not com- 
 mend itself to me) with a view to keep oneself in 
 pure Marathi ; but the bright idea occurred to me 
 lately, that I could order copies of Gospels in all the 
 different lauguages spoken around us, and use them 
 in exceptional circumstances. In carrying out this 
 idea I have been able to give Gospels in Gujerathi to 
 the Parsees while teaching them English, in Telugu 
 and Tamil to the Madrasees, and so on, in this way 
 meeting the exigency in some measure, and having 
 an opportunity of " holding forth the word of life " to 
 the very mixed population in this centre of the 
 Central Provinces ! 
 
 The other day I found that in a round of visiting, 
 Dnyanapoo and I had been using as mediums six 
 different languages, viz., Marathi, Hindustani, Ben- 
 gali, Telugu, Tamil, and English ! Dnyanapoo knows 
 something of all these, strange to say (for she came 
 originally from Southern India), with the. exception 
 of Bengali. Besides these languages one occasionally 
 meets with a mixed kind, spoken by Purdeshis, and 
 some can read Hindi, but not the kindred Marathi 
 character. 
 
A YOUNG BRIDE. IO5 
 
 I have got such an interesting photograph to send 
 you of a newly married native girl, who is likely to be 
 my pupil one day. She is the young ten-year-old 
 wife of the Kali Baboo's eldest son. The marriage 
 has taken place, but she will remain in her parents' 
 house in Calcutta for a year or two ; yet I was saying 
 to the Baboo, that if she adorns her mind as liberally 
 as she has done her body, she will be an accomplished 
 lady! Mrs. Lumsden and the ladies attending the 
 Monthly Prayer Meeting would like to see it, no 
 doubt, and when they have seen it, I think you might 
 send it on sight to Mrs. Col. Young, to whom I mean 
 to write anon. The girl can read and write Bengali, 
 but she has probably never read a Christian book. 1 
 hope she will come on a visit before she comes to 
 stay. 
 
 I forgot to finish up about the feast provided for 
 me in the Mohammedan house. It was really a very 
 creditable one, and pressed upon me very affection- 
 ately. I wished dearest mother and all could have 
 had a peep at us. Water was poured on my hands 
 before and after the meal by one of the serving 
 women, and garlands ornamented with silken paper 
 hung round my neck thereafter. 
 
 Much love to you all, my very dear ones. 
 
I06 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 ( To her Mother.) 
 
 My Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 SeMember 30//^, 1879. 
 
 I will write to you to-day, and give you some 
 account of my experiences since yesterday morning, 
 as they have been more varied than usual ! Well, 
 shortly after seven o'clock in the morning I set out in 
 my little bullock-gharree for Kampthi, having still 
 some business to attend to there, connected with my 
 proposed visits to Punah and Bombay. The morning 
 was cool and pleasant, and I was in rather a happy 
 rame of mind. On I went then, enjoying my own 
 thoughts, circling round nice re-assuring texts for the 
 most part ; for, were it not that " in the multitude of 
 my thoughts within me, God's comforts delight my 
 soul " from time to time, it would be indeed ill with 
 me ! 
 
 At last I neared the " Halfway House," as it is 
 called, where people often change bullocks, etc., but 
 meantime my youthful gharree-man (his brother 
 Ram Chun's substitute, as the latter had " fever ") 
 began to look suspiciously at one of the wheels of 
 the vehicle, and on inquiry I found that a break- 
 down had occurred ! What was wrong I did not 
 exactly know, but the black fluid tar that ought to 
 have been retained as a lubricating lotion for the 
 
A BREAK-DOWN. IO7 
 
 wheel's axle was pouring down on the road, while 
 the wheel itself was ajee. There I stood, revolving 
 in my mind what was to be done, and demanding of 
 my boy driver, '' Ky kala pohejoy ?" (What is to be 
 done ?) Just at this juncture two natives came along 
 in a smart tonga, drawn by a horse, and judging from 
 the appearance of one of them that he was an edu- 
 cated man, I asked if he could speak English ! I 
 found that he could, and this set me more at my 
 ease, so that I at once explained my dilemma to 
 him, and asked if he would very kindly give me a 
 seat back to Nagpoor in his conveyance. To this 
 he consented with the utmost possible politeness 
 and suavity, expressing himself as feeling highly 
 honoured in having me in his gharree, and only 
 afraid I would not be comfortable ! (A bit of affec- 
 tation this, since his was superior to my own !) 
 He made his footman, who had before been sitting 
 behind, run alongside of us ; but this is the custom 
 here when style is kept up. Sometimes there are 
 two of these runners keeping a look-out in case of 
 obstructions being in the way. 
 
 We left directions with Kago, my driver, to try to 
 get the wheel temporarily repaired, and then to follow 
 me home — neither of which (perhaps impracticable) 
 directions the little man attended to, as will be seen 
 hereafter ! On entering into conversation with my 
 
T08 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 new friend (a distant connexion of the Good 
 Samaritan, I should say!), I found that he was not 
 an idolater like his countrymen, but neither was he 
 a Christian. He belongs to a sect calling itself the 
 Theosophistic Society, concerning the tenets of 
 which I began to read in a magazine he had with 
 him. I did not get far enough on with it to enable 
 me to discover these ; but I read one sentence in 
 which the opposition of the system to Christianity, 
 in common with every other professed religion, was 
 undisguisedly stated. This led me into a conversa- 
 tion with my companion on the true source of spirit- 
 ual light, and I urged him not to rest satisfied until 
 he had examined into the claims of the Christian 
 religion, and I assured him that if he was really 
 anxious to be led into the light, and besought God to 
 guide him, he would be directed into the right path. 
 He promised me so to do, and in consequence of a 
 desire I expressed to get a copy of the magazine he 
 had showed me, he promised to try to supply me 
 with one. In speaking of the various opinions men 
 hold in regard to what is the true system of religion, 
 he used the figure of a man's feeling puzzled on 
 hearing three different verdicts as to one and the same 
 colour (reminding one of the story of the chameleon). 
 I suggested to him that the fault might be, and is, in 
 the diseased eyes of the onlookers, which need to be 
 
TRIES AGAIN. IO9 
 
 enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God, the Source of 
 all truth. 
 
 At length I was deposited at Mr. Cooper's door. 
 We all thanked the stranger for his kindness, after 
 which he asked and obtained permission to take his 
 leave. 
 
 "The casualty did not prevent my carrying out my 
 plan of going to Kampthi, for Mr. Whitton's old 
 tonga was at my service, and the other pair of bul- 
 locks, so that, after taking a little breakfast, I set out 
 again, and this time reached my destination all right. 
 On arriving at the part of the road where the break- 
 down had occurred, we found the little gora wala 
 (driver), nothing abashed, about to eat his morning 
 meal, which he had prepared in my absence ! I saw 
 a huge chupatti^ ie. scone, as thick as a " harvest- 
 roll," in the distance, and he seemed to have some- 
 thing in the shape of kitchiey probably in the curry 
 line, to eat with it. After he had breakfasted by my 
 permission, for I gave him ten minutes' grace (not 
 looking at my watch in the matter, however), he 
 resumed the journey with me, the other driver being 
 deemed more competent to see after getting the 
 broken gharree home. I was brought into giving 
 the latter a rupee to get himself a new " puggery " 
 (turban), as he had to use his own (probably a rag, 
 many years ago) to tie up the wheel with ! 1 did 
 
no IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 not grudge it to him, however, poor creature, only 
 that I wondered at the amount he mentioned as 
 necessary to obtaining it, when I asked him, thinking 
 smaller things might do with him ! Like a wise 
 man he determined to make hay while the sun shone, 
 however, and he even added two annas himself, that 
 he might get just what he wanted ! 
 
 {To her Sister J .) 
 
 My Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 October 1 1 th, 1 879. 
 It now occurs to me to tell you something tragic, 
 with which I was brought into contact the other 
 week! You remember that I had to set out a second 
 time for Kampthi, on account of the break-down of 
 my gharree ? Well, before leaving the station (See- 
 tabaldi as ours is called, Nagpoor being the name 
 of the city) I drove up to Mr. Douglas's bungalow, 
 to tell him of my fortunes, and while talking to 
 him, my attention was turned to a crowd of people at 
 the corner of the road I was to take. The explana- 
 tion of it was that two dead bodies, that of a man 
 and woman, respectively, had been discovered in an 
 adjoining compound, victims of the midnight mur- 
 derer ! who had deprived them of life to get hold of 
 
ALONE, YET. NOT ALONE. Ill 
 
 some jewels they had on. The bodies were being 
 carried to the hospital, under supervision of some 
 policemen, and I passed first one and then another ! 
 The words : " He (Satan) was a murderer from the 
 beginning," occurred to me, as I contemplated the 
 awful spectacle, and I said to myself, " So this is the 
 character of him who would insinuate himself as the 
 indulgent guide of the soul, and lead it to depart 
 from God, as from an austere master ! Well may 
 we turn with loathing, from the author of such deeds 
 of darkness, and follow the Light of the world, who 
 may, indeed, lead His children along a narrow, 
 strait, uphill path ; but who promises that it will end 
 in perfect day. You will be glad to know that the 
 perpetrators of the shocking crime were arrested 
 soon after, in the train, being intercepted as they 
 thought to effect their escape. 
 
 But what I wanted specially to tell you was this. 
 On my return from Kampthi, next day, I felt in- 
 clined to be a little "eerie" at the thought of spend- 
 ing the night alone in my little bungalow*; but I 
 suppressed the thought, saying to myself, Is not God 
 able to take care of me ? You remember, dear sis- 
 ter, your directing my attention to the ninety-first 
 Psalm, with a view to my taking it as my Indian 
 
 * For three years, she was quite alone at night, as her native 
 assistants and the servants slept in their own homes. 
 
112 IN AND OUT 05: THE ZENANAS. 
 
 pillow of repose in all times of peril ? Well, after 
 this, I had occasion to emerge into the moonlight 
 for the purpose of opening a door from the outside, 
 as the bolt had fallen into the socket, so that I could 
 not enter from the inside ; and having done this, I 
 prepared for bed, and retired, finding, on getting 
 up in the morning, that I had forgotten to fasten my 
 large outside door, which stood half-open, just as I 
 had left it on the preceding night ! Only the thin 
 purdah, or curtain, on its iron slide, had separated 
 me and all my property (and it is very pilgrim-like 
 in its appearance), from the eye and hand of any 
 member or members of the heathen public. 
 
 Next letter must be a " missionary " one. I have 
 lots to tell. Good houses are being opened, and 
 much favour is being granted me in the eyes of their 
 
 occupants. But poor A officially and personally 
 
 are two very different beings ! 
 
 " For still I watch and struggle. 
 And still I live in hope. 
 And still I in my agony 
 With Babylon (Apollyon) must cope." 
 
 But you know what follows. May it be the happy 
 experience of all ! 
 
GAINING EXPERIENCE. I 1 3 
 
 {To her Sister M .) 
 
 Free Church Mission, Punah, 
 
 October 25///, 1879. 
 
 The scene is once more changed for me, you see. 
 I arrived here, two days ago, after a wonderfully 
 pleasant journey. Mr. Douglas got up early on 
 Wednesday morning, and accompanied me to the 
 station, to meet the train that left at five o'clock. I 
 got into a carriage all by myself, my return ticket 
 costing R. 45=;f4 \os. I have Pikoo with me, too, 
 but he travelled third class, his single ticket costing 
 R. II. It was only the recognition of the fact 
 that in this country every one is expected to have 
 his or her own servant, that led me to take him. 
 There is one comfort, however, in the reflection that 
 I save my month's boards while away visiting, and 
 should I be away for two months, this would save 
 R. 6o = ;£"6, so greatly helping to defray my expenses. 
 
 Apart from this monetary view of the matter, I am 
 sure you will all think it well I should be adding to 
 my missionary experience, as I will have a glorious 
 opportunity of doing, in the course of my stay both 
 here and in Bombay, not to speak of any directly 
 personal gain I may acquire. I will tell you a little 
 about my journey. I enjoyed the first stage of it 
 perhaps, best, I was feeling well, happy and hope- 
 
 m.r. 8 
 
114 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 ful. The complete change, too, was so nice. Every- 
 thing looked so bright and beautiful in the clear 
 morning air. The sun rose like a huge ball of burn- 
 ished gold, from behind a mountain summit in the 
 distance, reminding me of P.'s appreciative rejoicings 
 over celestial sights far less imposing. 
 
 In an adjoining carriage were Mrs. Col. M 
 
 and her daughter from Nagpoor, and they were very 
 
 kind and mindful of me. Miss M , the handsome, 
 
 fashionable, but bright, unaffected girl, looked in on 
 me, now and then, to see how I was getting on, 
 asking me if I had had a cup of tea, bringing me a 
 quilt to lie down upon, and finally handing me over a 
 beautiful tender fowl, her mother and she did not 
 want, as they were nearing their journey's end. These 
 kind attentions awoke feelings of the warmest grati- 
 tude in my heart, and I thought how much obliged 
 my father and mother would also be, were they aware 
 
 of it. Miss M and I got weighed at one station 
 
 — she turning out to be about nine stones (she is tall, 
 but thin, just a growing girl), while I have shaken 
 down into the ladylike proportions of six stones 
 and twelve pounds. 
 
 A party of natives came in beside me at one 
 station, by some mistake, for the carrriage was 
 
 meant for the use of ladies only. Miss M got 
 
 this put right for me by an appeal to the guard. 
 
MINISTERING TO TRAVELLERS. II 5 
 
 Wasn't she kind ? A little further on, two Eurasian 
 girls joined me, but their presence was rather a 
 diversion to me. These East Indians, occupying as 
 as they do, a middle platform, between the European 
 and native element in society, are quite a study in 
 dress, etc. One of these "young ladies " had what I 
 consider a Jewish style of face, and she had on an 
 elegant gold chain, fine earrings, rings and bracelets. 
 Her companion was more commonplace, but she 
 also had some pretensions to being fine. I soon 
 entered into conversation with them, offering the 
 finer of the two the little sketch of Frances Ridley 
 Havergal's life, and telling them why I had come to 
 India, etc. I was able to relieve the nervous head- 
 ache of the other, by saturating her handkerchief 
 with Rimmel's toilet vinegar. In return, I was 
 asked to partake of a beautiful dish of curry and 
 rice they had brought with them for their dinner ! 
 The meal had been prepared by the fashionable one 
 herself, and the rice was so perfectly cooked that I 
 inquired how it was done. 
 
 On reaching, late at night, a certain junction, and 
 having to change carriages, I was put in beside a 
 distracted Irish woman, who was proceeding to 
 Bombay with her three children, loudly lamenting 
 the death of her husband, who had succumbed to an 
 attack of dysentery on the way, having started with 
 
Il6 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 her on the journey. He was on his way to Ireland, 
 to Cork, actually, to enjoy the pension he had earned. 
 Truly an opportunity was here afforded me of showing 
 mercy to the distressed, and I was glad to embrace 
 it by drawing her thoughts upward to the God of the 
 widow, and ministering to her bodily wants a little, 
 for I could get the fasting woman a cup of tea, which 
 she drank off greedily, though she could not eat, lend 
 her a warm wrap, etc. I bethought me of pencilling 
 a note for Dr. Townsend, whose name she knew quite 
 well, in hope of engaging his interest on her behalf, 
 thinking the circumstance of her having come across 
 my path in the heart of India might, in itself, interest 
 him. Mrs. Sheehan was her name. She is a Roman 
 Catholic, and remarked, at the beginning of our 
 interview, that there was nobody now to look after 
 her and her children but " God Almighty and His 
 blessed Mother ! " I told her God had put it into my 
 heart to be kind to her, and urged her to pour out 
 her sorrows to Him, through the one Mediator ap- 
 pointed by Him, the Man, Christ Jesus. 
 
 On parting with her, my next companions were a 
 soldier (not a nice specimen, morose and dour), his 
 wife, a young woman, the worse of drink, with a child 
 at the breast, and an elder little girl, to whom she 
 spoke so harshly for crying, repeatedly saying : 
 " That'll do, miss." 
 
A PARSEE LADY. 117 
 
 I asked her to speak kindly to the child, but she 
 told me that would only make her worse. 
 
 This family was bound for New Zealand, where 
 the young woman's mother lives on a farm. Her 
 husband, young as he was, had already earned a 
 pension. 
 
 I had a little talk with this unhappy-looking crea- 
 ture, too, after the man had been ordered into another 
 carriage, in the course of which I urged her never to 
 drink beer, for which she had been calling, without 
 eating something solid with it. 
 
 The last stage of the journey found me in the com- 
 pany of a good-looking Parsee lady and her two chil- 
 dren. She had scarcely seated herself, ere she began 
 to pull out tiffin for themselves out of a hamper, and 
 she made me a sharer, handing me various specimens 
 of scone-like preparations and a hard-boiled egg. I 
 discussed the former, and found them not bad. I 
 think it was Gujerathi my companion spoke. What- 
 ever it was, it was a language unintelligible to me, 
 as Marathi was to her, for the most part ; but the 
 language of kindness is universally understood. The 
 border of this lady's sarree was all embroidered with 
 flowers by her own hand, as were also the borders of 
 her children's silk trousers and the boy's topees, one 
 of which, with swans, etc., worked on it so prettily, he 
 allowed to fly out of the window. For this careless- 
 
Il8 IN AND OUT OF THE ZENANAS. 
 
 ness he did get a little rebuff, but his previous bad 
 conduct, expressed by screwing his face, crying, and 
 kicking with his feet, etc., was allowed to pass, 
 almost unreproved. He was very angry because we 
 could not get a second supply of ice supplied to us 
 before by his father. He seemed to think his mother 
 should stop the train and get it for him ! 
 
 At length, after passing through a great deal ot 
 lovely scenery, that of the Ghats, as the Indian 
 ranges of hills in this neighbourhood are called, we 
 reached Punah, where I found Mrs. Small and Janie 
 ready to give me a most hearty welcome. They had 
 come out in a little gharree, in the heat (at 3 o'clock) 
 to meet me, having with difficulty restrained Mr. 
 Small, who was very poorly, from coming too. This 
 is a delightful home, and I am urged just to make 
 myself at home. Below are a few verses I composed 
 the other night. 
 
 TO THE FIRE-FLIES 
 Tune^ " Twinkle, twinkle, little star.' 
 
 Sparkling gems of living light, 
 Pleased I mark your airy flight, 
 In and out the silent trees. 
 Softer than the evening breeze ! 
 
 Came ye from the Upper Sphere ? 
 
 Us to comfort, us to cheer ? 
 
 What your mission ? Whence your birth ? 
 
 Sure ye sprang not from the Earth ! 
 
WINGED GLOW-WORMS. 1 19 
 
 Dropped ye from yon glittering star, 
 Shining in the heavens afar ? 
 Dewdrops are ye from the moon ? 
 Sure to vanish all too soon ! 
 
 Hush ! my soul, the answer hear, 
 Whispered softly in thine ear :— 
 " We are earth-born, just like you, 
 Darkness brings our light to view. 
 
 " Wingdd glow-worms, such our name, 
 We're no aspirants to fame. 
 But the Hand of love and power 
 Framed us into Beauty's shower. 
 
 *' Humble be, and>'^? shall shine, 
 Lighted up by grace Divine ; 
 Lowly be, and j^ shall rise 
 To the Home beyond the skies.'* 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 " God^for a man with head, heart, hand. 
 Like some of the simple great ones gone 
 
 For ever and ever by j 
 Some still strong man in a blatant land. 
 
 Whatever they call him, what care I f 
 Aristocrat, autocrat, democrat,^^one 
 
 Who can rule, and dare not lie ! " 
 
 "/^^H that Thou would'st bless me indeed, and 
 ^-^ enlarge my coast ! " was Alexina's frequent 
 prayer, and she was ever on the outlook for oppor- 
 tunities to win souls. 
 
 One day, while recovering from a severe illness, a 
 dear friend requested her to jot down her thoughts, 
 there and then, on the subject of the disciples toiling 
 all night and catching nothing. 
 
 She had been resting on the sofa, but sat up, and 
 at once pencilled the following : — 
 
 " Jesus here teaches His disciples in a convincing 
 manner that * without Him we can do nothing,' but 
 that with Him, and when we simply do what He tells 
 
THE KALI BABOO S WIFE. 
 
INTOXICATING DRINK. 121 
 
 US because He tells us, we can do everything. Night 
 is the natural time for catching fish in the sea, but 
 the disciples caught none, though toiling all night. 
 In the broad daylight, at the command of Jesus, they 
 caught a multitude. We must, therefore, work in 
 season and out of season, labouring to win souls — in 
 other words, * to catch men,' and not become weary 
 in well-doing, for ' in due time we shall reap, if we 
 faint not.* Let us tell Christ Himself of our non- 
 success, and having first sat at His feet, and eaten 
 the living bread, as the disciples did on this occasion, 
 let us go forth at His command to catch men our- 
 selves in the gospel net. How encouraging is this 
 narrative to all who feel anxious about the supply of 
 their bodily wants. The disciples of Christ have the 
 Lord of heaven and earth as their Provider. The 
 cattle on a thousand hills are His, and He who has 
 said, * Fear not, little flock,' also says, * Your Father 
 knoweth,' and ' Seek ye,' etc." 
 
 One matter which greatly exercised her mind was 
 the condition of the soldiers, of whom there were a 
 great many (both European and native) in the neigh- 
 bourhood, both at Seetabaldi, and also at Kampthi, 
 ten miles to the east of the native city of Nagpoor. 
 Her heart was greatly stirred by the ravages of drink 
 among the poor fellows. She saw that they are 
 allowed to imbibe as much intoxicating liquor as 
 
122 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 they please, and how unable they are to resist the 
 temptation to do so. Moreover, this great crime 
 lies at the door of the British Government. The sad 
 example is a great hindrance to missionary effort 
 among the natives, as they argue that our religion 
 can be no better than their own. Their Vedas teach 
 them that people can only worship devoutly when 
 they are intoxicated ; so, at all the great festivals both 
 men and women consider it their duty to become 
 very drunk ! 
 
 " Can nothing be done ? Yes, by the grace ot 
 God, as slavery went, as opium is going, intoxicating 
 drink can go. How.? Christ is yet amongst us to 
 move our hearts to pity, to move our hands to help. 
 Of His Church, in view of just such organized 
 systems of sin. He says, *Ye are the salt of the 
 earth, . . . the light of the world.' . . . To 
 us He commits the evangelisation of the heathen ; 
 to us the rolling away of the stone from the mouth 
 of the grave wherein they lie." * 
 
 The following extracts from her letters regarding 
 the welfare of her countrymen are interesting: — 
 
 *' You will scarcely guess my new sphere of labour. 
 Well, it is amongst the soldiers, up at the Fort ! The 
 thought crossed me, one day, that I would get Mr. 
 
 ^ See "Slave Shackles of To-day," by Miss Lucy E. Guinness, 
 in Regions Beyond, Sept., Oct., 1892. 
 
VISITING THE SOLDIERS. I 23 
 
 Douglas to pay them a special visit (he had visited 
 them before), that he might distribute a lot of 
 nicely illustrated magazines, etc., I had picked up 
 when in Bombay. Well, it was suggested that I 
 myself should visit them ! as a young lady, whose 
 name I may have mentioned to you, a Miss Mallon, 
 resident in the Zenana Mission House, in Bombay, 
 does ; only that it is at the close of evangelistic 
 meetings, or by the wayside, she keeps a look-out 
 for soldiers and sailors. Would it do for me to go 
 amongst them, I inquired ? No objection being 
 made, the suggestion took root, and I engaged Mrs. 
 Douglas to accompany me some evening. Mean- 
 time, the end of the month was approaching, at 
 which time the relays of soldiers are changed, a new 
 lot coming in from Kampthi, and I was anxious the 
 present lot should be got hold of, and some of them 
 prevailed on to come to our prayer meeting, always 
 so earnestly addressed. I asked God to give me an 
 opportunity of introducing myself to the poor young 
 fellows before the only remaining meeting to be held 
 ere the month closed, but up till ten minutes before 
 the meeting my prayer was unanswered — a somewhat 
 discouraging fact, though I felt that I did not deserve 
 a striking reply on account of my felt inconsistencies 
 of life. But, listen! Just as Mrs. Cooper and I were 
 about to turn in at the gate of the Mission Church, I 
 
124 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 caught sight of two red coats, and I was after them 
 like a shot ! Their little dog snarled (Satan-like) at 
 me and tugged my skirt snappishly, which led the 
 two men to turn round and call it off, so that I had 
 an opportunity of calling out, * Good evening, I want 
 to speak to you,' etc., etc. Result — one, a Roman 
 Catholic, said he could not come, while his com- 
 panion such a fine, ingenuous-looking one, did not 
 like to leave his friend, as he always paid ! I had, 
 therefore, to excuse them, after going the length of 
 telling the Papist that he could tell his priest what 
 he had done. And gently pulling the sleeve of the 
 other, I told them that Mrs. Douglas and I would 
 be up next evening to see them all, as we wished to 
 make their acquaintance, and the announcement was 
 very politely received. We accordingly went and 
 sang hymns, etc., with three invalided ones, and a few 
 who joined us, and departed quite cheered, promising 
 to return. I have been up twice since, alone, and last 
 night a group of twenty dear bright youths gathered 
 round me of their own accord, joining in the hymn- 
 singing, listening besides to a nice piece from the 
 * Pilgrim's Progress.' Then two of them escorted 
 me down the hill, one volunteering a good deal of 
 information respecting his former experiences. But 
 more of this anon. 
 
 " I have had the honour bestowed upon me this 
 
CUT OFF BY SUNSTROKE. 1 25 
 
 week, too, of being invited to dine at the house of 
 Mr. Neil, the Commissioner — the * biggest ' house in 
 the station — in the absence of ' the chief,' or * chief 
 commissioner/ as his title is in full. Mr. Fraser is 
 secretary to the latter, and next in rank, I suppose, to 
 the former. I am the only member of the Mission 
 invited on this occasion, so Mrs. Whitton thinks a 
 party for 'young' (in the sense of unmarried) people 
 is probably being given. I think I must promise to 
 tell you how it comes off, but really, if my stiff back 
 does not recover itself, I will hardly be able to go 
 either to Paldi or there, or up to the Fort to-night, 
 to see the soldiers, some of whom will be looking 
 out for me. Only think, two of the first company 
 of soldiers I visited were cut off by sunstroke on one 
 day, or with one day's interval between, in Kampthi, 
 the week before last. It seems they used to join us 
 in singing the hymns, though they were Roman 
 Catholics. They were nineteen and twenty years 
 of age, respectively, if I remember. One, Burns, 
 from near Belfast, who, with his companion, one of 
 my present chief partisans, enlisted just through 
 drink and folly — the other, Stuart, son of a widow 
 in Dundee ! They used to be very regular in their 
 attendance at the chapel, morning and evening, my 
 friend tells me. Poor fellows ! I trust it is well with 
 them. 
 
126 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 " On my way home yesterday evening I came upon 
 Mrs. Douglas's ayah carrying the darh'ng baby, so 
 I ordered Ram Chun to stop, and 'puckerrowed,' 
 that is, seized the infant immediately, and forthwith 
 set to refresh myself by kissing his soft wee cheeks, 
 while I requested ayah to take a seat behind, that 
 she might not be separated from her charge. On 
 carrying the babe up the garden walk, and reaching 
 my own door, I found three red coats, who had been 
 waiting for me at least two hours ! The babe took 
 alarm, and had to be soothed and handed over to 
 ayah ; but /, nothing daunted, began an easy con- 
 versation with the three patriots. * I came to return 
 your book, as we are ordered back to Kampthi in 
 two days,' quoth one of the party, in reference to 
 the volume of the ' Family Treasury ' I had lent him. 
 
 " In connection with the drunken scenes which he 
 has to witness in the barrack room from time to time, 
 whenever pay day comes round, he says he would not 
 repeat his experience for a fortune. Two of them 
 bought a small hymn-book from us, and with a bundle 
 of interesting tracts to be distributed, as opportunity 
 occurs, they at last bade us good-night. Dear lads ! 
 one's heart draws to them. In connection with dread- 
 ful sights such as they are called to witness in the 
 course of their life, one of them, who has as gentle a 
 face as you could wish to see, remarked that these 
 
DRINK HINDERS THE WORK. 1 27 
 
 come before him when he is acting sentry and feeling 
 lonely. They were greatly pleased with the little 
 instrument — our harmonium. We let them hear a 
 Marathi hymn or two to its accompaniment, and then 
 we had several hymns together. 
 
 "Mr. Douglas accompanied me to the Fort the other 
 evening, as it is not thought proper that I should go 
 alone. Now good-bye for a week, says your attached, 
 though detached, member of the family." 
 
 "What prospect have I this evening, do you think ? 
 Nothing less than the holding of a meeting with 
 some of the soldiers from the Fort in the church. It 
 was themselves who suggested this, because they felt 
 so disappointed on account of my having discontinued 
 visiting them in their own quarters, owing to the fact 
 that the boisterous behaviour of the rougher lot 
 amongst them, as they sat over their beer, or made a 
 clamour outside, was so unfavourable to the business 
 on hand. Once or twice, on my having gone to visit 
 at the Fort, as usual, I was advised to retire on 
 account of this, to the great chagrin, as it turns out, 
 of those who appreciated the efforts I had been 
 making for their good. As you may suppose, I 
 rather shrink from conducting a formal meeting in 
 the Mission Church, but the prevailing feeling is one 
 of thankfulness for the privilege extended to un- 
 worthy me. I think that it was while reading that 
 
128 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 touching account of Miss Cotton's experiences, as 
 she sought to shield the boys of the labouring class 
 from temptation by the erection of Coffee Rooms, 
 provided with all manner of innocent attractions, 
 and in which she met with them for Bible reading, 
 conversation, hymn-singing, and prayer from time to 
 time, that the wish to do something for the soldiers 
 sprang up in my mind. One sweet-looking young 
 fellow, since prostrated with severe illness, though 
 now restored, professes to have undergone a saving 
 change, the result of the few gatherings at the Fort, 
 followed up by my personal appeals. 
 
 **No fewer than eight of the soldiers in Kampthi 
 died within a fortnight from exposure to the sun ! 
 Four sank down under a tree while being marched 
 in here one morning, but of these only one died. 
 They are allowed to drink ad libitum^ or something 
 like it, which I think is a crying disgrace to the 
 British Government. 
 
 *'We all attended such an interesting Temperance 
 Meeting held in the Museum last night. We were 
 addressed by a Mr. Gregson, a well-known man, it 
 seems, though / didn't know his name before. He is 
 a real philanthropist, not to say a noble Christian 
 man. He was a Baptist minister, I believe, but he 
 became deeply interested in the case of British 
 soldiers out in this country, and finding that his 
 
TAKES THE PLEDGE. 1 29 
 
 efforts to stem the tide of intemperance amongst 
 them, were singularly successful, he gave himself up 
 to the work of labouring for their welfare in this 
 particular. His barbed words came home with such 
 power to both Maggie's and my heart last night, 
 that when an opportunity of inserting our names in 
 the pledge book was afforded, at the close of the 
 meeting, we took our stand with the soldiers, who 
 were grouping round the table to be enlisted in the 
 army of abstainers, and gave in our names along 
 with them. By this act we merely promise to 
 abstain (by God's help) from all intoxicating liquors, 
 unless prescribed medically, so long as we retain 
 * this pledge,' that is, the scrap of paper on which 
 we have signed our names. It was pleasing to find 
 some of my old acquaintances amongst the soldiers 
 rallying round me as a point of strength, in connec- 
 tion with the good cause. One of them would have 
 had me on the platform if he could. And, do you 
 know, mother, I look upon the coming of this good, 
 devoted man to the place as an answer to prayer, for 
 I had longed for some power to be brought to bear 
 on the poor soldiers here, some of whom, I see, 
 from time to time, hanging about these low native 
 drinking-shops in the very heat of the day. I had 
 also longed for an opportunity of once more taking 
 viy stand as an abstainer, for I allowed myself to 
 M.R. 9 
 
130 THE SOLDIERS AT THE FORT. 
 
 trifle with former pledge signatures, on the plea that 
 I had not signed them with sufficient heartiness, etc. 
 I felt as if I had unadvisedly compromised my * liberty,' 
 and I used to feel a desire to regain it. 
 
 " The lecturer (who told us of a meeting he had 
 had in Aberdeen lately), closed his appeal by repeat- 
 ing that fine poem : — 
 
 " ' Courage, brother, do not stumble, 
 
 Though thy path be dark as night ; 
 There's a star to guide the humble ; 
 Trust in God, and do the right. 
 
 Though the road be long and dreary, 
 
 And its ending out of sight ; 
 Foot it bravely — strong or weary. 
 
 Trust in God, and do the right.' " etc. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 ALONE. 
 
 O Sis/er/ Sis f erf hath the memory 
 Of other years no power upon thy soul ? 
 Hast t/iou forgot the early, innocent Joys 
 Of our remotest childhood : when our lives 
 Were linked in one, and our young hearts bloomed out 
 Like violet bells upon the selfsame stenty 
 Pouring the dewy odours of life's spring 
 Into each other's bosom ? 
 
 ♦ ♦ ♦ * * 
 
 Nay, do not weep, my sister ! —Do not speak j 
 Now know I, by the tone, and by the eye 
 Of tenderness, with many tears bedimmed. 
 Thou hast remembered all. Thou measurest well 
 The work that is before thee, and the joys 
 That are behind.'' 
 
 "NT AGPOOR is a city full of darkness and super- 
 
 ^ ^ stition, and " wholly given to idolatry," and day 
 
 by day Alexina seems to have become more and 
 
 more alive to the responsibility and opportunity 
 
 which was given her to proclaim the glad tidings. 
 
 131 
 
132 ALONE. 
 
 In India the matured saint of God is frequently met 
 with, especially among English officers, yet the 
 apathy with which many professing Christians among 
 the European community regard the heathen lying 
 at their very doors is most appalling. She was much 
 struck at discovering that one gentleman of her ac- 
 quaintance, who had resided for twelve years in 
 Nagpoor, had never been in the city proper ! and yet 
 he considered himself a Christian, and thanked God 
 that he was not a poor deluded idolater ! 
 
 Very different were the ways of the members of 
 the little mission circle, and remarking on the depar- 
 ture to England, on furlough, of some of these dear 
 friends, she says : — " The Lord never lets me see too 
 much of such. They are removed one by one, so 
 that I may lean closer to Himself. * Blessed be His 
 holy name,' I do thank Him for it, and desire to look 
 to Jesus only." 
 
 Alone in her little bungalow she frequently recalled 
 the days of her childhood, and heard again the stir 
 of the falling leaves from the trees, and the far-off 
 murmur of the village brook. Then her thoughts 
 would wander to one in the heart of Africa, still more 
 lonely than herself, enduring all sorts of privations, 
 if indeed he were still alive, and with her usual habit 
 of expressing her feelings in verse, she found herself 
 singing :— 
 
MACK AY OF UGANDA. 1 33 
 
 " We twa hae run aboot the braes, 
 And pu'd the gowans fine, 
 But we've wander'd mony a weary fit, 
 Sin' auld lang syne. 
 
 We twa ha'e paidelt i' the burn, 
 
 Frae mornin' sun till dine, 
 But seas atween us braid ha'e roared 
 
 Sin' auld lang syne." 
 
 Then, by means of pen and paper, a few words 
 of encouragement and comfort would be despatched 
 to licr fellow worker, hoping they would reach him 
 sometime, and cheer him in his exile. The following 
 letter is the reply to one of these much- appreciated 
 communications. 
 
 Uyui, near Unyanyembe, 
 
 Central Africa, 
 
 2^th June, 1880. 
 My dearest Cousin, — 
 
 It was indeed a most unexpected pleasure to me 
 
 to receive your kind letter of i6th December, 1879. 
 
 I had just crossed the Nyanza from Uganda, and 
 
 found our letter-carriers at Kagei in the beginning 
 
 of May. Before opening the envelope, I did make 
 
 repeated guesses at the author of the unfamiliar 
 
 handwriting, for you can well imagine that a "poor 
 
 missionary " in such an out-of-the-way place as this 
 
 runs little risk of receiving much fine writing from 
 
 the fair sex. 
 
134 ALONE. 
 
 Far away, you are not out either of sight or mind 
 with me. I cannot say what joy it gave me when I 
 first heard of your going abroad on mission work. 
 Among other missionary publications, I regularly 
 receive the Monthly Record of the Free Church of 
 Scotland, and there I have repeatedly seen letters 
 from yourself, and news of your work. 
 
 Long ago, some two or three years since, I remem- 
 ber sending you a note from the coast, at which time 
 I was far from well acquainted with either what the 
 word Zenana meant, or what means of usefulness you 
 enjoyed in engaging in such work. Now I am fairly 
 well informed on these points, partly from news of 
 you which I receive occasionally from my folks in 
 Ventnor, and partly from accounts of work in the 
 zenanas, as recorded in the ChiHstian Record. 
 
 I fear it is little likely that I shall come across your 
 friend Dr. Peters, as my sphere of work is more than 
 a walk of a thousand miles from Zanzibar. We 
 have not a railway by which to run down to our port, 
 as you have from Nagpoor to Bombay. Legs are our 
 only locomotive, and what is more, the roads in this 
 part of the world are particularly unsafe. 
 
 Probably no greater contrast could exist between 
 two mission fields than exists between India and 
 Africa. We have heathen to work among in both 
 spheres, but you are every day in contact with a civi- 
 
CONTRASTED SPHERES OF WORK. 1 35 
 
 lization and a refined idolatry — ages old, while here 
 all is savagedom, and the only religion a wretched 
 combination of witchcraft and devil-worship. 
 
 But when I say that I am fairly acquainted with 
 your work from having read your letters, yet less than 
 five minutes' conversation would convince you that I 
 am deplorably ignorant of your work and your where- 
 abouts. I must therefore beg you to write me a clear 
 account of all your surroundings, just taking for 
 granted that my knowledge is less than nothing. I 
 promise you in return a short story of our new 
 mission in Central Africa. 
 
 My dear Alexina, I cannot say how glad I am that 
 more than one of our family has ventured on this 
 greatest of all occupations, viz., the teaching of the 
 ignorant heathen. I am also glad to find that our 
 
 cousin, H I , has joined us in the same good 
 
 work. Nagpoor is far enough from Bombay, yet you 
 have means of seeing each other frequently, which we 
 do not know in Africa, and I hope that Mrs. Scott 
 and yourself will have much loving intercourse with 
 each other, and much success in your work. If one 
 thing more than another strikes me in mission work 
 — and I am sure it will strike you every day in the 
 same light — it is this, the awful odds that we have to 
 contend against, and the feebleness of our forces and 
 of our efforts. But we know who is our Master, and 
 
136 ALONE. 
 
 we know the work is His, and therefore must succeed. 
 He was able to multiply a few loaves and fishes so as 
 to satisfy thousands, and in our day He can and will 
 multiply our feeble efforts, so as to evangelize the 
 mighty masses amongst which we are placed. 
 
 I read recently a remarkable paper in the 
 CatJiolic Presbyterian. I forget the heading of the 
 article, but it was by an " Elder," and showed most 
 plainly how low is the interest taken in mission work 
 even by people of God at home. Everything is done 
 by " deputy." People obey Christ's command by 
 proxy. On the other hand, it is not for a moment 
 to be questioned that Christ's command to us all is 
 to give our costliest offerings for His work abroad, 
 and personal service for His work at home. 
 
 29/// June. Since commencing this note, I have 
 had the pleasure of receiving a mail from the coast. 
 My last home letters (of April 8th) tell me that my 
 cousin Maggie is intending devoting herself to India. 
 May she indeed do so. She will be a great help to 
 you if stationed in Nagpoor, and a great encourage- 
 ment to you wherever she will be stationed. 
 
 I came here from Uganda merely to return at once 
 with a caravan of supplies for our use there. In 
 a week or so I hope to be on the march back to the 
 lake. Many difficulties there are, both on the way and 
 in Uganda itself My porters are natives, and very 
 
IN PERILS OF ROBBERS. 1 37 
 
 self-willed whenever they choose to show their savage 
 nature. The road is beset with danger at every point, 
 every petty chief whose cattle-pen one has to pass 
 using his every endeavour to extort as much black- 
 mail from the white man as he can, and resorting to 
 force when words fail. Highway robberies are also 
 common. One of our number was murdered by a 
 gang of robbers, only a few days from this place. 
 His name was Penrose, and the caravan he was 
 bringing us, of several thousand dollars' worth of 
 goods, was all lost. Only a few months ago a band 
 of Roman Catholic missionaries was passing from 
 here to the Victoria Nyanza, when one of them was 
 speared as he was quietly riding on his donkey. The 
 poor fellow (he was a Bavarian) died immediately. 
 
 By the tender mercy and care of our loving Father 
 in heaven I have till now escaped a thousand dangers 
 in my four years' work in East Central Africa. We 
 do not know the future, but we do know that it will 
 bring us nothing except what His all-seeing eye will 
 allow, and what He knows to be best for us. 
 
 Now, my dear Alexina, good-bye. May our Lord 
 and Saviour give you much blessing every day. And 
 above all, give you many saved souls. 
 
 Your affectionate cousin, 
 
 A. M. Mackay. 
 
I3S ALONE. 
 
 For almost three years she had been without com- 
 panionship in the little bungalow which she called 
 " her home," and when she returned from her daily 
 rounds of house-to-house visitation in the city, wearied 
 and oft-whiles much discouraged, she longed for the 
 society of some of her dear ones, and realised to the 
 full the loving thoughtfulness which at the beginning 
 sent the disciples ** forth by two and two." 
 
 Unlike some families who appear to get on better 
 with aliens tlian with those whom God has given them 
 as kindred, she and her sisters each " esteemed the 
 other better than herself," and " in honour preferred 
 one another." Therefore it is not to be wondered 
 at, that although she had forsaken all her loved 
 ones, the ties of affection kept pulling her heart, and 
 in the very first letter written from India (see p. 53) 
 she yearns for the assistance of one dear to her 
 as moonlight is to starlight. How her desire was 
 granted will be seen below. 
 
 My Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 April Wi, 1880. 
 My own darling Maggie, — 
 
 I will write direct to yourself this time, on the 
 subject on hand. Could I only have transferred to 
 paper the glowing thoughts that took possession of 
 me as I lay in a very wakeful state,"all alone, under the 
 
HELP NEEDED. 1 39 
 
 starlight last night, the enthusiasm would have been 
 catching ; but now I will just speak what comes to 
 my mind. As to how long " the hot winds " blow I 
 have forgotten to ask. It is only now and then we 
 have a regular hot zuind, but the hot season runs a 
 course of three months, I suppose, not including the 
 toning down time, and the making ready for the rain 
 time. I would get up comforts about myself, were 
 you here, which I have heretofore foregone, content 
 to bake slowly in my little oven, like a species of 
 salamander, to the utter astonishment of all around 
 me. This season the heat is considered to be more 
 intense, and to have set in more suddenly than usual. 
 My thermometer at present (the doors having been 
 shut since sunrise, I suppose) stands at 91°. 
 
 Now, Maggie, how are we to find out the will of 
 God in this matter ? It will not be revealed to us 
 direct from heaven, that is certain. The present state 
 of the case is this. The need has arisen for a com- 
 panion to be provided for me in my labours, and, 
 true to nature, I turn to a sister, peculiarly adapted 
 to the work, as I feel convinced, and ask if she will 
 be that companion. If there is another in the field, 
 clamouring, or even quietly thirsting to be engaged 
 in the — oh, so vacant field at Nagpoor! — of whose 
 existence you become aware, on putting in an applica- 
 tion, I press for my choice, no more ! 
 
140 ALONE. 
 
 "Fields are white, and harvest waving ; 
 Who will go and work to-day ? 
 Loud and long the Master calleth, 
 
 Rich reward He offers thee ; 
 Who will answer, gladly saying, 
 ' Here am /, send ?ne^ seiid me ' ? " 
 
 P.S, — Of course I will mention you In my official 
 announcement to Mrs. Young, but I will handle the 
 matter delicately. '' If any man lack wisdom, let him 
 ask of God." " It is /: be not afraid." "When He 
 putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them." 
 " Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 
 " I can do all things through Christ which strength- 
 eneth me." Look up ! 
 
 Thursday, June lOth, 1880. 
 
 And noiu I will address myself to dearest mother, 
 beloved father, and the family generally — darling 
 Maggie particularly — for I have had my home letters, 
 and about their wonderful contents I must now speak. 
 
 Well, my dear ones, you have gone as far in your 
 trustful and generous acquiescence in connection 
 with the proposal that our dear Maggie should join 
 me here, as you were called on in God's providence 
 to go ; so that now the whole "disposal of the matter 
 rests with the Lord." The proof you have all given 
 
FAMILY AFFECTION. I4I 
 
 me of your self-sacrificing love for me, apart from all 
 higher considerations, is very affecting to me ; and 
 should the Saviour graciously deign to accept of the 
 gift that has been presented to Him (even though 
 your loving arm, dear, clinging mother, is still round 
 it), I'm sure He'll ^make you feel that it is more 
 blessed to give to Him a dear child than even to re- 
 ceive one from Him ; and, moreover, He'll be quite 
 willing to say to you, as He looks at Maggie, and 
 then into your and father's tearful eyes : Mine and 
 thine. Remember, darling ones, in giving her, you are 
 giving a corn of wheat, which, though it may become, 
 as it were, dead to you, in as far as feasting yourselves 
 upon it is concerned, is destined, by God's blessing, to 
 bring forth much fruit in the wide, waste field into 
 which you allow the Master's hand to drop it. And 
 in the day when He sees of the travail of His soul 
 and is satisfied, my precious mother will be satisfied 
 too, and the words, in as far as the gift was given to 
 me, may also have a meaning, " Inasmuch as ye did 
 it unto one of the least of these, ye did it unto Me!* 
 
 Now, whether Maggie comes or not, I thank you all, 
 my own beloved ones, from the depths of my heart. 
 Let God send me help by the hand of him whom He 
 will send, according to the saying of Moses of old, who 
 occupied a mental position in regard to his being the 
 messenger, pretty much like what Maggie occupies, 
 
142 ALONE. 
 
 I think. Oh, we don't know what a blessing for our 
 family may be wrapped up in this letter, but, 
 
 " God is His own' interpreter, 
 And He will make it plain." 
 
 My letter of doubt and fear in regard to climatic 
 influences on Maggie's health will have unhinged you 
 sadly again, I fear ; but such shakes are often sent to 
 test an apparently newly rooted plant's stability, and 
 I hope the faith and hope of all of you will continue to 
 be in God. Maggie's life is precious in His sight, and 
 with our simple habits in the mission circle, and with 
 the arrangements of our movements so entirely (in as 
 far as the zenana department of the work is con- 
 cerned) in our hands, Maggie has very fair prospects 
 in this respect, too. Well, it is now for me, at least, 
 to wait and see how the matter will turn, giving 
 thanks in the meantime for the inclination manifested 
 to accede to my request. Do not let the thought of 
 what is to be done at my furlough time trouble you. 
 *' Take no thought for the morrow," and Mrs. Whitton 
 said, some time ago, that during such a period she 
 would try to make it as comfortable for Maggie as 
 possible. 
 
 Do offer to Dr. Laidlaw my heartfelt thanks for all 
 his loving sympathy. The text he wrote in my little 
 book has often been a comfort to me — " Why art 
 thou cast down, O my soul ? " etc. 
 
ALL IS WELL. 1 43 
 
 I must just throw in here, that for a great part of 
 the year the climate of Nagpoor is charming, and the 
 hot season is slightly over three months' duration. 
 
 One of our girls is in a dying state, I fear, from 
 congestion of the brain. It came about quite sud- 
 denly. She merely remarked, on awaking yesterday 
 morning, that she had a bad headache, but very soon 
 she became insensible, and slightly convulsed. She 
 has parents, but her step-mother has treated her and 
 her younger sister most disgracefully, scarcely clothing 
 them. It is very touching to see the poor little dark- 
 faced, suffering child lying moaning, with her hair all 
 shaved off. She looks like what one would imagine 
 Topsy might have looked. To the top of her head 
 and the calves of her legs mustard has been applied. 
 This has roused her a good deal, and she may be 
 brought round. 
 
 {To her Mother) 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 October yth, 1880. 
 
 Ere this reaches you, it may have been settled 
 as to whether Maggie is to join me, or not ! 
 
 Well, if it has been arranged that she is to come, 
 "Sook roop raha," that means in Marathi, Remain 
 happy ; and if she is to remain with you, " Burray," 
 
144 ALONE. 
 
 i.e. Well, for we read : " He doeth all things zvelV, 
 and even if we believe not, ^^ He abideth faithful." 
 
 " Only, O Lord, in Thy dear love, 
 Fit us for perfect rest above ; 
 And help us this and every day. 
 To live more nearly as we pray." 
 
 My mother has been a grand prayer ever since 
 I knew her, and now, methinks, she is going to be 
 taught to be a grand praiser ! 
 
 Yes, my mother must learn to Jioller in the praise 
 line (see Frankie or some such curious body in 
 
 " Daniel Quorm," the book dear J is so fond of). 
 
 I don't know the book well, but I can imagine 
 Frankie, if he is the bedridden, simple-minded, child- 
 like Christian introduced to us there, saying \.o yoiiy 
 mother, if you were going to see him : 
 
 " Eh, missus ! Haller-loo-yer's the chorus o' that 
 'ere moanin' song o' your'n ! Twir-r-r ! don't Frankie 
 feel like singin' like a bird this evenin'.? 'Tain't no 
 wonder to hear larks an' them birds carrolin' i' the 
 mornin', but Frankie's goin' to sing a dooet wi' 
 maister nightingale. Them's the crack singers that 
 sings whin t'other birds is sleepin' snug i' their beds, 
 an' it's them folks takes most notice on, 'cause there's 
 somethin' partikler in the natur o' a bird 'at sings 
 when the sun's no' shinin', bit only the stars a glintin' 
 an' a glimmerin', fearfu' like, o'erheed, like the lynx 
 
hallelujah! 145 
 
 een o' a devoorin* hoolit (owl). Nae doot it's a 
 mighty mistak' the brave bird's makin', whin he 
 likens the sparklin' orbs o' heevin til a wild beast's 
 een, bit sik mees'rable, miscalkerlatin' craters we 
 he's, that the bonniest objecks o' creation are nnis- 
 shapin' an' mis-ca'ed by our ain misbelievin' een ! 
 Ech, missis, bit ye're a braw 'ooman the day, gin ye 
 bit kent it. Tiva o* yer bairns ta'en into yer dear 
 Lord's service, did ye say ? Dance, 'ooman, dance ! 
 Frankie 'ud show you how, but his sinfu' legs is stiff, 
 an' canna do the thing they wud ! But he's a-praisin' 
 in's heart sae lood that the angels aiblins is hearin', 
 lat alane the Maister Hissel'." 
 
 Did J enjoy the above attempt at imitating 
 
 dear Frankie, or whoever it is that speaks that way 
 in the book ? 
 
 I hope it has not been to you^ dear mother, like 
 singing songs to one that has a heavy heart ? I 
 would not mock your grief, my own dear mother. I 
 would be inclined, rather, to put my arms round your 
 neck and soothe you, if I were near you. If you 
 could have listened to Mr. Whitton's discourse in 
 the prayer meeting last night, on the sympathy of 
 Jesus, as expressed in His mode of dealing with 
 the grief of the poor widow of Nain, whose son He 
 
 M.R. 10 
 
146 ALONE. 
 
 restored to life, you would have felt your very heart 
 drawn out in longing to know aright that sympathetic 
 Saviour. I confess / don't know Him. May He 
 reveal Himself to us all. " Then shall zve know^ if we 
 follow on to know the Lord." 
 
 Paul's one desire was, that he might know Him, 
 and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship 
 of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His 
 death, and he was able afterwards to say : " I know 
 whom I have believed, and am persuaded," etc. 
 
 My Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 November iithy 1880. 
 
 My Beloved Father and Mother, and all 
 THE Family, — 
 
 You may guess what is filling my heart ! While 
 I was on my way down to the city, sitting all alone 
 in my tonga (for Cheenie could not come with me 
 to-day, and I had no companion till I picked up 
 Karoona in the city), I met the postman, and he 
 good-naturedly undid his bundle on the back seat of 
 the tonga, and gave me my treasure — a pearl (by the 
 bye, Maggie's name means pearl) set in emeralds, 
 in the shape of two other delightful letters ; one 
 
AN INVALUABLE GIFT. 1 47 
 
 from Miss Gimson, and one from Mrs. Langford, of 
 Kampthi. 
 
 I had been praying in my heart for some token of 
 loving favour from the hand of Jesus, whose side I so 
 often forsake, looking for this in the shape of some 
 words of Scripture applied unmistakably to my 
 heart, when lo ! the news of an invaluable gift, direct 
 from Himself, just bestowed upon ine^ shamefully 
 unworthy as I now, in some measure, feel myself to 
 be, reached my heart, through the medium of my 
 eyes ! And I reasoned in this way : — 
 
 " Seeing that this dearest desire of my heart has 
 been bestowed upon me (in these last days), and 
 that He gave Himself for me long before, indepen- 
 dently of my foreseen character, may I not trust Him 
 in my present heart's trouble ? " 
 
 In my little birthday text-book for to-day occur 
 this text and verse: — " Though He slay me, yet will 
 I trust Him." 
 
 " Through waves, and clouds, and storms, 
 He gently clears thy way ; 
 Wait thou His time, thy darkest night 
 Shall end in brightest day." 
 
 Let us all seek to occupy the waiting attitude, for 
 we read that it hath not been perceived, except by 
 God Himself, what He hath prepared for him that 
 waiteth for Him, 
 
148 ALONE. 
 
 The words of Mary in the Magnificat have occurred 
 to my mind in connection with my present position : — 
 " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath 
 rejoiced in God, my Saviour ; for He that is mighty 
 hath done to me great things," etc. 
 
 May "the desire granted" be indeed " a tree of 
 life " to my soul ! God bless us both ; and doubly 
 bless you all, my darlings. 
 
 " There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." 
 
 If you had seen how the face of my gharree-man 
 (tonga driver) shone the other evening, when he 
 ascertained, after questioning me (in Marathi) on the 
 subject, that my sister was likely to come. He ex- 
 pressed himself as overjoyed on account of the news ; 
 and a like feeling prevails amongst all my friends 
 here. As to the feeling of kindest sympathy cherished 
 by the circle of home friends, it is very sweet to my 
 heart to think of it. Do tell dear Dr. Laidlaw and all 
 how cheered I am by their unmerited kindness. 
 
 I shall write a little account of my work, along with 
 this, that my warm-hearted friends in Aberdeen may 
 be able to follow my movements a little. 
 
 There will shortly, God willing, be a couple of little 
 horses in harness, instead of one faint yet pursuing 
 animal, and you know how Solomon explains that 
 *' two are better than one." In regard to this, " my 
 cup runneth over." For the rest, let me be silent 
 
THE PUNDIT IS GLAD. 1 49 
 
 unto the Lord, remembering the short direction : 
 " Wait on the Lord, and He will save thee." 
 Goodbye, darlings. 
 
 Your loving 
 Alexina. 
 
 P.S. (An hour or two after.) 
 
 Kindly thank the Misses Fettes most heartily for 
 the beautiful gift they sent me. It was immensely 
 admired. Tell them I'll be sure to wear it on the day 
 I become the Rajah's wife ! but should he keep me 
 waiting too long, I may venture to don it on some 
 even less illustrious occasion. 
 
 I have a miniature painted likeness of an Indian 
 lady, with all her feast day finery upon her, which I 
 shall take an early opportunity of forwarding to them 
 as a small acknowledgment of their kindness. 
 
 Ameer Khan rejoices with me over Maggie's ex- 
 pected arrival. He has been here, giving me a 
 Hindustani lesson, after a two days' absence from 
 fever. He told me, on my announcing the glad 
 tidings to him, that he had meant to make it his first 
 question (as to whether it was settled or not). Mr. 
 Whitton and I mutually, and with one consent, 
 stopped our respective conveyances in meeting each 
 other this morning, in reference to " the news." He 
 did not know, of course, that I had met the postman. 
 
 Dear Dr. Fraser, of Punah, our Mr. Frascr's father. 
 
1 50 ALONE. 
 
 who is in this quarter just now, expressed his great 
 
 joy on hearing of the likelihood of M coming 
 
 (though his own loved wife has just been taken from 
 him^ — he will meet her soon above, most likely). Thus 
 unselfish are the lovers of the Lord, and those sup- 
 posed to be His people. 
 
 This morning, as we sat delivering our God-given 
 message, first by song and then by sermon, of the 
 truly evangelistic type, in a certain verandah, to which 
 " a little child had led us," the thought passed through 
 
 my mind that not M only, but J too, might 
 
 come! — for that two labourers to the perishing 
 thousands might well be made three, since the bite 
 that serves two would serve three, were I to offer 
 to keep her ! and she to volunteer. 
 
 Mother, darling ! I'm speaking lightly now, in as 
 far as practical results are concerned, but not so 
 lightly from the point of view of reasonable service, 
 and from God's point of view. Of course, my mother, 
 I take your feelings into consideration, and may I 
 never rob you of your treasures, or deal ruthlessly 
 with you. Still, lying there in the quiet night, the 
 reality of the work lying before the Christian world 
 (and laid in great measure at the door of our family, 
 to all appearance, in connection with Nagpoor — for 
 I may — ) ; well, I'll finish my sentence. I may say 
 that though is an excellent Christian girl, she 
 
A GRACIOUS MANNER. 15I 
 
 is no born missionary, [lacking the aggressive spirit 
 so necessary to the prosecution of this work, as well 
 as the smiling, free-and-easy manner so reassuring to 
 the timid, self-ignoring women of India. 
 
 Now, dear mother, some of your children have 
 that ; and they have it from you, under God ; and I 
 may tell you further, that this in itself draws the 
 natives. They look on me, as a rule, with such 
 favour, real pleasure lighting up every feature. They 
 feel at home with me, even the little children. To-day 
 I sat singing away, with a sweet wee babe nestling in 
 my lap, with its " rings on its fingers, and bells on its 
 toes," so to speak, the mother sitting a little way off, 
 the father standing near, and a number of neighbours, 
 many of them children, grouped around. I almost 
 think the father would have given it to me ! 1 asked 
 him with a quiet playfulness to let me have it, and 
 his answer was, " Gya I " i.e. Take ! 
 
 Now, Maggie dear, your patronizing manner will 
 at last find its true use. It is wanted here, coupled 
 with love. 
 
 ( To her Sister J .) 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 December 15///, 1880. 
 Just at present all things are propitious, and, 
 while others are having the usual cold weather 
 
152 ALONE. 
 
 holiday, I am going on with my visiting, day after 
 day, rising at five o'clock, setting off at six, and not 
 returning till eleven or later, as a general rule. 
 
 I have had much encouragement lately, efforts to 
 secure a hearing proving very successful, and invita- 
 tions being given us spontaneously from unexpected 
 quarters. I hope, with a new year, to supply the 
 home friends with many accounts of my experiences 
 from day to day, and Maggie's first impressions will 
 be like new kindling both to me and them. As I 
 drove along the street to-day, casting an observant 
 eye around, I was much struck with the general 
 appearance of " dirt and desolation," for these words 
 fitly describe the picture presented to the view. 
 Here, on a damp doorstep, sits a shivering woman, 
 as like a human frog as you can imagine (I wish I 
 could sketch like some of the members of the Fallon 
 family) ; there, a street-sweeper in rags is causing the 
 dust to fly into your nostrils in a dense cloud, only 
 suffered to subside a little, as you pass, if you call 
 out, " Kudder ow," in good time. Yonder, a man 
 trudges along, bearing aloft on his head a basket, 
 containing, doubtless, something precious to him, but 
 strangely unattractive to the unintelligent beholder, 
 who would be certain to mistake It for a contribution 
 to the dust heap ! But immortal spirits are inhabiting 
 these sadly abused mortal bodies, and many a beauti- 
 
CHRIST S PEARL DIVERS. I 53 
 
 ful face peeps out from its dusty chudder, bearing the 
 impress of the Divine hand that originally stamped 
 upon it the image of glory and virtue, lingering still, 
 so loath to disappear. 
 
 May our darling Maggie and myself be the privi- 
 leged pearl divers in the surrounding sea of sin — gold- 
 diggers employed by the King, destined to sit one 
 day at His table, to be fed by His own royal hand, 
 the warfare and work of " this present time " over 
 and gone for ever. 
 
 Meantime, with me, it is like this, 
 
 " But now we watch and struggle, 
 And now we live in hope," etc. 
 
 But oh, then may it be : 
 
 " The morning shall awaken, 
 The shadows flee away." 
 
 I've got my desire ; I'm in the missionary field (as 
 I'll call it), surrounded by foreign, heathen faces, just 
 as it seems to me I pictured it, years ago, when I 
 sat in the little parlour schoolroom at B , sur- 
 rounded by the B children. But— oh 1 I need 
 
 something yet — a heart satisfied with Jesus. 
 
 " Content to let the world go by. 
 To know nor gain nor loss." 
 
 (See beautiful hymn : "Beneath the Cross of Jesus, I 
 fain would take my stand "). Well, I trust I'll get 
 
154 ALONE. 
 
 even this. Ask It for me, my darlings. It is the 
 temptation Jesus experienced in the wilderness : " If 
 Thou be the Son of God, command these stones," etc., 
 that vexes my soul, and to which I yield. Enough ! 
 I'll not analyse myself more. " Thou understandest 
 my thought afar off." " Though I walk in the midst 
 of trouble, Thou wilt revive me." 
 
 I have much more cause to give thanks than com- 
 plain, even in connection with this trouble; and in 
 other things what indulgence has been shown me — • 
 friends ready to be pleased, Maggie coming, my loved 
 ones all spared to me, and the prospect held out of 
 seeing them once more (I don't mean only once), ere 
 very long. 
 
 Soon after the arrival of her sister, Alexina ad- 
 dressed the following lines to her mother : — 
 
 AN ECHO FROM THE LITTLE BUNGALOW. 
 
 Look at your two dear lassies here, 
 
 Within their Indian nest, 
 And tell me, is their present life 
 
 Not spent in what is best.? 
 
 Their dusky sisters live around, 
 
 To whom it must be told, 
 That Jesus Christ more precious is 
 
 Than all their gems and gold. 
 
THE SISTERS TOGETHER. 1 55 
 
 Oh ! if you saw the thoughtful mien, 
 
 And mark'd the up-turn'd eye, 
 When one dear child proclaims Christ's love, 
 
 And one is sitting by. 
 
 Would you not say, " How glad I am. 
 
 My Saviour honour'd me, 
 By asking twice in pleading tones, 
 
 * Wilt lend this child to Me ? ' " 
 
 The tears which first in sorrow flow'd. 
 
 When came the parting hour. 
 May well grow bright with rainbow hues, 
 
 Beneath His touch of power ! 
 
 Our present work is but to sow 
 
 The seed with patient hand ; 
 But one day, through the Spirit's power, 
 
 Ripe sheaves shall fill the land. 
 
 And when the cry is " Harvest Home," 
 
 And Christ is "satisfied," 
 Won't you rejoice you let us go 
 
 To tell of Him who died ? 
 
 List to that voice of tender love, 
 
 " She hath done what she could ; 
 Well done ! thou good and faithful one, 
 
 The test of love hath stood." 
 
 {To her Mother) 
 
 February i^th, i88r. 
 You would like to hear us speaking away to each 
 other in the old home style, imitating the cadences 
 of certain voices that used to strike our youthful 
 
156 ALONE.. 
 
 fancy, and then breaking out into a merry laugh, etc. 
 Then, when I feel downcast, it is sure to come out 
 sooner or later to Maggie, and she acts like a venti- 
 lator, admitting fresh air to the fainting spirit. So 
 true is it that if one fall, another will help him up. 
 May we indeed be increasingly useful in strengthen- 
 ing each other's hands, and may a double portion be 
 given into your bosoms for that you have lent out on 
 such a philanthropic mission. 
 
 " Oh, Christ ! He is the fountain, 
 The deep sweet well of love." 
 
 Let us seek to be ever, with joy, drawing water out 
 of this well of salvation, remembering hour by hour 
 that all our well-springs are in Him, and that the 
 water that He gives becomes, in those who drink it, 
 " a well of living water springing up into everlasting 
 life." 
 
 We have a quiet, monotonous life of it, taking it as 
 a whole ; but it is the steady grind of the work-a-day 
 machinery that produces the most striking results in 
 the end, after all, and the old inscription : " Line upon 
 line ; line upon line ; precept upon precept," etc., writes 
 and re-writes itself on most of the pilgrim paths of 
 this world ! I find the quietude and confinement 
 irksome to my imagination^ now and again, but by 
 doing " the next thing," the machinery generally 
 riehts itself. 
 
STEADY WORK TELLS. 1 57 
 
 " Tick, tick, tick," went the old clock on the stair, 
 but it was refreshed every now and then by the visit 
 of some kind friend, inquiring with upturned face as 
 to the time, and periodically by the return of the 
 winding-up occasions, when, not only would " father " 
 look in upon it, with a kindly *' How d'ye do ? " and a 
 firm but friendly shake of the hand, but dainty little 
 feet would patter up, and laughing dimpled faces 
 would gaze in awful wonder to see the liberties 
 "father "was taking with the imperious old inmate 
 of the well-known niche in the wall. But a truce to 
 day-dreams ! 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 " Alas ! I still see so?JietJnng to be dotte. 
 And what I do falls short of what I see^ 
 Though I waste myself on doi?tg.^'' 
 
 IN the autumn of 1880 a few of the zenana agents 
 in connection with the Free Church of Scotland, 
 in India, started a little monthly magazine, entitled 
 Jottings by Busy People, having as its motto, ** I am 
 among you as he that doth serve." Miss Paterson, 
 of the Boarding School, Bombay, was editor, and 
 Miss Annie Small, of Punah, author of " Light and 
 Shade in Zenana Missionary Life," the publisher ; for 
 there is a printing press at Punah, worked by the 
 Orphanage boys, in connection with the Mission 
 there. The object of the little paper was to stimulate 
 interest in each other, as fellow workers in the mis- 
 sion field. Under the signature of " Phoebe," Alexina 
 sent frequent contributions to its pages, some of 
 which are given below. 
 
 158 
 
** jottings by busy people. 1 59 
 
 Life. 
 
 " What is your life ? It is even a vapour, that 
 appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away." 
 
 " This is life eternal^ to know Thee, the only true 
 God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." So 
 many thoughts spring up in the mind when we give 
 ourselves to contemplation on the subject of life, that 
 all one can do is to jot down a few of them, in the 
 hope that answering chords in the hearts of friendly 
 readers will vibrate in sympathy, and that responsive 
 notes will, in due time, be echoed back. 
 
 With what interest life, to each of us, is invested ! 
 Were we to look deep down into the heart of each 
 human being, I think we would find an impression 
 there that his or her life is the life being lived in the 
 world ! And, after all, each individual's life is the 
 one life he is wholly responsible for. 
 
 " Every one of us must give account of himself to 
 God." We must earnestly seek, however, to mould 
 our lives after the one perfect pattern held up before 
 our eyes in the Word of Truth, not looking every one 
 on his own things, but also on the things of others. 
 The noble character is ever the self- forgetful one; 
 rather, the one that keeps self in the background, and 
 looks out on the great world around in the attitude 
 of one who considers himself the servant of all. What 
 
l6o OPEN DOORS. 
 
 a glorious motto for any life : "I am among you as 
 he that doth serve " ! I think the figure Jesus used 
 in explaining the meaning of His own life is very 
 remarkable — the corn of wheat, which must fall into 
 the ground, that it may not abide alone. 
 
 We, too, must decrease, if the kingdom of God is to 
 increase by our means; but "he that loseth his life 
 in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." 
 
 '*We are His Workmanship." 
 
 (Eph. ii. lo.) 
 
 I think it is a very comforting thought in connec- 
 tion with the discipline of life, that we are God's 
 workmanship, and that God, as our Heavenly Father 
 in Christ Jesus, knows and will do exactly what is 
 best for us. 
 
 There are several figures used in Scripture to illus- 
 trate God's present manner of dealing with us. We 
 are spoken of, for example, as " lively stones," and we 
 know that stones need to be prepared for the place 
 they are to occupy in a building. More especially do 
 we see ourselves represented in the stones of Solo- 
 mon's Temple, each of which was accurately shaped 
 and prepared far away, beyond the precincts of the 
 holy building, so that no sound of tools jarred on the 
 ear in its immediate neighbourhood. 
 
HIS WORKMANSHIP. l6l 
 
 How sweet is it to find a human spirit so made 
 meet for the inheritance of the saints in light that 
 only calmness and beauty pervade the face of the 
 departing one ! Is anything more fitted to stimulate 
 the onlooker to submit himself to the Father of 
 Spirits, that he, too, may live, than the sight presented 
 by some death-bed scenes ? The luminous counte- 
 nance and kindling eye speak volumes concerning the 
 skill and success of the wise Master Builder, under 
 whose guidance every living stone is being prepared. 
 
 But not only are believers destined to occupy a 
 place in the heavenly Temple, but the Master is to 
 adorn Himself with them as the jewels He has so 
 dearly purchased. He is spoken of as " making up " 
 His jewels. But what jewel ever displayed its beauty 
 before the graving tool did its apparently cruel work 
 upon it ! 
 
 " All things work together for good to them that 
 love God," the filing process of long-continued, weary 
 waiting, reminding of the words, " Let patience have 
 her perfect work " — the sharp blows, severing away 
 parts of our very selves — the final polishing, only 
 produced by subjection to what we had considered as 
 very rough handling, indeed — all have worked together 
 for good, and the tried saint is enabled to testify, 
 " He hath done all things well." 
 
 Many other figures we are furnished with, both in 
 
 M.R. 1 1 
 
1 62 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 God's Word and in the book of Nature, beautifully 
 illustrating to us God's mode of working in relation 
 to His children down here. Are we heirs to a King- 
 dom ? We must be under tutors and governors until 
 the time appointed of the Father. 
 
 Are we plants of the Father's planting? The 
 Husbandman must subject us to pruning. 
 
 Are we precious metal ? We are sure to be chosen 
 in the furnace of affliction. But — " We are His work- 
 manship," therefore, God grant that we may never 
 fear. The hand that moulds us is a pierced hand — 
 the heart that plans all for us was broken for our 
 sakes. He says : " I will do you no hurt." 
 
 Hope. 
 
 " We are saved by Hope. '^— ROM. viii. 24. 
 
 Have we ever sufficiently thought of the precious 
 gift of Hope bestowed on every one of us by the 
 Giver of every good and perfect gift? I scarcely 
 think we have, and yet how mentally and morally 
 helpless we would be, were we to sink into a hopeless 
 state ! Hope, like a rainbow, lights up the dark 
 cloud of sorrow ; like a star, it twinkles in the mid- 
 night of grief; like a strong anchor, it steadies the 
 trembling soul amid the billows of adversity. It is, 
 in fact, to the human spirit what blood is to the 
 
SAVED BY HOPE. 1 63 
 
 natural body ; the possession of it nerves us to action 
 and sustains us in it, enabling us to accomplish much 
 hard work of various kinds, from which we would 
 shrink and turn away without such a stimulus. 
 
 How different is this natural hope, however, from 
 the hope full of immortality, which animates the 
 -breast of every child of God ! " If in this life only 
 we have hope, we are of all men most miserable : " so 
 writes the apostle ; but the hope of the Christian 
 enters into " that within the veil, whither the Fore- 
 runner is for us entered," and the promise has been 
 given, that where He is, there shall also His servants 
 be. 
 
 The hope of the Christian is closely linked with 
 faith and love : " Now abideth these three," and they 
 cannot be dissociated. Love is the fulfilling of the 
 law, and we read that it believeth all things, and Jiopeth 
 all things. The Divine plant of grace has faith as its 
 root, drawing nourishment from the Saviour Him- 
 self; hope as its stem, vigorous and healthy; and 
 love as its golden, soul-satisfying fruit — a fruit so 
 attractive, that hungry and thirsty souls can enjoy it 
 as they enjoy none other. 
 
 Jesus Himself is spoken of as "a plant of renown," 
 and even His enemies were constrained to testify of 
 Him that "He trusted in God." As to hope, it may 
 surely be said of our great Exemplar that His helmet 
 
I 64 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 in the day of battle was " the hope of salvation," the 
 salvation He was working out for His people, while 
 the record left us of His life of loving self-sacrifice is, 
 that " He went about doing good, and healing all 
 manner of sickness and disease." Hope looks up. 
 David says : *' I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, 
 from whence cometh my aid ; " and elsewhere, " Mine 
 eyes do fail with looking upward." Fear looks down, 
 and sees the yawning wave ; and destruction would 
 certainly follow, were it not that He sends from above 
 the succour we so sorely need. 
 
 Let us frequent the throne of grace more than we 
 do, as an antidote to every kind of soul-discourage- 
 ment. The more we bask in the rays of the Sun of 
 Righteousness, the less will the damps of depression 
 rest upon our spirits, and the stronger we shall be for 
 the Lord's work. Of the Captain of our salvation 
 we read : — " He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, 
 until He have brought forth judgment unto truth." 
 May we continually encourage ourselves in the Lord, 
 so shall we be enabled to "do exploits " like David. 
 " Hope thou in God " was the rallying cry of the 
 great monarch himself, when he found his soul dis- 
 quieted within him, and can we adopt a better ? 
 What more beautiful title does the Bible afford than 
 "the God of Hope"? 
 
 Would we be like our Father in heaven, we must 
 
ZENANA WORK AT NAGPOOR. 1 65 
 
 seek to abound in hope. What a useful companion 
 Hopeful was to Christian, as portrayed in Bunyan's 
 allegory ! All through the pilgrim-journey of Chris- 
 tian, and even in the river of death, his soul was re- 
 freshed by the words of cheer spoken by his friend. 
 "A word spoken in season," how good is it! He 
 who " spake as never man spake," knew how to speak 
 a word to the weary, and He will teach us how to do 
 it, if we sit at His feet as learners. How sweet the 
 promise: "They shall be all taught of God," for 
 •* who teacheth like Him ? " 
 
 Zenana Mission Work at Nagpoor. 
 
 I think those of my friends who are engaged in 
 zenana mission work in what we may call the more 
 fashionable cities of India would be surprised to find 
 how commonplace is the work carried on in this 
 connection in Nagpoor. 
 
 The houses visited are, for the most part, of the 
 humblest sort, though we have access to some of the 
 better class as well. An imaginary morning's visita- 
 tion along with me will furnish the best idea of the 
 nature of our work here. 
 
 Before I speak of the houses in detail, I must re- 
 mark that my native helpers and I give ourselves to 
 general evangelistic work, in addition to the regular 
 
I 66 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 visiting, so that our day's programme is often inter- 
 fered with when we find opportunity of occupying 
 new ground. 
 
 At this season of the year we set off for the city, 
 or the less distant town of Seetabaldi, as soon after 
 six o'clock in the morning as we can, and return 
 between ten and eleven o'clock ; but we must start a 
 good deal earlier as the heat increases, and come 
 home sooner. 
 
 A tonga, drawn by bullocks, is our mode of convey- 
 ance, and we have quite a long drive of, say, two 
 miles to the entrance of the city, along a very pretty 
 country road. We always walk for at least a quarter 
 of a mile, for the sake of exercise, and on certain days 
 we have a good deal of walking in the city as well, 
 when the streets are too narrow for the tonga. Part 
 of the road leading to the first house we visit on 
 Monday morning is swamped with water, and part is 
 cut into such deep ruts that it is difficult for any con- 
 veyance to keep from upsetting. At the end of the 
 journey, however, we reach a nice house, the owner 
 of which at one time, many years ago, all but em- 
 braced Christianity, but failing in courage to make an 
 open profession of his faith, he has fallen back into 
 heathenism. 
 
 He is sensible enough, however, to value a measure 
 of education for his two wives and the other members 
 
A LETTER OF THANKS. 1 67 
 
 of his family, and he does not at all stand in the way 
 of our imparting Christian instruction to his house- 
 hold. He has even come to our Mission Church now 
 and again lately, but he goes no further. 
 
 One of his wiv^es is such a gentle, affectionate 
 woman. She listens attentively and prepares her 
 reading lesson carefully. She wrote a very nice 
 letter to me one day, in response to my suggestion, 
 and in that letter she thanked me so lovingly for 
 taking an interest in her, and expressed a prayerful 
 desire that God might bless me. 
 
 This woman's daughter, after having been one of 
 my pupils for some time, died of consumption last 
 year, leaving behind her a little girl of, perhaps, a 
 year old. The child pined sadly for a time, and I 
 scarcely expected her to survive; but her sense of loss 
 has now passed away, and she was looking very well 
 when I last saw her. Since then, however, she has 
 taken smallpox, I hear, and I am prevented on this 
 account from paying my usual visit. 
 
 The first thing we do, on sitting down in any house, 
 is to sing a hymn in Marathi and explain its contents, 
 following this up, at times, by reading a little from 
 one of the Gospels, or some nice little book published 
 by the Tract Society. After this we sing another 
 hymn, and then give lessons to any who wish to learn. 
 As a general rule, I decline to teach fancy work 
 
I 68 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 to those who will not take the trouble to learn to 
 read ; but an exception is made in the case of a 
 woman advanced in life, or when our friend happens 
 to be a Mussulman, caring only to know her own 
 language. 
 
 Near to the above-mentioned house is a Hindu 
 temple, into which we are generally invited as we 
 pass. We introduced ourselves there first of all, and 
 were soon surrounded by a goodly gathering of 
 people, curious to see what we were about, and now 
 we are expected to look in when we are in the 
 quarter. 
 
 The poor old man in charge of the idols sits por- 
 ing over the Shastras, half unconscious of what is 
 going on around him, or even lies on the floor asleep, 
 while the words of life are falling on the ears of the 
 others, until his attention is gained by some words 
 addressed to him personally. Even then, however, 
 he has nothing to advance in reply, good or bad. 
 His dotish appearance, indeed, suggests the thought 
 that he has become painfully assimilated to his help- 
 less charge ! 
 
 There are two houses a little farther on, where we 
 are made welcome, in one of which I had a pupil for 
 one day, if I remember ; but her father prohibited her 
 from learning, on the score that she would be too 
 proud to work if she knew how to read. The little 
 
AN OPEN-AIR MEETING. 1 69 
 
 girl's brother is allowed to go to school, but he con- 
 stantly plays truant. His sister, on the contrary, was 
 quite eager to learn, and bade fair to become a good 
 scholar. 
 
 In another house in this vicinity, my former pupil 
 has been sent to a girls' school conducted by a young 
 woman educated at the Free Church Boarding School, 
 Bombay. Her daily attendance there will give her 
 an opportunity of making much more rapid progress 
 than she could have made, had she continued to 
 receive only occasional lessons from me. 
 
 We have visited this school a few times, hoping to 
 win the hearts of the children attending it ; for there 
 is no religious instruction given there, as it is under 
 Government. 
 
 We are now and then called into native boys^ 
 schools by the Hindu teachers, and not long ago I 
 was dignified to the office of Inspector, and requested 
 to write a report of the state of the school in the 
 visitors' book. I did not feel prepared to do this, 
 however, the examination having been wanting in 
 thoroughness ! 
 
 One day we observed a number of gaily dressed 
 women gathered together on the street near the home 
 of a pupil. We asked them if they would like to 
 hear a hymn, and, immediately seating ourselves on 
 the protruding base of the mud house opposite to 
 
170 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 which they stood, we began to sing. A good many 
 passers-by swelled the number of listeners, and after 
 our little open-air meeting was over, a most respect- 
 able-looking man invited us into his house. This 
 man has one of the sweetest little girls I ever saw, 
 and I proposed teaching her to read. The father 
 acquiesced smilingly, but on our calling again the 
 other day, we found that the little maid was away on 
 some expedition connected with her marriage ! 
 
 This seems to be the auspicious season for wed- 
 dings, and I like to take by surprise a large party 
 assembled to do honour to the bride and bridegroom. 
 
 About ten days ago we had a splendid opportunity 
 of singing gospel hymns, and telling the story of 
 Jesus' love to one of the most motley throngs I ever 
 saw. We became the central objects of attraction as 
 soon as we had entered the large pavilion, and the 
 attention bestowed was wonderful. The youthful 
 bridegroom could not read, so there was no use of 
 giving him a book ; but several little fellows present 
 carried off small prizes gained on the spot, by a 
 public exhibition of their proficiency in the art. One 
 of the women present carried the bride down from a 
 raised platform in the far end of the tent, that I might 
 inspect her more closely. 
 
 When we rose to go, we were presented with 
 " pan," and we parted on the best of terms. 
 
A MODEL HOME. 171 
 
 I have been very much encouraged by the welcome 
 I have received in the homes of two native medical 
 men. The wife of the first of these Baboos is a nice 
 woman, and her home is a model of neatness. She 
 takes great delight in hearing us sing our gospel 
 hymns, and she likes to practise reading English. 
 Both she and her friend, the Kali Baboo's wife, are 
 adepts in fancy work, so that there is no need of 
 instruction in this department. Her husband is the 
 head native doctor of the hospital, in the compound 
 of which his house stands, and this gives us an oppor- 
 tunity of looking in on the poor sufferers there. It 
 was affecting to hear that one poor man I had twice 
 visited for a few minutes had been longing for my 
 return shortly before his death. He said that what 
 I had been telh'ng him made him feel well. 
 
 Here there arc no little children to enliven the home, 
 but an air of cheerfulness is imparted to the otherwise 
 silent homestead by the presence of a number of live 
 pets. A flock of beautiful pigeons, a deer, and some 
 singing-birds are conspicuous amongst these. Our 
 friend has long ago attained great proficiency in 
 various kinds of fancy work, and it is now her ambi- 
 tion to become a good reader of English. This de- 
 sire on her part gives us an errand to the house, and 
 an opportunity of imparting to her, day after day, 
 the truths of the gospel as they are embodied in the 
 
172 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 sweet hymns contained in the Bid Bid and Gayan- 
 amrit. She is very fond of these, only, as they are 
 written in Marathi, they have to be translated into 
 Hindustani ere she can appreciate their meaning, the 
 aid of my young companion from the Orphanage 
 being called into requisition at this point. I may 
 remark here that I am more and more convinced of 
 the necessity of a knowledge of colloquial Hindu- 
 stani to any one hoping to be universaUy useful as a 
 missionary in this country ! It is pleasing to see the 
 friendly familiarity existing between the mistress and 
 servants in many of the houses we visit. Only this 
 morning I was quite struck with the freedom with 
 which a poor, meanly-attired woman, employed as a 
 cook to this household, seated herself in the doorway 
 to enjoy the singing, while she succeeded by her 
 humble, earnest appeal for one more hymn in getting 
 us to open our books again, and do as she desired ! 
 
 But we must hurry on to our second house, the home 
 of another medical Baboo and his wife, one of the 
 nicest couples I have met in India. It is believed by 
 those who know this Baboo well, that he is a true 
 Christian, although he has not yet made an open 
 profession of his faith. His wife is a gentle, retiring 
 woman, of great sweetness of disposition, and his 
 three fine sons, who are being educated in our Insti- 
 tution, bid fair to turn out manly, and, as I would 
 
AN INTERESTING MUSIC PUPIL. 1 73 
 
 hope, Christian youths. On one occasion, when one 
 of our missionaries put the question to his class : — 
 "Supposing you were all convinced of the truth of 
 Christianity, how many of you are prepared to make 
 a stand for it } " one of these immediately rose to his 
 feet. But to return to the mother. She also is an 
 accomplished needle-woman, and, in addition to being 
 able to read Bengali, her native language, she has 
 acquired English very well. She reads a lesson to 
 me, carefully prepared beforehand, twice a week, and 
 has it explained in Hindustani. She was so much 
 delighted with the harmonium kindly sent to us lately 
 from home, as a help in our work, by the ladies of the 
 Committee in Aberdeen, that she requested me to 
 teach her to play on some such instrument. Her 
 husband entered most kindly into her wishes, and ere 
 long a very nice little harmonium was got for her, 
 and she is getting on well with her new study. My 
 sister and I had the pleasure of entertaining her in 
 our own bungalow one day, not long ago, her husband 
 having brought her to see us in a covered conveyance. 
 She was arrayed in a rich purple sarree, embroidered 
 with gold, and there was no lack of handsome jewel- 
 lery, though she is by no means a vain woman, her 
 dress when in her own home being of the simplest 
 kind. She thoroughly appreciated seeing all the 
 little novelties connected with our English mode of 
 
174 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 living, and it was a real pleasure to show her every- 
 thing likely to interest her. 
 
 A Brahman family, a little lower in the social scale, 
 lives not far off from this Baboo's house, and here we 
 have two pupils, orphans on the mother's side. The 
 elder of these has a refined, sensitive-looking face, 
 suggestive of quick feelings, and her relatives com- 
 plain of her that, when offended, she refuses to eat, 
 and remains fasting for a long time. I have informed 
 them that the book she is now reading will give her 
 good advice as to how she ought to behave, and I 
 hope she will improve ere long. The punishment of 
 continued wilfulness is to be that no nice hymn will 
 be sung on the occasion of my next visit, and as this 
 would be a disappointment affecting all round, it is 
 possible that more conciliatory measures may be 
 adopted with the poor child. 
 
 We look in, as we find opportunity, on some other 
 houses in this quarter. In one of these I lighted on 
 a poor woman suffering from a terrible sore on her 
 forehead. I persuaded her to come with me to the 
 hospital to receive proper treatment for it ; but no- 
 thing would induce her to remain there, as this would 
 involve the breaking of her caste ! It was strange to 
 hear such an excuse urged in the circumstances, for 
 the poor creature was destitute of relatives, at a dis- 
 tance from her own part of the country, and depen- 
 
AN UNSIGHTLY IDOL. 175 
 
 dent upon strangers for her daily bread. All that 
 could be done was to give her some medicine in her 
 hand, with some wholesome directions as to how to 
 apply it. A promise that she would return every 
 day for inspection was easily extracted from her; but, 
 alas ! as I could not but predict, she very soon gave 
 up doing so, and settled down amid her pain as 
 before. 
 
 On Wednesday it is hard to decide to which quarter 
 we should turn our steps, so many houses requiring 
 to be visited suggest themselves to the mind. We 
 have just to take one set of them one week, and 
 another the week following. In one of these direc- 
 tions we generally visit, first a mere hut, closely ad- 
 joining a very tiny temple, tenanted by an unsightly 
 little dirt-begrimed idol, whose guardian the neigh- 
 bouring family seem to be. The head of the house 
 is, apparently, very near death. He was, at one time, 
 a very wild man, I understand, but of late he has been 
 quite subdued, listening earnestly to the gospel story, 
 and declaring that, if restored to health, he will pro- 
 fess Christianity. His father, before him, seemed 
 near the Kingdom at one tim^, I am told, but I am 
 afraid he became hardened afterwards, his courage 
 having failed when the duty of confessing Christ was 
 urged upon him. Our good Bible- woman associated 
 with me in the work knows the history of the family 
 
176 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 well, and it has fallen to her lot to minister at the 
 death-beds of both the father and son. 
 
 In another house, not far off, a very interesting 
 family lives. The burly Brahman at the head of it 
 receives us very graciously, but he is a very bigoted 
 idolater. His five sons are being educated at our 
 Institution, which is much in their favour, for they 
 can scarcely grow up so bigoted as their father. 
 Their mother is a quiet, sensible woman, possessed of 
 a good deal of perseverance, judging from the steadi- 
 ness with which she pursued the working of a topee 
 she had attempted, till it was brought to a successful 
 conclusion. The only fault was, that it turned out 
 to be rather small, the child's head having possibly 
 grown while the operation was going on ! By dint of 
 coaxing, accompanied by the promised reward of an 
 English doll, one of the little girls was secured as a 
 pupil in reading. The mother attempted to learn to 
 read, but gave it up as hopeless, her mind not lying 
 so much to it as to the topee-making. I could men- 
 tion many other houses visited on Wednesdays and 
 Thursdays, but I refrain, preferring to give a sketch 
 of to-day, Saturday's, visitation, in conclusion. (The 
 Tuesday's round is repeated on Friday.) 
 
 We set out at mid-day for Seetabaldi, instead of 
 Nagpoor, intending to visit several houses where we 
 are duly expected on a Saturday ; but after paying 
 
AN EAGER LISTENER. 177 
 
 our first visit, we got amongst a new set of houses 
 while in quest of a certain influential one to which we 
 had been called, so that we were unable to complete 
 the day's programme. Such a hearty little woman 
 lives in the first house ! She leads me forward by 
 the hand, almost places me in my chair, and then, 
 drawing her own one near, she joins with all her 
 might in singing the hymns, which have a great charm 
 for her. Her husband is a very enlightened, liberal- 
 minded man, and he has taught her to read well, so 
 that she is content to be a listener. A very appre- 
 ciative one she is, so ready to respond to what strikes 
 her as being particularly forcible, her face meanwhile 
 glowing with pleasure at hearing her own language 
 rendered by a stranger, for we have but recently 
 made each other's acquaintance. When I asked her 
 the other day if she really worships images, she 
 assured me that she does not, and that she believes 
 in only one God. It was pleasing to hear this, but it 
 remained for me to tell her of the necessity of the 
 God- appointed Mediator ^ even His own dear Son. 
 
 On leaving this dear friend, we made our way, 
 under the guidance of a little girl, who moved on 
 before us, to quite a new house, the owner of which I 
 had encountered on the street on a former day, when 
 he promised to make us welcome on our return. Our 
 interview with him was by no means satisfactory, 
 
 M.R. 12 
 
178 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 however, though it was nice to get access to his 
 household. He seemed disposed to make light of us 
 and of our message, pretending all the time to be very- 
 simple and illiterate. Notwithstanding this, he bore 
 with me while I read a chapter from "Summary of 
 Scripture Doctrine," besides listening quietly to the 
 hymns, in this way allowing others an opportunity of 
 profiting, if he did not feel inclined to do so. A young 
 man, doing some work as accountant, as he sat in the 
 verandah surrounded by his papers, was very glad to 
 have a little book bestowed upon him too, so that I 
 hope our visit was not altogether in vain. 
 
 On leaving this house we turned by mistake into a 
 courtyard leading to a house we had never been 
 " called to," but as the intrusion did not seem to be 
 taken amiss, I proposed singing a hymn ere turning 
 away. No objection was offered, and we had a 
 capital audience, consisting of fair-complexioned 
 Brahman women and girls, some of whom were 
 engaged in cleaning rice for the evening meal. 
 
 In the next house we found a young girl who had 
 been under instruction in a town forty miles distant 
 from this, where Christian influences have been at 
 work for many years back. The sister of her former 
 instructress told me about her, and it was an un- 
 expected pleasure to make her acquaintance. A 
 pundit was engaged in helping a little boy with his 
 
THE GOD VISHNU. 1 79 
 
 lessons, as we sought to make friends with our new 
 acquaintances, and it was very evident that his sym- 
 pathies were with us. He had overheard some of our 
 conversation in the former house, and had become 
 interested, it would appear. He most gratefully 
 accepted a copy of the Bid Bui, from which we were 
 singing, and assured me he would make a study of its 
 contents. This highly intelligent man is in charge 
 of a school attended by two hundred boys, and if his 
 influence over them is for good, much will have been 
 gained in the cause of Christianity. 
 
 But I must hasten to a conclusion. This is but the 
 sowing time. Be it ours to " sow beside all waters," 
 remembering that the Lord of the harvest has de- 
 clared that those who do this are " blessed." 
 
 About this time Alcxina talks much of open doors 
 multiplying on her, and of grateful receptions given 
 her, not only in the better-class houses, but even in 
 the Poorhouse, in the suburbs of the city, where one 
 forlorn old woman assured her that "its inmates were 
 all her children; " so she felt it her duty to return fre- 
 quently and attend to them. " Our field of labour is 
 very wide," she says ; " may we have grace and wis- 
 dom to occupy it well." 
 
 Talking of the principal gods worshipped in Nag- 
 poor (for Hinduism has diverse aspects), she mentions 
 Vishnu {i.e. the Preserver). There are nine manifesta- 
 
l8o OPEN DOORS. 
 
 tions of this divinity. Many consider Krishna one 
 form. Then there is the bestial god Shiva (the great 
 destroyer), the husband of the horrible Kali, who is 
 greatly feared, being supposed to be the originator of 
 all trouble. Even the Gonds ^^ do piijah" to Kali. 
 Besides these popular gods, the Hindus in Nagpoor 
 do homage to the cobra, while in the villages border- 
 ing the jungles there are many representations of the 
 wagha or tiger. 
 
 Alexina always, as far as practicable, took advan- 
 tage of the holy festivals to collect an audience. On 
 these occasions her hymn-singing was very valuable, 
 as it tended to disarm prejudice, and afforded an ex- 
 cellent opportunity for directing the listeners to the 
 Saviour. She writes : — 
 
 *' One day Amundibai, our valuable Bible-woman, 
 told me that she wished to conduct me to a part of 
 the city I did not know, where a large temple dedicated 
 to Yagoba rears its head. There was to be special 
 honour done to this god on that day, and large 
 crowds would assemble, giving us an opportunity of 
 usefulness not to be had every day. On our reach- 
 ing the spot, and attracting the attention of a number 
 of the worshippers by beginning to sing, a seat in a 
 very novel position was assigned to us, the pedestal of 
 the temple being selected, and in a few minutes we 
 were hemmed in by a motley throng, eager to see and 
 
HONOUR TO BULLOCKS. l8l 
 
 hear. Hymn after hymn was sung, with some simple 
 explanatory remarks accompanying each, till hoarse- 
 ness compelled us to desist and retire to our gharree. 
 This day's visit opened up the way for further visit- 
 ing in that quarter, and several private houses are 
 now added to our list." 
 
 And again : — 
 
 " Well, Monday was a holiday in the city. It was 
 the day for doing honour to bullocks^ by way of re- 
 dressing the grievances they are subjected to through- 
 out the year (every driver poking at and pulling the 
 tails of his animals continually, by way of urging them 
 forward). I went out visiting as usual, however, as I 
 had regretted on one or two such former occasions 
 having remained at home. On the way we met the 
 usual complement of country carts and tongas, only 
 the horns of the weary beasts were finely gilded up 
 and surmounted, in some cases, with a handsome 
 pair of silk tassels. I think they ought to have 
 been provided with looking-glasses, that they might 
 at least have had the pleasure of admiring themselves, 
 and seeing what honour had been put upon them ! 
 
 " We had capital opportunities of sowing the seed 
 that Monday morning, so many of the men and boys 
 in the city being disengaged. We were called from 
 one house to another in rapid succession, the hymns 
 being the great attraction, and when at last we called 
 
152 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 a halt (our proceedings evidently being looked on as 
 affording a species of * tomasha/ or popular entertain- 
 ment), I found that, slow as I had supposed my watch 
 to be, it was one o'clock, and I had had no break- 
 fast ! " 
 
 The Rev. John Douglas, late of Bandhara, also re- 
 lates an account of an interesting service on one of 
 the feast-days, in which the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri 
 took part. The visit of this man of God to Nagpoor 
 was greatly enjoyed by Alexina. He thoroughly 
 tested her in her knowledge of Marathi, and ex- 
 pressed himself as well satisfied with the result. He 
 also initiated her, in three lessons, into Hindustani, 
 drilling her in that language during the course of 
 his visit. 
 
 Mr. Douglas says : — 
 
 " Not the least interesting service that Mr. Shesh- 
 adri held while with us was the large open-air meeting 
 he addressed in the bazaar on Thursday morning. It 
 happened to be a Hindu feast-day in honour of Gun- 
 putti. The Institution was therefore closed, and all 
 business in the city was suspended. The image of 
 this divinity represents him as a man possessing four 
 hands and an elephant's head. Like all other objects 
 of Hindu worship, he has anything but a prepossess- 
 ing appearance. Immense numbers of these images, 
 made of clay, and varying in size and price to suit the 
 
A HINDU FEAST-DAY. 1 83 
 
 taste and purse of the purchaser, are sold on the first 
 day of the feast. While it lasts they are objects of 
 divine homage, and at its close are thrown into the 
 river. Early in the morning Mr. Sheshadri, Miss 
 Mackay, Mr. Nordfors and myself started for the 
 scene of our labours. On the way we secured the 
 help of some of our native Christians, who gladly ac- 
 companied us. As we approached the city we could 
 easily perceive that something unusual was going on. 
 Strains of not very melodious music greeted our ears 
 from every side. Processions in honour of the god 
 passed hither and thither at frequent intervals. These 
 were generally headed by musicians, who caused the 
 discordant noise of which I have just spoken, and 
 standard-bearers holding aloft banners on which were 
 emblazoned many strange devices. These were but 
 the heralds of the god himself, who followed immedi- 
 ately after, seated in a palanquin, which was borne on 
 the shoulders of four men, and looking as attractive as 
 paint and tinsel finery could make him. Behind him, 
 and closing up the rear of the procession, were the 
 members of the family to whom the god belonged, 
 seated on horseback or mounted on elephants, which 
 were richly ornamented with gold and silver trappings 
 in honour of the occasion. Through the busy streets 
 we slowly threaded our way until we reached the 
 market-place, a large square situated in the very 
 
184 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 centre of the city. Along each side of this square the 
 merchants squatted upon the ground, with their goods 
 spread out before them. The articles most in demand 
 seemed to be grain and vegetables and Gunputtis. 
 We selected an open space under the shade of a tree, 
 and commenced our meeting by singing one or two 
 Marathi hymns, which Miss Mackay led, being sup- 
 ported by the lusty voices of our native Christian 
 friends. Soon a considerable crowd gathered round 
 us, and listened most respectfully to what was said. 
 Mr. Sheshadri made the parable of the Prodigal Son 
 the basis of his remarks, from which he spoke at 
 some length with great fluency and ease. It was inter- 
 esting to watch the different expressions upon the 
 countenance while the address was proceeding. Many 
 seemed to look on with idle curiosity, treating the 
 whole affair as if it were a part of the holiday enter- 
 tainment provided for their express benefit. One 
 man, who held an image of Gunputti in his hand, 
 listened most attentively, and at more frequent 
 intervals than was agreeable, loudly re-echoed the 
 sentiments that pleased him, accompanying the re- 
 marks with numerous approving nods and smiles. At 
 the back of the crowd was one whose fantastic dress 
 and emaciated appearance pointed him out as a 
 religious devotee. Although less demonstrative than 
 his neighbour, the word seemed to be sinking deeper 
 
NARAYAN SHESHADRI. 1 85 
 
 into his heart. Who can tell but that it was the first 
 time in his life he had heard that the God he had 
 been so long trying to propitiate by a life of privation 
 and suffering was a loving Father who wanted to 
 welcome him to his heart and home, and yearned to 
 supply those cravings which the unsatisfying husks of 
 heathenism failed to meet. 
 
 " Two of our Christian teachers followed Mr. Shesh- 
 adri with short addresses, one in Marathi and another 
 in Hindi. Hymns were interspersed between each 
 address. As a goodly number of English-speaking 
 young men were in the crowd, it was suggested that I 
 should address them a few words in that language. 
 This I did, prefacing my remarks with one or two 
 sentences of Marathi, which, whatever intelligent ideas 
 they conveyed to the minds of the audience, had the 
 effect of causing their faces to relax into a good- 
 humoured smile. 
 
 "With the singing of another hymn our meeting 
 came to an end. Doubtless, many in the crowd 
 wondered to see a European lady standing with us, 
 seeing that it is contrary to the Hindu ideas of pro- 
 priety that the two sexes should mingle so freely 
 together as is the habit in our country. Mr. Sheshadri 
 therefore took the opportunity to advertise Miss 
 Mackay's work by explaining that she had left her 
 friends and home in order to teach their wives and 
 
I 86 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 sisters, and that she would be only too glad to visit 
 the houses of those who would be willing to receive 
 her. Before we left, a number of copies of the Gospels 
 and other religious books were distributed to those 
 who were able to read ; but the eagerness of the 
 crowd to receive a book was so great, and the jostling 
 became so violent, that we found it necessary to beat 
 a retreat into our conveyance, and to stipulate that 
 no more books would be given unless we received 
 coppers for them. 
 
 " We returned home, thanking God for the high 
 privilege of spreading abroad the knowledge of His 
 name in a city which is so entirely given up to idol- 
 atry. Whatever be the visible fruits of such efforts, 
 this we know, that not one of the Lord's words 
 "shall return to Him void." Frequently it is the 
 experience of those engaged in the Lord's work in 
 India, that the bread which is cast upon the water 
 is found, even though it should be after many days. 
 Especially is this true of those who come more 
 systematically under the teaching of God's Word than 
 is possible for those who hear it only occasionally 
 preached. An instance of this came under my own 
 observation a few months ago. One day a young 
 man called upon me to have some conversation about 
 religion. Formerly he had been a student at our 
 Institution, and had read the Bible there. He prose- 
 
AN ANXIOUS INQUIRER. 1 87 
 
 cuted his studies until he obtained the degree of F.A.; 
 and now he has a good appointment as teacher in an 
 Anglo-vernacular school in the Central Provinces. 
 Although he had ceased to read the Bible he had not 
 forgotten its teaching, and the deep unrest of his soul 
 compelled him to seek help from those who he 
 thought would be able to assist him. The result of a 
 long conversation I had with him that day was that 
 I presented him with a copy of the Bible, which he 
 promised to study anew. I encouraged him to com- 
 municate with me whenever he met with any diffi- 
 culties in the course of his reading, and from time to 
 time I have received letters from him, asking explana- 
 tion of important texts connected with the person of 
 Christ, the necessity and nature of regeneration, and 
 other subjects bearing upon the plan of salvation. In 
 one letter he says : * Write me by return of post — 
 just by return — because there is a deep-seated ex- 
 citement in me which leads me on to study the Bible 
 with all the eagerness necessary for a pursuit of this 
 kind.' Surely the Good Shepherd is going after this 
 lost one, and will yet bring him in with rejoicing." 
 
 Invitations from many homes, and the removal of 
 prejudice where it formerly existed, together with 
 permanent friendships continually being formed, gave 
 Alexina hope and encouragement. 
 
I 88 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 "The best men, doing their best 
 Know, peradventure, least of what they do ; 
 Men usefullest in the world are simply used ; 
 The nail that holds the wood must pierce it first, 
 And He alone who wields the hammer sees 
 The work advanced by the earliest blow. Take heart." 
 
 She sighed and groaned and longed for more con- 
 versions ; but there are many results — often the best 
 and most enduring — which do not appear in mission- 
 ary reports. The Rev. W. Grey,^ in connection with 
 this, states : — " Numbers and figures give us but a 
 very inadequate view of missionary progress and 
 prospects in a country like India. We are thankful 
 for them, but our view of progress may well be a 
 brighter and more hopeful one than even the brightest 
 and most hopeful which the statistics furnish. In 
 estimating progress, we must notice the various indi- 
 cations there are of the inward working towards 
 Christianity of the people's minds. The springing 
 into existence of every new Somaj may be regarded 
 as a new form of uttering the words, ' Sir, we would 
 see Jesus.' The inert mass of Hindu thought is 
 being more and more moved." 
 
 The Rev. James Johnson, author of " A Century 
 of Missions," also declares that " India's millions are 
 passing through a crucial transition stage. The old 
 
 ^ See " Nine Years' Missionary Progress in India," CMS. 
 Intellige7tcer^ May, 1893. 
 
THE TRANSITION STAGE. 1 89 
 
 faiths have lost credence, the new has not yet been 
 accepted. Fermentation of mind prevails every- 
 where, and is the strongest evidence of the progress 
 of Christianity." 
 
 " * Upward and onward' in faith, then, we sow, 
 Depending on God to cause it to grow ; 
 And though we may not behold it take root, 
 May those who succeed us rejoice in the fruit." 
 
 How the sowing progressed will be seen below. 
 
 Notes in Connection with my Visiting 
 IN THE City. 
 
 Feb. loth, 1880. 
 Reached our first house, and found only my pupil 
 Peesabai and her mother at hand. My chair was 
 set, however, and the piece of cotton carpet spread 
 for Amundibai and Cheenie to sit on, and very soon 
 the neighbours were called, and the company swelled 
 in magnitude, as we went on. " Christ, the Nectar of 
 Life," was the hymn we began with, after explanation 
 of which, I read a little from the Gospel by John 
 about Jesus being the Bread of life. After Peesabai 
 and a friend who can already read had done with 
 their lesson, treating of the Commandments and the 
 Lord's Prayer, Peesabai asked me to sing " Jesus of 
 Nazareth," and this formed a beautiful basis for the 
 narration of the gospel story. I sometimes think 
 
IQO OPEN DOORS. 
 
 how pleased Dr. Bonar and other hymn-composers 
 would be could they overhear us rendering their 
 hymns in Marathi to these simple-minded heathen. 
 A curious picture we presented at that first gathering. 
 I had slipped off my chair, to get out of the way of 
 the sun (we were sitting outside), and taken a seat 
 on the ledge of the small door leading into a tiny 
 room in the gable-end of the house. In this room 
 Peesabai's mother and some male relatives were 
 sitting on the floor, forming part of the audience. 
 Peesabai sat close beside me, her arms resting upon 
 me confidingly, occasionally whispering into my ear 
 a question in Marathi, such as, " Why didn't you come 
 last Thursday .'' " 
 
 On the earthen bank surrounding the little court- 
 yard several women and boys were "perched," for 
 their sitting posture is not unlike that of fowls in a 
 roost ! and, crowding upon each other's shoulders 
 were a number of the passers-by, who had turned in 
 to see what we were about. 
 
 As we drove to our next house a little boy ran after 
 us, to ask us to follow him to a house where they 
 wished to see us. I alighted most cheerfully, and in 
 a few seconds we found ourselves in a little centre of 
 domestic Hfe. 
 
 A middle-aged man in thick brass (perhaps goldy 
 by the bye !) spectacles was the presiding genius in 
 
AN artist's family. IQI 
 
 the scene. He is an artist of some kind, probably a 
 painter of the portraits of the gods and goddesses ! 
 and he aspires to having certain members of his 
 household taught to read. At first a boy was brought 
 forward, for whom instruction in English was desired, 
 but, upon our mission to the women and girls being 
 explained, some four or five little maids became can- 
 didates for the proposed instruction, as well as one 
 grown woman, and anon, these were told off to their 
 three respective teachers, not, however, till after the 
 head of the establishment and all in the verandah 
 had been regaled, and in some measure edified, by 
 the singing of two nice hymns. The first began like 
 this: — "Teerta, yatra, juppa, suana, dana, tuppa — 
 kaleanay hay papadzata nahee," i.e. — " By pilgrim- 
 ages, bathing, giving of alms, etc., sin is not removed." 
 " Wah ! " was the appreciative interjection made use 
 of by our friend in spectacles, when we had finished, 
 and he gave a most attentive hearing to the explana- 
 tory remarks made by Amundibai, when we had done. 
 
 Saturday f Feb. 15///. Yesterday we had such a 
 pleasant morning's visiting — different from that of 
 the day before, when no one seemed particularly 
 interested. 
 
 Our women at the first house turned out in full 
 force, and we gave a lesson in reading to about half a 
 dozen of them. It was arranged, at the same time, 
 
192 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 that the little boy, my favourite, with the thoughtful 
 face and large, mild eyes, should present himself at 
 once for admission into the Free Church Institu- 
 tion, his mother at last having acquiesced in the 
 matter of the trifling monthly fee necessary to the 
 carrying on of his education. On leaving this house 
 and turning our faces towards the large Brahman 
 domicile to which we were lately called, we observed 
 all the little girls on the outlook for us, from the flat 
 roof! It was pleasant to see that they were eagerly 
 " watching our path," or "looking at our path" — the 
 literal translation of the Marathi expression for " to 
 expect." We found quite a row of seats placed for 
 us in the upstairs verandah — a spacious, but tumble- 
 down-looking erection (in this country, literally, 
 " change and decay in all around I see ") ; for Mrs. 
 Stothert and Nellie, who accompanied me last day, 
 were evidently expected again. Well, we sat down, 
 sang and explained our hymn — a very beautiful, 
 swinging one (I'll sing it to you, D.V., when I get 
 home, and you will see that the adjective is not mis- 
 applied), entitled, " Life is Fleeting." Then I read 
 the two parables about the man having an hundred 
 sheep, who lost one, and the woman who swept the 
 house diligently, to find her lost piece of silver, finish- 
 ing off with the hymn, " Come to Jesus." Meantime 
 a servant arrived, bearing in his hand a small parcel 
 
BEDECKED WITH ROSES. 1 93 
 
 done up in green leaves (paper they never use), and 
 in a minute a perfectly lovely necklace of roses, 
 threaded together as thickly as they could lie on the 
 string (a pendant of the same, varied with white 
 snowdrop-like blossoms, being attached in front), was 
 thrown round my neck by " Tanibai," the little woman 
 I teach, while a packet of home-made, wee, white 
 sweets was put into my hand. These had been 
 brought upstairs by the mother of my pupil, a- stout, 
 very fair-corn plexioned, youthful-looking woman, in 
 whose eyes I was very much pleased to have found 
 favour, because at first she seemed to look suspiciously 
 upon me, and moreover, there is a certain haughtiness 
 of bearing about her, as well as a good degree of 
 temper within, which led her one morning to give 
 quite a sore pinch to one of the little girls sitting too 
 near her (after she had taken her bath, I suppose). I 
 bestowed unbounded praises on the roses, pronounc- 
 ing them "phar soonder," and asking if any man 
 could bring such beauty out of the dark, ugly earth. 
 They confessed that it was Daw who made them ; 
 and I told them that we should worship the great 
 Creator, and not His works (as they do, walking round 
 a tree ever so many times, etc.). In addition to the 
 little girls present, we had eight or ten of the grown 
 members of the household, and some of the school- 
 boys. A crazy woman has taken to following us, 
 M.R. 13 
 
194 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 here and there, reminding me of the demon-possessed 
 maiden we read of in Acts, who called out : " These 
 men are the servants of the most high God, who show 
 unto us the way of salvation." She began smoking 
 a rude pipe in our midst, the other day, but when the 
 woman of the house got up to tell her to leave off, 
 she darted out like a scared hare ! She has a strong 
 voice like a man, but she hushes it down when she 
 joins us, as if she understood what we are about. 
 Wild creature as she is, she does not neglect to touch 
 her forehead well up with the idolatrous marks worn 
 by her neighbours. Who knows but, like Mat, the 
 idiot boy, she may be so influenced by the Spirit of 
 God as to be led to love and trust Jesus, of whom we 
 tell ? 
 
 I had a novel bit of experience a morning or two 
 ago, in the appearance amongst us of a youth, who 
 craved my assistance with his English lesson. He 
 was required to give the meaning, in plain English, of 
 Covvper's humorous piece : " Between nose and eyes 
 a strange contest arose " (as to which the spectacles 
 belonged). It gave me great pleasure to help him, 
 but, when he remarked complacently, when we had 
 done, that he thought he would often get help from 
 me in the same way, I felt it my duty to tell him 
 that, unless he were to come to my house, I could 
 not help him again, as I devoted my mornings 
 
LETTER TO CHILDREN. 1 95 
 
 to the women ! He said nothing particular in 
 reply. 
 
 So much regarding my work, as at present carried 
 on ! I like to write a little about it, when I have got 
 some cheering incidents to narrate ; and lately, new 
 openings and hearty receptions have encouraged me. 
 
 I am going to have a rest for a few days in Kampthi 
 just now, as suggested by Mrs. Cooper. I go there 
 to keep Mrs. Stothert company, she again taking a 
 motherly oversight of Dr. Theobald's little orphans, 
 in his absence from home. Mr. Stothert is away on 
 a little missionary tour. I never met any one with 
 more of the missionary spirit than dear Mrs. Stothert 
 has. She is in full sympathy with the native women. 
 
 A. Mackay. 
 
 {To the Children of Holborn Free Omrch Sunday 
 School^ Aberdeen) 
 
 My Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 May loth, 1880. 
 I have been thinking that the Sunday School chil- 
 dren of Holborn Free Church, Aberdeen, might like 
 to hear something about the missionary work I am 
 engaged in here ; and for this reason I propose to 
 send them a letter, containing a little account of what 
 I am seeing from day to day. But the better way 
 
196 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 will be for me to suppose that I am speaking face to 
 face with you, so I will just begin my talk with you at 
 once, leaving you to ask through your teachers any 
 questions you would like me to answer next time I 
 write. 
 
 This morning, Amundibai, the native Bible-woman, 
 and I had a very long way to drive in our bullock- 
 gharree before we arrived at the first house we visit 
 on Monday morning, but at last we reached it, and 
 found six women, a young girl (who is a zvidow !) 
 and a little boy, eager to be sung to and taught. 
 
 How much you would like to hear a Marathi 
 hymn ! The strange sounds are so interesting, but 
 the beauty of it is that the meaning of the words is as 
 clear to the people we are singing to as our language 
 is to us. We sang a hymn about the folly of think- 
 ing that the mere use of words in prayer will please 
 God, and Amundibai explained all about it. Then 
 I listened to four of the women as they read out of 
 such a nice book called, " Stree Kunt Bhooshun," 
 which means in English, " Ornament for the neck of 
 females," while two of the others were being taught 
 the Marathi alphabet by Amundibai. One or two 
 other women and the boy merely listened, and a little 
 baby boy tumbled about on the floor, playing with 
 my boot, which must have been a curiosity to it ! 
 The lesson for to-day was about the necessity of 
 
PRAYING WITHOUT AN IDOL. 1 97 
 
 teaching children the truths of God's Word, and after 
 we had finished reading, I talked with the women 
 about the sinfulness of worshipping idols. One elderly 
 woman, seated quite near me, on the floor, opened 
 her eyes very wide when she heard that it was her 
 duty to give this up, and, to convince her of the truth 
 of what I was saying, I told her that this is God's 
 command, and I added that I never worship idols 
 though I pray to the true God every day before go- 
 ing to the city. I was then asked if God speaks to 
 me when I pray to Him, all alone, in my room ! 
 
 Before we left, I asked Amundibai to offer up a 
 short prayer, hoping this would show them what I 
 meant, better than a great deal of explanation, but 
 though most of the listeners behaved remarkably well, 
 one laughed out loud, so strange did it seem to her 
 to hear a prayer offered to Nobody^ as she supposed. 
 The one who behaved badly was rebuked immedi- 
 ately by one of the women at the other side of the 
 room, and a little conversation began, so that I had 
 to turn round and ask them to keep still. We cannot 
 wonder at this way of behaving, when we consider 
 that the heathen do not understand what spiritual 
 worship is at all. I am glad to tell you, however, 
 that at least two of those present seemed to like the 
 thought of praying in this way, and agreed to follow 
 it. 
 
198 ^ OPEN DOORS. 
 
 No more, at present, my dear young friends. Pray 
 for me very often, that I may be greatly blessed by 
 God, and made a great blessing. It is exactly two 
 and a half years to-day since I reached India, and 
 my earnest hope is, that if God spare me for just as 
 long again, I will have the great joy of seeing all 
 my loved friends at home again, and you amongst 
 them. Good-bye. 
 
 Yours very affectionately, 
 
 A. Mackay. 
 
 P.S. — The following lines I composed while lying 
 awake the other night. 
 
 "For Jesu's Sake, Amen." 
 
 How many thousand little lips 
 
 Each day these words are saying, 
 Come, children, tell me what they mean, 
 
 And in whose name you're praying. 
 
 " For Jesu's sake." What has He done ? 
 Why is His name so sweet, 
 That saints in heaven and saints on earth 
 Are gathered at His feet ? 
 
 " He died for us," I hear you say, 
 And you have answered right, 
 The Lamb was slain, and, oh ! His blood 
 Is precious in God's sight. 
 
 '•' For Jesu's sake." His lovely robe 
 Of spotless righteousness. 
 When put upon my sinful soul, 
 I'm clothed in heaven's own dress. 
 
A JEWELED LADY. 1 99 
 
 To meet the pure and holy God, 
 
 Who cannot look on sin, 
 I'll ready be ; " for Jesu's sake " 
 
 He'll bid me Welcome in. 
 
 " For Jesu's sake." This golden key 
 
 Can open heaven's gate ; 
 The angels know His name so well, 
 They will not bid me wait. 
 
 I thank Thee, Jesus, Saviour dear, 
 
 For all Thy love to me. 
 Oh, may I, when this life is done, 
 
 Go Home to be with Thee ! 
 
 ( To the Home Committee?) 
 Nag POOR, 
 
 Jtme 2nd, 1 880. 
 I had an interesting experience this morning, 
 and I would like to tell you about it. 
 
 Amundibai and I were guided to a new house by 
 Cornelius, one of our native Christian teachers in 
 the city, a very large house, towards which, I be- 
 lieve, I used to cast longing eyes, being anxious to 
 gain admission. Things did not promise very well, 
 from an outside point of view, the surroundings of 
 the entrance being so neglected and untidy-looking, 
 but on our being introduced to the housekeeper 
 within, we discovered, by the study of her person, 
 that poverty had no place in her circumstances. The 
 amount of jewelry the otherwise sensible-looking 
 
200 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 woman had on was simply marvellous, her fingers 
 alone exempted, strange to say ! for a coupje of silver 
 rings on one finger was all they had to boast of In 
 her nose was an immense brooch, rather than ring, 
 solidly made up of pearls, varied by a few blue stone 
 beads ! In her ears were such pendants — regular 
 suspended bells of pearls ! On her neck a necklace 
 of common beads, of about the thickness of an in- 
 fant's wrist, to which was attached an ornament that 
 reminded one of the breastplate we read of as being 
 worn by Aaron ! It was somewhat square in shape, 
 studded thickly with emeralds and rubies alternately. 
 Above the elbow she wore a gold armlet of about an 
 inch and a half in width, while on her wrist, extend- 
 ing upwards, was a succession of tinsel-looking brace- 
 lets, confined at each end by a massive gold-knopped 
 one. On her toes were a number of richly-wrought 
 silver ornaments, with chains linking them together. 
 Her choice (inner little tight-fitting jacket) and sarree 
 were of broidered silk, corresponding in richness 
 with her ornaments. Excuse my going into detail 
 like this. You see, the sight was an unusual one to 
 me, too, seeing that it is amongst a humbler class of 
 people, generally speaking, I have been, as yet, privi- 
 leged to labour. I took special notice of the above 
 to day, while Amundibai was explaining the hymn 
 we had sung, in Hindi, a language I am a stranger 
 
SPIDERS MUST NOT BE DISTURBED! 20I 
 
 to. As you will readily believe, I felt the force of 
 the caution given by the apostle in reference to 
 female attire, as I took an inventory of the scene be- 
 fore me. 
 
 The strange contrast is that the tables, etc., in the 
 room occupied by this elaborately adorned house- 
 keeper were allowed to stand covered with a shame- 
 ful coating of dust.^ 
 
 After sitting for a little while, a tumbler of scald- 
 ingly hot milk and weak tea was put into my hand, 
 an act of really considerate kindness, my European 
 taste being deferred to ! 
 
 So much for the external view of things. As to 
 the rest, we made good friends, first of all imparting 
 what instruction we could, through the medium of a 
 pretty hymn sung ; and last, though by no means 
 least, in our friend's estimation, a rather lengthy 
 lesson in topee-making was given to a very apt pupil, 
 who can already handle a needle and thread very 
 skilfully, as the many rich patterns for the orna- 
 mentation of choices she showed me can testify. Of 
 
 * Probably the mistress of the house was afraid of having 
 the cobwebs removed, as spiders are religiously protected by 
 Hindus. Every product of the cow is also considered sacred, 
 and in many parts of India, the crockery is washed, and the 
 floors sprinkled with sArri, which is not pure water, but a fluid 
 having a savour suggestive of the cowshed! 
 
202 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 these patterns I was permitted to keep one, to show 
 my friends at home. 
 
 Our friend has a daughter, a girl of sixteen or 
 seventeen, whose husband's home is in Calcutta. 
 We will try to get her to consent to learn to read 
 while she is here. It would have made you very sad, 
 could you have peeped, as I did, into a side verandah, 
 where the father of the family was performing his 
 devotions. There he sat, like a child amidst its toys, 
 tiny, shell-like dishes, etc., etc., containing flowers, 
 paste, etc., his eyes shut, and his lips moving as fast 
 as possible, as he counted off, on a concealed rosary, 
 how many prayers he had given utterance to, or, 
 more likely, how many times he had repeated the 
 name of his god. He took no notice of us, but I in- 
 simmteds. "salaam " upon him, as he passed through 
 the room when he had finished. He did respond, 
 but not pleasantly. 
 
 A dear little schoolboy joined us, before we left, 
 who could speak a little English. He looked so glad 
 to see us. A representation of the Saviour hung on 
 one of the walls, unknown to our friends ! 
 Good-bye, dear friends. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 A. Mackay. 
 
DISTRIBUTING BOOKS. 203 
 
 {To an Uncle in Nova Scotia.) 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 October 7 thy 1880. 
 My dear Uncle,— 
 
 I am going to give you a little sketch of my 
 everyday work here, in connection with my calling 
 as a missionary. Well, you must imagine me as 
 taking a seat in some verandah, or outer room, be- 
 longing to a very humble style of house, and pre- 
 sently being surrounded by a motley gathering of 
 passers-by, in addition to the inmates of the house 
 itself. A native Bible-woman and one of our elder 
 girls from the Orphanage accompany me, and we 
 three peregrinate from house to house all the morn- 
 ing, now in our covered conveyance, drawn by 
 bullocks, now on foot, in every house singing and 
 explaining gospel hymns in the native language, or 
 reading a little aloud, as the case may be, and in 
 addition to this, giving lessons in reading and fancy 
 work to those who desire to be taught. The little 
 boys in the streets, wherever we go, are our special 
 adherents, and many a little hand becomes the 
 medium of conveying the gospel message into idola- 
 trous homes into which we have no access, it being a 
 favourite habit of mine to distribute little books, 
 gratis, to those who can read. I had a nice little 
 
204 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 sum of money sent me, not long ago, by the Sunday 
 School children belonging to the church I used to 
 attend in Alva, and with that I got a fresh supply of 
 such gospel publications. 
 
 Dear Uncle, I feel that I have been called to angelic 
 work, but the enemy of souls seeks to hinder me by 
 harassing my own spirit. I am sure you will grant my 
 request, when I ask you to remember me in your 
 prayers. I doubt not you do so already. May we 
 be enabled to "continue instant in prayer," remem- 
 bering that "greater is He that is for us than all 
 they that be against us." 
 Adieu ! beloved Uncle, 
 
 Your affectionate niece, 
 
 Alexina. 
 
 My Experiences in the City this -Morning, 
 April i^th, 1 88 1. 
 
 Cheenie, my companion from the Orphanage, and 
 I started at about six o'clock this morning, on our 
 usual round of visiting. In little more than half an 
 hour we were in the city, and soon had reached our 
 first house — that of a Marwadi, or member of a cer- 
 tain mercantile class of people, from another part of 
 India. My pupil here is a childish, good-natured 
 girl of perhaps fifteen years of age. She has been 
 
WELCOMED. 205 
 
 trying to do a little fancy work, but she is far from 
 clever, and finds difficulties where there appear to be 
 none! It is pleasant, however, to be welcomed to 
 the house, on whatever pretext, as an opportunity is 
 given us of delivering our message. The girl's 
 mother and her little lame brother usually join us, 
 and occasional listeners besides. 
 
 On our way to the second house I purposed visit- 
 ing, we turned down a wrong street by mistake, and 
 as I recognised by my surroundings that we were 
 near a certain new house I had failed to find my way 
 back to, on a preceding day, I resolved to renew my 
 inquiries after it. A kind woman we occasionally 
 visit undertook to be our guide, but we found our- 
 selves amongst strangers, on entering the house she 
 conducted us to. So much the better, I thought, for 
 we were well received, and a First Book was solicited 
 for a young woman who was disposed to become a 
 learner. 
 
 We have gained access to a new house by this 
 mistake, for we were invited to return, and the hope 
 was expressed that we would teach our friend to 
 make a scarf, as well as to read ! 
 
 We were successful, at length, in finding out the 
 house that was the real object of our search, and 
 our re-appearance gave great satisfaction. Includ- 
 ing my pupil, a young widow, whose father is very 
 
206 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 anxious that she should be taught to read, we had 
 six interesting women as listeners, one of whom, in 
 particular, was most attentive. 
 
 On leaving this little company, I invited myself 
 into a neighbouring house on observing a number of 
 people in the verandah and courtyard, busily engaged 
 in conversation. My companion and I were allowed 
 to take a seat, but there was little sympathy evoked 
 by the singing of the sweet hymn with which we in- 
 troduced our subject, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, 
 and on the mention of His name a spirit of opposi- 
 tion was aroused in the breast of a man sitting near 
 me, and he, somewhat rudely, urged on his com- 
 panions to resume with him the copying work they 
 were engaged in before we looked in upon them. I 
 felt quite repulsed, but simply remarked that he 
 seemed to be in a great hurry, adding that at the 
 time of death we would have to leave all our earthly 
 concerns behind. 
 
 " What do you say ? " he inquired. " Will there 
 be no second birth ? " (referring to their transmigration 
 theory). 
 
 The day before yesterday I was so cheered by 
 having an invitation into another house. It was 
 given by a girl with a very nice face, who had joined 
 us in a house recently opened to us, about which I 
 told Mrs. Anderson in my letter to her. There we 
 
A LITTLE MAID. . 207 
 
 found a middle-aged, nice-looking woman, with grey, 
 shining curls clustering on the forepart of her well- 
 shaped head. She was taught to read when a girl, 
 but she has lost the art, though she remembers her 
 letters a little ! She is eager to recover it, however, 
 and I had the pleasure of putting her in the way of 
 doing so once more. It was pleasant, while engaged 
 in singing a hymn, to feel her exchanging looks of 
 great satisfaction with the other women present. 
 The girl who conducted us to the house was simply 
 a help in domestic work. Was it not like the " little 
 maid " we read of in the story of Naaman 1 Mrs. 
 Fraser, energetic little creature, is going to accom- 
 pany me to the city to-morrow morning, if all is 
 well. I had been asking her husband, in her pre- 
 sence, if he was not curious to know how I got on 
 amongst the women, and this led to Mrs. Fraser 
 expressing a wish to go with me, some day, to see 
 for herself. She is to be ready for me at six o'clock. 
 I have not been going out so early lately ; the morn- 
 ings are darker, and Pikoo, my man, in his eagerness 
 to get me up in time, had roused me several times at 
 such unearthly hours as a quarter and half-past 
 three ! So I told him rather to be a little late than 
 make such mistakes. On certain days of the week, 
 indeed, my women are not ready for me, even when 
 I arrive at half-past six, sometimes. Twice a week 
 
2o8 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 we have, at least, a drive of three-quarters of an hour, 
 ere we reach the first house ! So that we would 
 need to start early, especially as I like to walk the 
 first part of the way for exercise. It is such a good 
 thing they consent to have me in the early morning, 
 for it is good for the health to be out then. 
 
 1 have had some most interesting experiences 
 within the past {^\^ days. One morning, when 
 Amundibai, Cheenie and I were on our way to the 
 house to which Bulwunt Rao (for I had been coining 
 a name for him, I find !) introduced me, our tonga 
 was besieged by a company of schoolboys, one of 
 whom used to come and listen in the house we were 
 going to. He now begged of me to go to his house ; 
 so the gharree had to be turned, and caused to pro- 
 ceed up a lane anterior to that we had been making 
 for. By-and-by we had to alight, as we had come 
 opposite to the house, which is removed off the lane 
 a little. Following the boys, I found myself ushered 
 into a little verandah, well peopled with spectators, 
 and conducted to an arm-chair ready for me, in front 
 of which stood a tiny covered table, with a coloured 
 wineglass filled with flowers, standing on each side 
 of a brass plate containing a heap of white chrysan- 
 themums, which speedily resolved themselves in a 
 long necklace and bracelets for " Mem sahib ! " The 
 latter, the fine bright boy put on me with his own 
 
WINNING MOTHERS HEARTS. 209 
 
 hands. " Oh, I am really too grand ! " I said, for 
 several of the boys understood English, and I really 
 felt it ; the pure, freshly-gathered flowers so de- 
 cidedly contrasted with the winter garb I had 
 donned, in consideration of the cold morning in 
 which I had set out, while it was still twilight. I 
 had on my shepherd tartan morning-gown and my 
 thick cloth jacket Of course we sang a hymn and 
 explained something about the true God before we 
 passed on to another also new house, in which an old 
 friend, however, lives, who used to be seen in the Brah- 
 man house I have often spoken of It is she whose 
 baby goes by the name of Johnnie (Jannie, as they 
 call it), as suggested by me ! Said infant is duly put 
 into my arms each time, and on that morning, as I 
 sat on a swinging seat in the verandah, dandling the 
 almost naked little object, speaking baby talk to it 
 (such as, " Where are your teeth ? " in Marathi, 
 sounding like this : " Toomtsay dant kot-hay dhait ? " 
 " Do you love me } " i.e. " Toom-he muz-wur prede 
 kureta ? ") and bestowing an occasional kiss on it 
 (Mooka) in the presence of all assembled, I won- 
 dered what you would all think, if you saw me ! ! I 
 
 M.R. 14 
 
2io open doors. 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 June \%th, 1 88 1. 
 Well, Mother darling ! 
 
 I will just plunge into the subject-matter of 
 Maggie's and my revealable thoughts this morning, 
 connected as they are with the unlooked-for experi- 
 ence of the last few hours of our existence ! I think 
 I told you before that Mrs. Blake, the doctor's wife, 
 had kindly asked us to be present as guests in 
 Church on the occasion of " Lily's " wedding to-day ; 
 but last night the doctor's carriage and pair was ob- 
 served by me to drive up to the door of the big bun- 
 galow, four persons being seated in it. Maggie and 
 I were just about to take a little walk before the usual 
 hymn practising, when, lo ! the gentleman who had 
 alighted from the carriage was seen making for our 
 small abode ! " Can any of our relations have arrived 
 unexpectedly ? " I inquired mentally. It was Mr. 
 Browning, Inspector-General of Schools in the Cen- 
 tral Provinces, sent by Mrs. Blake to invite us to 
 the wedding breakfast ! Two gentlemen had been 
 obliged to decline at the last moment, and " it would 
 give so much pleasure if we would come instead." 
 We had been much wished before, but there was 
 no room. We saw that a kindly feeling towards us 
 prompted the invitation, and accepted it, remarking 
 at the same time, that we could not be so suitably 
 
THE WOMAN IN THE SAINT. 211 
 
 got up as we would like to be. All this was waived, 
 however, and much satisfaction expressed that we 
 were not too proud to accept. 
 
 Well, as you may imagine, the question as to how 
 we could get ourselves up pressed on us somewhat 
 imperatively. Maggie's blue dress, I knew, would be 
 very suitable, but my white alpaca has seen better 
 days. However, on retiring to our little bungalow 
 for the night, we set our wits to work, and I manu- 
 factured a kind of feather trimming for its adorn- 
 ment out of the material of a bonnet ! We went to 
 bed very tired (at least I was), but awoke refreshed, 
 and before I was half dressed, I heard a noise at the 
 outer door, and a voice intimating that there was a 
 letter for me. I threw on my dressing-gown and 
 hurried to the door, to find Mrs. Whitton's burly 
 cook bearing "a chit" from his mistress. The con- 
 tents ran as follows : — 
 " Dear Miss Mackay,— 
 
 " I have been thinking could you not get your 
 bonnet touched up a bit for the wedding ? I have 
 got half a yard of white satin, I would make over to 
 you, and I can lend you some white feather tips, if 
 the straw is not too soiled for such an attention. Mr. 
 Whitton is off to school, so I am visible, if you like to 
 
 come over. 
 
 " Yours, in the early morning, 
 
 " H. Whitton." 
 
2 12 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 I said, *' Bot salaam," and was over in a shot, bag 
 and baggage. In a twinkling the old trimming was 
 off my bonnet, and we had set to work. ... In 
 short, ere the time had arrived for us to step into the 
 carriage, " a love of a bonnet " was turned out, the 
 cost of which might be two guineas, at least, in a 
 Parisian or Bombay fancy warehouse ! In the end I 
 looked awfu' nice ! Smairt sheen wi' buckles ! Queen 
 Anne-like fine black stockin's ! Ela-borately trimmed 
 goon o' a rich creamy hue ! Neck, terrible swell ! 
 Heed, awfu' bonnie ! Hauns, nicely glived ! An' 
 fat mair ? Tout- ensemble, Alexina ! An' Maggie } 
 Oh, she was richt nice tee. I did up her neck for 
 her in a recherche lace front, and in her pretty bonnet 
 and canary-coloured gloves, she looked exceedingly 
 well." 
 
 After this, the wedding and guests are described, 
 and she concludes by saying, " Love to all my dear 
 ones. Have I entertained you ? It is not selfish- 
 ness exactly that has made me speak so much of 
 self. 
 
 Your loving daughter, 
 Alexina." 
 
THE BIG BABOO. 213 
 
 ( To her Father^ 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 September 27///, 1 88 1 . 
 Now may I tell you a little about my morning's 
 visiting ? 
 
 We first reached the clean house of which I speak 
 in " Jottings," the house of the " Big Baboo," and I 
 may truly add, his big wife. Her husband asked me, 
 in her name, if I would excuse her if she did not 
 prepare a new lesson (English) for next week, as the 
 feast " Dussera " is at hand ! I said it was for her 
 pleasure I came, and that I wanted her to do as she 
 felt inclined. I asked, moreover, " Shall I not come, 
 then ? " in reply to which her husband said, " Oh, 
 yes ; you may come. My wife likes to hear your 
 singing." I might have added that her female 
 attendants like to hear, too, for a more touchingly 
 sweet face I have seldom seen than that of the humble 
 woman who does the cooking, but is actually sent for^ 
 now-a-days, by her mistress, that she, too, may hear. 
 The familiarity between mistresses of households and 
 their servants is beautifully primitive in many cases. 
 To-day, for instance, a stupid-looking man, who had 
 come into the room of his own accord, tried to make 
 my meaning plain to his imposing-looking mistress, 
 as she had failed to catch the sense of my attempted 
 
2 14 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 Hindustani ! The Big Baboo is greatly given to 
 flattering, and he will say to me on the rare occasions 
 I see him : " Oh, ma'am, I never saw such a good 
 lady as you," etc., etc. In reply, I say, " That's a////," 
 etc Do you think the reason that we enjoy even 
 flattery to some extent is, that it is suggestive of our 
 possessing the good qualities attributed to us, just 
 as a beautifully executed paper rose (like those in 
 the fancy basket to my right) suggests the living 
 fragrance of the real one ? 
 
 In one house we were in to-day, a man was lying 
 sleeping on the floor, with a " chudder " drawn over 
 him from top to toe ! (They all sleep with their faces 
 covered !) He had been working all night in the 
 Parsee Cotton Mills, which are now lit up at night 
 by the electric light! On more than one occasion, 
 when remarking on the ghastly appearance of some 
 young man listening to the hymn-singing, I have 
 found that he was one of the night workers ! One 
 poor fellow said he had got up from his sleep to hear 
 us sing ! I am glad to say that one relay of night- 
 workers relieves another at the end of a fortnight, 
 otherwise their lives would be greatly shortened, no 
 doubt ; but even on Sunday the mills are open. Yes, 
 and Government roads are mended, etc., so that the 
 Sabbath is not much of a sign amongst the heathen ! 
 
 How the children in this country rally round us 
 
she's come! she's come! 215 
 
 zenana visitors I To-day, a little fellow, on catching 
 sight of me in a neighbour's house, ran to his own, 
 shouting, "Alee! alee!" (She's come! she's come!) 
 I never met with such loving respect from the young 
 as I have done since coming to Nagpoor. It makes 
 it easier to work amongst the people when our path 
 is thus strewn with roses. 
 
 The Little Bungalow, 
 
 August 1 2th, 1882. 
 My dear Mother, — 
 
 I had some interesting experiences in the course 
 of my round yesterday. My dear little Brahman 
 girl turned up, as she generally does, in Trimbuk 
 Rao's house, and stood close to me most of the time, 
 being joined by two loving wee boys, who, with her- 
 self, followed me into the next house as well. She 
 asked me in her musical little voice if I was coming 
 to her school to give an examination. " The master 
 has not called me," I said. " If he calls me, I'll come." 
 *' Toomcheekhooshe " (It's your good pleasure), she 
 said. The little darling helps me to sing the hymns, 
 having committed one or two to memory from a 
 small collection of them I gave her as " baksheesh," 
 and she chats away with me as much at her ease as 
 if I were her little companion. I wish I could re- 
 member her name. 
 
2l6 ' OPEN DOORS. 
 
 An old acquaintance in another house did not re- 
 ceive me nearly so warmly as usual, and I was afraid 
 I had offended her by staying away too long. Her 
 depressed spirits she immediately accounted for, how- 
 ever, when she gave me the sad, sad news that her 
 eldest son was dead. How } He had been drowned 
 in the tank, and, saddest of all, dy his own act. The 
 reason of the mad act seemed to be quite unknown 
 to his mother. He was a married man, twenty-five 
 years of age, but had no children. He had at one 
 time attended our Mission School, I learned, and his 
 younger brother, whom we saw, is still a pupil there. 
 We sang the hymn, " O Lord, give me Thy true 
 peace," and Dnyanapoo dwelt so nicely on the sweet 
 thoughts it contained, with special reference to the 
 case of the bereaved widow before her. Another 
 bright intelligent woman was present, with her four- 
 year-old girl seated at her side — a veritable baby, 
 still dependent on her mother, and on her alone, for 
 sustenance. The woman in another house had quite 
 an enraged expression on her face as we entered, 
 encouraged by the welcome given us by other mem- 
 bers of the household. On inquiring as to the cause, 
 Dnyanapoo told me that she was terrified lest I had 
 touched her "kupperas, sarrees," etc., which were 
 stretched on a line to dry in the little yard through 
 which we had passed. I took occasion to remark a 
 
ANGER DEFILES THE HEART. 217 
 
 little afterwards to a girl, across whose face an angry- 
 look flitted, that anger in the heart defiled it, but 
 that a cloth got no defilement by being touched. A 
 beaming smile and an assurance that she was not 
 angry was the reply. (I think some children had 
 been annoying her by making a noise). Fancy my 
 borrowing a shawl from the Baboo's wife, to whom I 
 paid my last visit, to protect me from the damp, as 
 it had been raining heavily. I got it at once ; her 
 youthful-looking husband bringing it out to me him- 
 self ; a beautiful white one, like a Ramport chudder. 
 This Baboo, " Bebin Bhose " his name is, belongs 
 to the Brahmo Somaj persuasion. His wife reads to 
 me in English, from the Gospel by Luke, and gets 
 anything she does not understand explained in Hindu- 
 stani. Her own language is Bengali, but she under- 
 stands the other. She dresses her children in old- 
 fashioned English style, like the pictures you see in 
 Sunday School books. She came to our Bazaar, and 
 laid out a good many rupees in adding to their ward- 
 robe. 
 
 A Mussulman came to the door yesterday, selling 
 fancy goods of various descriptions, and I had some 
 talk with him on the subject of fasting, etc. He told 
 me that his people fast ^ (religiously) for a month at 
 a time, by the commandment of God. I told him 
 
 * This does not hinder them from eating sweetmeats, etc. 
 
2l8 OPEN DOORS. 
 
 that he made a great mistake by so doing, that the 
 Koran, Vedas, etc., did not come from God, only the 
 Holy Scriptures, and that we would have to give an 
 account, one day, as to how we had treated our bodies 
 (which are God's gift) as well as our souls. The 
 poor tired young woman carrying his basket de- 
 clined my offer of a cup of tea. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 " Five years have passed : five summers j with the length 
 Of five long winters ! and again I hear 
 These waters^ rolling from their tnountain springs 
 With a soft inland murmur.^^ 
 
 T N the end of 1882 the Rev. J. G. Cooper of Nag- 
 
 -■- poor writes : — 
 
 "The Misses Mackay, with their native assistants, 
 Amundibai, Cheenie, Dnyanapoo, and Karoona, have 
 diligently prosecuted their important labours during 
 the year, but I leave the details of their efforts or 
 work to be given by themselves. It is evident that 
 they occupy a wide field among the women of the 
 city, and have no lack of excellent opportunities of 
 sowing the good seed of the Word among them. Miss 
 Mackay, after finishing her five years' engagement, 
 left this on the 14th November to return to Scotland, 
 but after a little rest, hopes to come back with re- 
 newed energies, to resume her efforts among the 
 
 219 
 
2 20 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 women in this part of the Lord's vineyard. In the 
 meantime, she carries with her the high esteem and 
 Christian affection of all the Mission circle, as well as 
 many, both native and European, outside of it. To 
 supply Miss Mackay's place, we have happily secured 
 the services of Miss Jane Small, daughter of our 
 missionary brother at Punah. She is well qualified 
 to carry on the work by her Christian character, 
 experience in zenana labour, and ability in speaking 
 the Marathi language. We have had great pleasure 
 in welcoming her to take part with us in this branch 
 of our mission work." 
 
 At a conversazione held on the 1 8th January, 1883, 
 in the large hall of the Christian Institute, Aberdeen, 
 a numerous audience met to welcome Alexina, and 
 heard her explain how she and her fellow labourers 
 endeavoured to convey a knowledge of the gospel to 
 those who are, by the customs of their country, pre- 
 cluded from entering mission schools and churches. 
 In the course of her remarks she gave interesting 
 details regarding the religious habits of the people of 
 Nagpoor, and referred to the great success which was 
 attending the work there. She also rendered, in 
 illustration of the language, several native airs in a 
 highly tasteful manner, accompanying herself more 
 than once on a peculiar musical instrument, which is 
 used by the inhabitants of India. 
 
IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 221 
 
 Under arrangements made by the Edinburgh com- 
 mittee, she met many friends in that city and neigh- 
 bourhood, and during her furlough she held altogether 
 about a hundred meetings, which she thoroughly en- 
 joyed ; but they were a great strain on her strength, 
 and deprived her of much of the benefit of her greatly 
 needed rest. 
 
 On one of these occasions she visited Ventnor, in 
 the Isle of Wight, and was invited by a ministerial 
 friend to address his congregation at a neighbouring 
 village Baptist Church. Thinking there would only 
 be a few people at the ordinary week-night service, 
 she consented, but when the time came, she was sur- 
 prised to see groups arriving from all directions, and 
 ascending the steps to the pretty stone edifice, beauti- 
 fully situated on an eminence, and surrounded by its 
 own burying-ground. The place was crowded, and 
 she seemed nervous for a moment, but immediately 
 regained her composure by taking refuge in singing 
 a Marathi hymn, to the great delight of the audience. 
 
 She then dwelt on the wide door of entrance that 
 had been granted to her in India ; on the wonderful 
 freedom with which she had been permitted to go in 
 and out, daily, among the heathen ; and on the great 
 affection which many of the Hindu ladies manifested 
 towards her. "It seems, indeed," she said, "as if 
 the invisible yet omnipresent Saviour had gone be- 
 
2 22 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 fore me, breaking up the way for the spread of His 
 own gospel." 
 
 Many incidents were related, one of which was the 
 following : — " Amongst the women expressing regret 
 on account of my going away for a time, was one 
 feeble old widow, who finds her way into the little 
 gathering we have in a certain house, supporting her- 
 self by means of a long stick, reminding me of the 
 ' rod ' Eastern shepherds are said to make use of 
 This poor body is a real representative of the forlorn 
 Brahman widow, dressed as she is in her thin sarree, 
 (underneath which she is not permitted to wear the 
 tight-fitting choice others indulge in), having her head 
 shaved, and being devoid of ornaments. She cer- 
 tainly has one ornament, however, *the meek and 
 quiet spirit, which, in the sight of God, is of great 
 price.' Old as she is, her faculties remain wonder- 
 fully unimpaired, and so much does what she hears 
 come home to her desolate heart, that ever and anon 
 some ejaculation expressive of her emotions escapes 
 her thin lips. One day, after hearing a hymn the 
 word ' Maharaj ! ' broke forth. Literally, that means, 
 * Oh, king!' I believe, but she just meant, 'How 
 wonderful ! ' As she stood listening sympathetically 
 to the plaints of the other women on the subject of 
 my going away, I asked Joanna, my native Bible- 
 woman, to tell her that Jesus Christ, called in their 
 
A GRATEFUL OUTCAST. 223 
 
 language, * Yashoo Kreest,' or as one old friend pro- 
 nounces it, * Asoo Keest ! ' had a peculiar regard for 
 widows and fatherless children, and that even when 
 He was suffering so much on the cross for our sakes, 
 He thought about His mother going to be left alone, 
 and, in the midst of His pain, gave her in charge to 
 a friend of His. As soon as she had heard this, she 
 burst out crying, and vehemently uttered something 
 I did not understand, but which Joanna explained to 
 be : 'Why should we not love Him, when He suffered 
 so much for our sakes ! ' I thought I observed the 
 sympathetic tear spring into Joanna's eyes as she 
 listened, and on hearing the translation I felt affected 
 myself, as I turned away. On observing the poor 
 body wending her way home at a little distance be- 
 hind our gharree, I remembered that I had some 
 pice (coppers) in my handbag, and calh'ng out ' Bai ! 
 Eekerie Ya,' i.e. * Woman (in the respectful Eastern 
 sense), come here,' I put them in her hand, telling her 
 to buy something nice to eat with them. Well, she 
 again burst out crying, quite overcome by the kind- 
 ness bestowed on an ' outcast ' like her, and piteously 
 expressed her desire to do something for me in re- 
 turn ! The last I saw of her was a figure standing 
 motionless in the distance, watching our gharree, a 
 hand raised to wipe off a tear with the corner of her 
 sarree, and finally, a purpose-like setting of her face 
 
2 24 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 homeward. How different her conduct from that of 
 the host of beggars we encounter in the streets, some 
 of whom are quite well-to-do-looking." 
 
 In contrast to this poor outcast she next described 
 getting access to the home of a high caste lady : 
 " Such a pretty woman with large, lustrous eyes. It 
 really did me good to look at her, and she kept her 
 finger-nails, etc., with as much nicety as an English 
 gentlewoman would. She was sparkling with lovely 
 ornaments. Her nose-ring, a large, graceful hoop, 
 richly set with a profusion of tiny pearls, her elegant 
 necklets and necklaces, bracelets and anklets, finger 
 and toe rings, were very gratifying to the eye, espe- 
 cially as I believed that she had donned them in 
 honour of her visitor. Having made ' salaam ' to 
 her, I immediately occupied the arm-chair, evidently 
 intended for my use. And now, what was to come 
 next ? 1 had been previously warned by Amundibai 
 (one of my native Bible- women) ' not to speak many 
 religious words ' in this house, in case of giving 
 offence, and shutting the door against future visits, 
 so I felt a little embarrassed. However, I asked if she 
 (the lady) wished to learn to read and sew. She re- 
 plied that she was very anxious about learning to 
 read, but did not care about work. * All the better,' 
 perhaps, you will be inclined to say, but one's opinion 
 is modified by the recognition of the fact that work 
 
FLORAL NECKLACES. 225 
 
 is considered undignified and unnecessary by many 
 of the better class. However, I explained that I 
 thoroughly agreed with her in considering reading, 
 etc., more valuable than fancy work, but I suggested 
 that when she got tired over books, it would be nice 
 to turn her attention to a little piece of work. I 
 entertained her by singing some hymns and giving 
 her a lesson in the * First Book,' the first sentence of 
 which is, ' God is always near you ! ' By request of 
 the husband, who sat outside in the yard, listening, 
 we sang an English hymn, choosing for this purpose, 
 * Safe in the arms of Jesus.' Before we left, we were 
 presented with * pan,' composed of a small bunch of 
 leaves, with cardamoms, broken small, betel nuts, etc., 
 made up into a neat packet, like an ounce of tea in 
 shape, also delicious little oranges and plantains. On 
 the back of this a brass dish containing wreaths of 
 flowers was brought forward, and our hostess pro- 
 ceeded to hang floral necklaces round my neck and 
 those of my assistants, and to provide us with brace- 
 lets of strung roses, adorned with which we after- 
 wards drove through the city to visit some other 
 houses, thinking it well to show the attention be- 
 stowed upon us ! I was very gratified to hear my 
 benefactress express her gratitude for my kindness in 
 going to see her, and she was most anxious that I 
 should return soon." 
 
 M.R. 15 
 
2 26 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 Alexlna also explained many of the strange 
 customs, superstitions, and religious beliefs of the 
 Hindus, and gave an account of the holy days and 
 festivals, more especially those observed in Central 
 India, dwelling especially on the fact that the real 
 undermining of the citadel of Hinduism must be 
 done by women, as now that the boys are being 
 educated in the Government Schools, they are fast 
 learning to see the absurdity of their own religion ; 
 but the great hindrance to their reception of Chris- 
 tianity is the bigotry of the mothers ; for it must be 
 remembered that Hindu youths and even old men, 
 have great veneration for their mothers, and are most 
 unwilling to displease them. Some one has said that 
 " no nation ever rises higher than its mothers. As 
 are the mothers of a nation, so is the nation." It is 
 therefore clear that the key to the evangelization of 
 our vast Indian empire is in the hands of the gentle 
 sex, for they alone have access to their deeply re- 
 ligious Indian sisters, who are quite half a century 
 behind the male portion of the community in light 
 and civilization. 
 
 At this time she might have made what the world 
 would call a good marriage, but ease and comfort 
 would not tempt her. When a mutual friend ven- 
 tured to point out the advantages of such a step, and 
 the influence that money would give for the cause 
 
RETURNS TO INDIA. 227 
 
 she had so much at heart, she feelingly replied in the 
 strong Doric of her native county, " Na ! na ! lassie ! 
 dinna speak o' sic a thing. I'd a hunnerd times raither 
 gang back to my dusky leddies." And so she did, 
 reaching Nagpoor on the 20th February, 1884, with 
 what feelings the annexed report to the Home Com- 
 mittee will testify. 
 
 " It was my privilege to resume zenana mission 
 work here some nine months ago, after a year's 
 absence at home — a year ever memorable, bringing 
 with it abundant opportunities of usefulness, and 
 much refreshment of spirit, apart altogether from the 
 great benefit derived by a renewed measure of health 
 and strength. Never before did I enjoy so much 
 delightful intercourse with Christian friends. After 
 seeking to water dry and thirsty places here for five 
 years, I 'was watered also myself,' and, oh! how re- 
 freshing the showers were felt to be ! Never shall I 
 forget last year's memories. 
 
 *' Arriving once more in Nagpoor towards the end 
 of February, I found my sister's approaching marriage 
 being busily prepared for, and it was difficult for me 
 to settle down to work till the event took place, on 
 March iSth. I am afraid, indeed, that I did not suffi- 
 ciently rejoice with them that did rejoice, for in a 
 foreign land we are specially reluctant to give up any 
 vestige of a home-tie that may remain to us. Once 
 
2 28 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 in harness, however, there was little time for senti- 
 mental brooding over bygone days, and the accession 
 of Miss Bella Small to our number gave something 
 of the family feeling to our little household. Whilst 
 at home I used to beg for a third worker, on the 
 principle that * a threefold cord is not easily broken,' 
 and now that the request has been granted, I trust 
 that much blessing will rest upon our united labours. 
 " It fell to my lot to take up the work my sister 
 had been called to leave, part of which had originally 
 been my own, and as, in addition to this regular visit- 
 ing, I had to look up a great many old friends, my 
 hands were soon full enough. Several of the Parsee 
 families mentioned by my sister are no longer on my 
 list, as the pupils have either got married, gone to 
 school, or discontinued learning through prejudice. 
 The Bengali and other houses open to instruction, 
 however, are on the increase, while the length and 
 breadth of the city has to be traversed with a view 
 to bringing the gospel to as many of its teeming in- 
 habitants as we can reach. It is interesting to find 
 fresh welcomes from old friends, and more willing- 
 ness to learn on the part of some formerly too indif- 
 ferent ; but I like, best of all, to be called to some 
 new house, since we never know where *the gems 
 for His kingdom' may be hidden away, and the 
 hope stimulates one that we may be led to where 
 
NATIVE ETIQUETTE. 229 
 
 there are such. The fact that the native Christian 
 workers accompanying us generally in our wander- 
 ings can command more than one language is a 
 great help. The other day, for instance, we were 
 begged to visit a large household of Hindi-speaking 
 people, newly arrived from a great distance. With- 
 out Karoona I could have been of little use there, as 
 Marathi is quite unintelligible to them. With her 
 as my interpreter, however, I shall get on nicely, and 
 we hope to be successful ere long in breaking down 
 the strong antipathy to Christianity felt by the head 
 of the house, whose only object in calling us was 
 that we might impart the knowledge oi fancy zvork to 
 the numerous ladies composing his household. There 
 are four daughters-in-law here, and a kind-looking 
 mother-in-law, in whose presence etiquette demands 
 that they should cover up their faces entirely, with 
 the exception of one eye. Before beginning to teach 
 sewing, we told a Bible story, — it was the raising of 
 Lazarus from the dead, — the mother-in-law remark- 
 ing that there was nothing like that in their sacred 
 books. After this and a hymn she thought i-t best 
 to retire to the verandah, as it was impossible for 
 much sewing to be done so long as the ladies' hands 
 were engaged in covering up their faces ! 
 
 " If spared to another year, I shall hope to be able 
 to report progress in connection with several new 
 
230 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 houses Opened up. Meantime, I am very glad to be 
 at my loved work once more." 
 
 In November, 1885, she reports: — 
 
 " In moving about in the city during the past year 
 the question has very often been put to me, * Where 
 is your companion ? ' My answer has been, ' She is 
 teaching in one of our new girls' schools.' In this 
 way I have been able widely to advertise these 
 schools, and to explain satisfactorily the non-appear- 
 ance of Amundibai, Dnyanapoo, Cheenie, and Karoona, 
 all of whom have been more or less associated with 
 us in our zenana visiting. 
 
 " Almost without exception the houses opened in 
 former years continue friendly ; but in certain cases 
 the pupil has been forbidden to learn any longer, on 
 account of her approaching marriage, in case of giving 
 offence to the future mother-in-law. One nice girl, 
 already married, was eager to learn during the few 
 days she was on a visit to her own mother's house ; 
 but when I proposed to follow her to her own home, 
 I was told that she would be beaten if she were to be 
 seen with a book ! 
 
 " Some sudden deaths have occurred in families 
 long visited ; other friends have removed to different 
 stations ; and the system of early marriage always 
 deprives us of a certain proportion of our pupils. It 
 sometimes happens, however, that pupils lost to us 
 
"ONE SOWETH AND ANOTHER REAPETH." 23I 
 
 are taken up by missionary ladies in the places they 
 go to. I was interested to hear that an old pupil of 
 mine is being visited in BilaspOr by a friend I met at 
 the Hills last hot season. Another turned up, some 
 time ago, in Calcutta. We read that to those who 
 have, more shall be given, and I often see this verified 
 in connection with the work of Missions. We fre- 
 quently find that in the houses where we are received 
 as visitors, some member of the family is, or has been, 
 attending our Institution, and is favourably disposed 
 to the truths of Christianity. In one such house, on 
 asking to see the husband of my pupil, he came into 
 the verandah with a book in his hand. 'What is 
 this } ' I inquired. ' The Psalms of David,' was his 
 reply. I glanced at the open page, and my eye 
 lighted on the words, * I said, I will take heed to my 
 ways, that I sin not with my tongue.' I felt very 
 much interested in the circumstance. 
 
 " Another day I was impressing on a young man, 
 who was pushing some children aside, the duty of 
 being kind to children, and letting t/iem hear God's 
 word too. * That is a saying of Scripture, is it not ? ' 
 was his answer. He must have remembered the 
 words read in school : * Suffer the little children to 
 come unto Me, and forbid them not' 
 
 " There is something very sweet in the way the 
 little ones come about us. In one haughty Brah- 
 
232 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 man's house three lovely little girls quite hang upon 
 me all the time I am seated in the house, although 
 only one of them is actually learning. Bheemi, the 
 youngest of the three, committed a sad mistake the 
 other day, in the eyes of her elders, by leaning upon 
 me after she had been bathed ! I informed them that 
 I had bathed also ; but this did not seem to mend 
 matters. The religion of this country resembles very 
 much that of the Pharisees of old, and the old truth 
 has to be insisted on, that defilement comes from 
 within y not from without. 
 
 " I may mention here that a Jewish family from 
 Punah has recently settled in Nagpoor. The head of 
 this family, Reuben Benjamin, is brother of Bundoji, 
 the convert to Christianity. Rutenbai (or Ruth, as 
 I suppose), one of the children in the family, attends 
 Miss Janie Small's Budhwari School, and Rachel, the 
 daughter-in-law, has become my pupil. I like to look 
 at the little brothers, Isaac and Moses, and to think 
 of them as representatives of their great ancestors. 
 Rachel is reading John's Gospel with me in Marathi, 
 and both she and her father-in-law join with me in 
 singing the praises of Jesus, not a dissenting word 
 being uttered by any member of the household. One 
 would fain hope that the head of the house, at least, 
 is not far from the Kingdom of God. 
 
 " Much could be added in connection with the 
 
FALSE RUMOURS AND SUSPICIONS. 233 
 
 many under gospel instruction, but at present the 
 leaven is working so secretly that only faith in the 
 promises enables us to go forward. Many are the 
 * hearers' of the Word. May God grant that, in due 
 time, the * doers ' of it will appear." 
 
 The following interesting letter ^ and report are 
 addressed to the late Mrs. Colonel Young, Edin- 
 burgh : — 
 
 I left home, yesterday, at six a.m. in my tonga, 
 reaching the city in little more than half an hour. 
 I was there joined by Karoona, one of our native 
 assistants, and together we pursued our way to a 
 distant quarter of the city, known as Eitwarree. 
 In the first house we visited we have two little girls 
 as pupils, Mainabai and Tannabai. Their mother 
 did not call us to her house, but she consented to 
 receive a visit. We sat on a swing seat, suspended 
 from the ceiling of the verandah, the children taking 
 up their position on the mud floor at our feet. The 
 relatives looking on asked us many questions as to 
 our ultimate intentions, as it had been told them that 
 after teaching our pupils for a certain time, we would 
 force them to leave their homes, and make them 
 useful in our work ! We assured them that ours was 
 a labour of love, and that no such result would follow. 
 * Unfortunately the first part, with date, is missing. 
 
2 34 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 A little child of about five years of age was carried 
 to us from a neighbouring house, with the request 
 that we should teach her ; but, as we get no satisfac- 
 tion from such infant pupils, we explained that we 
 do not care to teach children under seven ! When we 
 had finished giving the lessons, we sang a hymn, and 
 talked over its contents. In the next house we 
 would not consent to sit in the large verandah down- 
 stairs, as the head of the house was there, and we 
 would have had no privacy. This man has frequently 
 heard the gospel, but he does not act up to its pre- 
 cepts. He has lately been slighting his own wtfe, 
 and giving his attention to a woman of low character. 
 After saying firmly that I would not sit down unless 
 a private room were given me, where I could give in- 
 struction to the lady of the house, I was conducted 
 upstairs, into a pleasant room, hung round with pic- 
 tures, English and native. Here we were joined by 
 three other women, one of them a widow from her 
 childhood, who told me frankly that she can only join 
 us when her father is out, as he is very bigoted 
 against Christianity ! We had a very nice time to- 
 gether in that upper room. A few boys listened, 
 along with the women, one of them the child of the 
 house. Great curiosity was displayed, in the middle 
 of our earnest talk, as to whether my cuffs were made 
 of paper or cotton. And much surprise was ex- 
 
A SILVERSMITHS FAMILY. 235 
 
 pressed when, in explaining our English fashions, I 
 remarked that nose-rings are only used by us in the 
 case of wild bulls (the women enjoy a little humour) ! 
 In the third house visited lives a silversmith's family. 
 The daughter-in-law can read very well, and a 
 number of women gather round us to hear the 
 hymns. One day lately we were asked to sit in the 
 verandah, used as a workshop, before leaving, and 
 sing to the men assembled there. We were glad to 
 do this, and we had a good opportunity of gaining a 
 hearing from an intelligent old man from an outlying 
 village, who read to us, at my request, from a Chris- 
 tian book I had by me. He was asked to carry the 
 books along with him to his village, etc. 
 
 Another young widow I have been accustomed to 
 visit has disappeared from the house, all interest in 
 her having ceased, apparently, with her young hus- 
 band's demise. I hope she is happy in her own 
 home, and that now that her earthly father and 
 mother-in-law have forsaken her, the Lord will take 
 her up. It is affecting to me, in moving about 
 amongst my old friends, to find that death has been 
 busy during my short absence, and that one and 
 another of those I was interested in have passed 
 away, very prematurely, as ive would say, in some 
 cases. The face of one dear boy, who always used 
 to hang about me when we were visiting his rela- 
 
236 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 tives, haunts me now. I sometimes wonder whether 
 it is because " some good thing toward the Lord " 
 has been found in the hearts of such that they have 
 been removed. The young widow I used to tell you 
 about, whose mother-in-law died soon after perform- 
 ing a pilgrimage to the Ganges, is still a pupil, but 
 great patience is required with her. I do not think 
 she touches her book in our absence, and we can only 
 give her a weekly visit. Still, the fact that she con- 
 tinues under Christian influence is something to be 
 thankful for. I don't think you would like to come 
 into the compound in which her house stands without 
 having the colonel with you ! for we are greeted, on 
 every occasion, by an angry chorus of barking of 
 dogs, some seven or eight of which gather to resist 
 our onward progress. There must surely be a prize 
 worth winning in the " Hazaratsa Wardha," since it is 
 thus guarded ! 
 
 This is now Tuesday, and I am writing about 
 the events of yesterday, one of which was that I 
 became so hungry while teaching, that, waiving 
 ceremony, I asked if I might have a mouthful of 
 food of some kind — a bit of native scone^ or " chapatti," 
 I proposed ! There was positively nothing in the 
 house, " from hand to mouth " being the order of 
 the day in a Hindoo home, but a mixture of baked 
 flour, sugar and water was made up for me, with 
 
SHEIK AHMED AND FAMILY. 237 
 
 the hand with much goodwill, and this I had to 
 drink out of a brass vessel ! On finishing my 
 potion I asked if my friends would act in the same 
 confiding way with me, should they feel hungry in 
 my house ! I think one of them said she would. 
 A visit in any case is looked forward to as a first step 
 in the way of friendliness ! 
 
 And now, dear Mrs. Young, I will draw to a close. 
 Letter writing is formidable in this hot weather, and 
 my letter ought to be re-written and pruned, but I 
 will trust it to your tender mercies. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Alexina Mackay. 
 
 {^Missionary Notes from Nagpoor) 
 
 March ijth, 1885. 
 Yesterday, Monday, I paid my third visit to a 
 Mahommedan household newly opened. Sheik 
 Ahmed, the head of this house, is an enlightened, 
 very gentlemanly man, speaking English very nicely. 
 He was educated, as a boy, in our Mission School 
 at Kampthi, and he was taught his profession by a 
 Christian officer, Col. Tripe, who was a great friend 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. My Mahommedan friend 
 cherishes the memory of this officer, now retired 
 from the service, with lively affection, and he is very 
 
238 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 anxious to get his home address, that he may write 
 to him. 
 
 Sheik Ahmed's wife and oldest daughter have been 
 taught to read Urdu, their own language, but the 
 little girl is anxious to acquire Marathi, too, and this 
 gives me an errand to the house. She promises to 
 be an apt pupil in reading, but she does not take so 
 much to sewing. Her father has allowed me to put 
 a Gospel in Urdu into her hands, and the other day 
 she read to me from it, while I read along with her 
 from the Roman Version. One cannot but feel a 
 little nervous as to the effect such words as these 
 will have upon a Mahommedan, " The beginning of 
 the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Soji of God" for we 
 know well how repugnant such language is to a true 
 Mahommedan. In the present case no opposition 
 was offered. 
 
 On the occasion of my first visit I was presented 
 with a cup of tea, and a saucer of nuts and almonds, 
 and I would be equally well treated every Monday 
 morning, were I sufficiently appreciative, but having 
 just finished chota hazri (little breakfast) at hom^s 
 I have asked to be excused for the future. A basket 
 of roses and vegetables was packed into my tonga 
 yesterday instead. 
 
 On leaving this house I visit a sweet Telugu 
 woman, who can read and understand Marathi very 
 
A TELUGU WOMAN. 239 
 
 well. My sister, now Mrs. Danielsson, of the Swedish 
 Mission, Narsingpur, has all the credit of teaching 
 her. She handed her pupil over to me when she left. 
 This friend has almost no ear for music, but she is, 
 nevertheless, very fond of our hymns, and having 
 bought from us a hymn-book, is not at all shy to 
 perform to the best of her ability. She has a dear 
 little boy, who attends a native school in the neigh- 
 bourhood. One of the neighbours, who frequently 
 assemble to listen, asked me one day what was the 
 difference between my religion and that of the gentle- 
 man (a Roman Catholic priest) who visits the oppo- 
 site house. "Well," I said, "the difference is that I 
 teach only what is in the Bible, while he adds 
 thoughts of his own." Was this an orthodox reply ? 
 
 Some of the friends at home must have heard of 
 the Kali-Baboo's wife, who has been a pupil for a 
 long time. She has lately begun to read the Old 
 Testament in private (in her own language) for the 
 first time in her life. It seemed to be a revelation to 
 her that there was such a book, though she has long 
 been familiar with portions of the New Testament, 
 I had to send for a copy of the former to Calcutta. 
 She has finished reading the Gospel by John, lately, 
 in English (compared with Bengali on her part, and 
 Romanized Hindustani on mine), and she is now going 
 through the Acts of the Apostles, in which, as we 
 
240 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 know, there are many accounts of converts being 
 baptised, the vexed subject in the case of the Baboo, 
 who professes to be a believer in Christ, and yet 
 declines to confess his faith according to the Saviour's 
 own appointment. 
 
 Mrs. Baboo still receives lessons in music on her 
 little American organ, "Home, Sweet Home," and 
 " The Blue Bells of Scotland," being favourite airs. 
 I hope to have the young daughter-in-law as a pupil 
 immediately. She is even now on her way here from 
 Calcutta, under her mother-in-law's escort. Another 
 Baboo's ^ wife (also visited on Monday) lives in the 
 same compound. She is a dark-complexioned, 
 commonplace-looking little woman, of some fifteen 
 summers, with considerable force of character. It 
 amuses me to see her the bearer of the keys in her 
 mother-in-law's house. She is learning to read 
 
 ^ My poor Baboo's wife (of whom I told you) "departed 
 this life " two days after I wrote my letter, and her kindly dis- 
 posed but non-decided husband asked me to "pray for her 
 soul," after her death. He had a notion that 1, as a "righteous 
 person," would be listened to by God on her behalf ! 
 
 Is it not strange that this Roman Catholic delusion should 
 have found a lodgment in his mind.? Of course I told him 
 what the Bible teaches on this and kindred subjects — such as 
 the question regarding degrees of punishment, which he wished 
 me to answer for him. I had regarded the Baboo as a much 
 more enlightened man than he turns out to be. He read the 
 " Pilgrim's Progress " through quite lately, I lending him a very 
 handsome copy of my own, and yet ! 
 
TOKENS OF GOODWILL. 24 1 
 
 English with me, her husband being well versed in 
 our language, and she is expected to prepare a por- 
 tion of Matthew's Gospel to be read also in her own 
 language, in which she is making progress, week by 
 week. In the sewing department she is making a 
 pair of slippers for her husband. I am always very 
 kindly received in this house, and made welcome to 
 a drink of milk. On one or two occasions a f.sh has 
 been sent all the way to the bungalow, and some 
 pets, in the shape of white rabbits, were offered to me 
 one day. Such tokens of goodwill are always cheer- 
 ing. As I looked at my basket of vegetables yes- 
 terday, and thought of them as given to one engaged 
 in the service of Christ, the beautiful words of 
 Psalm Ixxii. occurred to me, — 
 
 " The kings of Tarshish, and the isles, 
 To Him shall presents bring ; 
 And unto Him shall offer gifts 
 Sheba's and Seba's king." 
 
 And the prophetic meaning was faintly realized. 
 
 To-day I visited a pupil living in the precincts of a 
 temple reached by a steep flight of steps. She is a 
 very willing but dull pupil. A friend of hers under- 
 took to help her, if I would bestow a book upon her 
 too, and as may be supposed, the request did not 
 need to be repeated. Both women listened, one 
 especially, with intense interest to the story of the 
 
 MR. 16 
 
242 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 raising of Lazarus from the dead, as introduced in 
 the hymn sung, and I was begged to come without 
 fail next week. I have an enthusiastic little partisan 
 in this quarter, in the shape of a little boy who joins 
 me the moment my tonga appears. He is a scholar 
 in the Eitwarree School, where the native Christian 
 Mark teaches, and he was able to tell me to-day the 
 meaning of the difficult Marathi word for repentance. 
 "Ask him," one of the women said, when she could 
 not answer a certain question herself! 
 
 In the next house I visited to-day there is one of 
 the dearest little girls I ever saw. She is a very 
 tiny specimen of womanhood, not having yet com- 
 pleted her fourth year ; but she is got up in com- 
 plete sarree costume, just like her mother. She 
 prattles away in the presence of her elders, to 
 the entertainment of all present, and the no small 
 admiration of her father, who will be quite pleased 
 to have her learn to read by-and-by, I hope. She 
 bears the name of the sacred plant to be found 
 in every Hindu courtyard — Toolesie. A cousin of 
 her mother, a former pupil, is on a visit to the house 
 just now, and as I was engaged teaching her to sew, 
 some neighbours of the other sex seated themselves 
 in front of the little verandah, to see and hear what 
 was going on. The good-natured woman to whom 
 the house belonged made no objection to this in- 
 
THE USE OF PICTURES. 243 
 
 trusion, but remarking that I had now a good con- 
 gregation to listen, she retired into the shadow of the 
 inner doorway, where she could hear without being 
 seen. One of the audience had been formerly a pupil 
 in our Institution, and he was very glad to receive a 
 copy of Luke's Gospel. He was requested by his 
 friends to show, there and then, how he could read, 
 and he was not slow to comply. 
 
 On Wednesdays I visit a very mixed population 
 in Seetabaldi, the larger bazaar adjacent to the can- 
 tonment. I have only two Marathi-speaking families 
 there, all the others being Tamil, Telugu, or Bengali. 
 All know some Hindustani, and so do I, so we get 
 on. Rambaje Rao, the head of one of the first- 
 mentioned houses, knows enough about Christianity 
 to enable him to emerge from Hinduism, but it seems 
 to be his zvill to remain a heathen. The walls of his 
 house are covered with portraits and pictures, some 
 of the latter being very hideous. One picture of a 
 different type has found its way into this motley 
 group — a small coloured engraving, representing Dr. 
 Judson at the deathbed of the King of Burmah on 
 one hand, and Schwartz amid his heathen surround- 
 ings on the other. Taking advantage of this love 
 of pictures, I provided myself the other day with 
 a beautiful Scripture scene entitled, "Our Saviour 
 Healing the Sick," and I was not disappointed in the 
 
244 O^ AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 reception it got. Perhaps friends at home, anxious 
 to help in the good work here, would like to send us 
 some of these Scripture scenes, issued by the Re- 
 ligious Tract Society, London. A roll of them could 
 be sent out easily by post, and we can have them 
 mounted upon cardboard here. We might leave one 
 or two such pictures in the houses we visit, as pleasant 
 reminders of the gospel stories we are seeking to tell 
 from day to day. 
 
 On Thursday I resume my visiting in Nagpoor 
 city, my first pupil, Pochee, having been formerly in 
 Maggie Timothy's School. I had to turn away from 
 the door the other day, as her little brother was laid 
 down with smallpox, but in a few seconds I had 
 wended my way past the Rajah's immense granary, 
 with its complement of sepoys on guard, to the house 
 of some very warm friends, whose acquaintance I 
 made in a time of great sickness in the family. I 
 feared at that time that one patient would never 
 rally, but she has been brought round again, partly, I 
 believe, through the use of a bottle of Keating's Cough 
 Lozenges, as recommended and provided by me ! It 
 is a wonder they were accepted. The gentle old 
 schoolmaster who teaches a boy's school next door 
 regularly joins us, followed by his pupils, and an 
 opportunity is being given him at last of becoming 
 acquainted with the gospel. Some of the little boys 
 
" A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM. 245 
 
 who can read well are very glad to have a tiny book 
 bestowed upon them. 
 
 I often think of the words, " A little child shall 
 lead them," in connection with my Indian experi- 
 ences, for the young people are very much the hope 
 of the country. The number of interesting children 
 one meets is surprising. They are indeed like sweet 
 fresh flowers in the desert. 
 
 I must not stay to tell of the other houses visited 
 on Thursdays, but I must mention one interesting 
 Friday house, where an old Brahman widow hails a 
 visit as often as she can secure it. She is a great 
 reader, and very clever. A boy attending the 
 Government School came in one day, while I was 
 seated in her house. "This is a servant of Jesus 
 Christ," she said, " not of Ram," and the dear gentle 
 boy never denied it. I got him to come to the 
 Mission Church, some three miles off, next Sunday, 
 and I mean to give him a Bible first time I see him. 
 I fear he may be unwell, as he promised to come 
 again the following Sunday, but did not, and he had 
 been complaining ! 
 
 I hope this peep into "City Mission Work" in 
 Nagpoor will stimulate the interest already felt by 
 many dear friends at home. 
 
 Alexina Mackay. 
 
246 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 The following letters to her family further show 
 how the work grew on her hands. 
 
 {To her Sister J .) 
 
 The Little Bungalow, Nagpoor, 
 
 March 20th, 1885. 
 
 I am in a writing mood, as my morning interested 
 me. Let me describe it. It was about 7 a.m. when 
 I found myself on the road leading to the city. I 
 was seated sideways (to get support to my back) 
 in the covered tonga, and I thought to myself, 
 
 " would be touched, were she to see me setting 
 
 out, all by myself, on my labours, equipped in my 
 simple, becoming, brown, summer serge dress, en- 
 livened by a paler tint of machine lace, an object of 
 interest to many uninitiated native eyes. My thick 
 green shawl was thrown round me, as the morn- 
 ing was damp after the unexpected thunderstorm 
 and fall of rain last night. My sun-topee was on my 
 head ; my leather handbag, with its complement 
 of Gospels, First Books, and tracts or booklets of 
 various kinds, lying on the seat beside me ; and my 
 " Sarah Gamp " umbrella outspread to keep out the 
 glare ! 
 
 I very soon met an ayah, bearing in her arms, 
 as usual, a white baby, or rather, a sitting-up baby- 
 
A CHRISTIAN FRIEND. 247 
 
 girl, who was immediately directed to "make salaam" 
 to me ! A little farther on I espied some hand- 
 somely caparisoned native equestrians, and I 
 wondered who they were. Anon, our Chief Com- 
 missioner and his wife — Mr. and Mrs. Crosthwaite — 
 appeared in sight (they were in front of me). They 
 were walking, while their tonga slowly followed. 
 Their driver looked very tidy, and there was a round 
 Indian basket on the front seat, filled with fresh 
 flowers ! " Where can they all be going? " I thought. 
 " To the station ? Scarcely, at this hour." I after- 
 wards saw them turn down the road leading to the 
 Hospital ! you will guess with what intent when I tell 
 you that Mrs. Crosthwaite is a Christian, seeking to 
 "occupy" well the high station she finds herself in. 
 Gathering myself together, I prepared to say " Good 
 morning" to my superiors, who always meet me as 
 an equal, however. My salutation was brightly re- 
 sponded to by Mrs. Crosthwaite, who called out, " Are 
 you going to the city ? " " Yes, I am," I replied. 
 And then I alighted to speak for a minute. " Are 
 you quite well } " I was asked. " Pretty well, thank 
 you ; but I'm suffering from rheumatism, so I have to 
 wrap up well." *' Rheumatism I" with surprise. "Your 
 hand is dreadfully hot ! " "Is it.?" I said, adding, 
 " I often feel a kind of internal fever." Mrs. Cros- 
 thwaite then referred to the coming rest at the 
 
248 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 Hills, so kindly, and anon I was again in my tonga. 
 In a second, however, her voice broke again upon 
 my ear : — " Will you dine with us on Sunday night, 
 after church, just quietly, and both the Miss Smalls, 
 too ? " " Oh, thank you ! It will be a great pleasure 
 to us." Response, " Good morning ! " Wasn't 
 she kind ? She was originally an Edinburgh lady, 
 I believe, brought up amongst Free Church people. 
 She went down to see Janie's Schools yesterday. 
 She wrote to me, thinking they were mine. I ex- 
 plained to her that my sphere lies in house-to-house 
 visiting, and she wishes to accompany me some day. 
 
 On reaching the city I went first to a large Mussul- 
 man house I had not been in for . months, as the 
 member of the family I was most helpful to had got 
 married, and had gone away, after nearly crying her 
 eyes out, at having to part with all her loved ones, 
 myself included. As a little comfort to her I gave 
 her that carte of Karoona and me, to take away 
 with her ; but she was so overcome with grief that she 
 scarcely took any notice of it at the time. 
 
 You may suppose how pleased I was to find her 
 once more at home ! Her husband has had to come 
 to Nagpoor for treatment, as he is suffering from a 
 species of jaundice. Again and again I was told how 
 much yad or remembrance my friend had had 
 concerning me, and her own expression of face was 
 
RECIPROCAL AFFECTION. 249 
 
 unmistakable. She referred, this time, to the carte 
 with much appreciation, asked me to sing a favourite 
 hymn ; and made up pan sopari for me. I have 
 often felt so drawn out to this sweet creature that 
 I could have put my arms round her and kissed her. 
 The former I am sure I did on her marriage day, when 
 I saw her sobbing and crying on a bed, surrounded by 
 her friends, who were loading her arms with native- 
 made bracelets of many strange devices ; the latter 
 I did this morning, when we were left alone in the 
 room, after I had had an interview with her nice hus- 
 band, in whose presence she would not shozv Jier face ! 
 Two other things in the interview touched me — her 
 telling me that she had seen me in her dreams (her 
 friend adding that she had started up in bed, saying 
 that "her Missi Baba " had come!) and her con- 
 scientiousness in producing a four anna piece in 
 payment of some wool, etc., she had got from me, 
 some months before ! Once before, when I compli- 
 mented her on remembering a little sum she owed 
 me, she said that " Allah " would be angry with her 
 if she did not ! I gave her husband a Gospel to read, 
 and he was quite pleased to take it. He told me, 
 when I asked him, that he had s\x^ a thing at home, 
 but he could not tell me the name of it. He can read 
 both Urdu and Marathi. 
 
250 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 {To hef Sister^ Mrs. Danielsson) 
 
 Hindu Women's Friendly Bungalow, 
 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 May \Wi, 1885. 
 
 if. -ig. ^ ^ -^ 
 
 I don't remember what Purdeshi woman you refer 
 to, but Dnyanapoo or Cheenie may be able to 
 tell me. That dear, round-faced Telugu woman in 
 Seetabaldi has been asking the girls to write out 
 little prayers for her on paper. I always considered 
 her a hopeful case, and she was confiding to Cheenie, 
 the other day, that she likes so much what we tell 
 her, but that the other members of the household 
 do not like it. You should join us in praying for 
 her, dear Maggie, and for the clever woman, a few 
 doors up the street, who is also a very attentive 
 listener. It encourages me to find tokens for good 
 in the very houses that seemed out of our beat, as 
 regards the Marathi language. They are not out 
 of the Saviour s beat, evidently. " The Son of Man 
 is come to seek and to save that which was lost!' 
 " Preach the gospel to every creature," (Our old 
 Punkah Walla's wife is another I am hopeful about, 
 with her dear, patient, toil-worn face.) " Behold, God 
 despiseth not any," is a text we would do well to 
 remember in this country. 
 
A NATIVE WEDDING PARTY. 25 1 
 
 That wedding ceremony in Subunna's house was, 
 indeed, a grand affair. Our two pretty, lady-like 
 pupils were exposed to the view of the assembly in 
 a wonderfully public way, for India. They and their 
 respective husbands had to sit in an elegantly orna- 
 mented swing cot, the principal object of attraction 
 at the upper end of the immense pavilion in which 
 we assembled, and, as the evening wore on, we were 
 invited to go up and speak to them ! There were 
 dancing girls there for our entertainment, and, of 
 course, music ; and the European part of the 
 company were regaled with English beverages 
 and viands, to wit, port wine, lime juice, aerated 
 waters, cake, biscuits, etc., and tea. Subunna was 
 politeness itself. He did me the honour to invite 
 me first into an inner room to sec his wife, who kept 
 in the background, and she was so hearty. I had 
 furnished myself with a little present for each of the 
 brides, in the shape of that pretty little brown and 
 white basket, and a nice fancy-wood workbox I 
 bought at home. I am sure they would be gratified 
 when, the excitement over, they would be able to 
 notice them ! Subunna's fellow-clerks and their 
 families were the other Europeans. 
 
252 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 {To her Sister, Airs. Danielssoft.) 
 Nagpoor, 
 
 July loth, 1885. 
 On Friday I called at the house of Narsing Singh, 
 a Bengali Baboo, whose family are always pleased 
 to have a visit. As I was having a talk with the few 
 members of the household at present at home, one of 
 them opened a side door, ran across the compound, 
 entered an outhouse, and immediately returned bear- 
 ing something in her arms, carefully wrapped up 
 in her chudder. Could it be a baby ? I wondered. 
 It was nothing less ; but, oh ! the tininess of the 
 child ! It is just two or three days old, I concluded ; 
 but, no, I was informed that it was two months old ! 
 My surprise was great, and I mourned over the little 
 starveling, as it appeared to be. At this point the 
 remark was made, " There's another." *' Another ? " 
 I said ; "let me see it;" and once more my friend 
 ran to the barn, returning this time with a much 
 smaller parcel ! Never in my life did I see such a 
 specimen of babyhood as was now presented to me ! 
 Can you believe it ? the thickest part of the child's 
 arm was barely as thick as my finger, while the limbs 
 would contrast unfavourably w^ith the wrist of an 
 ordinary individual ! The size of the head, length- 
 ways, was quite out of proportion, while the face 
 
A PRACTICAL LESSON. 253 
 
 was that of an old man, the eyes rolling about and 
 directed upwards, while a hungry look pervaded the 
 whole face ! The infant I am now describing is a 
 girl, the other is a boy. The mother presently came 
 in, and was quite delighted at finding the smaller 
 morsel in my lap, vigorously sucking my finger, 
 while the superior being occupied the attention of the 
 Bengali girl at my side. " Oh, Bai ! " I said to the 
 mother, " why are the children so thin ? " "I have 
 not enough nourishment to give them," she replied 
 quite calmly, adding, " They scream all night." I 
 was quite distressed. " Give one of them the bottle," 
 I suggested ; but such a thing had apparently never 
 been seen by the mother. One of the others pre- 
 sent was more intelligent, however, and explained 
 the mystery. To make a long story short, I hurried 
 to a Parsee shop in the neighbourhood, procured 
 the article in question, and returned anon to be eulo- 
 gised as is no patron saint I know of ! My lesson 
 that day was on the Law of Love, and it came home. 
 I called on your Sudder Bazaar woman, who reads 
 Marathi so capitally, to-day. It is the first time I 
 have seen her. What a nice house she lives in ! 
 The steps up make it look quite imposing. She 
 asked after you, wishing to know where your new 
 home is. What a willing pupil she is. She sent for 
 us by Mark's mother. I am quite pleased at having 
 
254 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 such a house to add to my Hst (thanks to your 
 legacy). She will do well in English, too, I see. 
 Her topee is still unfinished, as she had no pattern 
 for the crown, but I will let her have one anon. 
 I mean to visit her first, on a Wednesday, at about 
 eleven o'clock ; so you can think of us (Dnyanapoo 
 and me) then. It is nice, though touching some- 
 what, to see your little marks on the books of your 
 different old pupils. This little woman must have 
 gone on reading to herself, I fancy, for she is far 
 beyond the last marks. To-day, I think it was in 
 the ninth of John she read, about the blind man 
 who was " cast out of the synagogue." She read 
 the whole chapter, while I made a running com- 
 mentary upon it ? She asks about any expres- 
 sion she does not understand. I have got copies of 
 Telugu, Tamil, Gujerathi and Hindustani Gospels 
 from Bombay, for our mixed population, and I have 
 sent to Calcutta for a few Bengali ones ; so the Lamp 
 of Life may be had by all who will ! ! ! 
 
 Zenana Mission, Nagpoor, 
 
 August St/i, 1885. 
 My dearest Mother, — 
 
 As I have nothing particular to tell you, except 
 what will come in nicely towards the close of my 
 letter, I will describe my yesterday's visiting. 
 
NOMINAL AND REAL CHRISTIANS. 255 
 
 Well, after our ten o'clock breakfast, I set out in 
 my covered spring-cart affair , called a tonga here, as 
 you may remember, and drawn by two bullocks, 
 white in colour, and named respectively, " Doocker " 
 (or pig), and "Brahman," names symbolical of the 
 physique of the animals. (Janie's are called "Rachel" 
 and "Leah" with similar intent). Threading my way 
 through the narrow, rough streets of the Sudder 
 Bazaar, not far distant, the inquiry of the driver after 
 a new house, to which I had been called, was an- 
 swered by the popping in of two good-looking gaily- 
 dressed little boys into my gharree. They were the 
 children of the house, and would show me the way. 
 A few yards on we were directed to stop, and forth- 
 with a young Sowkar, or money-lender, led the way 
 through his shop into an inner room, on the floor of 
 which sat his wife, a handsome woman, well covered 
 over with her chudder or sarree. She was anxious 
 to learn to knit, and to copy flowers upon canvas — 
 nothing more. I expressed my readiness to gratify 
 this fancy, but explained that the chief object of all 
 my visits was to tell Dawatshee gosht, i.e. the things 
 of God. No objection was made to this condition, 
 and anon, a conversation on the difference between 
 nominal and real Christians followed, several Chris- 
 tians unworthy the name having been quoted to me 
 as included in. the circle of the family acquaintance. 
 
256 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 After this a bundle of variously coloured wool was 
 produced, and selecting a pleasing, bright colour, I 
 cast on two dozen stitches, and proceeded to initiate 
 my pupil into the mystery of the garter stitch, the 
 chief difficulty being to get her to cast on the thread 
 properly, with the first finger of the right hand. She 
 was left-handed, she informed me, and she was fain 
 to press her left hand finger into the service. As 
 Marathi is not the language of the household, I 
 inquired what tJieir term for the right hand was. 
 " The hand with which we eat our food " was one 
 answer, and this is literally a true description, in this 
 country, where knives and forks are not used. There 
 were at least three onlookers (male members of the 
 household, strange to say), as the lesson was being 
 given. The pleasant interview over, I went on to 
 another house, this time a Mohammedan one, speak- 
 ing Hindustani ; in the former house they were most 
 at home in Hindi, Maggie's present language. The 
 head of the house met me in the doorway. He can 
 speak English very well, being an educated man, our 
 Mission School in Kampthi having been his medium 
 of instruction. His wife and children have to be 
 reached through their own language. The young 
 " Begum," my pupil, shook hands with me, and led 
 me into the side room, where we both seated our- 
 selves on a basket-work couch, with one or two soft 
 
LOVE OF CHILDREN. 257 
 
 bed-pillows upon it by way of increasing its comfort. 
 (Very, very tired did I feel, that day [yesterday], far 
 more fit to lie down on the couch and rest, than to sit 
 bolt upright and teach.) On asking the father, who 
 was present for a little, what was the odour pervad- 
 ing the room, he informed me that it was onions and 
 garlic stored away in the roof (the ceiling-cloth holes 
 forming good conductors). A Marathi lesson was 
 first given, and then part of a chapter from Mark's 
 Gospel read in Urdu, while I followed from the 
 Roman copy. As we two were thus engaged, a 
 dear, bright little deaf and dumb boy was flitting 
 about the room beside us, now fingering and enu- 
 merating the smooth, round buttons of my alpaca 
 dress, handling my brooch, etc., and again rummag- 
 ing in a drawer, his little hand pushed through a 
 hole meant for the handle, and finally drawing out a 
 large, cast-off serpent's slough. The sister informed 
 me that her father made use of such for medicinal 
 purposes. A younger sister coming in, stroked my 
 hand for the pleasure of it, just as one would do 
 with a piece of satin. I do like these homely 
 touches of comparatively baby fingers. The gentle 
 mother listened for some time, while her daughter 
 read, and then we talked about the sharp turn of 
 illness she had just recovered from, etc., etc. If you, 
 dear mother, could manage to collect a little sum 
 M.R, \^ 
 
258 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 of money that I might expend on EngHsh dolls, or 
 get some young people you know (better still) to 
 send me some, dressed in clothes to come off and on, 
 by this newly-arranged-for parcel post, I would be 
 very glad, for my money is all done now, except a 
 few annas, and I find that the promise of a doll 
 stimulates a little girl to try to learn to read. I 
 could buy plenty from Mrs. Cooper, of those sent out 
 in the Bazaar box, if I had only the money, however. 
 I bought several bullocks for our Zenana Mission 
 work, out of my limited private funds, besides afford- 
 ing treats for the Girls' Schools, buying three little 
 clocks for them, etc. (I refer to the money given me 
 when I was at home), so it has been laid out to 
 good account. Try your luck, dear mother, thus re- 
 suming your good work of collecting funds in aid of 
 " Female Education in India " {ininus Africa for the 
 present). 
 
 At the end of 1886 the Rev. J. G. Cooper writes : — 
 *' Miss Mackay is soon to leave us, after nine years 
 of devoted labour, as she has engaged herself to be- 
 come the wife of a Swedish missionary at Chindwara. 
 We will greatly miss her loving, bright, spirited pre- 
 sence on our staff of workers, but she will carry with 
 her our best wishes and fervent prayers for her happi- 
 ness and usefulness in the new sphere to which she 
 now looks forward," 
 
NINE YEARS SERVICE. 259 
 
 Reviewing her long term of service at Nagpoor, 
 she says : — 
 
 " Nine years have rolled past since it was my privi- 
 lege to join the staff of mission workers here, and 
 now that I am about to retire from my present 
 sphere of labour as zenana missionary, and to enter 
 upon another of a more homely nature, at Chindwara, 
 I should like to take a retrospect of the past with a 
 view to finding out what progress has been made in 
 the direction of native female Christian education in 
 the city of Nagpoor. 
 
 " It will be remembered that Miss Berrie was one 
 of the first workers here in this department, and the 
 little paper she contributed to the quarterly publica- 
 tion, entitled * Woman's Work in Heathen Lands,' 
 gives a graphic account of her experience during the 
 brief year she was permitted to spend among the 
 women of Nagpoor. The annual reports of Miss 
 Duncan (now Mrs. Eagles), who succeeded her in the 
 work, give a further peep into the homes open to 
 visitation at that time, while my sister's and my own 
 more recent reports continue the narrative. 
 
 The outstanding land-mark in the march of pro- 
 gress, in my eyes, is the opening of two new Girls' 
 Schools by Miss Janie Small, a work which could 
 never have been satisfactorily accomplished had not 
 the Ladies' Society seen its way to add a third 
 
26o ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 worker, Miss Isabella Small, to our Zenana Mission 
 staff. The success which has attended these schools 
 is remarkable. A multitude of children hitherto un- 
 reached has been gathered into them, and some old 
 pupils of our own attend as well, two of these being 
 engaged as teachers. The existence of the schools 
 reacts very favourably in connection with the house- 
 to-house visitation, as pupils withdrawn from school 
 after marriage can sometimes be followed into their 
 homes, and kept up in the knowledge already re- 
 ceived, while access is had at the same time to their 
 mothers-in-law and other members of the household. 
 I shall now give a sketch of a single day's visiting in 
 the city, as affording a glimpse into the nature of 
 the work we are engaged in from day to day, and 
 from year to year. 
 
 "Yesterday, Friday, I2th November, I left home 
 at half-past ten in the morning, two of the girls from 
 the Orphanage, Jessie Macdonald and Phulwanti, 
 accompanying me in my tonga as far as the Budh- 
 wari School, in which they are teachers. After 
 dropping them at the school door I drove on through 
 a crowded bazaar, till I reached a much-frequented 
 temple, in the neighbourhood of which there are 
 some houses open to visitation. Leaving my tonga 
 behind, I proceeded down a narrow rugged lane, at 
 the end of which stands a humble enough looking 
 
"HAVE MERCY ON US POOR ONES." 261 
 
 Sunar's, or goldsmith's shop. The only specimens 
 of jewelry to be seen here consist of broken anklets, 
 ear-rings, etc., the property of women occupying the 
 surrounding houses, sent for repair, while a potsherd, 
 supplied with hot ashes, is the furnace into which 
 these are thrown, to be beaten out thereafter on a 
 rude, uneven stone for an anvil. 
 
 " The owner of the shop would not allow me to pass 
 without looking in, as I had done on former occasions, 
 and although there was no pupil, I had not the heart 
 to refuse the old man's request, couched as it was 
 in true native idiom, " Have mercy on us poor ones," 
 etc. On this occasion a bundle of old Christian 
 books was produced, the gift, many a year ago, of 
 old Pahat Singh, once an active catechist, now a 
 broken-down old man. Mr. Hislop's name was quite 
 familiar to the owner of the books, and there was no 
 lack of conversation in consequence. Some women, 
 gathered at the door, could not help indulging in a 
 quiet laugh when they heard me question the old 
 man as to when he had last read from the books, and 
 immediately after, as to when he had eate7t last ! 
 "Oh," I said, "you are far more kind to your body 
 than to your soul," — a fact which he did not attempt 
 to deny. After reading and singing a little to him 
 and his fellow-workmen I passed on to his dwelling- 
 house, where I had a most interesting interview with 
 
262 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 a large family circle of women and girls. Two tiny 
 children profess to be learning here, but their infan- 
 tile lips can hardly do justice to certain alphabetic 
 sounds. The promise of an English doll, after a 
 little progress has been made, had a decidedly stimu- 
 lating effect. None of the older members of the 
 household could be prevailed upon to learn, but a 
 great deal of information as to why I had come to 
 India, etc., was imparted without difficulty in answer 
 to the numerous questions with which I was plied. 
 The reading of a Scripture portion and singing of a 
 sweet hymn brought our little meeting to a close, 
 and I set out for a third house in which I have a dear 
 little pupil. I was again stopped on the street, how- 
 ever, by a panting little fellow of about nine, who 
 was carrying the stool lent me to sit on by the 
 Sunar. He invited me into his own home so eagerly, 
 that the words I have often thought of sprang into 
 my mind once more, — ' A little child shall lead 
 them.' His elder sister, who was seated on the floor 
 doing some household work, began, as I had half 
 anticipated, to remonstrate with the child for bring- 
 ing me in, but a word in praise of her pretty house 
 disarmed her, and very soon the pleasant mother 
 appeared, and was an attentive listener. As a speci- 
 men of the good-nature of the people, and their 
 appreciation of a little fun, I may mention that when 
 
A LITTLE PIONEER. 263 
 
 I remarked upon the way in which the little boy's 
 face was disfigured by the heathen mark on his 
 forehead, which suggested to me a goat's lick (goats 
 are very common here), they laughed heartily, and 
 sent the little fellow to wash it off, which he readily 
 did! 
 
 " Farther up the street I met a boy, of some fifteen 
 or sixteen, an old friend who, when quite a child, 
 used to dart in upon me when I was seated alone in 
 my bungalow, writing letters, or otherwise engaged. 
 He would hang over me, watching with wonder 
 the movement of my pen, until I was free to turn my 
 attention to him and entertain him in some way. He 
 has taken to acting as my pioneer in that crowded 
 district, and I am hopeful that he may find some 
 new pupils for me. The mob that gathered round 
 us on the street yesterday put an end to the attempt 
 he was making to introduce me to some new houses; 
 but we shall try again another day. I was able to 
 pay a visit to his mother's house, as it is in a quieter 
 locality. On at length reaching my pupil's house, 
 found that she had gone off on pilgrimage with her 
 aunt, so it was well I had some opportunities on the 
 road. A long drive to another part of the city landed 
 me in another series of lanes, to be threaded success- 
 fully only on foot. In the first house I directed my 
 steps to, lives an interesting Brahman family, very 
 
264 ON AND AFTER FURLOUGH. 
 
 unlike heathen, but very much given up to idola- 
 trous rites and ceremonies, nevertheless. This family 
 has been under Christian instruction at Bhandara, as 
 well as here, but the scales have not yet fallen from 
 the eyes of the mother, in particular, who seems to do 
 pujah for all the household. But space fails me, as 
 I have written too much in detail, and I must leave 
 my sketch unfinished. I returned home about four 
 o'clock, glad to rest until the beginning of a new 
 week. 
 
 " I don't know who will succeed me in the work 
 here in God's providence, but the 'Lord of the 
 harvest ' will * send forth labourers into His harvest ' 
 in answer to prayer." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "THE TRUTHFUL g6nDS." 
 
 * Then they rose and followed LingOy 
 Followed onwards to the forest. 
 From the motmtain Dhawalgiri. 
 
 ♦ ♦ * * 
 
 Over mountain, over valley, 
 To the glens of seven mountains, 
 To the twelve hills in the valleys. 
 There remained with holy Lingo" 
 
 ' I ^HE inhabitants of India differ as much among 
 -^ themselves as do the various nations of Europe. 
 The prevalent theory is, that long before the dawn of 
 history, two great hordes from Central Asia entered 
 the country from the north-east and north-west, over- 
 running the whole peninsula, and meeting and cross- 
 ing each other in the neighbourhood of Nagpoor, in 
 the heart of the Central Provinces. Centuries after- 
 wards, some say about looo B.C., a branch of the 
 
 26s 
 
266 ''the truthful gonds." 
 
 Aryan ^ or Japhetic race swarmed off from the east 
 of the Caspian Sea, and poured through the moun- 
 tain passes of the Himalayas into the Punjab, 
 crossing the Indus, from which they received the 
 name Hindus, becoming the dominant race in the 
 Indian peninsula, and more or less imbuing the 
 former population with their own language, customs, 
 and religion. In the course of ages, however, these 
 Hindus, although generally spoken of as one people, 
 have come to differ widely from each other in dif- 
 ferent parts, but like all nations sprung from Japheth, 
 they are naturally highly gifted and intellectual. 
 Corrupt religion and centuries of despotism have, 
 however, had a debasing effect on their minds. In 
 the higher castes they have graceful, agile figures, 
 regular features, and a rich olive complexion ; while 
 the gentlewomen are often very beautiful, having ex- 
 quisitely-moulded hands and feet, and dark gazelle- 
 like eyes. 
 
 The influence of the Aryans did not extend far 
 into the table-land of the Dakhan, while the aboriginal 
 tribes inhabiting the thickets and mountain fast- 
 nesses of the Central Provinces effectually resisted 
 the tide of conquest and civilisation, retiring still 
 further into their inaccessible retreats. 
 
 ^ A7ya, in Sanscrit, signifies "honourable," and is probably 
 allied to the Greek ari (stos), the best. 
 
MARRIAGE. 267 
 
 The Hill tribes are named respectively : Santals, 
 G6nds, Bheels, Paharis, Kois and Hill Arrians. 
 
 Of these the G6nds were to Alexina the most 
 interesting. 
 
 Early in 1884 her beloved sister Maggie became 
 the wife of the Rev. Gustaf Danielsson, a Swedish 
 missionary labouring among these people. Two 
 years later the Free Church of Scotland passed over 
 the Chindwara Station, in the heart of the Gond 
 country, to the Swedish Evangelical National 
 Society, and about the same time the C.M.S. called 
 away the Rev. H. P. Parker from Mandla, in the 
 Satpura Hills, to succeed the lamented Hannington 
 as Bishop of East Equatorial Africa; and of him and 
 his sudden end, ere he reached Uganda, she heard 
 much from Alexander Mackay. Ultimately her own 
 lot was cast at Amarwara {i.e. Place of Immortality), 
 a village in the lonely jungle, twenty-six miles from 
 Chindwara, as she had been married to a Swedish 
 missionary, the Rev. Johan Ruthquist, at Bombay, on 
 the 13th October, 1888, the anniversary of the birth 
 of Alexander Mackay, and the day following that 
 never-to-be-forgotten 12th of October, in Uganda, 
 when the Arabs vanquished the Christians. " Chiefs 
 and commons, rich and poor, free and slave, fled 
 before their foes, who hotly pursued them, while the 
 European missionaries were plundered and expelled, 
 
268 
 
 and hope for Christianity in Uganda seemed to be 
 at the very lowest ebb." 
 
 Dr. H. Grattan Guinness, than whom there is no 
 better authority, says : — 
 
 " The missionary spirit exhibited by the Swedish 
 Christians we have met is deh'ghtful to witness, and 
 the simpHcity and whole-heartedness of their conse- 
 cration makes them an example to others." 
 
 Mr. Ruthquist possessed the same aggressive spirit 
 in ministering to the heathen which consumed 
 Alexina, and they both realised that 
 
 " The world waits 
 For help. Beloved, let us love so well, 
 Our work shall still be better for our love, 
 And still our love be sweeter for our work, 
 And both commended, for the sake of each. 
 By all true workers and true lovers born." 
 
 The name Gond, or Gund, is from the Telugu 
 word for a mountain, and signifies " hill-men." This 
 simple race believe that they were created by the 
 invisible God on the snowy peak of Dhawalagiri, the 
 third loftiest of the Himalaya Mountains; and their 
 legend of the five " Songs of Lingo " describes how 
 they descended the torrent which sprang from the 
 melting snow on this majestic summit, until they 
 reached and settled in the ravines and jungles among 
 the hills of Central India. Over half a century ago 
 
mSLOP's PIONEER WORK. 269 
 
 Sir Donald M'Leod — a Scotchman, who had also 
 the blood of the Huguenots in his veins — created and 
 supported for many years missions to the Gonds and 
 some other aboriginal tribes ; but although he spent 
 " his all " in the work, and had the reputation among 
 the native population of India, " that if all Christians 
 were like Sir Donald M'Leod, there would be no 
 Hindus or Mohammedans," yet his efforts were un- 
 successful. 
 
 It remained for the Scottish missionary Hislop to 
 reduce the G6ndi language to writing, and to reveal 
 to the world the folk-lore of the Gonds, and their 
 social and religious condition.^ Whenever the cold 
 season came round, he itinerated among them, gain- 
 ing their affection, and unfolding to them the gospel 
 plan of redemption. Since the beginning of Hislop's 
 pioneer work, and the later efforts of the Church 
 Missionary Society, and of the Swedish Evangelical 
 National Society, thousands from this tribe have 
 been drawn into the Christian Church. 
 
 To work among this timid, truthful, but super- 
 stitious people Alexina gladly settled down with her 
 husband in the lonely jungle. Many of them were 
 
 ' For much interesting information regarding the Gdnds, see 
 *' Life of Stephen Hislop," by George Smith, LL.D. London : 
 John Murray. Also, "The Hill Tribes of India," published by 
 the Church Missionary Society. 
 
270 "THE TRUTHFUL GONDS." 
 
 bards who could sing and play the drum and other 
 musical instruments, and as they were exceedingly 
 friendly, and very receptive to Christianity, her hymn- 
 singing was greatly appreciated, and she speedily 
 felt herself quite at home among them, and won 
 the hearts of all with whom she came in contact;* 
 for, as the Rev. R. Wa-dlaw Thompson, Secretary of 
 the London Missionary Society, says : " One Chris- 
 tian missionary home, with a Christian wife, does 
 more to humanise, elevate, and evangelise a race of 
 people than twenty celibate men. Christianity has 
 its sweetest fruits and most gracious work in the 
 home ; and from the home must radiate its most 
 powerful influence, if any country is to be lastingly 
 influenced by Christianity. Again and again the 
 presence of a missionary's wife has been the first 
 lesson in Christian life and Christian love, and more 
 than that — that has been only the beginning of 
 women's work — a missionary's wife has been the 
 missionary's best helpmate in every part of the 
 mission field." 
 
 The Gonds are said to have about fifteen gods, 
 all malevolent, who are regarded as media of com- 
 munication between the Creator and mankind ; but 
 in their homes they have no idols. They are in 
 reality Shamanites, or devil- worshippers ; but unlike 
 the Hindus, they have a strong sense of sin, and of 
 
g6nd villages. 271 
 
 their need of a living sacrifice, and of the shedding 
 of blood. Their dense ignorance is very trying, and 
 a great hindrance to the entrance of the gospel ; but 
 at the same time, Alexina considered that, dark and 
 degraded as they are, they are more easily evange- 
 lised than the Hindus, as they have less to unlearn. 
 
 The G6nd villages are very isolated, and frequently 
 are comprised of only four or five houses, although 
 sometimes there may be double that number ; but 
 alas ! however few there may be, one is invariably a 
 brewery ! The curse of opium has also fallen upon 
 these simple Hill people. 
 
 The Rev. H. D. Williamson, of the Church 
 Missionary Society, who has laboured devotedly for 
 many years among the north-eastern Gonds in the 
 Mandla district, finds also itinerating to be his most 
 engrossing and important work. For six or seven 
 months in the year, right up to the beginning of the 
 rainy season, he is incessantly on the move. The 
 blessed name of Jesus is now daily honoured in 
 hundreds of villages, though not always to the com- 
 plete exclusion of their old religious worship, and he 
 speaks especially of the wonderful readiness of this 
 primitive million of people to pass on the gospel 
 message to those who have not heard it. 
 
 Soon after Alexina's marriage, the Rev. J. Montelins 
 was sent out by the Swedish Society, of which he was 
 
272 
 
 director, in order to inquire into and report on the 
 progress of mission work in the Gond country. The 
 following extracts from his letters to the Evangeliska 
 Fosterlands-Stiftelsens Expedition, Stockholm, afford 
 an interesting glimpse into the darkness which then 
 reigned in Central India, more especially, perhaps, in 
 the rural districts. He formed a very high opinion 
 of Alexina's character, and she, in her turn, was much 
 struck with the depth of his love to Christ, and the 
 delightful communion he enjoyed with his Lord. 
 
 Narsingpur, 
 
 November 2^th, 1888. 
 
 ***** 
 " The Conference has now been at work a whole 
 week, from early in the morning till late in the even- 
 ing, during which more than fifty different questions 
 have been submitted to serious investigation. 
 
 " It has been a real joy to me to meet and become 
 acquainted with our brethren in the midst of their 
 important work, and to wrestle with them in prayer 
 that we might hold fast our hope in spite of the 
 powers of darkness in this heathen land. 
 
 " During my stay here I have, as far as possible, 
 visited idol temples, and a so-called holy spring, 
 besides three buildings erected upon places where 
 
WICKED ABOMINATIONS. 273 
 
 the dead bodies of kings, together with their widows, 
 have been burnt. One sees with grief how the 
 people walk in darkness, and whilst they think they 
 are serving God, they are degrading themselves in 
 the service of their idols. I have read much of the 
 pursuit of evil lusts to the honour of idols, but never 
 could I have imagined that human uncleanness and 
 worship in idol temples could so blend as they in 
 reality do. We have always been obliged to make 
 our observations through the doorway, as we were 
 forbidden to enter, unless we would draw off our 
 shoes, and such veneration we could not pay to their 
 abominations. Here there is the blowing of trum- 
 pets, ringing of bells, and beating of drums for the 
 idols, both when they are to be awakened in the 
 morning, or when they are to sleep in the evening. 
 These idols are dressed and undressed, washed and 
 cared for, whilst the whole time they are being 
 fanned. If there was not under all this the frightful 
 reality of the power of the devil in the world, one 
 might call it the people's play with dolls. This, 
 however, is the state of things among the heathen 
 to whom we should show mercy, and whose eternal 
 welfare we should seek to promote by increased 
 efforts and gifts to our missions. 
 
 "We have also been allowed to visit the prison 
 here, and some information I have obtained is very 
 
 M.R. iS 
 
274 ''the truthful gonds. 
 
 significant. Murder is common among the natives, 
 and the most usual causes are jealousy and theft. It 
 sometimes happens that a man in a fit of jealousy- 
 will utterly destroy his wife's nose by biting it. In 
 one of the neighbouring houses lives a young wife 
 whose appearance has been entirely destroyed in this 
 way. In Bombay also I heard of a man attempting 
 to murder his wife in the open street through 
 jealousy. He threatened her first, and she begged 
 him not to hurt her before they reached home, but 
 he would not listen to her. In the prison we found 
 sixty prisoners — more men than women ; one being 
 a man who had killed his mother by kicking her. 
 Probably, in a few days that man will be hanged. 
 The prison was extremely clean and well arranged, 
 while rope-making, carpet mending, grinding corn 
 and the making of oil, etc., were extensively carried 
 on. Dr. Mitchel is the governor of the prison. It is 
 impossible for a missionary to obtain entrance there, 
 in order to work among the inmates. A Christian is 
 allowed to visit a Christian, and speak to him of 
 spiritual things ; but if a Christian governor should 
 venture to speak to a heathen about Christ, he 
 would, if it were reported, not only be dismissed, but 
 subjected to severe punishment ! It is significant 
 of the neutral position the Government of India 
 takes with regard to the religious opinion of the 
 
TRAVELLING EXPERIENCES. 275 
 
 peoples over which, one may almost say, it watches 
 with anxiety. 
 
 '* To-morrow the Conference breaks up, and I am 
 to accompany Brother Danielsson to Chindwara, 
 and hope to be with Brother Twar in Nimpani over 
 Christmas, and about the middle of January to arrive 
 at Saugor." 
 
 " Amarwara, 
 
 '' December till, 1888. 
 ***** 
 
 " Now I will tell you something about my journey 
 here from Narsingpur, where I had days never to 
 be forgotten, with our dear brethren in the mission 
 field. 
 
 "A journey lay before me of sixty miles, through 
 large forests, but it signified less to me, as I have 
 come during the best time of the year, and have the 
 experience of our brethren to help me, which they 
 give me in the kindest manner, caring for me in every 
 possible way. 
 
 " Brother Lindroth accompanied us part of the 
 road with his spring ox-cart ; afterwards I travelled 
 with Brother Danielsson in his gharree, i.e. an ox-cart 
 without springs, the only vehicle that can be used 
 when the road begins to be stony and uneven. 
 
 " For hours 1 rode upon a quiet old horse which 
 
276 ''the truthful gonds." 
 
 Brother Ruthquist had sent with us, to make the 
 journey easier, and two other vehicles followed, to 
 carry the tents, furniture and luggage, etc. 
 
 " The natives were greatly interested in me, being 
 a stranger, who could not understand their language, 
 and they laughed heartily when I learned to say 
 something in Hindustani. They were very friendly, 
 however, and gathered flowers and fruit to show me 
 they were amused, when I let them see some draw- 
 ings which I occasionally made. 
 
 " It was a wonderfully beautiful road we had to 
 pass ; it went often through uncultivated parks or 
 gardens, and again through wild forests. Higher and 
 higher we climbed. Narsingpur lies 1,000 feet above 
 the sea, Harai 2,025 feet, Rhapa, which we also 
 passed, nearly 4,000 feet, and Amarvvara 2,703 feet. 
 
 •* Of wild animals we saw many kinds of birds, a 
 number of squirrels, some very large monkeys, and on 
 a steep hill a panther crossed our way, and would 
 gladly have seized a little dog who was with us, if he 
 had not been afraid of our numbers. 
 
 " High up on the mountains I saw a snake. It is 
 very dangerous to travel this way at night, for tigers 
 frequent the jungles here. Our brethren have often 
 been afraid of them. Now I understand why they 
 are so anxious to have guns with them when they 
 are sent from Sweden. They are also often obliged 
 
A MAGIC LANTERN. 277 
 
 on their journeys to shoot game, when they cannot 
 buy necessary food. 
 
 " We had three resting-places : Bachai, Usri, and 
 Harai. At the last place we remained quietly over 
 Sunday. We lived in tents, and there was a sur- 
 prising difference in the temperature between day 
 and night. 
 
 "In the middle of the day (the ist of December) 
 it was like a hot summer day at home, but at five 
 o'clock in the evening one needed warmer clothing, 
 and during the night two blankets and a cloak, to 
 avoid catching cold. The natives make a fire at 
 night, to keep themselves warm. A poor old G6nd 
 had burns on his body, as he had lain too near the 
 fire. They were also very unwilling in the morning 
 to leave the fire to do anything. In Usri and Harai 
 Brother Danielsson showed the people some Scripture 
 pictures through his magic lantern, and preached to 
 them about the prodigal son, and in Harai from some 
 part of the life of Christ. Sometimes they expressed 
 their delight at the pictures and their appreciation 
 of what he said to them, by a peculiar smacking 
 noise. 
 
 '*The Malgusarin in Usri (within the district of 
 NarsingpCir) was a G6nd, and we saw there the dis- 
 tinctive feature of a G6nd village, w\z.^ that one large 
 street runs through the whole village. Close to our 
 
278 ''THE TRUTHFUL GONDS." 
 
 encampment were two old idol temples, but one of 
 them only was in use. The most ancient one was ex- 
 tremely tastefully built, although some of the figures 
 were ugly. The one in use was not in the same 
 style, but was in a measure handsome. It of course 
 influences the people, who do not otherwise see 
 anything of art. On the latter were many curious 
 figures to be seen, among which were painted jugglers, 
 and when I pointed them out to Danielsson, he 
 explained that these figures represented what the 
 gods are supposed to be doing, and according to the 
 people's belief, they do all sorts of things, and even 
 amuse themselves with juggling. It has happened 
 often, and happens even still, that in secret the people 
 here sacrifice human beings, particularly children, to 
 their idols. 
 
 "In Harai a native king (see p. 327) governs under 
 the English Government, and his district belongs to 
 that of Chindvvara. 
 
 "The king was not at home, but his brother, a 
 boy of about fourteen years of age, came immedi- 
 ately on our arrival to our encampment, with four 
 or five other lads in his company, in order to buy 
 some Christian tracts, as he had also done when 
 Danielsson had passed through before, when the 
 king came to see the Bible pictures. The boy 
 looked thoughtful, and although one could scarcely 
 
CRUEL PRACTICES. 279 
 
 see by his clothes any difference between him and 
 the other boys, he nevertheless seemed accustomed 
 to be waited on, and to take the lead. On his right 
 arm he had two gold bracelets, the value of which 
 must at least have been fifty rupees. Round his 
 neck he had eight or ten amulets, small ornaments 
 which were also intended to preserve him from evil ; 
 but, poor boy ! he had lost an eye. The king's palace 
 was very large and interesting to see, but opposite 
 the chief entrance there was a platform, on which 
 was a collection of the most disgusting idols I have 
 ever seen. Farther off was a high scaffolding, used 
 at festivals, from which a man is swung on a high 
 pole ; formerly he used to be fastened to it by an 
 iron hook stuck into his back, but now, through the 
 interference of the English Government, he is only 
 allowed to be fastened by ropes. In any case it 
 occasions severe pain, and often illness, which ends 
 in death. The king's garden was beautiful, surrounded 
 by a hedge of flowering oleanders, adorned with 
 magnificent flowers of gorgeous colours, and tall 
 flowering acacia trees. 
 
 "In the village I saw many handsome men and 
 children, but how the women looked I don't know, 
 for they generally turned their backs to us, or 
 covered themselves, or ran into their houses. The 
 people are, like the country, uncultivated, but they 
 
28o ''THE TRUTHFUL GONDS." 
 
 may yet bring forth a wonderful harvest. Oh ! that 
 the Lord would soon allow His holy word to be sown 
 among these poor creatures, that they might learn 
 to rejoice in the living God, and serve Him in truth. 
 
 "I mentioned before that a panther had crossed 
 our path. It was in Dulha Ghat, a veritable Alpine 
 road ; and when we climbed up, we found the idol 
 Dulha under a tree, which, when it flowers, is, I hear, 
 most gorgeous, but now it is leafless, and hung all 
 over with rags. Around the idols, which consisted 
 of three stones, smeared over with some red colour, 
 was a wall of cocoanut shell, which had been off'ered 
 to the idols. Our poor old Gond went forward 
 and made a ' salaam ' to the idols with great rever- 
 ence, although another of the servants, who was a 
 Mohammedan, laughed at him. Afterwards Daniel- 
 sson exhorted him not to make ' salaams' to stones ! 
 
 " Now I have been three days with Brother Ruth- 
 quist. He has just been married to a Scotch lady, a 
 Miss Mackay, who eleven years ago came to India, 
 and laboured as a Zenana missionary in Nagpiir, 
 not far from here. 
 
 " God has provided a home for them here, and 
 comforted them in their work by the friendliness 
 of the natives. Our Society has here a good and 
 roomy house for their missionaries at a very low 
 price. The first morning we walked through the 
 
AVERSION TO ENTER THE HOSPITAL. 28 1 
 
 neighbouring villages, visited the Government school, 
 and inquired afterwards for a sick woman, to whom 
 Brother Ruthquist had been allowed to give some 
 medicine before he left for the Conference. He 
 scarcely thought she could live, but she was better. 
 He tries to induce the natives to apply for help at 
 the hospital in Chindwara, but generally without 
 success. They have usually a great dislike to it, and 
 will rather die than avail themselves of it. 
 
 "The head policeman in one village had, on the 
 contrary, followed the advice to send his sick wife 
 there, and now she is better, after a very severe 
 illness. While we continued our walk two sick 
 persons came out of a house and showed their 
 wounds. Brother Ruthquist does what he can to 
 heal their diseases. In the evening he preached in 
 another village about Zaccheus, who desired to see 
 Jesus, and was found of Him. 
 
 " In the village of Amarwara he has been per- 
 mitted to preach on all three of the Malgusar's 
 verandahs, and besides this, in no less than twenty- 
 eight villages, which lie so near that he could preach 
 in one of them in the morning, and return before the ' 
 sun had become too hot. Yesterday, with him as 
 interpreter, I preached about Him who loved us, and 
 gave His life as a ransom for all. Among my 
 hearers was a fakir who had just returned from a 
 
282 *'tiie truthful g6nds." 
 
 long pilgrimage. He was very attentive. Mrs. 
 Ruthquist sang a sacred song to a native melody. 
 May the Lord be with them, and uphold them by 
 His grace in joy and sorrow, in prosperity and ad- 
 versity. To-morrow I hope to proceed on my journey 
 to Chindwara, twenty-four miles distant. Ruthquist 
 accompanies me. 
 
 " It is a joy to me if my letters can enable you in 
 a measure to share the blessing I receive from inter- 
 course with our missionaries here." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 ^^ I bless thee^ God^ for past delights — 
 Thank Godf" I am not used to bear 
 Hard thoughts of death; the earth doth cover 
 A^o face from me of friend or lover : 
 Afid must the first who teaches jne 
 The form of shrouds and funerals, be 
 Mine o^cn first-born beloved .^ " 
 
 IT has been beautifully said : — "Work is but one 
 half of life ; suffering is the other. There is a 
 hemisphere of the world in the sunshine of work, 
 but there is another in the shadow of suffering." ^ 
 The traveller's bungalow at Amarwara was speedily 
 transformed into a tasteful and pleasant home, which 
 in itself was an object lesson to the ignorant native 
 women around, for whose improvement, spiritually 
 and morally, Alexina laboured with her charactertstic 
 zeal and earnestness. 
 
 * See " Imago Christ! : The Example of Jesus Christ," p. 185. 
 
 283 
 
284 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 " In many a season of sorrow and pain 
 Her presence she cheerfully lent, 
 No case was so hard that reluctant was she 
 For Jesus to spend and be spent." 
 
 And wherever she did go, as in the days of her 
 childhood, her presence acted like a sunbeam ; but a 
 day came when, in a great measure, the sweetness was 
 taken out of her life. On the 15 th November, 1889, 
 her only child — " Mary Juanita," after gladdening the 
 parents' hearts for twelve days, was " transplanted to 
 the garden of the King ! " There were very mys- 
 terious and painful circumstances in connection with 
 the event, which greatly embittered the cup, yet they 
 bore the sad trial with unwavering Christian fortitude. 
 It was suspected that opium had been administered 
 to the infant, as for twelve hours she was uncon- 
 scious, and no efforts of the medical man could 
 arouse her. 
 
 All night long the poor mother wrestled in prayer, 
 crying : — 
 
 *' Oh, take not, Lord, my babe away — 
 Oh, take not to Thy songful heaven 
 The pretty baby Thou hast given. 
 
 Thou who art 
 So happy in Thy heaven alway, 
 Take not mine only bliss away." 
 •X- * * -x- 
 
GONE TO THE SONGFUL HEAVEN. 285 
 
 " But tlie child spake out to the mother so : — 
 
 * Is your wisdom very wise 
 Mother, on the narrow earth, 
 Very happy, very worth 
 That I should stay to learn ? 
 
 ♦ * * -x- 
 
 Mother, albeit this is so, 
 Let me to my heaven go ! 
 
 A little harp me waits thereby, 
 A harp whose strings are golden all, 
 And tuned to music spherical. 
 Hanging on the green hfe-tree 
 Where no willows ever be. 
 Shall I miss that harp of mine ? 
 Mother, no !'" 
 
 And the little one, without experiencing the toil and 
 sorrow of earth's pilgrimage, found a swifter, safer 
 way to the arms of Jesus. 
 
 After this sorrow Alexina realized more and more 
 that Christ was her sanctification ; and it was ob- 
 served by all who came in contact with her that her 
 thoughts were much more in heaven than on earth. 
 No doubt it was the means her Heavenly Father 
 employed to prepare her for her own early trans- 
 lation to the happy land. 
 
 About this time she wrote the following lines, 
 which reveal her thoughts more fully than even her 
 letters do. 
 
286 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 ON THE DEATH OF "MARY JUANITA," 
 AGED TWELVE DAYS. 
 
 Only escaped the narrowness of time — 
 Only removed from every taint of sin — 
 Instead of " left without," " received within." 
 
 Gone Home before me to that wondrous place, 
 
 Where Baby's angel * ever saw His face. 
 
 Oh ! who shall be her Teacher in that sphere of sinless 
 
 blessedness ? 
 Shall she then hear Thy voice and know it ? 
 Will she hear and see 
 //ow Thou dost call the little ones to Thee ? 
 
 And will she learn in that dear Home above, 
 
 All / had longed to teach her of Thy love ? 
 
 And wilt Thou bring her 
 
 When Thou com'st again, 
 
 And call that little body not to pain, 
 
 Such as she knew before. 
 
 But raise in power — 
 
 (Though sown in weakness) 
 
 To that glorious hour ? 
 
 That little wasted frame — 
 
 Oh, shall it bloom-- 
 
 When Thou shalt beckon her to leave the tomb — 
 
 In undecaying health ? 
 
 Those plaintive eyes, 
 
 Shall they be opened to the sweet surprise 
 
 Of meeting us again ? 
 
 And shall we see 
 
 Our little loved one very near to Thee ? 
 
 1 <( 
 
 For I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always 
 behold the face of My Father which is in heaven." — Ma/t 
 xviii. lo. 
 
WHAT WAS, AND WHAT SHALL BE. 287 
 
 The quiet, chastened look — 
 
 Oh, shall it cling 
 
 To all her little features lingering-, 
 
 Where pain and sorrow never more shall lingef, 
 
 Banished for ever by Thy healing finger ? 
 
 And shall there be the holy, heavenly grace, 
 
 Of Thy dear likeness 
 
 Stamped upon her face ? 
 
 Sometimes the mother's eye has fondly seen 
 
 Some beauty in what luas^ 
 
 But oh ! I ween, 
 
 In that which shall be 
 
 There shall be a glory 
 
 Beyond the reach of any mother's story 
 
 Oh ! come, Lord Jesus ! 
 Let the days be few 
 Ere I shall see Thee — 
 And my Baby too ! 
 
 Still later on, writing to a dear sister, she says : — 
 
 " As I read J 's letter, and came to the words 
 
 about 'my dear little one' and her being 'safe in 
 the arms of Jesus,' I began to muse, and musing I 
 looked up at the large picture on the wall which you 
 got mounted for me — * Jesus blessing little child- 
 ren.' They should have put one on His knee, I 
 said to myself, for we read that He * took them up 
 in His arms.' Do they ever represent the unspeak- 
 ably comforting scene in such tender, true detail, 
 
 do you think ? I had no idea that Mrs. A had 
 
 passed away ! How fast they seem to be 'gathering 
 
2 55 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 homeward from every land, one by one ! ' I have 
 seen three different pictures, lately, of 'Jesus bless- 
 ing little children,' but in not one of them does 
 a little child appear in His arms ! This thought 
 suggested to me the following lines ; for a mother 
 bereaved of a little child is always on the look-out 
 for the tenderest representations of the loving 
 Saviour. If a picture can be found of Jesus w^ith 
 an infant in His arms, I should like to possess it." 
 
 "HE TOOK THEM UP IN HIS ARMS." 
 Mark x. i6. 
 
 I've never seen a picture yet 
 
 In which the truth was told 
 About that story, passing sweet, 
 
 In gospel days of old. 
 
 The story is that mothers brought 
 
 The children they loved much 
 As near to Jesus as they could, 
 
 That they might feel His touch. 
 
 And did He touch them 1 Yes, He did ; 
 
 And more than that, we know- 
 He took them in His blessed arms, 
 
 His tender love to show. 
 
 And on each little head His hands 
 
 So lovingly were laid ; 
 The youngest nestled in His arms, 
 
 Nor felt the least afraid. 
 
 " And blessed them,' so the story says. 
 And blessed they are indeed ; 
 For blessing from the Saviour's hand 
 Means grace for every need. 
 
A SUDDEN CALL. 289 
 
 And has our Jesus ceased to bless ? 
 
 And are His hands removed 
 From little heads of children now^ 
 
 Tho' children once He loved ? 
 
 Ah, no — thrice no ! it cannot be, 
 
 For Jesus is not dead ; 
 He blesses still — His hands are now 
 
 On many a little head. 
 
 And does He take them in His arms? 
 
 Ye weeping mothers say. 
 He does. Why weep ? they're safer there 
 
 Than were they ours to-day. 
 
 Yet another sorrow awaited her, for within three 
 months of the loss of her infant, at midnight, on the 
 8th of February, 1890, the angel of death entered 
 the Mission House on the southern shore of the 
 Victoria Nyanza, and to Alexander Mackay came 
 the royal summons, — 
 
 *' Lay down the shield and quit the sword, 
 
 The fight of faith is done ; 
 And quickly towards the glowing east 
 
 Ascends the rising sun. 
 Angelic guards wait with the day. 
 
 Thy crown of life to bring. 
 O death, where is thy victory ? 
 
 O grave, where is thy sting ? " 
 
 Writing home after she received the news, she 
 says : — 
 
 ** Few characters have drawn out ' Johan's sym- 
 pathies so much.' He says, indeed, * that if A. M. M. 
 
 M.R. 19 
 
290 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 had been still alive, he would have liked to go and 
 help him ! ' In a case like this the thought of 
 the 'entering into the joy of His Lord' is so linked 
 on to the news of the departure from this world, 
 that his death seems more like a translation than 
 anything else ! . . . Heaven seems to be very 
 
 near earth these days. Little M 's short step to it 
 
 seems to have brought it nearer. ' Thither, O Lord, 
 our weary steps are tending.' That is a fine sen- 
 tence in the little paragraph, noting the death of the 
 Rev. Alexander Cusin, Edinburgh, in T/ie British 
 Weekly : — * He has entered the completer service 
 which is followed by no weariness.' 
 
 "I was just thinking, as Johan and I were wending 
 our way homewards, on our little horses, from a 
 distant village, where we had a meeting last night, 
 that little babes will be restored to us at the resur- 
 rection, just as they were when we parted from them,^ 
 
 ^ Her fondly cherished idea that mothers will have their 
 infants restored to them just as they were in this world, does 
 not agree, however, with Longfellow's lines : — 
 
 " Not as a child shall we again behold her : 
 For when with raptures wild 
 In our embraces we again enfold her, 
 She will not be a child ; 
 
 But a fair maiden in her Father's mansion, 
 
 Clothed with celestial grace ; 
 And beautiful with all the soul's expansion 
 
 Shall we behold her face." 
 
A HAPPY LIFE. 29 1 
 
 for we cannot imagine that the little body that was 
 laid in the grave will be changed into a big one. 
 The development of mind and body will take place 
 afterwards, I think, but like that of a perfect flower, 
 never to fade again ! " 
 
 Mrs. Danielsson, of Chindwara, thus describes 
 Alexina setting out with Mr. Ruthquist on an evan- 
 gelistic tour among the scattered villages of the 
 district. Having few home ties, her main energies 
 were devoted to lifting the simple-hearted Gonds 
 from the low level of their superstitious beliefs, and 
 bearing them upon the wings of sacred song to God 
 and heaven. 
 
 " The commodious spring-cart, made by Johan's 
 skilful hands, stands at the door ; two little brown 
 ponies, mother and daughter, bearing respectively 
 the names of * Lady ' and * Lilla ' (the Swedish for 
 little!) are in readiness, as also the 'thakra,' in 
 which Sewa Ram (the Catechist) and his young 
 wife, Frances, are to travel. The 'Hill tent,' 12 feet 
 by 12 feet, has already been placed on a cart, to be 
 drawn by bullocks ; and, in another, the luggage 
 has been stored ; while * Tiger ' — the brown striped 
 dog, lies eagerly awaiting the signal for beginning 
 the march. Provisions and a tiny stove are packed 
 away in a box built in front of the spring-cart, so 
 that a cup of tea and some food may be readily 
 
292 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 partaken of under the shade of a tree, during the 
 heat of the day. * Lady ' and ' Lilla ' were the gift 
 of a friend, and were very useful on the rougher 
 parts of the journey, while out on tour ; as well as 
 for carrying 'Sahib' and 'Mem Sahib ' to villages 
 in the neighbourhood of Amarwara. 
 
 " The spring-cart has a roof on it, and can be used 
 either with or without a seat. In the latter case, it 
 is fitted up with a mattress, blankets and pillows, 
 and has often afforded most comfortable night- 
 quarters during journeys performed without a tent. 
 
 " The Sunday and week-night services in the neat 
 little church to which the people are summoned by 
 the ringing of a hand-bell, must now cease for a 
 time ; medical aid to the daily applicants must be 
 suspended ; Alexina's visits to the women in the 
 village, and her Sunday Bible Class, as well as the 
 evening rides to hold meetings in the surrounding 
 villages must all give way to the cold weather 
 campaign, in the shape of a tour in the district. 
 The bungalow and compound are left in charge 01 
 two men, who are instructed to water the numerous 
 flower- pots arranged near the house, as well as the 
 rose-bushes and young trees now adorning the once 
 stony soil ; and to attend to the poultry and beau- 
 tiful pigeons, whose circular dove-cot, thatched 
 with grass, forms a pleasing, homely object. The 
 
MANY A HARD JOLT. 293 
 
 tinkling of the bells so often worn around the necks 
 of bullocks in this country is a-wanting, but the 
 cavalcade moves slowly out at the rustic gate, and 
 the journey has begun ! Travelling in the Chind- 
 wara district, in common with many other parts of 
 India, is often attended with considerable discom- 
 fort, owing to the want of made roads. In the 
 Chindwara Station, however. Government has ob- 
 viated this difficulty, but up in Amarvvara there are 
 only tracks made by country-carts and the convey- 
 ances of Government officials on their rounds of 
 inspection, with the exception of a road made by 
 Johan, extending towards Chindwara, on the one 
 side, and to the village of Piperia, in the Narsingpur 
 direction, on the other. For one so weak as Alexina, 
 it was no light matter to perform journeys under 
 such circumstances, but after the spring-cart was 
 made, she used to enjoy much more comfort, for 
 she could lie down in it, and so escape the effects of 
 many a hard jolt ^ She used to beguile the tedious- 
 ness of the way by singing hymns. * Come, Thou 
 Fount of every blessing ' ; * My times are in Thy 
 hand ' ; * Oh Thou in whose presence my soul 
 takes delight'; and 'The Lord is My Shepherd,' 
 were special favourites. The latter she used to sing 
 to the fine old melody, * Auld Lang Syne,' and well 
 did the words and music suit each other ! 
 
294 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 " Many years before, at a dinner party in Nagpoor, 
 during Alexina's furlough, the host,^ a Government 
 officer of high position, proposed that ' Miss Mac- 
 kay's favourite hymn ' should be sung. Accordingly, 
 the beautiful hymn, ' O Thou in whose presence 
 my soul takes delight,' was sung to its own sweet 
 and pathetic melody. 
 
 " In travelling from place to place, the road some- 
 times lies over a romantic tract of country, up hill 
 and down dale, and across small rivers, which must 
 be forded ; but, fortunately, the danger from tigers 
 and other wild animals is rare ! However, on one 
 occasion, while crossing a river on horseback, the 
 terrific roar of a tiger broke ominously on their ears 1 
 And they had to hasten from the spot as quickly 
 as the fast-gathering darkness permitted, Alexina 
 meanwhile maintaining a calmness which greatly 
 surprised her husband ! (See p. 321.) 
 
 But, to return to camp life! Arrived at their desti- 
 nation, Chensa, a Gond servant, of six years' standing, 
 assisted by the other servants, used to put up the 
 tent in as shady a spot as could be found. Alas ! 
 for our travellers when neither mango nor pepul, 
 tamarind nor Indian fig tree spreads its leafy canopy 
 over the canvas roof! If the village were a small 
 
 ^ Mr. Eraser, now commissioner of Rajpur. 
 
THE OLD FAITHS LOSING GROUND. 295 
 
 one, they would only stay four or five days ; but if 
 it were a more important place, they might linger 
 as long as ten days or a fortnight. 
 
 "My sister's singing of the native melodies was 
 ever a great attraction, and her presence drew many 
 wofiten, contrary to Hindu custom, to the services ; 
 and frequently these invited her to accompany them 
 to their homes. When Johan visited the southern 
 part of the district, her fluency in Marathi, the 
 language spoken there, was invaluable ; and on such 
 occasions, she not only sang, but also addressed the 
 audience." 
 
 Regarding these itinerancies, Mr. Ruthquist re- 
 ports : — 
 
 " One encouragement in the work has been, and is 
 still, that the people come to hear. Many say that 
 what we preach is good and true, and that they 
 believe it all, and that they have given up the wor- 
 ship of idols, and serve only the true God. On some 
 occasions the question has been put to them if they 
 will not publicly witness for Christ by receiving 
 baptism, but then they say, * No ! how could we give 
 up and leave the whole world ; but if many come, 
 then we will also.' 
 
 " Everywhere, by far the greater number listen with 
 attention to the good news ; but they retain so little 
 of what they hear, when it is only now and then one 
 
296 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 can visit the distant villages. In one village, after a 
 meeting, some said, * If you would come here once a 
 week, we should be able to remember what you 
 preach.' 
 
 " In Harai, and in several of the neighbouring 
 villages, it appears to me that the soil is partially 
 prepared for the good seed. 
 
 "Oh! if we had more- labourers in these great 
 fields ! " 
 
 The following extracts from Alexina's diary, and 
 her letters to the Committee at Stockholm and to 
 her family, give an interesting insight into the work 
 as prosecuted in the years 1891, 1892. 
 
 January i^th^ 1891. — Came to Saliwara — a prettily 
 situated village. Johan had to return to Amarwara 
 almost immediately for another cart, as one of ours 
 had broken down on the road. We returned from the 
 village a little while ago, where we had a very nice 
 meeting. One delicate-looking man (the k5twal, i.e. 
 village watchman) listened most intently. He was 
 anxious not to lose a sentence. We sang several 
 hymns. 
 
 January i6th. — Went to Benaiki this morning. 
 Found Malguzar affected by drink at the close of the 
 " Panchayat " he had given. This man had much to 
 say in opposition to the gospel message, but the 
 man opposite listened very attentively — his little 
 
VILLAGE PREACHING. 297 
 
 granddaughter in his arms. There must have been 
 many people from surrounding villages present. We 
 sang "Zara tuka soch"and "Dunya men dil," and 
 Johan spoke faithfully about the account each one 
 must give of himself to God. 
 
 In the evening we had our second meeting in this 
 village, and sang "The Happy Land," etc. We have 
 enjoyed this place. It has been so quiet and charm- 
 ing. N,B. — Mattaya (the sweeper) has developed in 
 an unexpected way to-night. He has evidently made 
 up his mind that when he is asked any important 
 question, the right answer is, " Yisah Masih," i,e. Jesus 
 Christ. Therefore, when he was asked what the 
 great light is that makes the day, this was the 
 answer he gave ! Strange to say, unknown to 
 Mattaya, Johan had spoken from the words of Jesus 
 in the village : " / am the light of the world." 
 
 Jatmary ijth. Karitee. — A large village of stirring, 
 intelligent people. A religious teacher was inclined 
 to show himself learned and self-confident, but he 
 became quiet when Johan said he might speak after- 
 wards, if he liked. Sewa Ram, our catechist, sang a 
 solo, and spoke very nicely. Then Johan spoke of 
 the follies of the people, and our desire to show them 
 the way back to God. When he declared that al- 
 though all expect to go to God after death, to 
 many who have lived in sin the words will be ad- 
 
298 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 dressed, " I know you not," the Malguzar showed that 
 he was struck with the appropriateness of this, for 
 he burst out laughing, and said aloud, " There had 
 been no acquaintance ! " Eight men came to the 
 tent later on to have conversation in regard to what 
 they had heard. 
 
 January iZth. — Another large gathering in the , 
 village. No opposition from " Pundit Zee," {i.e. Mr. 
 Teacher) as Johan called him. Large groups ot 
 women collected in the two verandahs. Sewa Ram 
 was earnest and hearty. He spoke on the words, 
 " Blessed are the meek, for theirs is the kingdom of 
 God." Johan spoke on "eternal life." 
 
 Januaiy i()th. — Went to Bareilly. Found the 
 Malguzar too much taken up about a theft of twenty- 
 five shillings, committed by a servant, to take notice 
 of the gospel message, or even the messengers ! An 
 elderly man, with a perverted expression of face, 
 interrupted Johan to prove that God is the Author 
 of evil, because Satan was created by Him. Of 
 course it was explained to him that Satan was 
 created in a good state, like all other creatures of God. 
 A woman seated near me could not rest till her son 
 was called from the field, because he could read ! He 
 at last came, and opened a small bundle of books, 
 in which were two Christian ones he had got either 
 from Mr. Dawson or Mr. Danielsson. I asked him 
 
UNDER A PEPUL TREE. 299 
 
 some questions from one of these, but he could not 
 answer them, so he got a little sermon on the subject 
 of his carelessness, and was told to improve ! His 
 request for another book was naturally denied, in 
 the circumstances. 
 
 Koonda. — We came to this beautiful place on 
 Monday, the 26th (see p. 310), and found a choice site 
 for the tents. Next morning we visited Sdgar, and 
 were kindly treated to milk, sugar, and spices by the 
 representative of the Malguzar, who, accompanied 
 by many others, escorted us here in the evening, and 
 we had a very large gathering under a pepul tree in 
 the centre of the village. This morning (the 28th) 
 we rode to Hutnee, and although the people 
 seemed, mostly, unpromising at the beginning, they 
 became good friends before we left them, and es- 
 corted us out of the village some way. Two of their 
 number were glad to receive books, one getting 
 
 G 's translation of Luther's Catechism, and the 
 
 other a small hymn-book, by his own request. The 
 last-named man had asked if Jesus Christ is alive in 
 a cavilling spirit, little expecting to be told " Yes." 
 He poured out much nonsense, but acknowledged, 
 when asked, that he had got his information from 
 his own heart ! Johan told him that the knowledge 
 of the things of God comes from above. 
 
 On Thursday, the 29th, Mr. Rensaa (a brother 
 
300 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 missionary) joined us, and we went into the village 
 in the evening. We found the people very indifferent 
 and unreceptive. The First Commandment was ex- 
 plained. In Kumsa, in the evening, it was evident 
 that a spirit of disaffection had been roused, for the 
 Malguzar absented himself, and the people were slow 
 to assemble. A faithful message was delivered to 
 them, however, but when they were asked if they 
 would like to hear once more, no one answered. 
 We therefore took another village, Taunri, instead, 
 next evening. On the morning of that day we 
 had a delightful visit to a village called Lukeree, 
 and next day (Saturday, the 31st) we arrived at 
 Machagora (see p. 313). 
 
 On February the 3rd we came here^ to Jatlapur, on 
 a little branch of the Pench. Our tent is just op- 
 posite the site of the bazaar. Yesterday morning 
 we rode to Cheenia, where there were nice, honest- 
 hearted people. This morning we went to Karaghat, 
 near Dewdar. The people were singularly backward 
 and unreceptive. One man asked if God is alone in 
 heaven, or if He has " Bal Bacha " (children) ; and 
 another if He has a wife, and so on. The darkness 
 was gross. They believed in the old Hindu mytho- 
 logy about Lanka (Ceylon), etc., thinking it had 
 been submerged ! The ignorance was great, remind- 
 ing one of the Scripture words — " Darkness hath 
 
NATIVE METHODISTS. 3OI 
 
 covered the earth, and thick darkness the people." 
 In this village (Jatlapur) the people are earnest and 
 thoughtful, but also very ignorant. 
 
 February 26th, — We went to Ranikamat last night, 
 and had an interesting meeting. One man made 
 many inquiries as to the resurrection, and wondered 
 how our " kaccha," bodies, could go to be with God 
 for ever. (" Kaccha " has several meanings, e.g., " un- 
 ripe," as fruit ; " unburned," as bricks. Perhaps the 
 best meaning here is " corruptible " or " mortal.") 
 On the way we saw an old hyena ranging about at 
 ease in the jungle. It was a strange sight, with its 
 clearly marked stripes, amid the homely scenery of 
 trees and green grass. Johan loaded, but the animal 
 disappeared mysteriously. 
 
 January jth, 1892. Harai. — We came here yester- 
 day, having broken our journey from Amarwara at 
 a very small village — Moorgutola ? I went into the 
 village alone in the evening, but had a good deal of 
 discomfort owing to the boys and women looking 
 upon me as such a novelty. Our camp was enlarged 
 by the arrival of two of the Methodist Christians 
 (native) ; one, a Robert Hard, an itinerating preacher, 
 the other, a convert from the Mehter (sweeper) 
 caste, his companion and disciple. We gave them a 
 friendly reception (they had really come to see us), 
 and Johan invited them to linger with us a few days 
 
302 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 if they liked. They are here still. They accom- 
 panied Sewa Ram to a village in the morning ; 
 Johan going alone to another. 
 
 January ZtJi. — Last night Frances, the catechist's 
 young wife, and I went to some houses quite near 
 this, on the outskirts of the village, and found many 
 people delighted to listen. They belong to such 
 castes as the Chumar. '* To the poor the gospel is 
 preached." This morning Johan and I went in the 
 chakla to Dheera, a village some three miles off, 
 and had a nice meeting at the gentle Malguzar's 
 house. We mean to return there some evening. 
 A Brahman beggar was very attentive ; he had a 
 very refined face. 
 
 This evening we have all been to the Chumar 
 quarter, where we had a very nice meeting. " Robert 
 Hard " was asked to speak first, and he did so very 
 humbly and lovingly. Johan followed, speaking on 
 the Lost Sheep. Sewa Ram concluded. We had 
 nice hymns too, and Robert Hard prayed, by his 
 own wish. May God's blessing attend the preaching 
 of His own Word ! I forgot to say that the convert 
 from the Mehter caste added a few very suitable 
 words. 
 
 Last night we all went back to the Chumar quarter, 
 but the gathering (especially the children and women) 
 was restless, and it was difficult to go on and not 
 
GROSS DARKNESS. 303 
 
 lose patience. We have promised to return there 
 once again. 
 
 This -morning Johan and I went to the village 
 Amari, and had a meeting with a somewhat strange 
 lot of people. A good many of the villagers had 
 been called out by the Rajah to hunt, however. On 
 Saturday night and Sunday morning we had the 
 doctor with us; and we expect him back to-day from 
 Narsingpur. 
 
 January \6th. — We have been to a village far 
 away in the jungle, called Bargee, where the people 
 are in a very sunk condition. The scenery around 
 is lovely. Last night we were in Kahra village, and 
 Johan pointed out that ignorance of God is sin, from 
 the passage : — Out of the heart of man proceedeth 
 foolishness — translated in Hindi into " agydnita " 
 (ignorance). 
 
 {To the Children of the Free Church Sunday School, 
 Holborn, Aberdeen.) 
 
 Amarwara, Central India. 
 May 2^th, 1890. 
 This is the Queen's birthday, and I am going to 
 write to you about one of her little subjects— to give 
 you, indeed, " The Story of Little Benjic." It runs 
 thus : — 
 
304 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 A little fellow of eighteen months old has come to 
 live with us up here in Amarwara, from Chindwara. 
 
 The little man, when in full dress, wears a little 
 white coat and a small pair of trousers, down to his 
 feet, which are bare ! His head is also bare, and as 
 the hair was shaved oflf lately, and has only begun to 
 grow again, it reminds one of a black, silky ball ! 
 But I must tell you about his birth. One day, 
 eighteen months ago, my sister, Mrs. Danielsson, 
 who is the wife of the Chindwara missionary, heard 
 that something had been found in the compound — 
 the piece of ground belonging to the house. What 
 was it, do you think } Some of you have guessed, I 
 daresay. Yes ; it was a little baby — no other than 
 little Benjie, who had been left to perish by his own 
 mother, for reasons of her own. If the infant had 
 not been found, the big birds called vultures would 
 have pecked him to death in a very short time and 
 pulled him to pieces, leaving nothing but bones. 
 But our gracious, loving Father in heaven saw the 
 little deserted baby, and would not suffer it to die ; 
 so He directed the steps of a little girl near to the 
 spot where it lay, and she brought the news to my 
 sister in the Mission house. Her motherly heart 
 was deeply touched, as you may suppose, and she 
 ordered the child to be brought at once, and had it 
 attended to in every way. She was determined to 
 
ALL SIT ON THE FLOOR. 305 
 
 find out who the cruel mother was, if possible, and 
 would you believe it ? she found it was one of her 
 own servants ! (native, of course). This servant has 
 now got married, and her husband has come to be 
 our cook, and of course they have brought their little 
 child with them. Will you remember this little 
 child, and pray that he may early learn to love 
 Jesus, who saved him from a cruel death, and died 
 Himself to save his soul, as well as ours, long, long 
 ago — how long can any of you tell? Yes; nearly 
 1,900 years ago ! 
 
 And now, dear children, it is more than time to tell 
 you that I have received the money you so kindly 
 sent me lately to help on the mission work. When 
 put into Indian money it came to nearly ten rupees. 
 (A rupee looks just like a " two shilling bit," as we 
 say in Scotland, although a florin is the proper name.) 
 I have changed my mind about buying seats for the 
 people to sit on in church. Why } Because only the 
 proud people object to sitting on the nice clean floor ! 
 To them my husband has said, " If you want a chair, 
 bring one with you I" But it would be hard work to 
 find one in most of their houses, for the people in 
 villages like this almost all sit on the floor. 
 
 Well, what do I mean to do with the money you 
 sent me ? First, I have ordered from Bombay a nice 
 Bible picture-book for the children in our compound. 
 
 M.R. 20 
 
306 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 It will be SO nice to tell them Bible stories in their 
 own Hindi language, and to show them the pictures 
 at the same time. Do you know two things that 
 children are very fond of? / know 07te thing — 
 ''sweets!" Yes, but I do not mean anything for 
 eating ; I mean pictures and music. Am I right ? 
 Oh yes, I am. And the children of India are just as 
 fond of these as Scotch and English children are. 
 
 The little Benjie (or Benjamin) of whom I have 
 been telling you, gets into splendid spirits when he 
 hears us singing hymns in our little Sunday gather- 
 ing. He shows his delight by trotting about amongst 
 us, waving his little hands, and giving a little squeak 
 now and then. Well, I have got the picture-book 
 from Bombay, and now I mean to get from Calcutta 
 a musical box to amuse the children on week-days. 
 I'll tell them about the loving children in Scotland, 
 who wish them to be happy and good, and they will 
 believe in your love when they see the fruits of it. 
 
 The first thing my husband did when little Benjie 
 arrived was to make a toy-cart for him. In this way 
 he showed his love for the child, and the little one 
 loves him back again. 
 
 Before I close I must tell those of you who re- 
 member me that six months ago God gave me a 
 darling baby — a little girl ; such a sweet little thing, 
 with blue eyes and rosy lipSy but she was only al- 
 
FRIENDS IN SWEDEN. 307 
 
 lowed to remain in this world twelve days. She fell 
 asleep in Jesus one night to awake ii^ heaven ; and I 
 must follow her there, God helping me. 
 
 Good-bye, dear children ; may God bless you and 
 make you a blessing. 
 
 Your loving friend, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 ( To Pastor Montelins, Director of Missions at 
 Stockholm?) 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 December i^th, 1890. 
 Dear Sir, — 
 
 Mr. Danielsson has suggested that I should write 
 
 to you now and then, telling you a little about what 
 
 goes on here in connection with our work, and I 
 
 willingly fall in with his suggestion, hoping that 
 
 friends in Sweden will become more interested in 
 
 this little corner of the great vineyard. 
 
 Well, to make a beginning. Johan and I have 
 
 just returned from the village of Piperia, to which 
 
 you once accompanied us. Colonel Vertue has given 
 
 me a second little horse (my husband uses the first 
 
 I had), and I am now strong enough to ride 
 
 with him to the villages, and I hope we shall have 
 
 many delightful experiences in the coming cold 
 
 season, as we tell the gospel message by word and 
 
308 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 song. We had this afternoon among the audience 
 three /aktJ^s, in their customary dress of brick colour, 
 and ashes on their foreheads. They are on their way 
 back to their homes in Northern India, after a long 
 pilgrimage to the sacred Birman on the Nerbudda 
 river. Johan remarked that their work was a very 
 heavy one, involving, as it does, so much fatigue and 
 hunger, and to this they agreed. He then explained 
 to them that it was also useless, and referred to the 
 teaching of the hymn we had just sung, namely, that 
 all fulness is in God, so that we have only to receive 
 from Him. The three men listened very attentively 
 and politely, calling their instructor Baba (an en- 
 dearing name for child, though it also means "sir" or 
 " father "), and said they would never forget what 
 they had heard. God grant that it may be so ! 
 
 I continue on the 17th. Yesterday we rode to 
 Karah Dul, a village beyond Piperia, and were heartily 
 welcomed by the people, even the children coming 
 to say "salaam," when we seated ourselves on the 
 Malguzar's verandah. Very soon some seventy or 
 eighty people assembled, amongst whom was a 
 policeman from Amarwara, who had broken his 
 journey to become a hearer with the rest. 
 
 We had a delightful time with these people ; 
 their spirit was so friendly, and their attention so 
 good. Johan told once more the wonderful story of 
 
MINISTERING TO THE SICK. 309 
 
 the fall of Man and the redemption by Jesus Christ. 
 It seemed to me that he was more than usually 
 helped as he preached. I tried to pray that the 
 message might be brought home to the hearts of 
 the hearers. We finished by singing the beautiful 
 hymn, "Jesus Christ is the Saviour of my soul," and 
 then " Can you believe it } " We were invited to 
 have some food, and after a little delay, the feast was 
 spread on a large plate, made of dried leaves sewed 
 together, in the presence of about a dozen onlookers. 
 We had curry cakes, chapatties, etc., and as we ate 
 we amused the onlookers by remarking on the 
 tingling of eyes, nose, and mouth with the spicy 
 food. 
 
 Before we left, Johan said a few salutary words on 
 the subject of Caste, pointing out that the great God, 
 who is adove all, invites all His children to come near 
 to Him. Having thanked our kind friends for their 
 hospitality, and sung one more hymn, we rode home 
 in the beautiful moonlight, and being very tired, I 
 went at once to rest ; but a most pleasant impression 
 was left on the mind. In the morning sick people 
 poured in, and kept Johan very busy ; but we can be 
 engaged in no higher service than in ministering to 
 the bodies and souls of the poor neglected ones of 
 the earth. May God's rich blessing rest on us and 
 our work ! 
 
3IO SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 KOONDA, 
 
 Some eighteen miles distant from 
 Amarwara, 
 
 January 27///, 1 89 1 . 
 Dear Pastor Montelins,— 
 
 Johan and I are out in camp just now, accom- 
 panied by our young catechist, " Sewa," who is indeed 
 a great help to us in our work. I was thinking of you 
 as we sat under the large pepul tree in the centre of 
 this village half an hour ago, preaching and singing 
 the gospel to the large crowd that had assembled. 
 You would have been deeply interested if you had 
 been with us ; but as this could not be, I shall tell 
 you a little about one meeting, as well as of our 
 present circumstances here. We arrived only last 
 night, but as soon as it was known that we had come, 
 one of the Malguzars, with some of his friends, came 
 to see us, which was very encouraging. He asked us 
 if we had come to his village to tell them about 
 " Yisah Masih " (Jesus Christ), and I need not say 
 what answer he got. I shall tell you, however, what 
 will surprise you — that he came again to our tent 
 this evening, along with a brother Malguzar and a 
 number of the leading men of the village, a^nd, of 
 course, a host of little boys, to conduct us to the 
 raised seat in the centre of the village, under the 
 
PREACHING BEFORE AN IDOL. 3 II 
 
 beautiful tree I mentioned before. A bedstead was 
 placed there, just in front of a hideous idol, and we 
 were allowed to sit with our backs to it, while all the 
 people assembled in front of and around us, to the 
 number of at least a hundred and fifty. We began 
 as usual with a hymn, asking, " Why do you set your 
 affections on this world, in which life is uncertain ? " 
 and then Johan read to them from the third chapter 
 of St. John's Gospel the verses about the lifting up 
 of the serpent in the wilderness, dwelling especially 
 on the sixteenth verse: *'For God so loved the 
 world," etc. The people listened very attentively, 
 and after Johan had finished, and another hymn had 
 been sung, Sewa took up the same subject. While 
 he was speaking a man interrupted him by asking 
 where Jesus Christ was to be found. "Show 
 Him ! " he said. He was told to listen for a few 
 minutes and converse afterwards, and to this he 
 consented. The answer was given to him by Johan, 
 who said, " / found Jesus Christ in the gospel, and 
 you will find Him if you search for Him there." Our 
 next meeting here is fixed for the night after to- 
 morrow. This morning we visited a village called 
 " Sagdr," and were most kindly received. I sang a 
 beautiful hymn about the sufferings of Christ in our 
 stead, which was explained verse by verse, and after- 
 wards Johan had a good deal of conversation with an 
 
312 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 old Brahman priest seated near him. There are 
 many Brahmans in this place, and they seem to 
 believe in themselves very thoroughly. At the con- 
 clusion of the meeting ■ the master of the house 
 refreshed us with milk and spices, and our hearts 
 felt specially refreshed by such unexpected and 
 unusual kindness. Our second meeting in Koonda 
 was somewhat disappointing. It seemed as if some 
 of the people, as in the days of old, had been 
 " offended at the word," and when they were asked 
 if they would like to hear more, not one said " Yes." 
 We have therefore resolved to go to-night to another 
 village instead. I believe, however, that the con- 
 sciences of some of the people here have been 
 touched, and we trust that the seed already sown 
 will, sooner or later, bear fruit to the glory of 
 God. 
 
 January 2^tk. — Mr. Rensaa has taken a run to see 
 us, and we all three rode to a village this morning, 
 where the gospel message was gladly listened to, and 
 acknowledged to be indeed THE truth. Many of 
 the inhabitants had gone on pilgrimage to a so-called 
 sacred place, and others to a wedding, but a most 
 interesting section of the people had remained be- 
 hind, and we charged them to tell the good news to 
 their neighbours on their return. 
 
 But now, dear Pastor Montelins, I shall draw to a 
 
THE FAT MALGUZAR. 313 
 
 close. Johan joins me in hearty New Year's 
 greetings. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 [To her Mother) 
 
 machagora, 
 Some Twenty-five Miles from Amarwara, 
 
 February \st, 1891. 
 We were able to return to our tent last Monday 
 and to resume our preaching tour, and this Sunday 
 morning finds us encamped under one of the finest 
 banian trees I have ever seen, while a river is so near 
 to us that we can call for a jug of water from it any 
 time we like ! The country round us is very bare, 
 however, compared with the rich district we have 
 just left ; but this village is specially interesting be- 
 cause Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are well remembered ! 
 The fat Malguzar, in whose verandah we had our 
 meeting last night, told us that the chairs we were 
 sitting on had been his ! This rich, kingly man 
 — inasmuch as he owns the village, and rules its 
 inhabitants, in a sense — this important personage 
 seemed much embarrassed by our visit last night, 
 for he has already heard too much to leave him in 
 ignorance of the fact that to accept Christianity 
 
314 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 means to leave all and follow Christ ; and this he is 
 not at all prepared to do, apparently. He was 
 courteous enough, however, to interfere on our behalf, 
 in his crowded verandah, when a passionate fakir 
 jumped up on the mud wall surrounding the place 
 where we were seated — quite near me, and began to 
 interrupt the proceedings by calling on his followers 
 to answer us ! The Malguzar ordered him away 
 and said he could speak (as he was very anxious to 
 do) to-morrow. I do wonder what kind of a meeting 
 we will have to-night, for this man may be present 
 to resist, and the Malguzar himself said he would put 
 some questions to-day ! I will resume my letter after 
 the meeting. 
 
 Jdtlapur, Feb. "^rd. — The meeting I spoke of 
 passed off very quietly, but it is too evident that the 
 Malguzar is a man hardened against the gospel, and 
 not he alone, but other members of his family circle, 
 for a brother of his, who is chief man in a neighbour- 
 ing village, declined to stay for the meeting to be 
 held in the verandah of one of his own houses, saying 
 he knew all about what was going to be said, for 
 that he had been educated in Mr. Dawson's School ; 
 but that in passing through the village he would 
 send the villagers up to his house to hear ! You will 
 see from the enclosed sheet, that we have both en- 
 couragements and discouragements in our work ; but 
 
PLAN OF WORK IN VILLAGES. 315 
 
 what else can we expect ? My next letter will prob- 
 ably be written from Chindwara, which we pass 
 through in the course of our round. We intend, 
 however, to live in tent there. Mr. Rensaa left us 
 yesterday forenoon, having enjoyed his visit. Johan 
 had to make up yet another small tent for his 
 accommodation at night, with the help of the village 
 durzee (man who sews). It was made of a verandah, 
 etc., we had, and was needed in any case. 
 
 The plan we adopt out in the villages here is this. 
 We visit the village we are stationed near every 
 night, as a rule (Johan, the young catechist, and I), 
 but in the mornings Johan and I ride to a neighbour- 
 ing village together, taking a different one each 
 morning, while the catechist goes to another by 
 himself. He is a good speaker and singer, and we 
 believe a sincere man. We look upon him as sent 
 to us in answer to prayer, for we really stumbled 
 upon him, so to speak, while in Narsingpur. 
 
 NARSlNGPtrR, 
 
 March 27 ik^ 1891. 
 Dear Pastor Montelins,— 
 
 My husband and I had to return home suddenly 
 from our preaching tour among the villages some 
 weeks ago, owing to an unseasonable fall of rain ; but 
 I must tell you something about our experience in 
 
3l6 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 the last village we visited, as it was exceedingly en- 
 couraging and very uncommon. 
 
 The name of the village is Jatlapur, and it lies on 
 a branch of the Pench river, within a distance of 
 eight or nine miles from Chindwara. Our tent was 
 erected just opposite the beautiful shady spot on 
 which the weekly bazaar meets, and as bazaar day 
 occurred while we were there, both my husband and 
 our young catechist had an opportunity of visiting it, 
 and of proclaiming the gospel message. The most 
 effective work, however, as far as man can see, was 
 done in the quietude of two evenings in the village 
 itself. We met as usual in the verandah of the 
 Malguzarin's house, for the poor husband is dead, 
 and a young boy of some twelve or thirteen years 
 of age has succeeded to the title of Malguzar. The 
 boy was away from home the first day, much to his 
 mother's disappointment, but we had a large and 
 attentive audience, two men in particular listening 
 most eagerly. One of these, however, changed his 
 expression, when he heard the worship of idols con- 
 demned, and when we paid our second visit to the 
 verandah, he took a back seat and expressed no 
 more interest. Another man, however, whom I had 
 not observed on the former occasion asked, just as 
 the catechist had begun to speak : — " Who is Jesus 
 Christ ? " and the answer given to this question, em- 
 
**THIS IS THE TRUTH. 317 
 
 bracing as it did the whole gospel story, briefly but 
 thrillingly told, went so to his heart, that his face 
 literally shotie with delight, and he exclaimed aloud, 
 " Such a story was never told. This is the truth ! " 
 Johan spoke shortly afterwards, and warned him as 
 well as the others to beware of the enemies of Jesus 
 Christ, who would doubtless speak against all that 
 they had heard, and try to shake their faith. " I will 
 consider such people to be my enemies," said the 
 man, and then, as we rose to go, he inquired, " Now, 
 what is to be done for our women } for our women 
 have not heard a word of this." " Ask my wife to 
 go to your house, if you like," was Johan's reply, and 
 the request was immediately made and responded 
 to. Not only was I admitted, however, but my 
 husband too, and in a few sentences I told the group 
 of women comprising his household something of 
 the love of Christ in laying down His life for us 
 lost sinners. After singing one or two gospel hymns 
 we rose to go, but first we had to partake of "pan 
 supari," prepared for us there and then, by the 
 vigorous-minded looking mother. I forgot to say 
 that the young Malguzar arrived that evening, and 
 was most polite, making a profound ** salaam " by 
 his mother's directions, and then seating himself in 
 the middle of the group of listeners, tired as he was 
 with his journey. We presented him with a copy of 
 
3l8 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 Earth's " Bible Stories " before we left the village, and 
 his mother was so pleased that she sent us milk and 
 fruit in return. We hope to re-visit this village 
 before long. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 P.S. — Mrs. Lindroth managed to leave her sweet 
 little twin babies, the other morning, and to accom- 
 pany the catechist's wife and myself to see some of 
 the native women. In the first house we visited 
 there is a poor invalid, who has lately had her great 
 toe amputated ! She came out of bed, into the 
 verandah, to see us, and to pour out to us the story 
 of her sufferings. What could we do, however, but 
 sympathise with her and try to raise her thoughts 
 to the heavenly home, in which there shall be no 
 more pain. This woman's husband is a man of a 
 very fine disposition. He is assistant to the English 
 doctor here, and apparently a man of great intelli 
 gence. His young daughter, being already a widow, 
 is once more an inmate of her father's house. 
 
 A spirit of hostility to the gospel pervades the 
 next house we visited, that of a rich man who owns 
 a printing-press. We showed our goodwill, however, 
 by sitting down among the women, and singing a 
 hymn, which was explained beautifully afterwards 
 
ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. 319 
 
 by the catechist's wife. In this house we were 
 joined by a very nice woman, a Brahman widow 
 who is in charge of the Government Girls' School. 
 Were it not for the fear of man, she would probably 
 become a Christian ; but this, I fear, is her stumbling- 
 block. May God help her to overcome this ! Mrs. 
 Lindroth invited these women to come to the bunga- 
 low to see her babies, and they promised to come ; 
 but one of them has had since an attack of fever, 
 which prevented the visit. An old lady, the widow 
 of a Malguzar, who is at present on a visit to Nar- 
 singpOr, did come, however, accompanied by two 
 serving women. She brought with her a packet of 
 native sweetmeats, and Mrs. Lindroth treated her 
 and the others to those spices they are so fond of, 
 and which they can partake of from the hand of a 
 Christian without breaking their caste! We also 
 sang a sweet hymn to the accompaniment of the 
 harmonium, which they were very anxious to hear, 
 and soon after our friends took leave, not without a 
 hearty invitation from Mrs. Lindroth to return when 
 they might find it possible. 
 
 If social intercourse of this sort could be multi- 
 plied a hundredfold, the result for good would be 
 incalculable ; but it is so difficult to overcome the 
 widespread idea that a woman must not be seen out- 
 side her own house. " Common women '* may be 
 
320 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 seen, but those of " high caste " never, unless cur- 
 tained from public view within an airless gharree of 
 some kind or other ! 
 
 May He who has come to preach deliverance to 
 the captive, speedily " turn the captivity " of these 
 our sisters ! 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 A. R. 
 
 ( To her Father)} 
 
 Amarwara, Central Provinces, 
 
 April lyh, 1 89 1. 
 We left the Mission House on the afternoon of 
 last Monday, just a week ago, in the kind Lindroths' 
 tonga, in which they sent us on the road eight 
 miles, or to the first halting-place. The heat was 
 intense, but the tonga cover and an umbrella helped 
 us much, and it had clouded over before we had to 
 alight and pursue our way on horseback some ten 
 miles. Before we reached our halting-place for the 
 night, we had to cross a large river, the banks of 
 which were instinct with all kinds of life. Johan 
 tried to shoot a splendid peacock, with a tail twice 
 as long as its own body, but it hid away somewhere, 
 to die, we fear, instead of falling at once. Johan 
 was very loath to lose it, and he looked here and 
 
TIGERS. 321 
 
 there as narrowly as he could. The ravine into 
 which it had disappeared looked so hideous, however, 
 that he dared not descend into it, and it was well 
 he did not, for a tiger might have been lurking there. 
 We got enough of a fright without going out of our 
 way, however ; for as we were seated under a tree, 
 having a mouthful of food, we heard a moaning 
 sound, as of some large animal slightly snoring in 
 sleep ! Johan felt more uneasy than even I did, for 
 he told me afterwards that the sound was made by 
 wild animals when prowling about in quest of prey, 
 to frighten and rouse up the deer, etc. We made 
 great haste to be off, as you may suppose, for it was 
 the gloaming, just the time when the animals come 
 out of their resting-places to drink. Mr. Thompson, 
 by the by, was rather too sceptical in regard to the 
 likelihood of our ever seeing tigers here ! Quite 
 lately, a tiger was going its rounds within less than 
 half a mile of us ! and Johan went to see the remains 
 of a horse it had feasted on, in one place ! Maggie 
 will be touched to hear that " Matti," the orphan boy 
 with the enlarged spleen, died at Saugor two or 
 three weeks ago ! His death was owing to a wound 
 he got on the mouth, while cutting wood, I believe. 
 I think a splinter caught somewhere, and he bled 
 profusely. Miss Rensaa, in writing about it, said, " We 
 trust he has gone to be in his heavenly home for 
 M.R. 21 
 
322 SORROW AND SERVICE. 
 
 ever." He was a boy of a simple, loving nature as 
 Gustaf and Maggie know. 
 
 We had two such different meetings in two 
 separate villages, on the morning of the 6th, after 
 hunting for a certain village Johan had seen on the 
 map, but in vain. It turned out to be so far off, we 
 made for a little one we discovered, of which there 
 was no mention made on the map ! A small group 
 of indifferent-looking people were collected to hear, 
 but amongst them there was a refined-looking boy 
 with a very disaffected face! I entered into con- 
 versation with him, and found that he had been 
 educated in the Mission School in Seoni, when he 
 was very small, he made out ; and he was not ashamed 
 to say that he had forgotten both how to read, and 
 all he had heard about Jesus Christ! both statements 
 being untrue, I fancy. I told him plainly, that I could 
 see by his face that he had hardened his heart, and 
 advised him to begin to read again. He has charge 
 of a jeweller's shop in Chindwara, in the room of 
 his dead father. How different our meeting in the 
 evening was, in the village near which our tent was 
 standing — Jatlapur, by name. Johan, the little cate- 
 chist and I seated ourselves on the rude bedstead 
 (four bamboos laced together by cords), placed for 
 us on the outer, open verandah, our lantern brightly 
 burning in the midst of the darkness (literally, I 
 
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? 323 
 
 mean, for there is almost no light at night in these 
 villages), and soon a large audience gathered to hear, 
 among whom were several little girls, in a group, 
 behind. One intelligent-looking man, with a Jewish 
 face, delicate complexion, and large, lustrous eyes, 
 asked at the outset, in a very purpose-like way, who 
 Jesus Christ is. In reply, our animated little cate- 
 chist, who is always asked to speak first, gave a 
 beautiful thrilling account of the fall ; promise of 
 redemption ; coming of Christ ; His work and 
 manner of death ... on and up to His ascen- 
 sion ; and the effect produced on the minds of several 
 by this wondrous story brought tears to my eyes. 
 
 At least three of the listeners sitting just in front 
 seemed electrified by it, and the suitability of the 
 gospel to the unprejudiced heart of man was fully 
 apparent ! One felt as one does at a revival meeting 
 at home, that God is verily and very near. The 
 inquirer before referred to accepted the answer given, 
 and he did not let us go back to our tent until he 
 had conducted us to his home, to tell the good news 
 to his grey-haired mother and other relatives. Please 
 pray for the village of Jatlapur. 
 
324 sorrow and service. 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 November (^th, 1891. 
 My dearest Mother, — 
 
 Johan and I reached home two days ago, after a 
 toilsome journey on an awful road. With our ut- 
 most endeavour we could not finish the journey till 
 three days and three nights had passed over our 
 heads, and yet the distance is only about fifty- four 
 miles ! We slept at the close of each day in our 
 nice new cart under some friendly tree, near some 
 river or stream ; for water is a necessity not only to 
 ourselves, but to our servants and animals. Our 
 " train " consisted of a motley throng of beasts of 
 burden, in addition to our own tidy little ponies and 
 bullock-cart ; for our luggage had to be strapped on 
 to the little country hack horses and small donkeys. 
 Amongst our luggage were six bundles, carefully 
 packed in straw, containing, you would be long in 
 guessing ivhat — the various parts of two little white 
 marble tomb stones we had ordered from Cawnpore, 
 one for our own infant's grave, the other for Maggie's ! 
 We have not unpacked them yet, but later on, when 
 all the preliminary arrangements for getting them 
 erected have been made, I will describe them to you. 
 They are not crosses, but erect tablets, and, in 
 addition to the little names, etc., I divided the text : 
 
TWO LITTLE GRAVES. 325 
 
 " Suffer the little children to come unto Me," . . . 
 so much being engraved on little Gustaf Alexander's, 
 and the remaining words : " Ot such is the kingdom 
 of heaven," which had been a comfort to me, on 
 Mary Juanita's. The cost is not very great, but the 
 masonry will bring it up." 
 
 At this time her sister (Mrs. Danielsson) and her 
 husband were spending their furlough in Sweden, 
 and the tablet on their infant's grave was the surprise 
 gift which awaited their return ! This is just a single 
 instance of the consideration for others which ever 
 animated her. It meant self-denial, for her means 
 were limited, but — 
 
 "The least flower, with a brimming cup, may stand 
 And share its dew-drop with another near " 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 " Launch thy bark^ mariner! 
 Christiaji^ God speed thee ! 
 Let loose the rudder bands — 
 Good angels lead thee ! 
 
 * Ht ^ ^ 
 
 Slacken not sail yet 
 
 At inlet or island ; 
 Straight for the beacon steer, 
 
 Stt'aight for the high land ; 
 Crozvd all thy ca?ivas o?i, 
 
 Cut through the foam — 
 Chjistian, cast anchor now— 
 
 Heaven is thy home / 
 
 THE early days of 1892 found Alexina, in the 
 company of her husband, singing the gospel in 
 the palace of a king. Before the third quarter of 
 the year had run its course, her voice mingled in the 
 new song of the redeemed, in the mansions of the 
 King of kings ! 
 
 The months passed swiftly, and her correspondence 
 
 326 
 
A DISPENSARY OPENED. 327 
 
 reveals continued self-sacrificing and joyful work in 
 the Master's service. For some years Mr. Ruthquist 
 had not only gone " about all the villages," preaching 
 the gospel of the kingdom, but he had also en- 
 deavoured to minister to the bodily ailments of the 
 people. The 20th of June saw the opening of the 
 dispensary, which had been a long-felt want. The 
 people are always ready to show their wounds, and 
 eager for medicine, and Alexina looked forward to 
 having many opportunities of singing and otherwise 
 imparting spiritual instruction, while they waited for 
 admittance to the consulting-room. Further on, we 
 find her ministering to a poor outcast, whom her 
 husband had rescued from a terrible death. It was 
 a most loathsome case, from which even many 
 Christians would have turned in horror ; but, as she 
 remarked, the Son of Man came "to seek and to save 
 that which was lost." 
 
 (To Pastor Montelins, Director of Missions^ 
 Stockholm.) 
 
 Harai, Chindwara District, C.P. 
 January loth, 1892. 
 My husband, the catechist and his wife, and I 
 have just returned from the Rajah's palace, where 
 Johan has been preaching to the king and his court 
 
328 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 by invitation. When we entered the grim old build- 
 ing, and found ourselves surrounded by proud-looking 
 servants of various kinds, a strange feeling of desola- 
 tion crept over us, for we had entered an atmosphere 
 uncongenial in the extreme to the followers of Christ. 
 No one around us seemed to know either what to 
 say to us, or how to act toward us. After a little, 
 some chairs were brought, and we sat down to await 
 the Rajah's arrival. A simple-looking, smallpox- 
 marked Gond he is, but his kingly dignity was made 
 conspicuous by the splendour of his gold-broidered 
 head-dress, which reminded me strongly of the oval- 
 shaped Scotch cap, called a "glengarry," worn by 
 school-boys at home. My husband stood up and 
 returned his salutation, but I kept my seat, not know- 
 ing that. this was the Rajah. After the crowd of 
 residents, as well as outsiders, had settled somewhat 
 into quietness, Johan asked leave to begin the service, 
 promising that it would occupy only half an hour ; 
 for we knew that the Rajah meant to go out on some 
 expedition ; and a beautiful hymn was sung, entitled 
 " Zara tuka Soch," ie. " Take a little Thought." A 
 short prayer for God's blessing followed, and then 
 Johan read aloud these words : " Like as a father 
 pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
 fear Him," and preached from the same, including 
 the words that follow as well : " For He knoweth 
 
THE RAJAH HEARS THE TRUTH. 329 
 
 our frame; He remembereth that ive are diistl^ and 
 emphasizing them. Very close attention was given 
 by nearly all present, very specially by the Rajah, 
 who had to hear, for at least once in his life, that 
 God does not measure the greatness of a man by his 
 learning or riches, but by his humility and fear before 
 Him. He had not a word to object, but a Hindu 
 present, one of His Highness's agents, would have 
 poured out many objections to the truth just pro- 
 claimed, had he been allowed. He was invited to 
 choose another time for discussion, however, and we 
 shall see whether he is earnest enough to come to 
 our tent, as proposed, to get his questions answered 
 from the Bible itself. A second hymn and brief 
 prayer concluded the service, and we took farewell, 
 assuring the king of our readiness to return, should 
 he call us. 
 
 The calm authority with which the words of life 
 had been spoken had reassured my heart, for have 
 we not the promise to Christ Himself as a foundation 
 on which to stand : " Ask of Me, and I will give 
 Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance ' ? And we 
 know that " where the word of a king (the King of 
 kings) is, there is power." The Rajah's young 
 brother, with a number of his schoolfellows, had come 
 to say "salaam " in the morning, and Dr. Price, who 
 happened to be with us, and who knew the little 
 
330 ' IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 fellow, examined him in his reading from "Babuji 
 ke Chele " (the little book translated into Swedish 
 by Mr. Danielsson). As he did very well, he received 
 the book as " baksheesh," and the doctor told him he 
 would examine him as to its contents on the occasion 
 of his next visit. Those of the other little fellows 
 who could read had had a printed text of Scripture 
 on a picture-card presented to them, with which they 
 were quite pleased. 
 
 We mean to continue our stay here for at least 
 a week still, and then to encamp somewhere near, so 
 as to reach more out-of-the-way villages. May God 
 bless His own work more and more. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 {To her Mother) 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 March Zth, 1892. 
 Just before Maggie wrote her letter this day last 
 week, I had been dressing the little dead infant, if 
 you remember. Well, our care had, after that, to be 
 bestowed entirely on the young mother, who was in 
 a most critical state, as she had to fight against 
 inflammation of the lungs, as it turned out, as well as 
 intense weakness. Johan arrived at about ten o'clock 
 
MINISTERING TO THE DYING. 33 1 
 
 at night, much to our relief, for the infant had to be 
 interred next day, and there was no little coffin 
 ready. He was very tired, for he had ridden fifteen 
 miles in the morning, preached afterwards in the 
 Bazaar, and then he had had to sit for many hours in 
 the little chakla, while the bullocks slowly drove him 
 back the fifteen miles to Amarwara, over an awfully 
 rough road. After he had had something to eat, we 
 both went out to see the poor young mother, and it 
 was most touching to see her husband sunk in slum- 
 ber, in spite of himself, on the edge of the bed, on 
 which his half-unconscious wife lay (she had no idea 
 that her infant was already gone), while the woman 
 called in to attend to her was also fast asleep on the 
 floor ! Well, to make a long story short, in spite of 
 the little we tried to do for the poor woman by 
 having her removed, next day, into the catechist's 
 airy house, and administering suitable medicines and 
 nourishment, she got rapidly worse, and passed away 
 in the afternoon of next day, as I sat at her bedside, 
 along with her distracted husband and the wife of 
 one of the other servants ! A hard fight she had, for 
 some hours before her death, with her breathing and 
 the high fever; but she became quite quiet just before 
 her breath ceased, while her husband read, with 
 almost choking utterance, the prayers appointed in 
 his little Roman Catholic Missal, and tried to make 
 
332 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 himself heard by endearing epithets, interspersed 
 with the name of Jesus in their own Tamil language. 
 A more affecting sight I have never seen. When 
 life was evidently extinct, he broke out in an agony 
 of grief, calling her his Life, etc., for his " Paulina " 
 was tenderly loved by him, and they had not been 
 a year married ! I trust that there is a glorious re- 
 union for them, for, 7ip to their lights they had tried 
 to follow Christ. He used to read the New Testa- 
 ment to her every night before they went to sleep, 
 previous to her illness ! 
 
 In little more than an hour after, the body was 
 lifted into Gustafs cart (for ours had not come from 
 the Mela), with a cover on it, and the afflicted young 
 man departed with his dead to have her interred in 
 Chindwara. His father is in charge of the dak (mail) 
 bungalow down there. We gave him a bottle of tea 
 and loaf of bread with him, and Johan gave him his 
 old overcoat to shield him from the night air ; and 
 the young man, in the midst of his grief, held out his 
 hand to shake hands with us, and even returned 
 Maggie's " salaam " from some yards off ! His little 
 wages had to be entrusted to the man driving the 
 cart, so confused was the poor fellow himself. 
 
 Johan wrote to Mr. Lindroth, asking him to go to 
 see him, and try to say a word of comfort in Chind- 
 wara, and Gustaf embraced him when his heart 
 
HOW CHILDREN HELP. 333 
 
 seemed breaking, as if he had been his young brother. 
 As for Johan, he could not refrain from tears. 
 
 We are so glad he has made up his mind to return 
 quietly to his work, for we think it is far better for 
 him than to nurse his grief down there, unemployed. 
 A poor, ignorant, but willing Gond lad has acted as 
 his substitute in the meantime. The little baby was 
 buried here. Not being baptized, it would not have 
 been admitted into the cemetery (the Roman Catholic 
 corner) ! But he was admitted into heaven, I doubt 
 not, and that is the great thing. 
 
 ( To the Children of Holborn Free Chtirch Sunday 
 School, Aberdeen?) 
 
 Amarwara, Chindwara, 
 India, C.P. 
 
 May isth, 1892. 
 My dear young Friends,— 
 
 I have to thank you heartily for the sum of los. 
 you have lately sent me to help to carry on God's 
 work here. The money has come at a good time, 
 for we have just begun to build a little dispensary — 
 that is, a house for giving out medicine to sick 
 people — and it needed some ivindows. Now your 
 money will help to buy them ! How nice for you to 
 think that when the poor sick men, women and chil- 
 
334 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 dren come to be cured, your windows will let in the 
 light needed to examine the patients, as well as the 
 sweet air so necessary in such a place ! It is a 
 missionary dispensary we are going to build, of 
 course ; for many people come for medicine for their 
 bodies who do not even know that their souls are very 
 sick ; and before they get any medicine for their 
 bodies, they are going to have the good news of 
 salvation preached to them in the verandah adjoining 
 the house. They need to be told that *' sin is the 
 wound, and Christ is the cure " of the sotd, before 
 they come into the dispensary to explain about their 
 bodies. Will you now pray, dear children, that many 
 souls may be cured by Jesus Himself? You know 
 He is often called " the Good Physician," and the 
 "Great Physician," as in that beautiful 49th hymn in 
 Sankey's collection. Perhaps Mr. Badenoch will let 
 you sing it on the day this letter is read to you. 
 The 6th verse is very encouraging to you, and to me 
 too, for it is a long time now since any of my friends 
 have sent me any money to help on the work here ; 
 and I was feeling a little depressed. The verse runs 
 thus : — 
 
 " The children, too, both great and small. 
 Who love the Name of Jesus, 
 May now accept the gracious call 
 To work a?td live for /esus^ 
 
THE OPIUxM CURSE. 335 
 
 This is what you are trying to do when you save 
 up your pennies and halfpennies for the missionary 
 box. Let us never forget that Jesus gave Himself 
 for us. 
 
 I have just been reading aloud to my husband 
 a charming little sermon for young people, by the 
 Rev. Dr. Hugh Macmillan. His text is, " First the 
 blade" (St. Mark iv. 28). It is in The Sunday 
 at Home, April of this year (1892). All of you 
 who are old enough to understand it should try 
 to get hold of it, and read it. It points out so 
 plainly that childhood is the most important period 
 in our lives ! But I do not need to teach you what 
 you are so well taught in your Sunday School. I 
 must tell you, rather, something about India, this 
 beautiful land, still lying, for the most part, in dark- 
 ness. Can you guess what causes the death of 
 thousands of little children in this land — mere babies } 
 Nothing but the opium their mothers give them to 
 quiet them, and make them sleep heavily, when they 
 want to be about some other work than nursing 
 them. 
 
 I asked a young mother the other day if she was 
 not very happy because God had given her a little 
 baby girl ? " I had a boy first," she said ; " but I 
 suppose he got too much opium one day, and he 
 died." She did not shed a tear, but spoke as if 
 
33^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 nothing uncommon had happened. I suppose her 
 husband and mother-in-law had blamed her very- 
 much, however, although the young mother had only 
 followed the example shown her ; for she used to 
 ook painfully sad before the new baby came. I do 
 not need to remind some of you, however, that a 
 girl is not nearly so much thought of as a boy ! 
 
 Sometimes, before my husband can give any medi- 
 cine to a sick infant, he has to let the opium poison 
 work itself out of the system. Some of you know 
 that Christian people in England and Scotland are 
 doing all they can to get the Queen to forbid the sale 
 of opium as an article of daily food. I hope God 
 will prosper their efforts. 
 
 " Oh ! soon may the heathen of every tribe and nation, 
 Fulfil Thy blessed word, and cast their idols all away ! 
 Oh ! shine upon them from above, and show Thyself a God 
 of love ; 
 Teach the little children to come unto Thee ! " 
 
 Your very loving Friend, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 ( To Jier Sister K .) 
 
 Amarwara, C.P., 
 
 May i6th, 1892. 
 You may naturally wonder if the committee is 
 supplying us with the money needed to build the 
 
MEDICAL WORK. 2>?>7 
 
 little dispensary ! No, for Johan has not even asked 
 it to help. It is so poor. We are managing it with 
 kind Col. and Mrs. Vertue's help of Rs. lOO, added 
 to what remains of the Misses Ainslies' gift. We 
 have given up two little outside buildings, erected 
 by Johan long ago, too, that enough of bricks may 
 be available at this season of the year, when only a 
 limited number can be made, before the bursting of 
 the monsoon. Poor Johan had become so tired of 
 being interrupted, at all hours of the day, by appli- 
 cants for medicine, who come hanging about the 
 bungalow, often coughing to attract attention ! And 
 it was very unsatisfactory that no regular evangelistic 
 work could be done among the sick, owing to their 
 coming singly, and, as I say, at all hours. On this 
 account he has resolved to have a little dispensary 
 in the compound, but at a little distance from the 
 bungalow, in a line with the house lately built for 
 our catechist. To this place all applicants for 
 medicine must repair at a given hour, and before 
 they are treated separately, they will be addressed 
 collectively by Johan or me, D.V., while the catechist 
 will remain with the waiters, conversing suitably with 
 them, till one after another has been attended to in 
 Johan's " Consulting Room ! " This is very much 
 the plan pursued by others who have taken up 
 medical as well as missionary work, and the necessity 
 M.R. 22 
 
33 S IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 of some such method has long been felt by 
 Johan. 
 
 Before returned to Gustaf, we engaged a 
 
 Mussulman, but when the time was up for him to 
 come to us, he refused, unless we would give him 
 higher pay. He was therefore allowed to go. He 
 is now in prison, in Chindwara, ^under suspicion of 
 having helped to murder a fellow-servant. We were 
 at a great loss for a cook, but we tried to cast our 
 care upon Him who careth for us, and to look to 
 Him to supply us with a suitable Christian one. 
 
 A Roman Catholic young man most unexpectedly 
 offered himself; a very decent-looking fellow, whose 
 father is in charge of the Chindvvara dak bunga- 
 low ; and we engaged him to be our cook. He is 
 proving a very satisfactory servant, and the sad ex- 
 perience he has just gone through in losing his infant 
 son and his dearly loved young wife (Paulina) the 
 following day, has drawn us very near to each other 
 in the bonds of Christian sympathy. It is a great 
 advantage, in every way, to have Christian, rather 
 than heathen servants, if they conduct themselves in 
 a way worthy of the name by which they are called. 
 This poor Saliman (or Solomon) has done this to an 
 extent we could scarcely have expected, his daily 
 reading of God's Word, as well as faithful discharge 
 of his daily duties, coupled with a meek and quiet 
 
THE CASTE SYSTEM. 339 
 
 spirit, giving evidence of a wish to please God. It 
 was a pleasure to be able to minister both to himself 
 and his poor young wife in the time of their affliction, 
 for they could eat and drink what was provided for 
 them, which an observer of caste could not do. A 
 blow was aimed at the hateful caste system, when the 
 young man who drives our bullock cart had to 
 choose between driving down the cart in which the 
 dead body had to be conveyed to Chindwara, and 
 leaving our service. He chose to pollute himself 
 rather than starve. The bereaved Saliman has much 
 in common with our catechist, Sewa Ram, who lends 
 him Protestant books, and keeps company with him 
 in his spare hours. 
 
 {To her Sister J .) 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 Central Provinces, 
 
 June 4t/i, 1892. 
 I must tell you how Johan and I were circum- 
 stanced the day before yesterday. We had driven 
 in the high gig-like conveyance he made himself, 
 barring the wheels, to a village, some four miles off, 
 to have a meeting, taking with us an umbrella, as 
 there were clouds in the horizon, though we scarcely 
 expected rain. I took a waterproof skirt, too, which 
 
340 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 I used to wrap round me on horseback. Well, we 
 sat down amongst a group of people at the entrance 
 to the village, and had a nice little meeting, omitting 
 the last verse of the last Hindi hymn, however, as it 
 had begun to thunder, and rain was nearing. In a 
 trice the bullocks were yoked (there was no cover on 
 the conveyance), and off we started, but Mr. Monsoon 
 has " wings of wind," and he overtook us almost im- 
 mediately. Then followed a scene the like of which 
 I have never figured in (Johan had something like it 
 last year, when he lost both his hat and umbrella). 
 The wind worked up like a tornado, tremendous rain 
 accompanying it, while vivid flashes of lightning, 
 followed by roars of thunder, kept up an ever-recur- 
 ring accompaniment. It was very awful, so much so, 
 that at one point of the road the bullocks stood still, 
 and Johan and I could only clutch each other, speech- 
 less, not knowing at what moment we would be over- 
 turned on the road, and blown bodily across the 
 country. " God help us ! " I said aloud, for we were 
 indeed helpless. Well, He who said of old, " Hither- 
 to shalt thou come, and no further," said so then, and 
 we were enabled to fight our way through the storm, 
 home ! 
 
 Johan had to get out and walk, as he had no 
 protection, to save himself from a deadly chill. My 
 shawls protected me. I could not help thinking, in 
 
THE BREAKING OF THE MONSOON. 34 1 
 
 the midst of it all, " What would the home people 
 think if they could get a peep of us ? " You can 
 imagine the violence of the storm when I tell you 
 that the fields and road, which had scarcely tasted 
 rain for the past eight months, were able to contribute 
 as much water to the ditches at the roadside in a few 
 minutes as set them swirling and rushing like so 
 many rapid little rivers. The strength of the wind, 
 too, was such that trees and huge branches strewed 
 the road, one man having been seriously injured by 
 
 one of them. I always remember K 's horror of 
 
 strong wind, and I am not without my own quailings. 
 Johan feels quite breathless on such occasions. His 
 big umbrella, which he held up as long as it was 
 possible to do so, with his hand far up the stem, was 
 squeezed together over his hand, as if with an iron 
 glove. The news we got from some of our own 
 workmen, busy building the little dispensary, was, 
 that the roof of our bungalow had been blown away ! 
 So this was what we had to ponder upon as we 
 fought our way home ! This proved a false alarm, 
 however, thank God ! for only some injury had been 
 done to it, easily reparable. The flying thatch, I 
 suppose, had excited the poor men into believing the 
 worst ; for, in spite of their drenched condition, they 
 offered to come back and help us. Well, we will not 
 forget the breaking of the monsoon, June 2nd, 1892, 
 
342 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 will we ? nor our deliverance, I hope ; for neither of 
 us got any harm to speak of. 
 
 {To her Sister M .) 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 July 22,rd, 1892. 
 Many thanks for your much-enjoyed letter. The 
 home budget reached us the day after our return 
 from Chindwara. You should have seen the scene 
 at the river Pench, now flooded. It crosses our path 
 almost exactly midway between Chindwara and this, 
 and as there is no bridge across it, the difficulty of 
 getting over, bag and baggage, is no slight one. On 
 this occasion Johan had to go himself for the rude 
 boat employed to take passengers over, for the 
 boatmen had it away at a spot inconvenient for us, 
 and unsuitable for the piloting across of our large 
 conveyance — a kind of dog-cart, called a chakla. 
 When I saw him stand in the boat, oar in hand, I 
 was reminded of his boating experiences on the little 
 river Luleo, near his home in the north of Sweden, 
 for his mind often reverts to these. The simple 
 fishermen in charge of the boat I speak of must have 
 wondered not a little at the sahib's skill in handling 
 an oar ! The luggage and I were first got over, then 
 the bullocks were loosed and made to swim across, 
 
CROSSING A FLOODED RIVER. 343 
 
 a man on the other side encouraging them by calling 
 out, " Ah ! ah ! ah ! " (Come, come, come). Last of 
 all, the chakla itself had to be landed. It was made 
 to sit on the end of the boat, like a gentleman on 
 horseback, the wheels in the water, while the balance 
 was maintained by Johan and some native passengers 
 occupying the other end ! The strength of the 
 current drew the boat a little farther down the river 
 than was necessary, which I (seated safe on the 
 bank) did not quite like. But several of the fishermen 
 got out and dragged it, and soon all was right. We 
 were detained two hours at the river, the first part 
 of this time being occupied by attempts made by 
 our young Gond cook, accompanied by our youth- 
 ful driver and a friend, to find out the exact depth 
 of the river, as Johan was sure (or wished to be) 
 that it could be crossed zvitJwut the boat, by the 
 bullocks wading through, and dragging the chakla 
 after them. I prevented him from attempting this, 
 however, and it was well. The three lads, with arms 
 interlaced, staggered forward, the foremost having a 
 very long stick in his hand, wherewith to feel his way ; 
 but at last we had to call them back. 
 
 Thank God we were preserved from accident. 
 
344 ^N THE RED SEA, 
 
 Amarwara, 
 
 August ydy 1892. 
 
 " The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of 
 cruelty. — Ps. Ixxiv. 20. 
 
 My dear Pastor Montelins, — 
 
 The other day my husband came in and said, 
 " I cannot understand how people can be less merci- 
 ful towards each other than towards their horses and 
 dogs." Our sweeper's son-in-law had told him of a 
 girl who was lying in the deserted wayside inn, in 
 the greatest misery. No one gave her anything to 
 eat, or took any care of her. She had " lost caste." 
 Here one could see what it was to be "without 
 caste." Johan hastened to the poor girl, but the 
 smell where she lay was so fearful, in consequence of 
 her illness, that at first he almost fell down backwards. 
 She was being almost eaten alive by worms, which 
 had made large holes in her head, from whence came 
 this dreadful smell. (Be good enough to excuse the 
 plainness with which I describe it.) We called our 
 own servant, and she was carried to the Mission House 
 to be taken care of I summoned my courage and 
 went to see her. Never shall I forget the sight. Before 
 we could attend to her sores, her hair, which scarcely 
 deserved the name, was obliged to be cut off as 
 closely as possible, and then Johan had more than an 
 
SNATCHED FROM DEATH. 345 
 
 hour's work injecting disinfecting fluids, and picking 
 off parasites. The girl was extremely exhausted 
 and began to tremble and complain of hunger before 
 she was cleaned. Our kind old sweeper made as 
 much haste as he could, and comforted the girl, who 
 began to cry, telling her that now she had become 
 quite a new person. Porridge and newly baked bread 
 she ate enormously. How had she come into such 
 misery.? and how old was she ? She had been turned 
 out of doors by her husband, because she had eaten 
 something which had been offered to an elephant by 
 all the caste, and since that she had wandered about 
 begging, till, in consequence of her wretched condi- 
 tion, every one had driven her away. She had then 
 determined to lay herself down and die alone in the 
 deserted inn, and very soon this would have been 
 her fate, unless some one had rescued her. 
 
 She is between fifteen and sixteen years of age, 01 
 a slight and womanly appearance. What kind of 
 hearts her husband and her relations who live here, 
 can have, the devil knows best, for he is a murderer 
 from the beginning, and they are like him. Poor 
 " Poosiya," this is her name, begins to smile now. She 
 has recovered quickly, and one day when I went to 
 her, she caught my hand, and asked why I had two 
 rings on my finger. Last Sunday she came to my 
 Bible class together with the other women and chil- 
 
34^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 dren, and tried to sing the song, " Jesus Christ has 
 saved me." I hope that she may one day be able to 
 praise the Saviour's name in truth.^ Every day her 
 head must be carefully attended to, and now it is 
 getting better. At the same time her strength is 
 also returning. 
 
 About four years ago Johan took into his care 
 another girl, under equally wretched circumstances, 
 and she is now a sweet Christian girl (Lydia) in the 
 orphan home at Saugor. 
 
 We have just, with deep sorrow, heard of Mrs. 
 Karlsson's death in Saugor. In such a case can He 
 only, who has smitten, heal. 
 
 Our united love, 
 
 Alexina Ruthquist. 
 
 On the 25th of July, the wife of a brother mis- 
 sionary (Mr. Karlsson, of Saugor) died, leaving an 
 infant a few days old, and another child aged one 
 year and eight months. 
 
 With characteristic consideration for others, 
 Alexina offered to go and stay for a time in the 
 desolate home, and mother the children. In the 
 
 ^ "Poosiya" was very susceptible to kindness, and became 
 much attached to Alexina. It seems the impressions so 
 deepened that on the very day on which Alexina left for 
 Europe (see next page) Poosiya asked for baptism ! 
 
A RAPID JOURNEY. 347 
 
 meantime, however, Mr. Karlsson had been strongly 
 advised to take the little ones at once to Sweden. 
 So, instead of accepting Alexina's offer, he wrote to 
 ask if her husband could spare her to accompany 
 him to Stockholm, and help, especially with the 
 infant, as it was weakly, and he feared he would 
 have to consign it to a watery grave. The mis- 
 sionary did not wish to return to Europe himself, 
 but felt he perhaps ought not to go against the judg- 
 ment of the mission circle at Saugor. As there was 
 no time for correspondence by letter, the matter had 
 to be arranged by telegram. At once a man was 
 despatched to the telegraph station at Seoni, with an 
 answer in the affirmative, and now Alexina had to 
 await the messenger's return ; for the missionary had 
 written to Bombay to get inquiries made about a 
 suitable person to accompany him home, and failing 
 such, he was to telegraph finally to Amarwara. At 
 length the man returned from his long journey bear- 
 ing a telegram, " Thankful, come," etc. ; and the very 
 next day (August 14th) she started with Mr. Ruth- 
 quist for Chindwara, where her relatives did every- 
 thing in their power to prevent her prosecuting her 
 journey further. They were convinced that she was 
 far too weak for such an undertaking. Indeed, the 
 rapid journey of 102 miles down to Nagpoor, whither 
 her husband accompanied her, was in itself very try- 
 
34^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 ing, as it was the rainy season, and consequently the 
 roads were in a frightful condition, and the rivers 
 tremendously swollen ; but she merely remarked, 
 " God's biddings are enablings," and beguiled the way 
 by singing one beautiful hymn after another. Her 
 friends hoped that Nagpoor would not be reached in 
 time to catch the train which was to convey the party 
 to the steamer at Bombay. But God over-ruled all, 
 and a fair start was made in an Italian vessel bound 
 for Trieste. Soon, however, she began to realize the 
 seriousness of the undertaking. The disturbed 
 nights with a delicate infant, after the great fatigue of 
 the tedious land journey, combined with the terrible 
 heat, at that season of the year, so reduced her 
 strength that she sometimes wondered if she would 
 require to ask to be put off at Aden ! But matters 
 improved — 
 
 "... Off at sea north-east winds blow 
 Sabean odours from the spicy shore 
 Of ' Araby the Blest ; ' with such delay 
 Well pleased they slack their course, and many a league, 
 Cheer'd with the grateful smell, old Ocean smiles." 
 
 She was thus enabled to leave the saloon and 
 enjoy the fresh air on deck, occasionally. At length 
 the Red Sea was entered, and only those who have 
 been there in the month of August know how try- 
 ing it is. Beyond that barren, desolate and unin- 
 
SHE RESTS FROM HER LABOURS. 349 
 
 viting coast arose many memories to stir her heart. 
 On her right the Mohammedan crescent had first 
 appeared, and her mind lingered on the zeal of the 
 followers of the false prophet, which for so many- 
 centuries put to shame that of the messengers of the 
 Cross ! 
 
 Then to the left was Africa ! A name so dear, as 
 the scene of Alexander Mackay's labours, and of his 
 sudden translation. 
 
 Little did she dream that somewhere near the 
 Exodus crossing, well-nigh under the shadow of Sinai, 
 she was, in like manner, to be translated to the land 
 where the servants of Christ shall no longer have 
 the sense of weariness. Her Heavenly Father judged 
 that she had sufficiently long borne the burden and 
 heat of the day, and after two days' unconsciousness 
 she fell on sleep, and was buried at Suez. 
 
 " Of all the thoughts of God that are 
 Borne inward unto souls afar, 
 
 Along the Psalmist's music deep, 
 Now tell me if that any is. 
 For gift or grace, surpassing this— 
 He giveth His beloved sleep ? " 
 
 After her death, Mr. Ruthquist received a parcel 
 which she had forwarded to him from the wharf at 
 Bombay. On a luggage label inside, evidently the 
 only available paper at the time, she had written :— 
 
350 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and 
 for ever." 
 
 " They which live should not henceforth live unto 
 themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and 
 lived again." 
 
 " My times are in Thy hand, 
 
 My God ! I wish them there ; 
 My Hfe, my friends, my all, I leave 
 Entirely to Thy care." 
 
 " I'll always trust in Thee." 
 
 The following letter, posted at Aden, was the first 
 announcement which her parents received of her 
 prospective home-coming. Some ten days elapsed, 
 during which their lives were illumined with the 
 thought of their speedy reunion, when the news 
 reached them, through Pastor Montelins, Director of 
 the Missionary Society at Stockholm, that she was 
 gone ! 
 
 Steamer "Elektra." 
 
 (Austrian Lloyd.) 
 Atigtist 29th, 1892, Near Aden. 
 Well, dearest Father, Mother, and All ! 
 
 Truth is stranger than fiction, and so it turns out 
 that I am speeding on my way towards the home 
 lands ! My letter, explaining matters, enclosed by 
 Maggie, has let you know how this has come about. 
 We will not reach Trieste till about the i6th of Sep- 
 
ALL D.V. 351 
 
 tember, I am told, and after that we have a long 
 railway journey before us to Lubeck and Copenhagen ; 
 thence we " steam " to Karlskrona. From that we 
 go by train (D.V.) to Eribro, . . . where the two 
 little children are to be left, in the meantime. Hav- 
 ing deposited, by God's continued help, my baby 
 charge there, and rested a little, I will go to Stock- 
 holm, to see the Johannelund people and thence to 
 visit the Nordforses, at Upsala {all D. V.) After this 
 I shall hasten to Aberdeen to " speak in " upon you 
 all ; but my time in Scotland is limited to a month, as, 
 if the Committee decline to bring Johan home in 
 April, I must hasten back to him, for it cost him much 
 to let me go. At the latest I must be in India before 
 Christmas, God permitting, for this is a sacred pro- 
 mise to Johan. All this sounds very stirring and 
 romantic. The former it has already proved, the 
 latter I hope it will yet prove, but no ordinary excite- 
 ment, fatigue, and anxiety tell upon a weak body, and 
 they have told upon mine hitherto. Things improve, 
 however, as the days go on, and I am in hope that I 
 will be enabled to hold out, and, above all, to bring 
 the dear infant to Sweden, in pretty good health. He 
 is decidedly fatter since we came on board ship, a 
 week ago to-day, and my anxiety regarding him is 
 much relieved. Mr. Karlsson takes entire charge of 
 the elder child, Nama, a little girl barely two years 
 
352 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 old. . . . "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." 
 I hope to write again from some place on the Con- 
 tinent. Meantime, with dear love all round, and 
 special birthday congratulations to dearest father, 
 
 I am, etc. 
 
 The extracts given below are from the last pages 
 of her diary. There is no entry between August 
 13th and 31st. 
 
 May 2^tk. Yesterday I got the good news that 
 an old pupil in Nagpoor to whom I had given a 
 Bible, had died believing in Jesus, as Miss Miller 
 {Zenana Missionary) thinks ! To-day I was able to 
 visit in three houses in the village, and give some 
 comfort. 
 
 May 31^/. Yesterday, Gustaf returned home, 
 after having paid us a visit of three days. On Sun- 
 day night he preached from " Escape for thy life." 
 To-day I visited the Zemindar's family, and the 
 Daroga's. 
 
 Jime 2nd. Monsoon broke, and Johan and I were 
 caught in it, just as we left Karabdool, where we had 
 gone to hold a meeting (see p. 340). 
 
 June ^tJi. Had a nice letter from Nellie, from 
 Mahablishwar— an echo to what I had been reading 
 in Mrs. Vertue's little book, entitled, " Some Better 
 Thing." Amen ! 
 
DAY BY DAY. 353 
 
 June 1 8///. To-day the new dispensary was 
 finished, and partly taken possession of. We desire 
 to thank God for prospering the work in connection 
 with the building of it, at this trying season of the 
 year. 
 
 June 20i/t. The new dispensary has been virtually 
 opened, on behalf of a sick baby — "one of the least 
 of these." May God add His blessing, which "maketh 
 rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." 
 
 Jujie 2'jth. It was very touching, this evening, 
 when the Zemindar's poor mother came running to 
 Johan, and literally fell into his arms in her distress, 
 on her son's account. May God graciously restore 
 the widow's only son, if it be for His glory! The 
 two words he uttered, when Johan went to see him 
 the other day, were, "Allah" (God) and "Tanba" 
 (repentance). God grant him repentance unto life ! 
 
 June 2iOth. Got the sad news of the death ot 
 Mrs. Karlsson, of Saugor. (It occurred on the 25th, 
 Monday, at ten o'clock at night) It was remit- 
 tent fever that carried her off. " It is the Lord." 
 
 Jujie list. There was a continuous very heavy fall 
 of rain in the night. The swollen river prevents the 
 ddk (mail) from coming and going. 
 
 August 1st. To-day "the poor man" (Tuliya) 
 was baptized by Gustaf in Chindwara. 
 
 August 5//;. Went for a drive to the jungle, in^ 
 
 M.R. ^Z 
 
354 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 the Chindwara direction, and met the postman, with 
 the mail-letter, and one from Mrs. Lindroth, lament- 
 the death of her dear friend Mrs. Karlsson. 
 
 August 13///. To-day decides what Johan's and 
 my near future is to be, for if Chensa brings back 
 from Seoni the telegram, " Come," from Mr. Karlsson, 
 I accompany him and the children to Sweden. 
 
 " Wholly Thine, my Lord, 
 To go when Thou dost call, 
 Thine to yield my very self 
 In all things, great or small." 
 
 See hymn, No. 177, in *^ Sankey," which I have 
 just sung. 
 
 August l^st. To-night finds me in the Red Sea, 
 on board the Elektra, in charge of Mr. Karlsson's 
 little baby, Ebenezer ! 
 
 September ist. To-day Miss F sails from 
 
 London. She is probably on the sea now, as well as 
 
 ourselves, and poor Mr. R 's long " waiting-time " 
 
 is nearly at an end ! . . . Baby not quite well ; 
 I have just soothed him to sleep. . . . We are in 
 the Red Sea, and it is airless. " Who, of God, is 
 made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sancti- 
 fication and redemption." Amen. 
 
 The following is ]\Ir. Karlsson's letter (translated 
 from the Swedish) announcing Alexina's death to 
 her husband. 
 
"very tired. 355 
 
 The Red Sea, on Board the * Elektra," 
 
 September Ith, 1892. 
 Dear Brother, — 
 
 Jesus said, " Blessed is he, whosoever shall not 
 be offended in Me." You know that God is called 
 " Wonderful," and wonderful He is, and many a time 
 His dealings are very mysterious. If you will con- 
 sider this you will do well. I am now going to thank 
 you for the great sacrifice you made when you lent 
 your wife to help me with my little children. She 
 fulfilled her charge so faithfully and nicely, and 
 seemed also to have had joy from it. But your 
 sacrifice was great, and it became greater still than 
 what was expected. Certainly you could not have 
 expected that God so soon should have called home 
 your beloved wife, but He has done so. Oh ! how 
 painful it is to me to have to give you this informa- 
 tion. I cannot in words tell how I feel for you. 
 May the Lord help you to bear this in patience. 
 Saturday morning, Sept. 3rd, while we were drinking 
 tea, your wife complained of having had a restless 
 night, and that she felt very tired. I asked her to go 
 to bed, and said that I would try to look after both 
 the children while she was resting. This she did. 
 At 8 a.m. I went into her cabin, and finding her 
 feverish, I at once called the doctor. 
 
356 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 By 4 p.m. she was quite unconscious. The doctor 
 did all he could, and all were willing to help, but all 
 was in vain. She remained immovable and uncon- 
 scious up to 5.30 p.m. to-day (Sept. 5th), when her 
 spirit fled. And now what shall I say for your 
 comfort, if not this ? — she has conquered, she is safe 
 for ever. I am now left alone with my little ones, 
 and my prospects are dark-; but I hope the Lord will 
 not take me away before I reach Sweden with the 
 children. May the Lord help ! 
 
 I am glad that I will not be obliged to sink your 
 dear wife's remains in the sea, as I hope to bury her 
 to-morrow at Suez. The coffin is already made, and 
 I have dressed her in her own clothes, stockings and 
 shoes, as well as I could. It is now late, and I am 
 tired, so you must excuse this short letter. You may 
 reasonably expect to hear more in detail, but I have 
 my two little children, who take my time and 
 strength. I will post this at Suez to-morrow, that 
 you may hear as soon as possible, and be able to 
 acquaint relations and friends. I cut off a lock of 
 her hair, which I send." 
 
 Alexina so faithfully redeemed the time while 
 she had opportunity, and was so ready to meet her 
 Saviour, that it must have been a peaceful falling 
 asleep and a joyous awakening in the presence of the 
 King! "Now she," as Dr. Robertson NicoU says oi 
 
IN THE HAVEN. 357 
 
 the sainted Professor Elmslie, " is in the haven, and 
 we are far out at sea ! " 
 
 Space forbids more than two letters (selected at 
 random) from a multitude of those who loved her, 
 and desired to make known their sympathy with the 
 sorrowing relatives. The first is from a missionary in 
 the field, the second from the Rev. J. Laidlaw, D.D., 
 Professor of Theology, New College, Edinburgh. 
 
 NAGPOOR, 
 
 26th September y 1892. 
 My dear Mr. Ruthquist,— 
 
 The news contained in Mr. Danielsson's post 
 card to Mr. Whitton has fallen like a bomb-shell in 
 our midst. It is so sudden and startling and mys- 
 terious, that we are struck dumb in presence of a 
 great sorrow. To all who knew your dear wife as 
 well as we did, and who loved her deeply, it has 
 come as a personal bereavement. My wife is weep- 
 ing as for a sister. No loss has moved us like this 
 for many a day. . . . But when we think of 
 this sudden blow, and the awful loss it will be to 
 you, we scarce know what to say. Our deepest 
 sympathies also go out to Mrs. Danielsson, who 
 has been bereaved of a sister beloved. God is 
 able to sustain and uphold you all with the right 
 hand of His righteousness, and we know He will 
 
35^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 do it. It is not easy to understand His dealings 
 sometimes. One feels inclined to say, " If only she 
 had not gone, she would have been in Amarwara 
 still." But then we never can see very far before us. 
 Our duty is to follow the path in which God seems 
 to be pointing to us to go at the time, and to leave 
 the consequences with Him. Both you and she 
 believed that God was telling her to help those 
 motherless children on the voyage to Sweden. Little 
 did you think it was the road by which she was being 
 led to glory. " What we know not now we shall 
 know hereafter." The time is coming when our 
 Father's way will be made plain, and then we shall 
 see that it has been tracked with love. 
 
 We are all praying for you, and thinking very 
 much about you. 
 
 We can only commit you and dear Mrs. Danielsson, 
 and the rest, into the hands of One who is better able 
 to dry up your tears than we can. Tell Mrs. Daniels- 
 son my wife will write her. 
 
 With our united warmest love and sympathy, 
 
 Yours in Christ, 
 
 John Douglas. 
 
SURRENDERED ONCE FOR ALL. 359 
 
 Edinburgh, 
 
 8, Merchiston Avenue, 
 
 Tth November, 1892. 
 My dear Mrs. Mackay,— 
 
 . . . By this time I trust the hand of our gracious 
 Heavenly Father has somewhat soothed your sorrow, 
 as His Spirit the Comforter only can. All friends 
 who knew her must deeply feel for you and yours, 
 that one so bright and loving and helpful has been so 
 early taken. No doubt, when you gave her up to 
 the mission field, you made a surrender once for all. 
 Early death is always in the list of the missionary's 
 possible sacrifices for Christ ; they have counted life 
 not dear for His work's sake. And so He has en- 
 rolled your Alexina, like her cousin of Uganda, in the 
 noble roll of martyrs for Jesus and for suffering man- 
 kind. It is a high honour : only the Day will tell 
 how high it is. We have our Lord's own word for 
 it, that they who lose their life for His sake and the 
 gospel's shall find it. 
 
 My wife and I feel much for you all in this deep 
 trial. We have a warm recollection of her visit to 
 us after we came to Edinburgh, on one of her 
 journeys. Now on a journey of kindness and help, 
 she has herself been taken into the heavenly rest. 
 The good Lord comfort you all, and make her 
 
366 - IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 memory a blessing, such as only eternity can reveal. 
 To have had a daughter so noble and self-sacrificing 
 is a thing* for you and your husband to praise God 
 for. But to part with such an one, and make right 
 use of the providence which takes her from you, 
 needs special grace. May our heavenly Father grant 
 it richly to you all. Excuse these hurried lines, and 
 believe me, with much regard and sympathy, 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 John Laidlaw. 
 
 [A few Reminiscences by her Husband?^ 
 
 Amarwara, Chindwara, C. p., India. 
 
 2d>th February, i^<)^. 
 When I came to India in 1885, I was one day 
 looking through one of Mrs. Danielsson's albums in 
 Narsingpur, Central Provinces. Amongst the many 
 photos I was especially struck with one, but I did 
 not then know who it was. Soon after I was told 
 that it was Miss Alexina Mackay, one of the Zenana 
 missionaries in Nagpoor. Some months later she 
 came to Chindwara, to stay with her sister during 
 the hot weather. Then and there I made her 
 acquaintance. Her lively and cheerful nature ap- 
 peared to me as if she did not know much sorrow, of 
 which this world is so full, but very soon I found in 
 
NO HESITATION IN DUTY. 36 1 
 
 conversation, that she was well acquainted with 
 sorrow, but that she had learned to cast all her 
 burdens upon Him who had told her to do so. As 
 she herself had tasted and seen the goodness of the 
 Lord, she wanted others also to be happy. I cannot 
 but with gratitude remember how she many a time 
 tried to show me " a more excellent way " for a 
 Christian, than to go looking sad and depressed, as if 
 we had to carry our own burdens. The time came 
 for her going back to her work in Nagpoor, which 
 she did in a very cheerful spirit. Only then I began 
 to realise what a help she had been to me by her 
 words and bright Christian life. In June, 1886, we 
 became engaged, and hoped to marry in 1887 ; but 
 owing to a rule newly made by our Society, that a 
 missionary has to be on the mission field for three 
 years before he is allowed to marry, we had to wait 
 till the autumn of 1888. The most of this time she 
 spent in Scotland. In October, 1888, she came back 
 to Bombay, where we were married. After a short 
 visit to Punah, Nagpoor and Chindwara, we went on 
 to Amarwara, in the Chindwara district, where we 
 were going to labour, and share both joys and sorrows 
 together. Many a one had felt for her, and spoken 
 to her of the difficulties unavoidable in a lonely place 
 like Amarwara, out in the jungle ; but nothing of that 
 kind could make her hesitate for a moment to go 
 
3^2 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 there, or anywhere, where the duties of her husband 
 called him to be. 
 
 Amarwara is a village with about 1,500 inhabitants, 
 situated twenty-four miles north of Chindwara, Central 
 Provinces. The village is inhabited by Hindus of 
 many castes, Gonds, and a good many Mohamme- 
 dans. Many of the surrounding villages are in- 
 habited by Gonds; and others by Gonds and Hindus. 
 Alexina had not been many days in Amarwara before 
 she went to see the women ; and many a time she 
 came with me to the surrounding villages. 
 
 Our first year in Amarwara was a very quiet but 
 happy one. Early in 1889, the Misses Ainslie, late 
 of St. Andrews, sent some money to us to be spent 
 in mission work. As we felt the want of having a 
 place of worship, we made up our minds to build, 
 with the money put at our disposal, a house in which 
 we could gather people to hear the word of God. It 
 was soon set a-going, and within a couple of months 
 the building was ready. In that church we have had 
 meetings twice every Sunday, besides every evening 
 in the week, when at home, except on Wednesdays. 
 On those evenings we used to have meetings in the 
 village. As a matter of course Alexina always led 
 the singing, and much she did by her gift of song. 
 
 In November, 1889, God gave us a little daughter, 
 who, as we thought, was to fill our cup of happiness. 
 
SEARCHINGS OF HEART. 363 
 
 After the restoration of the mother, who at the time 
 seemed all but gone — the infant, alas ! contrary to 
 our fond expectations, after a brief life of twelve 
 days, quietly passed away. The little one had, how- 
 ever, a mission to fulfil, for now we could share 
 sorrow as never before, and heaven began to be more 
 real to us, now that " a part of ourselves " was there 
 — "only gone before," and the truth of the word, 
 " Here we have no continuing city," seemed so ap- 
 plicable. In after years my wife used to say, " I do 
 not think there is one day or one hour passes that I 
 do not think of our darling Juanita; however, I begin 
 to feel more reconciled to the loss. And why she 
 was taken I will no doubt understand when I am in 
 heaven." She tried to see many reasons for God's 
 dealings with us in this way, but she could never feel 
 quite satisfied. Sometimes she said, " Perhaps God 
 wanted me to do more work amongst the women, 
 and therefore He took her." At other times she 
 said, " No doubt God has only shown His love in 
 taking her, for I am not strong." And again she 
 would say, " How free I am, compared with others, 
 in going about with you, having nice changes here 
 and there." 
 
 From December, 1889, to August, 1892, we 
 worked together in and around Amarvvara, with an 
 occasional trip to see some of our friends. Our little 
 
364 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 home in Amarvvara was, however, a happy and a 
 peaceful one, as Alexina, with her bright and happy 
 Christian spirit, wanted it to look nice and tidy ; and 
 when she was not away, telling the women of Jesus 
 in the villages, or with me on an evangelistic tour 
 she always found some good book to read, or some 
 beautiful hymn to play and sing, or some little thing 
 to do with her hands. She greatly disliked idleness 
 in herself and others. She not only went to visit the 
 women, but they used to come to see her also. 
 
 Many a time, when I had been away for a little, 
 and came home, she was sorrounded by scores of 
 women in the verandah of the bungalow, listening to 
 her playing and singing, and eagerly taking in the 
 wonderful story of Jesus and His love. But before 
 going, the women, as a rule, wanted to see inside the 
 bungalow, and she, in the same cheerful spirit, showed 
 them one thing after another, and at the same time 
 explained their use, not forgetting to tell them how 
 God wanted us to make use of what He had given, 
 but that we should never set our hearts on earthly 
 things, so as to forget or dishonour the Giver, and 
 above all, that we should not make idols of them, 
 nor worship perishable things. 
 
 The women liked her, and she liked them, but she 
 was not less loved by the children. It was an 
 interesting scene, many a time, to watch when she 
 
THE SICK AND SUFFERING. 365 
 
 was going about arranging shrubs and flowers in the 
 compound, how children came running to help her, 
 taking as much interest as herself in the on-goings, if 
 not more ; and when she felt tired, they would run 
 for something for her to sit down and rest on, usually 
 so many wanting to carry a little chair that the one 
 tumbled above the other. Having now sat down 
 they began some childlike talk, some asking, some 
 listening, some examining her dress, shoes and stock- 
 ings. Very frequently they wanted to see her foot, 
 which request she granted them, and then to see 
 how astonished they were to find a very white foot 
 under a black stocking, was enough to amuse not 
 only herself but others also. 
 
 As I have tried for some years to relieve some ot 
 the sick and suffering by giving medicine, there has 
 been no lack of women, as well as men, coming from 
 far distant places in order to get help. On these 
 occasions my wife took a great interest in the 
 welfare of their bodies and their souls, and then she 
 learned to know and become known by many who 
 otherwise never would have seen her. As this kind 
 of work extended, we thought it desirable to get a 
 dispensary. The same ladies who gave money for the 
 meeting-house had sent some more afterwards to my 
 wife. With this money and Rs. 100 given by a friend 
 in India, we got a little dispensary built in May, 
 
366 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 1892, where sick people could gather in an open 
 verandah, and get some regular instruction before 
 having their bodily wants ministered to. Alexina 
 greatly rejoiced over these arrangements, and hoped 
 to get many an opportunity of singing and speaking 
 to those coming for medicine ; but unexpectedly 
 she got the call to take home to Sweden two little 
 motherless children, which call she thought was 
 from on high, and therefore she was willing to obey 
 it, if, she said, I could spare her for three or four 
 months. We resolved to help the poor sorrowing 
 father, and many days had not passed before she 
 was on her way to Bombay. On the 22nd of 
 August, 1892, she left Bombay, but her voyage was 
 cut short on the Red Sea, on the 5th of September, 
 when she got the call to come up higher, to rest 
 from her labours, and to receive the crown of life. 
 
 The news of her death came so unexpectedly to 
 her nearest relatives and friends, that it was difficult 
 for any one to realise that she was no longer 
 amongst us. 
 
 When the news was made known in Amarwara, 
 the women of the village came together in crowds, 
 and one could see and hear them outstripping each 
 other in weeping and lamentation, crying, " Oh, that 
 she had only been allowed to die here^ that we might 
 have gone with her to the grave I " 
 
WEEPING AND LAMENTATION. 2)^"] 
 
 I was told that an elderly man who often came to 
 our bungalow, on hearing of her death, fainted, and 
 that he did not taste food or water for a whole day 
 and night. He came to me one day, quite overcome 
 with emotion, and to comfort me he said, " I am 
 sure Mem-Sahib will get a high birth next time ; she 
 will become a Brahman or a king, so perfect was 
 she." This is the highest reward a man can get for 
 good works, the Hindus think. A Mohammedan 
 woman told me that she had dreamt, before any one 
 knew of her death, how she saw Alexina passing the 
 police station in Amarwara, and going towards the 
 bungalow. She called to Alexina to come and sit 
 down, but she answered, " I must go to my Sahib." 
 The wonderful thing in the dream was that Alexina's 
 face appeared shining as the sun, and therefore, 
 the woman thought, there can be no doubt of her 
 salvation ! Still more strange it seems, that she 
 herself anticipated that her days were to be few, for 
 several times she said to me : "I am not going to 
 live long." When I asked her why she said so, she 
 answered, " It seems so to me." I used to say, " 1 
 do not like you to say so," then she would smilingly 
 answer, " Well, I should not like to leave you yet." 
 Many a time during her last year, she experienced 
 more of that pure joy which comes from hearing and 
 meditating on the word of God ; and she used to 
 
368 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 say, " Oh, how I have enjoyed this sermon, text, or 
 verse. On the evening of the last day she was in 
 Amarwara, she called some women who used to come 
 for instruction, saying, " I want to have them once 
 more ; who knows when I can have them next ? " 
 Her mind was very much taken up latterly with think- 
 ing of heaven, and how it would be there. On her 
 way down to Nagpoor, to which place I accompanied 
 her, she sang the whole way one beautiful hymn 
 after the other, and several times in one day the 
 twenty-third Psalm, and " My times are in Thy hand," 
 etc. 
 
 The last words I heard from her lips, while tears 
 filled her eyes, were : " I thank you so much for all 
 your love to me ; may God reward you for it." And 
 so the train passed on. 
 
 She did not trust in anything in herself, nor rejoice 
 in her own goodness and perfection. No ! Christ 
 and His love were hers, and Him she had loved and 
 followed from her early childhood ; and as the years 
 passed, she learned to know and love Him more and 
 more, and she herself could say, " I trust in Thee," 
 It is so characteristic of her Christian faith that she 
 wrote in her diary the day before she took ill : " Who 
 of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
 and sanctification and redemption." Amen. 
 
 JOHAN RUTHQUIST, 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS. 369 
 
 Miss J. M. Small, Zenana Missionary, Nagpoor, 
 writes : — 
 
 "How well I remember the first time I saw Alexina. 
 We had just come to the end of a long railway 
 journey, and were very tired. All the circle among 
 whom we found ourselves were strangers to me, for I 
 had only been in India a short time. But it was to a 
 characteristic mission house we had come, and the 
 welcome from the hostess, host and one zenana lady 
 was as loving and cordial as it could be. During 
 that visit I was much with her, who, in after years, 
 was to become my dear friend and fellow worker. I 
 remember days spent in the * Little Bungalow,' after- 
 wards to become so familiar, and several trips to the 
 city, to be introduced to women to whom I could 
 hardly speak at all, but who were in the course of a 
 few years to become dear friends. 
 
 " Five years later I was appointed to take up her 
 work during her absence on furlough. We were only 
 a few days together on my arrival at Nagpoor, and 
 our real intimacy began after her return. But I have 
 heard much from those who were her fellow workers, 
 about those first five years of her life among the 
 women of India. Her earnest enthusiastic nature 
 carried her through hard pioneering work, when 
 physically she was often unfit for it. In those first 
 days of zenana work in this city it was considered 
 
 M R. 24 
 
370 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 wise to do the work in the early morning, so, at an 
 hour when even the most early risers were not astir, 
 * Pikoo ' used to waken his mistress by loud rapping 
 at her door, and after a very light 'chota hazree,* 
 she was on her way to the city, hymn-book and little 
 bag of fancy work in hand, ready to make any 
 number of homes bright by her loving words and 
 happy manner. Often she did not return for break- 
 fast till twelve o'clock in the day. In addition to 
 the books she required for her work she always 
 carried with her a pile of little tracts, to be distributed 
 to school-boys, or any one who would accept them. 
 This system we had to stop afterwards, as we found 
 it almost impossible to get along the streets, so per- 
 secuted were we by little urchins who only wanted 
 a * book ' for the sake of getting something. But it 
 shows her eager earnestness to make use of every 
 opportunity. This was a feature in her character 
 which always impressed one very much. A little 
 group of people sitting in an open verandah, whether 
 men or women, were seldom passed without an effort 
 made to reach them, and in the houses where she 
 taught she always did her utmost to gather servants 
 and visitors round her as she sang or told her story. 
 Although I differed from her on this subject, feeling 
 I had come for the women, and feeling that they are 
 best reached when alone, I could not but admire her 
 
HER ZEAL WORTHY OF IMITATION. 37 1 
 
 spirit. In some parts of India, and in some houses in 
 Nagpoor, her way would not have worked well, but 
 there can be no doubt many heard the gospel from 
 her lips, who would never have heard it but for her. 
 She made friends with many a student, and it was a 
 very common thing to see her in earnest conversation 
 with one or more of them, whom she had induced to 
 visit her in her own bungalow ; and the visit generally 
 wound up with a hymn or two. Sunday was always 
 a well filled day. A class of big boys occupied her 
 after the Marathi service, and when they had had their 
 lesson, the sweeper woman was called to her side. In 
 early years she had an early morning hour with a 
 band of beggars, among whom were not a few lepers. 
 Each one got one pice on leaving, and were expected 
 to sit and listen for about half an hour. After having 
 this service for a number of years she thought it was 
 time to stop the pice, and as it was considered advis- 
 able to stop these diseased people from coming to the 
 compound, this class was discontinued. 
 
 " Pikoo, her man-of-all-work, was not forgotten, 
 and from his mistress he learned to read, and many 
 things besides. Her zeal was worthy of imitation, and 
 I can truly say she taught me many a lesson. She 
 did not confine her energies to her own special work. 
 Whenever she saw a need she was ready to do her 
 best to supply it. 
 
Z1^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 " Another feature in her character was her self-deny- 
 ing eagerness to make those around her happy. If it 
 was in her power to make an evening bright for those 
 who needed cheering, she was ready, however tired, to 
 go and spend it with them. Perhaps, after singing a 
 good deal in the course ot her work, her voice was 
 exhausted, and she was not able to do very much 
 more, she would still make the effort, and sitting 
 down at the harmonium, gratify this one and that one 
 by singing their favourite songs. Then her stories 
 were endless. Past experiences were recalled, some- 
 times very amusing ones, or else an account of her 
 visiting during the day. She often talked till she was 
 quite worn out. When she was in the room no other 
 entertainer was necessary. A dear friend of hers told 
 me with tears in her eyes how, when she was left alone, 
 Alexina would come over, pen and paper in hand, to 
 sit beside her, so that she might not feel dull and 
 lonely. Another friend said, while she was away on 
 furlough, ' There is quite a blank now she is away, 
 and many miss her kind shake of the hand at the 
 church door.' In the city many mourn for her, and 
 we are quite sure that many of those to whom she so 
 faithfully told of the Saviour's love will yet meet her 
 where she is gone, and thank our Heavenly Father for 
 having sent her to work in India. 
 
A CHILD OF THE MANSE. 2)7 Z 
 
 {From " The Indian Witness',' October 22nd, 1892.) 
 "Most of your readers are acquainted with the 
 thrilh'ng story of Mackay of Uganda. Probably few 
 are aware that two of his cousins have consecrated 
 their h'ves to the cause of Christ in India. One is the 
 wife of the Rev. G. Danielsson, of the Swedish Mis- 
 sion, Chindwara, the other, who is the subject of this 
 sketch, after fifteen years of self-denying labour, 
 finished her course in the Red Sea on the fifth of last 
 month, and was buried at Suez. 
 
 "Alexina Mackay 's early life was passed in a 
 Scottish Free Church Manse, and her character was 
 moulded by much the same influences as surrounded 
 her better-known cousin. The secret of his heroism 
 lay not so much in his intellectual gifts, though these 
 were of a high order, as in his devotion to duty, his 
 readiness to sacrifice himself for the good of others, 
 and Christ-like compassion for the souls of men. 
 Withal he possessed a bright, winning manner, which 
 called forth the love of the natives, and a boundless 
 store of fun, which rendered him a charming com- 
 panion. Though the sphere of her labours was more 
 obscure, these were the very qualities which shone so 
 conspicuously in our departed friend. 
 
 " Miss Mackay was one of the lady pioneer workers 
 in what has now become a flourishing and well- 
 equipped branch of the Free Church Mission, Nag- 
 
374 ^^ THE RED SEA. 
 
 poor. Until her marriage, four years ago, she with 
 her bullock tonga was a familiar sight as she threaded 
 the narrow lanes of the city, and entered the dingy 
 houses like a beam of sunshine from the outside 
 world. In her attempts to reach the women, rebuffs 
 and rude speeches were a frequent experience, but 
 her ready wit and unfailing courtesy generally dis- 
 armed opposition, and opened up a way for the 
 introduction of her message. In common with other 
 zenana workers, much of her time was spent in 
 teaching her pupils how to read and sew. Her chief 
 delight, however, was to gather the women in 
 verandahs and courtyards, to whom she would sing 
 Marathi hymns, and tell the story of the Cross. 
 Such work involves a large amount of wear and tear, 
 and calls for the exercise of much faith and patience. 
 Her enthusiasm never flagged, and her belief in the 
 fulfilment of God's promises never grew dim. Not 
 a few in Nagpoor will cherish her memory and recall 
 her bright visits, but like many another devoted 
 missionary, she has had to pass away from earth 
 without seeing much of the fruits of her toil. The 
 time of reaping amongst the women of Nagpoor is 
 not yet. 
 
 " It will come, and when the harvest is garnered, 
 both sower and reaper will rejoice together. 
 
 *' When Miss Mackay became the wife of the Rev. 
 
A PIONEER WORKER. 2>1 S 
 
 Johan Ruthquist of the Swedish Mission, Amanvara, 
 the crowded streets of Nagpoor were exchanged for 
 a life of extreme loneliness amongst the villages in 
 the uplands of the Chindwara district. It was no 
 ordinary sacrifice for her to leave the many friends 
 who loved her, with the prospect of no companion- 
 ship outside her own household, but what she could 
 find in the simple-hearted Gonds. Bravely did she 
 gird herself to her new lot, and nobly did she second 
 her husband in his work of teaching and preaching. 
 Their happy, peaceful home was in itself an influence 
 fitted to awaken a longing after a higher and purer 
 life. A long career of untiring labour seemed to be 
 before them, in which one hoped they might have the 
 joy of gathering many golden sheaves. The Master 
 had different thoughts regarding her. When we least 
 expected it, she was called to the glory and bright- 
 ness of eternity. 
 
 " Mrs. Ruthquist died at what she believed to be 
 the post of duty, and in rendering services of love to 
 the weak and helpless. By one swift, sudden stroke, 
 a brother missionary had been robbed of his wife, and 
 left with two young children. Once, for a few days, 
 Mrs. Ruthquist had tasted the sweetness of clasping 
 to her bosom a babe of her own. That hallowed 
 memory quickened her sympathy for these bereaved 
 ones. When, therefore, an appeal came to her for 
 
Z7^ IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 aid, it was characteristic of her that within less than 
 a week she was on her way to Bombay to undertake 
 the difficult and trying task of conducting them to 
 their friends in Sweden. That accomplished, she 
 meant to pay a short visit to her old home in Aber- 
 deen, and be back to her husband and work before 
 Christmas. Little did any of us dream that she had 
 bid farewell to India for ever. 
 
 " Some years ago, a little boy, struck with her thin, 
 wan face, as she lay on the sofa, resting one day, said 
 as he quietly patted her: — 'Auntie, when are you 
 going to die ? ' The question was a startling one, 
 but she quickly replied, * I don't know, darling, but 
 when I am very tired, and Jesus sees that my work 
 is done. He will come for me.' We can answer that 
 question now. The Red Sea in September has 
 proved fatal to many a voyager. Mrs. Ruthquist has 
 gone to swell the number. Mr. Karlsson, writing 
 from Suez, tells us that she became ill on the 3rd of 
 September. Remarking that she felt * so tired ' she 
 went to bed. Soon after she passed into a state of 
 unconsciousness, from which she never awakened. 
 Jesus saw that her work was done, and as she was 
 ' so tired,' He took her Home to rest for evermore. 
 Many of us feel that a blank has been made in our 
 lives that will not readily be filled. Her sorrowing 
 husband writes : — ' With her I seem to have lost all. 
 
THE COMING JOY. '^']'] 
 
 . . . She is now with Jesus, and that is enough 
 for me. I have at times been able to share a little of 
 the joy she is having, and I must say that only to 
 taste a little of that joy is more than a mortal being 
 can bear.' 
 
 " Amid the storm and stress of life, the perplexities 
 of God's dealings with us in providence, ' the joy of 
 the Lord is our strength.' 
 
 *' It would help us greatly if we could ever keep 
 our eyes fixed upon that vision of the future which 
 arose before the old prophet Isaiah as he stood on 
 his watch-tower, like some lonely sentinel waiting for 
 the breaking of the morning. In front of him is a 
 narrow path winding up the side of the hill of Zion 
 which is crowned by the tabernacle of God. The 
 name of it is * the Way of Holiness.' It is crowded 
 along its whole length with pilgrims. They are the 
 * ransomed of the Lord.' How do they occupy their 
 time as they toil up the steep ascent ? The prophet 
 lends his ear to catch the sounds that are borne on 
 the breeze. They are sounds of singing and mirth, 
 ' joy and gladness.' As he continues to listen, how- 
 ever, he detects an undertone of 'sorrow and sighing,' 
 which spoils the harmony of the music. He watches 
 them for a little, until they reach the brow of the hill, 
 and enter through the gates that lead into the sanc- 
 tuary. Now they are in the presence of their Lord. 
 
 M.R. 25 
 
2,yS IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 * They see the King in His beauty.' What trium- 
 phant strains are those which now reach him ! 
 Nothing but joy, nothing but gladness. They have 
 obtained joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing 
 have fled away." 
 
 (From " The Helpmeet!^ January^ 1893.) 
 
 "'Truth is stranger than fiction.' So wrote our 
 dear friend, Mrs. Ruthquist, nee Alexina Mackay, in 
 announcing to her family her hope of paying them 
 an unexpected visit, after conveying to Sweden the 
 motherless babe of a fellow-missionary, which had 
 been committed to her care. She intended to rejoin 
 her husband at Amarwara by Christmas, but she 
 added, * always D. V.' 
 
 " Her letter was posted at Aden. Before reaching 
 Suez she was seized with sudden illness, and after 
 two days of unconsciousness, far from home or 
 kindred, she passed away on the 5th of September. 
 Her remains were laid to rest in the little English 
 cemetery at Suez. 
 
 " She was the third child of the Rev. M. Mackay, 
 formerly F. C. Minister of Fordyce ; Mackay of 
 Uganda was her cousin. From childhood it was her 
 ambition to be a missionary, and she entered on the 
 work with her whole heart when, in 1877, she joined 
 our Zenana Mission at Nagpoor. Many of our read- 
 
HER HEART IN THE HEAVENLY HOME. 379 
 
 ers will remember the lively and graphic accounts she 
 gave of the work when home on furlough in 1882-3. 
 After her return to India, as before, she was the life 
 of the missionary circle at Nagpoor by her cheerful, 
 obliging disposition. She resigned her connection 
 with our Society — though not with mission work — in 
 October, 1888, on her marriage with Mr. Ruthquist, 
 of the Swedish Evangelical Mission, in Central India. 
 Friends who saw her in Bombay on the eve of this 
 last voyage thought her looking remarkably well ; 
 but she had never regained her former gaiety of spirit 
 since the loss of her only child, a little daughter who 
 died in infancy. Her heart seemed more than ever 
 drawn towards the Heavenly Home, and she spent 
 much time in meditation and prayer. 
 
 " Her memory will long be lovingly cherished by 
 all who were associated with her." 
 
 Alexina's chief characteristics were humility, won- 
 derful tact in conciliating people, her sunny disposi- 
 tion, which kept every one around her happy, her 
 unselfishness, conscientiousness, and consideration for 
 others. A friend, Mrs. Colonel Vertue, who knew 
 her intimately in India, says: — "What struck me 
 most in her was her individuality, for she was always 
 herself at all times. Then, her ever ready sympathy 
 and her capability of throwing herself heartily into 
 the interests of others, forgetting her own for the 
 
380 IN THE RED SEA. 
 
 time ; her loving, bright, quick ways, which showed 
 the ardent, brave spirit within, and her great powers- 
 of endurance, both mental and physical, which en- 
 abled her to do so much more than most people with 
 stronger and more robust health, would have ventured 
 to do." 
 
 But above all, and animating all, was her deep love 
 for the Saviour, which began to show itself in early 
 childhood, and so ever after 
 
 "A sense of tune, 
 A satisfied love meanwhile, 
 Which nothing earthly could despoil, 
 Sang on within her soul ! " 
 
 Butler & Tanner, The SeUvood Printing Works, Frome, and London. 
 
F 
 
 512875 
 
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