themissionary. Kanenge listened with intense interest, and calling to theboy, addressed him. As Kibo replied, the chief's before somewhat sterncountenance became animated and eager. He continued putting questionsto Kibo, to which the boy replied, and then eagerly asked several inreturn. At length, with a cry of delight, the chief sprang up, andpressing young Kibo in his arms, exclaimed--
"My heart was moved when I saw him. I knew him to be of my own people,but I dared not believe that he was the child I loved, and whom I hadlost so long ago. White man, I will load your waggon with tusks. Youshall take them to the good missionary chief who has sent me back myboy; or if he will come here with a waggon himself, he and his peopleshall be fed as long as they will remain."
Thus the father endeavoured to express his gratitude to the missionarywho had preserved his son, and to those who had brought him back. MrVincent, however, did not put full confidence in his promises. Hereplied that he should be happy to convey his messages to themissionary; but that as he had come to trade, he must purchase tusks forhimself, though he would carry as many as he had room for, if sent as apresent.
The chief offered to convey the trader's goods over the river, and tofloat the waggon across it, while the cattle and horses would pass overby swimming, to his village. This was accomplished the next day.Kanenge appropriated several huts for the accommodation of his visitors,in one of which they took up their residence, in another their goodswere stored, while their attendants inhabited the remainder.
Trade was now commenced, and everything appeared to be going onprosperously. Scarcely, however, had these arrangements been made thanMasiko and their driver came with the intelligence that several of theoxen were sickening from the effects of the tsetse-bites. No cure wasknown. The most healthy had already perished. In a few days it wasfound that all the cattle, as well as the horses, had been bitten by thedeadly insect.
Martin tried to console his father by pointing out how much worse itwould have been had they perished on the journey, in which case thewaggon and its contents must have been deserted, and they themselveswould in all probability have lost their lives. The trader, however,was inclined to look at things in a gloomy light.
Though fresh oxen might be procured in the country, it would requiresome time to break them in, while their cost would swallow up aconsiderable portion of his profits.
Mr Vincent himself was ill, and in a few days he was attacked withfever, while several of his men were suffering from the same complaint.
Martin now felt thankful that he had accompanied his father, and whilehe attended him with the most devoted care, he did his utmost to takehis place in carrying on trade with the natives. His father appearedwell pleased with the way he transacted business, when he each dayreported the progress he had made, and gradually their store-hut becamefilled with elephant-tusks.
"Ah, Martin, you will become a first-rate trader," he observed; "and Ihope we shall soon recover our losses. As soon as I am well we mustpush further to the eastward, where I hear there are large supplies ofivory. In the meantime we must get fresh oxen broken in."
"I am thankful to be able to assist you, father," answered Martin; "butI must not pride myself on my dealings with the natives. We are nowwith a friendly chief who treats us fairly, but I understand the peopleamong whom you propose going are likely to behave in a very differentway; besides which, the country is exposed to the inroads of hostiletribes, and should they hear that such a prize as our waggon full ofgoods is in the neighbourhood, they will attack us in the hopes ofcarrying it off."
"We need not be afraid of them; we have a dozen muskets, besides ourrifles and pistols, and may keep a whole host of enemies at bay,"observed Mr Vincent. "Kanenge will send a party of his men, andprobably, if I ask him, come himself to assist us."
Martin had now to tell his father that two of their own people werealready dead, and that several others were so ill that there was littlehope of their recovery.
Kibo came every day to the hut, and brought presents of provisions fromhis father. Martin asked him if he felt happy at being once more amonghis relations and own people. Kibo shook his head.
"No, very sorry," he answered, speaking partly in broken English andpartly in his native tongue. "My father is kind and glad to have mewith him; but he knows nothing of the true God, and wants me to followthe bad ways of my people, which he thinks right ways. I tell him thatGod wishes men to be happy, and to live at peace, and to do good to eachother and not harm, and to love their enemies, and to trust to Him, andto worship Him only; and that all men are bad by nature and constantlydoing wrong, and that it is only by trusting to Jesus Christ, who waspunished instead of them, that God will forgive them their sins and putthem away out of His sight. My father says he cannot understand howthis can be, and that now I have come to live among my people, I mustbelieve what they do, and live as they do. I tell him I cannot believethe lies Satan has invented to deceive them, and that I must not followtheir ways, which are the bad ways Satan has taught them; and so I haveasked my father to let me go back with you and try to persuade Mr Wardento come here, or to send another missionary to teach the people aboutJesus Christ, and how He wishes men to live."
Martin was truly glad to hear Kibo say this, and he urged him topersevere in trying to obtain leave to return, promising to beg MrVincent to assist him.
CHAPTER FOUR.
Two months had passed by, the waggon was half loaded with ivory, and MrVincent had partly recovered from his fever; but all his oxen were dead,and so were nearly half the men he had brought with him. Many of thenatives had also died, and great numbers were suffering. It was evidentthat the low-lying region now occupied by Kanenge and his tribe,intersected as it was by numerous rivers, with swamps in all directions,was very unhealthy. Martin was thankful when his father proposed movingeastward to a higher region.
Kanenge had supplied oxen, which the trader's surviving followers hadbeen engaged for some time in breaking in. The chief also, confiding inthe firearms with which he and his people were to be furnished, agreedto accompany him.
The waggon and goods were transported across the river, and accompaniedby Kanenge, with nearly a hundred men, the trader's party commencedtheir journey in the proposed direction. Mr Vincent being too weak towalk, was carried in a sort of palanquin, while the rest of the partymarched on foot.
After travelling for upwards of a week, the country greatly improving inappearance, they reached a steep hill, up which the waggon was slowlydragged, till at length they found themselves on a wide extent ofelevated ground, high above the plain, which stretched away to thesouthward. Here the air felt pure and comparatively bracing, and Martinat first hoped that his father would recover his strength.
Still, after some days had passed, observing how weak and ill heremained, he could not help fearing that his days were numbered. Shouldhis father die, he would indeed have been in a forlorn condition had henot learned to trust to One who rules all things for the best. He was,therefore, far more anxious about his father than about himself. Eachevening, when they encamped, he sat by his side, and having read aportion of Scripture, he endeavoured to turn his father's thoughts to afuture state of existence.
"What, do you think I am likely to die?" asked Mr Vincent one day. "Whydo you talk so much about heaven?"
"We have seen many of our companions die, my dear father, and we knowhow uncertain life is in this country, as it is indeed in all parts ofthe world, and at all events we should live prepared to quit this lifeat any moment. Christ has said that we must enter the kingdom of heavenhere, we must become His subjects while we are on earth, we must bereconciled to God now, we must be born again; and therefore it is that Iam so anxious you should accept His gracious offers, though at the sametime I pray that you may be restored to health and strength."
At first Mr Vincent turned a deaf ear to what his son said, but bydegrees his hard heart softened, he saw how earnest and affectionatethat son was, and he could not help being aware
of his own increasingweakness.
Although he at first thought himself getting better, the disease hadtaken too strong a hold of him to be thrown off. Martin at length hadthe infinite satisfaction of finding that his father now listened withdeep attention to God's Word when he read it.
"My dear boy," he said one day, "I now know myself to be a rebel to God,and grievously to have sinned against His pure and holy laws; and Iearnestly desire to accept the gracious offer of mercy which He holdsout through the atoning blood of Christ, according to His plan ofsalvation, which you have so clearly explained to me. I do not knowwhether I shall live or die, but I pray for grace that I may evercontinue faithful to Him who has redeemed me with His precious blood."
Martin burst into tears on hearing his father thus express himself--theywere tears of joy--and he felt the great load which had hithertooppressed him removed from his
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