The Final Adversary

by Gilbert, Morris

  Beecham noticed Andy’s impatience and smiled. “Might as well throw that watch away, my boy. These people keep a different time.”

  Andy’s response was only a grimace.

  The rocky ride made a few of them seasick, including Katie. “Don’t you feel a little sick?” she asked Barney, seeing his concern.

  “Nope. I heard once that only idiots are immune to seasickness. Guess I’m safe.”

  The long trip was trying—the scorching sun and wind left them sunburned, weather-beaten, and exhausted. It was a relief when the prow of the boat finally hit the beach at one-thirty the next morning.

  Katie peered through the black darkness, seeing only shadows. The boatmen shouted and the shadows on shore moved. Soon there was a scramble as debarking began. Perplexed as to what to do, Katie waited.

  “Mammy, you ready to go now?” a voice beside her said.

  “Yes, I’m ready,” she replied, recognizing Bestman.

  He took her hand and guided her to the prow of the boat. “Now, you stand still, Mammy,” he said, and she heard him step into the water. “Mammy, you come.”

  “How can I get to the shore?”

  “Mammy, I go carry you.”

  He picked her up like a child and sloshed through the surf to the shore and set her down on a rock.

  “You all right now, Mammy?”

  “Yes, Bestman. I’m fine.”

  He carried the other women across the rough waters as well, and soon the entire group was together. The cool wind whipped around them, moaning eerily. It made the goose bumps rise on Katie’s arms. Though she was eager for the challenge ahead, this depressing introduction to the wild, unknown world was unnerving.

  “Come along.” Beecham’s voice was a welcome intrusion to Katie’s thought. “The station’s not far from here.”

  Beecham set out at a brisk pace through the darkness. The others followed, blindly trusting their leader. Shortly they saw the welcome gleam of a lighted window. “That’s it,” Beecham said cheerfully.

  At the house they were met by a small native couple speaking a strange language, their white teeth prominent against the ebony skin.

  “Gwani. These people are starved. They would like some food as soon as possible.”

  The servants’ winning smiles won Katie’s heart. As they scurried around preparing the meal, Beecham helped the missionaries get settled. The women were assigned to the only bedroom in the house.

  As they stepped into the room, Lily screeched, “It’s a SNAKE!”

  “Oh, come on, Lily,” Katie said. “It was only a lizard. You ought to be glad it wasn’t a snake!”

  “It went right across my foot! Oh, I should have stayed in the city! I’m not sure I’ll make it!”

  “You will, Lily—just give yourself a chance. Remember why we came.”

  Katie kept encouraging the others as they grabbed their bags and changed into dry clothing. When the call for supper came, they were all ready.

  The table had room only for the women, so the others sat on their haunches. After the blessing, everyone dived into the rice and beans, hungrily scraping the morsels off tin plates.

  While they ate, Beecham gave them a rundown on his plans. “I think we’ll rest up for two days here and sort of get used to the surroundings before we go to our various stations.”

  “Where are they?” Del asked with his mouth full.

  Beecham put his plate down and walked over to a map of Liberia tacked on the wall. “This is Rhodilly,” he said, pointing to the area. “The work has been growing steadily. That’s where the De-Laughters will be stationed. And this is Newaka, a good location with a nice house. The Rankens will serve there.”

  “See, Lily,” Slim said, nodding at her. “We’ve got the pick of all the stations.” He didn’t know that it was on Lily’s account they had been assigned there. Beecham had confided to Barney and Gardner that Lily would never survive anywhere else.

  “This is Gropaka—your station, Barney and Gardner,” Beecham went on. “This will be a pioneer work for you since the place has been empty the last few years. A young couple by the name of Tinner died not too long after they arrived.” He paused and said, “You’ll find their graves there.”

  “They died? From what?” Pearl asked incredulously.

  “I’ll tell you about that later.” From Beecham’s sad expression, it was evidently a tragic event. He continued pointing to the other locations. “This is your station, Del and Andy, at Chodi. It’s got a good start, but needs lots of care.”

  “What about Katie and me?” Irene piped up.

  “Right here. Maoli is the name of the village. It has a house of sorts, native style. But you two are tough,” he smiled.

  “Now let’s get some rest. It’s been a rough day, I know, and there’ll be time to make plans tomorrow. I’ll go with the Rankens to Newaka, and the rest of you will have guides.”

  Most of them slept poorly, thinking of the difficulties lying ahead. Once Barney thought he heard something moving outside the house, but he wasn’t sure. Finally he dropped off to sleep in spite of Awful’s loud snoring. At some point during the night he dreamed he was surrounded by a fierce tribe of natives who were screaming for his death. Startled awake he shoved his blanket off, then realized he’d had a nightmare.

  “Go to sleep, Winslow,” he chided himself. “You’re getting to be an old woman—and not even far from the coast yet!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Bestman

  “I go with you, Mammy.”

  Katie stared at the tall young African who greeted her when she came out of the house at dawn on Friday morning. She had spoken to him several times during the past two days, finding him to be highly intelligent and a devoted Christian.

  “Why, Bestman, the surfboats left last night,” she said. “I thought you went back to Monrovia.”

  “No. I go with you to Pahn people.”

  He was determined, but Katie was not certain she had the authority to allow him to accompany her. “I’ll have to talk to Reverend Beecham, Bestman. Why do you want to go? You know we can’t pay you?”

  Bestman nodded vigorously. “Jesus wake Bestman up last night. Say, ‘You go with Mammy to village.’ ” His white teeth gleamed and he added, “We do plenty preaching. Beside, if Bestman go, Pahn people no eat Mammy.”

  Shocked, Katie couldn’t believe what she had heard. She asked carefully, “Bestman, I am a stranger in your country. Will you help me learn the ways of your people?”

  “Oh yes, Mammy!”

  “Before I came to your land, I heard how Pahn ate somebody. Is it true that Pahn eat people?”

  He didn’t answer, just studied her face. She understood his silence, for cannibalism, once widespread, had been outlawed. She went on. “We came to help Pahn people. I only want to know how your people are. Maybe I don’t hear the truth. Is it true? Pahn eat people?”

  When he saw that she meant well, he grunted, “Yes, we eat somebody.”

  “You, Bestman, you ate somebody?”

  “I eat plenty people.”

  “Who did you eat?” Katie asked. “When we got war, we catch somebody from other side. We chop him.”

  “What means chop?”

  He nodded solemnly. “Chop—eat. All same.”

  Katie smiled at him. “Someday, maybe, I will make you mad. Will you eat me?”

  “Oh no, Mammy!” Bestman exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. “You be white man!”

  It was no time to take up the moral question of cannibalism, Katie knew. She went directly to Reverend Beecham, where he was helping the Rankens load their supplies. “Bestman wants to go with Irene and me. Will that be all right?”

  “My word, yes!” Beecham exclaimed. “That is a bit of good fortune for you, Katie! He’s a Pahn himself, of course, and with him to vouch for you, you won’t have to put in a worrisome time gaining the confidence of the people. And it solves your interpreting problem. Not to mention the fact that you’ll
have a trusty servant right from the beginning. Usually you have to run through half a dozen lazy ones to get someone who’ll do.”

  “Oh, I’m glad!” Katie said. “I’m going to tell him.” She ran back and told Bestman that he could go, and then went to find Irene. “God is with us,” she said brightly. “Bestman is going to help us.”

  Irene smiled. “That’s good. We’ll need a man around the place, won’t we?”

  All day they worked on preparations, though Beecham had done much of it beforehand. Supper was a fun time—rice and beans, of course, which seemed to be the staple of the country—and everyone seemed in high spirits. There was a great deal of bantering and laughter, but Andy did not enter into it as usual, Katie noticed.

  “I think Andy’s unhappy,” she murmured to Barney.

  “I suppose so. He thinks we’re making a big mistake, you know. After you all went to bed last night, he talked to us men, trying to change our minds.”

  “But you didn’t, did you?”

  “Oh no,” he smiled. “Andy will come around.” Then he switched to another subject. “Say, I heard about your good luck—getting Bestman to go with you. That’s wonderful!”

  “He volunteered. He says Jesus came to him in a dream and told him to go with us.”

  “I wish I could get directions that easily!”

  “So do I,” she said. “I have to wait and wait—and even then sometimes I just have to give up and do what seems best.”

  Later as the group sat around, talking about the venture, Katie mentioned Bestman’s dream to them.

  “Probably just wanted to go back to his people,” Pearl said.

  “Not necessarily,” Beecham countered. “It might be well for you to listen carefully when one of your flock gives you some word. All these people are spiritual, you know.”

  “Spiritual?”

  “You mean they’re saved?” Tobe asked.

  “No, certainly not,” Beecham answered. “These people don’t think of the spirit world as we do. Most of us are very unaware of the spiritual world when we’re lost—or even after we are saved. Ask the average American if he believes in evil spirits, and he’ll think you’re daft. But you ask an American Indian, and he’ll know what you’re talking about. The Indians are like the Africans, like any primitive people. They know there’s a world that can’t be seen.”

  “Isn’t most of that superstition?”

  “Some, of course. But from now on you’re going to see things you’ve never encountered in America. There are witch doctors not a mile from this spot who can do things no ordinary man can. I’ve seen them put a curse on a man who was as healthy as any of us—yet forty-eight hours later the man died for no apparent reason.”

  “But that’s just because they’re so afraid, isn’t it?” Andy demanded. “You tell a man he’s sick often enough, and he’ll more than likely get sick. It’s the power of suggestion.”

  Beecham smiled grimly. “You’ll get rid of that idea fast enough, Andy! There’s plenty of superstition, God knows! But to the African, he’s living with a world inhabited by spirits—good and bad. Powerful spirits! Nobody just dies. They believe some spirit was responsible. You’ll be exposed to the ‘avenger of blood,’ I promise you.”

  “What’s that?” Gardner inquired.

  “When someone dies, the witch doctor goes through his incantations. He’ll assign the responsibility for the death to someone in the village. Then the person is ferreted out and given the ‘sass-wood test.’ That consists of forcing the accused to drink the poison brew. If he vomits it up, he’s innocent. If he dies, he is guilty of bewitching the one who died.”

  “How awful!” Irene gasped. “Can’t we stop it?”

  “Be careful how you go about interfering in the lives of these people,” Beecham said clearly. “In the first place, there are evil spirits, and the only way to fight them is in the name of Jesus. Demon-possessed people are very common, and more than one missionary has been harmed by trying to deal with them. There’s no other way than the biblical way, which is to command the spirits to come out in the name of Jesus.”

  “What if they don’t?” Barney asked quickly.

  “Then command them again! There are those who come out only by prayer and fasting. But be cautious about the customs. You won’t like some of them, but don’t rush in like a bull in a china shop, trying to right all the wrongs you see. It’s common for these people to sell their children, especially their daughters. We all hate it, but it’s been going on for hundreds of years. Someday it will change, but for the present we have to be careful to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and most of all—love the people. If you do that,” Beecham said emphatically, “then no matter how many mistakes you make in other ways, you’ll please God and win the people to Him.”

  For a long time Beecham talked about the work. Finally he said, “Well, you’ll have to learn as you go. Now, I want you all to kneel. I’m going to lay hands on each of you. You’ll need the power of God on your life, and I’m going to pray that you have it!”

  It was a scene none of them ever forgot. Beecham prayed for Andy first, putting his hands on Winslow’s head. It was a powerful prayer, claiming the power of God and asking God’s protection over him. Then he began to bind evil spirits that would destroy the work. “I bind you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Satan, you are defeated! You were crushed at the cross; and by the blood of Jesus, I command you to leave this young man alone!”

  He prayed long and powerfully over each of them. Several times he would pause, wait for a time, then would have a word of encouragement or warning for the individual. When he came to Katie, he prayed a long time for her safety, then said, “You will be surrounded, my daughter, by the powers of darkness. The enemy will come against you with awesome power. You will face death itself. But greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. When your spirit is being torn apart, remember my promise, you will cast out demons, and if you drink any deadly thing, it will not harm you. And you will see the power of Almighty God!”

  It was late by the time he had finished praying for the entire group. Grateful for what the Lord had done, Beecham said, “Praise God for all He has revealed to us. When you face adversity, remember God’s special word to you. He will not fail, for all the elements of your times are in His hands. Stand fast in the trying hour. His name and His blood are more powerful than the strongest force against you. Now, sleep well. We may never meet again in this world, for we are pledging our heads to heaven, as the old Puritan once said. But if you hear that Stanley Beecham is dead, remember, I will be in the presence of the King!”

  ****

  At dawn the next day the group separated, each pair heading in different directions. They were sober and a little frightened.

  Gardner sensed their apprehension and called out, “Cheerio! Let’s give the devil a hard time!”

  Maoli, the station where Irene and Katie were to serve, was on the same route as Gropaka, where Barney and Gardner were going. It was thirty-five miles away, a two-day walk through the jungle. That meant the men would be with them all the way on the overland trail. Their little party set out, and for the first ten miles the trail was broad and easy. But that afternoon, they hit the heavier jungle, and traveling became difficult.

  The trail narrowed the deeper they got into the forest, making it necessary to form a single line. Even then the vines and creepers were so enmeshed a native had to cut the way clear with a long knife. Not only was the path narrow, it was very crooked, as the Africans always detoured around fallen trees and branches instead of cutting them out of the way. The party wound around in such a serpentine fashion that at times it was difficult for Katie to tell if the songs of the marchers came from in front or behind.

  By three o’clock Katie and Irene were staggering with exhaustion. Bestman saw it and cried out, “What we go do for Mammy?” He halted the caravan and soon had fashioned two makeshift hammocks, using canvas and clothesl
ine rope from the missionaries’ supply. Bamboo poles were added at each end. “We go carry Mammy now,” he announced.

  Katie awkwardly got into the hammock, and two natives picked up the ends and balanced them on their heads, using a rolled circle of grass for padding. “We go now!” Bestman shouted. Both hammocks were picked up, and Katie found herself suspended in the air. It was a strange sensation, swaying gently as the caravan moved through the dense jungle. She could see nothing, though she was too tired to care and soon dozed off.

  She awakened when she heard Bestman call out something in his own language, and then the hammock was gently lowered. Getting out, she smiled at the two bearers, saying, “Madalla, Madalla!” which meant “Thank you.”

  Camp was struck beside a small stream, and the natives soon had a fire going. Overtaken by weariness, Barney and Gardner just sat with their backs to a tree.

  “I thought I wuz in pretty good shape,” Barney murmured ruefully. “I’m just a baby!”

  “Those skinny fellas carried the women half the bloomin’ day!” Awful shook his head. “They may have to carry me tomorrow!”

  Bestman had disappeared, but the sound of a rifle indicated why. Soon he returned with meat for supper. “Very fine!” he grinned, holding up the game.

  Katie squinted, then covered her mouth. Monkey!

  The other missionaries saw it at the same time. Irene gasped. Leaning toward Katie, she whispered, “We can’t eat that, Katie!”

  But Katie said boldly, “I hope we brought plenty of Reverend Beecham’s hot sauce!”

  Actually the meat was not too bad. Their cook made up a stew of rice and fish, and threw the monkey in for good measure. Katie took the bowl that Bestman handed her and glanced at Barney. A humorous thought struck her. “This is all your fault, Barney Winslow! You’re the one responsible for making me come to Africa to eat monkey meat!”

  The other three laughed, the natives joining them, though they didn’t have the slightest idea what was so funny.