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THE MISSIONARY MAKING PEACE BETWEEN THE TRIBES. 
 
TRIUMPHS OF GRACE; 
 
 AS SEEN IN 
 
 THE CONVERSION OF KAFIRS, HOTTENTOTS, FINGOES, 
 AND OTHER NATIVES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 BY SAMUEL YOUNG, 
 
 TWELVE YEARS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN MASON, 
 
 AT THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE OFFICE, 14, CITY-ROAD; 
 AND SOLD AT 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 1842 , 
 
ROCHE, PRINTER, 25 , HOXTON* SQU ARE, LONDON. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following reasons have induced the Author 
 of this small volume to present it to the public. 
 
 1. The frequent and urgent requests of Chris- 
 tian friends and Ministers, of different denomina- 
 tions, and in various parts of the United Kingdom, 
 to see, in print, the facts and statements to which 
 they have listened with encouraging attention, 
 both in public and private. 
 
 2. The hope that a brief narrative of the tri- 
 umphs of grace, as exemplified in the conversion 
 of Kafirs, Hottentots, Fingoes, and other natives 
 of South Africa, might tend to encourage the 
 efforts of Sunday-School Teachers, Tract Distri- 
 butors, Missionary Collectors and Subscribers, to 
 renewed and persevering exertions to spread the 
 knowledge of the Saviour’s name. A number of 
 well-authenticated facts of the conversion of souls 
 to Christ, communicated by Missionaries of different 
 denominations, would, by the blessing of God, 
 induce Christian churches more fully to “ bring 
 them on their way, and cause great joy unto all 
 the brethren.” 
 
 3. Having had the honour to be employed as a 
 Christian Missionary by the Wesleyan Missionary 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Society, for twelve years in South Africa, partly 
 amongst the British settlers and Hottentots in 
 the District of Albany, on the eastern frontier of 
 the Cape colony, and partly amongst the Kafirs 
 in their own country; and having been an eye- 
 witness of the facts narrated in the following 
 pages, the Author considers that the publication 
 of these facts is due to the Society by which he 
 has been employed ; to the Christian public who 
 have assisted the Society by their money, their 
 influence, and their prayers ; to those young men 
 who may yet offer themselves as Missionaries to 
 the heathen ; and, above all, to the Saviour who 
 bought these outcasts of men with his blood. 
 
 It is only necessary to add, that the account of 
 the lovefeast, held in Wesley ville, recorded in these 
 pages, was published in the Missionary Notices, in 
 1832, and has also found its way into other pub- 
 lications. The Author does not consider it necessary 
 to offer any apology for its insertion in this small 
 volume, as he presided at the Meeting referred 
 to, and drew up the account which was sent to 
 the Wesleyan Missionary Secretaries. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction. Pages 1—5. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Commencement of the Kafir Mission by the Rev. W. 
 Shaw and Rev. S. Kaye — The writer’s appointment to 
 ’Slambie’s tribe — Particulars respecting the Kafirs — 
 Escape of the Rev. Mr. Williams and family — Super- 
 stitions and cruelties — Conjectures respecting the ancestry 
 of the Kafirs. Pages 6— 20. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Kafir Mission, continued — Mount- Coke — Visit to the great 
 Chief ’Slambie — Author becomes ’Slambie’s adopted son 
 — Preaching to ’Slambie’s people — Interference respecting 
 stolen cattle — Murder of two British soldiers — Detection, 
 examination, and execution of the murderers — Conversion 
 and trials of a native female — Of Hoopa — Zeal of native 
 converts — Plan of itinerating — Journey to Eno’s tribe — 
 Difficulties — Success. Pages 21 — 46. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Kafir Mission, continued — Death of ’Slambie — Funeral 
 ceremonies — Character of Dushanie, 'Slambie’s son — A 
 great warrior — A leading Chief in the attack on Gra- 
 ham’s-Town in 1819 — His death and funeral — Mission- 
 aries suspected of poisoning the Chief — Dushanie’s wife 
 a descendant of one of the crew of “ The Grosvenor” — 
 Wreck of a French vessel — Murder of Lieut. Farewell 
 and party by the Fitcanie — Destruction of Morley station 
 — Providential deliverance of Mrs. Shepstone and family 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 — War prevented by tlie interposition of the Missionaries 
 — Kafir sham-fight — Danger of Missionaries — Nosont, 
 the wife of Umkye the Chief, converted — Last visit to 
 ’Slambie’s place — Wedding dance — Kind reception of the 
 Missionary — Visit of Chief Kye and his wife. Pages 
 47—84. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Wesley ville Mission — Removal to Wesley ville — Rev. W. 
 Shaw’s enterprise — Author’s first reception — Sermon, 
 1 Pet. ii. 9 — Death of Mrs. Young and two children — 
 Enlargement of the chapel — Conversions — Account of 
 Gwashu’s daughter and wife — Anxiety of the Chief for a 
 Missionary — Visit to him — Invitations to Pato’s, Kama’s, 
 and Congo’s tribes — Visit to Noobie the Chief — Dangers 
 in crossing the Kaiskamma river — Return — Remarkable 
 revival at Wesley ville — Visit of Messrs. W. Shaw and 
 Palmer — Baptism of catechumens — Funeral of a young 
 Chief — Christmas-day — Baptism of the Chief Kama’s 
 wife — Sacrament of the Lord’s supper. Pages 85 — 119. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Lovefeast at Wesley ville — Speeches of twenty natives — 
 Missionary Meeting — Attendance of Colonel Somerset 
 and other gentlemen — Speeches of Chiefs — Native Ex- 
 horters — Sunday and Day Schools — Anniversary Meeting 
 — Examination of scholars — Slaughter of an ox on the 
 occasion — Plum-cake — Importance and results of 
 education — Watson Institution — Interesting Kafir youth 
 — Kafir periodical — Translations — Indirect influence of 
 the Gospel exhibited in several remarkable instances — 
 Meeting of two Chiefs in Graham’s-Town. Pages 
 120 — 160 . 
 
A 
 
 MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Africa is sometimes called a land of won- 
 ders. Its mountains, its caves, its valleys, its 
 plains, its rivers, and its shores, all furnish 
 matter for history ; and if they could speak, 
 what scenes would they disclose, and what 
 tales of woe would they relate ! The name 
 of Africa produces feelings of a painfully 
 interesting character in the heart of the 
 philanthropist, and fills his mind with a 
 thousand serious reflections. 
 
 Africa, considered physically, presents an 
 extensive field for observation and enterprise. 
 Its mountains furnish ample materials for 
 the researches of the geologist ; its valleys 
 and plains, for the botanist; its forests and 
 rivers, for the natural historian and phi- 
 losopher. It is a country distinguished by 
 B 
 
2 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 the vastness of its extent ; the diversity of its 
 climate ; its large tribes, varying in customs, 
 languages, and character. 
 
 Several enterprising travellers have visited 
 Africa with a view to explore its hitherto 
 hidden regions, and to make themselves ac- 
 quainted with the character and circum- 
 stances of the natives; but, alas! they have 
 fallen victims, either to the ungenial in- 
 fluence of the climate, or the barbarism of 
 the people. 
 
 A strong feeling of commiseration at pre- 
 sent exists among almost all classes of society 
 in favour of the deeply degraded, long op- 
 pressed, and neglected natives of Africa. The 
 Christian patriot stands and looks towards 
 this country in an imploring attitude ; and 
 while he thinks upon the moral miseries and 
 spiritual destitution of one hundred millions 
 of souls, he heaves a sigh, and says, 
 
 “The bliss for Adam’s race design’d, 
 
 When will it reach to all mankind ?” 
 
 Amongst the various societies whose agents 
 have been successfully employed in amelio- 
 rating the condition of the natives, by the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 3 
 
 blessings of the Gospel, may be noticed the 
 Church, the London, the Glasgow, the Mora- 
 vian, and the Wesleyan Missionary Societies. 
 With many of the Missionaries of the above 
 Societies, the author of this narrative is well 
 acquainted, and is prepared to bear testimony 
 to their piety, zeal, talents, perseverance, 
 and success; but it is not his intention to 
 write a large volume, although he has ample 
 material for such a purpose, but rather to 
 select principally facts which have come 
 under his own observation, and with which 
 he has been connected, during a residence of 
 about twelve years in South Africa. He has 
 watched with prayerful anxiety the progress 
 of Christianity, and seen with gratitude the 
 blessings of civilized life following in its 
 train. These may be calculated upon as the 
 natural result of the spread of evangelical 
 truth, and as an evidence of the divinity of 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 He has thankfully observed the influence 
 of the Gospel subduing the fierce and warlike 
 Kafir; expanding the mind of the Hot- 
 tentot; raising the deeply -degraded Fingoe 
 to the condition of a man; inspiring the 
 b 2 
 
4 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 timid Bechuana with courage, and giving 
 him security in the land of his fathers ; pre- 
 venting the marauding Bushman from point- 
 ing his poisoned and deadly arrow at his 
 neighbour, and teaching him to appreciate the 
 blessings of domestic life. And by the same 
 life-giving truth, the murderous Guabies, (or 
 Fitcanie,) once the terror of surrounding 
 tribes, who have desolated whole districts of 
 country, and plunged into eternity thousands 
 of immortal souls without a moment’s pre- 
 paration, are now saying, “ Send us a teacher 
 to teach us how we must worship God, and 
 we will attend to his instructions.” 
 
 The author, when about seven hundred 
 miles distant from Cape-Town, was one day 
 deeply affected by the visit of a man who 
 had come a journey of three months from 
 the interior, at the risk of his life, to see if it 
 were true that men were living among the 
 Kafirs, who had not come to buy their hides, 
 ivory, or cattle, but to teach them the word 
 of God, and to love each other. After con- 
 versing some time with the Missionary, and 
 making inquiries of the converted natives, 
 he said, “ now his ears were opened for the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 5 
 
 first time, and this had put a bridle upon his 
 tongue, as he could only sit in silence and 
 wonder.” 
 
 It was said by our Lord, “ And I, if I he 
 lifted up, will draw all men unto me and 
 now that he is lifted up by the preaching of 
 the Gospel amongst the native tribes of 
 Africa, many, even at a distance, are deeply 
 impressed by the reports which reach them ; 
 and, under those impressions, are almost daily 
 coming to the Mission stations, and saying, 
 “We will go with you; for we have heard 
 that God is with you.” 
 
 B 3 
 
6 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Kafir Mission was commenced in the 
 year 1822 , by the Rev. W. Shaw. He was ap- 
 pointed by the Wesleyan Missionary Society 
 to accompany the British settlers who went 
 out in 1820, and to labour among them. The 
 astonishing success with which that Mission 
 was favoured may be partly attributed to the 
 judicious arrangements, uniform, pious de- 
 portment, and zealous exertions of Mr. Shaw. 
 He traversed the two extensive districts of 
 Albany and Somerset, scattering the seed of 
 eternal life amongst the neglected settlers, in 
 danger, from destitution of the means of 
 grace, of sinking into a state of heathenism. 
 In the midst of his numerous engagements, 
 Mr. Shaw found means of intercourse with 
 some of the Kafir tribes ; and as the Chiefs 
 of the Gonaqwebie tribe were anxious to 
 receive a Missionary, after having obtained 
 the consent of the Governor of the colony, and 
 of the Committee of the Wesleyan Missionary 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 7 
 
 Society in London, he left Albany, set out 
 with his family into the Kafir country, and 
 at once introduced the Gospel among this in- 
 teresting people. The writer of these pages 
 had the honour to be appointed to suc- 
 ceed Mr. Shaw in Albany, in 1823 ; where he 
 found a devoted and an enterprising people, 
 truly prepared of the Lord. Amongst them 
 he spent three happy years. It is only jus- 
 tice to add, that he never met with more 
 affectionate, pious, and liberal Christians. 
 Their affection has always been manifested 
 towards their Ministers ; their piety has sus- 
 tained them in the greatest trials, arising 
 from the total failure of their crops, and the 
 loss of cattle and friends in the incursions of 
 the Kafirs. Their religion has taught them 
 to do good to those who despitefully use 
 them and entreat them ; for they have raised 
 hundreds of pounds to send the Gospel to 
 the very people who have embrued their 
 hands in the blood of their relatives and 
 friends. 
 
 It is not, however, the author’s purpose to 
 furnish a history of the work of the Lord in 
 Albany, although a large volume could not 
 
8 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 detail the triumphs of grace exhibited in 
 the conversion of sinners to God in that 
 district. 
 
 In 1827 I was appointed to ’Slambie’s 
 tribe of Kafirs, which was our second station 
 in the Kafir country, and at that time the 
 farthest in advance. The Rev. S. Kay had 
 commenced this Mission more than a year 
 before this time,* but was again appointed 
 to a station in the colony. My own mind 
 was powerfully drawn towards the Kafirs, 
 amongst whom I felt willing to “ spend and 
 be spent” for their good, and the glory of 
 God. 
 
 Accordingly, in March, 1827, I left Gra- 
 ham’s-Town for the Kafir country, and was 
 accompanied by a number of our friends from 
 Graham’s-Town about eight miles on the 
 road. When we parted, we all knelt down 
 round the waggons: they commended me 
 and my family to God in prayer. We were 
 all deeply affected, and I felt much encour- 
 
 * See his interesting work, called “ Researches in 
 Caffraria.” 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 9 
 
 aged in prospect of the dangers and toils of 
 the Mission, from the consideration that I 
 had an interest in the prayers of God’s 
 people. 
 
 The first part of the journey was some- 
 what discouraging, in consequence of the 
 wide extent of country through which we 
 had to travel, covered with thicket, which 
 is inhabited by elephants, wolves, tigers, 
 hyenas, buffalos, jackals, wild dogs, wild 
 hogs, baboons, and other wild animals. We 
 were also aware that this was the frequent 
 resort of marauding parties of Kafirs, who 
 have sometimes murdered travellers in that 
 bush. But our trust was in the Lord. On 
 entering the country of the Kafirs, the scenery 
 is truly beautiful, diversified by hill and 
 dale, and presenting in every direction a rich 
 and evergreen appearance. It is enlivened 
 by the numerous herds of fine cattle, brows- 
 ing on the sides of the hills, extending along 
 the valleys, and covering the plains. Kafir 
 villages meet the eye of the traveller at every 
 turn. The climate corresponds with the 
 beauty of the country; and there is some- 
 thing exceedingly social and agreeable in 
 
10 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 the first addresses of the inhabitants to a tra- 
 veller. Uvelapina ? “ Where do you come 
 from ? ” Hyingapina ? “ Where are you 
 
 going?” Xelela indaba tuia : “Tell us the 
 news.” Basela : “ Give us something.” 
 
 In person, the Kafirs are tall and well- 
 proportioned, and superior in bodily vigour 
 and appearance to any of the other natives of 
 South Africa. Their complexion is nearly 
 black, and they are warlike in their dispo- 
 sition and habits, and have been the terror 
 of the surrounding tribes and nations. An 
 army of Kafirs drawn up, and prepared for 
 war, with their large shields, war-dresses, 
 spears, and other implements, is an interest- 
 ing but terrific spectacle ; and although 
 their cruelties and barbarities in war have 
 been great, they have frequently manifested 
 the most honourable feeling. They say, in 
 reference to the Bushman, who poisons his 
 arrows, that a man is not worth the name of 
 a man if he cannot conquer his enemy without 
 poisoned weapons. They have often spared 
 men’s lives when they could easily have de- 
 stroyed them. I was much interested by the 
 following account, related to me by many of 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 11 
 
 ’Slambie’s people. When about ten thou- 
 sand of ’Slambie’s warriors were on their way 
 to the colony, to attack the military posts, 
 and to spread destruction wherever they came, 
 they assembled on the top of the Amatoli 
 and Amadoda mountains to agree upon the 
 mode of attack, and the places that should be 
 destroyed. While sitting in council, some 
 of them pointed to the residence of Mr. 
 Williams, of the London Missionary Society, 
 who had a little before come into that part 
 of the country to commence a Mission, and 
 said, “We must begin our work of destruc- 
 tion there, and not leave a white man in our 
 rear alive.” When this was laid before 
 ’Slambie, the great Chief, he paused; and then 
 in a solemn tone of voice said, “ No, no : the 
 man that lives in that house is not an ordi- 
 nary man ; he is God’s man : he has done us 
 no harm ; he is come to do us good : therefore 
 the man that touches him, touches ’Slambie.” 
 This saying was the means of Mr. Williams’s 
 salvation ; showing that “if a man’s ways 
 please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies 
 to be at peace with him.” 
 
 Notwithstanding these interesting qualities 
 
12 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 of the Kafirs, the Gospel found them ex- 
 ceedingly superstitious and cruel. They are 
 afraid of going to the banks of some of 
 their rivers at night, lest they should be 
 dragged in by the spirits of the people 
 living in the river; and in cases of special 
 afflictions, they offer sacrifices to the people 
 in the river. I was one day visited by four 
 men from Junga’s tribe, who came to request 
 me to give them a pass to the Great Fish- 
 River, in order that they might sacrifice 
 a cow to the people in the river. They as- 
 signed the following reason for this act. A 
 man of their tribe was taken very unwell. 
 Hundreds of the people were called together 
 to meet the wise man, or doctor ; who, after 
 the dance was over, asked the sick man if 
 he had not been successful in hunting in the 
 neighbourhood of the Fish-River some time 
 before; to which he said, “Yes.” The doc- 
 tor then asked, “ Have you ever given the 
 people in the river any thing to eat since that 
 time?” The answer was, “ No.” “ Then,” 
 said he, “ you have grieved the people in the 
 river; and that is the reason why you are 
 sick. You must give them a cow of such an 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 13 
 
 age, some corn, and tobacco ; and after these 
 are given, you will get better.” The journey 
 was undertaken, the cow was slaughtered on 
 the banks of the river, and after they had 
 eaten a little of the flesh, and some corn, and 
 had used a little of the tobacco, to show the 
 people in the river that what they gave them 
 was what they could eat themselves, the rest 
 was thrown into the river, and the men re- 
 turned home. The sick man afterwards re- 
 covered, and they always thought that the 
 sacrifice thus presented was the means of his 
 recovery. Their superstitious ideas were the 
 cause of much cruelty. Sometimes, for sup- 
 posed crimes, men have been taken and bound 
 hand and foot, and then cast from the top of 
 a high rock, and dashed to pieces ; and left in 
 that state at the foot of the rock, food for 
 wolves and vultures. Others have been seized, 
 and severely beaten: they have then been 
 tied down with cords, near a large fire, and 
 have had red hot stones applied to the soles of 
 their feet, to the sides of their face, and other 
 parts of their body, until it has been doubtful 
 whether they would live or die. If no con- 
 fession could be extorted from them by this 
 c 
 
14 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 cruel method, they have then been smeared 
 over with fat, and a large number of black 
 ants have been poured upon them, which 
 commence at once to eat them alive. 
 
 Under the influence of such awful tortures, 
 with the hope of saving life, they have some- 
 times acknowledged the crime laid to their 
 charge, although they have, perhaps, been 
 crippled ever afterwards, have lost their pro- 
 perty, their cattle, and all that they possessed, 
 and have been obliged to live upon the roots 
 of trees and vegetables. Several persons who 
 have suffered in this way, have crawled away 
 from their enemies in the night, and have come 
 to our stations; their lives have been pre- 
 served ; and they have afterwards sought and 
 found the Friend of sinners. It has been 
 the practice of Kafirs throughout the country 
 either to leave their aged sick people to die 
 in the house without help, and then leave 
 their bodies to be devoured by the wolves; 
 or to drag them, while still alive, into a 
 neighbouring thicket, and there leave them 
 a prey to these devouring creatures. Such 
 was the end of hundreds of old people in 
 Kafirland before the Gospel began to shed its 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 15 
 
 enlightening and cheering beams upon these 
 “ dark portions of the earth, which were full 
 of the habitations of cruelty.” An affecting 
 case took place not far from my residence, in 
 ’Slambie’s tribe of Kafirs. A woman was 
 confined of twins, one of whom died soon 
 after its birth ; and as the woman herself was 
 very unwell, and her neighbours thought she 
 also would die, they all left the place. The 
 woman and her children were consequently 
 dragged out of the house by the wolves, and 
 devoured, without any person thinking of 
 assisting her. Her husband, at the time, 
 was gone on special business to the residence 
 of the great Chief. When he left home, his 
 wife was quite well ; but when he returned, 
 his house was deserted, and only a few of the 
 bones of his nearest earthly friend were found 
 scattered about his habitation. He imme- 
 diately threw off his kaross, his only covering, 
 and crept naked into the thicket to mourn 
 the loss of his wife until the moon was dead 
 under which this distressing event had oc- 
 curred. He afterwards came to my residence 
 to beg some food and clothing. When his 
 wishes were gratified, he kissed my hand, 
 c 2 
 
16 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 called me his father, and said, “ I must never 
 be tired with helping Kafirs.” I endeavoured 
 to show him that although I might not 
 always be able to help them, yet help was to 
 be obtained from Jesus the Friend of sinners, 
 even for Kafirs ; and that “ he that cometh 
 unto Christ shall in no wise be cast out.” 
 Before I leave the subject of cruelty, I will 
 state another fact with which I was well 
 acquainted. Two individuals, for a supposed 
 crime, were stripped of all their property and 
 clothing, deserted by all their friends, and 
 burned nearly to death by the application of 
 red-hot stones to different parts of their 
 bodies. They were then left either to live 
 or die. These persons succeeded at last in 
 crawling to one of our Mission stations, and 
 by kind attentions paid to them, both re- 
 covered, and were afterwards powerfully con- 
 vinced of their need of a Saviour. After 
 earnestly seeking mercy in all the means of 
 grace for some time, they were both enabled 
 to say, “ O Lord, I will praise thee : though 
 thou wast angry with me, thine anger is 
 turned away, and thou comfortest me.” 
 While looking at these outcasts with grati- 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 17 
 
 tude, and reflecting upon their history, I 
 have frequently been constrained to exclaim, 
 “ Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire V* 
 (Zech. iii. 2.) 
 
 Where there is so much superstition and 
 cruelty, there is much moral darkness, and 
 the absence of moral feeling and principle. 
 The Kafirs had no Bible, no Sabbath, no 
 ordinances, no Ministers, no means of grace ; 
 they were truly “ without God and without 
 hope in the world they were deeply de- 
 graded by sin, and glorying in their shame ; 
 but now the light of the knowledge of the 
 glory of God is shining upon them. There 
 are many things in their customs, law's, and 
 language which show that their forefathers 
 must have been much more educated and 
 civilized than the present race of Kafirs, 
 
 I have thought that they are descended 
 from Abraham by Ishmael. First, from their 
 pastoral habits. Secondly, from their using 
 the rite of circumcision, although surrounded 
 with other tribes and nations who do not 
 use it. Thirdly, from their knowing the 
 meaning of the Arabic word Kafir, or Cafir, 
 and feeling insulted when it is applied to 
 c 3 
 
18 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 them, as it means “ infidel.” Fourthly, from 
 many of their names being found in the 
 Bible ; from their considering themselves 
 polluted by touching a dead body; and from 
 their abhorrence of swine’s flesh. Fifthly, 
 from the affinity there is between many 
 Kafir and Hebrew words. Sixthly, from the 
 manner of their giving names to their children, 
 being so much like that of the Hebrews, 
 generally referring to some circumstance at 
 the time of their birth. (Gen. xli. 51, 52 ; 
 1 Chron. iv. 9.) 
 
 In addition to the above characteristics of 
 the Kafirs, may be mentioned their reluct- 
 ance to admit Europeans into their country. 
 This distrust was the result of numerous 
 skirmishes with the Dutch farmers, and of 
 the serious loss of men which they sustained 
 in the battle at Graham’s-Town, when they 
 made one general effort to clear the whole of 
 the frontier of white people. Several of the 
 first settlers in the district of Albany were 
 murdered by the Kafirs ; and when a few 
 Missionaries entered into their country, they 
 were almost panic-struck at what they saw ; 
 and frequently asked if we were not afraid of 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 19 
 
 being killed, seeing that their people had 
 murdered so many of ours. 
 
 Such was the character and condition of 
 the Kafirs when the Wesleyan Missionaries 
 first visited their country. The politician 
 may despairingly say, that such “ barbarians 
 cannot be civilized.” The lukewarm pro- 
 fessor may unbelievingly ask, “ Can these dry 
 bones live ?” But the Missionary, with the 
 Bible in his hand, and the love of God in his 
 heart, goes forth among them praying, “ Come 
 from the four winds, O breath, and breathe 
 upon these slain, that they may live.” (Ezek. 
 xxxvii. 9.) And whilst he testifies the Gospel 
 of the grace of God, he is encouraged by 
 perceiving that it is the “ power of God unto 
 salvation ;” the dark are enlightened, the guilty 
 obtain pardon, the unholy are sanctified, the 
 lost wanderer is led into the way of peace ; 
 he looks now upon them with astonishment 
 and gratitude, and exclaims, “You hath he 
 quickened, who were dead in trespasses and 
 sins.” (Eph. ii. 1.) 
 
 It might be expected that some account 
 should be here given of the first praiseworthy 
 and successful labours of the Rev. W. Shaw, 
 
20 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 at Wesley ville, by which the confidence of 
 the Kafirs was secured, and a foundation laid 
 for commencing our other Missions amongst 
 the various tribes of the Kafir nation ; but I 
 avoid this of set purpose. First, because I 
 am not without hope that Mr. Shaw will yet 
 be induced to write a full and particular 
 narrative of the Wesleyan Missions in Albany 
 and Kafirland. To undertake this he has 
 been urged by the unanimous request of his 
 brethren in the District-Meeting, many years 
 ago, and for this work he possesses several 
 important advantages. Secondly, because I 
 cannot, with the same degree of confidence, 
 enter upon a description of the work which 
 has been instrumentally effected by another. 
 Thirdly, because there will be some en- 
 couraging advantages to the church of Christ 
 hereafter, by every man leaving upon record 
 a number of facts of the power of grace of 
 which he was an eye-witness. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 On my arrival at Mount-Coke, (so called 
 to perpetuate the memory of the late Rev. 
 Dr. Coke,) in the tribe of ’Slambie, I found, 
 by consulting the subordinate Chiefs and 
 their councillors, that it would be of great 
 advantage to visit the great Chief as soon as 
 possible, to gain his entire confidence, and 
 get his “ fast word,” as they express it. 
 
 I accordingly embraced the first oppor- 
 tunity to go to his residence, which was 
 about forty miles beyond our station. I was 
 accompanied by my Kafir interpreter. Upon 
 our arrival near the residence of the King, 
 we sat down on the ground, and waited with 
 anxiety for him to send a messenger (as is 
 their custom) to inquire who we were, and 
 from whence we had come. 
 
 After waiting some time, a fine tall young 
 man came to us, with a spear in his hand, and 
 made the usual inquiries. I informed him 
 that I was the Missionary, and that I could 
 
22 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 not rest until I had seen and conversed with 
 the great Chief upon the subject of the 
 Mission. The young man returned to inform 
 the Chief what I said. During this time there 
 appeared a considerable bustle, occasioned 
 by a number of persons moving quickly from 
 one house to another; for, during the day, 
 a case of law had been warmly discussed by 
 a considerable number of ’Slambie’s subordi- 
 nate Chiefs and councillors. After waiting 
 a few minutes, the messenger returned to 
 inform me that ’Slambie said it was cold, and 
 he could not come to talk with me ; but I 
 must go into the house to talk with him, and 
 tell him what news I had brought. He re- 
 ceived me with a very hearty shake of the 
 hand, said how glad he was to see me, and 
 wished me to sit down and tell him all the 
 news. After an interesting conversation on 
 the state of the colony, and the present 
 condition of Kafirland, and especially his 
 own tribe, I observed how anxious I was to 
 see him, and to be the instrument of doing 
 good to himself and his people ; and, even 
 before I saw him, I had often prayed that 
 God would bless ’Slambie. “ What ! ” he said, 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 23 
 
 “ pray for me before saw me ! that word 
 sticks fast in my heart; that is just what I 
 want. I have no people in this country that 
 pray for me ; my life has been sought by 
 Kafirs, Boors, and English; and one hun- 
 dred oxen have been offered to any man that 
 would bring the head of ’Slambie ; and now 
 that I hear an Englishman say that he loves 
 ’Slambie, and that he is come to do me good, 
 this is a day that I never expected to see ; and 
 it is the more cheering as I expected to live 
 and die in the bush.” After this, he allowed 
 several of his Chiefs and councillors to ask a 
 number of questions respecting the King of 
 England, his councillors, his soldiers, his 
 riches, and the character of his country. 
 And when I told them that our King, and 
 his great councillors were very anxious to 
 secure the welfare of the people throughout 
 Africa, and that many ships and men were 
 employed on that coast to prevent the slave- 
 trade, and if possible stop it for ever ; they 
 exclaimed, Mawo , Mawo / “ Wonderful, won- 
 derful ! ” When it was time to retire, I said 
 I had one request to make, and that was 
 connected with my office ; for I had not come 
 
24 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 into the country to buy cattle, ivory, nor 
 hides, nor to interfere with their politics ; but 
 to tell the news of salvation, which was 
 brought from heaven to earth by an angel, 
 and was to be told to every man and woman 
 in our world, whether black or white. He 
 then wished to know the nature of my re- 
 quest ; when I informed him that I wished to 
 hold a religious service before himself and 
 his councillors, and to preach them a short 
 sermon ; or to tell them a little of the news 
 contained in the book called the Bible, which 
 was the word of God : that as himself and his 
 councillors were the only proper judges of 
 the merits of any or every question of im- 
 portance in his country, I wished them to 
 hear for themselves the doctrines I intended 
 to preach amongst his people. My reason 
 for wishing permission to preach in the royal 
 residence, and before the great Chief, was to 
 obtain his sanction before his leading Captains 
 and councillors; then I was sure that no 
 subordinate Chief would dare to stop my 
 preaching in any part of the tribe. 
 
 I cannot express the gratitude I felt when 
 he replied, “ Yes ; ” and then turning round 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 25 
 
 to the councillors, he said, “ Now open all 
 your ears.” Immediately we had perfect 
 silence, whilst I had the honour and happi- 
 ness of relating the story of the cross, and 
 telling them of the great love of God, in the 
 gift of his Son, for Jew and Gentile, bond 
 and free, black and white. 
 
 I could easily perceive that God’s word 
 was making an impression upon the assem- 
 bly, and that it was accompanied with the 
 evidences of its own divinity; for while it 
 commanded the solemn silence and reverence 
 of these barbarians, it seemed to inspire them 
 with a hope that a brighter and better day 
 was beginning to dawn upon them and their 
 country. When the service closed, the great 
 Chief ordered one of the councillors to thank 
 me for having told them the great news, and 
 to say, he hoped I should never be tired with 
 telling him and his people such news as they 
 had just heard. There were two great points 
 gained. First, my having obtained permis- 
 sion to preach before the King in council. 
 Secondly, the expression of his approbation. 
 After I had thanked him for the very kind 
 manner in which I had been received by 
 D 
 
26 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 himself and councillors, I took my leave for 
 the night, promising to see him in the morn- 
 ing, when I wished to mention several other 
 things in connexion with the Mission. 
 
 Early the following morning, a fine young 
 man came from the King’s residence, and 
 said the King had sent him to see what I 
 was doing, as he was quite anxious to see 
 me again, and to hear more news ; and that 
 he was ready and waiting to receive me. 
 The young man added that ’Slambie was 
 delighted with what he had heard out of the 
 book, (meaning my pocket Testament,) and 
 had been talking nearly all night about it. 
 I immediately went again to the Chief’s house, 
 and was received with much kindness. I 
 then brought out my presents, consisting of 
 beads, buttons, brass-wire, tinder-boxes, &c., 
 and laid them at the feet of the Chief, calling 
 them by their different names, and added, 
 “This is my present for the Chief,” and 
 begged his acceptance of the same. He sat 
 a moment in silence, and then exclaimed, “ I 
 see something now ; I never saw anything 
 before meaning that he had never seen a 
 present so satisfactory as the one that lay at 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 27 
 
 his feet. “ Now I see that you love ’Slambie ; 
 and what you said last night about praying 
 for me before you saw me, that word sticks 
 fast in my heart.” He then said I had come 
 at the right time for assisting him, as he was 
 getting an old man, and had no ear to hear 
 for him, no tongue to speak for him, but 
 many to speak against him, and even his own 
 sons were stealing his cattle every day. I 
 must therefore, from this time, be his great 
 son ; and the man who lifted up his hand 
 against the Missionary must be considered as 
 lifting his hand against ’Slambie. This he said 
 in a most impressive manner ; so that, contrary 
 to my expectations, I became the adopted 
 son of ’Slambie; and this was ratified the same 
 day, by his presenting me with a fine large 
 ox, in the presence of his Chiefs and coun- 
 cillors. When we parted, he said, I must 
 now consider all the people of his tribe as my 
 children, and I must teach them all the w T ord 
 of God : he feared, however, that some of 
 them would give me a deal of trouble, as 
 they were like so many wild dogs; but I 
 must bear with them, and not be tired of 
 instructing them. I then took my leave of 
 d 2 
 
28 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 the King and his councillors for a time ; and 
 in returning towards Mount-Coke, over hill 
 and dale, and reflecting upon my circum- 
 stances, so far distant from my friends in 
 England and from civilized society, in the 
 centre of a nation purely heathen, and 
 revolving in my mind the kindness with which 
 I had been received, when I might have been 
 murdered, I was constrained to say, “ Surely 
 this is the finger of God.” I felt assured I 
 was in the way of Providence : the Lord led 
 me, and thus gave me favour in the sight of 
 the people. But O ! how my heart was affected 
 in thinking upon the claims of so large a tribe, 
 the value of the soul, and the thick moral dark- 
 ness in which they were all enveloped; and 
 my responsibilities to God, and to the Society 
 to which I had the honour to belong, and in 
 whose service I was engaged. I was constrain- 
 ed to say, “ Who is sufficient for these things? ” 
 In a few days after my visit to ’Slambie, 
 I received a letter from one of the British 
 officers, commanding an outpost on the fron- 
 tiers of Kafirland, stating that a short time 
 ago a number of horses and cattle had been 
 stolen from the colony, and it was thought 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 29 
 
 they were taken by ’Slambie’s people. He 
 wished me to speak to the Chiefs upon this 
 subject, to prevent greater confusion in the 
 event of a commando having to come into the 
 country. I felt it my duty, if ’Slambie’s 
 permission could be obtained, to call a general 
 meeting of the subordinate Chiefs and their 
 councillors. Our meeting was held at Mount- 
 Coke. I stated, that if they wished to live in 
 peace and to prosper, and if they desired God’s 
 word to be effectual amongst them as a tribe ; 
 and that their King, ’Slambie, should live and 
 die in his own house, surrounded by his 
 children, instead of their being scattered all 
 over the country by war ; they must insist 
 upon their people leaving off stealing cattle 
 from the colony, and not break the heart 
 of ’Slambie by bringing a commando upon 
 him now that he was an old man, and had 
 not strength to get away from his enemies. 
 I reminded them that as I was now ’Slambie’s 
 son, and his eyes were getting dim with age, 
 he had said that I must be eyes for him, 
 and keep a good look out towards the colony ; 
 and that if a storm was gathering against 
 him, I must inform him of the cause. I 
 d 3 
 
30 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 closed my remarks by saying that if I had not 
 loved them very much, I should not have 
 given them this advice ; and that all I had 
 said was to prevent their getting into trouble, 
 and bringing trouble upon ’Slambie. All 
 the Chiefs present said that the words they 
 had heard were good ; they would endeavour 
 to act accordingly ; and in a few days after 
 this meeting they brought sixteen horses, 
 and a considerable number of cows and oxen, 
 which had been stolen, and wished me to send 
 them to the colony with a letter to the 
 authorities, that the cattle might be returned 
 to their owners. This was accordingly done ; 
 and in a few days after, I received a letter 
 from the authorities, acknowledging the receipt 
 of the horses and cattle, and wishing me to 
 thank the Chiefs and ’Slambie, for using their 
 influence in getting back and sending out the 
 stolen horses. When I explained this letter 
 to ’Slambie and his Chiefs, the old man, 
 evidently under strong emotion, said, “ What! 
 thanks to ’Slambie ! Can it be true that thanks 
 should be presented to ’Slambie from the 
 authorities of the colony, when it is not long 
 ago since they offered a certain number of 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 31 
 
 cattle for my head ? 0, I have all my life 
 
 been living like a worm in the ground ; but 
 now I am crawling out to see the light. I have 
 been pursued like a wolf from one bush to 
 another, and have had no rest for many 
 years ; but now the word of God is come into 
 my country, and the Missionary is living 
 amongst my people, I can now close both my 
 eyes in sleep, and not be compelled to sleep 
 with one eye open as heretofore. Why did 
 not the English people send us the great 
 word long before this time ?” How powerfully 
 did these remarks of the Chief remind me of 
 the truth of what the angels sang at the birth 
 of Christ : “ Glory to God in the highest, 
 and on earth peace, good-will towards men ! ” 
 (Luke ii. 14.) 
 
 Soon after this affair was comfortably set- 
 tled, I received another letter from Lieut.- 
 Col. S., stating that the Kafirs had murdered 
 two British soldiers on their way from Fort- 
 William to Graham’s-Town, and that the 
 Chiefs of the different tribes must be re- 
 quested to assist in finding out the murderers, 
 and bringing them to justice. I regretted 
 the occurrence of such things at the cora- 
 
32 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 mencement of my residence amongst them, 
 as I was apprehensive they might think I was 
 a political agent. However, I sent to all the 
 principal Chiefs, to inform them that I had 
 just received a very important letter from the 
 colony, and that I was requested to read it 
 to the Chiefs. The following day we had a 
 numerous assembly of Chiefs and councillors, 
 to whom I explained the contents of the 
 letter ; observing, that as the letter was stain- 
 ed with blood, the blood of Englishmen, I 
 was very sorry it had fallen to my lot to read 
 such a letter, just upon my arrival in the 
 country. After this letter was explained, 
 Dushanie, one of ’Slambie’s sons, rose to 
 thank me for having told them the news, 
 although it was bad news ; for even in this, he 
 said, he could see an advantage, to be told of 
 trouble before it came upon them. If they 
 had not had a Missionary, they would in this 
 case have had a commando amongst them ; 
 and if so, perhaps, several might have been 
 killed; for they could not expect that the 
 English would remain in silence while the 
 Kafirs were killing their soldiers. “ If, there- 
 fore,” said the Chief, “ the murderers are in 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 33 
 
 any part of Kafirland, whether in our tribe or 
 any other, they must be found.” A consider- 
 able number of men from that meeting were 
 appointed to go in search of the murderers ; 
 and in a few days one of them was brought 
 with the bayonet belonging to the gun of the 
 soldier that he had murdered. He was ex- 
 amined by Dushanie, the Chief, before a large 
 assembly of Kafirs, in the following manner : — 
 
 Q. What is that round your neck ? 
 
 A. It is a rope. 
 
 Q. What is it doing on your neck? 
 
 A. The people have put it there. 
 
 Q. Why have they put it there ? 
 
 A. Because I have fallen. 
 
 Q. Where did you fall ? 
 
 A. In the Fish-River bush. 
 
 Q. What were you doing there ? 
 
 A. Seeking iron to make spears. 
 
 Q. How did you fall ? 
 
 A. I threw my spear at the soldier who 
 belonged to this bayonet, and killed him : 
 that is the way in which I fell. 
 
 Q. How many more were with you at the 
 time? 
 
 A. Two more. 
 
34 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Q. How could you think of murdering the 
 Englishmen, when they never attempted to 
 hurt you ? 
 
 A. We wished to get their guns. 
 
 Q. Did you throw the first spear ? 
 
 A. Yes ; and it went in at the back of the 
 soldier, and he fell at once and died. 
 
 The Chief then wished me to ask him a 
 few questions. 
 
 I then said, 
 
 Q. Where did the sun stand when you 
 murdered the soldier? 
 
 A. In such a direction. (Which must have 
 been p.m.) 
 
 Q. What did you do with the bodies, when 
 they were killed ? 
 
 A. We dragged them a little on one side 
 for the wolves to eat. 
 
 Q. Where did you sleep that night ? 
 
 A. We returned home. 
 
 Q. But where did you sleep ? 
 
 A. I could not sleep. 
 
 Q, Why could you not sleep ? 
 
 A. Because it seemed as if I had many 
 people in my heart, holding a conversation : 
 hence I could not sleep. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 3 
 
 Q. Do you think you must die for this? 
 
 A. Yes ; the Chief says I must die. 
 
 Q. Are you fit to die, being stained all 
 over with the blood of a murdered man ? 
 
 Here he wept much ; when I exhorted him 
 to seek the pardoning mercy of God through 
 Jesus Christ; to lose no time, either night or 
 day, as his time in this world might be very 
 short. After this man was sent to Fort- 
 William, as a prisoner, another of the mur- 
 derers was brought in the same way by the 
 Kafirs, and was also sent to the same place. 
 They were both taken by the Kafirs, and given 
 up to the British authorities ; and after a fair 
 trial they were returned to their own Chiefs, 
 and executed for the crime by the Kafirs 
 themselves. It is satisfactory to know that 
 these men were visited by one of our Mis- 
 sionaries before their execution, who endea- 
 voured to instruct them how to come to 
 Christ for pardoning mercy; reminding them 
 of those words of the Saviour, “ Him that 
 cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.” 
 (John vi. 37.) 
 
 After this painful circumstance, we had 
 rest for a time, and “ the word of the Lord 
 
36 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 had free course and was glorified” in the 
 conversion of sinners from darkness to light, 
 and from the power of Satan unto God. 
 One female was powerfully affected in the 
 chapel, under the word, and cried aloud, 
 being bathed in tears at the time, “ Lord, 
 have mercy upon me ! ” Some of the Kafirs 
 were alarmed, and seemed disposed to leave 
 the chapel before the service was over. This 
 circumstance excited much inquiry on the 
 subject of religion, and many came from the 
 different kraals, or villages, in the neighbour- 
 hood to hear for themselves. The woman in 
 question soon obtained the pardoning mercy 
 of God, and was daily telling to her neigh- 
 bours the happiness and peace she enjoyed 
 in Christ. She spoke fluently the Dutch and 
 Kafir languages, and in the common affairs of 
 the station was useful as an interpreter. On 
 one occasion, my proper interpreter was 
 unwell, and could not attend the chapel on 
 the Lord’s day. I was therefore under the ne- 
 cessity of employing the female in question. 
 She trembled and w r ept much in the delivery 
 of some of the first sentences. This rather 
 affected the congregation ; and from the clear, 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 37 
 
 fluent, eloquent, and deeply pious mode of 
 address, many were much affected, and 
 others began to seek the Lord by earnest 
 prayer. But just as I was rejoicing in such 
 an acquisition to our infant cause, her hus- 
 band, a wicked Kafir, determined to take her 
 away from the station, and to go and reside 
 many miles further in the interior of the 
 country. She was greatly distressed at the 
 idea of leaving the place where she had found 
 the Lord; for “ her desire was to dwell in the 
 house of God, and to inquire in his temple.” 
 But her husband was resolute. I exhorted 
 her, at her departure, to cleave to God by 
 constant prayer, and to tell her heathen 
 neighbours all she knew about Christ and 
 the Gospel. They had not left the station 
 long before her husband came to her, and 
 said, he had just found out that he had two 
 hearts, and that there was a strong conten- 
 tion between them. One heart said, “ Go 
 back to the station;” the other said, “No; 
 remain here;” but the strongest was that 
 which said, “Go back to the station.” He 
 resolved, therefore, to return to the station, 
 where he could hear the word of God again. 
 
38 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 With this conclusion his wife was much 
 delighted; for she had frequently been con- 
 strained to say, with David, “ My soul long- 
 eth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the 
 Lord. When shall I come and appear before 
 God?” 
 
 We were quite encouraged upon receiving 
 her again into our little class of two or three 
 members; for we rejoice much in heathen 
 lands over “ one sinner that repenteth.” 
 And it is pleasing to record that, after this, 
 her husband and daughter gave themselves 
 to God, and to us, by the will of God. She 
 became increasingly useful, both as an inter- 
 preter, and in assisting in translating portions 
 of the word of God. 
 
 About this time a young Kafir man was 
 very powerfully awakened under the word 
 preached, and for a few minutes had great 
 difficulty in restraining his feelings so as not 
 to cry aloud. When he left the chapel, he 
 went to a large thicket in the neighbour- 
 hood, fell down with his face to the ground, 
 and prayed earnestly for pardoning mercy. 
 His father, who was a rich Kafir, having 
 heard of the circumstance, was much grieved : 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 39 
 
 he thought his son was ruined, and sent for 
 him home ; for he was remaining on the 
 station for a short time. He threatened not 
 to give him any cattle, if he did not quit the 
 station, and leave off praying. The young 
 man told his father that he was determined 
 to seek the Lord and serve him, whatever 
 became of the cattle ; for the salvation of his 
 soul was more important to him than all the 
 cattle in the country. Soon after this he 
 found the mercy of God, and was enabled to 
 say, “ O Lord, I will praise thee : though thou 
 wast angry with me, thine anger is turned 
 away, and thou comfortest me.” He applied 
 for work on the station, and became a very 
 useful man in various ways ; and after he 
 had purchased a pack-ox with his wages, he 
 came to me one day, and said, “ Now I have 
 got a pack-ox, if you will allow me, I will 
 go with you when you go out to the dif- 
 ferent kraals to preach; I will take care 
 of your horses while you are preaching ; 
 and when you stop in the path under a 
 tree, I will fetch you water in the kettle 
 from the river, and kindle a fire for you, 
 and make the water hot in the kettle, that 
 
40 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 you may have a cup of tea; and at night, 
 when you lie down, I will lie at your feet, 
 and if any one should try to injure you, the 
 spear shall hurt me before it hurts you ; 
 where you drink water, there I will drink ; 
 where you lie down, there will I lie down ; 
 and where you die, there should I like to 
 die.” How forcibly did his words remind me 
 of the language of Ruth ! (Chap. i. 16.) This 
 young man was afterwards baptized in the 
 name of the Holy Trinity ; and requested me 
 to let him build a house nearer to the 
 chapel than any other, — for this reason, that 
 he should like to live near the place where 
 the Lord first met with him in mercy, and 
 where he was born the second time. It 
 will be encouraging to the friends of Missions 
 to learn that I have sometimes sat behind 
 this young man, and heard him deliver 
 effective addresses to his countrymen upon 
 the subject of repentance, the nature of 
 salvation, and other Gospel subjects. 
 
 It was pleasing and encouraging to find 
 the few Kafirs who had been brought to God 
 faithful to the grace given; and to witness 
 the zeal with which they were telling to 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 41 
 
 others the glad tidings of salvation. As 
 we had a great number of Kafirs on the 
 station every day from different parts of the 
 powerful tribe of ’Slambie, and frequently 
 from others also, the leading truths of Chris- 
 tianity were zealously discussed by the people 
 from morning till night ; and when our new 
 converts were able to tell them their own 
 experience, and how happy they were in 
 the love of God, the other Kafirs began “ to 
 take knowledge of them that they had been 
 with Jesus;” and finding that their conduct 
 agreed with their profession, and that they 
 were so anxious that every other Kafir might 
 be made as happy as themselves, a strong 
 impression was made on the public mind, far 
 and wide. Many came from distant parts of the 
 country to inquire if these things were true 
 or false; and as the Kafirs are fond of hearing 
 and telling news, on their return they became 
 themselves the messengers of news calculated 
 to humble the sinner, and to exalt the Saviour, 
 and to spread order and happiness throughout 
 the world. These communications, although 
 made by these inquiring Kafirs, were accom- 
 panied by the influence of the Holy Spirit, 
 
42 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 and the power of God unto salvation to 
 several who heard them. As there was 
 such an interest excited in favour of the 
 Gospel, and so much inquiry after the new*s 
 out of the book, (the Bible,) I saw my w r ay 
 open to visit any part of the tribe, and com- 
 menced itinerating from kraal to kraal. This 
 tended greatly to increase confidence in the 
 Missionary: and here numerous facts might 
 be narrated to prove the triumphs of grace ; 
 but my design is to be select and brief. Qur 
 plan of itinerating amongst the natives was to 
 visit a certain district of country every day, 
 for several days in succession ; to take with 
 us a Kafir interpreter, who always kept his 
 eye upon our horses, assisted in singing at 
 our services, and generally prayed either 
 before or after the sermon. He would lie 
 down near us at night, either in a Kafir hut 
 or under the shade of a tree; and keep the 
 fire burning during the night to keep us warm, 
 and to defend us from the wolf or any wild 
 beast that might be prowling in the neigh- 
 bourhood. In the morning we rise with the 
 sun, call the people together, preach a short 
 sera} on, and then ride on to another village. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 43 
 
 when the people presently gather round us, 
 and are glad to hear the news of salvation. 
 Thus we go from village to village, preaching 
 eight or ten sermons per day ; and lie down 
 in a native hut or under a tree at night, with 
 our saddle for our pillow, and the cold ground 
 for our bed. While lying in these defence- 
 less circumstances, I have sometimes heard 
 the natives say, “ How easily could we now 
 kill him, while he lies there, and take his 
 horse and all his things ! But he is not afraid 
 of us, he has brought no gun : he must be 
 God’s servant, or he would not venture so far 
 amongst us Kafirs.” In this way I have been 
 employed ten days and nights in succession, 
 and never even pulled off my boots. The 
 life of a Missionary is not so easy as some 
 people imagine ; but this kind of labour is 
 rest, and pain itself is sweet, while God is 
 blessing our endeavours, and raising up, 
 from such stones as Kafirs, children unto 
 Abraham. 
 
 On one of these journeys, after riding about 
 forty miles, I found the Kaiskamma river 
 very high, and was obliged to seek a lodging 
 among some of the people of Eno’s tribe. 
 
44 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Being rather unwell, I wished some of the 
 people to fetch me a little water from the 
 river, intending to make a cup of hot tea ; 
 but as it was very dark, and the Kafirs are 
 very superstitious about going to the river at 
 night, fearing the spirits that are supposed to 
 live in the river, I could not prevail upon 
 any of them to fetch the water. About an 
 hour after, I sent my Kafir interpreter to the 
 different houses to beg them to come to- 
 gether, and I would tell them the news. 
 After singing and prayer, I felt much liberty 
 in showing them the way of salvation. A 
 short time after the service was over, an 
 interesting woman came to me to say that 
 if I wished a little water now , although it 
 was late, she would fetch it for me. She 
 observed that she had never felt in all her 
 life any thing like what she had while 
 hearing the sermon ; and that it would be 
 a great reflection upon them to let God’s 
 servants sleep in their neighbourhood, with- 
 out a drop of water to drink. She fetched 
 some water, and kindled a fire for us, and 
 then retired for the night. Early in the 
 morning she came again, and appeared serious 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 45 
 
 and respectful, and continued with us till 
 we left the place. About a fortnight after 
 this she came to Mount-Coke, (a journey 
 of forty miles,) and was very anxious to 
 see me. She informed me that she had 
 been greatly distressed in her mind ever 
 since she heard the news about Christ 
 dying for sinners, and had determined to 
 come and hear something more upon that 
 subject. After remaining on the station a few 
 days, she was greatly encouraged, and fully 
 determined to give her heart to God. Her 
 friends were living in the colony at Graham’s- 
 Town ; and as she had no particular ties in 
 Eno’s tribe, she requested me to give her a 
 pass to go to Graham’s-Town, where she 
 joined our class of natives, and a few weeks 
 after, while engaged in earnest prayer just 
 by the banks of the river at the time of the 
 crowing of the cock in the morning, she 
 found the pardoning mercy of God, and was 
 filled with peace and joy in believing. As I 
 was on a visit to Graham’s-Town a short 
 time after, she related the above circumstances 
 in our chapel, at the love-feast, which greatly 
 affected the congregation. She afterwards 
 
46 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 occasionally acted as interpreter, in our old 
 chapel, to the native congregation, and 
 always spoke of herself as “ a brand plucked 
 out of the fire.” 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Several important events took place while 
 I resided in the tribe of ’Slambie. Among 
 these was the death of the great Chief, 
 who had held the balance of power for 
 many years in Kafirland, before the Chiefs 
 Gika and Hintza came of age. 
 
 From the time that I became ’Slambie’s 
 Missionary, he had regularly sent me the 
 news from his “ great place” to Mount-Coke, 
 and I had performed a similar act of kind- 
 ness for him. When, however, he was sick 
 unto death, messengers were sent immediately 
 to inform me that “he had fallen to the 
 ground,” and, as they thought, “ to rise no 
 more.” ’Slambie wished them to lose no 
 time in informing the Missionary. On their 
 arrival at Mount-Coke, they requested an 
 audience; but the servant informed them 
 that I did not receive Kafir news on the 
 Sunday; when they replied, that the news 
 was not ordinary, but such as would affect the 
 
48 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 whole country. When I went out to them, I 
 found them greatly distressed on account of the 
 intelligence they had brought. The following 
 morning other messengers came to inform 
 me of his death ; and to request, in the name 
 of the Chiefs and councillors, that I would 
 come to the “ great place,” to the funeral of 
 ’Slambie. This request was the more im- 
 portant, as I know r of no European who had 
 ever had the opportunity of attending the 
 funeral of so great a Chief before, in the 
 Kafir country. I left home immediately, and, 
 upon my arrival at the top of the ridge 
 which looks down into the valley, and com- 
 mands a view of the residence of the Chief, 
 alighted from my horse, and, with my Kafir 
 guide, sat down on the ground. The mul- 
 titude of people sitting near the grave of 
 their late Chief was immense; and when 
 they observed that I had arrived, four of the 
 old and confidential councillors of ’Slambie 
 were deputed to invite me to join them, 
 and to hear and witness their proceedings. 
 After shaking hands, they sat down near 
 me in silence ; but in a few minutes they 
 broke the silence, by asking if I had any 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 49 
 
 thing to say before I went down to join the 
 company assembled. I replied, that it was 
 not a day for talking, but for weeping, now 
 that my father was dead. This short remark 
 made a strong impression upon them; and, 
 after a considerable pause, one of them said, 
 “Yes, ’tis true what you say; and we are all 
 weeping now that our great father is taken 
 away.” I then went with them to the assem- 
 bly, when the principal Chiefs and councillors 
 rose up and received me in the most affec- 
 tionate manner. It was quite affecting to 
 see so many hundreds of men, women, and 
 children, with their heads shaven, to show 
 that they were mourning for the Chief. 
 After a few questions had been asked and 
 answered on both sides, the councillors 
 informed me that they were all going to the 
 river to wash themselves ; after which cere- 
 mony, they could eat meat and drink milk. 
 They soon moved off towards the river, the 
 men in one direction, the women in another ; 
 and upon their return from the river, a 
 large ox was immediately slaughtered for the 
 Chiefs and their principal councillors. A 
 considerable portion of meat, and a large 
 
50 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 basket of milk, were sent for myself. After 
 thanking them for this instance of kindness, 
 I expressed a wish to preach to the people 
 in the evening, on the occasion of the death 
 of ’Slambie. This question was gravely con- 
 sidered by the old councillors. They w r ere 
 apprehensive that the fact of my doing so, 
 near the grave of their great Chief, might 
 bring them into difficulties with the other 
 great Chiefs, Gika and Hintza. However, 
 after much conversation, one of the old coun j 
 cillors came and sat down at my feet, and 
 said, that as ’Slambie was now dead, and had 
 said, just before his death* that they must all 
 look to the Missionary, and listen to his 
 instructions, and take great care of him; I 
 was therefore great, now, through ’Slambie’s 
 “fast word,” and his dying address to his 
 councillors, in which he said, “ Be sure to 
 take care of the Missionary, and he will take 
 care of you.” He said, also, that it was now 
 my place to instruct all ’Slambie’s children ; 
 and if any of them did wrong, I must re- 
 prove them. After this, the people as- 
 sembled. We had a solemn service, when I 
 endeavoured to show them that although 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 51 
 
 their “ great father” and friend was taken 
 away, yet God was their greatest friend, the 
 Father of us all ; and that he was so anxious 
 that Kafirs might be saved, that he had 
 given up his only Son to die, that they might 
 live for ever; and that this was the great 
 news that was to be preached to every 
 Kafir, Hottentot, Fingo, Tambookie, Sulu, 
 Bushman, Buchuana, Griqua, and every 
 native throughout Africa. I was much 
 pleased with the manner in which the ad- 
 dress was received. At the close they 
 returned thanks for the service ; and I hope 
 good was done. In closing the account of 
 the death of ’Slambie, I ought to add, that he 
 was put into the ground before I arrived, in 
 consequence of the heat of the weather. The 
 grave of a great Chief is so constructed, that 
 in a few years no person, except those who 
 saw it, could easily find the particular spot. 
 A new kraal, (or cattle-fold,) of considerable 
 dimensions, is made all around it ; a certain 
 number of oxen, which belonged to the Chief, 
 selected from the whole herd, and formed 
 into a separate herd, are put into the new 
 kraal. They trample on the grave of the 
 f 2 
 
52 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Chief, and cover it over with dung, which is 
 allowed to accumulate for years, till it is ten 
 or twelve feet high in some parts of the 
 kraal. The particular place where the body 
 is deposited is thus lost to public view ; and 
 as one confidential man is appointed to keep 
 watch at the grave for several years, there is 
 no danger of its ever being disturbed until 
 the morning of the resurrection, when the 
 trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
 raised by the power of God. 
 
 All the wives of the great Chief, ten in 
 number, were obliged to throw off their 
 garments and trinkets, and to retire into the 
 bush, till the moon is dead, (as they call it,) 
 in which so great an affliction has taken 
 place. My interview with them, after they 
 came out of the bush, was truly affecting. 
 By the death of ’Slambie I was left in this 
 powerful and extensive tribe, in rather critical 
 circumstances; yet Providence so overruled 
 this event, that a highly favourable opinion 
 respecting the Missionary and the word of 
 God was created; and for months after, I 
 frequently heard the people of the different 
 villages mentioning the last words of ’Slambie 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 53 
 
 in favour of his Missionary, with great re- 
 verence. 
 
 Another important event which took place 
 in this tribe was the unexpected death of 
 Dushanie, the great son of ’Slambie, who 
 succeeded his father in the government of 
 the tribe ; a Chief much beloved by the 
 Kafirs, a noted warrior, and a man of rare 
 courage and energy of mind. 
 
 He had distinguished himself as a warrior 
 in the great battle fought between ’Slambie 
 and Gika’s tribes on the Dibe plains, when 
 the warriors of ’Slambie were victorious. He 
 was one of the principal Generals of the 
 Kafir army in 1819; when, it is said, ten 
 thousand Kafirs made an attack upon Gra- 
 ham’s-Town, but were repulsed with great 
 slaughter by the military; which circumstance 
 gave them a wonderful idea of British power. 
 Dushanie, at the direction of his father, had 
 moved his residence to the neighbourhood of 
 the station, and with Kye, his brother, took 
 charge of it. In company with his coun- 
 cillors he frequently attended the services on 
 the Lord’s day, and appeared to be much 
 interested in our affairs; and often spoke as 
 f 3 
 
54 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 one much delighted with what he had heard 
 in the chapel. He accompanied us several 
 times to Graham’s-Town ; and the kindness 
 of the authorities towards him, both civil and 
 military, made a strong impression on his 
 mind in favour of our Government. 
 
 I always observed, however, that he seemed 
 dejected for a short time after passing over 
 the plain where so many of his warriors had 
 fallen in battle; but the kind manner in 
 which he was received by the English resi- 
 dents in Graham’s-Town, tended greatly to 
 elicit his confidence. 
 
 But, alas ! this interesting man, in the 
 meridian of life, was unexpectedly cut down, 
 and the tribe was again called to mourn the 
 loss of their great Chief, just at a time when 
 he was becoming popular, and greatly beloved 
 amongst his people. The circumstance of 
 his death made a strong impression upon 
 the different tribes of Kafirland ; and some of 
 the wise people began to say that as the 
 ringing of bells to call the people to the 
 service had driven away all the clouds, and 
 that for want of rain the cattle were all dying, 
 so the English people were secretly killing 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 all the great Chiefs. By such insinuations 
 the prince of darkness tried to stir up the 
 public mind against the Missionaries. Some 
 suggested that they had better murder all 
 the white people in the country before all 
 the great Chiefs were dead. We naturally 
 expected something of this kind. Satan had 
 long held an almost unmolested sway in these 
 dark places of the earth, full of the habitations 
 of cruelty; and it was no cause of surprise 
 that he would not quietly submit to give up 
 his reign. But under these circumstances 
 we found the promise true, “ Lo, I am with 
 you alway.” God was with us to guide, to 
 protect, to comfort, and bless us in our work : 
 we were able to sing, with Luther, “ God is 
 our refuge and strength, a very present help 
 in trouble.” 
 
 The news of Dushanie’s death was brought 
 from his great place to Mount- Coke by 
 Kafirs, who delivered their message with 
 great seriousness. They informed me that I 
 should be expected to come and bury him, 
 as I had done his father, ’Slambie ; but that 
 I should hear further from them upon the 
 subject. Their councillors also requested that 
 
56 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 I would send over some of our people from 
 the station with spades, &c., to dig the grave. 
 After this the principal Chiefs and coun- 
 cillors, from every part of the tribe, came to 
 the funeral of Dushanie, and to consult as to 
 the appointment of a proper person as Regent, 
 during the minority of Dushanie’s son. 
 
 And here I must be allowed to digress, to 
 remark how mysterious are the ways of Pro- 
 vidence. Little did the distressed passengers 
 who were wrecked in “ The Grosvenor ” 
 (about seventy years before,) think, that some 
 of their descendants should become the rulers 
 of the people upon whose shores they were 
 thrown by the violence of the waves, espe- 
 cially as the Kafirs were preparing to cut 
 them all off. Yet such is the fact: several 
 of the younger females were spared by the 
 Kafirs, and afterwards married to Chiefs ; so 
 that their offspring excited attention both 
 far and near. The great wife of Dushanie 
 was a descendant of the above people, and 
 her son was the heir to the throne of the 
 tribe of ’Slambie. Should any of the remote 
 relatives of those persons who were wrecked 
 in “The Grosvenor,” on the Kafir coast, 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 57 
 
 meet with this narrative, they will be pleased 
 to hear that the descendants of their friends 
 have become persons of rank, influence, and 
 property in the land of their captivity. One 
 of their descendants came a journey of two 
 hundred miles to see me, and to request a 
 present. I had thus the opportunity of 
 obtaining a most interesting and satisfactory 
 account of the wreck of “ The Grosvenor,” 
 and the subsequent difficulties of the people 
 thrown on these shores. 
 
 But to return to my narrative. As the 
 councillors of the late Chief, ’Slambie, were 
 on their way to the Dubie, where Dushanie 
 died, they called at my residence to request 
 me to go with them ; and said, that as I had 
 buried ’Slambie, I must now go and bury 
 Dushanie. I was pleased to be urged to 
 this duty by the Chiefs and councillors of 
 the tribe. On my arrival at the “great 
 place,” I was surprised to find even a larger 
 assemblage of people than I had seen at the 
 funeral of ’Slambie. All the Chiefs and prin- 
 cipal councillors came to greet me upon my 
 arrival, and requested me to sit with them 
 the next morning in the general assembly. 
 
58 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 when all the particulars of the death of the 
 Chief would be brought before them. I was 
 much pleased with the order that was ob- 
 served. The business was opened by one of 
 the old councillors of the late ’Slambie. He 
 asked a few questions relative to what had 
 been reported in different parts of the tribe, 
 respecting the death of Dushanie. One of 
 Dushanie’s councillors then observed, “Hear, 
 all ye councillors of the house of ’Slambie ! 
 You have this day come to a place of deso- 
 lation; for we are all left solitary on the 
 plains. The thing which you great people of 
 the house of ’Slambie gave into our hands, and 
 charged us to take care of, that thing has 
 slipped away from us, and we cannot tell 
 how, neither could we hold it fast. We have 
 now no Captain to protect, nor bush to cover 
 us : we are left exposed to our enemies.” 
 He then looked at me, as I sat amongst 
 them, and said, “You see, Captain, how we 
 are left. Our great Captains are dead: you 
 are now our father and our bush: you must 
 now give us all counsel ; we must all be taught 
 by you. When we are wrong, you must 
 reprove us, and take great care of all the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 59 
 
 children of ’Slambie and Dushanie.” He 
 soon after addressed the assembly a second 
 time, and said, “The Missionary is not the 
 thing” (or property) “of one branch of this 
 great tribe, but he belongs to the whole 
 tribe ; an-d we must all take great care of him. 
 He is now great amongst us from the last 
 words of ’Slambie ; and therefore we must 
 look to him for counsel at all times.” He 
 then thanked me in behalf of the councillors 
 for having come to assist them at such a 
 time. After this Chief had closed his speech, 
 several others delivered very impressive ad- 
 dresses, and the assembly broke up for the 
 day. 
 
 The morning following being Sunday, I 
 sent to inform them that I should like to 
 preach to the whole assembly of Chiefs, 
 councillors, and people, on the occasion of 
 the mournful event that had brought us 
 together. A few of the councillors, how- 
 ever, wished to go on with the discussion of 
 the affairs of the tribe, urging that they 
 should be kept too long from home; but 
 others said, “No; we have already agreed in 
 council that the advice of the Missionary 
 
GO 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 must be attended to; and as be says this is 
 God’s day, we must therefore listen to him, 
 and hear the great news from heaven.” 
 After waiting a considerable time with some 
 anxiety, one of the brothers of Dushanie 
 came to inform me that they should be ready 
 shortly for me to hold service. I soon saw, 
 with great pleasure, messengers going from 
 house to house to tell all the people that 
 they must come to prayers, and to worship 
 God; and when they came to say that they 
 were ready, O what a multitude did I 
 behold, and with what feelings did I go into 
 the midst of the assembly, to “lift up a 
 standard for the people ! ” During the prayer, 
 most of them put their faces to the ground, 
 and covered them ; and throughout the whole 
 service I was struck with the solemn silence, 
 and marked attention, of the audience. I 
 introduced my discourse by observing that 
 the occasion of our coming together was 
 truly affecting. First, ’Slambie, their great 
 father, was taken away by death ; and while 
 we were yet weeping, death had snatched 
 away his great son, Dushanie. We had all 
 met to mingle our tears over his grave, who 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 61 
 
 was so much beloved by us all. We might all 
 learn from these circumstances, that if such 
 great men could not stand against death, 
 we should all be conquered by it sooner or 
 later; and that God reminded all mankind 
 by such events that we must prepare to die. 
 The people were much affected by these 
 simple introductory remarks, and appeared 
 greatly moved during the whole service. 
 When it was concluded, three of the principal 
 councillors were appointed to follow me 
 to the house which they had lent me during 
 my stay, to thank me in the name of all the 
 Chiefs and councillors of the tribes of ’Slambie 
 and Dushanie for the advice I had given 
 them, and the prayers which were offered up 
 for them. They hoped that I should now 
 take care of the whole tribe; for they were 
 all my children ; and every thing was free to 
 me ; and I must never be tired with teach- 
 ing them the word of God. Another Chief 
 followed, to inform me that Mike, one of 
 ’Slambie’s sisters, had selected a large ox to 
 be given me; and that I might either have it 
 slaughtered during my stay at the “ great 
 place,” or send it home alive. Being told 
 G 
 
62 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 that Mike and the other Chiefs’ wives were 
 all assembled in one house, I took the oppor- 
 tunity of going to see them, thinking that I 
 might not again meet with them collectively. 
 I first sent to inquire whether my calling to 
 see them would be agreeable ; and received 
 an answer, that they should be glad if I 
 would come and visit them. I was very 
 kindly and affectionately received by them. 
 After shaking hands with them all, I thanked 
 Mike for her noble present of the ox ; and 
 observed, it was acting in unison with what 
 her brother ’Slambie said just before he died, 
 namely, “ That they must all take care of the 
 Missionary.” I then addressed them, stating 
 that it was a mournful occasion that had 
 brought us together; yet I had pleasure in 
 informing them that the Lord, the Father of 
 us all, still lived : and now that we were 
 losing our earthly friends and rulers, it was 
 intended to remind us of our mortality, that 
 we might prepare to die ; for death visits the 
 palace and the cottage, the rich and the poor, 
 the learned and the ignorant, the bond and 
 the free. While I was addressing them I 
 was encouraged by seeing several of them in 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 G3 
 
 tears. Mike thanked me for the advice I 
 had given them, and said it was quite right 
 that they should all turn to God, 
 
 The following morning the ox was brought 
 and slaughtered, and a portion of meat given 
 to Mike and her attendants, and a part to 
 the Chiefs and councillors, for which both 
 parties sent a formal message of thanks ; and 
 one of Dushanie’s sons sent two men and a 
 pack-ox with what was left to Mount-Coke, 
 to be divided amongst our people on the 
 station. In taking leave of them, to return 
 home, I was quite overcome by their kindness 
 and affection. 
 
 A short time after this, a French vessel 
 was wrecked on the Kafir coast, in Hintza’s 
 tribe : twelve of the passengers were drowned, 
 and eight saved. Those who got safe to land 
 were soon surrounded by a large number of 
 Kafirs, delighted with the prospect of getting 
 a portion of goods from the wreck. One man 
 said, u We cannot take away the things while 
 the owners are looking on : let us kill them, 
 as we used to do before.” Another said, 
 “ No; these are different days now: we have 
 Missionaries in our country, who read every 
 
64 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Sunday out of God’s word, ‘ Thou shalt do no 
 murder.’ If we should kill these men, they 
 will be sure to find us out : they are always 
 talking with the book, and the book will tell 
 them ; for it tells them every thing which we 
 have in our hearts.” The men were therefore 
 spared, and taken to Mr. Shrewsbury’s station, 
 and kindly forwarded by him to Mount-Coke, 
 with his interpreter as a guide. When they 
 arrived within sight of our station, a Kafir 
 came running in great haste to me, and said, 
 Kangela ingapia : (( Look yonder! there are 
 white men coming from towards Hintza’s 
 country; but whether they have dropt down 
 from the sky, or come out of the sea, I can- 
 not tell; but yonder they are.” Upon their 
 arrival, I was both interested and affected 
 with the story which they related ; and, after 
 entertaining them in my house for a few days, 
 I lent them my waggon to convey them to the 
 colony. They were placed under the charge 
 of a few Kafirs, who conducted them to the 
 nearest military post in safety, and delivered 
 them to the Commanding Officer. 
 
 I have mentioned this circumstance to 
 show the indirect influence of the Gospel in 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 65 
 
 softening the barbarity of the Kafirs, where 
 it did not effect their entire conversion. It 
 is a well known fact that persons wrecked on 
 their coast before the Missionaries went into 
 their country were sure to be murdered ; and 
 these very men, after escaping the dangers of 
 the sea, would most assuredly have shared the 
 same fate, had it not been for the influence 
 which the Gospel had produced amongst the 
 Kafirs. 
 
 The following circumstance, which occurred 
 soon after this, will show that where the Gos- 
 pel has not been preached, the people are 
 treacherous and cruel. Lieut. Farewell and 
 party, composed of Europeans and Hotten- 
 tots, called at my house at Mount-Coke, when 
 on their way to Port-Natal, over land, and 
 remained with me two days. They hired an 
 interpreter at Wesley ville, to accompany them 
 through Kafirland, as far as the tribe of the 
 Amaponda. On their arrival at the residence 
 of the Chief of a small marauding tribe, they 
 gave him a few presents, and succeeded in 
 getting a cow from him for slaughter, and he 
 seemed friendly towards them ; but while the 
 men were milking the cows in the evening, 
 g 3 
 
66 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 some of them began to sing the war-song, at 
 which the interpreter was alarmed, and spoke 
 to Lieut. Farewell upon the subject ; but he 
 thought the Kafir was mistaken, and told him 
 not to be afraid. They then pitched their tents 
 for the night, and lay down to sleep. As the 
 day dawned, a number of the natives entered 
 their tents, plunged their spears into their 
 hearts, and held them fast to the ground 
 until they w^ere dead. The Kafir interpreter 
 was sleeping in a hut a little distance from 
 them, and was awoke by their cries of, “ O 
 God ! O God ! ” As he did not like what he 
 had heard the night before, when he lay down 
 to rest, he placed his gun by his side; but 
 before he could get out of his hut, two natives 
 entered it with their spears, intending to 
 murder him. He seized his gun, and shot the 
 first man dead. The other seeing his fellow 
 fall, stepped back a few paces, when the Kafir 
 rushed out of the hut ; and as he passed, the 
 native wounded him in the leg ; but notwith- 
 standing this, he ran as fast as he could 
 towards a large thicket; and as he ran, re- 
 loaded his gun. Being closely pursued by the 
 other native, he turned, and shot him dead 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 67 
 
 at once. The Kafir got down into the bush, 
 concealing himself in the day, and travelling 
 by night. He came back to Mount-Coke, and 
 showed me his wound, and related to me the 
 affecting account of the murder of the party. 
 This took place ten days after they left my 
 house. “ The dark places of the earth are 
 full of the habitations of cruelty.” 
 
 The above Chief and his people, having 
 about this time joined a number of others 
 called Fitcanie, commenced the work of de- 
 struction upon the Tambookies, and other 
 tribes between them and Kafirland. They 
 surrounded whole villages just as the day 
 began to dawn, and while one man set the 
 house on fire, two stood at the door with their 
 spears to meet the terrified family rushing 
 to the door to escape the flames. They were 
 instantly speared, and then burned to ashes. 
 Whole districts of country were thus deso- 
 lated. Having had such wonderful success, 
 they contemplated murdering the people on 
 the Morley station, and burning all the 
 houses there. Mr. Shepstone, the resident 
 Missionary at the time, collected the people 
 together, and consulted with them as to 
 
68 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 what they must do in such a case ; as he 
 was not willing to leave the place until com- 
 pelled by the approach of the marauders. 
 One morning their danger was announced 
 by seeing the neighbouring village in flames. 
 The way of escape, if they took with them 
 their waggons, was in the direction of the 
 village already partly destroyed. However, 
 there was no time to be lost : for if they re- 
 mained, they must perish; and if they tried to 
 escape, they could only perish. After prayer 
 to God for his protection, they moved away 
 from the station with much reluctance. As 
 soon as their waggons began to move, a very 
 thick mist came up from the sea, and covered 
 the whole plain, so that they could not be 
 seen by any person many yards distant ; and 
 this mist continued to screen them until they 
 came to the banks of the Umtata river, quite 
 out of the route of the enemy; where they 
 spent the night in peace, giving God the 
 glory of their deliverance. The following 
 morning they moved onward towards Hintza’s 
 country, and took up a temporary residence 
 on the borders of the two powerful tribes of 
 Amatembu and Hintza. The Fitcanie, from 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 69 
 
 whom they had just escaped, came toward the 
 station, burnt the houses, and carried away 
 every thing that seemed worth their notice. 
 How true is that scripture, “The effectual 
 fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth 
 much!” (James v. 16.) 
 
 About this time the Kafirs seemed deter- 
 mined to go to war with the colonists. 
 Scarcel} T anything was talked of among some 
 of the tribes but war. This occasioned great 
 alarm on the frontier of the colony. I had 
 several letters from the authorities, inquiring 
 as to the truth of these reports. The Rev. 
 W. Shaw and myself took a journey to Gra- 
 ham’s-Town to meet the Governor, Sir G. L. 
 Coles. His Excellency made many inquiries 
 as to the truth of the reports respecting the 
 intended attack upon the inhabitants on the 
 frontiers, and expressed, at the same time, 
 a strong desire to meet the Chiefs in some 
 part of the neutral country. He particularly 
 requested us to be present with them. When 
 Mr. Shaw and I returned to Kafirland, we 
 sent word to the different Chiefs of ’Slambie’s 
 tribe, and the tribe of Pato and Brothers. 
 After the Chiefs had consulted their coun- 
 
70 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 cillors, they informed us that they would 
 meet the Governor in any part of the neutral 
 country, provided we would go with them ; 
 but declared that they would not go without 
 us. They remarked that if their Missionaries 
 were not with them, they might perhaps use 
 ugly words to His Excellency, and grieve him ; 
 then war would be the consequence : observ- 
 ing at the same time, that their people were 
 ripe for war. We consented to accompany 
 them ; and the time and place being fixed by 
 the Governor, both parties met. His Excels 
 lency was accompanied by Captain Stockens^- 
 trom, Civil Commissioner; Lieut. Col. Somer- 
 set, Commandant of the Frontier; Captain 
 Campbell, Civil Commissioner, &c. ; W. B. 
 Dundas, Esq.; and several other officers 
 and gentlemen. Mr. Shaw and myself ac- 
 companied the Chiefs Quasona, Kye, Obie, 
 Pato, Kama, Congo, and a few of their coun- 
 cillors. Eno’s sons, and a number of their 
 people, were also present on behalf of their 
 tribe. The Governor and party had several 
 tents pitched for their convenience. After 
 which all the subjects upon which there had 
 been a little misunderstanding, and especially 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 71 
 
 that of stealing cattle from the colony, were 
 very properly discussed: certain points were 
 agreed upon by both parties which tended to 
 prevent the ravages of war, and to secure the 
 peace and tranquillity of the frontier. The 
 kind, condescending, affectionate, and gentle- 
 manly conduct of His Excellency and suite 
 tended to conciliate the minds of the Kafirs, 
 and made a strong impression on the Chiefs 
 present. At the close of the conversation, 
 a number of valuable presents were given to 
 the Chiefs, with which they were greatly de- 
 lighted. To gratify the Governor and party, 
 they sent for about two hundred Kafir soldiers, 
 equipped in their war-dresses, who, upon 
 being requested, showed a sham-fight, which 
 was quite amusing to us all. After this, His 
 Excellency did Mr. Shaw and myself the 
 honour to invite us to dine with him ; and 
 our Chiefs had an abundant supply of pro- 
 visions given them for the night. The morn- 
 ing following we took leave of our colonial 
 friends, and returned to Kafirland with the 
 Chiefs, who were much delighted with their 
 interview with the Governor ; and expressed 
 a strong desire for such a meeting every 
 
72 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 year, as the best means of keeping up a 
 proper understanding with the authorities in 
 the colony. 
 
 The subjects discussed and agreed upon 
 at this meeting were soon published in every 
 part of Kafirland : the minds of the people 
 were conciliated, and the rumour of war gave 
 way to the more delightful tidings of peace 
 and good-will towards men. This circumstance 
 to us, as Missionaries, was the more encour- 
 aging, as our residence in Kafirland was con- 
 sidered very dangerous, from the fact of some 
 of the Kafirs urging that every white man in 
 the country should be murdered, previously 
 to their commencing the attack upon the 
 colonists; as they said it must be the Mission- 
 aries who told where the stolen cattle might 
 be found. Indeed, so much was this talked 
 of by the Kafirs, that it was several times re- 
 ported in the colony that we were murdered. 
 There were many other influential Kafirs, 
 who met this remark by saying, “ No ; the 
 Missionaries are our only friends ; they are 
 our only mouths to speak for us when we get 
 into trouble ; and if we should kill them, it 
 would be like cutting out our tongues, and 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 73 
 
 murdering our only faithful friends.” These 
 remarks among themselves were overruled by 
 Providence for our safety; and now that the 
 excited state of the public mind began to 
 subside, the word of the Lord had free course, 
 and was glorified more abundantly amongst 
 them. Our places of worship became more 
 and more crowded, and we had less difficulty 
 in collecting the people together under the 
 shady trees, to hear the news of salvation. 
 The “hand of the Lord was with us, and 
 a considerable number believed, and turned 
 unto the Lord.” 
 
 Our work was now more encouraging ; 
 and it was truly interesting to see such a 
 spirit of inquiry among the people. Some 
 asked what had become of all the old people 
 who died before the Gospel came into the 
 country; others wanted to know where Adam 
 and Eve now are, whether they were saved 
 or lost ; others wished to know why we did 
 not all speak the same language, saying, it 
 would be so much more convenient ; some 
 asked where God stood when he made the 
 world, for they thought he could not have 
 made a world like this without a proper 
 
74 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 standing-place ; others wanted to know what 
 Satan was like, and whether he was black or 
 white, and why God did not destroy Satan 
 for introducing sin into the world, and causing 
 so much confusion. Many were anxious to 
 know how it was that the word of salvation, 
 which was designed for all people, (and which 
 was so sweet to Kafirs,) should have been 
 detained so long amongst the white people ; 
 also, to which of the Apostles the word of 
 God was first given. The above and many 
 similar questions were the subjects of every 
 day’s discussion ; and the Kafirs themselves 
 became the instruments of relating scriptural 
 facts, and communicating Gospel truths, 
 throughout the length and breadth of their 
 country. 
 
 The natural result of the spread of divine 
 truth was, first, that war amongst the dif- 
 ferent tribes was prevented. Secondly, the 
 people lost their confidence in the rain-makers 
 and witch-doctors; and thus a blow was struck 
 at one of the most oppressive and cruel systems 
 of superstition and sin ; a system which has 
 separated the most united families and friends, 
 and destroyed thousands of individuals, with- 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 75 
 
 out any evidence of their guilt. Thirdly, the 
 Missionary was received with joy in every 
 place; and thus the words of the Prophet have 
 been accomplished, “ How beautiful upon the 
 mountains are the feet of him that bringeth 
 good tidings, that publisheth peace ; that 
 bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth 
 salvation ; that saith unto Zion, Thy God 
 reignetli !” (Isai. lii. 7.) 
 
 The following circumstance will show the 
 influence of the Gospel : — 
 
 The great wife of the Chief Kye, (Nosont,) 
 being on a visit to another part of the tribe, 
 was taken very unwell. It was suggested by 
 many of the principal people that they must 
 call in a wise woman, and have a dance, 
 according to their usual custom, in order to 
 find out who had bewitched her ; but she 
 informed them she could no more consent to 
 such wicked practices, as she now attended 
 the chapel at Mount-Coke, and had learned 
 that if persons were afflicted, they must use 
 proper means, and then pray to God to bless 
 those means, and then God could heal them 
 in answer to prayer. Here we see how the 
 Gospel prevents evil, as well as communicates 
 h 2 
 
76 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 good. If she had consented to their request, 
 immediately after the public dance, in which 
 hundreds would have been engaged until they 
 were greatly excited, some rich man would 
 have been singled out from the rest, although 
 quite innocent of the crime laid to his charge. 
 Without trial they would have seized him, 
 and heat him in a most unmerciful manner ; 
 they then would have tied him down on the 
 ground, near a large fire, and applied red-hot 
 stones to every part of his body, till he had 
 been half burnt to death. Then they would 
 have allowed him a little time, to induce him 
 to confess his guilt ; and if, under the influ- 
 ence of torture, he had criminated himself, 
 merely to escape death, (“ for all that a man 
 hath will he give for his life,”) all his cattle 
 and property would have been taken from him, 
 himself and family plunged into the deepest 
 distress, and generally forsaken by all their 
 friends. 
 
 The answer of this Chief s wife prevented 
 all this misery. On her partial recovery she 
 visited my house at Mount-Coke, and asked 
 me to give her some medicine ; to which at 
 first I rather objected, saying, that if it should 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 77 
 
 not have a good effect, the people would say 
 that the Missionary had bewitched her, and 
 that would bring me into trouble. She 
 replied, “ No, no ; you will not get into 
 trouble. You must remember the change 
 which the word of God is producing ; for 
 when you first came, if you had offered me 
 medicine, I should not have taken it, but now 
 I request it : and if I had been unwell then, 
 several people must have lost their all, and 
 have been punished, and I should have gained 
 many cattle by it ; but now I have prevented 
 the punishment coming upon any of the 
 people, and refused the cattle that I should 
 have gained by it : therefore this shows my 
 confidence in you as our teacher.” In con- 
 sequence of her importunity I gave her some 
 medicine ; which had a very good effect, and 
 for which she thanked me several times, and 
 then said, “ I have now done with the wise 
 women for ever.” During her stay at my 
 house for a few days, after going out of the 
 dining-room into the kitchen, where another 
 Chiefs wife and several daughters of Chiefs 
 and their attendants were sitting, she re- 
 quested them all to join in singing a hymn 
 h 3 
 
78 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 which most of the Kafirs understand; and 
 when this was done, she told them all to kneel 
 down, and although a few of them objected 
 a little at first, yet she insisted upon it; and 
 then she prayed most fervently to God for 
 his blessing upon them all, and upon all the 
 Kafirs, and that God would give them eyes 
 to see the way of salvation. At the same 
 time she thanked God for having induced the 
 white people to send them a Missionary to 
 tell them of the great love of God for Kafirs 
 and for all mankind. It was truly affecting to 
 hear a Queen thus pleading with God in 
 behalf of herself and people. Not that I 
 considered her fully converted to God at the 
 time ; but these were evidences of the gracious 
 influence of the Holy Spirit upon her heart. 
 
 As my time for remaining at Mount-Coke 
 was drawing to a close, I felt it my duty to 
 visit the “ great place ” where ’Slambie was 
 buried, and take my leave of that branch of 
 the tribe ; and also to inform them that I was 
 ordered by our fathers in England to leave 
 ’Slambie’s tribe to go and reside for a time in 
 the tribe of Pato. I felt the importance of 
 this last visit to the place where I had been 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 79 
 
 adopted as a son of ’Slambie, and where I 
 had afterward buried this great Chief who had 
 formerly been the terror of surrounding tribes. 
 Feeling the difficulty of my situation, I took 
 with me one of the young natives, noted for 
 his skill in argument, and also remarkable 
 for his piety, who had been baptized some 
 time before, and whose father had long been 
 a confidential councillor of ’Slambie. I was 
 also accompanied by my best interpreter, with 
 the design to understand fully each subject 
 that might be discussed at the “ great place.” 
 After we had travelled about thirty miles, 
 w r e found an amazing multitude of people 
 holding a wedding dance. W e rode up to them ; 
 and when they found it was the Missionary, 
 they left off dancing, and requested that I 
 would tell them the news. I cheerfully con- 
 sented, and after having told them the Kafir 
 and colonial news, requested them to sit 
 down all round me, and I would tell them 
 the “good news” of the Gospel; news which 
 related to another world as well as to this. At 
 this some of them laughed, as they had never 
 heard a sermon before ; but after a few minutes 
 consultation one of the old men came to me and 
 
80 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 said, that although it was a new thing at such 
 a time, yet they could not resist my request, 
 as I was both ’Slambie’s son and ’Slambie’s 
 Missionary ; and that they had heard the word 
 had brought peace into their country, and 
 it must be good for them at all times. I 
 therefore gladly embraced the opportunity of 
 preaching unto them Jesus. When the ser- 
 vice was over, they thanked me for turning 
 aside to see them, and for telling them 
 such delightful news out of the book, and 
 kindly presented me with a basket of milk 
 for myself and companions. I have men- 
 tioned this circumstance to show to what an 
 extent the indirect influence of the Gospel 
 has been felt; for if I had asked such a 
 question at a wedding dance when I first 
 came into the country, I should have been 
 answered with great indignation ; but now, 
 although much excited in the dance, they 
 came and sat down round the Missionary, 
 and paid great attention to the words of 
 eternal life. 
 
 After this we pursued our journey, and 
 arrived at the <c great place” about midday. 
 We sat down under a tree in the middle of 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 81 
 
 the valley, and presently a messenger was 
 sent from one of the sons of ’Slambie to 
 inquire who we were. When they understood 
 it was the Missionary, they came in great 
 numbers to bid me welcome. Tabi, one of 
 ’Slambie’s daughters, ordered a large goat to 
 be slaughtered for me, and said if I thought 
 that would not be sufficient she would have 
 a fine ox killed in the evening. I told her 
 I had not come to feast, but to preach the 
 word of God to that branch of the family 
 of ’Slambie. In the evening I w'as taken 
 very unwell, and was obliged to lie down 
 upon a mat, without holding a service with 
 them. They appeared much alarmed at this; 
 and said, if I should die there, the whole 
 country would rise up against them, and say 
 that they had poisoned the Missionary. 
 
 In the morning there came messenger 
 after messenger to inquire after my health ; 
 and being much better, I requested that 
 all the people might come together to hear 
 the news. After preaching, I mentioned the 
 probability of my leaving Mount-Coke, and 
 going to reside in the tribe of Pato, and that 
 I should be succeeded by Hintza’s Missionary. 
 
82 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 I told them that, although I was going to 
 reside with Pato, they must not forget that 
 ’Slambie always called the people of that 
 tribe his children ; and that their present 
 country, in which they were now living, 
 was given them by ’Slambie ; and that 
 ’Slambie himself had frequently extended 
 his protection towards them when in trouble. 
 They urged that I must write for a Mis- 
 sionary for Mount- Coke, and come myself 
 and live with them, as that branch of the 
 tribe was by far the most numerous, and 
 they had souls as well as others. They said 
 they now saw that a school was a good thing, 
 and why could I not come and live at the 
 “ great place ?” 
 
 I found it very difficult to leave this truly 
 interesting people ; but as I intended to visit 
 the other great kraal belonging to the house 
 of ’Slambie, where most of the wives of the 
 late Chief were residing, I sent a messenger 
 before me to inform them of my coming, and 
 was most affectionately received by the wives, 
 sons, and councillors of the late King. I 
 was quite affected on meeting them, as it 
 brought to my mind the manner in which I 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 83 
 
 was first received by the great Chief, and 
 his dying charge to them to take care of 
 the Missionary. I was much pleased with 
 the manner in which all the people were 
 ordered to come together to the service, and 
 the marked attention that was paid while I 
 endeavoured to show them that Jesus Christ 
 came “ to seek and to save that which was 
 lost.” (Luke xix. 10.) 
 
 While I felt deep regret in separating from 
 the people, and w r as drawn out in prayer to 
 God for them, I could not but regret that 
 such a vast population, possessing such strong 
 natural mental powers, and having so much 
 time for improvement, should remain almost 
 destitute of those means which would raise 
 them in the scale of nations, and into the 
 favour and image of God. 
 
 Upon my return home I found the Chief 
 Kye, and his principal wife, waiting with 
 much anxiety to inquire more fully about 
 my leaving Mount-Coke for Wesley ville. 
 They said, they hoped that the ship which 
 was taking the letters to England upon that 
 subject would sink to rise no more. When 
 the day arrived for our departure from Mount- 
 
84 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Coke, the two principal wives of the Chief 
 Kye were very early on the station, dressed 
 in European costume. When we moved off 
 the station, they got into my waggon, and 
 accompanied us half the way to Wesley ville. 
 A considerable number of the people followed; 
 and when we parted we left them bathed in 
 tears. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 85 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Wesley ville was my second station in the 
 Kafir country. This Mission was commenced 
 by Mr. W. Shaw. He was the first Wesleyan 
 Missionary who ventured into Kafirland ; 
 being invited thither by the Chiefs Pato, 
 Kama, and Congo, of the Gonakquebie tribe 
 of Kafirs, who occupied a tract of country on 
 . the coast bordering upon the great Indian 
 Ocean. After Mr. Shaw had obtained the 
 consent of the Chiefs, and of His Excellency 
 Lord Charles H. Somerset, the Governor of 
 the colony, and of the Wesleyan Missionary 
 Committee in London, he took his family 
 into Kafirland. At the commencement he 
 encountered some difficulties, occasioned by 
 the great Chief Gika. He affected to be the 
 head of the Kafir nation ; and although Mr. 
 Shaw went several miles out of his way to 
 obtain his consent to commence the Mission, 
 he did not give it, because he said it would 
 be a new era with them, and they did not 
 
86 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 like to admit such things as waggons into 
 their country without much consultation. 
 When Mr. Shaw found that he was only 
 detaining him for the purpose of obtaining 
 more presents of beads, buttons, brass wire, 
 & c., he resolved to move on towards Wesley- 
 ville without Gika’s consent, and leave 
 consequences to the Lord. 
 
 After the waggons had left Gika’s place, 
 he sent messengers to Mr. Shaw to say that 
 they must not proceed without his consent ; 
 that he had many more questions to ask; 
 that the country would be likely to be thrown 
 into confusion ; for the very ants were com- 
 plaining that the new thing (the waggon) 
 was breaking down their houses, and that 
 there was no telling where these things would 
 end. However, Mr. Shaw and party, con- 
 sisting of Mrs. Shaw and family, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Shepstone, settlers from Albany, and 
 Youtize Noqwa, interpreter, and a few Hot- 
 tentots, moved forwards, and were received 
 with gladness in the tribe of Pato. 
 
 The Mission was then commenced at 
 Twetcu, now called Wesley ville; and by the 
 judicious arrangement of Mr. Shaw, and the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 87 
 
 efficient assistance of Mr. Shepstone, a beau- 
 tiful village was soon built, to the astonish- 
 ment of both Europeans and natives. No 
 one can have studied the history of the Kafir 
 Mission, without remarking that Mr. Shaw 
 was chosen by Providence, and admirably 
 adapted for this great work. His general 
 knowledge and discretion, his conciliatory 
 disposition, his patience, his piety and per- 
 severance, and his zeal for the glory of God 
 and the salvation of souls, were some of the 
 qualifications that he possessed for such a 
 noble enterprise ; and his name is known as 
 the “ shield of the women ” throughout the 
 length and breadth of Kafirland. 
 
 In entering upon this important sphere 
 of labour, I found between twenty and thirty 
 church members, most of whom had obtained 
 a “ knowledge of salvation by the remission 
 of sins.” The first discourse that I addressed 
 to the congregation was from 1 Peter ii. 9. 
 I spoke to them, first, of the darkness from 
 which they were called ; secondly, of the light 
 into which they were introduced; and, thirdly, 
 of the grand design of their being thus called, 
 namely, to “ show forth the praises of Him who 
 i 2 
 
88 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 hacl thus called them out of darkness into 
 his marvellous light.” This subject, by the 
 blessing of God, produced a powerful im- 
 pression upon the people ; and the commence- 
 ment of my labours among them was highly 
 encouraging. It pleased God, just at this 
 important crisis, to deprive me, by death, of 
 the wife of my youth, and the partner of my 
 joys and sorrows. She had truly been a help 
 meet for me in that land of darkness. A 
 little before this I had been taught, by the 
 sudden death of two of our dear children, 
 the uncertainty of all earthly comforts ; but 
 while I felt much, under these truly trying 
 circumstances, yet, by the grace of God, I was 
 enabled meekly to bow to the dispensation, 
 and to say, “ It is the Lord.” I had many fears 
 that the work of the Mission would suffer in 
 some of its departments from the loss of one 
 who had taken such an interest in the in- 
 struction of the young, and in the conversion 
 of the aged. 
 
 I was greatly assisted in this bereavement 
 by the united efforts of Mrs. Walker and 
 Mrs. Roberts, one the wife of the storekeeper, 
 and the other the wife of my assistant ; and 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 89 
 
 was led more than ever to pray for the 
 blessing of God upon our labours. Feeling 
 the importance of gaining the confidence of 
 every branch of the tribe, I embraced the 
 earliest opportunity of visiting the remote 
 villages, as well as those that were near : thus 
 I soon became well known throughout the 
 tribe. 
 
 Our chapel on the station was now too 
 small to contain the multitudes which flocked 
 together on the Lord’s day to hear the glad 
 tidings of salvation. We therefore com- 
 menced building a much larger and more 
 substantial one. This gave employment to 
 many of the men who were anxious to work. 
 The village presented at this time a scene of 
 great activity and industry. Several were 
 employed in rearing substantial residences for 
 themselves near the rising chapel ; others in 
 ploughing and cultivating additional plots of 
 land, for the support of themselves and fami- 
 lies. Our Master greatly encouraged us in 
 our work at the time. Two persons, of the 
 Fingo tribe, were convinced of sin, and cried 
 aloud for mercy in the chapel. The thrill that 
 was felt by the congregation at the moment 
 i 3 
 
90 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 was indescribable : and additional importance 
 was given to this excitement, by the circum- 
 stance that one of the persons was a slave 
 of Pato ; and thus the Gospel found its way 
 indirectly into “ Caesar’s household.” This in- 
 dividual was, some time afterwards, baptized, 
 and made a noble confession before many 
 witnesses. And with courage, like to that of 
 the first Christians, she said, “ that she would 
 sooner submit to have her head severed from 
 her bod} r , than give up her profession of 
 attachment to the Saviour.” 
 
 A short time after this we had an unusual 
 number of Chiefs present at our service one 
 Sunday morning. The subject upon which I 
 preached was the mortality of man ; and in 
 asking the question, “ Where are the great 
 Chiefs who formerly held the balance of 
 power in Kafirland ; such as Kakabie, ’Slam- 
 bie, and Gika?” one of the young Chiefs 
 was much affected. I could see the falling 
 tear, and the heaving of his breast. As soon 
 as the service closed, he retired from the 
 chapel, and went directly to a bush, about 
 a quarter of a mile from the station, fell 
 to the ground, and with his face in the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 91 
 
 dust began to cry to God for mercy. This 
 was the first time that he had bowed his 
 knees in prayer under a sense of guilt. After 
 this he returned home, about twenty miles, 
 under powerful convictions. A fortnight 
 after I left home for the purpose of visiting 
 that part of the tribe where this young Chief 
 resided, and upon my arrival was very affec- 
 tionately received by Congo, his wives, and 
 councillors. One of Congo’s wives ordered a 
 goat to be slaughtered for me; saying, “ Al- 
 though we are living on roots ourselves, yet 
 something must be provided for the Mis- 
 sionary during his stay.” 
 
 While I was holding a conversation with 
 several of the wives of Congo, the young 
 Chief Ena came into the house ; and when 
 he said that he wished to mention someth imr 
 
 O 
 
 to me privately, they left the house. He then 
 asked me if I recollected seeing him in the 
 chapel the other Sunday, at Wesleyville. I 
 told him I did. He then remarked that 
 although he had always argued against the 
 word of God before that time, he must now 
 say that he was quite conquered ; for while 
 sitting in the chapel, and hearing that part of 
 
92 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 the sermon which showed the weakness of 
 man, and the power of God, he felt some- 
 thing crushing his hard heart ; and although 
 he tried to resist the power that came upon 
 him, yet the more he tried, the more he felt, 
 until his heart was broken as fine as powder ; 
 and the influence was still upon him. Here 
 he wept much, and seemed quite overcome ; 
 but after a little time he said his brothers 
 had found out that he was under strong 
 convictions, and he knew they would per- 
 secute him, and the other young Chiefs 
 would laugh at him; but whatever might 
 come upon him, even if he should lose all 
 his cattle, and his influence as a Chief, he 
 had concluded to begin and serve God, and 
 leave all consequences with the Lord. From 
 this time this young Chief united himself to 
 the class as a catechumen, and soon found 
 the pardoning mercy of God. When he 
 had been about four months on trial, he 
 wished to be publicly baptized. Great was 
 the excitement in different parts of the tribe 
 at his baptism ; and many came to the chapel 
 to witness it. He was dressed in European 
 costume, and looked uncommonly interesting. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 93 
 
 After the sermon, from Acts viii. 37 — 39, 
 he, and four other catechumens, stood up 
 before the congregation, and in a very af- 
 fecting manner answered the questions put 
 to them by the Missionary. The young 
 Chief in particular reminded the people of 
 what he had formerly been, and how he had 
 spoken against the word of God; but now, 
 he said, God had spoken to his heart, and 
 he found the Gospel sweeter to his heart 
 than honey had ever been to his mouth. He 
 would, therefore, now give himself to Jesus, 
 and hoped that he should live and die a 
 Christian. He was then solemnly baptized, 
 and many in the congregation were deeply 
 affected. He was one of the most cogent 
 reasoners upon Kafir law that I ever heard. 
 If there were any particular disputes between 
 any other tribe and that to which he belonged, 
 he was always the man who was sent to 
 conduct the business; and very few could 
 stand before him in argument. Since his 
 conversion his powerful talents have been 
 employed in defending the Gospel, and in 
 recommending it earnestly and affectionately 
 to his countrymen. 
 
94 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Such was the public opinion respecting 
 this young Chief, that His Excellency the 
 Governor, Sir B. D’Urban, appointed him as 
 a Magistrate among those Kafirs who became 
 the allies of the Colonial Government; and 
 my prayers and hopes concerning him are, 
 that he may become a burning and a shining 
 light. 
 
 About this time there was a strong im- 
 pression among the * Eingoes in favour of 
 Christianity : several were deeply convinced of 
 sin, and joined the catechumen class. After a 
 proper trial, they were baptized ; and one 
 female in particular, who had great in- 
 fluence over the rest, was named Ruth. 
 She had come from a very distant part 
 of the country, and many of the same 
 nation were present, and were much affected 
 by witnessing one of their own people de- 
 voting herself to God in this public way. 
 The chapel was much crowded, and the 
 power of the Lord was particularly felt by 
 the people. 
 
 A few days after this a young man and 
 woman of the Fingo tribe were united in 
 holy matrimony, in the chapel, before a large 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 95 
 
 congregation. After the service was over, 
 the people sat down to dinner in one vast 
 multitude, as the young man had slaughtered 
 a fine fat cow for the occasion. The Chiefs 
 Pato and Kama, with their councillors, were 
 present ; the greatest decorum was observed ; 
 and in less than one hour the whole of the beast 
 was eaten, and all the people were delighted 
 with the change which the Gospel had effected 
 in behalf of the deeply degraded Fingoes. 
 
 The Fingoes are, in a moral point of view, 
 much more degraded and dark than the 
 Kafirs ; arising in part from their having 
 lived at a much greater distance from civilized 
 society, and, consequently, not having been 
 in the way of hearing any thing about the 
 Gospel. They seem to have no idea of 
 spiritual things : for “ where there is no 
 vision, the people perish.” (Prov. xxix. 18.) 
 
 Nothing but the Bible could have brought 
 the Kafirs and Fingoes to associate together, 
 and to unite in acts of mutual kindness. The 
 Fingoes were frequently called “ dogs ” by 
 the Kafirs; but now the Gospel is raising 
 them to be “ children unto Abraham,” and 
 they are allowed to sit down with the “ Princes 
 
96 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 of the Kafir people ! ” In the history of the 
 Fingoes a devout mind may trace the opera- 
 tion of the providence of God ; for when their 
 King and the greater part of their nation 
 were destroyed by the despotic Chaka, and 
 the cruel, conquering Zulus, those who 
 escaped by flight threw themselves upon the 
 mercy of the Kafirs ; and here the Gospel 
 found them, and charmed them by its in- 
 vitations. “ Come unto me, all ye that labour 
 and are heavy laden, and I will give you 
 rest.” (Matt. xi. 28.) The destruction of 
 some led to the salvation of others; and, as 
 though Providence intended to complete their 
 deliverance, and to recompense them for their 
 former miseries, during the last Kafir war, 
 about sixteen thousand of them were received 
 by His Excellency, Sir B. D’Urban, as British 
 subjects, taken under British protection, and 
 located in a certain part of the country, 
 (formerly neutral,) with a Missionary to teach 
 them the way of salvation. Thus they have 
 been brought from a state of the deepest 
 degradation and danger to a state of great 
 religious happiness and safety, and are be- 
 ginning to enjoy many of the advantages of 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 97 
 
 civilized life. In reference to them, may we 
 not say, “ This is the Lord’s doing, and it is 
 marvellous in our eyes ?” 
 
 About this time one of the wives of the 
 Chief Gwashu visited Wesley ville, with several 
 of her attendants, with a view to hear the 
 word of God. The chapel was much crowded 
 on the Sunday morning, and we had an 
 unusual number of Chiefs and their wives 
 present. In the course of the service many 
 were deeply affected, and particularly the wife 
 of the Chief Gwashu. When the service closed, 
 she came to meet me just as I descended 
 from the pulpit, took hold of my hands, and 
 with tears in her eyes, thanked me for having 
 told them such sweet news about the Saviour 
 of sinners. She said that she never felt as she 
 then felt, but that her heart was too full to 
 say much about it ; and that I must never be 
 tired in telling the Kafirs such news as that. 
 
 She returned home with these feelings; 
 and directed the young men to run to the 
 different kraals in the neighbourhood, and 
 to request all the people to come to the 
 “ great place,” and hear the news that she 
 had brought from Wesley ville. In a short 
 
 K 
 
98 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 time she had a large assembly, to whom 
 she related the sermon that she had heard ; 
 and while she was relating the sermon, the 
 influence of the Spirit of God moved upon 
 the heart of the eldest daughter of Gwashu, 
 and she w r as awakened to a sense of the guilt 
 of sin. She retired into the bush to pray for 
 mercy; and when several followed her to see 
 why she had thus retired, they found her 
 bathed in tears, with her face on the ground, 
 earnestly calling upon God for mercy. Quite 
 alarmed at such a sight, they thought that 
 she must be bewitched by some means or 
 other. When she returned to the house, she 
 could not join in conversation with her com- 
 panions as before ; when her supper was 
 brought, she could not eat it; and in the 
 dead of the night she frequently went out 
 of the house, and fell on her face to the 
 ground in prayer for mercy. The consequence 
 was, that her father, his councillors, and the 
 people were quite alarmed ; so that a council 
 was held to consider her case without delay. 
 When she was questioned by the wisest coun- 
 cillors, she told them that God had spoken 
 in her heart, and told her that she was a 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 99 
 
 great sinner, and that they were all sinners ; 
 and that, for herself, she was determined to 
 seek the Saviour of whom she had heard from 
 Hannah, who had been to Wesley ville. This 
 subject perplexed them the more, as she was 
 to be married in about ten days, and consider- 
 able preparation was made for the occasion. 
 Her father also expected to receive thirty 
 head of fine cattle for her, according to Kafir 
 usage. But now her distress was great, and 
 all her anxiety was to be united to Christ. 
 Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, which 
 she had received, she objected to go to be 
 married to the young man in question, as he 
 had already one wife, and she had learned 
 from the sermon, that the word of God con- 
 demned polygamy. Having declared that she 
 would rather die than go contrary to God’s 
 wmrd, she was again placed before her father’s 
 councillors ; who informed her that she was 
 young, and that she knew but little, and that 
 it was very improper for her, being a Chief’s 
 daughter, to try to break down the custom 
 of the country; and what would the common 
 people think if a Chief’s daughter did such 
 things ? 
 
 k 2 
 
100 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 As her father insisted upon her going to 
 the kraal of the young man, whether she 
 married him or not, she went : but just as 
 the party had left the place, they saw a large 
 snake lying in the path ; and she said it fixed 
 its eyes upon her, as though it would reprove 
 her for going. Her feelings on the occasion 
 were very acute. Upon entering the village 
 where the young man resided, there was 
 another large snake in their path ; and they 
 considered this as a bad omen. 
 
 She was now almost fainting, and resolved 
 not to marry, whatever might be the conse- 
 quence. The multitude of Kafirs assembled 
 were anxious to commence the marriage 
 dance ; but instead of partaking in it, she 
 sat down and wept bitterly. At this they 
 were all much disconcerted ; and, instead of 
 rejoicing, seemed quite confounded. She 
 conversed with some of the leading people, 
 and urged them to repent of their sins ; 
 and after remaining some time, she returned 
 home, to the great mortification of a multi- 
 tude of people. 
 
 How wonderful are the movements of Pro- 
 vidence! The young man to whom she should 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 101 
 
 have been married had been a few days before 
 to hear Mr. Roberts, who had been my assist- 
 ant at Wesley ville, preach at the Beka, and 
 the sermon was upon the evils of polygamy. 
 The young Kafir felt much under the sermon, 
 and determined not to marry, if he could 
 avoid it without being eaten up, or having 
 all his cattle taken from him. As the 
 privilege of marrying a Chief’s daughter was 
 great, and the refusal would be considered 
 an insult to the Chief, the young man, not 
 willing to meet the rage of the party, was 
 not to be found at the time, and no one 
 knew anything about him. He had fled 
 into a large bush, some distance from his 
 house, and remained there several days, 
 hoping that when the subject was taken up 
 by the Chief, he should get clear, on the 
 following grounds. First, the Missionary 
 and the word of God condemned the practice 
 of polygamy. Secondly, Gwashu’s daughter 
 was said to be out of her mind by some of 
 the Kafirs, as she had just begun to pray. 
 Thirdly, he was expecting that the Mission- 
 ary and Mr. Roberts might plead his cause, 
 if the case should be tried. 
 
102 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 When the young woman arrived at home, 
 her father and his councillors were greatly 
 perplexed, not knowing how this new thing 
 might end. She was therefore placed before 
 the councillors, to be fully examined as to all 
 the reasons for such a sudden change of mind. 
 Her only adviser was Hannah, the Chief’s 
 wife, who had delivered the sermon she 
 had heard at Wesley ville, and under which 
 the young woman was awakened. When she 
 was questioned by the councillors, she an- 
 swered in such a manner as quite confounded 
 them. They therefore gravely concluded 
 that her case was one that they could not 
 understand ; and said that she had better be 
 sent to the Missionary at Wesley ville, to be 
 examined, as the word had come from there 
 that had broken her to pieces ; and as the Mis- 
 sionary was always talking with the books, 
 he would be very likely to find out the true 
 cause of her weeping. 
 
 She was therefore committed to the charge 
 of the oldest wife of the Chief, with several 
 attendants, all of whom moved olf in due form 
 towards our station, in such an enterprise 
 as they had never engaged in before, having 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 103 
 
 charge of a sinner earnestly inquiring, “What 
 must I do to be saved?” An event which ex- 
 cited the attention of angels, and with which 
 they were delighted ; “ for there is joy in the 
 presence of the angels of God over one sinner 
 that repenteth.” (Luke xv. 10.) A case which 
 must have excited the envy and regret of devils, 
 as Satan had held an unmolested reign in these 
 lands for ages. But it was a case cheering 
 to the heart of a Missionary to witness the 
 power of grace manifested in this way, in 
 which so little of man is seen, and so much 
 of the conquering grace of God. Upon their 
 arrival at my station, I was sitting under a 
 mulberry-tree, in the garden, with one of our 
 Kafir interpreters, endeavouring to under- 
 stand the idioms of the language. All at once, 
 the interpreter exclaimed, Kangela ingapa! 
 “ Look yonder ! what can all those people 
 want?” In a short time the Chief’s wife 
 came into the garden, and called out to 
 know if she might come and tell me the 
 news which she had brought from their “great 
 place.” Upon my answering in the affirmative, 
 she came and sat down at my feet, and 
 told me the cause of her being sent with 
 
104 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 the daughter of Gwashu ; and that the Chief 
 wished me to examine her, and to give her 
 any advice that I might think proper, and 
 allow her to remain on the station for a 
 short time. 
 
 We went into the house. She then entered 
 upon the narrative of her experience since 
 she heard the sermon by Hannah, one of her 
 father’s wives; and, with tears rolling down 
 her face, she begged me to receive her as my 
 child, and to inform her how she might find 
 Him whom her soul desired to love. 
 
 I consented to her remaining on the station 
 as long as it might be convenient to herself and 
 the family. She kissed my hand, and called 
 me her father, and thanked me for the kind 
 reception she had met with ; and hoped that 
 I should never be weary in teaching such 
 sinners as herself how they might find the 
 Saviour. She was evidently an anxious 
 seeker of salvation. 
 
 She joined our catechumen-class without 
 delay, and was very regular in all the means 
 of grace ; and in a short time her mourning 
 was turned into joy, and her bondage to 
 liberty; and she delightfully proved “that 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 105 
 
 whom the Son makes free, they are free 
 indeed.” 
 
 She now spent nearly the whole of her 
 time in relating the manner in which she had 
 been brought to God ; and being a Chief’s 
 daughter, she was listened to with intense 
 interest by hundreds of Kafirs, and the news 
 of her conversion spread far and wide. She 
 was anxious to be baptized ; and after re- 
 maining a proper time as a catechumen, 
 the day was fixed. When she came forward 
 and stood before the congregation to receive 
 Christian baptism, with two other females, 
 the people were considerably excited, and 
 some were deeply affected with the manner 
 in which she answered the questions proposed 
 by the Missionary. And, O, how greatly did 
 I rejoice over her conversion, even as “ men 
 rejoice when they divide the spoil !” 
 
 It is important to remark here, that the 
 wife of the Chief who had brought her in 
 charge was herself now deeply convinced of 
 sin by attending the service in the chapel, 
 and applied to me to be allowed to attend 
 the catechumen-class. Her distress of mind 
 was very great for about a week ; but the 
 
106 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Lord, whom she so earnestly sought in prayer 
 both by night and day, “ suddenly came to 
 his temple.” Her joy was now “ unspeak- 
 able, and full of glory;” and she became very 
 zealous in exhorting others to come to the 
 Saviour. 
 
 After this, when the Chief Gwashu came 
 with his councillors to see his wife and 
 daughter, and found them both rejoicing in 
 the salvation of God, the meeting was truly 
 affecting. They informed him that, although 
 they loved him much, yet they did not wish 
 to return with him to the “ great place,” but 
 would rather live and die where they had 
 found the Saviour. 
 
 The Chief was now quite moved himself; 
 and, turning to me, thanked me for having 
 taken such care of his wife and daughter; 
 and for having instructed them in that kind 
 of knowledge which made them so happy, 
 and which their own “ wise people ” never 
 could have found out. He wished himself, 
 although an old man, to be thus taught, and 
 to enjoy what his wife and daughter were 
 enjoying. He thanked the Missionaries for 
 having ventured into their wicked country 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 107 
 
 with such news ; he thanked the great people 
 in England for having sent them ; and he 
 urged me to write to England, on his behalf, 
 to beg that the good people would send one 
 Missionary to live with himself and his tribe; 
 for although they had no money, yet they 
 had corn and milk, and they were willing to 
 give a portion of that towards the support of 
 the Missionary. 
 
 The old Chief and his councillors would not 
 return home, until I had engaged to come and 
 preach occasionally in his tribe. When I went 
 to visit them, I was much pleased and affected 
 with the very kind manner in which I was 
 received, both by the Chief and his people. 
 The prompt manner in which the Chief gave 
 orders for public worship to be held at the 
 “ great place,” the mode in which the people 
 came together, their serious and proper de- 
 portment during the service, and their grati- 
 tude at the close, all deeply convinced me 
 that God was opening among this people a 
 great and effectual door. 
 
 At the close of the service the Chief said, 
 “ Look at all these young people : they are 
 growing up in ignorance and sin, just as we 
 
108 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 did who are old. But do write to England for 
 us, and say, that if the great people cannot 
 send us a full Missionary at the first, let 
 them send us half a Missionary.” (That is, 
 a schoolmaster.) “ He could build a house 
 and a schoolroom ; and might be teaching 
 the children and young people to read ; and 
 he could read and pray with the old people 
 also, and thus prepare the way for the Mis- 
 sionary. We will help him to build the 
 schoolroom ; for you see we have abundance 
 of timber in this neighbourhood. Do there- 
 fore write in the name of Gwashu, without 
 any delay, for a Missionary; for we shall 
 soon die.” 
 
 In closing this account, I would add further 
 that Hannah, the Chief’s wife, who was the 
 instrument, under God, of the conversion of 
 the daughter, from this time came frequently 
 over to Wesley ville, and remained a few days 
 each time ; attended all our services ; and 
 when she returned home, always called the 
 people together on the Sunday, and sang 
 the Kafir hymn, and prayed with them, and 
 related as much of the Gospel as she had 
 learned during her visits on the station. It 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 109 
 
 will only be fully known in eternity how 
 much good she has been the instrument of 
 effecting. 
 
 The wife of Gwashu continued to hold 
 fast her profession without wavering ; and as 
 the daughter was anxious to learn to read 
 and write, she remained at Wesley ville, and 
 attended the day-school, sitting down with 
 the children of the poor, in hope that she 
 should soon be able to read the Bible for 
 herself. As to her spiritual state, she con- 
 tinued to walk in the fear of the Lord, 
 and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost; 
 and both in her conduct and conversation, 
 the influence of the Gospel was clearly 
 exhibited. 
 
 I had now several urgent requests from 
 Chiefs, and other influential persons, to visit 
 the western part of the tribe; and as that 
 was by far the most populous, I consented. 
 After crossing the Kaiskamma river, I re- 
 mained a few hours in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood, and called the people together to 
 hear the word of God. They were much 
 pleased with the opportunity, and paid great 
 attention to the word preached. They ap- 
 L 
 
110 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 peared devout during the service, and begged 
 much that I would pay them another visit. 
 
 I then rode forward to the Beka, met our 
 little society for the purpose of renewing 
 their tickets, and was well satisfied with their 
 spiritual state. The morning following I had 
 a large and attentive congregation of Chiefs 
 and their families, and councillors and their 
 people. All were very attentive while I en- 
 deavoured to explain the Lord’s prayer. 
 
 After the service I rode on to the Gwalana 
 post, and at the request of the officer 
 commanding, Lieut. R., I preached to the 
 Hottentot soldiers and their families, and 
 they warmly expressed their gratitude. 
 
 My visit to this place at this time seemed 
 quite providential, as, during the evening, 
 the patrol brought in a Kafir who had been 
 stealing cattle from the colony. Lieut. R. 
 requested me to ask him a few questions : from 
 his answers we learned that he belonged to 
 one of ’Slambie’s sons. By the desire of the 
 officer commanding, I sent a messenger to 
 his Chief, to inform him of the fact; and by 
 calling the attention of the Chief to the 
 subject, the cattle were restored, the man was 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 set at liberty, and the affair amicably settled ; 
 whereas, if soldiers had been sent for them, 
 to take them by force, a few men might have 
 been killed on both sides before the matter 
 could have been satisfactorily arranged. 
 
 I then visited the residence of the Chief 
 Noobie, for the first time. He seemed de- 
 lighted at my coming to see him, and 
 ordered a house to be cleaned for my 
 reception. He gave prompt orders for his 
 people to come together in the evening to 
 hear the word of life ; and, as the heavy rains 
 came on, and I was obliged to remain several 
 days at this place, I had frequent oppor- 
 tunities of making known to the people the 
 unsearchable riches of Christ. 
 
 On my return, when I arrived at the 
 banks of the Kaiskamma river, I found it 
 so very high, that I w r as obliged to remain 
 in that neighbourhood four days. This w r as 
 rather trying, as all my provisions were ex- 
 hausted, and the Kafirs were poor. However, 
 my interpreter and self w r ere lodged in a Kafir 
 hut, with a man and his wife, and several 
 children, for three nights, and they gave us 
 a small portion of boiled pumpkin and milk 
 l 2 
 
112 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 twice a day, for which we were very thankful. 
 On the fourth day we ventured to cross the 
 river with the assistance of two Kafirs, who 
 swam, one on each side of my horse; and 
 who determined, if the horse should be 
 carried by the tide down the river, if possible, 
 to bring me through in safety. By the 
 blessing of God, we sustained no injury, and 
 on the opposite shore met some of our friends 
 from Wesley ville, who had come several times 
 to the river to see or hear what had befallen 
 us. We all knelt down under the bush, and 
 returned thanks to God for having brought 
 us safe over. 
 
 The conversation of one man greatly sur- 
 prised me. He had been one of the most 
 wicked Kafirs, but now was delighted to tell 
 me wdiat good prayer-meetings they had been 
 holding on the station during my absence. 
 As they had some fears that something had 
 happened to me, they had been holding 
 special prayer-meetings for their Missionary 
 to be brought back in peace and safety. 
 
 Soon after my arrival at home, the people 
 crowded round the Mission-house, and some 
 even wept for joy. When I entered the 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 113 
 
 chapel in the evening, I was surprised to find 
 it quite full. While I gave out the hymn, a 
 great number wept ; and scarcely had I begun 
 to pray when the whole of the congregation 
 was in tears, and many were crying aloud for 
 mercy, so that my voice could not be heard. 
 After a short time I called upon the inter- 
 preter to pray ; but his voice was soon drowned 
 by the louder cries of the people. I succeeded, 
 at length, in getting most of them to sit down, 
 and then gave a short address on the subject 
 of prayer ; but they soon gave expression again 
 to their feelings, by loud cries for mercy. The 
 meeting continued till near ten o’clock, when 
 I concluded the service, but found it difficult 
 to get several of them out of the chapel, 
 as they seemed determined, like Jacob, to 
 wrestle all night in prayer. When the 
 chapel was closed, great numbers continued 
 in prayer, either in the open air, or in their 
 houses, until a very late hour. 
 
 The morning following, at sunrise, the 
 chapel was again crowded, and the cries of 
 the penitent were truly affecting : several 
 found the pardoning mercy of God, and a 
 considerable number were deeply convinced 
 l 3 
 
114 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 of sin. It was like a Pentecostal shower of 
 grace, which came down upon us all; the 
 fruits of which will be seen in eternity. 
 Indeed, so generally was the influence of the 
 Spirit felt, that twenty-six of the school- 
 children wished to be joined together in a 
 class of catechumens, and some of these after- 
 wards became steady and useful members of 
 the society. 
 
 One youth, especially, may be mentioned 
 here, who attracted the notice of all the 
 people on the station by his piety, zeal, and 
 uniform devotedness to the cause of God. He 
 prepared a cave in the rock near the station, 
 to which he always retired at twelve o’clock 
 in the day, for the purpose of prayer to God. 
 So deep was his piety, and so promising were 
 his talents, that I took him into my house 
 for several years. He could speak the English, 
 Dutch, and Kafir languages well, and became 
 useful as an interpreter. He has travelled 
 with me through the length and breadth of 
 Kafirland, through the country of Hintza, 
 and into the country of the Tambookies ; and 
 I always found him faithful in times of war 
 and danger, as well as in times of peace. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 115 
 
 When I left the country, he was engaged 
 in the printing-office, assisting in carrying 
 through the press a translation of the word 
 of God into the Kafir language. 
 
 The Sunday following this delightful re- 
 vival of the work of God, I was surprised to 
 hear a multitude of Kafirs earnestly inquiring, 
 two hours before the time, why it was that 
 the bell did not ring, as they were so anxious 
 to get into the chapel. During the service, 
 a great number had to remain outside for 
 want of room. We had scarcely commenced 
 before a glorious influence rested upon the 
 congregation ; and when I should have read 
 my text, I was not able to proceed, in con- 
 sequence of the loud cries of the people for 
 mercy. We were therefore obliged to turn 
 the service into a prayer-meeting; when 
 several were convinced of sin, and others 
 comforted by the manifestation of the love 
 of God to their souls. O when will all the 
 degraded sons of Ham be thus visited and 
 thus comforted ! 
 
 On the Tuesday following, a young woman 
 came to inform me that while she was in 
 prayer early in the morning, she seemed as if 
 
116 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 she saw Christ dying on the cross for her 
 sins, and all at once she felt as if her heart 
 was turned upside down, and in a moment 
 she was filled with love to God and all man- 
 kind. The same day a man was made happy 
 in a similar manner ; and when he related to 
 me the circumstance, I was struck with the 
 scriptural terms in which he stated his con- 
 version. 
 
 October 2d, 1831, was one of the most 
 interesting days that I ever spent upon earth: 
 the brethren, Messrs.W. Shaw and S. Palmer, 
 with their wives, paid us a visit at Wesley ville. 
 Brother Shaw preached in the morning to an 
 overflowing congregation, from Ruth i. 16, 
 “Thy people shall be my people, and thy 
 God my God.” After this eight fine young 
 women came forward to receive Christian 
 baptism; two of whom were daughters of 
 Chiefs. They had met as catechumens about 
 four months, and we were perfectly satisfied 
 of their sincerity. They were deeply affected 
 while I addressed them upon the nature of 
 the sacrament of baptism, and the necessity 
 of watching unto prayer. After the usual 
 questions were proposed, to which they gave 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 117 
 
 very proper answers, they were solemnly 
 baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity. 
 
 Three days after this circumstance, we 
 were invited to the “ great place” of Pato, 
 to bury his brother Fungu. He had been a 
 very wicked man, and a great enemy to the 
 Mission station ; but when he began to think 
 that he should die, he requested some of the 
 people on the station to come and pray for 
 him. The oldest daughter of the Chief Pato 
 went, and endeavoured to point the dying 
 man to the Saviour : he expired seeking the 
 Lord. A grave was prepared for him near 
 the kraal, and a vast multitude of Kafirs were 
 assembled at the “ great place” from different 
 parts of the tribe. The body was brought and 
 deposited in the ground, and all the instru- 
 ments of war, cooking utensils, and clothes of 
 the Chief were buried with him. When his 
 body was laid in the grave, we sang a hymn 
 and prayed ; and then brother W. Shaw gave 
 an exhortation, which made a deep impres- 
 sion upon many of the Kafirs. Thus closed 
 a service which will be long remembered by 
 many who were witnesses of the scene. 
 
 Every succeeding day furnished us with 
 
118 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 fresh cause for gratitude. Many sinners were 
 added to the Lord. I copy from my Journal 
 the following account of Christmas-day : — 
 
 “ The bell was rung soon after four o’clock 
 in the morning for divine service, when the 
 chapel was filled with a deeply-affected au- 
 dience. Their attention was called to Luke 
 ii. 10 — 14. At eleven o’clock the chapel 
 was again crowded to excess, when another 
 address was given upon the same subject; at 
 the close of which nine catechumens came and 
 stood before the communion-rail, and, after 
 witnessing a good confession, were solemnly 
 baptized in the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. As 
 the ordinance was performed in the Kafir 
 language, a strong feeling pervaded the 
 minds of the people, which was manifested 
 by the big tears that rolled down almost 
 every face. The variety of nation, com- 
 plexion, and character of the persons bap- 
 tized gave additional interest to the occasion. 
 One was the mother of the Chief Kama, 
 another was Kama’s wife, Nongwane, a 
 daughter of the great Chief Gika ; one was a 
 Hottentot, the wife of the interpreter ; three 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 119 
 
 were of the Fingo tribe, two young men and 
 one woman ; and the rest were Kafirs. While 
 I looked upon their countenances, and re- 
 flected upon their former circumstances, the 
 idea of Kafir Queens, despised Hottentots, 
 degraded Fingoes, all receiving Christian 
 baptism together, constrained me to exclaim, 
 i Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, 
 who only doeth wondrous things: and blessed 
 be his glorious name for ever; and let the 
 whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, 
 and Amen.’ ” 
 
 The closing services of this day were not 
 less encouraging, when about fifty persons, 
 English, Hottentots, Kafirs, and Fingoes, were 
 seen kneeling together at the Lord’s table, and 
 receiving the tokens of the dying love of our 
 common Saviour ; reminding us that there is 
 neither “Jew nor Greek, Barbarian nor 
 Scythian, but that we are all one in Christ 
 Jesus.” 
 
120 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The steady advance of Christian principle, 
 Christian knowledge, and Christian piety, 
 may be seen from the following account of 
 a lovefeast, held at Wesley ville, Kaffraria, 
 during my residence on that station. 
 
 After singing and prayer, the following 
 testimonies were given to the power of divine 
 grace : — 
 
 Jantije Nookqa rose, and said that he 
 first felt the power of God in the colony, 
 and was constrained, by the influence of the 
 Spirit, to enter the vineyard of the Lord, 
 and interpret for the Missionary; in doing 
 which he had not only obtained pardon, but 
 had received much light; and he hoped to 
 hold on to the end. 
 
 Yosef Wesley said that he first heard the 
 word of God in the colony, but did not begin 
 to seek the Lord until he came to Wesley - 
 ville ; and here he had obtained mercy, and was 
 now happy in the enjoyment of God’s favour. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 121 
 
 David Boosak said that he left his garden 
 and all its contents as soon as he heard that 
 a Missionary had come to Wesley ville with 
 the word of God ; and now he thanked God 
 and the Missionaries for what he had seen, 
 and heard, and felt ; and he wished that his 
 voice could reach to all mankind, to tell of 
 the mercy of God to him a sinner. 
 
 William Kama (Chief) said that he first 
 contended against the word of God ; but after- 
 wards the word overcame him ; and now he 
 had not language to describe his feelings, he 
 was so happy in the love of God. 
 
 I was here much struck with the manner 
 in which he expressed himself, it being so 
 much in unison with the language of our 
 poet : 
 
 “ Nay, but I yield, I yield; 
 
 I can hold out no more : 
 
 I sink, by dying love compell’d, 
 
 And own Thee conqueror.” 
 
 George Morley said he was first awakened 
 by hearing of the day of judgment at the 
 sawpit, when he was at his work; after which, 
 he went straight to the bush to pray, as he 
 felt he was a sinner. He prayed much before 
 M 
 
122 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 lie made known his feelings to any person ; 
 and although he had fallen several times, 
 yet his sole object was to serve God; and 
 he never was so happy as at that moment. 
 He then adverted in an affecting manner 
 to his late recovery from his fall, and 
 prayed that he might be kept steadfast to 
 the end. 
 
 Titus Dubulo said that he was stripped 
 of his cattle by a commando, and afterwards 
 came to the station to seek beads ; and when 
 he was in the way to Graham’s-Town with 
 Mr. William Shaw’s waggon, his heart was 
 broken to pieces by hearing the word of God. 
 And while praying for pardon in the bush, 
 all at once his heart was filled with peace and 
 joy; so that he could neither eat nor drink 
 that day. All his work was now to praise 
 God. He was now sometimes ready to wish 
 that God would take him to heaven, lest he 
 should fall from his steadfastness. 
 
 Peter Spokter said that he had lived in 
 sin until he was an old man ; and although a 
 ball had been shot through his body in the 
 war, yet God had spared him to hear the 
 Gospel ; and now, in his old days, new light 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 123 
 
 had shined upon him, and he wanted words 
 to express his joy. 
 
 Mephibosheth Bata said that he was very 
 happy while hearing his brethren speak of 
 the love of God; and he prayed for power 
 to hold fast what he had received. 
 
 Sigliki (a Fingo) said that he had been 
 burnt by the Kafirs, and was considered as 
 dead; but he had been brought out of the 
 fire, and from amongst wolves, and had been 
 saved in the wars with the Fitcanies ; and 
 now he begins to see that there is a path 
 which leads to God, and that God had saved 
 him through all his dangers ; and now his 
 only desire was to serve God. 
 
 Leah Nonyama said she had been guilty 
 of all kinds of wickedness, and was fond of 
 smearing herself with red clay; but God’s 
 word had turned her about ; and the things 
 which she once loved she now hates with all 
 her heart; and God had pardoned all her 
 sins, although they were many. 
 
 Elizabeth Nomantu said she first laughed 
 when she saw the people coming together 
 to hear the word of God ; and she smeared 
 herself with clay some time after her husband 
 m 2 
 
124 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 turned to God. Although he often reproved 
 her for it, she did not attend to what he said 
 for a time, until the power of God’s grace 
 constrained her ; and then she left off fighting 
 against God, and against her husband, and 
 against God’s people. 
 
 Alice Nonthlonya said she was first sent 
 for to the class, but did not know what to 
 say : she, however, trembled much ; and after- 
 wards God showed her that she was a great 
 sinner; and now she had no desire but to 
 serve God all the days of her life. 
 
 Sarah Nokyelo said she first heard the 
 word of God at Bethelsdorph, in the colony, 
 but did not receive it into her heart; but 
 now she had obtained mercy in Kafirland, 
 and felt that if she could fly she would go 
 home to God. 
 
 Catherine Nowala thanked God and the 
 Missionaries, and all the great people in 
 England that had sent the word of God ; 
 for by that means she had received light and 
 life in her old days, and could not fully 
 express her joy. 
 
 Margaret Nonibe said she stood first at 
 a distance from the word of God, but was 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 125 
 
 afterwards overcome by it; and now she 
 could not express how much she felt every 
 day for those of her relatives who had died 
 without hearing God’s word. She was now 
 happy in the love of God, and hoped she 
 should keep so unto the end. 
 
 Maria Nomali said she first heard the 
 word of God in the colony, but did not turn 
 to God ; but upon hearing Mr. W. Shaw, 
 she was constrained to break off her sins. 
 And now she did not know how to express 
 her gratitude to God for the great care that 
 he had taken of her ; for she had once fallen 
 from the top of a rock, and was not injured ; 
 and had once been bitten by a snake, when 
 she was expected to die every moment ; but 
 God had preserved her life, and she was now 
 happy in God’s love. 
 
 Lydia Midi said she first heard the Gospel 
 in the colony, but without much impression ; 
 afterwards she had been guilty of all sorts of 
 wickedness in Kafirland. And when she was 
 supposed to be dying of sickness, she began 
 to think about her soul; and now she was 
 happy in the enjoyment of the favour of 
 God. 
 
126 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Martha Qotije said she first began to feel 
 herself a sinner at jam jam, (the cattle-place,) 
 when on a visit with Mr. W. Shaw ; but had 
 since fallen into sin, and now greatly lamented 
 the badness of her heart, but wished to serve 
 God. 
 
 Ghlebekazi, a catechumen, said she was 
 a thing forsaken by every person, and driven 
 from all the Kafir kraals, and had been nearly 
 burnt to death in one place. She afterwards 
 came to this station, but was afraid to go 
 into the chapel, because she heard people 
 weeping, and wondered what was to do with 
 them ; but now she wept over her ow r n bad 
 heart, and saw that it was the hand of God 
 that had saved her from the Eitcanies, and 
 that had brought her to this place. And 
 now she felt herself a sinner, and hoped that 
 God would pardon all her sins. 
 
 Maninji, a catechumen, said she came one 
 day from the fields, where she had been taking 
 care of the sheep, and while she stood under 
 the window of the chapel, listening to God’s 
 word, she felt deeply affected by hearing of 
 the love of Jesus for sinners, and was con- 
 strained to weep much; and that when she 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 127 
 
 mentioned this to Mr. Roberts, the School- 
 master, he told her that the tears came into 
 her eyes because of taking snuff; yet, she 
 said, she was weeping until this day, and was 
 truly seeking pardon for all her sins. 
 
 The above speeches were delivered in the 
 Kafir language ; and several others spoke in 
 the English, Dutch, and Hottentot languages. 
 After which, William Kama, the Chief, 
 closed with a powerful and affecting prayer ; 
 during w'hich he was himself so moved, that 
 he paused, and for some moments wept aloud. 
 Several, besides, in the chapel were so much 
 affected, that they remained on their knees 
 weeping for a considerable time after the 
 benediction was pronounced. O what a con- 
 trast was this to their former dances and 
 cruelties ; and how good and pleasant to 
 see them now dwelling together in unity and 
 love ! 
 
 As the influence of the Gospel now became 
 apparent in almost every place, I felt per- 
 suaded that a Missionary-meeting might be 
 held with great advantage to the cause of God. 
 Accordingly, I conversed with our Chiefs 
 upon the subject, and they were delighted 
 
128 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 with the suggestion. I wrote to Lieut.- 
 Colonel Somerset, Commandant of Kaffraria, 
 requesting that he would favour us with a 
 visit, and preside at the meeting. In a few 
 days I received a very kind answer from the 
 Colonel, to say that he would come with 
 great pleasure. I felt much gratified by his 
 ready assent to my request, as he could not 
 come without some sacrifice, and risk of life. 
 The journey was near one hundred miles, and 
 through a part of the neutral country always 
 dangerous to travellers, and especially so to an 
 officer who had the command of the troops, and 
 whose business it was to protect the colonists 
 from Kafir depredations. The Kafirs seem 
 naturally jealous of military men, and have 
 sometimes murdered them, when they have 
 had an opportunity. I therefore regarded 
 this expression of his willingness to assist us 
 in this way as a proof of his sincere desire 
 to promote the best interests of the Kafir 
 nation. 
 
 When the day was appointed, I sent mes- 
 sengers to the Chiefs of all the neighbouring 
 tribes, and requested that they w 7 ould come 
 and hear the news on such a day; and begged 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 129 
 
 that every man would leave his spear at 
 home, as such things were not needed at a 
 Missionary-meeting. 
 
 According to appointment, we were much 
 cheered by the arrival of Lieut. -Colonel 
 Somerset, Dr. Morgan, D. Moodie, Esq., Rev. 
 Mr. Carlisle, Clergyman, of Graham’s-Town, 
 Messrs. Howse and Penny, and the Rev. 
 Messrs. W. Shaw, Palmer, and AylifFe. 
 
 About ten o’clock a multitude of Kafirs 
 appeared on the opposite hill; and at the 
 proper time I sent a messenger to request 
 them to come near and hear the news, as 
 we were all waiting to see them. They im- 
 mediately advanced towards the station, in 
 number about eight hundred men, besides 
 the vast number of women and children, 
 who had been arriving all the morning 
 from different parts of Kafirland. It was 
 pleasing to find that all the men had left 
 their spears at home : a mark of confidence 
 I did not expect to witness in so short a 
 time in the Kafir country. 
 
 The meeting was commenced by singing 
 and prayer in the open air ; after which, 
 Lieut.-Colonel Somerset opened the busi- 
 
130 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 ness, by remarking that it gave him much 
 pleasure to see that they were advancing in 
 civilization, and to hear that many of them 
 were regular in their attendance upon the 
 means of grace in the chapel ; and he hoped 
 they would all pay much attention to what 
 the Missionary said, and keep holy the 
 Sabbath, and be sure to send their children 
 to the school, that they might learn to read 
 the Bible for themselves. These and similar 
 remarks made a strong impression upon the 
 Kafirs, and formed a good introduction. 
 
 D. Moodie, Esq., then gave an interesting 
 address; and informed the Kafirs that the 
 word which was now preached to them was 
 the same that was preached in the colony, 
 and which had been the means of raising our 
 nation to its present state of honour and 
 glory; and he felt happy in witnessing the 
 progress of civilization amongst them. 
 
 Rev. W. Shaw reminded them of the con- 
 trast between their present state, and their con- 
 dition when he first came into their country, 
 when he was obliged to go with them to 
 meet the Commandant, in order that there 
 might be a good understanding between them 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 131 
 
 and the colonists. At that time they had 
 all weapons of war, and the military were all 
 prepared for battle, should they not under- 
 stand each other; but now they had left 
 their spears at home, and the English had 
 left their guns; and he was truly happy to 
 see so many of them present to hear the 
 great news. 
 
 The following is a short extract from the 
 speeches delivered by different Chiefs : — 
 
 Pato. — “ Do you hear that now, all you 
 people? You must therefore believe this 
 word of God ; for it informs us that we are 
 sinners; therefore every man must pray for 
 himself. Because the meaning of the word 
 which we hear is very great, therefore pay 
 particular attention to-day to what you hear. 
 I was myself in darkness, and did not at all 
 understand. We must take care, and not be 
 ashamed of what we hear.” 
 
 Kye. — “Do you hear, you Amakakabie?” 
 (’Slambie’s people ;) “ and do you also hear, 
 you Amagonakwebie ? ” (Pato’s people :) “ we 
 are all fallen into the clay, and this word is 
 come to lift us out. This word is a rich 
 word, more so than all cattle : therefore take 
 
132 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 hold of it, and hold it fast : pray that it may 
 prosper. This word will make us rich. The 
 same God that helped our fathers in the wars 
 is the same God that has now sent his great 
 word to us.” 
 
 Kama. — “ I am very glad to see you all 
 here to-day; and especially that we are met 
 to speak and to hear God’s word. I am a 
 man who am converted, and belong to the 
 Christian church. You may laugh at my 
 saying this ; but you who now laugh will 
 also pray at some future time. We shall not 
 live always upon earth. I who now speak 
 shall die ; but my soul will not perish. God 
 is a great God. He made Bushmen, Hot- 
 tentots, Fingoes, Kafirs, and Englishmen. 
 
 “ Somerset, whom you now see, is a sharp 
 man. He rides about with balls, and he 
 used to drive us into the bush; but to-day 
 he is come to speak God’s w f ord to us. I 
 speak the more freely to you, knowing that 
 we shall all die.” 
 
 Qasana. — “ You hear now that this word 
 is great, and that it is a word to quicken us 
 and raise us ; we must therefore pay much 
 attention to this word of peace.” 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 133 
 
 Kobus Congo. — “ This word is very great. 
 I thank the friends who have sent it. Before 
 this word came into our country we were 
 enemies; but now we are friends, and meet 
 in peace. You always said that I was the 
 man who drank poison (alluding to his 
 having been an hostage for the Kafir tribes 
 at one time ;) “ because I was always sent to 
 our enemies to make peace. O recollect, we 
 shall all die ! even Ministers, Englishmen, 
 Kafir Chiefs, and all. Then listen to this 
 w r ord, and pray over it.” 
 
 Enoo . — “ You hear now, you Amakakabie, 
 and you Amagonakwebie. You ask how 
 was Kama converted. I say, ask then; for 
 you are people that can contend upon all 
 subjects. Why then do you sit still? you 
 hear that it was done by the word which the 
 Missionary brought. And the same word 
 informs us that we must look at our own 
 goods, and not look at our neighbour’s. Throw 
 away your sins to-day. You say, that it is 
 the Chiefs that do all the wickedness ; but it 
 is yourselves who bring the lies to the Chiefs, 
 and deceive them. Let us all attend more to 
 this great word.” 
 
 N 
 
134 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Umpethlo . — “ Thanks, thanks to the great 
 people, and to Colonel Somerset, for coming 
 here to-day; and many thanks to the Mis- 
 sionary for bringing this great word. It is 
 truly a sweet word, like honey: it is sweet 
 news. Let us who are Chiefs send our 
 children to learn it.” 
 
 Abana . — ts I am greatly surprised to see 
 Colonel Somerset here to-day without his 
 soldiers, and without his gun ; yet I am more 
 surprised at myself. I never left home before 
 without my spear; and when your messenger 
 came to invite me to come to this meeting, 
 and told me to leave my spear, I found 
 I had two hearts : one said, 4 Go to the 
 meeting;’ the other said, ‘No; not without 
 your spear; you will be killed.’ But the 
 strongest heart kept saying, ‘ Go without 
 your spear;’ and I am here to hear the 
 news. What is this word? It is God’s. 
 Who brought it? The Missionaries. Who 
 sent them? God. Why did they come? 
 To turn us from our sins. I thank very 
 much, I thank very much indeed; I thank 
 that we are met to-day without spears and 
 guns ; they are all left at home. I thank 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 135 
 
 Colonel Somerset, and the Missionaries. I 
 cannot thank enough.” 
 
 The above is a brief outline of the meeting 
 in question; and although the speeches of 
 the Chiefs may not appear so interesting, now 
 that they are presented in an English dress, 
 yet all who were present, and witnessed the 
 warmth with which they were delivered, and 
 felt the influence that accompanied them, and 
 contrasted the present circumstances and pro- 
 spects of these individuals with their former 
 warlike dispositions and cruelties, were con- 
 strained to say, “ What hath God wrought ! ” 
 After the meeting closed, it was pleasing 
 to hear the Kafirs discussing the character 
 of it among themselves, and comparing it 
 with some of their former meetings for 
 war and bloodshed. They observed with 
 great emphasis, that if this was a Missionary- 
 meeting, why could they not have two in 
 every year ? Our colonial friends were not 
 less interested in the events of this never- 
 to-be-forgotten day. The news spread 
 throughout Kafirland, and into the country 
 of the Amatembu ; (Tambookies ;) and into 
 whatever part of the country I went after- 
 n 2 
 
136 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 wards, I found the people were delighted to 
 talk about the Missionary-meeting ; and 
 wished to know why such a meeting could 
 not be held in their neighbourhood. 
 
 The whole country seemed fully thrown 
 open for Missionary enterprise, so that we 
 had numerous applications from many of the 
 subordinate Chiefs, and from some of the 
 leading councillors of the great Chiefs, to 
 establish Missions in their particular localities. 
 If this desire could have been met at the 
 time, I feel quite confident that we should 
 never have heard of such a thing as the 
 Kafir war, in 1834-5. 
 
 As this appeared to be the set time for 
 using all the strength which we could com- 
 mand, I drew up a regular plan of labour 
 for myself and assistants. Messrs. Walker, 
 Roberts, and Wakefield, (Local Preachers,) 
 and Jantije Noqa, David Boosak, Yosef Wes- 
 ley, Thomas Poopoomie, and Peter Spokter, 
 (native Exhorters,) were appointed to hold 
 religious services in different parts of the 
 tribe on the Lord’s day, under some shady 
 tree near the house of the Chief, or head 
 councillor of the village. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 137 
 
 It was truly pleasing to see them on the 
 Lord’s clay, dressed in neat and clean Euro- 
 pean costume, forming a contrast to the 
 former filthy karosses which they wore in 
 their heathen state; each one taking his 
 route to the place where he was appointed to 
 hold a religious service. After his arrival at 
 the village, the people were called together : 
 service was commenced by singing a hymn, 
 either the Kafir hymn composed by one of 
 the natives, or one of the hymns translated 
 by the Missionary; prayer was offered to 
 God, while each person knelt with his face 
 on the ground. After this, an address was 
 delivered, founded upon some text of Scrip- 
 ture ; when the fallen condition of man ; the 
 death of Christ upon the cross, as the grand 
 means of pardon and reconciliation with 
 God ; the necessity of repentance and faith, 
 as the means of obtaining pardon ; of divine 
 influence, to change and renew the heart; 
 the witness of the Spirit of God to the fact 
 of our adoption ; the necessity of holiness of 
 heart and life ; the rewards of the righteous, 
 and the punishment of the sinner, in the 
 world of spirits ; or some other doctrine of 
 N 3 
 
138 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 holy Scripture, was plainly and affectionately 
 urged upon the attention of the people, 
 and with an earnestness not unworthy of 
 apostolic times. When the regular service 
 closed, any of their heathen countrymen 
 were allowed to ask a few questions ; which 
 sometimes led to a very interesting discus- 
 sion. The native convert would generally 
 show the divinity of his doctrine by saying, 
 “ Look at the effect of these truths upon 
 myself. I was once as dark and wicked 
 as any of you : many of you knew me in my 
 unconverted state, before the Missionaries 
 and the word of God came into our country : 
 but now I am in the light, and have found 
 the mercy of God, and am quite happy in 
 the love of God. And it is this love which 
 brought Christ from heaven to earth, to die 
 upon Calvary for us all ; this love caused the 
 Missionary to leave his friends beyond the 
 great waters, and to venture into our country 
 to tell us the news ; and it is the same love 
 that has brought me to your village to-day. 
 I am not come after your cattle, but after 
 your souls.” These, or similar remarks, 
 would generally silence every objector; and I 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 139 
 
 found that the labours of these native Ex- 
 horters were made a great blessing to their 
 countrymen, and tended much to keep their 
 own souls alive to God. 
 
 I have always been convinced of the im- 
 portance of employing a native agency, and 
 especially in such a country as Africa. A 
 native is the best acquainted with their 
 own peculiar habits and sins, and knows the 
 terms and figures of speech likely to expose 
 them, as well as to convey comfort to their 
 minds. Our Lord’s words have a peculiar 
 force upon this point : “ When thou art 
 converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 
 xxii. 32.) 
 
 In addition to the preaching and exhort- 
 ation, our special attention was turned to 
 the instruction of the rising generation. We 
 had a day-school, and also a Sunday-school, 
 which were well attended by the children 
 on the station, and from the neighbouring 
 kraals; and it was very pleasing to see the 
 progress they made in reading and writing. 
 To encourage both children and parents, we 
 adopted the plan of holding an Anniversary- 
 meeting for the public examination of the 
 
140 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 children. It may not be improper here to 
 show how it was conducted. 
 
 As the day approached I sent to Nonibie, 
 the great wife of the Chief Dooshanie, (the 
 great son of ’Slambie,) and requested her 
 to assist me in providing something for our 
 school-children to eat on the occasion. I had 
 sent her several presents before, and now 
 asked for one in return, not for myself, but 
 for the school-children. She said to my 
 messenger, “I am sorry that I am rather 
 poor just now, and have nothing worthy to 
 send the Missionary; but sit down a short 
 time, and I will make some inquiry.” After 
 the man had waited some time, a fine, large, 
 fat ox was brought by one of the Queen’s 
 servants; when she observed, “You must 
 drive this little thing in the way before 
 you to the station ; and tell the Missionary 
 that he must accept of this little thing 
 for the present, and I am sorry it is not 
 larger.” 
 
 The ox was slaughtered for a feast for the 
 children and their friends, who came from 
 different parts of the country to attend the 
 services connected with the Anniversary. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 141 
 
 With the hide and horns of the ox, we pur- 
 chased tea and sugar, and made a subscrip- 
 tion amongst ourselves to furnish them with 
 plum-cake. We had about forty gallons of 
 tea provided, and the large ox roasted and 
 prepared in the Kafir mode of cooking. The 
 feasting did not commence until the ex- 
 amination of the children was over. The 
 service commenced about ten o’clock in the 
 morning, with singing and prayer, after 
 which several of the Kafir children repeated 
 the First Part of the Conference Catechism, 
 and the Appendix; others repeated hymns, 
 both in the English, Dutch, and Kafir lan- 
 guages; and three of the daughters of the 
 Chiefs Pato and Kama repeated the first 
 chapter of the book of Genesis, which had 
 been translated into their language. I then 
 asked Pato to address the congregation as to 
 what he had heard from his own daughters. 
 He rose, and said that “ he had often spoken 
 against the word of God, but now that he 
 had heard from his own children, and in his 
 own language, how God made all things, he 
 had not another word to speak against it ; 
 but, on the contrary, he saw now that it must 
 
142 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 be the truth, and he never felt so much in 
 hearing God’s word as he now felt; therefore 
 he would never oppose it any more, but he 
 hoped that both himself, and his family, and 
 his people, would receive it, and hold it 
 fast.” 
 
 The daughter of Kama then repeated the 
 parable of the good Samaritan. (Luke x. 
 25 — 37.) I asked the Chief Kama to address 
 the congregation, as Pato had done, and tell 
 them what he thought about what he had 
 heard. He rose and said, “ What a great 
 word was God’s word, and how different in its 
 tone to every other word ! They might all learn 
 from what they had just heard how they should 
 act towards others, even strangers and ene- 
 mies ; and that if a man was sick, and likely 
 to die, instead of leaving him, as Kafirs did, to 
 die alone, or dragging him into the bush, and 
 leaving him there for the wolves to eat, they 
 should remain with him, and assist him in 
 every possible way. Thus many lives would 
 be prolonged for many years, and they 
 would have more time to repent and turn 
 to God.” 
 
 Another portion of Scripture was repeated 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 143 
 
 by Kama’s daughter, from Luke xviii. 18 — 
 23 . Afterwards the young Chief Kama 
 rose and said, “ That young ruler they had 
 just heard of was like a Kafir Chief; and he 
 could see now more clearly than ever, that 
 if young Chiefs loved their cattle more than 
 Christ, they could not be saved ; and hoped, 
 from this time, that he should love Christ 
 more, and his cattle less.” An address was 
 then given by the Missionary to the children 
 and parents, and to the deeply-interested 
 congregation, and the service closed with 
 prayer. 
 
 The children were then presented with 
 suitable rewards, and regaled with plum- 
 cake and tea ; and the large ox, which had 
 been cooked by the Kafirs, was served out 
 to the Chiefs, their wives, and attendants, 
 and, as far as possible, to the multi- 
 tudes sitting down on the grass. Several 
 remarked that if such were the results at 
 one Missionary station, what a happy country 
 would theirs be when they had a station 
 upon the banks of every river, and a school 
 established in every village ! O what grati- 
 tude to God did I feel while hearing such 
 
144 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 remarks from these semi-barbarians, and 
 witnessing the joy which beamed in every 
 countenance as they retired to their several 
 villages ; and what delight in reflecting upon 
 the fact that this was the commencement of 
 a work amongst them which, by the blessing 
 of God, would overturn every system of 
 superstition and sin, and bring these wander- 
 ing tribes into the fold of Christ! As know- 
 ledge is communicated to the young, and 
 good is received by them in the schools, 
 when they grow up and spread abroad, they 
 will diffuse and perpetuate the same ; and as 
 they go from tribe to tribe, thousands will be 
 improved and blessed by their instructions, 
 their example, their influence, and their 
 pra} 7 ers. Thus “ the wilderness and the soli- 
 tary places ” of long-neglected Africa will 
 begin to “ be glad for them, and the desert 
 shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall 
 blossom abundantly, and rejoice with singing; 
 and they shall see the glory of the Lord, and 
 the excellency of our God.” “ Then shall the 
 lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of 
 the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall 
 waters break out, and streams in the desert : ” 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 145 
 
 “ violence shall no more be heard within thy 
 borders.” For “ whereas thou hast been for- 
 saken and hated, so that no man went 
 through thee, I will make thee an eternal 
 excellency, a joy of many generations.” 
 “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: 
 all they gather themselves together, they 
 come to thee.” “ Thy sons shall come from 
 far,” (the sons of Africa are coming as far as 
 from the West Indies, and are returning to 
 the land of their fathers, to teach their pagan 
 countrymen the principles and privileges of 
 Christianity,) “ and thy daughters” (instead of 
 being torn away) “ shall be nursed at thy side.” 
 “For the Lord shall comfort Zion : he will 
 comfort all her waste places, and he will make 
 her wilderness like Eden, and her deserts 
 like the garden of the Lord; joy and glad- 
 ness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and 
 the voice of melody.” “ And kings shall 
 be thy nursing fathers, and their queens 
 thy nursing mothers.” “ They shall not hurt 
 nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith 
 the Lord.” 
 
 The writer of this narrative may be thought 
 by some to be too sanguine and enthusiastic 
 o 
 
146 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 in his views of the conversion of the wander- 
 ing tribes of Africa ; but he does not expect 
 so great a work to be accomplished without 
 the persevering use of means. It has been 
 shown that especial attention is paid to the 
 young in the establishment of schools. A 
 Missionary station is not considered complete 
 without day and Sunday schools ; and although 
 the children may not make much progress in 
 learning on the Sunday, yet they are pre- 
 vented from Sabbath-breaking, and are taught 
 in early life to “ remember the Sabbath-day, 
 to keep it holy.” 
 
 It is an encouraging fact that the children 
 are very anxious to learn to read and write, 
 and seem to think the distance of a few miles 
 nothing, so that they may attend the school. 
 The facility with which many of them learn 
 is truly astonishing. Ten years ago we had 
 Kafir children who could read the Scriptures 
 with fluency in the English and Kafir lan- 
 guages ; and nothing could please them more 
 than to be allowed to take their books home 
 to read portions of the word of God to their 
 parents and friends. In some cases, when a 
 young female has left the school, and been 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 147 
 
 married to a person residing in a distant part 
 of the country, she has taken with her a copy 
 of one of the Gospels in Kafir, and a small 
 Kafir Hymn-book, and kept up family wor- 
 ship. She has been the means of the Sabbath 
 being observed; so that, both by precept 
 and example, she has become a witness of 
 the truth, and thus her light has shined in 
 the centre of gross heathen darkness. 
 
 We have also an institution, called “The 
 Watson Institution,” to perpetuate the me- 
 mory of the late Rev. R. Watson, that great 
 advocate of Missions and of the African race, 
 especially established for training native 
 youths to act as Teachers and subordinate 
 agents in the Mission work ; and great 
 care is taken to select such as are under 
 good impressions, and who are desiring to 
 give their hearts to God. Thus a foundation 
 is laid for carrying out our plans of usefulness 
 on an economical, and yet much more exten- 
 sive, scale; and Africa will yet be blessed 
 through the instrumentality of her own sons. 
 
 I had the satisfaction of training a Kafir 
 youth in my own house. He w r as truly con- 
 verted to God when very young, and was the 
 o 2 
 
148 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 most regular and uniform in his devotions of 
 any youth that I ever knew, in any country. He 
 could speak the English, Dutch, and Kafir 
 languages with fluency. Hence he became 
 very useful as an interpreter, and took great 
 delight in assisting in the translation of the 
 Scriptures. His services were of great value 
 in almost every other kind of work on the 
 station. He was very efficient in the prayer- 
 meetings, quite astonishing the old people. 
 They often said concerning him, “ that he 
 was an old man before his beard had begun 
 to grow.” 
 
 When I left the country he was employed 
 in our printing-office at Graham’s-Town ; and 
 upon the return of the Rev. W. Shaw to 
 South Africa, he wrote to me to say that 
 this youth was of great service in aiding to 
 carry through the press all their Kafir trans- 
 lations. He has since been induced to accept 
 of the office of Government Interpreter to 
 the Kafirs; and although I greatly regret that 
 he is in a certain sense lost to our society, yet 
 he will be of incalculable advantage to the 
 local Government in their diversified com- 
 munications with the Kafirs. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 149 
 
 A periodical is published quarterly at our 
 Mission-press in the Kafir language, called 
 the Umshumayeli Wendaba ; designed to 
 circulate the most interesting facts connected 
 with the Missions, and to communicate the 
 most important religious news through every 
 tribe. About five hundred copies are pub- 
 lished quarterly ; and as the Kafirs have such 
 a disposition to hear and to tell news, and 
 spend the most of their time in this way, 
 this periodical is likely to be made a great 
 blessing to them. 
 
 There is another encouraging fact which 
 must not be overlooked, — the translation of 
 the holy Scriptures into the Kafir language. 
 This has been done by several of the Mis- 
 sionaries, each taking a portion to translate ; 
 and to secure accuracy, a Committee of the 
 Missionaries is appointed to examine each 
 translation before it goes to the press. A 
 complete and standard edition of the New 
 Testament may soon be expected. And as 
 copies of the word of life are printed and 
 circulated throughout the different tribes, 
 and Missionaries, Scripture readers, and other 
 agents are standing upon the mountains, and 
 o 3 
 
150 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 in the valleys, crying, “ Ho, every one that 
 thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” may we not 
 expect the fulfilment of the promise, “ My 
 word shall not return unto me void, but it 
 shall accomplish that which I please, and it 
 shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it ?” 
 (Isai. lv. 11.) 
 
 In bringing this narrative to a close, I 
 would request my young readers to think 
 of the following evidences of the indirect 
 influence of the Gospel, some of which are 
 embodied in the preceding pages : — 
 
 1 . A French vessel was wrecked on the Kafir 
 coast in 1829, when eight of the men on board 
 succeeded in getting on shore by swimming. 
 They were soon surrounded by a considerable 
 number of Kafirs, one of whom proposed to 
 the rest, that they should be all murdered as 
 aforetime ; but some of the others said, “ No, 
 the Missionaries are now in our country, and 
 they have brought the word of God with 
 them, which says, ‘ Thou shalt do no murder.’ ” 
 Instead, therefore, of murdering them, they 
 led them to the nearest Mission station ; and 
 they were conducted by Kafirs from station to 
 station, until they reached the colony in safety. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 151 
 
 2 . In the last Kafir war, it was noticed 
 that the Kafirs did not destroy the women 
 and children of Europeans who were quite 
 at their mercy, which had always been their 
 practice in former wars; but in one case, after 
 they had killed the husband of a certain 
 female, one of the Kafirs carried her child 
 for many miles, until they came in sight of 
 the town, and then told her to make the best 
 of her way to her friends. 
 
 3 . The implicit confidence which the natives 
 had in the rain-makers and witch-doctors 
 is now to a great extent destroyed. Thus 
 great and indescribable cruelty is prevented, 
 and the people placed in a better capacity 
 for receiving the word of God. 
 
 4. The Sabbath is now observed by a 
 great many of the natives. In one instance 
 a Chief sent one of his men a journey of 
 fifteen miles to ask me if the first word which 
 we had told them respecting the Sabbath 
 was the “fast word;” and whether it came 
 from God or not ; as an English trader had 
 brought his waggon near his kraal, and was 
 wishing his people to trade with him, although 
 it was Sunday; that he had greatly aston- 
 
152 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 ished them by telling them that “ he had no 
 Sunday.” The Chief, however, said that the 
 Missionary should decide the question ; but, 
 in the mean time, the trader might let the 
 oxen graze, and make himself comfortable 
 until the man returned with an answer. I 
 was much pleased with the earnest manner 
 in which the messenger put the question to 
 me ; stating that the man w^as a white man, 
 and they wished to know where he was horn, 
 that he had no Sabbath. I told him that 
 the first word which we had given them 
 was not the word of man, but the word 
 of God ; which was thus written, “ Re- 
 member the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy 
 and that this word was binding upon all men, 
 of every nation, and kindred, and people, and 
 tongue. The man thanked me, in the name of 
 his Chief; and said that I must never be 
 tired of teaching Kafirs, for they were very 
 dark, and needed telling the same things 
 over and over again. He then left the 
 station in great haste, and found the Chief 
 and a large assembly waiting to hear the 
 “ great word” which should decide the ques- 
 tion between the trader and themselves. 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 153 
 
 The man delivered the message to the Chief 
 with great seriousness and energy; when the 
 Chief exclaimed, Ugavaki kaloka ? “ Do you 
 hear that now ? The Missionary must be right, 
 because he has the book.” The trader was 
 then told that he must wait until the fol- 
 lowing morning, when they would be glad 
 to trade with him. 
 
 5. In the respect which is now shown 
 to the bodies of departed relatives and friends. 
 Graves are dug for them, and seriousness 
 and proper order manifested in carrying them 
 to the grave and burying them. Formerly 
 the body was dragged into the bush, even 
 before life was extinct, and left to be torn 
 to pieces by ravenous wolves. 
 
 6. After the Missionaries got into the 
 Kafir country, a strong desire was manifested 
 by the Kafirs to obtain articles of British 
 manufacture ; and a profitable trade was 
 opened between the colonists and the Kafirs, 
 amounting to not less than £20,000 per 
 annum. From this fact the Missionary Col- 
 lectors are furnished with an answer to the 
 objection which some people make ; namely, 
 that ft is not right to send so much 
 
154 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 money out of this country; when it is clear 
 that all the money that is given for the 
 support of foreign Missions is returned, in 
 the way of trade, and multiplied a hundred- 
 fold. 
 
 7. After the enormous loss of life and 
 property, on the part of the Kafirs and the 
 colonists, during the late war, and when 
 there was no prospect of peace being made 
 between the two nations, a plan was devised 
 by the Wesleyan Missionaries, and carried 
 into effect by the Rev. Messrs. Shepstone, 
 Palmer, and Boyce, who, at the risk of their 
 lives, ventured to cross the great Fish River, 
 and enter the Kafir country. They communi- 
 cated the object of their visit to the Chiefs 
 Pato, Kobus, and Kama, and also to Umkye, 
 a son of ’Slambie. The Chiefs were greatly 
 delighted with this unexpected visit, and said, 
 “ The object of your visit is good, it is worthy 
 of the children of God ; yea, it is very good ; 
 so good, that it is a wonder that you never 
 thought upon it before.” Kobus observed, 
 “ War never did and never can make a country 
 right : the Chiefs who have made war are only 
 children; they know nothing of war; they 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 155 
 
 were in a slippery place ; they slipped, and in 
 slipping they have fallen. We thank, we 
 greatly thank; we have not words to thank 
 enough.” The Missionaries did not intend 
 to send their message to Makomo and Tyali, 
 the principal leaders in the Kafir war, through 
 the medium of the other Chiefs, but through 
 Nongwane the wife of Kama, and sister to 
 Makomo, as it was thought they might re- 
 ceive a message from their own sister, when 
 they would not from any other person. Four 
 Kafir women were selected to go to the Kafir 
 army, in the mountains, and thank Makomo 
 and Tyali for having given orders, at the be- 
 ginning of the war, that none of the Mission- 
 aries should be killed ; and to state that as 
 the Chiefs had thought upon the Missionaries 
 in a time of trouble, the Missionaries now 
 thought upon them ; and especially as they 
 saw another storm gathering in the colony, 
 which would be likely to overwhelm them ; 
 and that they, had heard, if the Governor 
 should enter Kafirland again, he intended to 
 “ sweep it clean.” But although this was his 
 determination, yet they knew he was very 
 merciful. This was now the time for the 
 
156 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 Chiefs to ask for mercy, and to say the Chiefs 
 are tired of the war. 
 
 The Chiefs had this message related to 
 them twice over; after which they said, “We 
 thank, truly, truly, truly. Is this really the 
 word of the Missionaries? We will take 
 their advice : we will send to the Governor 
 to say, ‘Mercy, great Chief.”’ This was 
 done in a message to the Governor. A time 
 was appointed for a meeting between them 
 and His Excellency; when the Chiefs pre- 
 sented a spear in token of their submission, 
 and peace was made, to the great joy of all 
 parties. Thus terminated a war which had 
 been carried on at an enormous expense to 
 the Colonial Government, and a fearful loss 
 of life amongst the Kafirs. 
 
 This peace was not brought about by any 
 sudden advantage gained by the English army 
 over the Kafirs, but through the instrumen- 
 tality of females, who had felt more or less 
 the influence of the Gospel. The first per- 
 son mentioned as being likely to have in- 
 fluence with the hostile Chiefs, was the wife 
 of Kama. She was converted to God when 
 I was stationed at Wesleyville ; and I had 
 
A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 157 
 
 the happiness of receiving her into the church 
 of Christ by the ordinance of baptism. But, 
 O, how little did I think at the moment 
 when she was kneeling at the communion, 
 bathed in tears, and receiving Christian bap- 
 tism at the hands of the Missionary, that she 
 would become an instrument of effecting peace 
 between two powerful nations, after a dis- 
 astrous and protracted war! “ Blessed are 
 the peace-makers ; for they shall be called the 
 children of God.” (Matt. v. 9.) 
 
 8. It was usual for the Missionaries in 
 Kafirland to bring one or more of their Chiefs 
 with them to the colony when they attended 
 the annual District Meeting in Graham’s- 
 Town. This was thought desirable, as it 
 gave the Chiefs an opportunity of seeing 
 more of the usages of civilized society, and 
 furnished opportunities of conversing with 
 the civil and military authorities on the 
 frontier, to whom they could explain any 
 misunderstanding that might have taken 
 place during the year, between the colonists 
 and the Kafirs. 
 
 On one of these occasions, Kama, a Chief, 
 came with the Missionary from Wesley ville ; 
 
 p 
 
158 
 
 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 and Morocco, a Bechuana Chief, came with 
 Mr. Archbell, for the first time. We had 
 always a room provided for the Kafir Chiefs 
 and their attendants ; but for the first night 
 we had not prepared one for the Bechuana 
 Chief. As the evening came on he w r as 
 rather reluctantly induced to go into the 
 same room which was occupied by the Kafir 
 Chief. When he entered with his atten- 
 dants, he took his seat on the opposite side 
 of the room to that of the Kafir Chief, and 
 for some time they gazed upon each other in 
 silence. At last the Kafir Chief thought, 
 “ Why should I be silent when I have found the 
 mercy of God, and I have nothing but love 
 in my heart to all mankind ? ” He then said 
 to Morocco, “ Do you know the reason why 
 you and I have met together in peace in this 
 room ? You have left your spear at home, 
 and I have left mine ; and we are now sitting 
 together as friends in the same room.” 
 Morocco said, “ No, I cannot tell the reason ; 
 but it is true you are sitting there, and I am 
 sitting here, and we are sitting as friends.” 
 Kama then said, “ The reason is this : the 
 Missionaries have come into our country 
 
with the word of God ; and that word 
 teaches us, that although we may differ from 
 each other in colour and language, and may 
 live in different countries, yet we are of 
 one blood, and are all fallen into sin ; but 
 there is one Saviour who died for us all, and 
 one way of salvation, and one Spirit to teach 
 us that way when the word is preached. This 
 word has been preached to us Kafirs ; and 
 much as we loved fighting before, we see now 
 it is a bad thing, and we have left it off. 
 The word of God has conquered our hearts, 
 and we are now at peace. This same word 
 has been brought into your country, and you 
 are now at peace. If it had not been for 
 this word, our meeting to-day would have 
 been very ugly indeed : either your spear 
 would have come into my heart, or mine 
 might have come into your heart ; one of us 
 must have fallen.” They then exchanged 
 rings from each other’s arms, shook hands, 
 and joined in prayer together ; and were 
 greatly delighted in talking about the won- 
 derful change which the Gospel had effected, 
 in preventing war and bloodshed, and in 
 introducing peace and joy: a peace more 
 
160 A MISSIONARY NARRATIVE. 
 
 permanent, and a joy much more delightful, 
 than the joy of harvest, or the joy which men 
 possess in dividing the spoils of tribes and 
 nations. 
 
 Thus “ the Gentiles ” are coming to God’s 
 “light, and kings to the brightness of” his 
 “ rising.” “ And the glory of the Lord shall 
 he revealed, and all flesh shall see it together : 
 for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” 
 (Isai. lx. 3 ; xl. 5.) 
 
 ROCHE, PRINTER, 25 , HOXTON-SQUARB, LONDON. 
 
/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DATE DUE 
 
BW9480 .Y76 
 
 A missionary narrative of the triumphs 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
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